Images from Players (updated)
thanks to Kash…
thanks to Tyler and Jeevan…
SATYAMSHOT 
November 3, 2011 at 12:45 AM
Dhoom 2.5
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November 3, 2011 at 12:48 AM
The posters are a bit much. A bit too glaring! Not that Abbas-Mustaan go in for subtlety! Do prefer the trailer. But it’s just a volume thing at this point. Assuming they have a hit track or two as long as they keep up the advertising think they’ll be fine.
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November 3, 2011 at 12:48 AM
Thanks Satyam ji for the post.Nice posters of Players.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:27 AM
lol, unintentionally funny !
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November 3, 2011 at 5:07 AM
Yeah…I’m hoping for a decent watch and a hit here, but this much of a nod to Bond/Goldfinger isn’t really my kind of thing…
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November 3, 2011 at 8:56 AM
check out the image of the day..
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November 3, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Thanks — all these decades later, and it is still creepy…I hadn’t remembered the parallel scene in Quantum of Solace though…
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November 3, 2011 at 9:32 AM
yeah I thought it was a nice touch in the later film to reference that legendary moment but change the ‘substance’ to oil. On the Players posters guess the ‘go for gold’ tagline is being taken all the way!
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November 3, 2011 at 9:10 AM
If this has decent and catchy music , will do quite well. Otherwise, will struggle. The trailer and pics are par for the course. This is standard Abbas-Mustan fare. No need to be too surprised or feign disappointment.
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November 3, 2011 at 9:26 AM
I don’t think it’s a case of feigning disappointment here. More importantly one should be clear about what’s disappointing. It’s actually Abhishek’s presence in these images that makes the circus seem that much more glaring, at least to my mind. One expects to see Bobby and Neil popping up in turds like this but it’s been so long since Abhishek’s been in a comparable farce (note: I didn’t nor do I plan on seeing Game, though even there the film didn’t seem as bad as this does) that something that might normally be filed away as par for the course seems even more distressing. One expected this given where his career has been in the last few years but still…
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November 3, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Game was one of the worst films I’ve seen in a long time – worse than a turd, it was just plain boring. And what action there was really poorly done.
Players would have to be really bad to be worse than Game.
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November 3, 2011 at 9:34 AM
Re: One expected this given where his career has been in the last few years but still…
Thats exactly what it is.Abbas-Mastan dont make cutting edge cinema.
Nor does it have the polish of Don2. But, if one goes along for the ride, it CAN be mildly entertaining. Honestly, I found the trailer better than what I was afraid of. Abhishek needs a hit badly and as long as he doesnt steal money at gun point or grab crotches/boobs, I am okay with it.
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November 3, 2011 at 9:39 AM
“Abhishek needs a hit badly and as long as he doesnt steal money at gun point or grab crotches/boobs, I am okay with it.”
Line of the day!
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November 3, 2011 at 10:55 AM
As mentioned by many, and in total agreement, the posters and the trailer are par for a A-M film. Do really hope/wish/pray that this works for Jr. As mentioned by others if the music has 2 or 3 good numbers it will definitely help. If Pritam has claimed that he wanted to give his best for this and had to let go of a few other prospects, he might have something good up his sleeve on this (not that I am a fan of his sort of music, prefer HR over him). However, do think that the hype for his recently born might help as well. As in keeping in the news etc, etc.
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November 3, 2011 at 12:50 PM
This movie will not work … based on all material out so far.
If songs are exceptional and chartbuster .. in that case there will be some hope.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Well on repeat viewing, i found this promo has some exciting moments, but due to bad editing of trailer, these never come up .. also star cast is not that exciting, there was need of one salable star .. Ranbir kapoor in place of Neil would have been great .. and presence of Katrina or Karina was required .. Abbas mustan should shoot one item song with Katrina for this movie.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:21 PM
a guy like Ranbir wouldn’t have done that kind of part! In terms of the cast I think the film needed another bona fide ‘babe’ in addition to Bipasha (do like Sonam but she isn’t necessarily the best fit here) and someone other than Bobby for his part. Wouldn’t have hurt to cast a lesser known guy either. don’t have a problem with the trailer though.
On a related note Vinod Khanna has the Donal Sutherland cameo here if I’m not mistaken,.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:19 PM
the budget has gone overboard and is around 80cr. Very difficult to get a hit tag considering out of all the starcast only bobby deol has a hit under his belt in their last few movies respectively.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Bobby has a success as the third spoke in the Deol franchise! That hardly means anything. Even Neil Mukesh is in a much better position than him!
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November 13, 2011 at 9:38 AM
@Satyam
From your all comments it seems that you are a Bobby Deol hater.
In my view Abhishek Bachchan is the weakest actor of all and weakest link of this movie as he is in lead role.
On the other hand A-M and bobby have a good hit track record like soldier,ajnabi and humraaz,but you people are ignoring this fact by saying that akshay was better in ajnabi or humraaz,If you look at Abhishek’s career,he has only one solo hit GURU.
In Dhoom ,John was better,Dhoom 2 hrithik,Dus-a Multistarrer.
Sarkar-Amitabh Bachchan and in B n B also Amitabh steal the show.
It is also a fact that Abhishek holds most consecutive no. of flops.
But you are saying that Bobby is the weakest link of this movie. Why?becoz u don’t like Bobby Deol.
And what about Sikander Kher,Sonam Kapoor …..
Say from your heart are they good actors?
I personally don’t like Abhishek Bachchan and avoid his all movies but i don’t write every where that he is worst actor or bad or something else.
As i am regular visitor of ur website.So,I think you would never
mind about this becoz we are here to share our views.
And i have shared my views.
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November 13, 2011 at 2:57 PM
I obviously disagree with you on Abhishek (!) but we’ll let that pass for now.
On Bobby Deol I find him pretty hard to take anyway but also a misfit for this sort of terrain. I might change my mind after watching the film but no he isn’t high up on my list in any sense.
By the way I never suggested the others were good actors. I am not a great fan of some of the other casting choices either (like Sonam.. don’t think she’s best suited for this terrain either but didn’t seem out of place in the trailer) but those are really smaller stars/actors one way or the other. Neil Nitin Mukesh is fine for this terrain once again. But as I said earlier I would have lived to see Akshaye Khanna in this film. he and Abhishek together would have been great.
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November 14, 2011 at 12:09 AM
Its Ok Satayam
This is your opinion.
Its is not always possible that opinions of persons are same.
In my opinion,Akshay Kumar,Ajay Devgan or Hritick Roshan or even Akshay Khanna would be much better choice for the lead role.
I think Bobby is much better than Abhishek………many people may agree with me but many may not agree.
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November 3, 2011 at 9:08 PM
Players budget is only around 55 crore.
Rumour Around Players:
http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/rumour-around-players-2/
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November 3, 2011 at 1:28 PM
I don’t think A-M would cast Bobby as just another “player” in the team. I think he will be playing ED norton’s part, after stealing from him NNM will double cross the “players” (A-M’s twist here). Bobby is going to have a big part here then what people think. As mentioned he has been A-M’s favourite and he gave most of his hits with them, and to a certain extent he excels in A-B’s movies.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:33 PM
I am pretty sure Neil Mukesh has the Ed Norton part here. Bobby Deol I believe has the Jason Statham one. Actually they should have had Akshaye Khanna for the latter.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:34 PM
http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2011/may/010511-neil-nitin-mukesh-players-bollywood.htm
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November 3, 2011 at 1:42 PM
by the way they don’t have Bobby everywhere. They’ve done Ajnabee (Akshay here had the better part), Naqaab, Humraaz with him (personally think Akshaye was better in both by a mile) and of course Soldier earlier when Bobby Deol was doing well his career. On the other hand they have those two films with Akhsaye Khanna but also 36 China Town and Race. They also had Aitraaz without Bobby. Bobby hasn’t been their go-to guy on a very major production after Soldier in fact. Naqaab and Humraaz were smaller films than Race and of course now Players. Of course they have three films with Akshay including the early Khiladi. Oddly SRK hasn’t done anything with them after Baadshah (and the older Baazigar) when currently they would seem to be a good fit for him.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:47 PM
Speaking of Akshaye, Miss this guy on screen. what the heck has he been upto. What a talent gone to waste. Definitely one of the better actors for the current lot that we have.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:51 PM
i think satyam, this film will work for young audience, why ab’s authenic fans like you and me are worried because ab has not done this type typical masala film for long time, on bo point this film to me is very safe bet, while fans like me prefer ab to do guru, raavan, delhi-6, sarkar, dmd like movies,
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November 3, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Yeah, I dont know. It could be to decieve the audience, I still have a hunch that Bobby D has a lot bigger role then just one of the team members, He cannot be one of the Omi Vaidya’s, Sikandar Khers type of role. I dont buy it. As an audience I rather see Bobby D and AB jr on opposite end rather than NNM here. It would be more itneresting to watch.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:20 PM
well Statham also was a bit more important than the rest, at least in a symbolic sense.
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November 3, 2011 at 1:56 PM
Sonam really needs a lot of toning up to do. On a scale of hotness, she is probably a 1 in comparison to Bipasha at 8. Vidya Balan with all her oodles of butter is much hotter than Sonam at present.
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November 3, 2011 at 2:49 PM
Bipasha is a skelton and for your kind information age does matter !
Sonam all the way.
I will be excited to see Omi Vaidya and hope he has a good amount of screen time.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:25 PM
Bobby Deol will have a solid role in this. Jason Statham had a good, supporting role and I think it will be a good, solid supporting role. Abbas-Mustan will give him the right footage. He will fit in nicely, contrary to what most people here seem to believe.
My main doubt remains on Neil Nitin Mukesh as the main villain. Don’t know if he is good enough to carry it. It’s a very strong role and it’s almost parallel role to the main lead. I think someone like Akshaye Khanna would have worked wonders in that role. An Abhishek-Akshaye face-off would have been great to watch.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:27 PM
yes Akshaye would have been good as the villain too and he really does well in the negative parts anyway.. Really surprised Abbas-Mustaan couldn’t find something for him here.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:29 PM
” An Abhishek-Akshaye face-off would have been great to watch.”
Agreed, NNM and Abhishek face-off is not one can be excited about, Not fair to either one of them. Akshaye Khanna v/s AB would be fun to watch as well. But knowing what we have. I am still in the hopes its Bobby D and AB and not NNM.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:35 PM
as things stand it’s Mark Wahlberg-Abhishek, Jason Statham-Bobby Deol, Ed Norton-Neil Nitin MUkesh, Seth green-Sikander Kher, Mos Def-Omi Vaidya (guessing on the last two). There’s an extra girl here though. Sonam probably has the Charlize Theron part, Bipasha might be the villain’s girlfriend. or maybe the opposite.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:44 PM
I remember jason Statham as the wheel man/car expert in The Italian Job, and if going by the images here it seems Sikandar Kher has that job. Which kind of throws off where Bobby D comes in the picture. He may have mos def’s character with explosive expert and Omi Vaidya in Seth Greens as the Computer expert.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:48 PM
And to bring glamour and explosive together, they may have done away with Mos-def character here and brought in Bipasha as the explosive expert. Who knows. At this point your guess is better than mine. (Also note: fromt the trailer it seems that NNM is the computer expert)
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November 3, 2011 at 3:52 PM
Pretty sure he’s the villain Kash.. they’ve shot a fight sequence on him and Abhishek. Also remember the Ed Norton character is on the computer a lot. On the rest you might be right. I actually think that it would be nice to see Abhishek and Vinod Khanna share a moment or two. This is for the history buffs!
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November 3, 2011 at 3:51 PM
by the way Aftab Shivdasani also has one of the smaller parts here.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:58 PM
Yup, maybe one of the guys that dies in the first heist in the beginning. Also,in the images below seems like there is another actor Akshay Kapoor (from Alag) here as well. Gosh, with so many no so hot at BO actors, Either this will do wonders for all of them or they will stay at the same place. LOL.
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November 3, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Ha!
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November 3, 2011 at 4:01 PM
Agreed Satyam, Would love to see VK and Jr share screen space together, it would be a delight, Loved the scenes with him and Rishi Kapoor in D6. Would love to see him and Dharmendra together as well.
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November 3, 2011 at 4:08 PM
agreed on D6.. I wish there were more of those scenes in the film.. Dharmendra would be good too though he looks completely out of it these days, as if he’s not all there or something. He was used effectively in Johnny Gadaar though. On the rest for anyone who’s soaked in his 60s or 70s work what happened beyond a point in the 80s let alone now is pretty painful to witness. The same true for Rishi too with all that weight. Do you know he’s doing a gay character in Johar’s Student of the Year? It’s going to be a stereotypical part or something. Why reduce yourself to this?! Having said that the part was apparently written initially for SRK!
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November 3, 2011 at 4:13 PM
“Dharmendra would be good too though he looks completely out of it these days, as if he’s not all there or something.”
Not a nice thing to say but, Since YPD was a hit, his sons bought him his share of scotch/whiskey no wonder he is out of place. LOL. Saying this cause at times he mentions that he has gone/called AB sr to get a bottle of whiskey in the middle of the night when he was out. LOL.
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November 3, 2011 at 4:33 PM
even on his KBC appearances he looks weird.. His speech has become slurred.. the classic sign of alcoholism.. but also part of his face looks less mobile.. wonder if he had a small stroke at some point or of the silent variety or something.. it’s wonderful to see him and Bachchan together at any public event but he looks a bit weird.
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November 3, 2011 at 4:43 PM
Yeah, agree he does look a bit wierd and slurring a lot more than usual. Salman was almost getting there, noticed that in his first outing with DKD, guess he realised that he still had a few more years and got little careful there. Absolutely, it is indeed great to see them together, they were never able to get rid of the sholay hangover from the audience. It is really sad that no one took advantage of such a great chemistry in the History of Indian cinema. Never seen better male bonding before or since.
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November 3, 2011 at 3:45 PM
from the shoot:
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November 3, 2011 at 7:21 PM
Hoping to catch some good scenery from Murmansk in this one
Have a slight weakness for the erstwhile USSR (& russian fauna)
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November 3, 2011 at 9:16 PM
The pics and posters are effective. The website is the most effective of all. Its pretty cool.
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November 3, 2011 at 11:25 PM
From what I’ve gathered from different reports, it’s Abhishek in the Wahlberg role (that’s obvious), NMK in the Ed Norton role, Sonam in the Charlize Theron role and Bobby in the Jason Statham role. Bipasha’s character has been added on. It’s a character that didn’t feature in the original one. She reportedly plays a mysterious femme fatale here and you never know whether she is really with ABJr or with NMK or if she has her own motives.
It’s an official remake, so they will probably haver to stick to the original. However, expect Abbas-Mustan to probably put in a few twists to the story.
I expect it to be be good entertainment. It will be more absorbing, more engaging, more entertaining than Don 2 (except of Farahan ends up really surprising me).
The main thing about Abbas-Mustan in these kind of deals is that they know how to keep the viewers engaged. They know how to get the right mix by throwing in action, drama, romance, comedy, glamour and the twists when needed. And they do it while ensuring that the pace doesn’t drop and that the viewer remains entertained.
I have been saying it for a while: this is the movie that will most probably bail Abhishek out. He is the main lead here (contrary to Dhoom and Bol Bachan). It’s a genre that is lapped up by the young generation and by the multiplex. He’s got the masters of the genre directing the movie. If the promotion campaign goes right and they manage to get a good opening, it’s going to do loads of good to Abhishek.
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November 4, 2011 at 1:26 AM
The casting gone horribly wrong here .. Abhishek-Saif-Bobby … Or Abhishek-Ranbir-Saif .. would have been ideal choice ..
At the moment, all lead players are very low at BO.
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November 5, 2011 at 12:37 AM
I had thought Sonam was all wrong for this film, but am quite liking her in the trailer and these images…
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November 5, 2011 at 3:30 AM
same here q – it is the director-duo who make their actors look different – i’ve never liked sonam earlier but here she looks totally different and i like it – in fact all the pics are good – this is a winner at the b.o. for me
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November 5, 2011 at 1:07 AM
Abbas-Mustaan interview:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/video/Interviews/UEkCrC45/3/Abbas-Mustan-Speak-About-Players.html
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November 5, 2011 at 4:00 AM
A bit surprised why sonam kapoor is not doing a bit better than she has been..
Not bad –she is reasonably photogenic and has a certain vulnerability and somewhat “old world charm”(Mausam)
Prefer her here to the omnipresent bikini brand ambassadoress bilasha –lately getting irrritated/unimpressed by bikinis etc –something abnormal….lol
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November 5, 2011 at 5:25 AM
sonam comes across as someone who is too plastic, living in a cocoon and overly mushy type – just look at the other actress in players – bipasha – and u know the difference…
actually i would be dying to see this film for abhi – after a long time because abbas-mustan do project grey areas of human psyche very well and abhi needs exactly that…someone to push him behind that softie- guy image…..
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November 5, 2011 at 6:29 AM
Good point ideaunique
Btw taking of abhis “softie image”–agree
Won’t even mind seeing him in an evil role something like Darr.
Also–
this tabu pic is also giving u a tabu fanboy image
Are u one
Incidentally this seems one of the better tabu pics
Not sure if there are many active tabu fans nowadays
As for sonam: her entire filmography is overshadowed by just one shot of hers –“sugarcane scene” in a Delhi 6 song
She seemed promising in Mausam promos –haven’t seen the film though
She just seems a bit different from the assembly line bikini girls straight out from a kingfisher calendar.
Incidentally I’m surprising a bit tired of those calendars (hopefully a temporary phase lol)
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November 5, 2011 at 7:03 AM
alex, i am a die-hard tabu fan and even if she stops acting and she will remain one of my favorites always….its like one doesn’t stop liking madhubala even if she is no more….she has done few films but what an amazing talent…… i like her also because she is not just physically pretty but her emoting comes straight from the heart….ok now i’ve answered this question 2nd time now – u need to part with ur e-mail id now so that i can spam u 🙂 my website address I had published here earlier – so nothing to hide there – http://www.belphegorexecutivesearch.com
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November 5, 2011 at 7:34 AM
alex, here is tabu at her best:
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November 5, 2011 at 8:03 AM
^^^thanx for that Mr/Ms Ideaunique. Good choice.
Hmm—well done –nice website and good work u are doing
Have your contact details and will probably email u in due course…
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November 7, 2011 at 7:45 AM
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November 7, 2011 at 4:42 PM
For Bachchan baby, TV channels will ‘behave’
Amrapali Sharma
Posted On Tuesday, November 08, 2011 at 02:31:16 AM
An astonishing guideline agreed upon by all news channels could forever change the way Indian television treats its celebrities.
An internal memo dated November 5, 2011, and circulated by the Broadcast Editors’ Association to television journalists lists ten points that will govern their coverage of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan giving birth to her first child.
Typically, such a story would be great grist for the channels. In the past anything concerning the Bachchans, whether it was Amitabh’s illness, the Aiswarya-Abhishek wedding or Aishwarya Rai’s Karva Chauth, all generated a great media scrum. But now, in a bid to tone down their celebrity coverage channels have decided upon the following guideline while covering the birth of Amitabh Bachchan’s grandchild:
» No pre-coverage of the event.
» Story of the birth of the baby to run only after, and on the basis of, official announcement.
» Story not to run on breaking news band.
» No camera or OB vans at hospital or any other location (like the Bachchans’ homes Pratiksha or Jalsa) related to the story.
» Channels will only go for photo-op or press conference if invited.
» Channels will not carry any MMS or photo of the child. We can carry if issued by the family
» No astrology show to be done on this issue.
» No 11.11.11 astro shows to be done.
» The duration of story to be around a minute/ninety seconds.
» Obviously, unauthorized entry into hospital not permitted.
While Amitabh Bachchan in his tweets has expressed ignorance about these rules, it is believed that one of his blog postings of a few days ago forced this rethink in the broadcast media. In his post, dated November 1, Bachchan wrote:
The entire day and afternoon has been spent in laughing among ourselves and ROTF (Rolling On the Floor) on the ridiculous time and attention being given in the electronic media on the birthday of Aishwarya…all of which is completely and entirely made up,” before going on to detail his not-so-complimentary thoughts on the media.
