Hrithik Roshan's "Mohenjo Daro" ended its box office run with a lifetime earning of Rs. 57.42 crore at the domestic circuits. While there have been reports that the period film made most of its money from its satellite rights, which helped it break even, trade analyst Komal Nahta has a different story to tell.
Made on a lavish budget of Rs. 140 crore, which includes print and advertising cost of Rs. 18-20 crore, Hrithik's film has lost quite a bit for failing to connect with the audience. Right from the trailer to the music, "Mohenjo Daro" didn't quite establish a rapport with its audience.
"Satellite rights were sold to STAR for around Rs 40 crore. They will lose at least Rs 30 crore in the deal. The team got a good Rs 10 crore for the music but T-Series will lose at least Rs 9 crore now," Komal told DNA.
UTV Motion Pictures, the firm that co-produced "Mohenjo Daro," usually distributes their films, which is why they do not have to cough up any distributor share. But they made an exception with this one and sold the film to distributors in select few areas.
"The film has grossed around Rs 81.20 crore (India) + Rs 27.50 crore (Overseas) which equals Rs 108.70 crore worldwide. It's nett domestic lifetime figure is disastrous at just Rs 58 crore after its lifetime run. In totality, the producers will lose around Rs 45-50 crore there," the trade expert further added.
So, "Mohenjo Daro" has suffered a total loss of Rs. 85-90 crore (Rs. 45-50 crore + Rs. 20 crore + Rs. 9 crore). "That's why it's called the colossal disaster of the decade. It's at par with Bombay Velvet," Nahta pointed out.
It is really unfortunate a film like "Mohenjo Daro," which was generously sprinkled with elements of a blockbuster, has had to meet such a dire fate.
