Images from Game (updated)
thanks to Tata…
thanks to Kassam…
thanks to Kassam…
LINK
After months of speculation over the cast and title, Excel Entertainment’s next directed by Abhinay Deo is finally titled Game and not Crooked, as it was being called all this while. Game stars an ensemble cast featuring Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Sheirgill, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Gauhar Khan, Shahana Goswami and introduces former Miss India Sarah Jane Dias. We bring you a brief overview of AB Jr., Kangna and Sarah Jane Dias’ look from Game.
What happens in a cat and mouse game… when the cat dies?
Game is a whodunit with twists and turns through revenge, retribution, prostitution, drug empires and good old-fashioned murder. Spanning 5 international cities, it is a slick, edge-of-the-seat crime thriller, where every 10-odd minutes sees a new twist that propels the story in an entirely unforeseen direction. The solution of the crime is a satisfying experience, where the audience has been shown all the facts…but will they get there before the end, is what is to be seen?
Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment are known to be great producers and needless to say the cast and crew are having a complete blast shooting for the film. Shooting for the film is on in full swing. After filming in Mumbai, the cast and crew now head to Samos (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey) and Bangkok (Thailand) to shoot some crucial scenes. Game has music composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The film is targeting a December 2010 release.
SATYAMSHOT 
March 29, 2010 at 2:49 PM
abhiheks styling looks good here, for a change. rohan sippy may not be a biggie as far as box-office is concerned but both his film with abhishek (as director) including kuchh na kaho were good. bluff master , of course had a lot going for it.
Looking forward to this one. do hope that sippy-abhi concentrate in putting MORE box office elements into this one. it appears a dark subject-needs to add comic relief.
is the lead actress bipasha here. nothing wrong wiht her in this set up except that she is nowhere near the top rung of actresses right now.
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March 30, 2010 at 5:32 AM
Rohan sippy’s project is “Dum Maro Dum” , Not this one. Game has Abhinav Deo (Delhi Belly) as a director.
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March 30, 2010 at 9:46 AM
Wow a metrosexual Abhishek Bachchan, sexxyyyyyyyyyyyy 🙂
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March 30, 2010 at 4:49 PM
so is abhishek playing homosexual
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March 30, 2010 at 5:03 PM
???
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March 31, 2010 at 11:29 AM
homosexual means gay
guy who likes men i hope that clears up what u didn’t understand 🙂
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March 31, 2010 at 2:44 PM
I understood this part, not the one where a guy wearing a tight tie and jeans with a clean look is suppose to be gay 🙂
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March 31, 2010 at 5:32 PM
metrosexualism is often mixed with homosexualism
real men drink beer and raise hell
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March 4, 2011 at 4:04 PM
Metrosexual is a neologism derived from metropolitan and heterosexual coined in 1994 describing a man (especially one living in a post-industrial, capitalist culture) who displays behavior stereotypically associated with homosexual men (such as a strong concern for his appearance), although he is not homosexual. 🙂
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March 30, 2010 at 5:04 PM
ohh..shoots..wat gave you d hint??!!
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March 31, 2010 at 5:33 PM
and abhishek has that expression like in dostana where he triest to act like gay
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March 31, 2010 at 11:16 PM
will be nice to see jimmy in a movie after so long. i wonder if kangana r. is playing a drug addict in this movie. wasn’t aishwarya rai supposed ot be in this earlier? none of these actresses logical choice to replace aishwarya rai, unless the role has shaped up differently then originally thought or it’s been rewritten.
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March 31, 2010 at 11:18 PM
Kangana to me is one of the least interesting female presences in Hindi cinema thee days.
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April 1, 2010 at 1:45 PM
I cotton to Abhishek’s styling and haircut in this movie. He looks dapper! I concur that none of these actresses hold a candle to Aishwarya. But Kangana is a copestic actress with the proper material. She has had some good moments in the past. Kangana is not playing a drug addict in this movie. I think Kangana is either essaying a cop, or agent, or something. The other actress Sarah Jane Dias is Abhishek’s love interest in the movie.
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April 1, 2010 at 6:52 PM
“I concur that none of these actresses hold a candle to Aishwarya.” i feel on sheer looks and aura (at her prime), aishwarya is difficult to beat even in the all-time bollywood list.
acting wise, she is NOT at all as bad as ome people suggest. her recent jodha akbar performance w remarkably nuanced, restrained, but expressive where needed imho.
as far as kangana, she is one of the MOST talented ACTRESS for a long time. her waif-like affect and very poor diction is sometimes a turn-on. like it or not, i have not been able to shake off the bad taste in my mouth, when she tried to speak “cool” english in an interview and made a mess of it. however, when it comes to spontaneious acting, she can beat the best in the current lot!
abhisheks styling looks v good , for a change. think he has heeded to our adivce here and fired abu-sandip….
sarah jane looks good here.
i think all these things are convenient distractions for us fans. CONFESSION ALERT-
real test here or most of his upcoming films is how will abhishek open a decent movie solo…( i am having concerns….)
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April 22, 2010 at 7:30 AM
Abhishek Bachchan Greece bound for Excel’s movie shoot post NYC holiday
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April 23, 2010 at 9:52 PM
Sarah turns exotic dancer
So what if it’s her first film. Former Miss India and debutant actress Sarah Jane Dias is leaving no stone unturned to seduce Abhishek Bachchan in Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Game.
The dusky beauty has learned realistic moves of exotic dancing from a Thailand-based choreographer in Bangkok. That’s not all, to master the art, she along with director Abhinay Deo went to almost every bar and club in Bangkok to get the feel of the nightlife there. Excited to the hilt, Sarah Jane said, “I had a blast learning this new style of dancing. I am already a trained dancer in HipHop
and Jazz, so that helped me immensely in mastering the exotic swaying moves.”
Her character in this film is very intense and goes through three different stages, one of which is that of an exotic dancer. “But I must confess that I was nervous in the beginning. I’ve never done anything close to exotic dancing in my real life. But the Thai choreographer complimented me saying that I’ve got rhythm in my body. So, guess I was lucky to get it just right,” said Sarah with a broad grin. The film will soon have a European outdoor schedule. And the crew will then be shooting in Samos, Greece and later in Istanbul in Turkey.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sarah-turns-exotic-dancer/articleshow/5848432.cms
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April 23, 2010 at 10:00 PM
I think he’s leaving for Greece shortly.
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April 29, 2010 at 9:09 AM
hey shahana goswami is also there…she is superb man…willbeat all pants down…of shabana smita patil standard…look forward to the movie..don’tlike baby doll Kangs or Abhi…
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May 10, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Abhishek:
[Istanbul is one of the most stunning cities in the world. Great character! Was here last 4 years ago for GURU.]
first Greece (wonder what the shoot was like there in the current climate!), now it’s Istanbul.
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May 22, 2010 at 2:19 PM
On set still
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May 22, 2010 at 2:24 PM
He is looking good
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May 22, 2010 at 2:41 PM
abhishek seems to have got his look and styling right here (for a change). more than the “wonderful” locations, istanbul seems a cost-effective location. Also the architecture and ambience has a lot of mixed influences making it v interesting. is the music by SEL for this one-if so, it will be a good movie to watch outfor.. not v confident about this deo guy(director) though…
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May 29, 2010 at 7:24 PM
and mansi said abhay deol look “gayiash”
toun abhishek ka eyeliner kaya hai
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May 30, 2010 at 1:56 AM
This film looks good.Should be a winner.As Akshay shah said Abhishek might overtake hrithk next year.
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May 30, 2010 at 10:11 AM
^^^^ ahahahahahahahahahahhahahahha
abhishek hirthok ko overtake agle 10 janam mein bhi nahia kar sakta
agar overatke krane ki jarrarot ki toun uske ke carrer ka accident ho jayega
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June 1, 2010 at 9:32 AM
According to Ritesh Sidhwani Game releases Jan 21 while DMD has already been announced for Feb 4. I think this is a bad idea. Two releases within two weeks? They should have at least a month between them. As it is Gowariker’s film is releasing in Dec. So these are three Abhishek films in 2 months if the dates hold!
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June 1, 2010 at 9:33 AM
meanwhile Hrithik’s Zoya Akhtar film is Apr/May and Don 2 is Dec 2011.
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June 5, 2010 at 2:31 PM
Abhishek completes shooting ‘Game’
New Delhi, June 5 : Abhishek Bachchan, who has finished shooting for Farhan Akhtar’s “Game”, says he finds it difficult to say goodbye to the film’s crew members.
“So it’s ‘game’ over for ‘Game’! The end of a film’s shoot is always weird. I don’t like it,” Abhishek posted on micro-blogging site
Twitter from Istanbul. “The crew grows into a family of sorts and then we all go our own ways. Sad! Although I am really looking forward to heading back home. Been away for just over a month.”
Abhishek, who was in Istanbul with director Abhinay Deo to shoot the last leg of the moive, is now heading home for the release of Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan” on June 18.
“I’ll miss the ‘Game’ crew. A fun lot. Thanks a lot guys. But now heading back and gonna unleash the 10 heads! ‘Raavan’ time baby!
“And though its a stunning city with such warm people, I’m happy to be leaving Istanbul and heading back to ‘aamchi Mumbai’ and to home food,” posted Abhishek, who is featuring alongside wife Aishwarya Rai in “Raavan”.
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August 2, 2010 at 4:06 PM
Sarah, Abhi’s exotic shooting!
Sharin Wader Butani, TNN, Aug 3, 2010, 12.00am IST
It’s been their ‘game’ plan for years now and it’s never gone wrong. This time, too, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani have made a slick film with an impressive star cast and it’s shot in five international cities. Excel Entertainment’s Game, directed by Abhinay Deo, is on the lines of the slick and thrilling Bourne Identity series.
It has Abhishek Bachchan playing an entertainment mogul from Istanbul, Jimmy Shergill a Bollywood actor from Mumbai, Boman Irani a politician from Thailand, Shahana Goswami a budding crime journalist from London, Kangna Ranaut the shinning star of the International Vigilance Squad from London, and Sarah Jane Dias the main reason why all these characters cross paths.
Says Abhishek Bachchan, “The wicked, unpredictable mindset of my character in Game makes him a treasure to be with. It was exciting to be shooting across exotic locations around the globe with such an enthusiastic crew and some formidable actors.” And it wasn’t all work and no ‘game’ for the actor. Wife Aishwarya had dropped in on the sets of Greece and spent two weeks with him, cooking sumptuous meals for Abhi and the rest of the crew.
But more than anybody else, it’s debutante Sarah who is most excited. “Game is my first Bollywood film and I could not have asked for a better beginning. Working with Abhinay was a learning experience and I have no doubt that everyone who watches the film will be glued to their seats, it’s a thrilling, international ride. For me, this an opportunity of a lifetime. I think the film will be on par with any action-packed Hollywood entertainer because of the treatment and the styling,” she said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Sarah-Abhis-exotic-shooting/articleshow/6247426.cms
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August 2, 2010 at 4:44 PM
Interesting though the director is the wild card here.. as for Sarah Jane’s statement that this will be on par with Hollywood action films if one could have a penny for the number of times someone from Bollywood has said this and revealed a certain blindness one would be quite fabulously wealthy!
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August 11, 2010 at 5:48 PM
A double game no one wants
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara remains unsold, because its producers are strapping it with some dead stock — Is it ‘Game’ over?
Vickey Lalwani
Posted On Thursday, August 12, 2010 at 02:44:36 AM
Ritesh Siddhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment is playing a dirty double game, which has the industry rather baffled.
Excel Entertainment is insistent that film corporates buy Hrithik-Katrina starrer Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Abhishek-Kangna starrer Game as a twin package deal.
Worse still, Siddhwani is demanding Rs 100 crore (approximately) for the same. The unjustified hubris is proving costly – both Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Game are still unsold.
Mumbai Mirror learns that two leading corporate houses have heard out Siddhwani and not got back to him as yet.
On the sets of the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Says a source, “Both Hrithik and Abhishek’s last film – Kites and Raavan- were turkeys. The buyer Reliance lost tons of money. The corporates are a bit wary about taking on their next films at unreasonable prices.”
An insider from a leading corporate (name withheld by request) said, “Yes. This is true. Ritesh did come to us with a twin deal of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Game. Game did not excite us as a business proposition. We are not likely to discuss this with him any further.”
A senior official from PVR (yet another corporate on whose door Sidhwani knocked) was frank and forthcoming. On request of anonymity, he said that Excel Entertainment has approached them with a twin deal on the above-mentioned two films.
“We need multiple rounds of discussions on this before we come to a decision. It’s a huge high-value acquisition, which can’t happen overnight. We are going to scan the entire deal before we take any decision,” said the official.
But yes, the asking rate (in the twin deal in question) is definitely high. It is left to us whether to pay that much or not. Think of it, there are very few people left who can buy films for huge amounts. Hrithik’s trajectory is not good. Abhishek’s trajectory is not great either.”
Come to think of it, Farhan Akhtar’s trajectory is no better, given his last two films in his avatar as an actor, Karthik Calling Karthik and Luck By Chance, proved to be box-office duds. Don 2, his directorial next, is itself the sequel to a not-so-successful Shah Rukh starrer.
“We are not going to make acquisitions of Rs 100 crore without looking at all this. We definitely have business sense. We have a board, which governs our entire plans. The days of Kites and Raavan are all over,” added the official. When contacted, Siddhwani chose not to respond.
At the time of going to press, Siddhwani’s spokesperson sent an SMS that read, “The deal is already closed and it is for three films, not two. We can’t give you the details now.”
Sounds like a watered-down deal.
Seems like Siddhwani has come up with a more reasonable sum (and tack) for his two flicks, because, as awkward as the moniker of his latest venture goes, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara…
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September 20, 2010 at 4:36 PM
Abhishek has confirmed on twitter that after KHJJS on Dec 3 it’s Game on Jan 21 and DMD in April.
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November 29, 2010 at 7:42 PM
Taran still has Jan 21 though this piece suggests it’s March 18:
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/10/nov/29-game-n-zindagi-na-milegi-dobara-release-dates-announced-111002.asp
The later date might well be the right one as there is no advertising on this at all so far. If it does release March 18 it will be more or less a month before DMD.
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November 29, 2010 at 7:49 PM
Eros announced today its in March…
Eros International Media Ltd (Eros International), India’s largest integrated film studio has announced the release dates of Excel Entertainment’s forthcoming films – Abhinay Deo’s GAME on 18 March 2011 and Zoya Akhtar’s ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA on 27 May 2011.
Eros International had recently announced that it had acquired the worldwide rights of these two films. GAME, a whodunit with twists and turns stars Abhishek Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Sarah Jane Dias, Jimmy Shergill, Shahana Goswami, Gauhar Khan, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher. The film, a slick edge-of-the-seat thriller has been directed by Abhinay Deo and has dialogues by Farhan Akhtar.
ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA, a young fun-filled road film shot largely across Spain, directed by Zoya Akhtar boasts of a stellar cast comprising Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. The film has been creating a huge buzz and is highly anticipated by the audiences.
Speaking on the announcement, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director, Eros International Media Ltd said, “Eros International is very happy to be associated with these two highly anticipated films and we are confident audiences are going to enjoy the edgy cinema produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and directed by the very talented Zoya Akhtar and Abhinay Deo. We are looking forward to releasing these films through our extensive distribution network and showcasing them to a global audience. Moreover, we will treat the movie-goers with a great cinematic experience at the most appropriate time; since GAME will be released around the festival of Holi and ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA releasing after the IPL season.”
Producer Ritesh Sidhwani, Excel Entertainment said, “At Excel the idea has been to make films that entertain and at the same time offer a new take on cinema. We at Excel are proud to be associated with Eros for our forthcoming films made with extreme passion and heart. GAME directed by Abhinay Deo promises to be a edge of the seat crime thriller followed by Zoya Akhtar’s ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA will take the audience on a adventure filled road trip. Eros has been a company that has taken Indian films to a new high on exposure with its extensive distribution network in India and across the globe. This is a collaboration we look forward to.”
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December 12, 2010 at 7:35 PM
Rajeev masand on Abhi/Game/KHJJS
Sons and Debacles
Following the colossal debacle of a star son’s recent period film, producers in Bollywood are panicking. One filmmaker in particular, whose next movie features this actor, has decided to change the slant of his marketing completely. This whodunit, shot in Greece, Turkey and Thailand, is a big-budget project that will now be positioned as an ensemble thriller. No longer will the posters and trailers of the film pitch it as a starring vehicle for this actor; it will focus instead on six key actors who have integral roles in it. The star-son, who’s had an unlucky streak at the box-office recently, is in no position to complain. There is some talk in the industry that at least two films starring the actor that were meant to go into production soon may be shelved, because financiers are concerned the actor may not be a viable proposition at all.
http://openthemagazine.com/article/voices/a-lot-is-happening-over-koffee
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December 12, 2010 at 10:43 PM
the rumor mills begin! The first poster here could have fooled me! As for the trailers I guess if the producer doesn’t feel confident enough about Abhishek he decides to bank on Shergill! Give me a break!
