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Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa’s Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat released in theatres on October 21 and clashed at the box office with Ayushmann Khurrana’s Thamma. While the former is directed by Milap Zaveri, the latter was backed by Amar Kaushik and Dinesh Vijan, who have delivered hits like Stree and Bhediya. Therefore, ahead of these two releases, it was widely reported that Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat was struggling to get screens across the country. Now that both the films are getting an overwhelming response from the audience, News18 Showsha sat down for a chat with Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat producer Anshul Garg, who admitted that they struggled to get the screens before the film’s release. “Even if we look at the box offices for Diwali in the last few years, last year also Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa clashed and they earned around Rs 70 crore each. I knew that we would get fewer screens. I knew it because Maddock Films (Production house owned by Dinesh Vijay) is a very big company and they’ve produced such big films and PVR is distributing their film,” he told us. “But the kind of capacity we needed, I think it was sufficient for us, and it actually worked for us. Since we had fewer screenings, we saw housefull. Eventually, we got the shows also because the screen count share started from 70-30 but now it has come to 45-55 ration,” the producer added. “I think it hasn’t impacted us a lot. People anyway visit theatres to watch movies during this festive time. So if one has to travel 2 KMs extra to watch my movie, they’ll do it,” Garg said. Asked if legacy banners are often prioritised by the distributors, Anshul Garg replied positively. However, he explained that he does not feel bitter about it. “I feel there should be some benefit if you are a ruler. If Dinesh sir has given 10 hits and he is being prioritised now, I don’t think that’s wrong,” he said. Garg concluded by saying that he is happy with the response Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat has been getting and stated, “The kind of love and support we deserved for our film, we got it. We have earned around Rs 50 crores in five days. Internationally, the film is performing so well. Distributors are saying that they weren’t accepting this kind of response. We are happy with the results. I met Dinesh sir before the release. He also praised the film’s music. I could not meet him after the release, but our box office numbers are more or less the same.”
