MUMBAI: Gandhigiri has been responsible for making producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Lage Raho Munnabhai laugh its way to the bank. The film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, has become a rage in India.
Lage Raho Munnabhai has found patronage at the box-office as well as with the government. It has been exempted from entertainment tax in Delhi, Bombay and Maharashtra. In Bombay and across the state, viewers have been enjoying the tax free movie from the fifth week (29 September). Single screen theatres have slashed the rates by 40 per cent while the multiplex cinemas who are more than three years old are offering 25 per cent cut.
While other box-office grossers were going to town with their success, the makers of Lage Raho Munnabhai decided to lie low. Let’s have a look at the major metros in terms of what Lage Raho Munnabhai has grossed in its four weeks:
Bombay – Rs 114,379,294; Delhi – Rs 68,528,292, Kolkata (three weeks) Rs 18,449,450, Hyderabad Rs 13,870,557 and Mysore – Rs 15,000,000.
In its fourth week in the US, the film has grossed $2,080,273 while in the UK it has till now collected
£ 754,443.
From its second and fifth week in Delhi and Bombay respectively, the film has been enjoying the benefits of a tax holiday. The Revenue Minister has waived the entertainment tax for a six-month period.
Shringar Films Ltd. has distributed the film in Bombay on a 20 per cent commission basis. Whereas in Delhi, the film was on an M.G. (Minimum Guarantee) basis of Rs 20 million (Rs 2 crore) and was distributed by A.A. Films.
