Om Shanti Om ahead of Aamir Khan's Rang De Basanti

Six-pack Shak Rukh and dazzling Deepika have won over Calcutta Inc. Going into Week Two, Om Shanti Om — on track to break many a box office record, if the first week is any indication — has set a new benchmark for block bookings.

Almost 20 companies queued up at the two INOX multiplexes in the first week to buy tickets in bulk for Farah Khan’s tribute to the 70s. Week Two will be even better with 19 companies snapping up seats for their employees at INOX Forum and City Centre as soon as advances opened on Wednesday. The number looks set to cross a score by the time the reels roll on Friday.

“The response to Om Shanti Om from corporate houses is unprecedented. Even in the second week, the number of block bookings hasn’t dipped,” says Vikas Syal, the regional general manager of INOX.

The scene is no different at the other multiplexes. “The number of bulk bookings for Om Shanti Om in the first week has been extremely encouraging. In the second week, too, we have a number of companies queuing up,” says a spokesperson for Fame.

The demand for a dose of OSO magic spans the corporate spectrum — from banks to telecom companies to financial institutions. The block booking figures has thrust OSO ahead of Sanjay Dutt-Vidya Balan period piece Parineeta and Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti, which also had corporate houses buying seats in bulk.

The corporate boost at the box office for OSO has left Saawariya out in the cold. The much-hyped Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is a distant second with five block bookings at the two INOXes for Week Two.

“Saawariya may have drawn individuals and small groups in the first week, but it is nowhere close to Om Shanti Om in terms of block bookings,” confirms Syal of INOX.

TheTelegraph.com