Cut to the quick the Broadcast Editors’ Association that has over three hundred channels as its members, came up with the above mentioned guidelines. NK Singh, general secretary of the BEA refused to discuss the media move, only saying:
“The main purpose (of the guideline) is to make Indian electronic news media more value-based and purposeful for broader public cause. I cannot respond to your email per se but I can only tell you about the sublime purpose which the BEA is seeking to achieve.”
Another broadcaster who did not wish to be named, said with some asperity, “Is this self regulation or censorship? And why only for this story? Isn’t it ironic that a move which seeks to curb publicity will find a mention in all the newspapers tomorrow?”
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November 7, 2011 at 4:43 PM
http://bigb.bigadda.com/?p=8713
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November 8, 2011 at 8:01 AM
Sonam interview:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/video/Interviews/p7Ecau86/3/Sonam-Kapoor-Speaks-About-Players.html
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November 8, 2011 at 7:55 PM
No games about this film’s figures:
Every Bollywood movie of late seems to be in a battle to earn the title of “most expensive film ever”. But not Abbas-Mustan’s Players. Contrary to the usual B’town practice of presenting inflated budgets to garner publicity, the director-duo have issued a statement that far from the reported Rs 75-90 crore, Players has in fact cost them a comparatively modest Rs 45 crore. By issuing the statement, they hope to avoid trade discussions on how Players will recover its production cost etc. “I guess they understand that there’s no point in first making big statements and then giving out sundry details about recovering costs,” a trade source opines. “Anyway, audiences don’t watch a film based on how many crores have been pumped into it.”
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/bollywood/no-games-about-film%E2%80%99s-figures-900
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November 8, 2011 at 8:10 PM
I think they’re handling the media side of this well (!) but to be honest I find this figure hard to believe. The original number was 55 crores. It was never as low as this. When the Vicaom guy was asked about the 95 crore figure he said it was definitely lower than this which didn’t sound like 40 crores lower! Leaving this aside just looking at the production values on the trailer and the shoots (from Murmansk in the Arctic circle to NZ and then the kinds of stunts they have here) that number seems less plausible. I know Abhishek and some of the other stars took paycuts at the end or at least this was reported but they’re hardly draw 10 crore paychecks per person to make that sort of difference.
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November 8, 2011 at 10:00 PM
I don’t think they broke the bank at all on making Players. The cast all taking pay cuts has helped keep the budget in low. But I also think Abbas-Mustan seem to be very sensible film makers who know how to keep their films on budget. I can easily believe that Players only cost 45 crore (or somewhere between 45-55 crore). Race (just like Players) had the same awesome visuals, locations, action, stunts, production values, etc with it only costing 30 crores. I’m going to believe the official statements from Abbas-Mustan and Viacom 18 about the budget being in this range(unless they state something differently in near future).
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November 8, 2011 at 10:55 PM
fair enough.. 55 crores with pay cuts is certainly plausible..
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November 9, 2011 at 12:04 PM
Charlie, Spider, Ronnie……ROFLOL!!
Iss picture ka Na pitna mushkil hee nahee Namumkin hai……
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November 9, 2011 at 4:33 PM
‘Players’ is a typical Bollywood entertainer: Abhishek
Mumbai: Enthused about his forthcoming film ‘Players’, which is a remake of the 2003 American thriller `the Italian Job`, actor Abhishek Bachchan today said the flick was a quintessential “masala” movie.
“The trailer (of ‘Players’) does not remind you of ‘the Italian Job’, it promises a ‘masala’ Hindi movie. This is an exciting time in my life,” Abhishek said.
Referring to the first trailer of the flick unveiled last week, Abhishek said, “it left his blood pumping”. “One of the reasons I accepted the film was for the directors Abbas-Mustaan. And the other being I had grown up watching and loving the original film. I still remember Michael Caine’s (he was the lead actor in the 1969 original film –‘The Italian Job’) lines,” Abhishek said.
‘Players’, directed by Abbas Mustaan, also features Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol and Omi Vaidya, and is slated for release on January 6.
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November 9, 2011 at 5:04 PM
If I was the producer of this movie, will make all the lead heroes or heroines to pay from their pocket to appear in the movie (given their current standing)–for another shot at resurrecting their careers.
Can make some concessions for the heroines though….lol
Basically :They should be paid only if it works
Know these are tough words but thats how certain things can be forced to work
Btw even has yashraj pays (paid) relative peanuts to their actors
This budget planning is where aaamir gets it right usually for eg
Eg2–ra1 with the right budget would’ve been a success (well: but given srks “biggest bestest” stance even that may not have been enuf!!!)
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November 9, 2011 at 5:20 PM
Going by the cast , they are more like ” Reserves” than Players…
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November 9, 2011 at 5:27 PM
Agree rocky lol@ reserves
That’s why as a producer shouldn’t pay anyone (except sonam maybe)
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November 9, 2011 at 5:43 PM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Tabloid/Bookies-bet-big-on-Aishwarya-s-baby/Article1-766944.aspx
Lol bookies bet big on ash baby
Anyhow guess the date is near
All the best ash
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November 9, 2011 at 5:59 PM
150 crores riding on this? Unbelievable!
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November 9, 2011 at 6:20 PM
Mind you that’s only for the 11/11 date, its actually 500 cr overall # I read elsewhere. With many different bets, Gender, Time, C-Section, Name starting with the letter A. etc. This boy/girl will be making money for some people even before hitting the screens.
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November 10, 2011 at 6:39 AM
Bookies hit jackpot on Sachin Tendulkar ton, Aishwarya Rai’s delivery day
Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN | Nov 10, 2011, 12.31AM IST
NEW DELHI: While thousands of disheartened fans saw West Indies spinner Bishoo dismiss Sachin Tendulkar, 24 runs short of his milestone, the bookies had a field day riding high on fan frenzy.
However, bookies are doubly pleased as the maestro’s next stop is Eden Gardens five days from now. And bets will keep piling up till then. But, before that, Big B’s yet-to-be born grandchild is expected to take centre stage. “Over Rs 150 crore is riding on whether Aishwarya Rai will deliver the child on 11. 11. 11 or on Children’s Day, the day the Eden Test match kicks off. This despite the fact that Abhishek Bachchan has made it clear that wife Aishwarya is not going for a Caesarean operation,” said a bookie.
Police are keeping vigil on the betting scene for the two mega events. “We are aware there is also heavy betting on whether the actress will deliver a boy or girl. This is unfortunate scenario and shows how we are still obsessed with a male child,” said a police officer.
The master blaster, though, can take heart. Though it’s still five days to go, punters are already placing odds on him achieving the feat at Kolkata. “Sachin seems to be in great form. It will be good if he gets his ton on his home turf, Mumbai, during the third test. His century will help us rake in crores,” said the bookie.
The betting mafia is pumping in crores to predict the sex of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s unborn child. The news doing the rounds is that bookies are trying to contact the actress’ doctor to know the gender of the unborn child.
The Bacchan family has issued several statements in the past to clear the air making it amply clear they do not want to be part of any speculation.
“The highest bets are coming in for 11. 11. 11 as all astrologers are declaring it to be a very auspicious day. There are enough bets placed for Children’s Day too,” the bookie said. For a Bollywood and cricket obsessed nation, nothing can get better this week.
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November 10, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Abhishek even had to take the extraordinary step of denying the rumor that there would be a C-section to match the 11-11-11 date! And then people wonder why I have referred to this family as the closest Indian equivalent of royalty! Did anyone care how, when and where Hrithik had a child?!
Here I reference some of these recent comments.
But to add to this Abhishek offers the exemplary site of two seemingly contradictory trends in Indian cultural life at the present moment. On the one hand the whole ‘entrepeneurial’ ethic (for want of a better term), the celebration of the ‘self-made’ person, the whole meritocratic argument (even if with its ironies). On the other the continuing investment in ‘Old India’ which here are the structures of genealogy and inheritance and so forth. What attracts people to Abhishek also repels them! And as I said elsewhere by ‘exorcising’ these demons on this very ‘Bachchan’ site they can elsewhere indulge in the likes of Ranbir without guilt (otherwise this is the very same structure).
To this entire ‘contradictory’ structure if you add the celebrity obsessed media-machinery of the present you have a set of powerful forces all intersecting in Abhishek’s person and signature. Of course this is interesting not because it explains him or his family but because it also clarifies much larger cultural forces and in fact a larger ‘response’ directed at the Bachchan name (why the trade-media was often so negative on him at his peak.. why many debates were framed in a way to de-legitimate his standing, or to deny him as an actor and so on). This entire matrix offers a fairly privileged perspective on the upwardly mobile cross-sections of ‘Shining India’.
Here once again some recent comments are in order.
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November 10, 2011 at 3:32 PM
Did anyone care how, when and where Hrithik had a child?!
— Hrithik’s wife is not a star like Ash.
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November 10, 2011 at 5:12 PM
yes that’s of course true but the ‘heir’ element here trumps all even if obviously there’s a complete package here.. was anyone that interested in Devgan’s child? By the way note some of the snide media stories covering it as “Aishwarya’s child”!
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November 9, 2011 at 6:15 PM
^^^finally something even abhishrek is involved in creating crosses 100crore —-lol
What Raaavan couldn’t do the ash-baby has already done
Btw im quite sure it will be a boy
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November 10, 2011 at 3:33 PM
I think it is a girl…
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November 10, 2011 at 6:31 AM
So what’s the real budget of Abbas-Mustan’s Players?
By Joginder Tuteja, November 10, 2011 – 11:44 IST
Players A couple of years back there was huge brouhaha around the budget of Akshay Kumar-Sanjay Dutt starrer Blue being pegged at a mighty Rs.100 crores. Very recently the same phenomenon repeated with Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor’s Ra.One where it was widely publicised as the costliest Indian movie ever made with a budget in the excess of Rs.150 crores. It’s a different matter though that around the release, official numbers declared by the makers turned out to be much lower.
“Right through their making, Ra.One as well as Blue carried huge speculations around their actual budget. Sale holds good for other biggies in the past like Hrithik Roshan’s Kites or Salman Khan’s Veer. When it comes to superstars, trade as well as industry tends to get a little carried away. This results in inflated numbers floating around various sources”, says an industry expert, “The makers too refrain from making any official confirmation since talks centred on huge budgets only ends up keeping their films in the limelight.”
No wonder, the makers of the next big film Players aren’t willing to take chances and have promptly come forward to reveal the real budget of the film. Though rumour has it that this multi-starrer heist action thriller by Abbas-Mustan costs anywhere in the upwards of Rs.75 crores with some even pegging the film at Rs.90 crores, the makers have declared Players budget as much more reasonable Rs.45 crores.
“What’s the point in first making those big statements and then giving out sundry details around recovery etc”, says a fellow filmmaker, “For audience it’s the film that matters most and not the crores that have been pumped in. Also, for a film with not a single actor belonging to the Top-5, it would be foolhardy to either spend money in an insane manner or float stories around doing so even if that’s not the case. We have to learn our lesson from disastrous response to films that have tried doing that and have landed up with an egg on their face. It is better to carry some restrain.”
This is something that Abbas-Mustan kept in mind as well. While they ensured that Players gets a larger than life treatment with an extensive shooting schedule in Russia lending it the required grandeur, the budget spent has been high but not gone over the roof.
Though Abbas-Mustan were unavailable for comment, a source close to their production house confirms, “Rs.45 crores have been spent on the making of Players, that’s final. Add to that the print and publicity cost and we are not exceeding Rs.55 crores here. It’s a safe model that we have in place here and given the kind of response that the promos of Players have generated, we are sure of a comfortable game ahead.”
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November 10, 2011 at 6:32 AM
RE: “Very recently the same phenomenon repeated with Shah Rukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor’s Ra.One where it was widely publicised as the costliest Indian movie ever made with a budget in the excess of Rs.150 crores. It’s a different matter though that around the release, official numbers declared by the makers turned out to be much lower.”
But SRK himself used the higher figures in interviews on the eve of the film’s release!
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November 10, 2011 at 6:35 AM
SRK said clearly the film had cost 180 crores including a 60 crore advertising budget but he himself (along with Eros) has only invested 120 crores of those.
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November 11, 2011 at 4:02 PM
Abhishek Bachcan in the news for doing yet another remake of a south indian film. Don Seenu.
http://www.indiablooms.com/EntVideo2Details/entPVVideoDetails111111e1.php
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November 11, 2011 at 4:13 PM
There have been half a dozen Southern remake rumors with Abhishek before. Have heard this before too. Hope it doesn’t materialize (based on the original I’ve seen)! But this film is fun to watch for the way the character is just steeped in Don and ‘Bachchanalia’ in general. Ravi Teja though has my vote for single most offensive lead star in Indian commercial cinema. At least among the ones I’ve seen!
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November 11, 2011 at 4:23 PM
Hope he picks the right one out of the lot, to put that total “masala” fair to his resume. yes, I have read the synopsis of this, but never got around watching it, Some how can’t watch Ravi Teja. (Dont know why, but get really picky with south indian cinema)
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November 11, 2011 at 4:30 PM
most of the ones suggested are really bargain basement types.. and it’s just a bad idea for someone like Abhishek to do one of these unless it’s really an exception.. because even with a very big gross it will mean loss of prestige and the pressure to do more. And there’s no reason to stoop to this level when there’s lots of intelligent masala fare out there too. So far nothing has been confirmed. The Don Seenu rumor seems to be one of the less reliable ones but more worried about that Inder Kumar remake.
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November 11, 2011 at 4:36 PM
But doesn’t he need that “masala” kind of hit at this juncture of his career (yeah players may give that to him, But i wouldn’t want to call it a masala in true sense of the word). On loosing his prestige, I guess there are very few people like you and me who want to see him in Yuva, Guru, D6, Raavan, DMD type of roles. He rather go to a complete mainstream genre at this point, no?
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November 11, 2011 at 4:51 PM
The thing is that certain kinds of commercial fare are fine as part of an overall body of work if done either for strategic reasons or simply to get an easy box office hit at times. But a line has to be drawn here. Players or Dhoom is ok, even the Rohit shetty might be fine (as long as its not at Golmaal level… Shetty’s not Mukherjee’s!). But if you go to far you can lose prestige based on the kinds of choices you’ve otherwise done. This works better for certain stars, not as much for others. Typically it works best for those in today’s scenario who are not otherwise seen as real prestige stars by the audience. There is no reason to give up on the different film, it’s question of just being wiser about the script. Similarly masala or some other commercial genre is something he certainly needs at the moment but there’s no reason to get carried away here. I personally think that once he gets a few easy successes here he should start mixing it up once more. Perhaps not like preciously where most of the stuff was risky but a fair mix of the two. But yes Mehra or Rohan Sippy or Rathnam I’d do without question (as long as its not on Milkha Singh!). Certain kinds of directors one shouldn’t say ‘no’ to and contrary to popular perception with such directors it’s not about getting smarter about the scripts. Because here the ‘auteurist’ treatment matters far more than any obvious strengths in a script. These risks are ‘affordable’ with enough commercial fare to balance it out. But what I’m trying to get at is that if Abhishek had three films like Ready and even all of these worked he’d cancel out his ‘true’ value even if it worked for a while. certain kinds of stars just have to be a cut above even when they do ‘safer’ things. And again there’s plenty of intelligent masala out there. Also one shouldn’t take the wrong message from some of the films that are working these days. With certain other stars the audience would just expect more. No one goes to a Salman film expecting fine entertainment. They just want a certain Salman persona in a passable film. But Aamir on the other hand couldn’t get away with the same.
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November 11, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Got it, Basically don’t go the salman way LOL, (his Ek Tha Tiger better bring some freshness though). Agreed, can not say no to mehra’s, rathnams, or sippys.
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November 12, 2011 at 7:47 AM
Abbas-Mustan bring in black!
For years now, directors Abbas-Mustan haven’t worn any other colour, but white. From their shirts and trousers to their shoes and occasional jackets, the director duo is always dressed in spotless white. But earlier this year, when they were filming Players in Murmansk, Russia, Abhishek Bachchan went shopping and returned with three black-hooded jackets for the duo and their editor brother, Hussain.
The actor was worried that the trio, in their all-white attire, would merge with the snow. “And guess how they repaid me for my thoughtfulness?” says Abhishek, tongue-in-cheek. “By making me take a dip in a frozen lake with the temperature dipping to minus 10 degrees and the biting Arctic wind adding to the chill.”
The Indian remake of the The Italian Job is the first Bollywood film to be shot at the Arctic circle. Several action sequences, including one that required Abhishek to jump from a crane onto a running train, were shot there. In another, Abhishek was supposed to emerge from a frozen lake.
Safety officers in Siberia were initially leery of giving permission for such a shoot, pointing out that in the sub-zero temperature, anyone would freeze to death in 30 seconds.
“But eventually, we were able to convince them to let us take the shot after we’d taken all the required precautions,” says Abhishek, adding, “It’s a 10-15 second shot, but as I emerged from the water, I felt as if every muscle in my body had frozen. As soon as the unit heard “cut”, members started throwing hot water at me to prevent hypothermia or frost bite. Fortunately, there were no after-effects. Though, with 22 hours of sunlight, we had the longest working days ever. Since it was bright till way past midnight, and the sun would be up again by 3 am, sleep was hard to come by. It was an unforgettable experience.”
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November 14, 2011 at 3:03 PM
http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/players-all-india-sold/
True to what leading man Abhishek Bachchan says about Players, there’s plenty of positivity surrounding this film directed by Abbas-Mustan. In fact, thanks to all the goodwill and, of course, the talent associated with it, the film among the most sought-after films scheduled for release next year.
Now more good news. Ponty Chadha’s company Ginni Arts, which recently bought the all-India theatrical rights of Ready and Murder 2 (both successful films), has bought the all-India rights of Players too. Source close to the production house, Viacom 18, tell us that the rights were sold for Rs 35 crore. Phew!
Not surprising, considering that ever since the teasers were introduced, Players has been the talk of the trade. In fact, in an interview to boxofficeindia.co.in, Jr Bachchan said, “I have never seen such a unanimous reaction to my promos in the past. Not a single bit of negative feedback.”
Considering the response to the promo and first look, and the enthusiasm among distributors and exhibitors, rest assured that come January 6, 2012, and the film industry will start the new year with a big bang with the release of Players.
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November 14, 2011 at 3:24 PM
Not worried about the box office fate of this at all. The only question is: how big can it be? Must say that in an odd sense, and even though I know Abhishek needs a big one, I would have been happier had it followed a successful Raavan or D6 or something. Only because it saddens me a bit to see those kinds of films bite the dust and this kind of thing have all the positivity in the world based on a first trailer that simply pushes every genre button there is. You can see why actors become so cynical over time. Because they see a lot of good effort not work or have a very high bar for success (notice how the audience is able to support all kinds of flawed efforts when it comes to genre cinema but expects ‘perfection’ when it’s something different!). Meanwhile just one trailer this way convinces most audiences, fans or not of the star. This of course becomes more problematic in a country like India where there isn’t serious criticism to point out the difference between the two. Everything is reducible to the box office and particularly so today. And so to repeat an older point I hope Abhishek gets the success he wants with stuff like Players and Bol Bachchan and Dhoom and whatever else but then I hope even more that he has the will all over again to do what he did after 2005, where he used his capital in more meaningful. Obviously not in the very same way, a better mix of films, risky and commercial balanced out, a better sense of scripts all round and so forth but I do hope that mix comes in sooner than later. Because he shoots films back to back it would be relatively easier for him to do this sort of thing. I have no doubts that he would always do a Rathnam, a Mehra, a Rohan Sippy but that’s not frequent enough. In any case hope more of the interesting can be manged with all this purely commercial fare. Not thumbing my those at the latter. I enjoy some of this genre stuff myself. But Abhishek is too good to just do this no matter how much success it gets him.
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November 14, 2011 at 3:52 PM
I’ve seen the images from bol Bachchan. It was horrible look for Abhishek.
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November 14, 2011 at 7:44 PM
well if this is the Golmaal remake he should have two looks.. one as the really gawky guy and the other as the cool customer..
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November 14, 2011 at 7:49 PM
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.225329980847989.52433.152137244833930&type=3&l=26975a100b
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November 14, 2011 at 8:39 PM
don’t see a problem here.. it’s a very masala sort of look.. I’m sure it goes well with the terrain..
