'Yeh Jawaani...' crosses Rs.60 crore in opening weekend

"Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is zooming towards joining the Rs.100 crore club. The Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer has managed business of Rs.62.11 crore at the Indian box office in the opening weekend itself.

The youthful romantic entertainer released Friday, pulling in audiences from all quarters with its package of a suited-to-the-T cast, visually soothing cinematography, peppy music, energy-packed choreography and a simple yet well-executed script.

On its opening day, the Ayan Mukerji directorial minted Rs.19.45 crore, and on Saturday and Sunday, the movie managed Rs.20.16 crore and Rs.22.5 crore, respectively.

Officials at UTV are happy that the Rs.50 crore film, which released in over 3,000 screens in the country, has "taken the box office by storm".

Gaurav Verma, director, India Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV, said the film was doing "exceptionally well across India even in territories like Tamil Nadu and Kerala where Hindi film business is very limited".

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said the film had an "excellent opening" and had emerged as the biggest opener of 2013 so far.

"The film has fared exceptionally well at multiplexes and was very good at single screens too," Adarsh tweeted.

Deepika felt positive vibes from fans before the film hit the screens, and admits that the box office collection has "surpassed" the team's expectation.

"Somewhere we started feeling it when we were promoting last week - there was a massive buzz. It was a great feeling."

"People today are aware of box office and how much it is going to do. We were expecting it to collect a certain figure, but the collection has surpassed our expectation. It is a feeling we can't even explain," the actress told IANS while sharing her thoughts on the film's success.

Yes, expectations were high from "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and why not? The producer, director and lead actor come from film families, with a fair share of credibility in the industry. And it was only relevant that they met those expectations.

Producer Karan Johar, son of late filmmaker Yash Johar, lived up to his trademark of knowing the pulse of the young audience, while "Wake Up Sid" director Ayan Mukerji, grandson of Indian cinema pioneer Sashadar Mukherjee and the son of actor Deb Mukherjee, has given a perfect follow up of his debut.

After delivering a stupendous performance in the much-acclaimed "Barfi!", lead actor Ranbir Kapoor, who belongs to Bollywood's famed 'Kapoor khaandan', has proved yet again that he can fit into any role just like a glove. His dancing capability gets better with every film, and the ease with which he handles emotional scenes, is worth a mention.

What works wonder is his reel chemistry with once real life girlfriend, Deepika Padukone. The movie stands testimony to the "We're friends now" theory that Ranbir and Deepika have been trying to tell the world ever since they've parted. There's hardly any discomfort that comes across on the screen - whether it's in their friendly and fun scenes, or when they lock lips in a moment of passion.

In more than supporting roles are Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapur. Kalki, as the tomboy Aditi, wins hearts with her straightforward dialogues and carefree demeanour, while Aditya, as the alcoholic Avi, strikes a chord with his attachment to his friends.

Not to miss is Madhuri Dixit's "Ghaghra" song, and Deepika's Indian wardrobe!