Director Apoorva Lakhia, who made "Ek Ajnabee" as a tribute to Amitabh Bachchan, is unable to come to terms with the disastrous opening response to the film.

"I am absolutely stunned by the opening. My producer, Bunty Walia, and I have been trying to analyse the reasons that could have led to the film fetching a poor opening, except that there just doesn't seem to be any," said the director.

The fact that the film has since picked up slightly has offered little consolation.

"I am told that the word-of-mouth publicity is working for the film but that's definitely not in keeping with our expectations," he said.

According to Lakhia, most distressing was the fact that Bachchan was in hospital when his film was released.

He said it was just a misconception that concern for Bachchan's health would translate into a promising opening for his film.