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November 15, 2011 at 11:59 AM
This is absolutely stunning look of Abhishek here .. I loved every frame .. Sure shot super hit.
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November 15, 2011 at 2:42 AM
Bollywood brings traffic to a halt in Wellington!
By Hindustan Times
Mumbai, Nov. 15 — Featherston Street is the buzzing center of Wellington, with its panoramic view of the harbour and the Custom Quay, and its proximity to the Westpac Stadium, Victoria University and Wellington Railway Station.
The place is crowded with hurrying pedestrians and honking cars. Yet, director-duo Abbas-Mustan managed to bring traffic to a standstill in New Zealand’s capital city for three days during the filming of Players earlier this year. Presented by Viacom 18, the official Indian version of The Italian Job, which revolves around a heist, required the ‘players’ to create a traffic jam so they can get away with the gold. “We’d decided we’d shoot the sequence in Wellington Central that is like the Hutatma Chowk of Mumbai. It took us six months of pre-production to plan it to the smallest detail and get the requisite permissions,” admits Abbas.
On the appointed day, the unit landed on location with seven cameras and a carefully thought-out plan of action that included jamming the signals. “Yes, the local authorities not only blocked Featherston Street for us, but also gave us control of the signals so they would flash left and right, and the colours would change from green to red for our actors while the scenes were being shot,” points out Mustan.
The thriller’s climax has been shot at Wellington’s airport, with Abhishek Bachchan, Sikander Kher, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu zipping down the tarmac in their cars the iconic Minis Coopers, a plane hovering overhead; and Neil and Bipasha doing a 100metre dash. “It wasn’t possible to shut down the airport, but we got a 30-minutes window between flights landing and taking off, during which ground zero was cleared for us,” reminisces Abbas.
It took weeks of negotiation that ended after a two-hour discussion with Abhishek and Sonam Kapoor jumping into the fray with their pleas, before the director-duo got the go-ahead from the New Zealand Aviation Board. “It was an amazing experience driving down a real runway,” says Abhishek, who in one shot, is driving a Mini, with the wheel of a plane hovering tantalisingly close to him. “There was some amount of special effects involved, but the action is still mind-blowing.”
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November 15, 2011 at 12:18 PM
I really hope and wish A-M went with the Original to reference the traffice scenes. In my opinion they were the most exciting and thrilling moments (even though the traffic is stand still, the whole getting the cars out of there thru allies and buildings was amazingly shot). The newer one was very hollywoodish in that sense.
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November 15, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Abhishek says they remade the original but I think that’s a ‘legalism’. Because of the course the Hollywood remake itself got the rights from the older film. As a technicality they couldn’t have ‘remade’ the newer one! Some of the stuff I’ve read about here leads me to believe that there are perhaps some scenes from the earlier version incorporated here. But either way it’s tonally obviously much more like the new film. The same kind of high octane feel which actually is very far from the ‘mood’ of the Caine version. That’s a much more culturally-allusive tongue-in-cheek kind of deal, even in the chase sequences. My own idea here (and I’ve said this before) would have been to set it in Bombay of the 70s. do a kind of period film even if they wanted to preserve the greater tension of the newer version. And they could have done some cool retro stuff here. Used some cars for example (‘foreign cars’ as they were called) from that era. The Coopers would still be the same. But a nice period vibe would have been great. Of course this sort of thing also requires greater ambition and sincerity more than anything else. It seems to me that cinema is uniquely able to conjure up period settings in ways that other art forms can never quite match. Cinema brings to it a certain immediacy. You are just ‘in’ that world (when it’s done right). I and GF were discussing this in the context of J Edgar yesterday but the presidential parades here, even if shown briefly, are quite thrilling to behold. This is incidentally the one complaint I’ve always had with Guru. That the period element of Bombay wasn’t brought out the way it might have been. Of course it would also have meant a much bigger budget. I actually long for an Indian filmmaker to do with this city (or for that matter with Calcutta, these two great British presidency cities, Calcutta was of course more than this for the longest time… somehow I’ve never been too interested in Northern cities! Chennai itself could work well in the same way except that during British times it was much more of a sleeper city, not really comparable to Bombay or Calcutta) what Spielberg did with Shanghai in Empire of the Sun.
Now hit me on the head for going from Abbas Mustaan to Spielberg!
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November 15, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Absolutely, A retro Heist film would have been a good take on this (Once Upon a Time in Mumbai worked) I am sure this would have had its own audience too. Yes, a bit disappointed the way Bombay was brought about in Guru, but then again that was being sold as a Biopic so people were more interested in the character than the city. Action Replay had the scope to show Bombay in its full glory of the 70’s but Vipul Shah missed it, (As it was being touted as the time travel, back in 70’s era etc). Come to think of Players’ if they had adapted the 70’s style/look cars etc, I would certainly look at the Styling of Trishul here, Every single character was at its finest be it Clothes, hair style, Cars. Trishul would have been a really good reference point here.
OT – I take that you watched J.Edgar, What did you think of it? Views coming soon?
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November 15, 2011 at 12:55 PM
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November 15, 2011 at 12:43 PM
check out the classic opening (and song) of the 1969 Italian Job here:
Three classic 60s movies, a favorite song, half a favorite and a postlude…
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November 18, 2011 at 11:35 AM
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November 18, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Abbas-Mustaan confirm the stunt here as well..
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November 18, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Hey Satyam, there are lot more pictures on the official website, Which are missing here (thats if you want to add). They have updated the photo gallery.
I also tried to view the trailer and its still blocked for people outside of Indian region.
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November 18, 2011 at 11:48 AM
will check it out.. thanks.
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November 18, 2011 at 11:49 AM
I don’t see anything new on the site.. the photos section still says ‘coming soon’.
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November 18, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Oops sorry, My mistake, I meant on the facebook page for abhsihek bachchan fan club. The same link that was posted earlier for bol bachchan pictures. check out the players album. (No access to facebook from work).
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November 18, 2011 at 2:23 PM
Bipasha is looking so hot in that first pic, it’s just criminal.
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November 19, 2011 at 1:42 AM
Bipasha’s getting intimidatingly sexy over the last couple of years… you know, the kind where you admit that she’s insanely hot (the Reebok and Vi-Jon ads and Aa Dekhen Zara and this), but also distant in an inaccessible way. But you’re right, there’s gotta be a fine for legs that fine 🙂
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November 18, 2011 at 3:51 PM
“bipasha is looking so hot in that first pic, it’s just criminal”
Hmm Henry : do appreciate your thoughts there. hope u get a “grip” over your ” feelings” ….lol
Just by the way: bipasha stopped interesting me quite some time back –don’t know y
Something mechanically repetitive
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November 18, 2011 at 4:05 PM
^^^Infact prefer Sonam Kapoor here
find her photogenic
Seems im not well ; lol
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November 18, 2011 at 6:47 PM
Re: Seems im not well
I would say so. It has been this way for a while. I think the technical term is – congenital.
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November 18, 2011 at 7:50 PM
Haha
So as predicted : rajen uncle has had a difficult time @ home
We helpfully sent those links of rajen uncles” indiscretions ”
to his “home office ”
The links of nubile girls he posted the other day on rockstar has come back to bite him
But admire his guts that he is back And diagnosing “congenital” pathology “online”!!!
Incidentally the other uncle ie utkal is nowhere to be seen after that day–bit to repeat : utkal uncle : I’m a fan of yours after that note on nargis f-wow
Hope things settle down @ home lol
(btw don’t blame the bitterness)
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November 24, 2011 at 10:14 AM
I enjoyed doing stunts in ‘Players’: Neil Nitin Mukesh
By: IANS Date: 2011-11-24 Place: Mumbai
Bruises and fractures notwithstanding, actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says he enjoyed doing daredevil stunts in his upcoming film “Players”.
“I broke a finger… I had fractures at least four times during the making of the film. But all is fine now. Even on a regular day if a person falls on the road, he gets hurt. Here we were doing stunts,” said Neil while promoting “Players”.
The promo of the film is on air and Neil, 29, says it is not misleading and gives the real feel of the movie.
“These days the promos of the movies mostly mislead the audience. They only show those portions that are good or glamorous. But the promo of ‘Players’ will reveal a lot about the look and feel of the movie in one second,” said the actor who earned critical acclaim for his debut film “Johnny Gaddaar”. He later did films like “Jail”, “New York” and “Lafangey Parindey”.
Directed by Abbas-Mustan, “Players” is a remake of hit Hollywood action-thriller “The Italian Job”. The film, also starring Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Bobby Deol, will be the first big release of 2012 when it hits the screens Jan 6.
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November 24, 2011 at 1:40 PM
There seems a certain “innocence” in Sonam Kapoor
Prefer her over Bipasha here
Fed up of bipasha in bikinis (or without)…
ps–looking forward to how Murmansk has been picturised here. A unique place
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November 24, 2011 at 3:33 PM
yeah this whole Bipasha ‘sexpot’ deal has become stale..
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November 24, 2011 at 3:37 PM
Agree but u do keep posting “strategic” ones lol
Sense u have a deepika fetish -m I rite
Am tired of bikinis or the lack of them (hopefully temporarily)
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November 26, 2011 at 8:21 AM
Neil Mukesh interview:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/video/Interviews/5m7QLP70/3/Neil-Nitin-Mukesh-Speaks-About-Players-Part-1.html
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November 26, 2011 at 8:28 AM
claims the twists of the original Italian Job have been given different spins here.
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November 27, 2011 at 12:00 AM
Since this is Abbas Mustan I think we are guaranteed two dozen twists at the minimum…
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November 27, 2011 at 7:24 AM
yeah and one hopes these don’t get absurd in the service of creating enough distance from the original!
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November 26, 2011 at 4:56 PM
hip guys, fast cars and beautiful women, oh my!. i have a feeling i’ll thoroughly enjoy this….
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November 26, 2011 at 6:11 PM
I am on for this ..even though the next theatre to me is just around 260 kms in Perth from where i live 😦
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November 26, 2011 at 11:50 PM
LOL, quite a distance!
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November 27, 2011 at 7:36 AM
“hip guys, fast cars and beautiful women”–fine about the fast cars an perhaps good scenery
But who are the “hip” guys or the “beautiful” women –not really
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November 29, 2011 at 2:43 PM
Haha Alex- even the cars are Mini Coopers- hardly the ‘fast cars’ you associate with an action film 😉
I do not know why Bollywood chooses to glamourise cars like the Beetle and the Mini Cooper- the only nice car I’ve seen in a recent Hindi film is the vintage Buick convertible in ZNMD.
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November 29, 2011 at 2:46 PM
The Coopers are integral to both older versions of the Italian Job and there’s a plot related reason why these cars are used. Of course it becomes somewhat amusing when you have a tall guy like Abhishek (or Sikander Kher) getting in them. Apparently the actors (including Sonam) had a hard time squeezing into the cars. Can’t imagine that’s optimal for a heist!
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November 29, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Ah ok- good to know 🙂 I haven’t watched either version of the Italian job and I just thought that they looked comically toy-like in the context of an action film.
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November 29, 2011 at 1:16 PM
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November 29, 2011 at 2:55 PM
“the only nice car I’ve seen in a recent Hindi film is the vintage Buick convertible in ZNMD”—Amy: I knew u have a good taste-agree
think they also used a land rover somewhere
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November 29, 2011 at 3:40 PM
What would be really interesting here is how murmansk has been captured here
though abbas mustaan are probably the last people for this job, not sure how THEY could think of murmansk
btw if one gets a chance, the train journey from moscow to murmansk is highly recommended–beautiful flora & fauna
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November 29, 2011 at 5:17 PM
Abbas- Mustan talk about their Players
Anjuri Nayar | MM Online Bureau
Posted On Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 04:02:30 PM
Remakes seem to be the theme of next year with Abbas Mustan’s Players coming up in the first week of January. The film is a remake of the Hollywood movie, Italian Job. The director duo, while talking about the film, said, “We loved Italian Job and realised that a lot of people haven’t seen the film. In fact, there were two of them made in 1969 and 2003, and we have taken inspiration from both the movies.”
The Indian audience loves the drama and masala of Bollywood movies and this was something that needed to be added in the film Players. “We could not use Italian Job as it was, we needed to adapt it to the Indian audience. We have added situations, songs and emotions in the movie to make it more interesting,” they said.
Fast- paced, suspense thrillers like Italian Job have the ability to keep their audience captivated for a long time. Abbas-Mustan have retained the basic taste of the original. “People love the commotion in such films. The way the actors escape through tunnels and drainage pipes makes the film interesting. The double crossing and the scheming and plotting are something which keeps them glued to the screen. This is what we have retained in our film as well,” they explained.
Most Abbas-Mustan films, whether Race or Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, are multi-starrers. The brothers explain how this is a very natural decision. “Before making a film, we never think about it being a multi-starrer. Once the script is ready, we decide the star cast. This makes the stars comfortable as well.”
Speaking about the star cast of Players, they disclosed that Abhishek Bachchan had been their prime choice right from the beginning. “We always wanted to take Abhishek Bachchan for this role. After that we needed a young girl so we thought of Sonam Kapoor and then Bipasha, who has featured in our earlier movies as well and she fits the role perfectly,” said the duo.
Shooting in foreign locations is something that has always been done in Bollywood. But the locations chosen for Players are different from the rest. A part of the movie has been shot in the North Pole. Talking about the experience, Mastan said, “No one has ever shot a film there. It has been the best experience for us, so far. We knew we couldn’t go in the winter as it is dark all day. So we went just before the summer. It was the perfect time. All the lakes and rivers were frozen. There was only one hotel. Even though everyone had to adjust there, we were all happy. It was the experience of a lifetime.”
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December 2, 2011 at 2:31 AM
They should also try to remake “Takers” with Chris Brown, T.I, Matt Dillon, Idriss Elba etc. and form a Ratpack with all the chocolate heroes of B-wood,
The story : The film follows a group of professional bank robbers (Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Idris Elba) who specialize in spectacular robberies, as they are pulled into one last job by a recently paroled cohort (T.I.) only to be pitted against a hard-boiled detective (Matt Dillon) and his partner (Jay Hernandez) who interrupt their heist. (from wiki.P)
I can see Abhi taking the lead (Idris Elba), Arjun Rampal as a “serious” side kick (Paul Walker.), Saif Ali Khan in T.I shooes (the villain among bad guys lol), Imran and Ranbir playing the two brothers in the group of robbers (Chris Brown and Micheal Ealy),
and Shahid taking Hayden Christensen part (but the role is too small…).
For the good cops, maybe Madhavan (as Jay Hernandez) with Hrithik Roshan being the Hard Boiled cop (if he looses some weight and stop looking like Superman on steroid)
For the Female part, the one and only Priyanka Chopra (forget about Kaif, i can’t stand her …)
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December 2, 2011 at 2:51 AM
Oops that’s a good script idea
Though none of these may accept abhi as the lead given his current box office
If players works though (&there is some chance): abhi should get some credit for a change…
Any other good script ideas for a short amateur film with amateur technicians and totally new actors/actresses?(something like “indie”)? Lol
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December 2, 2011 at 4:52 PM
Just saw the Jhoom promo of Players … As much as I like AB Jr., I think this movie has disaster written all over it. So much of a Game hangover for AB Jr. Also nothing in the promo’s seem to make this a viable flick. I think AB Jr’s flo precord continues with this flick as well. His only hope seems to be with Dhoom 3 which most likely will succeed due to Aamir. Ironically this will be his first hit after a miserable set of flops just like Dhoom 1 was in the years past.
I hope that I’m wrong, but this is really not looking good for AB Jr. and it really saddens me. He’s just seems to have lost his place. Everyone else seems to have gone past him even newcomers like Imran, Ranbir and Ranveer have more BO pull than he does.
Dissapointed,
Jogi
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December 5, 2011 at 2:35 PM
The recent song promos especially Yeh dooriyan are quite enjoyable and massy. Players altough looks difficult could still spring a surprise.
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December 6, 2011 at 7:41 AM
Shweta all set to don bikini in PLAYERS
December 5, 2011 06:42:29 PM IST
Glamsham Editorial
Abbas-Mustan who are known to show their actresses in a very glamorous avatar in their films, are not shying away from doing the same in their upcoming film PLAYERS.
Shweta Bhardwaj who plays a pivotal character in the film, is going to be donning a bikini in the film & the sequence is one of the highlights of the film.
Shweta Bhardwaj, who had wooed men right from her 1st film MISSION ISTAANBUL, where she played a role like that of Lara Croft, is quite confident that she will sway men of their feet even this time. With another sexy actress Bipasha Basu, who is in PLAYERS too, we wonder how hot this film will really turn out to be.
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December 6, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Naughty satyam:well :who is this now?
And why are Abbas mastaan hiding her from the promos
Think one nargis f is enuf at the moment Lol
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December 6, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Ha!
Abbas Mustaan cannot get enough women into bikinis!
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December 8, 2011 at 3:11 PM
^^^ in this pic:Don’t like the way this guy is performing “reiki ” on this unsuspecting poor girl
An old trick (used to try it as a kid)
Lol
One goes to some dodgy pubs and come back with gutter tunez
But
Some stick on and refuse to go
On popular demand —this crap song which seems to be the anthem for underage minors nowadays
But not bad –not ashamed to admit
Sent from my iPhone
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December 9, 2011 at 8:39 AM
this is the best of the posters so far.. (for what it’s worth!)..
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December 9, 2011 at 9:45 AM
Agreed.
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December 9, 2011 at 10:38 AM
This latest poster gave me deja vu of GAME … One poster of GAME was similar. let me find and post here.
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December 9, 2011 at 10:40 AM
Well even if you see this one .. http://media.onsugar.com/files/2011/04/15/1/1561/15614485/19/Game-Poster-Abhishek-Bachch.jpg
Abhishek and Sonam in players latest poster has same posture and looks like Abhishek and Kangana in Game.
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December 9, 2011 at 10:46 AM
that kind of ‘posing’ is generic to the genre. Don’t think the posters are otherwise similar.
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December 9, 2011 at 11:02 AM
packaging and posters of players – far far better than Don2 – where everything seems so mediocre
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December 9, 2011 at 2:29 PM
OK, I may well be out of my element here, but that didn’t stop me from marveling over the enthusiasm of film lovers on this thread, and as always the massive reponse to one of Satyam’s creative presentations. The usual suspects here, particularly are in their best form, whether in agreement or in dismissive mode.
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December 9, 2011 at 4:54 PM
Abhay-Sonam bury the hatchet with Santoshi’s next
Kunal M Shah
Posted On Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 02:11:55 AM
They exchanged barbs and bitterness for the longest time. But Anil Kapoor and Abhay Deol may have decided to bury the hatchet after all. Mumbai Mirror has learnt both of them are willing to put the unpleasantness of Aisha behind them and are chalking out plans to work together again. In fact, Anil may produce Rajkumar Santoshi’s next, which will feature his daughter Sonam and Abhay in the lead.
A friend of the veteran actor revealed to Mirror, “Santoshi is making a comedy with Abhay and Sonam. Anil Kapoor, who has known Santoshi for a long time, may produce it. This news has come as a surprise to many.”
In fact, on a TV show, Anil had said Abhay “needs serious help” and Abhay had retorted saying that Anil “was a waste of time”.
Abhay had also gone on record saying he wasn’t too pleased with the way Aisha shaped up and was vocal about his problems with Kapoor’s production house.
However, Anil has reportedly spoken to Abhay and the two have sorted out their differences. Anil’s friend added, “Anil had even invited Abhay to the party that was held for Tom Cruise last week. Abhay heard the narration of the script last week and has decided to come on board. The title of the film is yet to be finalised.”
When we got in touch with Rajkumar Santoshi, he said, “It is too early to say anything. Give me a week and I will be in a better position to talk about the film.”
While Abhay and Sonam remained unavailable for comment, Anil said, “If Rajji wants me to produce any film, I will do it. I can never say no to him.”
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December 10, 2011 at 10:02 PM
I usually don’t care much for Abhi… barring couple of films, he’s been strictly average. Even this time around I am genuinely feeling scared of this movie. It has such a huge GAME hangover. The songs are nothing to write home about and the posters give it a very cheap look. Also the cast leaves a lot to be desired. The promos haven’t left a mark either. And OMG how cheap and lame can the music launch can be.. geez was plain pathetc and that’s being kind.
