To generate superhits is becoming next to nature for filmmaker duo Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy now. After Konttho's box office success in May, they have stirred the Bengalis with yet another very thought-provoking and socially relevant issue in Gotro, that released last Friday.
The movie is seeing full-houses for all its shows across the state including the multiplexes and standalone theatres. A very well-told tale of communal harmony, Gotro, that released on Janmasthami, gives a strong message of religious harmony through the story of a lonely aged woman, who lives alone in her house. With son settling in Western shores, Mukti Devi -- the protagonist played brilliantly by Anashua Majumdar -- is solely dependent on house help Jhuma, essayed by Manali and a security guard Tareq Ali aka Tarak. Gotro tells a poignant tale of how insignificant one's religious identity is and how humanity is the true religion of mankind, without being preachy. And going by the audience reaction and hall collections, it has indeed struck all the right chords.
"We were having a lot of expectations from this film and Gotro has been doing wonders from day one and is already on its way to be a blockbuster, with almost all the shows going house full," tells Ujjwal Biswas of PVR multiplex.
Arijit Dutta of Priya Cinema feels Gotro is once again a canter. "It has all the elements of a hit movie and the audience reaction is mindblowing. Considering the kind of news we read these days, it's a socially apt and relevant film," tells Dutta.
Babloo Damani the distributor of the film is no less happy and mentions that the first day collections of Gotro are even better than Konttho. "If we call Konttho a superhit movie, be prepared to call Gotro a blockbuster," tells Damani.
Prabir Roy of Asoka Cinema tells us that the second-day sale was three times more than day one. "Despite Puaj being held at every Bengali household on the occasion of Janmasthami, we had a packed house for two back-to-back shows on Saturday and the trend continued on Sunday, too. We are seeing a mixed crowd from 15-70 years of age," says Roy.
Gotro release on August 23 at 93 halls with 211 shows. Most multiplexes are having at least four shows per day with PVR having six. The collections from across the state are also very satisfactory, informs the distributors.