Six months ago, producer Mahendra Dhariwal had planned to pack his bags and return to his native place Rajasthan. Dhariwal’s last big budget film Maa Tujhe Salaam, didn’t fare too well at the box office and his other two films, Nehle Pe Dehla and Bachelor, were lying in cold storage.
But after actor Sanjay Dutt’s verdict in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case and the subsequent interest in the actor’s films, the scenario has changed for Dhariwal.
Not only has his film been completed, but Nehle Pe Dehla has become a hot property for distributors. The Mumbai territories of the film were sold to Navkar Finance for Rs 45 million (Rs 4.5 crore) and will be released with 100 prints in the Bombay circuit.
“We have not yet decided about the UFO and DLP formats,” says Dhariwal. Navkar Finance is a known distributor, which has distributed hits like Gangster and Golmaal. “I am a very happy person today, all credit due to Sanjay Dutt. I am also getting attractive offers from other territories. I think within a week, all the territories will be closed,” says Dhariwal.
Nehle Pe Dehla is a tribute to the late Sunil Dutt, directed by Ajay Chandok. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu, Kim Sharma, Mukesh Rishi and Shakti Kapoor. The film has been made with a budget of Rs 180 million (Rs 18 crore).
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