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162 Responses to “Jannat 2, the rest of the box office”
B.O. update: ‘Jannat 2’ starts with a bang
By Taran Adarsh, May 4, 2012 – 14:46 IST
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. MURDER 2. THE DIRTY PICTURE. Emraan Hashmi’s movies open big at the box-office. His new release, JANNAT 2, too started with a bang. While the morning shows in Rajasthan and Gujarat were terrific [the film opened with 90% + occupancy], the pre-noon and post-noon shows maintained the same pace across the country. The multiplexes ranged from good to excellent, while the single screens were rocking.
JANNAT 2 is expected to fetch excellent numbers over the weekend, with the Friday figure looking at Rs 9 cr + nett, as per early trends. At the rate it is faring, JANNAT 2 should be the third biggest opener of the year, after AGNEEPATH and HOUSEFULL 2.
I’ve been saying it since FOOTPATH, yeh lambi race ka ghoda hai! He may not be everyones cup of tea BUT I think his BO record as well as the variety of roles he is starting to do speak for themselves. SHANGHAI will be another feather in his cap….
Jannat 2 had a very good opening of around 70-75% on average. The Central India belts of CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan took an excellent opening of 80-100%. Gujarat was also very strong.
North India was a bit weaker as Delhi/UP opened to around 60-70% while East Punjab was 50-55% but overall its still a very good opening as Central and most of Western India has opened to excellent numbers. Areas dominated by premium multiplexes like Bangalore and Gurgaon had a lower opening.
The first day collections will come out very strong and could even be the third biggest opening day of 2012.
Jannat 2 has been released on 1975 screens at 1575 theatres across India.
What is it about Emraan that the masses get so excited about?
Does he appeal that much to the aam junta or is it the often said arguements that the guys love going to his movies because they’l have a ‘good time’ watching a semi-soft porn?
I think he’s a cracking actor and he plays it safe by doing small budget movies whereas Ranbir is acting in big budget movies which are risky (Rockstar)
According to bhatts tweets :
Esha Gupta looks like Angelina jolie !!
From where
Though there is something ‘interesting’ about her looks
I’m not sure I her being ‘endowed’ (as pointed by minor) is anything ‘augmented’
May well be ‘natural’
Let’s give her the benefit of doubt folks
Not sure why is she getting so many films even before her first release ..
Grousefull 2,3,4
🙂
When one watches seriously awful movies that go all over the place without going anywhere, it hurts! I watched ‘Housefull-2’ at a reasonably packed multiplex, and was both bewildered and astonished. Why bewildered? Because I actually heard a few people laughing! That too at some of the most ludicrous scenes, like a particularly nasty one in which Mithun Chakraborthy is shown running around a tree with an English maid. Nothing wrong with it…. except that the maid is played by a dwarf. And the offensive ‘joke’ revolves around her physical stature. Surely, as senior an actor as Mithun, could have refused to enact such an insensitive scene? There are enough obligatory messages that assure audiences no animals have been harmed during the shoot, and that cigarette smoking is injurious to health. What about somebody objecting to the cruel projection of people with physical problems. There were several distasteful jibes which are blatantly racist /sexist. Like referring to a dark complexioned man as a negro and implying his wife had slept with a fair complexioned chap to produce their son( Shreyas Talpade).Most of the humour is off-colour and far-from-funny. It’s the vulgar cracks in our movies that need better monitoring. Cracks, that display our deep rooted prejudices so brazenly. Of course, the four over age and over grown ‘boys’ in the film have done their best with the lousy material and put in spirited performances despite the complete absence of any logic or even basic decency. Take the ‘painfully’ long drawn out sequence involving an alligator biting Riteish’s bottom and a python going for
crotch .The absurd movie hurtles along on nothing more than koila gags. In all probability, it will be declared a huge hit. Which will provide the green signal to make Housefull-3. Aaaaargh!
