Comedy films will never be appreciated: Rohit Shetty

Mumbai:  Critics may not have been kind to “Golmaal Again” but director Rohit Shetty is happy that the movie, his costliest so far, is doing well at the box office. The film, which reportedly released in 3,500 screens, opened at over Rs 30 crore.

The 44-year-old filmmaker says, “‘Golmaal…’ has got the highest opening and minted the fastest Rs 100 crore of this year. After watching the film, we were sure enough it will work but to what extent we did not know. We did not think we would get such an overwhelming response. But we were sure that family audience will come to see the film.” 

The five-day domestic business of the comedy stands at Rs 116.89 crore, since its release on October 20. Shetty says he is never demotivated by reviews as focuses on audiences’ reaction. “This is my 10th film and it has been 27 years as a director. I know it (negative reviews) happens. (But) I don’t read reviews. From the audiences’ reaction and box office collections, you come to know how much the film has been loved.

“Comedy films are often looked down upon and they will never be appreciated, so you can’t get depressed about it and take it seriously,” he says in an interview with PTI. With the fourth “Golmaal” installment, Rohit experimented by clubbing humour with the element of horror.

“I did not want it to be an all-comedy film. We did not want to make it as any other comedy film. It is the costliest film of mine. We had to take this brand a notch higher. Even with ‘Chennai Express’, we added dramatic scenes in the second half,” he says.

The film clashed with Aamir Khan’s “Secret Superstar” and Rohit says since the Diwali slot is often seen as a face-off among big releases, it was obvious that the number of screens would be divided. “When two films release together you don’t know what will work. Nobody can predict what is going to happen on a Friday.

The opening numbers of ‘Golmaal Again’ are the highest for this year. “But if there was no clash, the opening would have been bigger. I can say this from the reaction of the audience. But for me, Rs 30 crore is also a big number.”  Rohit adds the genre and aim of two movies were different. “If the space of both the films was same then it would have been a problem for both of us,” he adds.