I dunno but get a feeling that this one if going to be another turkey in Abhi’s long list of flops. Maybe his daughter brings him luck, who knows. HE genuinely seems like a nice guy, just doesn’t have it in him in showbiz.
I think his next ok film (read not a flop/average) most likely would be Bol Bachchan and that to due to Rohit/Shetty combo. He should just give up acting and seriously think about getting behind the scenes literally speaking.
even newcomes like Ranveer are miles ahead of him. I can’t equate anything or any particular genre with Abhi. Whats his forte? unclear.
oh well. Thoughts welcome.
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December 11, 2011 at 12:51 AM
My benchmark for PLAYERS has always been 100-120 CR. I know it’s high but the stakes are just too high to have it at any less in this case, despite the somewhat “damaged” cast bo wise, this has everything else going for it.
Despite the recent Brand damage Abhishek has had at the BO with KHJJS, DELHI 6 (hardly the kinda projects to set the bo ringing) the real fun was always going to be seeing him with directors like Abbas Mustaan, Rohit Shetty, Anees Bazmee, David Dhawan, Santoshi etc as these are the guys who bring in the moolah! As a true fan, these aren’t the directors who I would be excited to see Abhi work with (except Santoshi maybe).
In some ways Yashraj have kept their biggest ace card for 2012 DHOOM 3 which ensures Abhishek has a big YRF film that year too (this will be a stronger film than what Gadhvi churned out, I liked that Acharya did in TASHAN) and interviews confirm this to be more of a dual.
If he can’t deliver a “hit” and elevate his boxoffice within this mix then I would be a little worried…
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December 11, 2011 at 10:55 AM
Bobby is playing villain in this movie…………
Dhoom -John
Dhoom 2- Hritik
Players- Bobby
Again Abhishek Bachchan is hero.He must play villain only then audience will like him.I think he is not good for lead roles.
In fact in Dhoom n Dhoom 2 ,he was average.Villains always steals the show from him.Even Uday was better than him in comic sense.
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December 12, 2011 at 12:46 AM
Uday had a comic role, so obviously he would be better in the comic sense. Abhishek’s role was that of a serious, tough cop.
I think he was the definitely had a good deal in Dhoom. It was the main lead. It was the role with most screen-time than anyone in the movie. He was the hero. He was the backbone of the film. And his portrayal was good.
I agree that some could say that Uday or John stole the show, but Abhishek was the main guy there.
It’s like when Main Khiladi Tu Anari was made. Akshay was the main guy, but some were saying back then that Saif was more entertaining with his comedy. Or further back in Andar Bahar where a tough, serious cop and a petty thief (who always dreamt of women) teamed up to track a gangster. Jackie was the main guy there but Anil was quite good in his comic role. They were 2 contrasting characters on a mission and it was the same thing in Dhoom.
In D2, unfortunately, the 2 of them were relegated to play second fiddle and more emphasis was being put on the villain (Hrithik) and the con-woman (Aish). Abhishek did whatever he had to do with the limited footage he had.
I hope that in D3, it’s back to being a cop vs robber story rather that a robber’s love story.
As for your saying that Abhishek should play the villain, here is one thing I thought about the Dhoom series. How about a sequel where ACP Arjun Dixit (Abhishek’s character) goes outside the law. A John Woo’s Face-off kind of deal where he gets in the villain’s role and the bad guy turns into the cop. It would be interesting but it’s just wishful thinking.
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December 12, 2011 at 2:26 AM
I don’t understand why Abhishek fans are so eager for this to do well. Even if he achieves success doing crap like this- what is the point? It will only encourage him to do more such crap. And even if the film succeeds it’s not going to be because Abhishek put in an intelligent, nuanced performance- it’s going to be because Abbas-Mustan devised a cheap, gimmicky marketing campaign that was successful. And this really is as low as you can possibly go.
I really hope this film doesn’t do well- because this kind of movie does not need any encouragement. I like Abhishek a lot – which is why I am happier to see him being a part of good films like Guru, Delhi 6 and Raavan- regardless of their box office fate- than in crap like this.
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December 12, 2011 at 7:29 AM
Abhishek needs to rack up some big box office winners at this point. My hope is that he then returns to a better mix. But he’s gone through such a rough time at the box office (though it has in some ways been exaggerated by the media narrative.. in other words you either say he’s such a major star that this kind of failure or mixed performance was very bad for him.. or you say he isn’t that major in which case this is hardly the worst performance around.. very major stars have done worse at times with the media not saying anything.. but in any case you can’t have it both ways) that he doesn’t have the luxury at the moment of taking more risks. So I don’t think most Abhishek fans are excited about this beyond those who love the Abbas-Mustaan kind of deal. But they recognize a big one is needed and the way the industry works such a grosser will be important for him for sure. On the rest I expect something better than the Race kind of deal here because of the official remake and the fact that they can’t deviate much from the script. Having said that they’re also claiming that there are some new twists here and this is where Abbas-Mustaan usually venture off into absurd territory. But again for now it’s purely about the box office. I have however voiced this fear earlier of too much box office success sometimes changing a star’s direction for good. The greatest stars have often not been able to resist this. The problem here isn’t a Rathnam or a Mehra. Those directors Abhishek would always work with. The same goes for Rohan Sippy. It’s the other interesting stuff where he might be less willing to take a risk. I would ideally want a Players to be balanced with something genuinely interesting. But that’s not going happen even on paper for the next year or so unless of course something remarkable suddenly pops up.
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December 12, 2011 at 8:23 AM
Abhishek need the hits. Period. He will not be getting the D6s and Raavans without those. An unfortunate reality but thats the truth. So, hope Players succeeds. And, could be a lot worse. For whatever it is worth it is an OFFICIAL remake of a much loved film. I think 100 crores is too high a bar for this one. One would be setting oneself up for failure if that is the bar. How many films have doen a 100 crores? I think 60 crores should be the first goal. Whatever it makesd above that is gravy.
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December 12, 2011 at 8:57 AM
The reality also is that for a project of this scale 60 crores is too low. And I don’t think the numbers even work out that way. If it gets a big enough initial and falls quickly it could get to 60 crores. However by the same token such an initial could take the film to a much bigger number if it works. Now the scenario where it’s a trending success at 60 crores (leaving aside budget issues) would mean a 30 crore or so week 1. But that sort of very stable trending is not usually seen for this genre. Plus it’s the kind of genre that excites an audience in the initial run. It’s not likely to get in a lot of people based on WOM following week 1! In other words it’s not the ‘serious film’ deal where you look for a good if not great initial and then build on it.
It’s true that the 100 crore bar is still a relatively high one but this film has been designed for big numbers. Don’t think Abbas-Mustaan have launched their biggest production ever to just get to 60 crores. But note how this also reflects in their casting choices. In Race you had two ‘babes’ in Katrina and Bipasha, you had an important supporting player in Anil Kapoor and you had Akshaye Khanna providing some ‘edge’. He’s not a star at this point but he works well in this kind of setup and wish he were there in Players. Race did not depend on Saif. However Players with the whole ‘ensemble’ pretense (at least in the media version) depends far more on him. Sonam is hardly where Katrina is. Bipasha is the same (though I’d argue that there’s some staleness even to her act by this point.. but let’s leave this aside). With the other ‘players’ you actually have Bobby Deol producing negative vibes for this kind of thing, Sikander Kher has no following, Neil is of course fine. Katrina was initially supposed to do it then didn’t, supposedly they couldn’t get a couple of other actresses. But note how the scale of the film didn’t change with any of this. In fact Abbas-Mustaan couldn’t have made a bigger production even with the biggest star out there at the moment!
Now irrespective of how the media/trade plays it (we know what the deal here is.. they weren’t necessarily jumping on board even with Guru or BnB! It won’t take much for them to say it’s an ensemble deal here or that Bobby has had a hit recently with his clan or that the girls brought people in or that Abhishek’s own little one brought them in.. that’s all baked into the cake!) I think the 100 crore mark is not an unreasonable bar for the film. Obviously 90 crores is fine. But 60 is just too low. We see films like TDP getting into the 60-70 range. A lot of films are on course to do this after the initial and a number of films have been in the 95 or more range in the last couple of years. And Players once again has been made for that kind of response. It’s not supposed to start at the low end and then trudge to 60 and get some kind of ‘moral’ victory at that figure! I’m completely aware of all the media and blogosphere politics on all of this but as you know I keep the bar high!
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December 12, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Ok, I get your point about box office success. But the film apparently costs 70 crores including P & A. It will have to make at least 75-80 for it to be considered even average.
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December 12, 2011 at 1:22 PM
I think all India distributor cost is 33 crores. So, it needs a domestic DS of 333 crores for distributors not to lose money.
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December 12, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Ha !
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December 12, 2011 at 1:33 PM
Sorry, I did not get that joke 😦
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December 12, 2011 at 1:42 PM
Ami,
It is a reference to the ‘ultra’ stringent criterai applied by some BO analysts for Abhi’s or AB’s films. Normally a film that breaks even would manage an average/above average rating ( and may even squeeze out a ‘hit’) from these compromised BO analysts. But, Bachchcan films are held to a different, more punishing standard.
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December 12, 2011 at 1:49 PM
not just this.. Abhishek is no kind of star till a film of his doesn’t work and then the very financial viability of the industry is at stake!
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December 12, 2011 at 2:49 PM
Ah ok 🙂
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December 12, 2011 at 3:49 PM
Lol…good one
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December 12, 2011 at 5:44 PM
No games about this film’s figures
November 9, 2011
Every Bollywood movie of late seems to be in a battle to earn the title of “most expensive film ever”. But not Abbas-Mustan’s Players. Contrary to the usual B’town practice of presenting inflated budgets to garner publicity, the director-duo have issued a statement that far from the reported Rs 75-90 crore, Players has in fact cost them a comparatively modest Rs 45 crore. By issuing the statement, they hope to avoid trade discussions on how Players will recover its production cost etc. “I guess they understand that there’s no point in first making big statements and then giving out sundry details about recovering costs,” a trade source opines. “Anyway, audiences don’t watch a film based on how many crores have been pumped into it.”
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/bollywood/no-games-about-film%E2%80%99s-figures-900
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December 12, 2011 at 2:05 PM
Players is no cheaper than Dhoom 2 or any such film made in Bollywood. In fact I have enjoyed all the songs so far and it looks more fun than Don 2.
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December 12, 2011 at 2:10 PM
My cantankerous take on the music!
https://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/players-trailer/#comment-118354
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December 12, 2011 at 2:13 PM
The problem with the first Don was that it was neither trashy fun like the Abbas-Mustan stuff nor slick or clever which I think Akhtar was attempting. The second one looks more of the same.
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December 12, 2011 at 2:27 PM
I’d agree on the first one. The second one though does look very slick and certainly superior to everything else in the genre. At least on the longer trailers and to an extent the shorter dialog ones. The problem here for me is the incessant one liners and all the other preening. It’s really being shoved down one’s throat. I used to adore the theme music but these two films have started making me hate it! For the visuals this is nonetheless a film that I want to check out on the big screen but all this Don stuff is so excessive that I’m having second thoughts. Farhan is attempting a Bourne/MI kind of deal here and he should stick to that. The other stuff is just too much. The song promos have been poor but that’s mostly the music. On the one hand Farhan had the opportunity to do something better here relieved of the remake burden. And he’s talked about this himself. But on the other hand he should also have kept things simple as opposed to making a soap out of the original characters. Still this itself wouldn’t be that big a deal. But the Don-on-steroids (all lines here are one-liners) choice is just a very poor one and might just get grating beyond a point in the film. For all this though there’s no denying that the longer trailers are quite impressive.
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December 12, 2011 at 2:21 PM
I don’t think there is any point complaining. I think the reviewer means to say Players is a 3.5 star soundtrack in its own genre of catchy but disposable music. Just like Ghajini could be rated a 4 star masala film but that doesn’t mean it’s at the level of Pyaasa.
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December 12, 2011 at 2:52 PM
Have been relatively MIA recently …Am currently on a hectic professional trip/tour spanning europe and hopefully culminating in asia and also india. Man–kiler hectic work but enjoyin it
^^^As for abhishrek –nothing but box office will do as someone pointed out above. Nobody can “afford” prestige without “bread n butter” stuff!!Genuinely hope his daughter proves lucky for him.
Though agree with amy that this movie will be slightly better crap.
Mini-reviews of some of my recent inflight viewings—–with intense sleep deprivation—tese had to pass the ultimate zzzz test–so may not be an ideal refelction but most of my initial impressions dont change (for me) usually
And again—these may differ from the “in” opinion for these–but honest n simple
a) Buddha hoga tera baap—
Few scenes show how bachchan still deserves better stuff and can give kickass performances. Everything around him here was subpar and below my (modest) expectations
b) Crazy , stupid, love—
May have”picked up” later (as told by my accompaniments) but couldnt manage to stay with it after the intial proceedings.
Didnt find CArell and Gosling (yes, THE gosling–who is suddenly the walking talking “gold dust” !!!) anything special from the little i saw
c) Friends with benefits-Couldnt complete it due to paucity of time. But does what it says on the tin. Nothing great but the expected shenanigans and adolescent “concerns”…
And didnt find mila kunis SO good here-disappointed somewhat but may revisit in “totality” later
d) The ONLY film i could watch in totality
Larry Crowne
something to do with my liking for tom hanks. Infact can watch him doing trash. This is a bland conventional movie where there is nothing special but just enuf
But u dont call “superstars” that for nothing
and both hanks and roberts are genuine powerhouse superstars.
They pack in enuf to keep me interested inspite of them being underused here.
Check out the easy chemistry between the two or the closing “speech” by hanks or the strategic emoting by roberts.
It could have been much better given the talent @ disposal but still was likeable and had some moments
Still better than the other “films” i attempted to complete but failed
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December 12, 2011 at 3:05 PM
“I think all India distributor cost is 33 crores. So, it needs a domestic DS of 333 crores for distributors not to lose money.”—
haha
that reminds me of a certain “umbrella treatment” for gonorrhea used in the pre antibiotic therapy.
Due to the gory explicit details not divulging the details here to maintain the “sanctity” here(those interested my google it lol)
Think rajen uncle deserves it for these sorts of “cumments”
Joking
and hope he takes this in the right spirit
hohoho
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December 12, 2011 at 6:17 PM
Finally found this Players audio release function video clip. Until now it was music has no language barrier but now music release function also falls in that category!
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December 12, 2011 at 7:16 PM
I posted this earlier. But here’s the complete event as well:
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December 13, 2011 at 6:11 PM
I was quite upset when people attributed the success of Dostana to John Abraham and ignored my contribution to the film. Though people said Paa was a hit, they refused to praise me for having produced the film. People said Laaga Chunari Mein Daag flopped because of me even though I just had done a guest appearance in it.
http://blog.bigcinemas.com/2011/12/12/abhishek-bachchan-gathers-his-players/
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December 13, 2011 at 7:07 PM
wow, rather aggressive interview from him at many levels! Don’t agree with everything he’s saying though because on Dostana no critic gave John more than him. Sure there were the usual agenda-driven folks who said some of this stuff in the media and elsewhere but that happens. I think one should be more precise when responding to some of this stuff. But here’s another example:
“Did you try to develop a 6 pack abs to get into the skin of your role in Players?
I do not think that having a 6 pack abs is a sign of health. My father Mr Amitabh Bachchan never made his body because though he did not flaunt his 6 pack abs, he has the face pack which is the most important believe that God has given you fat for some reason. I am possibly more athletic than any other actor but I have not seen the need to show my body. It is important to look your part as an actor because 50% of your work is over if you look the part. If I get to play a boxer, I’d definitely prepare with my body. Your physicality is very important as an actor. Jai Dixit cannot look like Gurukant. Today the audience has become a bit more demanding and hence actors submit to their looks unlike earlier when they used to work in twenty films at the same time.”
Don’t agree with everything he’s saying but like his tone. This line really jumps out:
“I am possibly more athletic than any other actor but I have not seen the need to show my body.”
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December 13, 2011 at 7:17 PM
I hated him in this interview- he sounds so petulant and immature. And he sees no need to flaunt his body and believes that fat is god given but he has no qualms against using tons of scantily clad, perfectly toned women to promote Players.
So he will only develop a formidable physique if he has to play a boxer. So is Bipasha actually playing a swimsuit model and it is integral and vital to their masterpiece of a script that she spends large periods of time posing in bikinis? And I suppose the nude woman’s body in the posters is actually a metaphor for the naked ambition that makes these guys stage the heist.
Either you buy into the culture of objectification completely or not at all. You cannot decide that it is okay when it is convenient for you to act in movies that have a few ‘babes’ in bikinis or a Goan rave item song to sell your film because you yourself do not have much of a commercial draw but it’s not acceptable when you have to shed your laziness and work on your own body.
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December 13, 2011 at 7:30 PM
And what is even the point of bringing up Amitabh Bachchan in this context? Does he have to emphasise who his father is every second minute? What does that have to do with his body?
Amitabh Bachchan’s co-stars like Hema Malini and Rekha never had the perfect bikini body either. When you are acting in a film like Players or Game a certain physique is required. It is a modern Hollywood-type action thriller and no star in this sort of franchise is exempt from physical requirements. It’s no different from playing a boxer. Even Bond himself these days is objectified just as much as his Bond girls!
How stupid would it be if a Vidya Balan or a Sonakshi Sinha took up an Abbas-Mustan film and said- I am not playing a life guard why should I tone up? I am actually the most athletic actress- because I say so- but I will never use my athletic talent to make my role as an action star more believable.
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December 13, 2011 at 8:03 PM
Yes that’s one of the responses I found odd because his father’s age was a very different one. But also his father also argues against what he’s saying in some ways because in consumption-oriented ‘new India’ his father has done everything possible at his age to make himself the ultimate brand ambassador of this moment.
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December 13, 2011 at 7:36 PM
completely valid critique here.. but I think I find it useful within the more limited history of his media reception and how he has responded to the latter more often than not.
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December 13, 2011 at 8:02 PM
Will say though that there’s a distinction between associating with a genre that trades in such stuff and going the whole hog in terms of becoming that sort of body oneself. In other words presumably he wouldn’t have a problem if there weren’t bikini bodies and the like in Players.
I’d also say as a larger matter that I have never been too persuaded by the idea that because the genres come from Hollywood and actors there beef up a certain way for these (or any!) genres that this is then an absolute requirement. I certainly see the inner link between plastic bodies and a cinematic universe that trades in all kinds of plastic effects. But an interesting ‘aberration’ is created in such a world when there’s an actor who does not as it were follow the script. An actor should definitely look fit here but this is not the same as being a gym body.
Specific to Abhishek I’d add equally that even though from the naysayers to the fans many constantly wish for him to have a gym body I am not at all sure it works with his overall persona. I’d say the opposite, that if he did that sort of thing he’d appear ‘fake’ in a strange way. And this is borne out by his very successful phase in ’04 or specially ’05. He was lean at this point but not a gym body by any stretch. And he still did Dhoom, in fact this was his first hit.
What happens is that we gets stars who are like peas in a pod inasmuch as they trade in the ‘obvious’ (say Hrithik or John Abraham). they conform to global models of beauty in a very easy sense. Now obviously the actor who bucks the overall trend always pays a price but I think Abhishek’s unique genealogy allows him a way out, not to mention his own ‘serious’ choices at many points. In other words his signature allows him a singular opportunity to not be part of the general trend by anchoring himself more in the ‘history’. The Bachchan name then is a signifier of that which transcends particular fads and so on. Of course the films still have to be credible at the end of the day and the star has to be so as well. But this is very different again from the ‘beauty’ that is represented by most others.
By the way this also reminds me of a related point. A lot of people (again naysayers and fans) question him in terms of his stunts and his movement but the counter-argument here is that while he is definitely not as agile as some of his peers it is also the case that he is significantly taller than all of his peers. I cannot think of too many people even in Hollywood who seem that agile with his height if any. It makes a difference. Clint Eastwood who is of course closer to 6′ 4″ or 6’5″ always seemed ‘slower’ in the Dirty Harry stuff compared to the guy he was usually chasing. Now partly it was again a sense of personal rhythm but also that he just couldn’t move that fast. In basketball the quickest players are usually the point guards not the forwards because they are shorter! There are at least 3 inches between Abhishek and most of his even taller peers. Not saying of course that this stuff cannot be overcome but it’s a factor. And of course it is about a star’s rhythm. Bachchan was always very quick in terms of movement of any kind, Dharmendra never was but Bachchan still wasn’t doing these sorts of stunts.