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December 12, 2010 at 10:55 PM
LOL..Masand is full of SHIT! Hahahahahaah…if that was the case, why does Abhishek have the biggest line-up around?
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December 12, 2010 at 11:09 PM
Bhansali just announced a film with him after Guzaarish and KHJJS!
But again this does not mean there’s no issue. The Game narrative is just a silly one as is some of the other stuff.
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December 13, 2010 at 7:48 AM
MP, 1 flop can change that everything – those line-ups can also suffer, abjr has a string of flops now…..releases may not get pre-release hype, some may be released in a dull period etc. etc. ….anything can happen, SLB and ABJR are now on a same boat – both need a BO HIT….although i wud still call it a prestigious project for abjr……just like i think hritik had a good project in Guzaarish…..abjr/slb’s film – i won’t look at it from BO point view even if it tanks at the BO….but other films are bound to suffer now……KHJ….is a SUPER DISASTER….and no one is going to look this failure lightly……
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December 12, 2010 at 10:44 PM
Incidentally because the producers lack complete confidence in the project they’ve decided to release it when the WC is in full swing!
All of this doesn’t by the way mean failure doesn’t have consequences.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:00 AM
KHJJS BO record is going to be broken by Game hee hee 😀
HIs acting has also become repetitive despite doing challenging roles…this is a cause for immense worry.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:01 AM
I mean Abhishek in the comment above. Poor soul…it’s becoming difficult now to even type his name.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:05 AM
someone write a comment below that masand article:
“he survived so long on his father’s name. And honestly, we are sick of seeing that constipated face in every movie of his.
good riddance.”
🙂
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December 13, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Masand only recently had a public altercation with Amitabh Bachchan. There’s no big surprise to see him dissing Abhishek through his articles. As screwed up the BW industry is, the section of the media that covers it, is screwed up 10X more!
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December 13, 2010 at 12:12 PM
agreed..
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December 13, 2010 at 10:28 PM
Come on…if that had been the case, Abhishek would not have appeared for an interview with Masand for promoting Masand ki pasand. The fact is that Abhishek’s career is now annoying everyone.
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December 13, 2010 at 12:24 PM
The other thing is it’s not just about Masand or someone else. Often it’s not even about whether these guys are being truthful or not. They just say things about both Bachchans that they wouldn’t about any other star. And I think there is this sense that you can do this and get away with them because they generally don’t respond. In life sometimes some hard elbows have to be thrown and the Bachchans just don’t believe in doing so which gives a lot of these guys a free pass. So Masand here talks about a lot of rumors here. let’s assume everything is true. How many times has he talked about other stars in the same way?! Or you have a Nahata or whoever going out of their way to mercilessly take apart and Abhishek flop. No one’s denying the factual claim here (though Nahata took apart every successful film of his also and leaving aside the Bachchans also took apart RDB, Munnabhai among others and very late in the game ‘corrected’ himself.. note how such ‘mistakes’ have never happened with a SRK film!) but the commentary is often super-charged. But then both father and son nonetheless made an appearance on his show. So what’s Nahata losing out with doing whatever he’s engaged in? Nothing!
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December 13, 2010 at 4:33 PM
Aamir also appeared on Nahata’s show a while back. So it’s indeed perplexing as to why he gets the attention of all big names in the industry. His show isn’t the most popular, TRP busting extravaganza that demands attention from major stars, but he still gets them to appear on his show.
Masand, by the way, called Akki a jackass. Judging by his reviews, he seems to be on KJO’s payroll…
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December 13, 2010 at 4:34 PM
yeah remember that, the Bachchans defended Akshay at the time..
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December 13, 2010 at 4:35 PM
KJO himself is trying to frame the box office and the industry narrative through KWK. In rate-them-according-to-talent type questions, he conveniently mentions Aamir, SRK, Salman, Hrithik but conveniently omits Abhishek! This after making him the first guest on his show!
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December 13, 2010 at 4:51 PM
If it’s any consolation to you, he completely omitted Salman’s name from the list throughout the second season. It’s only post Dabangg that he’s once again appearing in Karan’s lists, including his “best Khan” list (he was replaced by Saif during season 2). In any case, it must be more than obvious that Karan never focuses on anyone’s abilities, but only their gossip potential.
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December 13, 2010 at 4:55 PM
there’s something going on there, in the second show with Deepika and Sonam Abhishek was in fact in all of the questions. He’s skipped Abhishek since. Abhishek had a lot of edgy humor at Johar’s expense in that first show. Think it was easily the best one. But the problem is (and I’ve argued this on Bachchan’s blog) that ultimately all of this doesn’t mean much if Johar gets his dostana 2. There has been something going on on this front for months as it’s on again off again. Meanwhile Abhishek has begun other projects. Johar has been desperately saying that it’s on. Abhishek stayed mum for a while, more recently he too has said it’s on but he starts other films in the meantime and commits to others. I would love it if he didn’t do it at all (not for the film itself but other reasons) but I suspect that sooner or later he will begin work on it. Still I cheer every month that this doesn’t get started!
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December 13, 2010 at 4:57 PM
I don’t think it’s just as simple as that, sm. KJO has confessed many times his obsession with stars. He isn’t interested in actors, only stars. If what you tell me is true, then it only means that he frames his questions according his own perceived star status. His own because, no matter how bad a year SRK might have, he’s going to be on his list!
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December 13, 2010 at 4:59 PM
the other dirty thing Johar did was conveniently have Abhi-Ash to make a big debut episode. Earlier he used to get SRK-Gauri or SRK-Kajol or something. Later he said it made no sense to have SRK or Bachchan with anyone as they were so big. Johar of course always blurs the boundaries between Bachchan and SRK but that’s a whole other and very disturbing fixation on his part! Later he had Bachchan on with Shweta and now he will have SRK alone. So he’s satisfied in his mind that SRK’s the biggest. Not only is he psychologically a little sick he also is very juvenile about it. Having the biggest stars alone or with someone, who cares?! So in the previous seasons when he didn’t have SRK alone the latter wasn’t big enough?! Go figure! But then Johar has made increasingly hyperbolic statements the more SRK has been challenged by his peers and has lost ground even otherwise. So if you can’t compete in the stardom stakes call someone a superstar, if this doesn’t work make him a legend! Bachchan should be in a different profession!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:02 PM
Yeah the SRK comparison with Bachchan is pretty sick!
I really hope Aamir never turns up on KWK! Neither Salman!
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December 13, 2010 at 4:55 PM
You know, Satyam, you have made this statement several times before — that the Bachchans are unfairly targeted by the Bollywood media. It may even be true. But permit me, as a Salman fan, to be rather bemused by it. If you want to talk about stars about whom all kinds of unsubstantiated garbage is written (even in the face of explicit proof to the contrary), because the media is secure in the knowledge that no retaliatory action will be taken, or even any statements given in reaction, I think Salman far outdistances the Bachchans (who boycotted the Filmfare awards last year because of an article about Aishwarya, but were nevertheless awarded for Paa).
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December 13, 2010 at 5:03 PM
and I quite categorically disagree with you on this score! The problem SM is that you’re the only person around who doesn’t believe Salman did any of the things he’s been accused of from running over people intoxicated to shooting black bucks to sometimes beating up his women. You introduce the sorts of stringent evidence standards using which frankly nothing could ever be proved about any star! The media made hay out of all of this BUT (and this is important) never went negative on him because of this. The guy has sometimes not had a hit for years, he then has one and all sins are forgiven. Even SRK had to live upto tougher standards. As for the Bachchans it’s the fact that they are treated to very snide commentary on everything they do from the personal to the professional. And it goes back even to the 70s when bachchan even prior to the banning was often treated in very snide ways by the media. But getting back to Salman he’s only had a tough time in the media if you believe he’s completely innocent in every instance and the media just fabricated this stuff!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:22 PM
I’m not taking about the legal charges against him, but things like the recent brouhaha about him dissing Guzaarish, when he never did, and even IBN actually issued a statement that he never made those comments, but still the media stories continue, about “Salman can’t stand the sight of Bhansali”, “Salman spews venom against Bhansali”, etc. And for the record, I am far from being the “only one” who does not believe the charges against Salman. I’m still willing to be convinced by evidence presented in a court of law — note that the trials are ongoing and haven’t concluded — but the media and hence the public have already convicted him without trial. Even in a blatant case like the fake tapes that purported to show that he colluded with the planners of the Mumbai blasts, which were not only 24/7 on all news channels at the time, but are still brought up, even though he was cleared by the government of India and the tapes proven fake, and even though the commissioner of police in Mumbai explicitly stated that he was cleared of any suspicion of contacts with the underworld, the none of the media ever issued an apology or even a retraction. The silence was almost equal to the silence on the Radia tapes! And, if you want to compare media narratives, or even online commentary, compare it to the narrative on Sanjay Dutt, who has been convicted of far more serious crimes, and yet continues to be treated with indulgence by media and fans alike, including those who are ready to vilify Salman for his alleged crimes.
So, leaving aside those discussions, and restricting ourselves to films, which is what you were complaining about with the Bachchans, what has been the media narrative on Salman for many years now, up until Dabangg? Taran Adarsh called him “a spent force”, most media top 10 lists did not include his name (never mind top 5); even after Dabangg, many people dismiss it as a fluke, and he is still never given credit for any acting ability — witness this very forum. If he is only surviving on his looks, how come other good looking people with well toned physiques, like John Abraham, Dino Morea, or Arjun Rampal, haven’t reached his position?
It is one thing for you to feel, as an Abhishek fan, that he is not receiving his due from the media, or even that the media are unfair to him. All I was saying is that he is hardly alone in that predicament.
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December 13, 2010 at 5:36 PM
I still disagree SM, the stuff you’re quoting, every star faces that at one time or the other. Yellow journalism is not new. But with the Bachchans it goes beyond this and I have personally seen no evidence of anything extra with respect to Salman.
Dutt got a rather rough time in the media actually. The 90s coverage when he first got embroiled in this stuff was tough. But the guy went to jail, had his life wrecked. How much more could one pounce on him? As far as I can tell Salman hasn’t really paid a price for running over people!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:42 PM
Salman has certainly paid the price of having people like you saying he has “run over people” without any proof, or even evidence to the contrary. It’s too hard to actually look up the facts for people, even though they have also been reported; but most people stop at the headlines, and don’t read the actual news articles. I don’t suppose you are aware that his police bodyguard, who was in the car at the time, stated in his initial report to the police that Salman wasn’t driving. It was only a couple of days later, after public uproar, that he changed his story and said Salman was driving. He changed it again later, then disappeared from testifying in court, then was arrested and brought back to testify, wherein he once again changed his story to say Salman was driving, then died in destitute conditions, and made a dying statement that he did what the police wanted but the police did not stand by him. But yes, it is much easier to keep on repeating the mantra that Salman “ran over people”. I shall leave you to it.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:26 PM
Yes but there are equally other stories about Salim Khan appearing before the bodyguard and/or driver and asking him to take the rap. But it’s not just this. It’s a lot of other stories too. If he’s never beaten his girlfriends, if he’s never run over anyone, if he’s never been involved in illegal hunting it’s bizarre that he’s constantly being framed. No one says that Dutt didn’t have illegal possession of firearms and some shady contacts do they?! Why do we not say with every single story that comes out about any star? That there is no evidence? You quote an Aamir story the other day about how he ran into someone at the airport who wanted him to dub DG in Hindi and based on which he decided to do so? You then wondered how Aamir could have been so disconnected not to have known this on his own. How did you manage to believe that story?! Using your standard every single media story should immediately be discounted. Recently Salman said things about Guzaarish. the media used reported speech, his words in Hindi. Salman later on even accepted he’d said things but in jest or whatever. But you chose not to believe that initially. Yet you quote other pieces where you suggest Salman said this or that. How can you then believe those things also? I am the worst critic of the media when it comes to their coverage of the Bachchans but even I don’t say that nothing on Abhishek can be believed! Some things are clearly true but in any case if you have that standard of evidence you shouldn’t read any kind of film journalism at all. Because there is never any proof!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:47 PM
Moreover, how can you say the Bachchans “never react”, when, from the time Amitabh Bachchan started his blog, he has taken the time to refute various media stories about him or his family? Or his statements that Abhishek was shortchanged by the editing of Raavan? Or his sending Shweta’s review of KHJJS to various professional reviewers? All these are “reactions”. Perhaps you meant to say they don’t “retaliate”, but i have already pointed out their boycotting of the Filmfare awards, as well as a lawsuit against the publication in question.
And whom do you mean by “the Bachchans” anyway? There are no negative articles about Jaya Bachchan, or even Amitabh. Even when his films don’t do well, nobody says anything derogatory about him. Aishwarya has had her own independent relationship with the media (which I would characterize as 50-50) for many years before she entered the Bachchan family. If anything, I have noticed a slight softening since her marriage. So that leaves Abhishek. So, if you think he is not getting his due for his work, then say that, rather than clump him into an amorphous mass called “the Bachchans.”
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December 13, 2010 at 8:20 PM
Actually you’re right in that since he’s started responding in his blog negativity regarding him has gone done but they take it out with Abhishek. However Bachchan too has faced negativity all his life, the blog is very recent! Finally with respect to the Salman stuff in the media there is a difference between negativity that even if unfair does not try to destroy the essence of an individual. So people might say Salman behaved terribly or something (and one can agree or disagree) but no one attacks him as an actor or star. With Abhishek (and uniquely so) the basic narrative is that of a spoilt brat star living off his father’s name who cannot even act and who also got the biggest actress around and whose father keeps getting him films even when he flops. Each aspect of this story is too absurd to be addressed or argued against but the point is that it tries to deconstruct him in very essential ways. Similarly not too long ago Bachchan was thought to have encouraged Ash’s marriage with a tree to ward off her ‘manglik’ curse! This is just not ordinary negativity. This is meant to suggest that Bachchan is just the most terribly regressive guy around. I could keep multiplying these examples. The other stars even when they have negative press don’t remotely get this kind of ‘narrative’ that attacks them in very personal ways.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:28 PM
Well, Satyam, if you think being painted as an abuser of women, a murderer, and a consorter with criminals, all without proof, is not “destroying the essence of the person”, then I don’t know what your definitions are. Being considered a parasite with no talent who’s living off of his father’s and wife’s reputations is nothing to compare with that kind of destruction.
So you are only complaining about Abhishek the actor not getting his due, not Abhishek the person. After all, no one considers him anything but a respectable son, husband, and human being. As far as his professional recognition goes, he only has to take his father’s example and achieve the kind of success that will shut up his critics, or leave it to posterity to give him his place. Anyway, he has gotten recognition — both for Yuva and Guru.
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December 13, 2010 at 8:33 PM
yes but individual deconstruction does not necessarily affect a star professionally. There are many bad boys in Hollywood who don’t really suffer in box office terms. And again the Salman thing works if you assume that he’s innocent as a lamb. I can concede that that he might not always be guilty but I am not prepared to believe he is never guilty. When the media goes after stars they don’t normally invent the kinds of stories that have been associated with Salman.
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December 14, 2010 at 5:12 AM
Ah, yes, the old “No smoke without fire” argument. Well, just as you have exercised your freedom to draw conclusions from media reports, you must allow others to draw their own conclusions, too.
In any case, this has all gone very far afield of the original discussion point. Even assuming your complaints about media treatment of Abhishek are true, how does it affect him? As you keep pointing out, he is still landing all the “prestige” projects with acclaimed directors, regardless of box office outcome or media narrative. So why be bothered about the latter?
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December 14, 2010 at 7:54 AM
SM, you’re not getting my point. It’s not a ‘no smoke without fire’ scenario. Because there are some very specific things written about Salman. What I don’t understand is why stories as varied as his abuse of women or ‘poaching’ or running over people are all attached to Salman. Even with all the negativity the media doesn’t ‘invent’ this sort of stuff about the Bachchans. The usual narratives are the gossipy ones where he’s getting films because of his father, getting kicked out of them, not much on his own, so on and so forth. Given that the media/trade don’t seem otherwise unkindly disposed towards him (forget Abhishek I’d like to see SRK and Aamir go as long as Salman did without important projects and hits..) why did they suddenly start inventing stuff about him? Now there’s a bourgeois standard (and I suppose by any standard) here where living off your father’s name is better than beating up women and running over people. But professionally all of this doesn’t undermine Salman whereas it does Abhishek. Now as for the fact that the latter’s still getting projects and so on well the overall narrative still matters. Because when there are successes these are underplayed, when they’re not there is anyway a ‘great’ story of disaster. Sure if he had hits consistently this stuff would mostly evaporate but that is still a higher bar than is being applied for most others. On the other hand you have Salman with one Wanted after ages and everything for years is suddenly forgiven, now he has Dabangg and suddenly there’s talk about him probably being the top star! Incidentally note that the ‘trade’ never indulged in this negativity about Salman, it was the rest of the media. with Abhishek it’s both. And as I said the snideness cuts across everything. The Masand pieces exemplify this because many statements here are simply gratuitous.
