Grand Masti opens in grand style

‘Sex and Shah Rukh Khan sells in our country,’ screamed actress Neha Dhupia in 2004. Almost a decade later, nothing much seems to have changed. Shah Rukh is still the reigning Badshah of B-town while sex rules the roost as well. If you need any more clarifications on the latter, just take a look at the box-office collections of Grand Masti. A film which was bludgeoned by critics for its in-your-face sexual innuendos and crass content has surprisingly set the cash registers ringing. It has collected a whopping R 40 crore in just three days. With this, the movie also becomes the fourth highest opener of 2013 after Chennai Express, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Race 2. And boy, the week has just begun. So does this mean that the movie is good? Well we will reserve our opinions on that. But there is no denying the fact that those flocking the movie halls are interested in watching the ‘sex’ quotient. Advertised as an adult’s only movie, Grand Masti had scenes so crude in nature that women stormed out of the theater midway out of sheer embarrassment. But the movie certainly seems to have worked well with the male audiences. We ourselves saw male journalist folks wolf whistling while watching the premiere. To be fair, the movie does have it moments in the first half where genuine jokes will make you laugh. But only if you are a male. For female folks, well it’s difficult to pinpoint any entertaining scene in this movie. With about 12 crore collected on the opening day itself, there is no denying that Grand Masti has opened in grand fashion. And the way the film has been scripted, it will most probably rake in maximum returns at single screen theaters whose audience will relish watching such an unabashed sex comedy. This sex onslaught however has also spelt doom for the other two releases of Friday – John Day and Horror Story. And with strong lusty buzz surrounding Grand Masti with every passing day, things don’t look rosy for the other two either. While it may be a bit too early in the day to predict if the movie will reach the coveted 100-crore mark, there is no denying that Indra Kumar and co are already laughing their way to the bank given the shoestring budget the movie was made on. And if there is something that Grand Masti proves, it is that sex always sells. And of course, the ubiquitous Shah Rukh Khan does as well.