Once more I understand the requirements of these genres. I am just arguing that it is entirely possible not to succumb to these demands entirely. Within reason of course.
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December 13, 2011 at 8:24 PM
By the way I’m not saying that Abhishek should develop a six-pack and go shirtless- I am saying that he should stay away from this mileau that demands 6-packs. I have said this earlier- I think he does not suit these kind of slick action roles at all.
Even if he cannot do a Delhi-6 every time- he can do other stuff that will suit him better. For instance- the Tamil film Ko is being remade in Hindi- it’s actually a pretty decent masala film and he would be perfect for it. I think he would also be good in Excel Entertainment type male-bonding comedies.
As much as you criticise John Abraham- he is a better fit for the Players terrain than Abhishek is.
And by the way- for mindless, trashy action flicks like this- a few new Kunal Kapoor/ Rana Daggubati types will not hurt at all. There is nothing wrong with men who meet the global standard of beauty. This industry already suffers from a great imbalance in terms of physical attractiveness of women Vs. Men onscreen. And in films like this- I would much rather see a John Abraham or Rana doing his shirtless act next to a Bipasha or a Deepika in a bikini than an Abhishek or a Ranbir or an Ajay or a Sanjay.
But yes- I do agree that a 6-pack would not go with Abhishek’s persona. I think he is very appealing the way that he is right now.
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December 13, 2011 at 8:35 PM
Agreed with you almost completely on all of this..
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December 13, 2011 at 9:07 PM
I certainly see your side of the story when it comes to John and the like.. and on that note I don’t really prefer gym bodies in women.. in general I dislike all models of beauty that work toward canceling out the particular and tend toward the generic.
Proust had this great line:
“Let us leave the obviously beautiful women to men with little imagination”
I would substitute ‘beautiful’ for ‘gym body’ today!
Today very few stars of either gender have real personalities that are not part of this generic tendency.
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December 13, 2011 at 9:48 PM
I don’t find John attractive at all- but then this genre doesn’t ask for much from it’s actors and it just seems more ‘equal’ to have an ensemble of male and female sex objects. I get fed up of seeing young super models with average-looking older guys all the time. I just want some balance. I would rather watch Aamir and Rani than John and Katrina any day- but I would take take John/ Katrina over Aamir/ Katrina- if you get what I mean
I don’t agree about grouping Hrithik in this category though. Going back to my Aishwarya/ Katrina comparison-I think that Hrithik is to men what Aishwarya is to women and John is to men what Katrina is to women.
And I love that Proust quote. 🙂
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December 14, 2011 at 7:07 AM
“I think that Hrithik is to men what Aishwarya is to women and John is to men what Katrina is to women.”
This is a fair way of putting it but note how ‘cinema’ introduces a ‘difference’ — No one has ever been as crazy about John as they are about Katrina. Actually even Aishwarya has never attracted this sort of craze. Her prestige has been different, she’s been one of the most important icons of ‘new India’ and the diaspora (one could expand on this a bit) but Katrina gets the blood racing for many (inexplicably for me!). Hrithik is not ‘metaphysically’ different from John. He’s just a vastly bigger star and someone who is considered much more ‘beautiful’ by many. However he doesn’t have a cultural archive associated with him like Aishwarya does (the one I just mentioned). and I get into these cultural archives because I think these matter for cinema.
On the genre requiring certain sorts of actors I’d agree but again note how even in Hollywood there aren’t that many blockbusters one can think of with the Hrithik kind of star at the center of it. The same is true in India. Because the star who can become simply a part of the proceedings in an obvious sense or be the better fit for that world also runs the danger of making the film vanish into superficial nothingness in the absence of another star or stars who can anchor the film in more substantial ways. Again there are many examples that confirm this in both industries. With D3 there’s actually something happening that’s relatively uncommon which is why it will be interesting to see how this works on screen — here you have two male stars who are not most natural for this terrain.
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December 14, 2011 at 8:30 AM
Interesting discussion here.
I do disagree with some of Ami’s points.
Instead of a glamor boy-glamor dolls combination, it is far more interesting to see a disparate pairing. I would find Rani-Hrithik apiring more fun than Aamir-Rani. There was a time when Rampal and Ash were considered the most beautiful couple in Bollywood and there was a film with that pairing that was just so pale.
Plus, Ami is IMO far too dismissive of this genre of films. I think in todays world women have moved beyind taking offense at their depiction as a sex object. They ( atleast quite a few) seem to thrive on it and capitalise on it. They are far more unhibited and unapologetic about it. Which I think is the right attiude. Human psyche is what it is. If females want to get even, may be they should use men as sex objects from time to time.Which, I suspect does happen but not so blatantly.
As far as Ash-Hrithik analogy goes, it applies to a point. Both are great physical specimens but I suspect Ash has more substance.
And, is a better performer off and on screen.
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December 14, 2011 at 8:40 AM
Think Ash became a better performer with age barring her early work with Rathnam (or perhaps one or two other exceptions). She has become a diva now and I don’t mean this negatively. She’s developed a star aura and has learnt to be an effective actor on screen accordingly. Not a pure actress by any means but who can be potent on screen harnessing the star in her. Hrithik I’d say hasn’t still learnt this aspect of things. He’s very earnest in this sense, whatever one might think of his skills otherwise. Ash has on the other hand definitely developed a mystique.
Would also agree that many women find it liberating to be able to indulge in sexuality without instantly being branded for it. Specially so in a world where men are increasingly objectified too. Whether this also entails better roles for women is probably questionable. Both in Hollywood and Bollywood.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:45 AM
That is an interesting take on height and movement. Abhi is indeed taller by 3″ than his peers but that can’t be a factor for slowness.
Average height of basketball player is 6 5″ and they are very agile. Most of the sportsmen/women are tall and it doesn’t take away their agility.
Clint Eastwood is just an isolated example and by the way he, Arnold, Amitabh, John Travolta, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Will Smith, Jim Carry, Gerard Butler, Thierry Daniel Henry all are 6′ 2″ and there is no issue (except Clint) with their agility.
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December 14, 2011 at 8:22 AM
Arnold wouldn’t be my example for quickness (if you’re referring to the actor), Travolta I don’t believe is as tall, Roddick is hardly the quickest mover on the court among his peers. Is Henry quicker than Messi? Now this might not seem like a fair comparison but Messi wouldn’t be Messi (in terms of speed) if he were 6″ or something. The same for Maradona. Already made the basketball point. They’re professional athletes and yet the point guards are almost always the quickest on the team because they are generally the shortest of the lot! Magic was unusual in that sense but even he couldn’t move with the pure speed of Iverson (who was unusual in the other direction)!
As I said it’s also about a star’s rhythm and so on but pound for pound it’s harder to be as quick with that much extra bone weight. Unless you are that much leaner to compensate for this to some degree. And even so how could one be leaner than the shorter guy who’s also lean? I personally don’t place any great ’emphasis’ on speed in this sense though of course some of these genres require it.
By the way the best example of everything I’m saying here is ballet which requires all kinds of speed variations, extraordinary agility, poise and balance, and so on. I don’t think there’s ever been an important ‘tall’ ballet dance. Most of the time they’re on the short side.
Of course there are always exceptions. Bachchan as I also said earlier was quicker than Dharmendra. Or Vinod Khanna for that matter. Dev anand was quicker in his 50s and 60s than Dilip Kumar was in his 30s! Of course he’d beat most stars in this sense.
There is also an aesthetic question with respect to cinema in terms of those genres. Again by and large relatively shorter bodies look better on screen than ‘longer’ ones doing the same sorts of things. All else being equal the shorter body is just more ‘compact’ for this sort of thing. With the longer body you’re more likely to get dangling arms or legs. Can you imagine Arnold jumping around like Tom Cruise in MI?!
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December 14, 2011 at 9:49 AM
Yes, when Ganesh Achrya, John Wayne (6′ 4″), Akshay (6′ 1″) and many others could then why not Arnold? And given the script and director Abhi can too. Now I never have(including in this) questioned Abhi’s so called lack of agility because simply it is not true. He can be given the right script and director’s demand. The only thing I question is generalization of relation between height and an agility.
Pound to pound heavy people are not supposed to move quickly or dance but look at almost all choreographers!
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December 14, 2011 at 11:05 AM
yes fair point on choreographers.. this has remained a mystery for me! Having said that a lot of them have the ‘moves’ and they can certainly ‘direct’ the stars.. whether they can then sustain a performance the way most ‘fit’ choreographers can remains questionable. But the pure ability is something one always retains and it never deserts one.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:15 AM
after the one Ted posted here’s another lengthy one from DNAIndia:
Abhishek Bachchan, up,close and personal!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 14:37 IST
Actor Abhishek Bachchan talks about life post fatherhood and discusses films on his visit to DNA.
All your co-stars think that you are great entertainment…
I like to believe that I am an actor, so I should be entertaining.
What’s with the two fingers bandaged?
This is called a buddy bandage. I fractured my ring finger and I tore a ligament. The fracture has healed, but the ligament has not. It’s a very common sport injury. You will see all the cricketers are all taped up like this.
You have been one of the biggest fans of (actor-singer) Dhanush’s Kolaveri Di. What do you think of (lyricist) Javed Akhtar’s comment about the song?
I don’t think he said it was not a great work, because it’s not Javed uncle’s language. Fair enough. I think at the end of the day he is an authority on lyrics. He is one of the best lyrics writer we ever had… so obviously he knows what he is talking about. I can’t refute what he said. But having said that, I think if you hear the song they say it from the start that it is a ‘flop song’ and I don’t think they were attempting to make poetry out of it. I think the idea was to be able to relate.
Is there a collaboration with Dhanush on the cards?
On the song? No not at all.
Is there any role that you want to do?
I am the worst person to ask this question. I will never manage to answer what’s my ‘dream role’.
Is there any kind of approach to acting you follow: spontaneous or method, or do you just go with the flow?
Can I give you a master class? I am not trying to be arrogant about this, but I think there is a huge misconception about acting. The debate between spontaneity and method. I studied the method in school okay, the basic funda of the method is basically somebody came to you and said that you are an actor, teach me acting. You can’t teach acting, it’s not something that is put into words. That’s basically my interpretation. Method acting is getting into the skin of the character… every individual actor has their own approach. Somebody believes in getting into the entire mindset of the character and living that character 24 hours a day, another actor might not be comfortable with that. They might understand the world from where the character comes and can complete fabricate it from the word go. So you know acting needs to look spontaneous, it should not look efforted, I believe. So it all depends on the style. Do you like theatrical style, which is fine, do you like more spontaneous casual style, that’s fine. But the method is basically the system that tells you how it’s done. I remember there was this great interview by Alec Guinness, who is one of my favourite actors, he did a great war film called The Bridge on the River Kwai. At the end, he shot one of his own by mistake and he goes out shaking in shock and fear like ‘what have I done by mistake’. So he was asked what were you thinking to evoke that emotion. So he said that in the morning, he had a really cold shower and he was freezing — and he thought about that! It can just be anything. Personally, the style I like is something that comes across as real. I work towards making it very casual and real. I tend to lean more towards that, than making it perfect. There is a way to say a dialogue, but I like it when I go against that. I think today’s generation will get that, but I don’t think the older generation will, because they have been brought up in a particular style. I remember when Brando (actor Marlon Brando) came out in A Street Car Named Desire. People were used to correct pronunciation, enunciation with Richard Burton with his wonderful performances and suddenly came this guy, terribly good looking, brilliant actor, but he mumbled.
Hindi cinema by nature is very dramatic, it’s melodramatic because that’s the kind of culture we are. We like things that are slightly over-the-top and I would like to do films where you can downplay that. I think it’s brilliant when in a year you have movies like Ready, Bodyguard, Singham, which are classic masala pot boiler Hindi films, at the same time there’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which was completely the opposite and tried to completely deconstruct what the audience has grown up to love and it works.
How good an actor do you consider yourself?
Five-and-a-half, six (on ten). Having said that I think I can improve my language a lot more.
After doing movies like Raavan and Guru where you really need to work on the character, is it more comfortable playing characters like those in Players?
No not at all. Even if you’re are sitting and chatting,you are still thinking about the scene. That subconsciously still goes on in everything that you do.
I have done a lot of intense work over the last few years. 2008 was the last when I did a comedy film. Delhi 6 was intense, then Paa which was a very disturbing film for me to do. Then Raavan and Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, Dum Maaro Dum. They all are intense pieces. Now, I just wanted to have fun. Players wasn’t an intense film, it was out there commercial, but that doesn’t mean I worked less… it’s a different mind frame. Then we will do Bol Bachchan which is an out-and-out comedy. It’s actually the toughest of the lot, it exhausts you.
Do you have any plans for Hollywood?
No. I think if you want to go, you have to be pro-active about it and nothing is wrong in that. But as of now I am very happy with my work and very busy. There have been many scripts in the past, but for some reason or the other I have not been able to do them. If there is a script I enjoy then why not. It’s a different language that’s it… it’s like doing a Tamil film or a Bengali film.
Hrithik (actor Hrithik Roshan) is now doing a remake of your father’s film Agneepath…
I would like to see what they have done with the film. It’s one of my favourite films. I think it is one of the most iconic films made in the last 20 years. It’s definitely a film which is alive in everyone’s memory, so it will be interesting to see what they have done with it.
Did that role come to you?
No.
But would you have liked to play the role if it had?
No.
If you had to do any remake of your father’s films, which one would you choose?
I will do a remake if I have something to add to that. He has done everything with it, I can’t come up with any newer way of presenting that.
Can that be sometimes limiting, because you are conscious that you are his son?
No, absolutely not! That has nothing to do with that. There is not one film that I haven’t enacted of his in my childhood (laughs), that’s the effect he had on you as an actor. I never thought about remaking it.
There are rumours about Chupke Chupke remake with you and (actor) Bobby Deol…
No, that’s not true.
Do you plan to direct a film or produce?
I have produced two films. We produced a Marathi film Vihir, last year and now we are in the process of making a Gujarati film. That’s something my mother handles. We produced television shows as well, long time ago under a different banner then.
Direction is something I am not qualified for; there is a technical aspect to it which I have to learn. I don’t think it’s correct to say never, but I don’t see it in the near future.
What about television?
We were very keen on Bingo Season 2, but I just haven’t take time off for it. I have been busy with my back-to-back films. I don’t have time to do it, but I would love to do television again.
Would you like to host Kaun Banega Crorepati?
No, I was asked to do KBC in 2000 actually. They were doing a Junior KBC for kids, they wanted me to do it, but I wasn’t prepared for it. I don’t think I will do justice to it. I think dad is the best at it, so let him do it.
Are you superstitious?
No, touchwood! (Laughs). It’s like saying, ‘Thank God, I’m not an aetheist’! I don’t get into astrology, superstition and all, because I don’t understand it.
How was it like doing the car chase sequences in Players?
I was shooting Dhoom and Amin was the action director. We wanted to do something with cars and were discussing The Italian Job. It was one of the coolest film to watch when I was growing up. Michael Caine was just like a king in that film. So we thought that in India if we do the film instead of the minis, we can do it with rickshaws. It was great. I always wanted to do a film which had a lot of car work in it.
Is it the official remake of The Italian Job?
Yes, we bought the rights of the film.
As a producer is there any film that you want to acquire the rights off?
No, we are not really looking into that right now. We are focused on a new film thats coming next year end with me and dad in it and is directed by a new director called Amit Sharma, so we are in that space now.
Do you plan to sing in any upcoming film?
I sang in Players, unfortunately I don’t like the way I sound. Rapping, I am okay with, I am not comfortable with singing. Athough when I was a kid I was in the choir. I was a choir boy for seven years in boarding school.
How was it working with Sonam in Players?
Sonam in Players was different. We have worked together in Delhi 6, which was a completely different film. So to see Sonam in this glam avatar… she is very, very sweet… I like working with her, she is full entertainment.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:20 AM
Ha, like his Agneepath response! He seems to be mentioning a new film here. Vaguely recall hearing something about this before.
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December 14, 2011 at 8:52 AM
I think at present we have seen enough of Abhishek to know for sure that the only thing that limits him is his talent (lack of). The jury on this issue is out and hence for anyone to ask him that whether being Amitabh’s son limits him is just plain ignorant. All actors/performers/etc are limited by their own ability and their own motivation. No one makes or breaks them, they make or break themselves.
If at all Abishek has been helped by being Amitabh’s son and Ashwariya’s husband. I don’t think with his looks and talent he would have got an enterance into Bollywood (had he not been born into Bollywood) leave alone sated this long. It is time that people stop blaming others and take responsibility.
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December 14, 2011 at 8:55 AM
Why am I not surprised to hear you say this after the previous comment on Bachchan Sr?!
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December 14, 2011 at 9:04 AM
You are just being motherly towards Abhishek. Let’s the fact speak for themselves.
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December 14, 2011 at 9:06 AM
Satyam
Somehow you ake it seem that if people don’t see talent in Abhishek then there is some problem with their eyes. Well, the whole world surely is not blind.
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December 14, 2011 at 9:17 AM
Ding,ding,ding.
Troll alert!
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December 14, 2011 at 9:25 AM
yes Mani Rathnam definitely isn’t. Do you want me to extend the list?
Anyway this isn’t going anywhere. Don’t want to clog the forum with this stuff.
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December 14, 2011 at 6:32 PM
Satyam
I don’t want this debate any more than you. But it is hard to stand in the face of obvious deception.
Mani Ratnam has moved on. Therefore please strike that name off your list (if such list exists). In fac the jury is out whether he really wanted Abhishek at all in the frost place. Some suggest that he was forced at accept Abhishek in order to get Ashwariya. Now if Ashwariya was not in the two Mani films which had Jr in a prominent role we could dismiss such speculation, unfortunately the facts don’t line up to grease your narration.
If I were you, the mere fact that someone doubted the existence of a list I referred to would compel me to produce the list. Hence let’s see that list, show me the list (if it exists).
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December 14, 2011 at 7:21 PM
don’t see a point in extending this..
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December 14, 2011 at 8:33 AM
Certainly,Interesting discussion here.
I do disagree with some of Ami’s points.
Instead of a glamor boy-glamor dolls combination, it is far more interesting to see a disparate pairing. I would find Rani-Hrithik apiring more fun than Aamir-Rani. There was a time when Rampal and Ash were considered the most beautiful couple in Bollywood and there was a film with that pairing that was just so pale.
Plus, Ami is IMO far too dismissive of this genre of films. I think in todays world women have moved beyind taking offense at their depiction as a sex object. They ( atleast quite a few) seem to thrive on it and capitalise on it. They are far more unhibited and unapologetic about it. Which I think is the right attiude. Human psyche is what it is. If females want to get even, may be they should use men as sex objects from time to time.Which, I suspect does happen but not so blatantly.
As far as Ash-Hrithik analogy goes, it applies to a point. Both are great physical specimens but I suspect Ash has more substance.
And, is a better performer off and on screen.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:21 PM
Rajen I find the justification that women thrive on being sex objects to be quite astounding. Apart from one or two Katrina’s and Malaikas who make tons of money this way- no women benefits from this trend. If a woman’s abs are over-shadowing her actual character and story arc and the implication is that her body is more important that her achievements or her personality- I fail to see how women can benefit from this.
Can you please give me an example of a culture where the average woman is ‘thriving’ on being reduced From a human being to an object of male fantasy. And women and woman’s media in all parts of the world still object and take offence to such a degrading portrayal of women. If you read media that is actually concerned with the positive portrayal of women- you will realise how harmful the depiction of women primarily as sex objects is.
And there is a vast difference between a woman being sexually liberated and being sexually objectified- infect they are quite the opposite- so I really do not see your point.
And I have already said that I do not have a problem when the objectification of both men and women is equal- because the implications of such an exercise where both men and women have well-defined characters and happen to be sexually objectified is very different from the approach where men only have strong roles but women are only shown as item girls and sexy love interests.