Getting to the rest I still think judging by your standards that nothing that ever appears about any star in the media can be believed.
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December 14, 2010 at 6:39 AM
I have to say that the Bachchans have had it worse than Salman, because even Salman hasn’t had the media created misdemeanours enter course books and taught as a lesson.
I’m talking about this book, prescribed for Leraners of English as a Second Language;
Imagine my horror when I discovered that in Unit 2 of the workbook (the topic being, Tarot, stars etc) there was this Reading Exercise devoted to Aishwaraya marrying a tree because of the ‘stars’.
IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO SEARCH INSIDE. YOU’LL FIND IT IN UNIT 2 (section B I think)
NOTHING CAN BEAT THIS.
It is published by Oxford Press and is used from China/Japan to Timbuctoo and just about everywhere.
Salman being accused of running over a person is based on the fact that he was in the car (driving or not), about hunting, because he *does* hunt and possesses a gun…I presume, but that the Bachchana would do this, is based on NOTHING!!
PS I’m not saying I believe or don’t believe in the accusations levelled at Salman.
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December 14, 2010 at 7:40 AM
pretty remarkable.. you can’t look inside this particular book online though..
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December 14, 2010 at 8:20 AM
saw that elsewhere.. appalling..
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December 13, 2010 at 3:44 PM
No matter what’s Masand’s agenda here, 1 thing is for sure: Abhishek hardly has a decent number of hard-core fans. His fans following is insignificant. KHJJS proved that partially. He can’t guarantee a movie’s opening. Someone like Akshay for example has been doing that regularly.
I remember Drona released against Kidnap and the latter opened much better mainly because Imran was quite popular after JTYJN. He had a certain fans following especially among the younger generation. What does it say about Abhishek’s fan following then?
I am a fan of Abhishek and I liked his work in KHJJS. But I am his harshest critic as well. I can understand if a couple of producers are more cautious about investing money in a movie with him now. We were laughing at John Abraham’s inability to give Aashayein or Jhootha hi Sahi a decent opening but then KHJJS is a much bigger disaster than them box office-wise.
You have someone like Ranbir with a 90 cr-plus grosser in an unorthodox genre of a movie like Rajneeti. Last year he had APKGK at over 60 cr. His biggest disappointment this year is Anjaana Anjaani at slightly over 40 cr but then it’s in the range Abhishek’s highest ever grossers. You also have someone like Imran who comfortably delivered a grosser in that range this year. Shahid, Saif, Ajay have all showed they can deliver much bigger than that and they are hardly considered as 1st tier stuff.
Abhishek has a lot to prove box-office wise. His record grosser is at around 45cr while Salman delivered Dabang at 140 cr this year. Even Hrithik’s big disaster of the year-Kites- is a bigger grosser than any ABJr starrer.
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December 13, 2010 at 4:18 PM
we really seem to go in circles sometimes.. oh well..!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:02 PM
I was talking to one of my friends in India last night — a young woman in her early 20’s. A few years ago, she was a major Abhishek fan. Once she accidentally ran into him (not at any public event), and not only took his autograph, but also kissed him. This was at the time when Amitabh Bachchan was in the hospital for his stomach problems. But in the past few years she has completely lost interest in him. Because of the recent discussions here about Abhishek losing his young female following, I tried to find out what made her lose interest. She could not articulate it very clearly (and she is very articulate otherwise), and just kept saying that he doesn’t interest her any more. It wasn’t his films per se, though she hasn’t seen most of his recent releases (including Raavan); she just lost interest in him as a film star. Perhaps a clue may be found in the fact that she was mad about Imran Khan when he debuted with JTYJN and still likes him, and she also likes Ranbir. So maybe Abhishek just lost out to the next generation of stars.
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December 13, 2010 at 5:06 PM
Perhaps I could offer an analogy. I had a lot of interest in Katrina once! Then I lost interest in her and became a bit sweet on Vidya Balan. Lost interest in her and went to Deepika and since then I’ve moved on to Asin…
One request, spare me the psychoanalysis on this, but I don’t know if this is how everyone feels 🙂
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December 13, 2010 at 5:16 PM
LOL, evidently you’re in the minority when it comes to Katrina!
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December 13, 2010 at 11:18 PM
Asin is also my fav. Eagerly awaiting READY.
sm – I 100% believe Salman is innocent. The media love to write rubbish about him.
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December 13, 2010 at 5:10 PM
On a serious note, it’s quite possibly related to aligning onself with the most “happening” star/object/fad/(fill_in_your_blank)
A technological analogy would be the iPad! It’s a useless device, with hardly ANY decent features and yet people buy it in millions…
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December 13, 2010 at 5:14 PM
I think there’s a very simple reason actually. A star of whatever magnitude ultimately has to ‘feed’ the base with a fair bit of regularity. Or at least some cross-section of the base. So in one film you might alienate one group but cater to another. Abhishek however has done several films that haven’t catered to anyone! Not just because they didn’t work. He could have done five more films like BnB and even if some would have flopped the base would still have been happy. But certain kinds of decisions destabilize the very premise on which stardom is built. A star is not one in the abstract but one that becomes so tied to a specific set of choices. You can sometimes stray from that specificity into other genres but it is always hard. Abhishek actually compounds the problem even here. Most stars when they do other stuff are still recognizably themselves or playing ‘signature’. Abhishek however has this tendency to become simply the character and not be bothered about the star aspect of the equation. hence you have audiences who cannot relate to the films but more important cannot relate to him either. So if you were a fan of his for his Dus or BM image where else would you find this guy?! Nowhere. So on and so forth with some of the other stuff as well. Eventually you can hit a point which is actually a dangerous one where the audience is simply confused about you. When you show up for a star you should know what you’re getting. But they don’t know that with him. And so that connection has to be rebuilt. Abhishek obviously didn’t expect some of these films to flop but he also was thinking about it almost solely in terms of doing meaningful films without an adequate mix. But you need something to please the audience too. Even the crotchety Raja Sen said on the basis of the Game trailer that it was good to see Abhishek loosen up a bit in this kind of film! Now it is partly true that there is a certain part of the audience that is just on to the latest fad very quickly. But that in itself isn’t very significant. As long as you preserve your own base and credibility you don’t have a problem. Hrithik seemed to dominate everything in the year of his debut and a little beyond this but ultimately he couldn’t really hurt SRK anywhere.
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December 13, 2010 at 5:27 PM
The only counter argument I can offer in the case of my friend is that she still continues to watch films by Aamir, Shahrukh, and Salman, in addition to those of Ranbir (sepite her early infatuation with Imran, she doesn’t care for his later films after JTYJN). So I don’t think it’s a case or moving with the new fads, but that Abhishek wasn’t able to have an enduring hold on her affections the way Salman, Aamir, and SRK do. In any case, this is only one data point. 🙂
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December 13, 2010 at 5:33 PM
Well she’s also one person! I can supply lots of personal anecdotes to the contrary!
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December 13, 2010 at 5:32 PM
of course it is also true that ‘sacrifice’ in the present can sometimes yield long term dividends. Aamir started out as this hot star but very soon after QSQT he had a number of flops because he just signed on to a lot of very poor stuff. Still he kept it going somehow and had a huge Dil and a more modest DHKMT. However he did see the writing on the wall and started diversifying. He also reduced his volume relatively soon. When the Yashraj moment came around Aamir decided not to jump on the bandwagon. he would clearly not have been SRK but he also avoided it completely. Instead he moved onto Inder Kumar and Raja Hindustani and so on. He eventually lost out on a certain coolness quotient because even though he was getting his hits (RH was a massive one in fact) those weren’t the sorts of films that excited a certain urban audience. The only exception was rangeela. Later in the decade he started moving towards films like Ghulam and Sarfarosh and even then his films would typically start slow and remain steady (Ghulam opened well in Bombay). The same issue. He had a fairly could success ratio. He was seen as one of the very important stars but he had lost a certain excitement factor when it came to the audience. When you do meaningful cinema people aren’t excited though they might show up and like the film. So Aamir really compromised a great deal in the 90s (had his failures too) and eventually struck gold with Lagaan this past decade. Since then he hasn’t looked back. His brandname has been premised on guaranteeing a satisfactory experience to the audience irrespective of the subject. And it’s worked over time. So even in the best case scenario you end up losing your base. Aamir wasn’t a masala star, nor was he a meaningful cinema guy. This wasn’t the promise of his early period. But he switched over. It took him 13 years to get to Lagaan, really the film that reinvented him in the truest sense.
In a different sense Salman too after failures in the romantic genre switched over to different genres. Dhawanized himself, there was masala too. He was fine till 2000-2001 but after this he really lost a great deal of momentum and was hardly ever in any important or prestigious film. He’s reinvented himself now with masala, something that he kept doing before this as well but where he got very low grosses even when the films worked in some pockets. The point I’m trying to make is that a star’s career has many turns. Sometimes we tend to look at things microscopically with Abhishek (partly a function of the fact that he ‘is’ important!) but I’ve seen many many stars with many many failures. It’s just that history becomes unimportant as of yesterday when the star has his latest hit or flop as the case might be. hrithik was being compared to Kumar Gaurav for a while.
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December 13, 2010 at 11:30 PM
satyam – I admire your knowledge of films box office etc but plz listen to yourself. Abhishek has not even had a handful of hits in a career spanning a decade. Both Salman and Amir started off with a bang and Salman was more consistent in the early parts of his career. He had many solo hits. Yes, Amir is way ahead now and prior to DABANGG Salman was lagging behind. I truly believe that no matter how many failures Salman gets he will never be written off. He has a hardcore fanbase. (that doesn’t mean I want him to do crappy films). Whereas, Abhishek is already being written off (this time very seriously). I do think many are harsh on abhi, I find him very likeable as a person and an actor but he has never been amongst the top stars and he most probably never will.
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March 28, 2011 at 5:11 AM
Please don’t keep comparing Aamir to Abhishek! Aamir made instant connection with audience through his debut. He might have had flops in between, but he was always well-liked by audience. It was through a public opinion poll that Indra Kumar chose Madhuri and him for Dil. If he was like Abhishek, then why would public vote to see an irrelevant guy with a top heroine? A star has to have some connection with audience, otherwise he cannot give a solo ATBB. Abhishek never had a solo ATBB in the first 10 years of his career the way Aamir had in case of Raja Hindustani. His films like JJWS and HHRPK were also well-liked and were not total washouts like Abhishek films. Most of Aamir’s famous songs are from his 90s films, not just the post Lagaan films! Today everyone feels that JJWS and AAA ought to have done way better than what they did back then, and these films are among most watched films on DVD and TV. But does Abhishek have ANY film of his which didn’t do well, but later acquired cult status? I doubt if his Raavan type ”prestigious” products would get the love of audience the way Aamir’s JJWS and AAA did! Rangeela was also among the biggest hits of 1995. Ghulam, Ishq, Sarfarosh – all did well. None of them sank without a trace’like Abhishek’s most films! Aamir was voted as best actor of Bollywood in a survey by Outlook magazine sometime in 1998/1999. Do you think any poll conducted today would show up Abhishek as the best actor?! No! Even among his contemporaries general public rates Hrithik as a better actor. Comparison with Khans is far fetched. Salman has had the biggest and most memorable films of the late 80s/90s in form of MPK and HAHK. He was always more relevant, more followed, adored and ”in-demand” than Abhishek in the first 10 years of his career! It’s not like Aamir/Salman are some recent phenomenon or their careers took off only post 2001 or 2008!! If they were like the present-day Abhishek back in the 90s, then covers of Stardust, Outlook or The Week wouldn’t have put both of them along with SRK on their covers, announcing that Bollywood is ruled by ”Three Khans”! Check out archives of IndiaFM, earlier in 1998-1999 they used to have a weekly star rating system, ranking stars based on public votes. SRK used to be #1, followed by Salman and Aamir at #2 and #3 respectively. If AK and SK were in a position comparable to that of Abhishek at present, then both of them wouldn’t have been ranked just next to the guy on #1! Abhishek keeps getting awards for craps like Dostana. Whereas Aamir and Salman were denied awards for films like JJWS, HAHK, MPK, AAA etc. Aamir even banned awards and filmi media, still he survived! He is from a filmi family, but not with a surname as recognisable and venerated as ”Bachchan”. He didn’t have any Miss World or most beautiful woman as wife. Still he made his own name for himself. Abhishek is into the second decade of his career. We’ll see if he suddenly makes Lagaans and TZPs and sets exceptional records at box office! Repeatedly comparing Abhishek with the Khans is a a joke. The Khans were and are (and will always be) ANYDAY superior to Abhishek. Generations have grown up watching their movies and idolising them. These stars are loved even in spite of flops. They’ve survived and thrived without the name of Indian cinema’s biggest star backing them and without having any supermodel wives.
On Aamir, I can only say that a flop or irrelevant or ”unlucky” guy can never suddenly come up and started breaking box office records. He’s always enjoyed a certain degree of respect and following among audience. Abhishek’s chances of reaching Aamir’s levels are dicey even if he takes full time coaching classes from Aamir! Take this comment in any way you want to. Respecting the Bachchans and being less harsh on their scion is one thing. But belittling other stars and equating Abhishek to them is kind of ridiculous to put it mildly!
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December 14, 2010 at 2:35 AM
It is only your imagination that Abhishek gets negativity from media. It is the same more or less compared to others, except SRK. In fact Abhi is treated always as a Star, which IMO, he definitly is not. This is due to his family name. There are two facets Star and Actor. Abhi may be a good actor but given his BO appeal and fan following he is not a Star. But the kind of publicity that he gets and coverage from media is more than what others like Shahid, Vivek or even Saif( barring the Saifeena stuff) get.
Other point is why do good directors keep casting him in their movies? Why not someone like Manoj Bajpai or other equally good young unknown actors, who are as good as Abhi. These questions make i think that Abhi has got an unfair advantage. Why are other good actors not given second or third or infinte chances?
Agree with SM that personel acttacks against Salman are worse than attacks questioning Abhi’s acting abilities. Bajpai is a good actor but he never gets plum projects which drop into Abh’s lap.
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December 14, 2010 at 4:02 AM
Completely agree
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December 14, 2010 at 8:40 AM
wah satyam both father and son are now reading what you are writing ,about time i would say
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December 14, 2010 at 5:14 PM
One of the biggest problems I have with films belonging to this genre (Dhoom, Race, Prince, Akhtar’s Don etc) is that they feel unnatural with Indian faces substituted for HW ones. There’s too much of a “wannabe” vibe that emanates from these films. Instead of ending up looking ‘slick’, more often than not, they end up looking sick!
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December 14, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Absolutely right. This is one of the reasons why the trailer didn’t enthuse me…it just seems very contrived, which is nothing new for this genre in recent Indian cinema.
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December 14, 2010 at 5:24 PM
My favorite is the Italian Job (now Players) remake in this sense. The directors said they couldn’t diverge much from the original script since this was an official remake. So they’re doing an extensive shoot in NZ among other places. But this sort of Hollywood genre would only make sense if it were suitably Indianized, i.e. transplanted to India and made ‘natural’ on this landscape. You could at least have some degree of ‘difference’ this way. But all these films do is substitute Indian faces for American ones. Unfortunately this is part of ‘new India’ and ‘diaspora’ desire which seeks this sort of ‘triumphalist’ depiction and finds this more in keeping with its aspirations than anything else. of course it’s another matter than in any genre 99% of Bollywood is really wannabe. Even the films one ends up liking are really more often than not informed by Hollywood.
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December 14, 2010 at 6:13 PM
The “wannabeness” may be part of “new India”, but I really don’t think it’s what the “diaspora” wants. They are looking for the “old India” that they remember, as far as I can tell.
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December 14, 2010 at 7:09 PM
That’s probably right except that remember they’ve been the biggest consumers of Yashraj/Johar and hence a ‘fantasy’ of domestic life. This has been the diaspora way of doing ‘false nostalgia’.
