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Sulekha.com reports unprecedented advance ticket sales for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in US

K3G a certified smash hit even before its release. An entertainment phenomenon bringing together Indians worldwide as one. Frenzy of demand causes system resets, midnight calls, busy signals..

AUSTIN, US, Nov 6:Sulekha.com, the leading online ticketer for Indian movies and events, received a frantic call on his cell phone at 2.30 am Tuesday morning. It was from a customer wanting to find out how she can buy tickets for the opening night of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the much-awaited Bollywood blockbuster set to release worldwide this Friday. The customer service phones at Sulekha have been ringing off the hook from callers coast to coast. All eager to snap up tickets for the opening weekend of the much-awaited magnum opus, featuring seven of the biggest stars in Bollywood and directed by the hottest young director India has ever seen. "We have ticketed for other major hits like Lagaan, Yaadein and Asoka, but K3G has really triggered off an avalanche," says Mr. Pabreja. Sulekha.com, the leading online community for Indians worldwide, sells advance tickets online for over 50 screens in 17 cities from New York to California. Nidhi Mehta, Manager of Event Ticketing for Sulekha.com, says, "It has been absolutely crazy around here. We have never witnessed such a demand for movie tickets ever. Our phones have been ringing off the hook. One person called in to order 50 tickets." Srivathsan Kris, Manager of Software Development, says, "Our system was programmed for a maximum of 32 tickets per transaction. We had to quickly reprogram our system to increase the limit for this movie."

Long lines to watch much-hyped movies and sold out shows are common in US also. Bollywood-crazy viewers often wait in line for hours, sometimes in rough American weather, to get movie tickets. Sulekha.com introduced their advance online ticket sales for most theaters across US by tying up with movie exhibitors in several cities. Says Ms Mehta, "We cannot disclose actual sales because of confidentiality provisions of our contracts, but though we are still four days away from release, we are close to selling out almost an entire day's worth of tickets for many centers."

Satya Prabhakar, CEO of Sulekha.com, says, "Sulekha.com is really the only entity in the world today that has a finger on the pulse of actual demand for about-to-release Indian movies. We have a very good feel for the total demand and demographics. What we are seeing with K3G is an unprecedented demand that cuts across multiple demographic segments and we are seeing for the first time a lot of group sales. And it is truly a global event that ties Indians worldwide together…a cultural glue of sorts that brings together a geographically distributed Indian community."

Mr. Prabhakar adds, "At some point in the lifecycle of a big film, we cross an inflection point where the movie itself is only part of the deal. After this point, it becomes a community phenomenon where everybody is talking about it feverishly. Watching the movie becomes an essential part of belonging. People want to be 'in' with it and don't want to be left out. Kabhi Khushi is an epitome of such an event. It is the same reason why people wait at 12.01 am on the day of release to buy a copy of Windows 95 or a Harry Potter book. The waiting, the talking, the frenzy are part of the fun. I am not immune to it either. I bought my K3G tickets on Sulekha.com for the opening night too!"

Tickets can be purchased online for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in US at www.sulekha.com/k3g

About Sulekha.com

Sulekha.com is the flagship service of Smart Information Worldwide, Inc., a leading Internet media and services company with operations in US and India. Sustained by the creative contributions of thousands of Indians from over 50 countries, Sulekha has become the biggest online community for Indians, winning the unexampled loyalty of hundreds of thousands of visitors and acclaim from the media. In addition, Sulekha is also the leading provider of ticketing, membership and fundraising services to Indian organizations and is today the biggest online ticketer for Indian events and movies in North America. Sulekha Select, a compilation of the best of Sulekha's content, has been on Amazon.com's list of best-selling South Asian books. This book has just been republished for the Indian subcontinent and Singapore by Penguin India. Sulekha and B4U have just announced a global contest for movie ideas featuring a panel of eminent judges: Javed Akhtar, Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Mira Nair, Santosh Sivan, Honey Irani, Tanuja Chandra, John Matthan, Farrukh Dhondy.

• Sulekha home:http://www.sulekha.com

Contact for Questions/Interview

Vineet Pabreja, Sulekha.com, (512) 587-9645, vineet@sulekha.net

Nidhi Mehta, Sulekha.com, (512) 736-6437, nidhi@sulekha.net