And if you look at media other than Indian- you will see that the recent trend in Hollywood and American TV, for example- is to objectify men as blatantly as women- so I do not agree with your point that men cannot be objectified as blatantly either.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:37 PM
Just to give you an example – if you ever watch Comedy Circus, one after another female anchors take pride in how short their skirt is and how much of their legs are showing.And, they are brazen about it.
I dont have a problem with that. As long as someone is doing it wilfully, it is their life. I wont pass judgement.
I didnt say men cannot be onjectified blatantly. I just said it is not happening that blatantly in India and Bollywood.
Even on facebook, this trend is more apparent where Indian women are posting more and more revealing pics and their comments about the male counterparts are equally brazen.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:43 PM
Rajen – women in showbiz benefitting from the objectification doesn’t count- they benefit on an obvious superficial level such as salary and career advancement- but the implications that this constant one-way objectification has for the average woman viewing these shows and movies are not so positive.
As for women becoming more open in their photos and comments on FB- that is very different from a producer telling a woman she has to wear a bikini or maintain a certain BMI if she wants to be in the movies and then using her body to sell his movie at the cost of her character development.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:47 PM
Ami,
I do agree with a lot of what you say. My point is the Indian woman HAS changed, in so far as we can regard them as a single entity.
Even in Bollywood.Vidya’s role in TDP is a case in the point.The fact that she had the guts to accept a role of this kind shows that women are more comfortable in their sewxuality compared to the years gone by.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:58 PM
Think Rajen uncle has a point here (for a change)
Many women (including indian) are more assertive of their sexuality and “choices”
ANd yes: they know how to use their good looks or any other “asset” they may have unashamedly
This is not being said in a derogatory manner and repeat that this does NOT include every female (before we get killed in a feministic movement lol)
and most (including me and rajen uncle) have experience of that
”
hahaha
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December 14, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Ami, I’d agree with Rajen.. I think on and off screen (the two are not divorced) a certain brand of feminism does insist on a certain representation of sexuality or the freedom to indulge in such, sometimes even militantly, and the ‘objectification’ that then results from it is often seen as unfortunate ‘byproduct’ of this opportunity. Now of course later waves of feminism have questioned this structure and speaking for myself I find the whole issue complicated for different reasons. But this is out there. It’s reflected in popular culture on and off screen. Now the latest wave of feminism finds the global consumption economy to be a ‘good’ in this sense. Because they feel that if everything is objectified women are no longer objects in a special sense. So once upon a time you had women doing the titillating dance or getting wet under a waterfall whereas the man was always soberly dressed and so on. Today Salman and Hrithik drop their shirts, they’re wax-chested, Ranbir shows his behind, one is afraid for what John will drop sooner or later (though I guess women have a different view on this!), etc etc. So men are part of the same game. It’s still not a level playing field but in this structure men have become like women. So you have the male bimbo as well! A guy who’s on screen simply to be ogled at! Many women find this structure liberating. But even in the older model there was a sense that a woman allowed to wallow in her sexuality and ‘sell it’ if you will, and even at the risk of getting objectified, was better than not being allowed to do so at all.
Related to this is a certain debate on porn. The tradition view — women are just degraded in porn and used as ultimate objects, made subservient to men. The post-modern view: men are sexual toys for the ‘infinite’ desire of women in these films. They simply ‘service’ women. And so you have ‘drone’ gang-bangs and so on.
With Alex around I’m sure I’ll regret introducing that last bit!
Should say that I have never seen a more problematic representation of women than in Japanese cinema, generally speaking. Here sexuality is often twinned with manhandling the woman. They’re very often misogynistic.
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December 14, 2011 at 4:01 PM
Satyam I’m not disagreeing with what you are saying. But I think that there are four broad combinations of sexual objectification/ sexual empowerment possible:
The first is when a woman’s sex appeal is perceived as being harmful to her and something that makes women’s life miserable. Like the Anees Bazmee films where wives are always in a state of tension and misery because their husbands are cheating on them with other, sexier women- where all women automatically become enemies. Or the films where a woman’s sexuality becomes a social liability- like all the masala films where the villains take revenge by raping the hero’s sister or even something like Endhiran where Aishwayra’s character is under constant threat of rape.
The second is where a woman is sexually objectified by the male gaze but she is not allowed to take possession of her own sexuality. Like in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan where Katrina has a sexy song every five minutes but plays this innocent, ditzy character who has not ‘crossed the line’.
The third is where a woman is sexually objectified by the male gaze- but she is also allowed to step outside of the male gaze and question it and sexually empower herself. Like in The Dirty Picture or Dev.D
And the fourth is when a woman is allowed to be sexually liberated without being sexually objectified – like in Ishqiya or Luck By Chance.
I have no problem with the third and fourth case- but the first two really bother me- and unfortunately these two are the most prevalent depiction of women in Hindi movies.
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December 14, 2011 at 5:00 PM
That’s a great comment Ami but don’t you think some of the dividing lines are blurred here? 2 and 3 for example? In one the woman is prevented from ‘accepting’ the definition of ‘sexuality’ imposed on her by the male gaze, in the other she does. But whether it’s MBKD or TDP the terms on which this comes about are male terms. Some empowerment definitely going from 2 to 3 but not one which causes a structural shift. 4 is the more dramatic one here. Not sure about LBC but certainly in Ishqiya the reconfiguration of sexual relations comes about almost surreptitiously within the guise of somewhat traditional arrangements. In time the male becomes the ‘object’. 1 is I think less problematic than 2 in some ways. yes the space of the woman is more circumscribed (referring to masala here more than Bazmee efforts.. your comment is perhaps a better fit for the latter) and yes ‘dishonor’ is the ultimate sin in this world. The woman’s sexuality is heavily regulated by the men in her life. However the stakes are out in the open here. Whereas with 2 you almost have the same universe except that there is a superficial pretense of freedom. Or even 3. I could summarize TDP this way — this just confirms that women are always ‘whores’ when they indulge in their sexuality (note how in the traditional paradigm the ‘whore’ is not just a literal one but also one who asserts her sexuality or seems to enjoy ‘it’ too much.. the ‘whore’ then sells her body but also seems to enjoy sex..) though some ‘whores’ are nice people too’! Masala cinema is in some ways truer to its social matrix (for example why is rape an act of ‘dishonor’ at all? Why isn’t simply an act of great violence with no other meaning attached to it? Because of course societies in most of human history have understood women this way. The ‘sexuality’ of a woman becomes the key to her ‘soul’ or whatever ‘mystery’ one creates around the female and this then becomes quite logically linked with all sorts of shame and honor notions) whereas with those more recent examples ‘we’ the audience pretend to be liberated when figures modeled on Silk Smitha engage in their sexuality while secretly we maintain our Joharesque fantasies of bourgeois domesticity.
There’s also a larger problem linked to this entire question of women vis-a-vis sexuality. It’s a certain post-Freudian view of the world emanating from the West where the essence of the human is most conclusively located in the realm of sexuality. And hence woman becomes primarily the sexually-oppressed being. So on and so forth. This is not to deny that the question of sexuality is a crucial one but is it the most definitional one? In masala cinema the woman is often more strongly represented even within this sexually limiting paradigm than most are today with supposedly far more emancipation at their disposal.
And all of this could be translated into Hollywood terms also. There are those who rue the fact that women had much stronger characters in the 30s and 40s compared to the more conservative cinema that followed in the post-War period. Or later still women were stripped at the drop of a hat in the name of more realistic or ‘frank’ cinema while men were not subjected to the same standards. Even today there’s still a huge imbalance by and large in American cinema though there are increasingly exceptions to this. Check out a recent film called Now and Later. Near-pornographic in some ways but it makes a point by the end. In any case the point I’m trying to make here is that a culture that circumscribes the sexuality of women more rigorously is not necessarily the most oppressive one in an overall sense for the same women. And also within such cultures that police things more sometimes greater subversion is possible. Or even greater latitude allowed within the bounds of the ‘authorized’. Whereas in some of the more ‘liberated’ paradigms it is easy to simply ‘objectify’ in the name of emancipation without necessarily changing anything in a structural sense. Which gets back to the original debate and many people feeling that if there is universal objectification women are least advantaged irrespective of how the social fold perceives these things.
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December 14, 2011 at 4:13 PM
Even the second type- films like Mere Brother- can be enjoyed despite my not agreeing with the way women are portrayed.
But the first case- I find to be repugnant and misogynistic and I just cannot enjoy a film that has those elements.
And I don’t think that certain cases can be thought of as empowering even if they display and aggressive sexuality – Chikni Chameli for instance is such an obvious construct of male fantasy that it will be impossible for a woman to relate to and be empowered by it (and Chameli is not a ‘her’- Chameli is an ‘it).
Even Katrina’s character in Zindagi Na Milegi- as superficial as she was- can be seen as an empowering kind of objectification in the scene where she bikes out to kiss Hrtihik while wearing a corset.
But item girls are simply objects and every single effort is made to relieve them of any humanity and simply make them an object of fantasy- right from the fact that they do not have any role outside of their dance. Again- there is nothing wrong with this sort of gratuitousness as long as it is reciprocated by objectifying the men as well- but there is no empowerment to be gained from this sort of objectification.
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December 14, 2011 at 5:06 PM
I agree here upto a point. Chikni Chameli I think is an example of how the present is more problematic than say something like masala cinema or even the cinema of the 50s or 60s where you often had ‘vamps’ with a heart of gold and a certain ‘agency’ or else you had lead actresses who sometimes crossed over into this space and would therefore never simply be taken as ‘vamps’ or finally you had those who had a legendary screen history playing such. So for example Helen who was singular because she was Helen. She wasn’t just anyone and therefore couldn’t quite be as easily reduced. But beyond this these characters were better entrenched in the worlds of those films. The problem with Chikni Chameli I think is less the male fantasy aspect of it and more the fact that this kind of song in that sort of film (designer Agneepath by way of Johar) doesn’t seem ‘true’ at all. In fact (and keeping with my understanding of what makes Kaif so popular) I think there is even a play-acting element here that is consonant with the conservatism of audiences who prefer a diffident Katrina to a more ‘aggressive’ Priyanka or Kareena. In yesteryear cinema the latter two would have made for better item girls but today it’s the opposite. The audience engages in this fantasy with Katrina all the while secretly confident that she is otherwise completely ‘other’ to this ‘role’ (at least in terms of how they perceive her) whereas with Priyanka it might seem too ‘genuine’ (note how Johar has actually made her a prostitute in the film!).
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December 14, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Well, have joined this “debate” a bit late
Talking of “height” or lack thereof—have a certain irritation or displeasure seeing stunted (height wise) lead people onscreen.
There is a whole generation of heroines who lost out / benefitted recently just because they had to paired opposite the “stunted” khans who finished soon after they started
“lost out/Benefiited” depending on whether one was a rani mukherjee or a sushmita sen…
And now the latest choco-puppies like imran and ranbir have joined the fray making it difficult for the heroines with “good/normal” height.
As for “running”—personally do have an interest in how a hero “runs”
IN bollywood–like Amitabh, Sanjay Dutt, even hritik, salman is not bad amongst the khans
Dont have as much a problem with short people in real life as such(though do have some). Its just that cinema is a visual media and good looks/ proprotions DO matter ultimately (& height to me forms a part of it)
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December 14, 2011 at 10:13 AM
“karankumar”–u do have some valid points and I can see from where u are coming from (literally)
esp with respect to abhishrek
BUt comparing amitabh to shekhar suman and anupam kher is not something even u would wish to be associated with (when sober)
Also, dont have a problem with your views since beleive everyone is entitled to them and even express them within civility which u have done
But what has caught my eye is your familiar language and style of writing/thoughts–though i maybe wrong.
Not only directed to you—
Would implore u (and some others here) to come back to their real names and learn to “face the music” of their own past comments
None of us here are “scary” (and definitely not the “gentleman” satyam)
Sometimes we may get a bit targetted (like yours truly) and even vindictive but all thats just part of the blogging “learning curve & “complete experience”—as anything else. By hiding behind “false ids” and “attacking” and then “hiding way” is not exactly a good practice–dont even need to say that it is cowardly and not a desirable thing for ones personality.
I mean, on an anonymous site with pseudo names, even then, if certain follks need to “hide” behind false names no 1 or 2 or 3—what does it say about that personality
Im sure all those indulging in this here (or elsewhere) secretly agree to this
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December 14, 2011 at 6:39 PM
Alex
You have a better chance of being accepted as a intellectual and or physical giant if you did address the issues rather than distort the debate by calling people drunk etc.
How does it matter who I am or not ?
How does my agenda also matter ?
Either I have a point or I don’t have a point. It is upto you to address the content of this matter or run away. But if you do choose to run away then don’t suffer from delusions of being some giant that people are afraid of. Giants face problems head on, without resorting to name calling.
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December 14, 2011 at 2:05 PM
“Dont have as much a problem with short people in real life as such(though do have some)”
Wow you are one superficial SOB. Al Pacino, Charlie Chaplin, Dustin Hoffman – I guess all these guys should not have been actors.
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December 14, 2011 at 3:29 PM
LOL, missed that comment from ALex!
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December 14, 2011 at 2:23 PM
Henry—
This was meant in a particular context in the discussion.
Whilst this was part of ones preference (in cinema) about “lead actors/actresses” in formulaic bollywood, the examples u give are obviously from a different school/ industry
Btw the abbreviation “SOB” that u have used seems a “personal” one!!!
Firstly before I even begin to respond further to u, can u just expand this acronym and then I shall discuss “superficial” or “deep” mate
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December 14, 2011 at 2:41 PM
Henry–if u have the penchant to “play” then atleast stand your ground lol
Dont be such a cowardly piece of work—I dont allow “gutter” stuff like this bother me so easily
Dont wanna stoop to this level and start using my repertoire of abbreviations just for a bollywood discussion (if i can help)….
So cmon lets hear u out (first)
Dont worry—will be gentle and smooth; henry
haha
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December 14, 2011 at 3:07 PM
And finally Henry—if u cant “stand ground” or “reason out” or even “run away”
can suggest another honorable option-
apologise
next time–think b4 u type
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December 14, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Why would I run away from you? I don’t spend all my time on this site and have some things other to do as well.
[edited]
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December 14, 2011 at 3:48 PM
So finally u have totally lost it
its a pity really henry
I just want the moderator satyams “clearance” before I reveal my really unpleasant side
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December 14, 2011 at 3:52 PM
“Dont have as much a problem with short people in real life as such(though do have some)”
This is an offensive statement. If I replaced short people with black people or albino people, it would be plain racist.
But I don’t want to explain to an idiot.
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December 14, 2011 at 4:03 PM
I didn’t talk about your family – anyway that’s just a difference in class.
Write whatever you want. That’s my last word on this.
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December 14, 2011 at 4:24 PM
Actually satyam indulge in this v rarely
and to be fair, if u scroll up: gave this poor fella enuf chances
Even he had “shortness” issues he could have debated
but the persistent “gutter language” deserved a similar response and one which I havent really enjoyed giving
and if this guy does it again he will get a worse response
[edited]
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December 14, 2011 at 4:36 PM
Next time be even more magnanimous and move on to something else!
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December 14, 2011 at 4:34 PM
Ok guys take it easy, I’ve removed most of the comments and edited a couple.
Alex, I think your original comment about short people is something that many would find problematic. Henry shouldn’t have used the ‘SOB’ though I think it was casually intended, which is why I laughed too.
Henry didn’t need to lose it altogether either though I think that your needling got under his skin. Best to respond in that fashion to people who are not already offended with something you’ve said! I mean some of the innuendo. Which in turn invited that kind of response from Henry (have known him for a very long time, have never seen him respond this way). In any case things degenerated totally beyond this.
but hope this settles it.
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December 14, 2011 at 4:40 PM
Thanx satyam
but this henry guy needs to gather himself and anal-yse his comments starting from”SOB” itself
even then i gave him the benefit of doubt
and gave him an easy “face saving” way out
BUt man–once he passed the “threshold” he asked for it
Am genuinely curious about how and why the “short” comment took him apart like this
cmon henry—if u do have “size/length” issues, I will understand
BUt u do have to communicate normally
instead of SOB-ing others
The “other” happened to be someone who can give more back\
and frankly –havent yet started
Its just the respect n regard for satyam and his blog that has made me “hold back” somewhat
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December 14, 2011 at 4:50 PM
Oh, he didn’t get under my skin but I certainly did, given the number of insulting responses, some of which I must admit are quite imaginative. I got a good chuckle out of the couple that I did read.
There are a lot of offensive comments on blogs these days that are taken casually. From this blog, I just expected higher standards.
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December 14, 2011 at 5:11 PM
I was referring to your SOB comment when I said I took it casually..
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December 14, 2011 at 5:00 PM
I wasn’t gonna respond to you but I’ll tell you something. I can give you my personal email address and you can just knock yourself out. No need to hold back. And when you get tired, you can go get a life. How simple?
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December 14, 2011 at 5:13 PM
Hoho–really enjoyed this
A welcome change from the chikni chameli
thanks for “offering” yourself and your email
[edited]
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December 14, 2011 at 5:17 PM
c’mon Alex let it go..
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December 14, 2011 at 5:41 PM
That’s ok satyam
Actually really enjoyed it —-though sure Henry didn’t
Hope u left the better bits of those posts so Henry didn’t forget the “flavour”
Think that “spanking Henry” link was really good n original
No worries
Anyhow Need to catch up on some “real” work
Feel rejuvenated lol
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December 14, 2011 at 7:07 PM
Your original comment was offensive and I called you out on that in harsh language because thats what you deserved.
You have this delusion that only you can come up with such obscene insults. Let me tell you its not a great achievement. Do you think i care what an indidual like you have to say on some blog on the net? You are meaningless but I have no interest in spending any time on a blog that has members like you. That’s my final word.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:24 PM
Let’s make this the final word for everyone! All sides!
I hope you have some interest left in the rest of us!
I am trying to delete unnecessary comments as fast as I see them! Most people here are not members incidentally.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Sorry abt the Typos, still gettin used to ipad keyboard.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:26 PM
Satyam, no need to worry. I won’t be coming to this blog anymore.
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December 14, 2011 at 7:34 PM
sorry to hear you feel this way.. the loss will be ours..
Let’s make a deal. You can return if Players does a 100 crores! That should be a safe bet for you!
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December 14, 2011 at 7:43 PM
On that note it was unfortunate to lose Oldgold as well. She did return briefly with Dev anand’s death. I hope we won’t have to wait for someone else to pass away!
Don’t think these things are that serious to get so upset about. I myself have done this a couple of times in the past but in somewhat different circumstances. And even then it was probably pointless.
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December 14, 2011 at 9:19 PM
sooo you don’t want him to return or what?? lol players ain’t doing a 100crs…
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December 14, 2011 at 8:51 PM
Henry,
I hope you will reconsider. You are one of the most sensible posters here with a somewhat unique and interesting perspective.
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December 14, 2011 at 9:12 PM
True that. Enjoy Henry’s comments. usually makes most sense to me…along with Jayshah.
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December 17, 2011 at 12:36 AM
WTF?! Henry what are you saying — I haven’t read most of the comments on this thread, but I do hope you re-consider. I’ve known you for years from NG days, and you’ve always been among the commenters I’ve respected the most…would hate for you to leave…
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December 14, 2011 at 7:40 PM
I’ll say this as a general matter. Even when there are arguments and things go over the line a bit one shouldn’t drop all sense of civility and decorum and resort to either very abusive stuff or extreme sexual innuendo. It’s also best to avoid all personal references.
All of this is a rare occurrence over year but nonetheless it’s unfortunate when it happens. Hope there isn’t a repeat.
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December 14, 2011 at 9:17 PM
its surprising to see two of the coolest heads on this blog to ‘lose’ it. once again it’s just a blog and things shouldn’t ever be taken seriously or personally. i usually ignore comments that piss me off. lol.
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December 15, 2011 at 12:04 AM
Also for any “short” people length/height wise —plz don’t get offended.
And Henry–there IS life beyond
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December 15, 2011 at 12:15 AM
“On that note it was unfortunate to lose Oldgold as well. She did return briefly with Dev anand’s death. I hope we won’t have to wait for someone else to pass away!”—hahaha–well said
Let me now formally “welcome” old gold back.