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December 20, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Abhishek put up that poster on twitter and this was my response:
[if you look at the history of this genre in Hindi cinema you will instantly notice that most films either open big and then do a rapid fade or don’t open big at all and are still unstable. Principally because a very Hollywood sort of genre that ‘cuts out’ on a certain visceral emotional appeal tends not to hold for long even those audiences (new India triumphalists) who are otherwise very fascinated by the prospect of watching ‘Indians’ on Hollywood terrain. The ‘suspense’ narrative in any case has a harder time than most at the Indian box office again in the absence of ‘masala’ elements. The way to get around it is to of course do what Abbas-Mustaan do on their best days. Thrown in enough stunts and outdoor locations and ‘babes’! even then Race faded somewhat quickly. Years before Kaante had a fantastic initial but couldn’t hold on as well. So going across the board here in terms of this genre (defined very very loosely) I think the best one can say is that one should be aiming for the biggest initial possible so that even a weak follow-through gets the film to a good enough total and with some luck perhaps something better. I see some potential in Game for the human interest story with whole romantic track. Obviously I have no way of knowing how it has been handled by Deo or just how much front and center it is. But it seems to me that the film is complete at this point and since that aspect of it cannot be changed it should be advertised madly from now through the release date (again a vital ingredient with this genre or any genre these days) and specially given that it will be releasing during the WC (DMD then releases during the IPL.. you do like challenges!). Volume of course but also different enough trailers. One must learn at least this much from someone like Farah Khan. Blunt everyone and everything into submission! Not that this is a foolproof strategy by any means but let’s not have anyone not showing up for lack of trying! And again I do hope the film has enough stunts and romance and so on to provide that hook that the pure suspense narrative rarely seems to in Bombay. By the way the poster is absolutely fine. Again there should be a lot more. There is two kinds of advertising. One that just establishes a narrative for a particular film but doesn’t deal with the competition and the other which also has this subliminal narrative that ‘this is really the film you’ve all been waiting for! or ‘you can watch the other stuff en route to this film!’. You can only do the latter with projects that are commercial enough. I think such an attempt should be made for Game. Oh and finally.. though it is too late to comment on this now.. Game should ideally have had a well known ‘babe’! With this current multiplex audience one has to just offer the right set of stimuli! They are not in it (contrary to all their protestations and self-delusions) for meaningful cinema. The latter comes about when you trick these instincts of the audience and make them ‘enjoy’ the meaningful in the guise of something else. The same goes for the media and so on.]
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January 15, 2011 at 7:41 PM
Small interview with Abhishek from HT
The guys doing music for DMD
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January 15, 2011 at 10:15 PM
Interesting… I thought the Rohit shetty movie was a comedy.. he also talks about the RGV film having action..
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January 15, 2011 at 10:31 PM
Wow! I’m a big fan of Midival Punditz, and I think their kind of cool (mapping out the soundscapes of the “new” India’s urban spaces) is in sync with what Dum Maro Dum sound like…
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January 30, 2011 at 4:27 AM
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/11/jan/28-abhishek-and-kanganas-game-begins-on-1st-april-011103.asp
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February 14, 2011 at 8:16 AM
The film also has some really melodious music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. One of the songs ‘Maine Yeh Kab Socha Tha’ featuring Abhishek and Sarah Jane is a beautiful romantic number which was shot over 10 days at various scenic locations on Istanbul. The crew left no stone unturned to give the song a classy look and also shot in an old church called Irini. By the looks of it this song is surely going to be a visual delight, something truly romantic with an exciting new pairing to look out for.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2011/02/14/7102/index.html
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February 14, 2011 at 9:47 AM
I m looking forward to sarah jane’s oomph!
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February 18, 2011 at 11:32 PM
I may be in minority, Game is looking good..
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February 19, 2011 at 12:05 AM
It’s looking to be par for the course for a film of this genre. That’s not a high bar by any means. On the other hand there’s a new director here.
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February 21, 2011 at 8:37 AM
Milliblog liked the music
http://itwofs.com/milliblog/2011/02/21/game-music-review-hindi-shankar-ehsaan-loy/
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February 21, 2011 at 8:49 AM
heard snippets, nothing special here. Mehki is the best, some interesting retro stuff here but SEL could have done way better with it. The love song is run of the mill, should be ok in the film. The other two songs seem situational but again nothing worthwhile. There should have been one winner here. It’s important for this sort of film. Will be returning to Mehki though and will check out the love song to see what happens here midway!
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February 23, 2011 at 4:09 AM
This one is not looking good. Not the best release time, lacklustre promotion and Abhishek not really hot trade-wide at the moment. I guess DMD and Players will be the ones who can make it for Abhishek. D3 is going to be an Amir Khan movie all out and he is going to get all the credit just as Hrithik did in D2.
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February 24, 2011 at 3:46 AM
Cant help but agree with Kev wrt Game. Promotions are not just lacklustre but non existent. Just a month for release and no buzz whatsoever. Game appears to be dead on its feet. Even akhtar in a recent interview talks about zmnd. don2 and a possible don3, but no mention of Game.
Am sceptical about DMD, because of its content, will such stuff work at the box office? Players is too far away.
If he allows aamir to walk all over him in d3 like he did hk in in d2, i’m through with him. I’ll burn up my ab photo collection(its pathetic that at age 46 I even have one) and avert my face if I see him on tv.
Maybe I’ll become a Salman fan!! Tried watching dabangg, sk keeps the same expression no matter what the scene!! Though s sinha is quite a revelation. So watched partner instead. God bless Govinda with his quivering belly and his multiple chins!! Can the man act?!! So went ahead and watched another Govinda film- a remake of bawarchi, with baby-voiced karishma, and actually enjoyed it.
Which set me thinking- what a pity that 2 of hindi film’s top class performers-Govinda and Madhuri Dixit, never really got top class roles or directors. Imagine what Madhuri in her prime, would have made of Ragini, and what Rathnam would have made of her.
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February 25, 2011 at 5:07 PM
I say bullshit. Govinda and Madhuri had access to great directors back then and preferred to make the usual commercial crap. In every decade, there have been good directors who were making movies and only a few big stars were willing to work with them. There were other actors and actresses doing good movies during their time at the top.
Don’t blame the time period and/or directors because some stars were unwilling to step out of their comfort zone or focused more on box office success.
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March 4, 2011 at 4:10 AM
@ mirabai–love your comment–so true, fearless, saying it as it is! Like you said–God bless Govinda with his quivering belly and his multiple chins. I do wish this man had handled his career and life better. What’s he doing now–some likely atrocity called Naughty at 40–yuck. And you are right–Madhuri and Govinda never did get to act with any top directors.
Still, despite everything, these actors are popular to this day. and Govinda was one of the few good things about that forgettable multi starrer Salam-E-Ishq.
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February 25, 2011 at 4:11 PM
Mirabai— not only did u let us know of urnage v sportingly, u have made some v good points IMO — the sentiment about burning ab photo collection seems exaggerated but show how abhishrek has slowly started affecting the seniors fanbase (adversely). Highflier for bachchans to do some sort of ypd, if mo dabang or 3i
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February 25, 2011 at 4:14 PM
Typo above– “your age”, “high time for bachchans”.
Also good point on govinda and madhuri– what if they got to work with the current manis, hiranis and mehras ESP the latter….
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February 25, 2011 at 4:16 PM
just added a new image here..
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March 3, 2011 at 11:29 PM
Tyler, exactly who are the ‘good’ directors during Madhuri and Govinda’s prime periods, and which respectable films were made back then? Just to improve my awareness, no offence meant.
Alex, thanks for your comment. Yes, my patience is wearing thin. I have kids like him in my class,you know, brilliant, but refuse to exert themselves. Then I find myself explaining to their parents during the PTA meetings,’Bachcha to aapka hoshiyaar hai, thoda bahut paddh leta to number bhi laata’ .
I mean why doesnt this bloke get into shape, display a toned body, hire a really good PR company, pay more attention to not just the gist of the film, but also his own role, his own songs, dance moves, action scenes, the works!
Well liked songs and dances picturised on an actor goes a long way in increasing his acceptability amongst the masses.
Between them, the Bachchan quartret have at least 90 years of cinematic experience!! And they dont have a PR agency handling their public face?!!
They get torn apart at every possible tabloid presentation, print or tv.
Turning a blind eye may have worked in his father’s time, but more proactive measures is the need of the hour.
I do so want him to do more than well and am certainly frustrated by his lack of application.
Btw, do say ‘hi’ to tata from me, was nice to see another abhi fan here, though je ne parle pas francaise!
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March 4, 2011 at 3:55 AM
hi, thank you, it didn’t matter if you speak no French …:)
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March 4, 2011 at 4:20 AM
and to the promotion, I think he should not worry because it will just begin. Abhi was abroad (USA, NZ), now he came back, he is ready to attack. You will see everything will be alright .. lol
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March 5, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Thanks Tata and mirabai for the info…..
Mirabai u are bang on here—-“I mean why doesnt this bloke get into shape, display a toned body, hire a really good PR company, pay more attention to not just the gist of the film, but also his own role, his own songs, dance moves, action scenes, the works!
Well liked songs and dances picturised on an actor goes a long way in increasing his acceptability amongst the masses.
Between them, the Bachchan quartret have at least 90 years of cinematic experience!! And they dont have a PR agency handling their public face?!!
They get torn apart at every possible tabloid presentation, print or tv.
Turning a blind eye may have worked in his father’s time, but more proactive measures is the need of the hour.”
Mirabai—Well said. Infact u have summarised the frustration and thoughts a bachchan hardcore fan experiences wrt bachchans esp abhishrek right now.
Agree with each point here!
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March 5, 2011 at 12:21 PM
I think early Bachchan thought that physical appearance does not count much, it’s the movie’s quality that counts (but in this case must be a genius in the month of cinema, to do so) because of ourjours le marketing c’est le plus important partout au monde. And now I think he has understood from this year, he even hired coaches for his physical, as what should not be stubborn …
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March 5, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Agree tata>…
And he needs to pay even more attention…
Physical appearance does count much more nowadays even for male actors, forget female….
Except for actresses like kareena, karisma, sonakshi—-If not for their backgrounds and connections, they wont make an amateur music video. Kareenas jawline, karismas eyebrows and sonakshis “healthy” physique makes one wonder—sorry guys, cannot be polite for the sake of it…
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March 5, 2011 at 12:24 PM
one day he said: “I want to be a great actor, I try not dominate the movie world, I just made the film, and I like it. ” but he realized after 10 years with this logic ca not work, competition is not between parties but between the “spectators” and “fans ” lol
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March 5, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Yes tata…
Exactly…
By the way, saw a few scenes of sarkaar and agree with satyam—this was a great performance by abhishrek and stood up to amitabhs portrayal effectively..
actually sarkaar raj was probably even more “mature”—Not sure, rgv “killed him” suddenly like that—ruined the whole discourse…
unrelated–By the way, just realised while watchign “guide”—-Katrinas face actually does resemble waheeda rehman …
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March 5, 2011 at 12:39 PM
I agree to Sarkar. Sarkar Raj to me is the scenario that bothers me .. but he is very well
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March 4, 2011 at 4:47 AM
Debutant director Abhinay Deo is highly impressed by The King’s Speech ; has spoke about this film, importance of script and all that–as per this report; he has not been quoted about his first release Game, though he does seem excited about both his releases, Game and Delhi Belly–and sounds positive about latter.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2011/03/04/7142/index.html
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March 5, 2011 at 12:42 PM
“Debutant director Abhinay Deo is highly impressed by The King’s Speech”—Wow
What a big deal for the “kings speech” that yours truly abhinav deo is impressed!!!
Anyhow, hoping to catch Kings speech on the big screen soon.
After “Chariots pf fire”, perhaps the most celebrated British Film.
anyhow, Will be watching this for Colin Firth (more than the oscars).
BY the way–tata–really like Sophie Marceau!
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March 5, 2011 at 12:49 PM
Another link I like—Cute performance!
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March 5, 2011 at 12:53 PM
really? I am very affected
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March 5, 2011 at 1:22 PM
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March 5, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Sophie Marceau is very popular in France. One of the best French actress of our generation. Thou hast seen her recent films, like “lol”, “the other side of the bed”?
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March 4, 2011 at 4:53 AM
here is new style image the “Game”
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/mstills/14041/still133835.html
Citation.
“”Abhishek Bachchan along with co-stars Kangna Ranaut and Sarah Jane Dias shot for an end credits video for Game that will also be used for the film’s promos.Directed by Abhinay Deo, the film has the Jr AB essaying a cool dude character and it is this cool quotient that is seen in the video as well.Explains Deo, “Game’s music video goes along with the movie. It is extremely stylish and slick along with a mystical quality. It gels with Abhishek’s persona in the film.We have not made him do heavy-duty dance steps, it is all about his attitude. And Kangna and Sarah match him in it.”The Kaun Hai Ajnabi track in the video has been rendered by Kay Kay and Aditi Singh Sharma along with Shankar Mahadevan and Alyssa Mendons.”Shooting with Shiamak was an experience. He uses every inch of the sets. It is not only about dance but graphic images,” adds Abhinay””.
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March 4, 2011 at 6:21 AM
Abhishek on Jhalak finale for Game.
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March 5, 2011 at 6:58 AM
now he’s not appearing on the show:
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2011/mar/050311-Abhishek-promote-Game-Jhalak-Dikhla-Jaa-Madhuri.htm
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March 4, 2011 at 10:08 PM
Hi Tata, and I do so hope that for your sake and mine, and for the sake of all other Abhi lovers, you are proved right.
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March 5, 2011 at 1:33 PM
Alex-adams:Are you the Sherlock Holmes of Youtube?? hahaha. (though my eyes are not quite green, but green khaki hahahaha) I’m kidding …
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March 9, 2011 at 3:41 PM
Abhishek to go by fans’ choice at IMA Awards
New Delhi News.Net
Wednesday 9th March, 2011 (IANS)
Actor Abhishek Bachchan, who will perform at the Big Star IMA Awards 2011 Friday, will dance on the songs suggested by his fans.
When the organising team from Reliance Broadcast discussed with him his performance, Abhishek quickly reverted saying, ‘Let’s ask my fan’s what they would like to see me dance on!’
Tarun Katial, CEO of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd says that Abhishek’s fans from across the country have sent their suggestions.
‘Abhishek has been an absolute sport and his fans across the country from Jammu to Mumbai, have been sending in SMSes in huge numbers. Current hot favourites are songs like ‘Beera…’ from ‘Raavan’. The night of March 11 will see Abhishek dance to the tunes of India, literally,’ Katial said in a statement.
Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd in collaboration with Star India and Indian Music Academy is launching this integrated music award property, to recognise talents from all over the country and across every genre of music including Hindustani, Carnatic, folk, ghazal, Sufi and qawwali.
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March 9, 2011 at 5:01 PM
Tata—vous manquer. sourires…
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March 9, 2011 at 6:21 PM
Tata sont vous fin ? Je vous ai manqué
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March 13, 2011 at 9:52 AM
the top two images are the best I’ve seen from the film..
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March 13, 2011 at 10:28 AM
reminds me International climax scene.
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March 13, 2011 at 10:29 AM
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March 13, 2011 at 10:41 AM
very similar indeed!
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March 14, 2011 at 8:56 AM
yup and i am happy some one is using same kind of space in Game, i hope they make the scene or chase at top memorable.
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March 13, 2011 at 10:20 AM
I liked the images and songs as well.
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March 13, 2011 at 11:15 AM
too bad they not put in value rather its image, and the thriller aspect of film. I also like the last song.
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March 14, 2011 at 8:19 AM
Three film deal for Sarah Jane
Former Miss India Sarah Jane Dias is pirouetting her way not only in a cabaret number in the whodunit murder mystery Game, but also in Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani’s Excel productions. “I have signed a three-film deal with them. It isn’t time bound and I am free to sign other projects during that period as well,” beams Sarah. While the actor has worked in a Tamil romantic comedy Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai along with Tanushree Dutta and Neetu Chandra in the past, she will be shooting for Telugu film The Shadow along with Jiah Khan once Abhinay Deo’s Game releases. The film will mark her debut in Bollywood as an actor. In order to perfect the way her character spoke in the film, Sarah took a lot of help from Farhan’s mother Shabana Azmi. The veteran actor passed on valuable tips on how to pronounce and express certain Hindi dialogues. “She also taught me how to get into a particular mood for a scene and draw inspiration for them,” adds Sarah.
Another person she says she can’t thank enough is co-actor Abhishek Bachchan, whom she is romantically paired with in the film. “He made me feel comfortable. He was so patient throughout. Abhishek is a fun person and made us laugh all the time,” says Sarah. Game also stars Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Shahana Goswami and Kangna Ranaut and will release on April 1.
Sarah Jane DiasAs for the cabaret number, Sarah admits that she was a bit scared about audiences accepting it, as it wasn’t “a club up-tempo song like a Sheila… or Munni…. I am not a trained dancer, so it was hard getting the coordination right at first, but I’m happy with the end product now,” says Sarah. Explaining the mysticism surrounding her character in Game, which is that of a fragile young woman, Sarah uses the examples of evergreen roles played by Madhuri Dixit in Dil Toh Paagal Hai (1997), Rekha in Khatron Ke Khiladi (1996) and Deepa Sahi in Maya Memsaab (1993). Including hers, all the leading ladies in the mentioned films were called Maya. “There was always a mystery element attached to Maya,” says Sarah. “In Game, my character goes through hell at a young age and when she tries to run away from the situation, she lands up in a bigger mess.”
