Shilpa praises Piggy Chops

Now this is a rare compliment coming from an actress for another actress - Shilpa Shetty is all praises for Priyanka Chopra's work in Vishal Bharadwaj's 7 Khoon Maaf.

'Watched 7 Khoon maaf, last night Well directed@priyankachopra rockd,really complex role but u did a gr8 job effortlessly,U go girl,all d best (sic),' Shilpa posted on her Twitter page.

In the film, Priyanka plays the role of a woman who kills her seven husbands. It released Friday.

After good reviews, '7 Khoon Maaf' earns Rs.28 crore

Vishal Bhardwaj's films may not be money spinners, but they are high on content as is his Priyanka Chopra starrer "7 Khoon Maaf" that has a different story to tell. The film has not only garnered good reviews but has so far earned Rs.28 crore from its opening week box office collections and satellite and other rights.

The dark thriller about an incorrigible serial spouse-killer cost Rs.22 crore, which includes the money spent on publicity and advertising.

Released with 786 prints, its opening weekend collection was Rs.13 crore. Overseas collections accounted for Rs.2 crore, the music and satellite rights fetched Rs.11 crore and home video and other sources brought in Rs.2 crore.

"'7 Khoon Maaf' has worked well for us commercially due to a combination of tight production budgeting, optimised spending on prints and publicity and a pre-sales strategy that helped us to de-risk the film via sales of home video, music, satellite and theatrical rights even before the release," Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, Motion Pictures UTV, told IANS.

"7 Khoon Maaf" is based on Ruskin Bond's 'Susanne's Seven Husbands' and tracks the story of a beautiful young girl, Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes (Priyanka), who ends up tying the knot seven times following the untimely and mysterious deaths of her hapless husbands. In the film, Priyanka's character ages from 20 to 65 years.

"The response to the film was good at the weekend with 78 percent occupancy, although it dropped to 40 percent on Monday," said Amit Awasthi, senior manager (Programming and Operations) Spice Cinemas.

"The first half of the film is interesting but in the second half it becomes slow. Priyanka's acting is being really appreciated by one and all," he added.

The film has garnered good reviews and critics are raving about Bhardwaj's directorial skills and Priyanka's acting prowess.

One reviewer wrote: "Bhardwaj's reveals himself yet again as that rare Renaissance man in an art form that deserves more." Another said: "This is Bhardwaj's most fluidly-narrated film to date."

Appreciating Priyanka's work, one critic said: "Priyanka, not for the first time, proves she is leagues ahead of all competition." Another wrote: "For Priyanka Chopra, who plays the Anglo-Indian protagonist, this is unquestionably a role of a lifetime. She has you by the eyeballs."

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas said every actor in the film had given of their best.

"Priyanka is excellent in the film, Irrfan Khan and Annu Kapoor are known for their acting prowess, John (Abraham) has right stature in the film. All in all, everyone has acted well in the film. Since it's a dark film, family audiences are lower. The occupancy was 60-70 percent over the weekend," he said.

Ritika Sharma, a media professional, was all praise for Priyanka's acting.

"Although the film is a bit slow, Priyanka Chopra takes the cake. She is superb in the film," she said.

Said Ankita Malhotra, who works with a telecom company: "Priyanka carries the film on her shoulders."

Multiplex audiences are appreciating the film, but single screen audiences are not showing much enthusiasm.

"Multiplex audiences are liking the film but the single screen audiences are just average, mainly because family audiences are lower. With comedy film 'Tanu Weds Manu' releasing Friday, the film is definitely going to take a hit," said a source from PVR.

Priyanka Chopra harassed by unknown man

Actress Priyanka Chopra got into a heated verbal argument with a man in Delhi while promoting her just released film "7 Khoon Maaf". He was out to rattle her.

The incidnet happened Tuesday evening at the recording of an interactive interview. A man, apparently from Punjab, piped in to accuse her of "not being a Punjabi".

Said a member of Priyanka's entourage: "Priyanka was taken aback by the accusation. At first she laughed it off saying she is very much Punjabi. But the man kept piping in loudly with his allegation. Priyanka finally told him to shut up and quit before he faces the consequence of her wrath."

The man soon after disappeared from the venue, but Priyanka, known to be extremely warm to fans, was hurt by the vehemence of the accusation.

Apparently the man kept insinuating she had done nothing for Punjab and Punjabis.

The spokesperson for "7 Khoon Maaf" confirmed the incident adding: "It was weird and inopportune. Priyanka's Punjabiyat had nothing to do with the occasion. We don't know where the man came from and where he disappeared to. But the whole incident was suspicious."

Priyanka's father is Punjabi while her mother is from Jharkhand.

Priyanka spent her growing years in Rai Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. This is the first time her Punjabi antecedents were questioned, and that too in full public view.

Priyanka Chopra demands a clarification off SRK

Famous as he is for his clever one-liners and snide remarks, SRK said something that shocked the media as well as the pretty Priyanka Chopra who was on the sets of reality show to promote her film `7 Khoon Maaf`. “We spent a lot of nights together”, said SRK, stunning Priyanka. Soon, he clarified that he and Vishal Bharadwaj had spent a lot of nights together when Vishal went o Berlin to promote his film. Piggy, however, wanted SRK to explain the situation in details… we guess she didn`t want to come back home to an inquisitive Shahid! He, he, he!