Unlike Henry, she had not indulged in any such swear words and infact was a very sensible blogger (apart from her SRK obsession)
Anyhow don2 is round the corner–so it may be in the fairness of things to unveil her back with don2-bravo
Think the way satyam has handled certain things has been really good. Though that he had retained a few of those posts of mine in that mood just because—
A) for deterrence value for Henry against any further SOB misadventures
B) entertainment value of others
C) educational value ESP the links about the genesis of “eunuchs” and ” the spankfest” etc etc
Even Henry has admitted that he found them “innovative” –thanx Henry—Do let me know from time to time if u need more such “innovations”
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December 15, 2011 at 1:00 AM
Thanks Rajen, I respect you which is why i am replying. I am not a stubborn person and would have no problem coming back but there is an excuse of a human being on this blog who still hasn’t stopped with his disgusting comments. I didnt really have a problem with the statement that he does not find short people attractive but he also casually mentioned he does have some problem with them even in real life. That is an incredibly general and offensive statement against real human beings. He thought I took it personally, most definitely not. I would have been equally enraged if such a statement was made against any race, demographic or any section of society but then that is not something a bigot would understand.
Also I could easily come up with more obscene and innovative insults but what’s the point? I used 2 swear words and stopped. Since then he has used a thousand, and crossed all boundaries of decency. Meanwhile the moderator has just told him to let it go. He has even insulted eunuchs in order to get to me and thinks its really clever. I have not come across an individual of such low class in my entire life and i am saddened by the fact that he is part of this otherwise respectable blog.
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December 15, 2011 at 1:11 AM
Henry every single comment that I found beyond the pale has been deleted and I shall keep doing so..
Alex, don’t engage with Henry at all.. humor or otherwise.. Henry is willing to do this on his part so no need to constantly mention him in your comments.
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December 15, 2011 at 1:09 AM
You actually went on youtube and made the effort to find that. See thats what i mean – you need to get a life.
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December 15, 2011 at 1:10 AM
When people don’t get along and they are mature; they typically ignore each other!
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December 15, 2011 at 1:15 AM
” I used 2 swear words and stopped”—haha
U missed the crucial bit Henry —
Those 2 swear words were used in the beginning by u without provocation and after that too, u were given 3 chances to change your stance
I learnt that certain “short” people can get undue sensitive and will bear that in mind
But the bottomline is whether u have got the right learning or not
[edited]
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December 15, 2011 at 1:33 AM
Think Henry has got more than his due now. Now time to turn our attentions back to ms kaif and the chikni chameli
C’mon uncles and studs and “small men” and kids
Let’s join together to celebrate these killer pelvic thrusts and “supreme fitness”of kaif ( to keep it civil)
Let’s forget the “degrading element” for a while
Gals can stay out
Yay –enjoy Bacardi
Cheers to kaif (&henry–man it was enjoyable)
Haha
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December 15, 2011 at 1:47 AM
About old gold —let me help
There are certain “theories” and “rumours” as to why she reacted like that suddenly
Has it got to do with …..
Ok will reveal all those only if she doesn’t come back herself to clarify
Anyhow old gold u will be pleased to know that finally revisited Kate winslets “Jude” as per your repeated insistence
Though was surprised to see so much of frontal nudity—now folks:don’t hit the YouTube altogether….
So now I see….Hmmm
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December 19, 2011 at 1:25 PM
after wining, dining (and women -joking)–am in a good mood.
just a brief note-Noticed that there were certain typos which could have easily been amicably discussed/clarified
Have NO issues with “short people” (esp short cute lovely girls)
But the way a certain “henry” went about his “smart business” was unfortunate and hence his fate was destined
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December 15, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Pradip, in light of the earlier discussion check this out:
http://www.wphna.org/2011_mar_wn3_comm_small.htm
“In contrast with the advantages of taller people, shorter people are stronger on a weight for weight basis. Shorter people can lift their bodies more easily than taller people of the same body proportions. Other advantages include quicker reaction times, faster acceleration, and greater endurance (19).
Shorter people can rotate faster and are more agile than taller people. “
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December 15, 2011 at 12:56 PM
Satyam, I am yet to finish and most certainly reread this very fascinating and informative article but whatever I’ve read so far is mind boggling and an educative.
Glad to enter in this debate and feel like a winner even after giving up strong belief/ideas.
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December 16, 2011 at 8:39 PM
Neil – the new Baazigar?
Abbas-Mustan’s reportedly remaking the ‘93 hit with the actor
Subhash K Jha
Posted On Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 02:03:50 AM
Neil Nitin Mukesh, who has forever been in the waiting for a big hit might just get his wish fulfilled in the coming year. Mumbai Mirror has learnt that the actor, who has been signed by Abbas-Mustan for a three-film deal, is being considered by the filmmaker duo to recreate the Shah Rukh Khan magic in their remake of the 1993 blockbuster Baazigar.
A friend of the actor revealed, “Abbas-Mustan, after seeing Neil’s bad boy act in the rushes of their forthcoming film have decided to cast him in their remake of Baazigar.” In fact, Neil and the directors have also worked out the details of how to shape the characters in the new Baazigar, added the friend.
However, Neil’s road to success seems to have a minor bump – Shah Rukh Khan. According to a source close to the project, the team is a little sceptical about Khan’s approval of Neil playing the character that defined SRK as the new anti-hero. Though Abbas (of Abbas-Mustan) confirmed that they have indeed signed Neil for three films, he denied Baazigar remake being one of them. However, when contacted Neil neither agreed to or denied the news and simply said, “It is true I’ve been signed by Abbas-Mustan. I hope it’s for Baazigar.”
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December 18, 2011 at 2:16 AM
The song “jhoom” has a groovy bit and not bad
Can’t help moving to it
And what’s this “ladki naadaan” –haha
Sonam kapoor is hilarious in that
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December 19, 2011 at 4:03 AM
Yo—-Finally have hit the capital of the democratic republic of india with mixed feelings (& slight moistness in eyes)
absorbin the sights n sounds
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December 19, 2011 at 6:42 AM
Is this your first visit to Delhi?
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December 19, 2011 at 12:38 PM
Nope-have a certain “connection”
Havent been for a long while–one can feel the “positive hunger” & “energy” in people
nice gr8 fun–lovely food, nice chicks
life-threatening driving lol
ps–btw its so amusing how many naughty things can be going on here under an “innocent” exterior–hoho
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December 20, 2011 at 8:19 AM
abhishek interview 1:
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December 20, 2011 at 8:24 AM
says a great deal on Aamir.. also says Bipasha, Bobby, Omi have characters not present in the original Italian Job.
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December 20, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Gold carpet for ‘Players’ in Dubai
Organisers of the world premiere of Abhishek Bachchan-starrer film ‘Players’ here plan to unroll a gold carpet instead of the regular red one in sync with the movie’s theme.
The January 4 event will have Abhishek, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Neil Nitin Mukesh jet into Dubai for the world premiere of the movie. (Bollywood Hungama)
Seasons Shopping
Organisers of the world premiere of Abhishek Bachchan-starrer film ‘Players’ here plan to unroll a gold carpet instead of the regular red one in sync with the movie’s theme.
The January 4 event will have Abhishek, Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Neil Nitin Mukesh jet into Dubai for the world premiere of the movie.
Billed as the official Bollywood remake of the classic film ‘The Italian Job’, the four are a part of a thieving gang who plot to steal gold.
The local event organisers Ministry Of Events said it is planning to unroll a gold carpet instead of the regular red one at the Grand Cineplex.
“Gold is an essential part of the plot and we thought of having some fun with the theme. Apart from the premiere, we are also planning a contest that will invite Bollywood fans to crack codes of a locker that will have precious gifts in it,” Shujah Syed, CEO of Ministry Of Events was quoted by Gulf News as saying.
Like all Bollywood premiere junkets, it is going to be a busy day for the stars as they will make several appearances. A mall visit will be followed by a press conference and end with a walk on the gold carpet.
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December 20, 2011 at 12:40 PM
isnt omi vaidya the computer expert in the movie , why not promote him? in poster?
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December 21, 2011 at 2:57 AM
Tension Brewing Between Abbas-Mustan & Viacom 18 Over Music Of Players
December 19th, 2011 by Komal Nahta Tweet Comments ( 2 )
Since music of Players, directed by Abbas-Mustan is not doing well, producer Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and audio rights holder T-Series want to record two new songs. With just three weeks to go before Players plays out on the screens, Bhushan Kumar of T-Series and Viacom 18 are convinced that two new songs would do the trick to augment sale of CDs. However, the director duo is not at all keen to add two songs or, for that matter, even one. A meeting to discuss the issue was held on Saturday (December 17) between the three parties.
Wonder what the lead actors of Players – Bobby Deol, Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh – have to say about this?
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December 21, 2011 at 6:39 AM
Power, Jeevan, I have just deleted probably a 100 comments between the two of you. This was just spam clogging the entire forum. Worse still there was some terrible stuff in there. Pro or anti-Abhishek, pro- or anti any other star don’t repeat this in the future. Otherwise I will have to take more serious action.
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December 21, 2011 at 7:13 AM
Abhishek talks about Players and more…
1 Comments
By Sunny Malik
Posted on December 18th, 2011
Hindi Film industry actor Abhishek Bachchan will be seen next playing a central role in Abbas-Mustan’s official remake of The Italian Job called Players – Go for Gold. The 35-year-old actor made his name in the industry and attained a huge fan base through successful films such as Dhoom, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Guru and many more.
Players – Go for Gold is being described as “biggest action extravaganza that Bollywood has to offer.” The movie is packed with high speed chase sequences and state-of-the-art special effects. As the title suggests, the film is an action thriller about a gold theft and revolves around seven protagonists with quite a few twists added to the story.
Abhishek took out time to speak to our London reporter Sunny Malik in between his busy schedule which involved launching the music of the film and attending various promotional events every day. The Paa actor introduced the film and talked about working with the director duo who gave us hits like Baazigar, Ajnabee and Aitraaz and the one question about remakes he does not understand. He also revealed that he will hopefully be promoting Players in the British capital very soon and we will make sure to bring you all the exclusives from the event.
Can you tell us something about your upcoming film Players?
Players is the official remake of The Italian Job and it has been directed by Abbas-Mustan. The film also stars Sonam Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Sikander Kher, Bobby Doel, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Omi Vaidya.
Which role from The Italian Job will you be seen playing in Players?
I play the role of Charlie, who is, you can say the head of the team and mastermind of all the heists carried out in the film. He is meant to be a chartered accountant but is actually a thief. My character makes the plans and is behind the execution of the thefts that will be seen in the film. So, yeah it is a fun film which is full of action and entertainment.
The film is a remake of The Italian Job, but most people think it’s a remake of the 2003 film. It is actually an official remake of the film released in 1969. Can you tell us why the makers decided on remaking the older film?
The Italian Job was released in 1969 and obviously Abbas-Mustan have remade it in Hindi, but keeping that in mind, if you see both the versions, the 1969 and 2003 film there is not much change in the screenplay.
How different is Players from the British film The Italian Job (1969)?
It’s quite different and not as similar as people might think. The nicest part of the film is that Abbas-Mustan have Indianised it really well. It has been focused and made for an Indian audience. They have added a lot of twists and turns into the film for which they are really renowned for. It is the quintessential Abbas-Mustan thriller, which is great.
Why do you think remakes have become so popular in the Indian film industry? It’s not only western films being remade but also older Hindi and Indian films.
I don’t really understand this question! We make close to a thousand movies a year. If five or six of those thousands are remakes of older films or films from a different language, suddenly we are being labeled with a trend. I think it’s more of a creative choice than anything else. The director wants to make a film and it’s their creative choice.
What made you say yes to the film?
It was of course the chance of working with Abbas-Mustan, who I am a huge admirer of. But also because of the story which I think is great and will be liked once the film is out.
What was it like working with the directorial duo?
They are a lot of fun. They are wonderful directors and I have really enjoyed their films throughout their career. Watching them work and working with them has been a sheer pleasure for me. They make the entire process very entertaining and exciting.
The film has a number of actors and most of them are good friends of yours. Who did you bond with the most on the sets?
All of them. They are all like childhood friends of mine. Sonam, Bipasha, Bobby, Sikander, Omi and Neil are dear friends and it was just lots of fun being with them.
What did you guys do when you hung out together?
Oh, obviously everyone was together all the time and we spent a lot of time working together as we had long hours but as soon as we got some time off we would be together, so it was great.
You worked with Sonam Kapoor in ‘Delhi 6’ when she was quite new to the industry as an actor. How has she changed as an actor from back then?
Oh, she has changed immensely. You can see her coming into her own and becoming more comfortable with the craft of acting. She has made huge improvements and is a wonderful actor. She is also one of the better actors of her generation and it’s exciting to see her grow like this.
What are your thoughts on the music of the film which has already become really popular?
An Abbas-Mustan film is always known for its music. I am so happy that the reaction to the music has been so positive.
Everyone knows that you love music, so which song from the OST stands out for you?
Ah, all of them actually (laughs). It’s very difficult to choose one song.
How was it like to shoot the film in some new locations and where did you enjoy filming the most?
We shot in New Zealand, Russia, and Goa and obviously in Mumbai. The outdoor locations are all great places to go to, you know and also great to shoot in and I really enjoyed shooting in Russia and New Zealand.
What do you think about the film, will appeal to the UK audience the most?
It’s an entertaining film and you guys will really enjoy it. If you are an Abbas-Mustan fan and like the kind of action and thriller film they make, then definitely go and watch it.
Congratulations on your daughter, who you have nicknamed Beti B. How has life changed so far after being blessed with her arrival?
Thank you. Thank you. Well, unfortunately, I had to go straight back to work so I haven’t really had time to spend with her but it’s a lot fun.
Tell us about your upcoming films.
After Players releases on 6th January 2012, I have Bol Bachchan which will release in July and then I will start working on Dhoom 3.
Finally, any plans to come to London anytime soon?
Yes, we hope to come to London to promote Players very soon, so I’ll let you know when I do come in!
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December 21, 2011 at 7:16 AM
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December 22, 2011 at 1:20 PM
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December 22, 2011 at 2:51 PM
Great to see these images! Very evocative indeed… and there’s so much tradition associated with Ajmer (reminds one of the Heidegger quote about the Divine being present in a special sense where men have prayed for centuries)…
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December 22, 2011 at 5:03 PM
Censors out of sync with today’s youth: Sonam Kapoor
sonam-kapoor Mumbai, Dec 22 : Actress Sonam Kapoor, who plays an ultra-modern computer nerd in her upcoming film “Players”, is upset with the censor board’s objection over her middle-finger act, clearly visible in the promos of the film.
She feels the censors need to broaden their minds, considering the exposure that the youth has these days.
“Yes, we showed the middle finger but the censors are not okay with it. They don’t care what is happening on the internet. My teenage cousins are seeing things, worse things than what is happening in the cinema. Just one finger is not going to change anything,” the 26-year-old actress said while promoting “Players” at a radio station here.
Earlier, Ranbir Kapoor was seen raising his middle finger in “Rockstar”, but the censors didn’t object to this.
Sonam, daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, defended her act, terming it a part-and-parcel of the lives of today’s youth.
“It’s the normal language that we use in our day-to-day life, especially us young people. I am not saying that it is a good thing to do, but it’s very today. If I am playing a girl of today, and I speak this way and I am not going to say the ‘F’ word, it will look very unreal,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sonam is happily lapping up all the praise coming her way for her uber-cool and hot look in “Players”. Co-starring Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bobby Deol and Bipasha Basu, the film will release Jan 6, 2012.
Sonam is also looking forward to working on Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, opposite Farhan Akhtar. (IANS)
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December 23, 2011 at 7:31 AM
Abhishek’s survival tips for Sonam
New Delhi News.Net
Friday 23rd December, 2011 (IANS)
Six films-old actress Sonam Kapoor has been recieving useful professional tips to survive in Bollywood, thanks to her ‘Players’ co-star, Abhishek Bachchan, who has spent over a decade in showbiz.
‘He thinks I am a little bit too naive for this industry and he said – ‘You need to become smarter, Sonam. This industry will spare nobody. You have to be smart and not say or do whatever you feel like,’ Sonam said while promoting her latest film at a radio station here.
The pampered and sensitive 26-year-old daughter of film star Anil Kapoor added: ‘Generally, whenever somebody hurts me, you can see it on my face. I cannot hide anything. So he (Abhishek) kept telling me to be smart.’
Sonam and Abhishek were earlier paired together in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Delhi 6’.
Their next, her seventh film ‘Players’, the official Hindi remake of Hollywood film ‘The Italian Job’, will release Jan 6 next year. It also features Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Bipasha Basu.
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December 23, 2011 at 7:40 AM
Top 5: ‘TDP’ 80 cr, ‘LVRB’ 33 cr
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December 23, 2011 at 8:18 AM
“Top 5: ‘TDP’ 80 cr, ‘LVRB’ 33 cr”—havent seen tdp, but must admit–
Vidya balan has literally ‘raped’ some competition and created a unique niche for herself
“Abhishek’s survival tips for Sonam”–hahaha–no comments
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December 23, 2011 at 1:53 PM
I’m getting more and more worried about PLAYERS. The more posters and images I see, the more scared I get.
With Don2 getting rave revewiews and being talked about as a “slick” ation thriller, PLAYERS looks really tacky.Even though the locals are exciting, I don’t think Abbas Mustan will be able to match it technically speaking with Don2. NOt a fair comparision I know, but the audience will no doubt compare the action scenes between the two.
I hope AB get’s the luck ned needs with his recent Ajmer visit… I really hope he does. I want this film to succeed just for him, but I’m really really nervous about this one. Get the feeling that it’s going to be bomb in a major way. Maybe 15-20% opening. There is such a GAME hangover here… AB realy really needs to do something wiht this looks… the stubble look is getting soooooooo old now. and man need to get his body toned, he just doesn’t look appeaing anymore. I jsut saw KANK recently and in that he looked so much slimmer… not sure why can’t he be disciplined and work on his body.
Nothing, aboslutely nothing is going for him in the acting front, and I really don’t see anything in this film that makes me want to think differently. He just needs to stick with multi-starrers (with real stars I mean, not washots like Booby, Neil etc.). Dhoom3 will be the next hit (but al credit is going to go to Amir just like in Dhoom1 it was John and Dhoom2 it was Hrithik). Doesn’t have the looks, the body, dancing skills – all that are so needed to survive in the industry and make an impact. Geex Emraan is more successful than he is. such a dissapointment.
AB’s acting career is abosltuely finished if this film doesn’t do decent business either… it has to make at least Rs. 80crore and there is ABSOLULTEY NO WAY that is going to happen.It so hurts to say this, but its liternally GAME over for AB. He is FINISHED.
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December 23, 2011 at 2:06 PM
don’t write him off, he has done enough good work in his career, perhaps this bad phase of his career brings some good work from him, like he has given in the past. so, stop being so much harsh to him, he is talented, and if he has will then he will surely back with the bang.
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December 23, 2011 at 4:00 PM
I am very positive on Players.. but leaving this aside there’s no doubt Abhishek has seen some very trying times.. I would say however that the one area he shouldn’t be underestimated in even if one is not a fan about anything else (concerning him) is his resilience. Cannot think of anyone among his peers, his generation or the one a bit older than his, where anyone has a greater ability to take such blows and also display his kind of poise at the same time. In fact with most of the others there is usually a ‘panic’ reaction when things start getting a bit rough. With the exception of Aamir perhaps though Aamir has never been knocked around this hard. It’s not just the box office, it’s also about the shrillness and downright hysteria of the media on many occasions and equally the sneering tone even at the best of times. I could multiply these examples. To have one’s head screwed on tight after all this is remarkable to say the least. Not saying that resilience alone makes one successful but it’s a very necessary ingredient specially with his kind of temperament. I don’t think that he lets stuff get into his head very easily even if he sometimes suggests the opposite in his interviews. To be who he is and to then take these sorts of knocks and to in turn display this kind of equanimity is not something one comes across every day in any field of public life.
On what the audience thinks or says I don’t find that a very big deal. They all cross over with one hit! There’s a reason why stars tend to be so insecure. The very same people kick you one day and call you god the next day!