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March 14, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Shouldn’t she shorten her name though? It’s a mouthfull, like ‘.Yeh Zindagi phir na milegi dobaara’
For some days now I’m getting a better feeling for Game rather than DMD.
A murder mystery is always exciting. Then there is that song (I saw over at NG) which has a Broadway musical kind of feel. I liked the bit shown in there.
This film might be more stylish, without a ‘trying too hard’ flavour one gets from DMD.
It might end up attracting youth, family, multuplex and ss, but I know so little about these things.
Above all Abhishekh looks very good here, and seems to suit the role.
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March 14, 2011 at 10:10 AM
I agree with you.
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March 14, 2011 at 10:22 AM
as far as I can tell there’s a massive ‘interest’ deficit between the two films at the moment. Certainly with a younger audience. Now this is the sort of genre where a reasonable number of people could still show up on day 1 or a very effective promo could change things but even in the best possible scenario it just cannot have the DMD kind of buzz. Final gross is another matter. There are always surprises in this sense though note that even if Game did quite well it would be more damaged by DMD than the reverse because the newer film always has the edge. And of course a successful Game would boost the DMD initial even more. But yes a good movie in Game has a greater chance of attracting a family audience than the same with DMD which I think will be ‘too much’ for this segment.
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March 14, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I think DMD will be the much much better film. I don’t have a lot of faith in Abhinav and reading recent interviews with him don’t make me feel any better.
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March 14, 2011 at 11:44 AM
A few quick points here:
1)There is no doubt at all in my mind that DMD will be vastly better even if Game turns out to be a superb film. Because Rohan Sippy just looks to be in fantastic form here and for want of a better term I will indulge in the much used and abused one of ‘auteurist’. DMD is an ‘auteurist’ genre film, which is of course something we’ve seen increasingly in cinema around the world. so the ‘quality’ question it’s safe to say is foreclosed here in any such comparison.
2)The box office is a different matter. Here I think one must separate between a genre that one might not like and a specific film. So one might dislike Dhoom and Race and so on but dismissing the entire genre (fine otherwise) means that one is then not open to distinctions within it. For example I haven’t seen most of Akshay’s comedies and I haven’t seen any of the Golmaal films or Partner and so on. Again some might be better than others, I wouldn’t know! But at least as a box office matter these distinctions are important. But the Race/Dhoom genre for me isn’t like the comedy one. I can enjoy many silly movies here, especially do so when it’s Hollywood!
3)I actually have the counter-intuitive sense on Game. I do believe Abhinay Deo. But this might be a potential problem. When you go with this genre you do best when you keep things simple and focused. When you get too ambitious it becomes problematic. For one the plot can feel scattered and impede the ‘action’ or ‘thrills’ beyond a point but also people don’t go to this sort of genre to see ‘serious’ films. One has to be careful. By and large the fate of this genre has been poor even in Hollywood whenever they’ve tried to make things more intelligent. Because people are just into this stuff for the women and the locations and the stunts and so on. It’s supposed to be eye-candy!
4)Again I’d say the advertising has not been poor on its own, it’s just been sending mixed messages. They first went with the mystery bit, then the love story angle, then the funky videos, and so on. Now one hopes all of this is well-integrated into the film but at this point the advertising needs to be clearer. Also it will probably have some chases and so on but doesn’t look to be the Race kind of deal with lots of action and stunts. The problem is that a lot of the other signals coming from this film represent that sort of world. Which is why again the advertising has to be more focused.
5)Do think the new lead here is fine though again this genre is greatly helped by going in for a recognizable ‘babe’. Similarly I don’t mind the music (though the love song is just too ‘sleepy’ for this genre) but it doesn’t have an instant winner.
6)There is also an interesting Abhishek angle here. DMD confirms the sense people have of Abhishek. I’ve always said this but one of the meanings of Abhishek’s special historical burden as well as the way in which he’s shaped his career so far is that his films must not just seem interesting but also confirm a certain reading of Abhishek ‘Bachchan’. DMD does this, yes it’s a cool film and so on but it also seems to have this tough no nonsense kind of character. With Game it’s not clear whether we’re looking at a BM guy (the most recent videos wander into that terrain) or just Abhishek in an insipid thriller! When you have the ‘serious actor’ persona sometimes just doing ‘genre’ does not provide you with the easy rewards that it might provide other stars. Now a big enough, hyped enough film can override these factors but Game doesn’t fall in that category. It gives the sense of being more on the Kidnap or Luck side of the equation which is not a winning comparison!
7)And of course we don’t know anything about Deo’s work. Being a top ad-maker doesn’t necessarily mean very much for films. It is refreshing to see Deo talk about the script so much but we still don’t know what he’ll be like over the length of a film.
The one thing Game has going for it is precisely genre. If the film surpasses expectations it shouldn’t have a ‘pick-up’ problem like some other genres do. Also coming after a lean period people might check out and the genre and some ads between now and then could pick up things for it anyway. I don’t see this as a write-off as a film at this point. But yes I too remain skeptical on the box office.
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March 14, 2011 at 11:28 AM
I have slight hope on unknown directors can bring surprises.
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March 14, 2011 at 11:47 AM
very cautiously optimistic here but I’d be a lot more so if I were confident about an initial which I am not. It seems to me that a strong initial is far more crucial to this genre than many others.
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March 14, 2011 at 5:27 PM
Ace words from mirabai. Hop ethese words ger “framed ” in abhisheks room by amitabh or put up in his blog!!
Unfortunately, the ebst medicine is usually bitter!
“I mean why doesnt this bloke get into shape, display a toned body, hire a really good PR company, pay more attention to not just the gist of the film, but also his own role, his own songs, dance moves, action scenes, the works!
Well liked songs and dances picturised on an actor goes a long way in increasing his acceptability amongst the masses.
Between them, the Bachchan quartret have at least 90 years of cinematic experience!! And they dont have a PR agency handling their public face?!!
They get torn apart at every possible tabloid presentation, print or tv.
Turning a blind eye may have worked in his father’s time, but more proactive measures is the need of the hour.”.
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March 14, 2011 at 5:55 PM
one of my strongest bits of advice would be ‘why don’t the Abhishek fans relax?’! If there’s one thing that beats the anti-Abhishek partisan hands down it’s the anxious Abhishek fan!
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March 14, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Saw bits of an award function on telly–big star awards….
Something interested–amitabh was given the telly icon of the decade award for kbc by javed akhtar.
Javed went onto “disclose” how it was he who literally got amitabh “zanjeer”. Also how amitabh was so desperate and came to hear the script immediately.
Maybe im reading too much but sensed a bit of overkill by javed. AMitabh did not react but this did appear a bit “cheap” on the part of the usually mature and reserved javed.
read somehwere that abhishrek is on the “payroll” of farhan akhtar in Game–hahah-did not look at it that way..
The only answer to these sort f things is ====box office success!!!!
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March 14, 2011 at 6:21 PM
Well, one should relax and be patient. But there is a limit even in heaven.
The problem is not only lack of bo success!!
Even when one fails, the effort does come thru. Unfortunately, when one looks at abhi, there is a sense that he is taking some crucial things for granted.
Time to smell the coffee! ANd this is a genuine advice.
For ege WHy does even a smalltime player like emraan hashmi come up with crucially important hitsongs in all his songs..
WHy do most of abhis films not have a single chartbuster “engine” song–game does not have it, khhjjs did not.
One has to get down and dirty in the muck to get out of the “comfort zone”.
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March 14, 2011 at 8:07 PM
here I completely agree that a lot more ‘hustle’ needs to be shown in very many ways. But I don’t equate this with a ‘comfort zone’. It is about one’s approach to things which is different from being too comfortable. Don’t think he’s sanguine about his failures. He’s talked about these quite openly. My criticism is almost entirely about the hustle part of it and relatively little about the rest. In other words there have to be some hard-nosed decisions and even when the decisions are the right ones how one ‘sells’ something is as important these days. But I don’t confuse this with a general lack of effort or nonchalance or whatever because as far as I can tell he has pretty much the toughest work schedule around. Nor do I confuse it with lack of drive because someone with that problem would just do safe stuff all the time and not play high stakes poker as he has in the past. and yes with respect to the present irrespective of how these films turn out to be it’s just not wise to have two films release within three weeks of each other. If the first film works it gets damaged anyway by the second film and therefore the gross isn’t maximized. In this scenario if the second also works ultimately how many tickets will people buy of Abhishek’s films so repeats become less likely. So even in the best case scenario there is potential for damage as there was when BnB and Sarkar and Dus released in a cluster, the last two in consecutive weeks if memory serves. Now if both films work the hype around two successes in a limited period of time would overwhelm pure gross considerations at least in the media narrative but this still matters otherwise. But if this had to be the schedule DMD should have released first with Game to follow. would have made much more sense.
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March 14, 2011 at 8:00 PM
intervew of Abhichek Bachchan
http://stargold.startv.in/superstar/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=1444
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March 14, 2011 at 9:16 PM
I am not sure why Abhishek has attended the games promo with suit and glasses. It doesn’t suit the genre of film he is promoting.
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March 14, 2011 at 11:00 PM
Even when one fails, the effort does come thru. Unfortunately, when one looks at abhi, there is a sense that he is taking some crucial things for granted.
Time to smell the coffee! ANd this is a genuine advice.
Really worrying time for abhi. Patience of fans running out.
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March 15, 2011 at 6:55 AM
game will be a jhoota hi sahi kinda grosser max 20 crores…..dum maro dum if hit will do once upon a time in mumbai gross..not more than that or else if bad will be raavan kind of gross…this is my view….i am a fan of abhishek bachchan from refugee but wat he needs now is suceesful comedy films or romantic comedies he has to form a fan base with some succesful movies then try thrillers he does good for two years then does offbeat different films which flops badly he cant come back with such thrillers …..if akshay was doin a game or dum maro dum it would have had a different hype
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March 17, 2011 at 7:39 AM
Abhi takes on cricket for eyeballs
After the dates for the ICC World Cup and Indian Premiere League (IPL) were announced last year, many filmmakers rescheduled the release of their movies as they felt films couldn’t compete with India’s obsession with cricket. But, Abhishek Bachchan chooses to take on the challenge with not one, but two releases this summer.
Game opens on April 1 during the last days of the ongoing World Cup, when cricket fever will be at its peak, while Dum Maaro Dum follows three weeks later (April 22), in the midst of IPL Season 4. The actor says, “There are so many examples of films having worked despite cricket.”
Abhishek points out that the recently released Tanu Weds Manu is a hit. “The collections didn’t even dip during the India-England match. Of our total population of 1.2 billion, if only 0.2 billion watch the film, it’s more than enough for us to have significant collections,” he reasons, adding while there are preconceived notions about good and bad periods for film releases, there are also examples of films that have broken the myth.
“Belief was that we shouldn’t release movies during Ramzan. But we have seen a couple of films doing very well during that period,” he says, adding he’s not worried about Game as the World Cup ends on April 2. The actor is also unperturbed about Dum Maaro Dum releasing during the IPL. “If you see the viewership of the IPL during the last couple of years, you’ll realise it’s not something that will substantially threaten a film’s release,” he explains However, Abhishek agrees that he discussed the release date of Dum Maaro Dum with producer-director buddy, Rohan Sippy. “He said that if the film is bad, it wouldn’t work even if it releases in the best period. And if it’s good, nothing can stop it from being a hit. I believe that too,” he says.
When asked if there’s an overdose of cricket in the recent years, he says that Team India has been playing a lot. “Based on TRPs of the matches, I think a fatigue factor is apparent from the viewers’ end. But it’s different for the World Cup, which is the biggest sporting event and comes every four years. We have to win this year.”
Trade talk
Sunil Punjabi, CEO, Cinemax Multiplexes, says, “Audience will watch certain films irrespective of cricket. After all, how much cricket can one continue seeing? That’s why a suspense thriller like Game and an action drama like Dum Maaro Dum look promising. If the films are good, they will work.”
Manmohan Desai, MD of G7 and Maratha Mandir cinemas says he will celebrate on April 1, when Game and Faltu release. “We’re going through bad times, as films are not doing well despite a decrease in ticket prices. We hope Game, Faltu and Dum Maaro Dum are the miracle answers to our prayers. After quite some time, we’ll see Abhishek in commercial films and going by the promos, we hope they work at the box office.”
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March 17, 2011 at 8:18 AM
“The collections didn’t even dip during the India-England match. Of our total population of 1.2 billion, if only 0.2 billion watch the film, it’s more than enough for us to have significant collections”
Strange..only 0.2 billion Indians watch movies…
IMO opinion WC can not stop a good movie becoming a hit and we have already seen that..but yes collections might be lesser…have heard guys in my office saying like “koi achhi movie lagi hai kya”…but right now they don’t have any option…If in one of days of the weekend there is India match then other day even me and my friends want to catch up a movie…recently I was dragged into battle of Los Angels coz there is no other option….
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March 17, 2011 at 9:07 AM
how’s Battle LA? I was considering it checking out. I’m a sucker for this sort of thing even if I’ve had it with aliens!
On the other bit yes it’s true that a very small fraction of Indians watches movies. This is a shocking number for most people because the culture makes us believe that everyone’s busy watching movies. even at the height of the box office from roughly the late 60s to the early 80s when more audiences were proportionately involved than ever before or since it was still a small fraction. Now having said that with the spread of satellite TV and so on there are probably far more people with access to movies than the theatrical attendance would suggest. But it’s still small. India Today did a survey 5-7 years ago or something, a very comprehensive one where they went to some real backwater towns and really did all kinds of demographics. In many of these places people hadn’t even heard of any star not called Amitabh bachchan. yes that’s right. They didn’t even know who the others were. In some cases they could hazily recall some other names. But this was when SRK was doing very well and so forth and no one knew his name. No one knew who Aamir was. Etc. Here Abhishek had the advantage that because of the last name people naturally connected him with his father. This was a part of the sample, it wasn’t the whole thing obviously. But they also did a larger survey which included political figures and calculated again that in many of these same regions other than Gandhi or Nehru or Ambedkar if people had heard of a public figure it was Amitabh Bachchan.
Leaving aside this survey which seems surprising to us (at least in terms of the stars not being known) but this is a measure of our own lack of imagination and really the failure of ‘representation’ in urban India of those aspects of India that do not conform to the new India self-image. In older Hindi films you’d see stories set in villages and occasionally a traveling theater would be depicted. Only sometimes. More recently we saw in Swades an old truly devasted (!) print of Yaadon ki Baraat being shown in the village. Do these people look like they’re following Koffee with Karan? Sure there has been a great deal of modernization in many villages. You have farmers in Punjab following the Chicago futures on their computers screens. But this is still a small minority. Most villages are not like this as any relatively lengthy train ride in India would make obvious. But unlike the films of the post this India doesn’t get represented. Neither in films nor elsewhere in the media. Unless it is as a freak show of some sort. We have been peddling the urban Indian fantasy for two decades now and between those ‘audiences’ and the equally clueless diaspora ones it has made for a potent fiction. Sure India has been booming in many ways. Sure a middle class of 250-350 m (depending on how this term is defined..) and growing is still enough to be a major world economy on its own. But that still excludes a 700-800m (and also growing!) people. The disparity is staggering specially if one considers the fact that much as in the US a certain model of capitalism makes some people super-affluent if not super-wealthy and leaves others even poorer and dispossessed or what have you. So these gaps widen. It’s not just that those who do well become richer while the others remain stagnant. They are often worse off. Forget about even going to these obscure places and/or small towns or what have you. In all the major metropolises you have evidence of all this but it is never represented. What we get instead is that North Indian ‘authenticity’ that is otherwise welcome but which I have criticized on these grounds because it is a way of avoiding the really authentic representation. In other words you get these cuddly Delhi/UP types merrily dancing at weddings all day long or even in films like OLLO you get more or less rather picaresque affairs ( these are not worlds one would mind entering..) but the crucial questions are always absent. In this sense I will nominate once again the much underrated Thakshak. There is some real nastiness in this film, some really provocative stuff, among other things it is also a critique of the multiplex-ization of urban India and the Rahul Dev character in many ways symbolizes new Indian yuppiness.
I’ll end with a note on SRK. Much as I have always been very critical of the Johar/Yashraj universe it must be said that in whatever debased way most of his recent major films have involved walking back from that model. Both OSO and RNBDJ deconstruct the Raj/Rahul character. CDI was a more genuine film in any case. Even MNIK where Johar used a fake (which is to say canonized in a Western sense.. therefore ‘cool’) condition of autism SRK’s character was still in some ways more of a non-descript little guy. The Don films or Ra 1 though they don’t fall in the same mould are still for all the glitz and so on at least a move away from that old romantic image. In a very odd sense it is SRK among all the stars who has had to be most deconstructive with respect to those parts that made him most iconic! Of course RNBDJ is linked with Don in a certain obvious way. The SRK brandname essentially trying to survive the loss of that which made the latter possible in the first place.
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March 18, 2011 at 4:39 AM
Battle of LA is strictly a DVD watch kind movie for me…Story was quite predictable…
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March 17, 2011 at 8:21 AM
“Manmohan Desai, MD of G7 and Maratha Mandir cinemas”
I think it is Manoj Desai who also produced Khuda gawah…
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March 17, 2011 at 8:44 AM
yes indeed..
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March 18, 2011 at 7:52 AM
For me, they’re like a single film’
With Delhi Belly still not ready, Abhinay Deo’s second movie Game is releasing first. A t2 chat with the man of the moment
How do you feel about the fact that your second film Game is releasing (on April 1) before your first film Delhi Belly?
From my side, I have put in equal effort in both the films. So which one releases first doesn’t really matter. The prime thing for me is that both the films are being done in the best way possible and marketed in the best way possible. As long as both get a good release, I do not have a problem.
But you can’t make your first film twice. Didn’t you make Delhi Belly keeping in mind that it would unleash Abhinay Deo on the world?
In fact, I had signed my first film with Excel Entertainment (Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s company that has produced Game) and it was a different script. But that got stuck and in the meantime, Delhi Belly came along. And then Game came along. So there was a point when I was working on three scripts at the same time. I kind of lost track of which was my first film. I really did not have my dreams attached to one particular film.
We have all grown up watching your father Ramesh Deo do those delightful cameos in films like Anand and Zameer. Didn’t you ever want to become an actor?
I never wanted to act, actually. I was always very clear that I wanted to be a storyteller. Direction is a subset of that. I didn’t want to be just a performer in the film. I wanted to be that person who decides how to tell the story.
How did you get into advertisements?
After my architecture (degree), I joined advertising. It was my first love, really. I enjoyed doing ads and never thought that ads were like a stepping stone to the bigger picture — feature films. I put in everything into a 30-seconder. I just knew that if I ever have an urge to make a full-length film I will make it.
From 30 seconds to two hours, how was this transition like?
It wasn’t very easy. Once I knew how I wanted to look at feature films, things fell into place. I decided to look at feature films like I look at commercials. In both, you are telling a story and building characters. In one you are doing it in a shorter duration and in the other one you have more time. So a film to me became like a 100 ads put together. There were lessons learnt, of course. In a feature you have the gift of time. You don’t have to hasten yourself. You can decide to make a point slower, faster or drag it through.
And what did you bring to feature filmmaking from the world of ads?
Detailing. In ads since you are dealing with 30 seconds, every second gets detailed and that’s something I tried to bring into films. Every second I have tried to make it more layered… in both my films.
If you always wanted to tell stories, why didn’t you write the scripts of your films yourself?
It doesn’t matter that neither Game nor Delhi Belly has been written by me. This is another thing I’ve brought over from advertising, where you are always directing someone else’s idea. Even worldwide, very, very few filmmakers write their own scripts. Most of them are professional writers and professional directors doing their bit. And that’s how it should be. But in our country, because of a dearth of writers, all directors end up having to write their scripts rather than wanting to write their scripts. For Game, Althea Kaushal had come to Excel with her script. At that time, I was already working with Excel on one of my own scripts. But there was some trouble over my script, and the Excel boys gave me the Game script, which I found quite exciting.
When ad filmmakers become feature directors, often style takes over substance. Any worries on that front with Game?
The USP of every film should first be the story, then the way it is told and then by whom it’s told. Script should be the main hero of the film and that’s the case with Game… there are lots of twists and turns and there is an element of thrill. Second is the way I have told the story… it’s fast and pacy and there’s really no time to think. One is always on the edge of the seat and every 15 minutes something unexpected happens. Finally, the ensemble cast of Game, which gives the director’s vision a shape.
Tell us about your experience of handling this ensemble cast that includes stars like Abhishek Bachchan.
It was outstanding, man! I was told that handling stars would be difficult but I soon realised that those were nonsense stories. It all boils down to the fact that if the director knows what he is doing, the stars won’t trouble him. For me, working with stars made the work smoother.
Game and Delhi Belly come across as such different films — one a glossy Bolly thriller and the other a niche comedy in English. Did you approach them differently as a director?
Not really. In fact, the most exciting thing for me was that the two films were so diametrically different from one another. The sensibilities, of course, were very different, too. I had to switch gears all the time. But again, advertising came handy here. I have done over 450 commercials. And one of my USPs has always been that I have never done two stylish commercials in a row. I have always mixed them up and even in films, I have been able to do something so different in my first two projects.
But will there be a director’s signature in the two movies?
I hope so (laughs). From my perspective, I have managed to do justice to both the stories. They look very different. So much so that I sometimes ask myself whether the same guy made both the films! That too three months apart. But if you knew me, you would see me in both the films.
There was some talk of Aamir Khan actually scrapping Delhi Belly. Given how his earlier directors like Amol Gupte and Anusha Rizvi cried foul, how was your experience with Aamir the producer?
I personally feel that Aamir Khan is a director’s dream producer. I have obviously not been part of his other projects but I find it extremely difficult to believe how these things are said about him. It’s not that I am related to him and he needs to be better with me than with the others. He is one of the most professional people I have met. What is the mark of a good producer? For me he’s someone who doesn’t hold anything back creatively or financially towards the film and gives ample space and room to his directors and creative teams. He also makes sure that the film releases in the best way possible. And that’s what he has been doing with Delhi Belly.
Is it true that during post-production he doesn’t allow the director to be around?
Not at all. He has always been accused of being an interfering man. First of all, he wasn’t on the sets of Delhi Belly for even a day. In the post-production, he was there. But what can be better for a film if your producer — who is also an accomplished actor and director — is present in the edit room? Someone who comes in with you as a partner in the creative process only to take the film to a better level — only when there is a scope to do it. I think all this nonsense about him has been spoken for too long.
If one were to put a gun to your head and ask you to choose between Game and Delhi Belly, which one would it be?
Honestly, I have been in the most confusing of states. There is one film which I signed first, one which I shot first and one which is releasing first. So it has been a simultaneous effort from my side; the lines have blurred completely. For me, they’re like a single film. I used to shoot for one and go to edit the other, I used to mix one and go for the song of the other. I am not a diplomatic person at all… just that I can’t differentiate between them anymore.
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March 19, 2011 at 9:36 AM
“One line of Game caught my fancy” – Abhishek Bachchan
By Devansh Patel, March 19, 2011 – 10:46 IST
The actor is in an upbeat mood in Filmistan Studios in Goregaon. His film Game, a twisted thriller, is just a few days away from the big screen release. Add to that, this is the same Studio where he shot his first scene with his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan twelve years ago when they were mere acquaintances. That explains why the actor greets me in his vanity van with a special chai ordered for me on the sets of Abbas Mustan’s Players being shot in the same studio. He sits tall and with his brewed coffee arriving just in time in his extremely special ‘Chelsea’ mug, you can make out that Abhishek Bachchan the man likes to hold things close to his heart, be it his first shot with wife at Filmistan, his forthcoming film Game or his ‘Chelsea’ coffee mug. Where’s my ‘Liverpool’ mug? Anyway…he doesn’t talk much but he talks precise. His words are sharp and his answers make absolute sense. He said something that is still engraved in my head, as I write this interview, “Failures shake your confidence, shake your belief but it won’t shake your love and passion for what you do.” But the strange thing about Abhi’s selective reticence is that it’s accompanied by a broad smile, as if to say he knows what game he’s being asked to play, and he’s just not interested. For a change, he has no option today but to play the ‘Game’ with me. UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama’s London correspondent is all geared up as he throws the ball of questions in the Chelsea half. Its kick off time Jr! First half begins of this two part special only on Bollywood Hungama.
“As a kid, my favourite thriller movie was Clue based on the game Cluedo”
I think saying that we’ve changed the rules of the game is presumptuous. I’d like to believe we’ve brought back the genre which I really love. I’ve told you this before but when I was a kid, I’ve loved Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes T.V. shows and movies like Evil Under the Sun, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express. When I was a kid, my favourite thriller movie was Clue based on the board game Cluedo. I was very keen to do something like that and I don’t think we’ve been making such films in our industry.
“One line of Game caught my fancy”
When the script of Game came, it was essentially a one line that caught my fancy. The pitch was four absolute strangers who are called on an island by one stranger and all are linked in one particular way. That night, there is a murder and there are four suspects. Such stories have been made before but yet they are different from each other in its suspense. I love to be a part of such a genre and that’s why I did Game.
“Abhinay working with Farhan, Ritesh and Aamir is a testament to his enormous talent”
Abhinay Deo’s first film with Farhan and Riteish’s Excel Entertainment and his second with Aamir Khan Productions Delhi Belly is a testament to his enormous talent. I wanted to work with Abhinay for very long. I haven’t worked with him in ad-films knowing that a lot of my friends have briefed me about him from the advertising world. Ritesh spoke to me and said that Game was Abhinay’s film and it just happened and here I am working with him. Our parents have worked together. His father and mother have worked in many films with my father, one of them being Anand.
“Abhinay’s maximum focus was on the screenplay”
Abhinay has a great story telling ability. I was pleasantly surprised that his maximum focus was on the screenplay and the performances. There were times when he was willing to compromise the visual aesthetics of the shot for the emotion of the shot which is so important. His technique is brilliant.
“It is tough to cope with failure but success and failure are almost balanced”
In my experience, you could’ve gone through the lowest phase of your career and it takes one hit for everything to turn around and you could’ve given eight super hits in a row, which I did, and takes one flop to go all down again. You success and failure are almost balanced. Having said that, it’s tough to cope with your failures. It’s very tough. But if there is belief in your audience that they want to see you again, then you get another film. If you get another film, you try double hard to make it work.
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March 22, 2011 at 8:01 AM
“I was spell bound when I watched final edit of Game” – Abhishek Bachchan: Part 2
By Devansh Patel, March 22, 2011 – 15:11 IST
Abhishek Bachchan is busy on his text messages when I enter his vanity van. On a busy and a noisy day on the sets, inside, there is an alluring silence about this man. But one look at his twitter account and you see a lot of noise. AB’s 4,71,898 twitter fans are at it and at him twenty four seven, me included. Abhishek’s career has been marked by his ability to play diverse roles in diverse genres. Not to forget, before he got his lover boy look in films, he dared to be different in Refugee and Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. The two films were enough to prove his versatility and passion for trying something poles apart. And if that wasn’t enough, take this: Yuva, Guru, Sarkar and Sarkar Raj. As I sit at an arm’s length from him, the face is in close-up now, as it so often is in his movies. Through films as diverse as the ones I’ve mentioned, India’s great cameramen have traversed this subtly shifting but always compelling facial landscape. And looking at him today, AB has surely won his nominations the hard way. I’m not talking about awards. Oh no! I’m talking about the nomination he has earned from his fans year after year, which proves that he is indeed a winner all the way. The Game ain’t over yet buddy! UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama’s London correspondent brings you the last of the two part special with the man who elegantly tailored suits playing the Game his way, his style.
“Failures shake your confidence, shake your belief but it won’t shake your love and passion for what you do”
Is it tough to take all this in my stride? Oh yes! I said in an interview last year after Raavan released and I said, ‘It’s like going into the ring with Mike Tyson and getting knocked out.’ But you have to do it. Failures shake your confidence, shake your belief but it won’t shake your love and passion for what you do. Tomorrow is another day. It might be a good or a bad day but that doesn’t mean that the day after tomorrow isn’t going to come. If my audience didn’t like my work and didn’t want to see me, I wouldn’t be sitting in front of you giving you an interview for my forthcoming films, and no power of the Earth can change that. No producer will touch you if you are not in demand. Those days are gone of dad when they used to go to watch an Amitabh Bachchan film.
“I disagree when people say that thriller genres don’t have a repeat audience”
I disagree when people say that thriller genres don’t have a repeat audience. Of course they have. In a ‘Who done it’ thriller, it’s more important how you tell the story and not who you reveal as your killer. At the end of the day, everyone is going to know who the killer is going to be. On Friday noon, the film will open and people are going to put it out on the various social networking sites, the media will put it up. But do you enjoy the experience of watching the intriguing story which also entertains you? That’s the question one should ask after watching it and if your answer is positive then you will have a repeat audience.
“Sarah has handled her role with a great amount of brevity and dedication”
It’s wonderful to work with new talents and Sarah Jane Dias is one of them. It’s a challenge to do your first film with big ensemble cast like Anupam Kher and Boman Irani who’ve been in the industry for a long time and who know what they’re doing. Then you’ve got Gauhar Khan, Jimmy Sheirgill, Shahana Goswami and Kangna Ranaut. All these actors have worked in lots of films and are experienced. As a new comer, it can be quite intimidating. It’s even tougher when you know that your character is the emotional core of the film. If you can’t get that emotion you are out. I discussed this with Sarah and she handled her role with great amount of brevity and dedication. She has pulled it off very well and I really think she is here to stay.
“Majority of blockbuster films of our industry have been ensemble cast films”
We very easily forget that the majority of the all the films made are all ensemble casts. The biggest hits of our industry have been ensemble cast films – Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Yaadon Ki Baarat. I prefer to be a part of ensemble films. I like films that have ten to twelve actors in one scene and there is so much energy in the room. It is so real.
“Farhan and Ritesh give you space to discuss the film with them”
I sat down with Farhan and Ritesh to discuss Game. When you hear a script first and then when you start developing it, there are always aspects that you feel can be added or subtracted, but it’s your personal view. What’s nice is that Farhan and Ritesh give you that space to discuss it out. They aren’t dictators and they extended a huge amount of respect to me. They took my opinion too and I feel that it is very healthy in today’s day and age. Producers and directors are very open to have ones opinion which makes the film better at the end of the day.
“The USP of Game is its screenplay”
The screenplay is the USP of Game. When I watched the final edit, I was seeing it as a viewer. I was just spell bound by the way the story was told and the film has shaped up. I think the audiences will like the film and it is entertaining. It’s one of the best edge of the seat thriller movies of this year.
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March 21, 2011 at 4:17 PM
saw on telly parts of the “making of game”
Did not look bad..
however check this out—-Deo was picturising a song—noted that Deo himself was looking trimmer than a slightly flabby abhi!!
Deo quipped —“this will be a first time experience for me to picturise a song. If it works its fine, If not—no problem since my career is not as a choreogrpher…hahaha”—Talk about conviction/honesty!!
Somehow Deo did not seem desperate enuf as a guy who has got one chance should be—He seemed to be trying another option of making films (while having others like ad films, architecture etc).
From the way it is being promoted, one gets the sense that maybe farhan akhtaer-sidhwani are not convinced themselves that it will work—so wanna minimise the loss!
Think someone pointed out earlier—In some junctures, it even appeared that farhan does not WANT game to work…!!
Anyhow, feel that people are now missing bolly releases===poor expectations work in favor of a GOOD product, even if promoted suboptimally!
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March 22, 2011 at 9:11 AM
On the contrary it seems very well strategized marketing by Farhan & Sidhwani. Surely they have kept it low key which works well for this type of movie and have a feeling that it will be a surprise winner at BO.
Deo’s ad background surely brings tremendous value to this project.
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March 22, 2011 at 1:20 PM
The promos for Game look intriguing, I’m a big fan of murder mysteries and I loved the burlesque/ cabaret-inspired ‘Mehki Mehki’, so I’m looking forward to this.
I think somebody like Hrithik Roshan would have been so much more suited for Abhishek’s role though. AB is an irritatingly complacent star son. Considering that he is starring in a glossy Hollywood-esque action thriller, the least he could do is take care of his physique and tone up. The end of the song ‘Kaun Hai Ajnabi’ has a moment where he references James Bond, which is unintentionally hilarious. Get real buddy, you’re as far away from 007 as possible.
Can you ever imagine a flabby man like him starring in a Hollywood action movie? He’s the only A-list Bollywood actor today who is so out of shape. I mean, will a woman who has a body like his get even a supporting role? If he cannot even be bothered to look the part (in such a slick movie where appearance and style is everything) , will he actually take enough effort to act the part?
Abhi’s presence is the only thing that’s putting me off this movie. But I’ll still rather watch this than DMD which looks too try-hard. Also, most of DMD’s promotions are centered around Deepika Padukone (who is only in the movie for one badly remixed song) so I’m doubtful that it will actually have a lot to offer. The other song promos (‘Te Amo’ with it’s atrociously pronounced spanish) are pretty insipid as well.
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March 22, 2011 at 3:21 PM
I’ve found it interesting that over the last week or ten days quite a few people have suggested that they’re more looking forward to this one than DMD and all have been women..