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December 24, 2011 at 4:06 PM
It’s looking quite positive for Players. There is a certain buzz around the movie. People are talking about it. I can tell you that I have a number of friends who aren’t Abhishek fans and who don’t generally visit theatres but they are talking about watching Players during its first week end. The last films that some of them watched in a theatre were flicks like Kaante, The Hero, Garam Masala, Hulchul and Khakee!
Credit to the producers who have been able to generate a buzz with a good promotional campaign.
I remember when Game was about to release, the marketing campaign planned by Excel was a complete disgrace. There was hardly any promotional campaign. They even tried to make people believe that it was an ensemble film and that Jimmy Shergill (who had barely 3 scenes in the film) had as much a meaningful role as Abhishek. All this because ABJr wasn’t riding high at the BO.
For Players, the producers have gone the right way to promote the film. Abhishek is the lead man and it shows in every still, every trailer, every poster, at the music launch or at Ajmer or anywhere they are promoting it. They aren’t hiding the truth from the audience or trying to fool them. There is a good ensemble cast with Abhishek as the lead man and the whole promotional campaign has been based on that and they are also really preparing the audience for what the movie is all about.
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December 24, 2011 at 4:22 PM
It’s true that you should always market the film the right way. Fortunes rise and fall in a film industry but you cannot run away from the essence of your film. On the rest agreed. Think this is a film that many people who either do not like Abhishek or are indifferent or even fans who have become skeptical will show up for. Having said that I disagree with some of the casting choices here but I’ve been through this before.
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December 26, 2011 at 8:27 AM
“Players is first Indian movie to be shot at North Pole” – Abbas-Mustan
By Devansh Patel, Dec 26, 2011 – 13:44 IST
Abbas, Mustan They’ve pioneered the saying – ‘Chills Thrills & Frills’ in Bollywood. Ever since Khiladi and Baazigar, it seems, the men have a liking for dark tales with wicked ends. With Players, they are about to play what they’re best at – a game of twists and turns. I met Abbas- Mustan at the Marriott in Juhu where they were seated, just like their movies, on the edge of their seats sipping tea and coffee. They seem to be so relaxed that not for once your brain would think and ask – ‘Are these the same men who guide us through their world of car chases, bike skids, femme fatales and those suspicious characters?’ Yes they are! Because they can still make the simple act of watching a film seem oh-so-exciting. Cinema needs the occasional breath of fresh air, and you can always rely on Abbas – Mustan to provide it. UK’s Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama’s London correspondent takes you on a tour into the mindset of India’s finest thriller filmmakers in a special two part series titled ‘Dial B for Burmawallas’.
“Players is the first Indian movie to be shot in the North Pole”
If our Players promo can create such hype, then wait till you watch the movie. It will blow your mind. The level of film making that we’ve achieved by doing Players, I can confidently tell you that it’s our best work till date. We only wanted people to be prepared for what’s going to come next. We are going to come up with more promos in the last one week leading to the release date. We’ve shot Players in the North Pole and this is the first ever Bollywood movie to be shot there. We don’t think that even enough Hollywood films are shot there.
“Abhishek insisted on not having any body doubles for his action sequences”
Whether it was Baazigar or any of our early movies, we’ve never made a conscious decision to work with big stars. But since many years, we always had this hunger to work with Abhishek Bachchan and do a proper action movie with him post Dhoom. We loved his intensity ever since Refugee. Abhishek insisted on doing his own stunts. There is no body double for him and he said, “Double is also a human being. I will do it myself”. The train sequence in the movie is a scary one and he has pulled it off with style and ease. Players hopefully will be termed as Abhishek’s best action movie so far.
Abbas, Mustan “Rhea brought in more to Sonam’s look than what we could’ve ever imagined”
Sonam hasn’t done an out and out sexy, glamorous, stylish, action movie so far. That’s the reason we selected Sonam because she embodies all the above in Players. Rhea Kapoor, her sister has designed her outfits for the film. Sonam insisted us to meet Rhea to see whether she could bring something unique to Players. Today we can proudly say that she has brought in much more than just unique to Sonam’s look and to our film. It wasn’t the sister act of being biased but it was more of a professional costume designer and an actress interacting that we saw. We wanted the audience to go head over heels when they see Sonam in her sexiest attire ever in a Bollywood film and together we’ve made that happen. Apart from her look, Sonam’s role is very good.
“We didn’t get to meet Mark Wahlberg but we were lucky to meet Tom Cruise”
If the original cast and crew of The Italian Job see Players, they’ll get a shock too on the way we’ve treated and twisted the thriller. We’ve changed a lot of the original characters and the story to some extent and the scenes of course. If we had released the movie in the first week of December 2011, Mark Wahlberg and the producers had agreed to pay India a visit to be with the Players team. But I guess we were lucky because Tom Cruise’s arrival came handy. We met him at the premiere of Mission Impossible -Ghost Protocol along with Sonam, Neil and Abhishek.
“The only movie of Neil that impressed us the most was Johnny Gaddaar and we’ve retained his vulnerability back”
We loved Neil Nitin Mukesh in Johnny Gaddaar. After that whatever film he’s done, we weren’t impressed with. But at the same time we couldn’t get his vulnerability out from Johnny Gaddaar. He was unforgettable in it. In Players, we’ve got back his helplessness back in the form of a computer geek.
Abbas, Mustan “We would’ve loved to have three white Mini Coopers in Players”
When we went to New Zealand and saw the Mini Coopers, and we instantly loved the red, blue and yellow colours. To be honest, the only thing that we’ve retained from The Italian Job is the gold and those Mini Coopers but unfortunately we couldn’t find the ‘white’ coloured one. We would’ve loved to have three white Mini Coopers in Players.
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December 26, 2011 at 8:34 AM
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December 26, 2011 at 9:07 AM
promoting it in Nagpur..
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December 26, 2011 at 9:10 AM
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December 26, 2011 at 11:44 AM
If I’m worthy, God will give without asking: Abhishek Bachchan
Richa Shukla | TNN
StumbleUpon.com digg
Posted On Monday, December 26, 2011 at 03:03:08 PM
Abhishek Bachchan recently visited the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti in Ajmer after a long gap. He did not tie the mannat ka dhaga like his father Amitabh Bachchan did, when he was in Ajmer the last time.
“The visit to the dargah was wonderful, but I didn’t tie any thread. I don’t believe in asking God for anything. If I am worthy, he will give it to me. I think we should earn his blessings; I have never believed in mannats,” says Abhishek, who is currently on a promotional tour for his upcoming film Players.
It has been a busy time for the actor. He agrees, “People are aggressively promoting their films these days. It’s actually tougher and more taxing than the filmmaking process today. Yesterday, I was in Delhi giving interviews, visiting radio channels, and then I took an early morning flight to Jaipur. Now I will take the evening flight back to Mumbai where I have midnight interviews! Then a 6am flight to Chandigarh, and then I return to Mumbai. The next day, I leave for another round of promotions in Patna, Indore, Nagpur, Bangalore, Kolkata, Dubai and London!”
He will be seen crooning to the tunes of Pritam’s Bhuddhi Do Bhagwan. In fact, it has become customary for him to sing at least one song in each of his movies. Is he following in the footsteps of the Big B, who sang three songs in Buddha Hoga Terra Baap? “I hope not, at least for the sake of the audience! I am not a trained singer. I did this for fun. Pritam told me, ‘I made this song keeping you in mind’.”
We asked this new daddy whether he sings his little baby girl to sleep. “She is too small – just a month old!”
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December 26, 2011 at 11:45 AM
like this response!
“The visit to the dargah was wonderful, but I didn’t tie any thread. I don’t believe in asking God for anything. If I am worthy, he will give it to me. I think we should earn his blessings; I have never believed in mannats,” says Abhishek, who is currently on a promotional tour for his upcoming film Players.
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December 27, 2011 at 2:12 AM
somehow players has started looking more interesting somewhat lately and may actually not do badly
but when one sees duds like khers son in the mix, one loses hope— i mean, y does abhi have to tag him along in every film–he was even in gowrikars film i think. Is this an enterprise to provide employment services and can abhishek afford this.
Dont see any other reason why the only films he ever gets are abhi ones. These sore points are picked up by the paying public.
ps–abhi and bipasha seem to sharing brother-sisterly vibes in a few pics. No wonder, ash feels ‘secure’ with bipasha
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December 27, 2011 at 6:00 AM
I think I will watch this. There has not been an abbas_Mustan film I have not enjoyed, at least partaillay: Baazigar, Baadshah, Humraaaj, Race. They sure know how to weave a suspenseful yarn.
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December 27, 2011 at 6:11 AM
There is certain age of every director and i guess Abbas Mustan have gone pass it. And they don’t have any son like Aditya chopra to direct their movie.
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December 27, 2011 at 7:37 AM
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December 27, 2011 at 7:46 AM
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December 27, 2011 at 7:48 AM
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December 27, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Making of Abhishek’s train sequence:
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/events/31554.html
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December 28, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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December 28, 2011 at 11:52 AM
LOL, a Dhirubhai love fest here!
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December 28, 2011 at 5:59 PM
somehow get the vibe that even AB is not sure about the success of this movie. He just looks so disinterested/bored here and his answers are so damn canned. Appears as though someone is putting a gun to his head to do this. He just doesn;t seem to have the charisma to entertain the live audience. and what’s with the glasses, man? Take them off when talking to the audience.
I dunno he’s just rubbed me the wrong way here. I think this movie is going to fall flat. Expect a 10-15% opening. even that will be due to Abbas Mustan “brand” as he call them.
AB’s career is over if this bombs…he has nothing solo. Hrithik on the other hand is going to kill it with Agneepath and then Krissh3. AB should just pack it up and not tarnish the Bachchan and Rai surmame anymore than he already has.
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December 29, 2011 at 6:43 AM
this is not abhishek’s movie or revolving around abhishek….this one is a multistarrer and abhishek is a part of it…….in abbas mustan’s movies every lead character has something to do……abhishek will face strong competition from bobby deol and neil nitin mukesh……
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December 28, 2011 at 1:31 PM
Players has managed decent curiositiy in last week or so. The trailers and songs have caught up ok but they need to buzz it up immensely in the next week or so. Abbas Mustan are masters in this genre and the new trailers on TV involving Omi and Johny lever showed tht the movie has a funny side as well. I have a feeling this will work.
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December 28, 2011 at 1:53 PM
I think they need to concentrate on the action and stunts from this point onwards.. they’ve done the songs with Abhishek and the two girls. They should now get back to the ‘basics’ of the first trailer. The one exception that can be made is for (assuming this is in the works) a video version of buddhi do bhagwaan (since the trailer didn’t feature Abhishek’s voice). The one good thing though so far is that Abbas-Mustaan haven’t revealed every single stunt or high point of the film as is often the case these days. Nonetheless they should do more of this in these final ten days or what have you.
I have seen (based on anecdotal evidence) that a lot of Abhishek skeptics will probably end up watching this one. Which is why it is even more necessary that this film deliver the goods. Because lack of interest and/or audience skepticism irrespective of however it comes about is always the most dangerous place for an actor to be in. When this happens even the credible project sometimes doesn’t get the right audience. Think he took a positive step forward with DMD after the absolute box office lows of Game and KHJJS. He came in for very positive attention on DMD, the film could have grossed a lot more with a much stronger initial (though it wouldn’t necessarily have trended that much better it could easily have ended up around 60 crores or something) and here his ‘damage’ caught up with him but nonetheless DMD established some credibility once again and Players could go a long way in doing more on the purely commercial side of things.
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December 29, 2011 at 3:03 AM
Abhishek should be careful about movie promotion.He should spend more time on movie promotions next few days He need to understand first weekend box office is very important and movie success depends on first week end collections only They need to release movie more than 2500 prints.Also Trade guys like komal,taran and BOI eagerly waiting for an opportunity to pull down this movie.
Look at below article .This guy Joginder tuteja never mentioned palyers poster and its result.He already started negative campaign about players like routine bullshit no buzz,no curiosity etc
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/slideshow/type/view/id/1008
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December 28, 2011 at 1:39 PM
Didn’t know they are Gujju and started from my city ‘Baroda’ (now Vadodara)..one more reason to go for Players!
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December 29, 2011 at 7:38 AM
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December 29, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Think abhishek has a talent in rap as in bluff master
Not sure why he is not exploring /milking it further ESP when not much else is working.
Also feel that IF this movie is good, it has a chance
Abbas mastaan and their mix of comedy/ thrills/ masala usually works with masses
Wom will have to be good
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December 29, 2011 at 7:59 PM
Interview with Abhishek-Bipasha-Neil-Sonam-Sikander (part 1):
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/more/videos/view/showing/interviews/sort/What%27s%20New/id/1398138
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December 29, 2011 at 8:00 PM
part 2:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/more/videos/view/showing/interviews/sort/What%27s%20New/id/1398139
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January 1, 2012 at 3:21 AM
I am just wondering who’s playing Edward Norton here.. By the look of it, Neil Nitin Mukesh seems to fit the bill.
Btw I hope Abbas-Mustan have made the film suitably interesting for the Indian moviegoers because quite frankly I am not a big fan of the originally. Its okay but hardly gave me an adrenaline rush.. But then, possibly because I am not a big fan of hesit movies ..
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January 1, 2012 at 9:17 AM
The first Italian Job is much more ‘gently’ paced and has a kind of comic tone throughout.. the remake is the adrenalin pumping sort. I enjoyed both but the first one is superior by far.
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January 1, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Neil is the villain here but they keep saying they’ve added a lot of twists (with Abbas-Mustaan this usually means that the twists stop making sense beyond a point!) so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else turned out to be the real villain at the end. Meanwhile there seems to be a love triangle here. Again wouldn’t be surprised if Bipasha betrays the gang after being jilted in love.
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January 2, 2012 at 3:14 PM
oh god… this movie scares the heck out of me. every new pic or promo they relase scares me even more. this moive looks to be a joke/DISASTER.
As much as I hate to say it, I think AB’s career is finished. He should jsut hang it up and stick to being a producer or something… just anything “behind the camera”.
As a side, saw his appearance on Love2HateU… he came across as very cordial, open… the only issue I took was when he said the doesn’t need to “tone” his body esp for a character like Jai Dixit. He was WAAAY OFF there. You have to look athletic in such movies, double chins, extra falb, beer beely doesn’t suit that character. I did agree with Prateeksha that he has to put way more effort in his physique. I don’t think he will ever pull off a Amir Khan or SRK 6-pack … he just doesn’t seem to want to do it. Shame really.
Oh well… I still maintain 10-15% opening for Players. I just hope they don’t release any more pics or dialog promo’s… my numbers and expectation will go down even more.
Thanks,
Jogi
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January 4, 2012 at 8:36 AM
The Players Train Heist hits Delhi
By Sunny Malik
The Delhi Metro was the cynosure of all eyes as audiences caught Players – Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh in action, as they unlocked a vault on the metros in the capital city.
As part of the film’s promotions, the Players orchestrated a train heist much to their onlookers delight, in sync with the theme of the film. Post which they boarded the train followed by a friendly media interaction and thrilled their fans with some merchandise from the film.
Confirms Vikram Malhotra of Viacom18 Motion Pictures, “Players has one of the most thrilling and elaborate train heist sequences ever seen in a Hindi film and we wanted to highlight this for the audience ahead of the film’s release. The stunts, the pace, the action of this sequence will blow peoples’ minds when they see it in Players on the big screen.”
The official remake of the Hollywood crime thriller The Italian Job, this slick new version of Players was filmed across India, New Zealand and Russia.
Presented by Viacom 18 & Burmawala Brothers, Abbas-Mustan’s Players starring Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol, Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya races to a theatre near you 6th January,2012.
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January 4, 2012 at 8:39 AM
[Confirms Vikram Malhotra of Viacom18 Motion Pictures, “Players has one of the most thrilling and elaborate train heist sequences ever seen in a Hindi film and we wanted to highlight this for the audience ahead of the film’s release. The stunts, the pace, the action of this sequence will blow peoples’ minds when they see it in Players on the big screen.”]
Abbas-Mustan have called it their best film. Of course all this stuff is part of the usual spiel in these promotional affairs but it is certainly true that they’ve not revealed too much of the film in the trailers. Barring the first trailer and shorter ones recently (which didn’t add much footage) they’ve kept the film’s ‘strength’ exposure to a minimum. On the plus side there is more for the audience to discover. One the negative side you lose out on a stronger day 1 number.
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January 4, 2012 at 8:53 AM
Feel for abhishrek
Hope he gets a suxess here
Satyam
What’s your prediction on the figures – opening wkend, week
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January 4, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Alex, I won’t repeat everything I’ve said here in the past but for all those reasons this is a harder one to call. I’ll say this as the bottom-line — I do expect this film to do very well. However in the interests of honesty I think there are three plausible scenarios here:
1)The film does 30-35 crores in week 1, is liked by the audience, sustains well, doubles its initial and gets to 60 or a bit more. In some ways this is the most ‘reasonable’ scenario as this means that Abhishek has a significant gross after a long time but he still shows his box office damage in an important sense. It’s like the Wanted deal for Salman. The film does well, is liked by the audience but since the initial isn’t big enough the final number cannot be either. A later film can then benefit in a big way from this but the film itself cannot.
2)The film does 45 crores, give or take a couple, in week 1 and eventually does 90-100 crores. This still accounts for some damage on his part but it shows that couple with the right genre, director, advertising campaign, he can get a significant audience going. This is the Singham scenario where the film opens well but not stupendously (though with Singham this was so because more of the gross was concentrated away from the multiplexes). However it is liked by its audience and becomes a rather significant grosser.
3)The film north of 50 crores, even 60, and eventually gets to a total well over 100 crores. This is the best case scenario and it would imply that the advertising and the genre gave a very big lift to the film.
There is a fourth scenario too which I don’t consider within the realm of possibility at this point for Abhishek. Which is what you’d get with a hot star (not necessarily the topmost one). A film that more or less does 70 crores or so in week 1. If certain stars had been heading Players I would be very confident of this scenario. And I also think this film would trend probably better than Race. All of this assumes of course that Abbas-Mustaan have made a good enough film for the genre. An Abhishek in 2005 or post-Guru would have been in the running for such an opening. At some points later than this the third scenario would still be highly probable and the second one a dead certainty.
If I were a betting man I’d bet on the second scenario here. Do think there’s a ‘silent’ audience here which is to say it consists of those who are attracted by this genre in an important enough production. This group includes a great deal of Abhishek-skeptics in my view. And again that 45 crore or so week 1 number isn’t a very high bar for any star who isn’t that damaged in box office terms (which is why I never found the Don 2 result that noteworthy), in a few genres that always get the audience excited. The one advantage this film has is no competition for three weeks. So the right initial with decent trending could produce bigger numbers than would normally be the case with some competition relatively quickly. Race in today’s money would probably do a 120. The film at the time opened behind D2 but not by a whole lot. No great box office forces here. However the difference is (and I’ve always said this) that when a star like Saif has unsuccessful films there is no baggage. When he shows up in the right deal people sign on. With Abhishek the ‘major star’ potential always carries this baggage and in his case it’s magnified by the kinds of films he did which rightly or wrongly were considered ‘weird’ by the audience.
All in all my scenario here is actually a modest one but for his box office run before DMD. But again it’s very hard to gauge who’s really showing up for this. I am operating on the assumption that the numbers are much bigger than for DMD given the genre and so on, the film is liked (perhaps the WOM is even strong if the stunts and so forth are really upto that level) and it trends rather well at least in week 1. Obviously if it’s a 45 crore initial or so 100 crores is automatically on the cards.
Will say though that the very same trade forces that tried everything possible to drag Don 2 to 100 crores will do the very opposite here even in the best case scenario. What this means is that Don 2 needed to do 90 crores to get to 100 whereas Players probably needs 110 at the very least! But this applies otherwise also. Because I’ve seen this for many years where even the strongest box office returns get suspiciously low numbers from these sources and this is then backed up by their commentary. Which is why the whole ‘Abhishek gets those writeups because he doesn’t have hits’ are plain disingenuous. These are people who were either born yesterday and didn’t see what was going on or those who share the agenda one way or the other and choose to buy it. The majority falls in the latter group.
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