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March 23, 2011 at 7:39 AM
Err…is that supposed to be a criticism? Obviously women are not going to be that interested in a movie when the promotions majorly centred around how stunning Deepika’s body is (don’t get me wrong, she is definitely hot, but naturally that is not going to interest me). It’s also equally obvious that some men will be very drawn in by this sort of thing.
However, I think that if your movie has some substance, you will use more than just sex to sell it. I mean, is he selling an intelligent action film or a porno? I understand that action films mainly target a male audience, but when you’re making such a film in India, you don’t have the luxury of targeting a niche audience.
Especially amongst the multiplex and oversees audience, which contribute to a high proportion of the film’s revenue, if no efforts is made to market the movie towards women as well, we’re far more likely to go watch a Hollywood movie where the marketing is more egalitarian.
As for my criticism’s of Abhishek’s body, if you’re attempting a James Bond-esque movie, you better look like James Bond. The movie has multiple references to 007. For example, everybody criticized how he looked in Dhoom 2 and he had his thunder completely stolen by Hrithik Roshan. I know that there’s no one here to compete with him but the criticism still applies.
This isn’t a South Indian style action film,its a very westernized one. And the idea of Abhishek (in his current shape) starring in a Hollywood-esque action flick is ridiculous. Can you imagine if Angelina Jolie was this flabby in Salt, or James Bond had a bit of a paunch?
Action movies call for very toned physiques and generally fit, good looks. If he has an aversion to that, then why take up the genre?
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March 23, 2011 at 7:48 AM
not a criticism at all. It’s just that DMD is by far the more high profile film of the two.. most people I’ve talked seem vastly more interested in this so I found it curious that some women and all of one gender seemed to like Game more. Abhishek must be doing something right here!
On the rest since my imagination has never been limited to gym bodies irrespective of the genre, I don’t seen an issue. And of course I don’t subscribe to a definition of physicality which calls everything ‘flabby’ that is not of the order of a gym body. I’d say the same for men or women. I’d take Madhuri over every actress with a gym body, I’d also take Rani over everyone in the post-Madhuri phase.
By the way among all the male stars the only one of the top stars who has a gym body is Hrithik. So clearly the audience too doesn’t insist on it for everyone even if it might idealize it at some level. John Abraham hasn’t exactly been burning the box office!
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March 23, 2011 at 8:11 AM
Oh, I’m not saying that box office success is linked to a gym body in any way. I’m just saying that for me, an action star needs a gym physique. And the fact that Abhishek has not been bothered to develop one despite accepting 2 action films, makes me apprehensive about how sincere his performance in the films is going to be. After Drona and D2, I don’t really think he suits this genre.
And by the way, Salman, Akshay, SRK are all quite fit, that’s what I meant. He needn’t be the next John Abraham.
DMD is definitely more high profile, but I really do not subscribe to this new Bollywood marketing strategy where you either over-hype an item number, or bring in a lot of girls in bikinis to dance around for no explicable reason. Sex sells, and I can understand if that’s part of your strategy, but not if that’s the main strategy.
Abhinay Deo talking about how his script was developed and things like that gives me a lot more hope that the film will have some substance.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:04 AM
You may be in minority in taking Rani ‘s physicality in Post Madhuri era. Any how,same with Abhishek. He has to improve and show some flexibility.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:18 AM
I am not suggesting I prefer Rani’s body over everyone else’s.. Just that I’d take her over Priyanka and Katrina and so on any given day of the week. Again she’s wasted her career in many ways but I’d take her display of sexuality in something like Yuva over any of the other ‘hot bodies’ out there. And it’s not just about India. The world over this very plastic notion of the ‘beautiful’ dominates. It fulfills an ideal in certain ways but it is also a very anodyne kind of sexuality. They’re all peas in a pod whether Hollywood or Bollywood. One of the reasons why I love French actresses. Leaving aside their very unique sense of ‘chic’ they’re very real. To this day it is rather rare for a French actress to get breast enhancement of any kind done. I think Beart or someone went in for it some years ago and it was looked down upon.
The problem is that there’s a ‘desire’ that is directed only towards an ideal (in this case gym body) which any number of people can then exhibit. It is not very specific to the person, just to the body. The other kind of desire is directed more towards a persona or at least a physicality that is unique to the star and is therefore more specific. Would one want Madhuri to have Priyanka Chopra’s body? If she did she wouldn’t be Madhuri. And notice how that the more these stars move towards that ideal the more they flatten out any sense of individuality.
My argument here is the counter-intuitive one. Yes people have those aspirational elements when it comes to a certain kind of body. And they do admire stars for possessing them. But stardom even in these times isn’t just reducible to these things otherwise John Abraham would at least be at Imran Khan’s level if not more. Or Hrithik should be the topmost star without question. Aamir even for his generation never had that sort of image and he’s the most successful star today. Sure he’s done it a different way but that proves the point. Stardom is not dependent on this stuff. Take Akshay. He’s in great shape but he also has a much more natural physique. It’s not a gym deal in the sense that even though he works out like crazy he doesn’t look synthetic like a Hrithik or John. But he also fulfills that ideal far less than those two. But he didn’t have a problem being very successful. SRK and Aamir have followed this course at times to hype things up but it clearly wasn’t necessary to those enterprises. SRK has succumbed to it much more because he’s doing the sorts of films that require him to do a Hrithik.
with Abhishek I’ve always felt that the criticism about his physicality and so on is really far more about his persona and his own sense of speed as a performer more than anything else. He goes against the entire grain in this sense.
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March 23, 2011 at 5:36 PM
“I mean, will a woman who has a body like his get even a supporting role?”
No, because then she’d won’t be a woman!
“Get real buddy, you’re as far away from 007 as possible.”
Watch films of Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Brosnan and Sean Connery – they never had muscles like Sly and Arnie!
The only thing agreeable is that, yes, Abhi doesn’t appear to have that hunger. Won’t equate that with complacency though!
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March 23, 2011 at 5:55 PM
There is some truth in your somewhat sexist comments offside.
But times have changed. Evn the guys do have to show a semblance pf looking “fit”.
Looking flabby and dull in an intended “slick action” “thriller” does look out of place, even for a male—im afraid!
Must say, girlfrombombay has a point there.
And offside, u do have to hit the gymn (even if u r a guy!!)lol
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March 24, 2011 at 6:20 AM
Please highlight my ‘somewhat sexist’ comments!
I do not agree that Abhi is looking ‘flabby and dull’ at all!
PS I’d rather say that his ‘tone’ is a bit off…
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March 23, 2011 at 6:47 PM
I’m talking about current movies, not the old ones, these things have changed over the years. All of today’s action/ thriller leads- Bond or otherwise, men or women, have sculpted physiques.
“No, because then she’d won’t be a woman!”
Funny. But you know what I meant- a woman who was rather bulky and not extremely thin and toned.
Honestly, would you watch a female-centric action movie like Salt, if the woman was rather large and unglamorous looking, but the rest of the movie was super-slick and her love interest was a good-looking man with a fabulous body? (I’m assuming that you’re male) Abhi just looks incongruous and uncomfortable in this setting.
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March 23, 2011 at 7:07 PM
Feroz Khan once made some very slick films. The best example is Qurbani. But an even better example is Ramesh Sippy’s Shaan which clearly borrowed from the Bond universe. I never found the heroes of either film incongruous. Not one had a gym body! I think what’s happened is that we instantly associate a certain sort of action genre with the gym body. This isn’t odd as this has been the dominant trend for a while. But that doesn’t mean it should always be so. Robert De Niro has done a few in this genre and he looked fine. To my mind Abhishek looks fine in Game and actually very good in some of the scenes.
But again here too the opposite scenario must be examined. How often does anyone complain that gym bodies are not suited for certain parts? And this is what I mean by either colonization or at least a certain ideological disposition. That we look at everything in the world through a certain prism.
I do not at all deny many of the signals these genres send but I wonder why we continue to display such a failure of imagination. For example you mentioned Bond but Bond before recent times never had a gym body. Connery was well built, more a Dharam kind of physique (in his younger days), Roger Moore was slim but also looked effete and the un-Connery in many ways. Both worked well. Both also did successful films when they became flabby. Even in Hollywood action-stunt genres today there is often the senior star who happily inhabits that world and the audience doesn’t have a problem. It is then not about a gym physicality only.
Finally all action cannot be equated with action-stunts of the kind we often see from Hollywood or for that matter in Dhoom (no one incidentally had a problem with Abhishek in the first part). I do not believe Game will have those sorts of stunts. But to get back to the question yes even with those genres you can have different kinds of action. It doesn’t always have to be of the sort that require an athlete!
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March 23, 2011 at 9:06 PM
“But again here too the opposite scenario must be examined. How often does anyone complain that gym bodies are not suited for certain parts?”
Oh, I definitely think that actor’s bodies should suit the kind of role that they are playing. I would have found it unbelievable and odd if Arshad Warsi had a gym body in Ishqiya, or Abhay Deol in Dev.D. (Which is why I found Munna in Dhobi Ghat to be unrealistic, he was too groomed and fit to be a dhobi boy).
And while I can understand a senior star who is not gym-toned, Abhi is only 35. Like I said, older Bond, Qurbani and Shaan belong to a different time, so its tough to judge them by today’s aesthetic standards.
I get what you’re saying about plastic notions of beauty, but this just looks off to me. Its an instinctive reaction and I can’t help it. I stand by the notion that a slick thriller requires a star with a ‘hot body’ to look convincing.
Honestly, its probably a lot easier for a man to overlook another man’s physique. Wouldn’t you be unimpressed if Sarah and Kangana showed up in the promos looking flabby?
I understand that you like Madhuri, but I’m guessing that you like Madhuri in the roles that she typically does, but you wouldn’t accept somebody with such a physique in a movie like this.
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March 24, 2011 at 12:04 AM
I already mentioned earlier I’d take Rani over every actress post-Madhuri.
On the rest I don’t find Abhishek flabby in the promos.
I am not arguing with your reaction by the way. This is a personal thing and varies from person to person. So your reaction is justified.
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March 22, 2011 at 5:52 PM
Agree with girlfrombombay about ABhi in game.
The way I have been recently criticising him might make me appear an abhishek hater—which is not true.
When soemthing is not working repeatedly, there should atleast be an attempt to introspect and act on it.
I mentioned elsewhere that in the “making” of game, Deo himself looked trimmer and fitter than abhishek.
“He’s the only A-list Bollywood actor today who is so out of shape. I mean, will a woman who has a body like his get even a supporting role?”—girlfrombombay–Agree. But then life is a gr8 leveller. If he doesnt pull up his socks v soon, that “a-lister” status is not a permanent tag.
Having said that, read soemwhere that he has started working on his abs (finally).
The ONE thing I give abhi credit recently is the way he has handled the recent debacles. NO nastiness, excuses or adverse reactions. Just quiet dignified restraint…
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March 22, 2011 at 6:30 PM
But what if you define everything that is not a gym body as being out of shape? In certain films I would agree with you but it seems to me that this set keeps expanding. And while it might not be practical to go against the dominant grain in this sense I do not define ‘out of shape’ quite so loosely.The last film where I felt he looked less than fit was D6. Haven’t felt that for any film since. And I refuse to succumb to the dominant opinion of the present on this score. A pragmatic argument is different from a principled objection. It seems to me that a lot of times people want to see Abhishek in a certain image and are disappointed when he doesn’t do so but then one has to check one’s sense of things. If you want the six pack he is never going to have it and in fact he even seems to have a certain hostility to the idea. There are similarly other things that seem ‘obvious’ for this plastic age that he also isn’t willing to sign on to in a knee jerk way. Some days he might but not always. This is just the way things are. If one wants the Abhishek that will start looking a lot more like John Abraham one will never get him If one however starts living with the Abhishek that is and works from within this reference point it’s a different discussion altogether! I am willing to concede that when everyone has a gym body the one who doesn’t stands out and often in an unflattering sense. But I am not particularly bothered by this. For that matter I actually don’t think that audiences who otherwise don’t have a problem with him develop one just on this score. Because my claim is that people not only do not expect him to work out like Hrithik or John but that he would damage his essential persona if he did! And again I know many fans have told me that they liked him more once but that they’ve been disappointed for some time now and so forth. But all of that again has to do with the kind of film he’s done and/or the parts. So a lot of stuff gets mixed up. And especially when there isn’t box office success there is tendency to attribute everything to this when he did not look like John or Hrithik even when he was flying very high! I just don’t think there’s any real clarity to the criticisms for the most part, fans or otherwise. And worse there’s a lot mythology mixed in about him taking it easy etc.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:02 AM
We are seeing in press how often Hrithik is getting sick for that 3-4 years. I don’t want Abhihek to do the same. He should be more flexible in his act for thsi type of movies, his look in D-6, Drona and Raavna was disappointing.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:04 AM
Didn’t have a problem with Raavan at all. Drona was poor.. though that was the least of the film’s problems! LOL!
On hrithik I do agree he should be careful, these episodes are recurring.. now he’s putting on weight for Agneepath.. something gives me the feeling he’s ‘bulking out’ more than anything else and we know how that’s done.
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March 23, 2011 at 8:48 AM
I have a feeling this is a sleeper hit in the making.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:00 AM
I too had a feeling of atleast average from the beginning.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:05 AM
Abhishek seems to be very confident about the script. While these days every star says great stuff about every film and it’s therefore hard to take anything seriously I do like the fact that both he and the director have talked a lot about the script or certainly more than anything else. Abhishek also went a step further and said he’d seen the final cut and it was fantastic. But again the film has to come through otherwise it just seems like more spiel.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:11 AM
I think after Raavan, he decided to watch the final cut (as Amitabh has declared that it was the post-production that has “failed” raavan)
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March 23, 2011 at 9:36 AM
We never know Abhishek felt Drona was the best after watching final cut.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:45 AM
don’t think he quite said that, while he tends to say a lot of nice things about every film of his (it’s part of the media cycle these days) don’t believe he said that about the script though I could have forgotten.
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March 23, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Drona is a film not only failed to Abhi, but also and above all the production, screenplay, the effects, the idea .. . he thinks more now, before accepting the film (I hope) 🙂
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March 23, 2011 at 4:44 PM
i also hope so, tata!!!lol
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March 23, 2011 at 5:03 PM
lol so I’m not alone:)
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March 23, 2011 at 5:05 PM
vous avez eu l’amusement dans le concert. Espoir vous étiez un bon hahaha de fille, tata…
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March 24, 2011 at 7:42 AM
@ the discussion above about the physique of Abhishek.
I’m glad that he’s not getting into this stupid health destroying steroid nonsense.
Having said that, I think his problem is more of posture.
He has this slumped, stooped look which gives the illusion of a small paunch.
If he straightened himself, squared his shoulders, and not let his neck sort of sink, he’d make a good figure of a man.
Wish someone would tell him?
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March 27, 2011 at 8:13 AM
Abhishek Bachchan’s kicked about his action innings this year
Published: Sunday, Mar 27, 2011, 13:38 IST
If there’s one thing that actor Abhishek Bachchan’s missed the most in the past two years, then it’s doing some hardcore masala action flicks. But the star’s all set to make up for it this year with as many as five action thrillers including the forthcoming Dum Maaro Dum, Game, Players and later Dhoom 3 under his belt in which one will see him at his dare-devil best.
And though the Bollywood star says that it’s hard to compare genres and point out a fave amongst them, Bachchan does admit that action is definitely a genre that he enjoys doing. “I loved doing the films that I did and they are all very special for me, but yes at the same time, it’s interesting to do films that are out and out action thrillers. It’s good to have that balance between films that you do as an actor and films that you sometimes do as a ‘hero’,” says Bachchan, adding, “But the attraction ultimately lies in the story. That’s the real pull and genre is only incidental.”
However there’s no denying that shooting for these action thrillers is what sets his adrenaline pumping. “Right from my school days, I’ve always been very athletic. I love adventure sports and there’s certainly a great thrill involved in pulling off these action sequences,” says the actor, who’s recently performed a rather risky car-stunt in Players. “My earlier films pushed the envelope intellectually, with these films I’m pushing it physically!” It’s hard not to miss the muscled-bod, biceps et al, showing already. Point it out and Bachchan, who’s been working out diligently, laughs, “I’ve always had them, but I just kept them well-hidden.” On a serious note he adds, “I’ve always been fit, but yes after Guru, I’m now getting back into a super-fit mode, because again, it’s my role that requires it.”
But on screen is not only where action’s happening in Bachchan’s life at the moment. Off it too it’s been pretty ‘action-oriented’ especially on the red carpet for the Oscars which he recently attended with wife Aishwarya Rai. Sharing the row with Hollywood film-maker Steven Spielberg was exciting too. “Oh yes, it was definitely a cherished moment. It was a great honour too, especially getting to meet Steven Spielberg,” he adds. So any Hollywood films expected soon? “Well, there’ve always been scripts,” reveals Bachchan. “But then again the attraction is not Hollywood but a good story. So, when everything will fall into place, Hollywood will happen too.” Keeping fingers crossed? “For good work, always!” he smiles.
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March 27, 2011 at 5:49 PM
The Game is on
With over a decade of films behind him, Abhishek Bachchan admits that actors don’t have power over the audience
Role call Any film is a learning process, says Abhishek
“Who told you that? They’re all lying,” says Abhishek Bachchan with mock seriousness before breaking into a grin, as he starts talking about his new film, Game, which releases on April 1. He was responding to a question on whether Game is ‘different’. It’s reassuring to have a candid admission: “To plug all our films we say it all the time…I believe there are only about 10 stories on earth…”
“ Game is a whodunit. A murder takes place and there are four suspects, all with a motive. How different that is, I’m not so sure. But that’s the beauty of it — the process of telling that story excitingly is the challenge for the director,” he says, tossing the ball into debutant director Abhinay Deo’s court. “The cat will be out of the bag after the first show. I’ve seen it about three times and it’s the way it unfolds that is interesting.”
As a genre, mysteries are something he’s always followed, says Abhishek, listing Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie’s Poirot as favourites. “ Murder on the Orient Express, Death on The Nile are films I enjoyed growing up with. So also the film Clue based on the game Cluedo.”
But which of the films have influenced his growing up years, apart from his father’s? “When I was a kid, I only watched dad’s films,” he smiles. “Other’s films I started watching only in my late teens. Because I was away in boarding school in Europe, and didn’t really get to see films then.” He then talks fondly of his childhood years spent amidst other star children in the film-industry residential area of Bombay’s Juhu. “If any of us had a birthday, say Ekta’s or Tusshar’s (Jeetendra’s children), we would all do a car pool and do a film trial. I’ve seen Jeetu uncle’s films like Paatal Bhairavi and Samrat.”
Press further for more names of films that influenced his early life, and after some mmm-ing Abhishek finally, and almost reluctantly, continues: “Also obviously classics like Mughal-e-Azam, Mother India, Ganga Jamuna that have fashioned anyone who’s associated with the film industry,” he says, listing among other influences Shammi Kapoor, Sanjay Khan, Sunny Deol right down to the reigning Khans (and everyone else in between), and talking fondly of friends who later turned directors themselves.
The actor is in his eleventh year in the Hindi film industry, has tasted much success and much failure, and after a low trough in 2010, is poised on the brink of a promising 2011, with at least four releases planned. In fact, April sees another of his films Dum Maaro Dum, released.
Raavan, Mani Ratnam’s film that brought him some scathing criticism last year has, one supposes, left an indelible mark on his career. How does he view the movie? “Just as I see all the rest of my films. As a milestone,” is the hackneyed initial response. “But it has taught me a lot — that as actors we don’t have power over the audience. We can only ensure that the process of making the film is a great memory and a learning process..”
Abhishek says that if he didn’t think a film was important for him, he simply wouldn’t do it. Any new film should push you forward, he stresses. The actor who turned producer with Paa is producing AB Corp’s next film starring Amitabh Bachchan titled Buddah, to be directed by Telugu filmmaker Puri Jagannath. He says he would pick acting any day because production is “tough”.
Many small-budget non-star films are making it big standing up against multi-crore productions, so what according to him translates into a film “making it big”? Abhishek admits that it boils down to business. “If a film made for five crore does a business of six crore, it’s a hit. We work in a commercial medium. We make a film for people to enjoy so we owe it to them to give them their ticket’s worth….”
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March 28, 2011 at 6:39 AM
I’m happy play a druglord in ‘Game’: Abhishek
IANS | Mar 28, 2011, 12.26pm IST
Abhishek Bachchan plays a druglord in the murder mystery ” Game”, a genre he confesses he likes immensely and has not explored as yet. And guess his inspiration : the master detective Sherlock Holmes!
The junior Bachchan is also keeping his fingers crossed about his second production venture “Bbuddah-Hoga Terra Baap”.
“It is actually the genre of the film ‘Game’ that attracted me – the genre is one of my favourites to watch – a murder mystery, the whodunit! And I hadn’t done one yet. I was very intrigued about doing it, and very happy to do it,” Abhishek told, confessing he is a fan of fictional detective character Sherlock Holmes.
The lanky star, a good 6’3” tall, was quite effusive as he sat down to share his thoughts about the upcoming film “Game”, directed by accomplished ad filmmaker Abhinay Deo.
He said “Game” gave him ample chance to exploit his potential. The film will see Abhishek in the role of a druglord, caught in the web of suspicion over a murder at an island.
Explaining his thoughts behind choosing films, Abhishek said: “I never sat down and said that ‘Okay! This decade I did this, and in the coming decade, I want to do that’. I think you just have to follow your heart…do the films that inspire you, do the films that you automatically take a liking to. I think that’s the best policy to have. I like the fact that you do a film because you are passionate about it and you just want to see where that ride takes you.”
Abhishek, 35, has great plans for his career as a producer too. He instantly sports a mischievous, school boy-like smile and a twinkle in his eye when you compliment him on his success as producer with “Paa” that had his megastar father Amitabh Bachchan playing his progeria-afflicted son.
Dressed casually in white shirt, beige coat and a pair of jeans, Abhishek graciously thanks the IANS correspondent during the interview at a five-star hotel here.
“First of all, thank you,” he said smiling. “Well, we started the schedule of my second production ‘Bbuddah-Hoga Terra Baap’ about two weeks ago. The shooting should be finished by the end of next month. Of course we are hoping good things happen to it too.”
The actor is also looking forward to his other acting projects, as well as the shooting schedule of Abbas-Mustan’s “Players”, for which he will be going to Russia once “Game” and “Dum Maaro Dum” hit the screens April 1 and April 22, respectively.
Abhishek, who is married to former beauty queen and one of Hindi films’ top actresses, Aishwarya Rai, has not had an easy going since his debut in 2000, thanks to competition from other actors and constant comparisons with his father’s acting prowess. But he is raring to go and says his only motto is not to “stagnate” in what he is doing.
“I still haven’t performed even in one film of mine yet, which I can see and and say – ‘Okay! I have done a good job’,” said Abhishek.
“It is very important for every actor to keep learning and improving every day. You need to keep pushing the bar every day. If you don’t, you start becoming complacent. I would actually hate to see a film and then say…’Oh yeah! I did a great job’, because somewhere at the back of my head, I will become lazy and complacent about my craft and that will be the death of creativity,” he said.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep doing the same thing and then stagnate. So I think it is very important to keep yourself motivated. And as I said, I have high standards. I want to be performing at a level which I think I haven’t achieved it,” he added.
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March 28, 2011 at 12:00 PM
http://www.koimoi.com/videos/will-abhishek-bachchans-game-get-a-good-opening/
Will Abhishek Bachchan’s Game Get A Good Opening?
Komal Nahata
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March 28, 2011 at 12:01 PM
yes just put this up in the box office thread..
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March 28, 2011 at 12:15 PM
I didn’t see, you can delete it.
Did you see this?
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/book-alludes-to-gandhi-as-racist-bisexual/147365-40.html
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March 28, 2011 at 12:32 PM
this was reviewed in the NY Times this past weekend but weirdly this stuff wasn’t mentioned:
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April 1, 2011 at 9:21 AM
NY Times:
Book on Gandhi Stirs Passion in India
By VIKAS BAJAJ and JULIE BOSMAN
KOCHI, India
GANDHI is still so revered in India that a book about him that few Indians have read and that hasn’t even been published in this country has been banned in one state and may yet be banned nationwide.
The problem, say those who have fanned the flames of popular outrage this week, is that the book suggests that the father of modern India was bisexual.
The book’s author, Joseph Lelyveld, does write extensively about the close relationship Mohandas K. Gandhi had with a German architect, but he denies that the book, “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India,” makes any such argument.
In an interview Mr. Lelyveld, a former executive editor of The New York Times and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, said he thought he had “treaded very carefully” with the information, which he knew was delicate.
“I lived in India, and there’s an Indian word called tamasha,” he said, which translates to “spectacle.” “I’m surprised to find myself at the center of one, because I think this is a careful book, and I consider myself a friend of India.”
Still, this week Gujarat, the state where Gandhi was born and grew up, banned the book after reviews and news articles about it appeared in Indian newspapers. Gujarat is particularly conservative — alcohol can’t be sold in there, for instance — and the state is governed by a Hindu nationalist party.
“The writing is perverse in nature,” Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, said of the book after the ban. “It has hurt the sentiments of those with capacity for sane and logical thinking.”
India’s law minister, M. Veerappa Moily, said on Tuesday that “the book denigrates the national pride and leadership,” which he said could not be tolerated. Officials “will consider prohibiting the book,” he added.
The crux of the controversy seems to be the intersection of two subjects on which Indians have strong views: sexuality and Gandhi.
On the first point India is quite conservative, but the recent rapid growth of its economy has helped loosen attitudes, especially among the large youth population. In 2009 the Delhi High Court struck down a British-era law against sodomy, a ruling seen as a watershed for gay rights. Nevertheless most gay Indians would not feel comfortable coming out.
On the second, Gandhi is revered even by the young, but there is little significant understanding of the nuances of his philosophy and life. He has been mostly reduced to an idol. Young Indians don’t spend much time studying him. And many of his ideas, like the development of small-scale village industries, have faded.
That doesn’t mean Gandhi can’t be a figure of fun. A few years ago he was made a character in the Munna Bhai film franchise, about a gangster in Mumbai; the character is visited by Gandhi, who tells him to change his ways and give up violence. It’s a comedy.
The controversy also highlights India’s highly circumscribed right to free speech. Indian officials frequently ban and censor books, movies, art and other works. Under Indian law any citizen can petition to have a work banned, and activists and political leaders frequently exercise that right. But it is uncommon for even a book a year to be banned nationally.
The constitution allows the government to impose “reasonable restrictions” on speech that might be construed as offensive. In 1988 India joined many Muslim countries in banning “The Satanic Verses,” the novel by Salman Rushdie, a native of India. Last year the Shiv Sena, a regional political party, forced the University of Mumbai to remove “Such a Long Journey” by Rohinton Mistry from its curriculum, arguing that this acclaimed novel denigrated the dominant Maharashtrian ethnic group.
Certain subjects, like Gandhi, who is often referred to as mahatma, or great soul, are particularly guarded. Gandhi is widely admired not only in India but around the world for his advocacy of nonviolent struggle and the austere and celibate life he led when he was fighting for India’s freedom from the British.
Using documents, letters and other research, Mr. Lelyveld writes about how Gandhi came to his particular social vision, first as a lawyer in South Africa and later as a freedom fighter, and how he tried to spread that vision in India, with mixed results.
The controversy appears to have started because of reviews in publications in the United States and Britain, including one in The Wall Street Journal, asserting that the book provides evidence that Gandhi was “a sexual weirdo, a political incompetent and a fanatical faddist.”
That review, by Andrew Roberts, a British historian, argued that Gandhi was in love with Hermann Kallenbach, the German-Jewish architect with whom Gandhi lived in Johannesburg, and it cited letters from Gandhi to Mr. Kallenbach, which are quoted in “Great Soul.”
Gandhi expresses great fondness and yearning for Mr. Kallenbach in the letters, telling him that his was the only portrait on Gandhi’s mantelpiece, opposite the bed, and that cotton wool and Vaseline were “a constant reminder” of him.
The letters were acquired by the National Archives of India in an auction and have been available to scholars; they were sold by descendants of Mr. Kallenbach. Gandhi destroyed Mr. Kallenbach’s letters to him early on, according to the book.
In the book Mr. Lelyveld writes, “One respected Gandhi scholar characterized the relationship as ‘clearly homoerotic’ rather than homosexual, intending through that choice of words to describe a strong mutual attraction, nothing more.”
But Mr. Lelyveld then acknowledges: “The conclusions passed on by word of mouth in South Africa’s small Indian community were sometimes less nuanced. It was no secret then, or later, that Gandhi, leaving his wife behind, had gone to live with a man.”
Although Mr. Lelyveld does not draw a conclusion about the relationship in the book, he writes, “In an age when the concept of Platonic love gains little credence, selectively chosen details of the relationship and quotations from letters can easily be arranged to suggest a conclusion.”
The situation is complicated by the fact that the book is not yet on sale in India, and very few people have read it. It was released in the United States on Tuesday.
While Knopf published the book in the United States, HarperCollins is expected to publish it in India. The considerable negative press has unnerved executives at HarperCollins. V. K. Karthika, the publisher and chief editor of HarperCollins in India, said in an e-mail that a publication date has not been set. “Obviously we are concerned about the situation,” Ms. Karthika said, “but we are committed to the book and the author.”
An editor at HarperCollins suggested that at least one revision be made for the edition in India, but Mr. Lelyveld refused. Ms. Karthika said on Thursday in an e-mail there was no reason to make any revisions.
In the interview Mr. Lelyveld said the information about Gandhi’s relationship with Mr. Kallenbach was not his own discovery and was never intended to be the main focus of his book.
“All I can claim is that I dealt with that material more extensively with an eye to the general public than anyone previously,” Mr. Lelyveld said. “But it’s not a central preoccupation. My book is about Gandhi’s struggle for social justice, not his intimate relationships. But he was a complicated man, and the two are linked.”
The ban in Gujarat and a threatened ban in another state, Maharashtra, whose capital is Mumbai, as well as the threatened national ban, have drawn criticism from scholars, newspapers and some descendants of Gandhi.
“I deplore the culture of bans and burning of books,” said Tushar Gandhi, a great-grandson. “It’s a form of draconian censorship.”
In a telephone interview Mr. Gandhi said he was considering legal options to challenge the ban in Gujarat. Though he has not read the book, he said that his great-grandfather’s letters to Mr. Kallenbach have been in the public domain for years. “The story of his friendship with Hermann Kallenbach was very well documented,” Mr. Gandhi said.
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March 29, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Interview with Abhishek, Kangana, Sarah Jane:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/video/Interviews/cEhQR895/3/Kangna-Abhishek-Sarah-Speak-About-Game.html
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March 29, 2011 at 8:31 AM
rE. gAME
zero hype abt this film atm
however will definaately watch it if the reviews are good
Farhan & co. usually come out with good films
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March 29, 2011 at 9:56 AM
I feel bad for Abhishek. In twitter, even his fans are not keen to watch this.
The producers sabotaged it by changing the release dates and least interested promos. It is a puzzle to me why they are doing it.
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March 29, 2011 at 5:25 PM
Game is not getting goodb comments in twitter. This guy usually gives good rating to Abhishek’s movies.
You’ll should check out Game tho they tried to make a today-urban-smart-thriller. Many short comings, script wise tho.
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March 30, 2011 at 6:36 AM
Abhishek – Secret and the USP of Game?
By Joginder Tuteja, March 30, 2011 – 13:22 IST
The secret of Game is not going to be out. Well as of yet at the least since it is for the first time in his decade old career that Abhishek Bachchan is acting in a suspense drama cum whodunit thriller.
“The makers of Game are tight lipped about what Abhishek’s character is all about as it is a USP of the film”, says a crew member on condition of anonymity, “What is being revealed so far is that in the film Abhishek is playing an international mafia don whose cover up profession is that of a casino owner. However, there is much more than what is meeting the eye, something which is integral to Game.”
No wonder, the promos so far are hiding more than revealing which is setting in the intrigue factor, something which is pleasing director Abhinay Deo no end.
“This is the very reason why Abhishek was the chosen one”, continues the crew member, “Since he played a hardcore villain in Raavan, audience is now prepared to see him as any character, whether white, black or grey. There are others in his age group too but they have such set image that people don’t even want to believe that they could ever go wrong. They keep thinking that yeh character baad mein white ho jaayega due to which the entire suspense element is lost.”
Director Abhinay Deo too realised this after doing a thorough researching and finally zeroed in on Abhishek. Another factor going in his favour was the entire set up and characterisation in Game that was designed to be ultra cool.
“The character of Neil Menon (Abhishek) is such that he doesn’t speak too much but has an incredible sense of humour”, says Abhinay, “There is also immense likeability about this guy even though he is mysterious. He carries himself with panache and when you look into his eyes, you know that he means business.”
He continues, “For Game, I wanted a star-actor who would have all these qualities. He turned out to be the perfect fit since he is extremely suave, carries himself well, delivers his lines with a style of his own, is sombre and still very likeable. Moreover, his persona has a mystery element to it and I was surprised to know that despite being in the industry for a decade, he had never done a suspense thriller.”
Well Abhinay, we would know how deep the mystery is pretty soon once the film hits the screens!
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March 30, 2011 at 10:46 AM
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March 30, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Making of Game:
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/147584/watch-the-making-of-abhishek-bachchan-starrer-game.html
Farhan Akhtar comments on the film for the first time.
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