well shoba de is spot on here but i find her intolerable. all she does is take potshots at people. and she is delusional enough to think that she is a ‘sexy 25 yr old hottie’. and lastly she writes ‘horrible books’ which r nothing more than soft-porn(even there she is not good). yes sum of her books were sumwhat popular in my school’s hostel, simply bcos they were used to satiate the male hormonal upsurge at times
I haven’t read her books
But find her posts good fun
Not to be taken v seriously
But she does have an acerbic political incorrect style
Sometimes it is gud to have people who speak not along expected lines and as per the ‘party whips’ (happens everywhere including blogs)
Ps-think she is ok for her age and enjoys life-let the lady have some fun
I can understand and appreciate how and why she annoys people
But somehow I enjoy her comments
They are meant to be taken in the correct vibe
Anyhow this is another aunty who doesn’t irritate me
Something posted on her blog about the top Indian journalists 🙂
Some prominent faces from the 2010 roll of honour have dropped out. Vinod Mehta has retired from active journalism and remains Chairman of Outlook. We wish him well. Suzy Roy has moved from part-time lie-mongering to full-time Maoist-Hurriyat sympathiser. ‘Pastiwalas’ are over-joyed at the ever growing size and weight of her 50+ page essays – they’re the only ones handling them now. Prannoy Roy was also dropped. He is now more into barbeque chats than any serious attempts at journalism. Even elections don’t arouse him. But there are some new faces with the old ones. Polling for IWJ ended today and thanks to all those who voted. So here are the winners from the poll, the list of India’s Worst Journalists-2012 from the poll results. Their 2010 ranking is indicated after their name:
Large & Larger..
10. Nidhi Razdan, NDTV (New entry): She has come to prominence more for many reasons other than journalistic skills. ‘Left, right, centre’ is her signature programme and happens to be one of those mindless debates on every topic under the sun. She is proof that you can be an expert on everything with specialisation in nothing. The best part of Nidhi? Now, don’t get me wrong, she likes everything large. Whenever confounded by a brilliant argument or point by a panellist she quickly jumps to her favourite line “let’s look at the LARGER picture”. One would have thought that debates are meant to look at the finer small details. No, not with Nidhi, the larger picture is a convenient exit. Training from NDTV helps. My prediction for this debutant is that she is likely to go higher up in the list in the future.
Friendly five member
9. Kumar Ketkar (New entry): Somewhere a brief bio about Ketkar says “He started his life as an active communist worker of the Lal Nishan Paksh (Red flag party)”. Now why is that not so surprising? And that also explains Ketkar somewhat. He is also reported to be a former speech writer during elections for Congress members. Isn’t that an accomplishment any journalist would be proud of? He has been mostly a Marathi journalist and last heard he is editor of Divya Marathi. A respected veteran, he was one of the privileged Five invited to a private press meet of PM Manmohan Singh around June 2011. Ever since, it has been downhill. He achieved his right to be on this list through his performances as a panellist. What can I say? I hope being a veteran he doesn’t appear here in the future.
Your Banal
8. Arnab Goswami, TimesNow (2010 #3): There can be no denying that Arnab is one of the rare patriots among journalists. Almost every one wishes our judiciary could be as quick and decisive as Arnab is. Which is the reason I conferred him the title ‘Justice Arnab’. His performance on TimesNow has definitely battered ratings of NDTV and CNN-IBN. Pick up any scam, any scandal Arnab can throw the documents at you. IB, RAW, GOI have no escape – all documents and papers have to pass through Arnab. Sometime back I remarked: Most of us wake up in the morning and want Coffee or Tea! Not Arnab, he just wants ‘answers’. Such are the never-ending questions he has. Much before Arnab became a journalist the rock band U2 wrote a song for him – “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. They were the only ones to anticipate all the unanswered questions he’d come up with. Undeniable fact is that Arnab has dropped from #3 in 2010 to #8 in 2012 on this list. That is proof of his ever-growing popularity. He can out-shout anyone in this world. Anyone, except Meenakshi Lekhi and Smriti Irani.
Fine WhINES
7. Vir Sanghvi (2010 #9): I honestly don’t have any idea whatsoever what Sanghvi currently does. I don’t even see him on any Cookery or Foodie show. He must be doing something to merit an appearance on this list again, at a higher position even. Radiagate has damaged him far more than any other journalist, which is unfortunate. He managed to surface sometime back on his home channel NDTV claiming the Radia tapes were doctored and weren’t authentic and were tested by reliable foreign forensic labs. Nobody bought that though. Sometimes, a wayward journalist, at his peak, forgets simple decency. Sanghvi will forever be haunted with two things: Radiagate and the fact that he called Narendra Modi a ‘mass-murderer’. He will regret both episodes. Had it not been for Modi ignoring his stupid outburst Vir Sanghvi would have been in prison writing a cookery book or his autobiography titled “Fine Whines!”.
No facts, please
6. Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism. One can say he has improved a bit but still retains the unwanted scowl and growl when interviewing people. Madhu Trehan in her NewsLaundry interview showed up KT for the little puppy he was. Like the ones who just need a hug and a cuddle once in a while. And if you thought you knew nothing about KT, never mind. All you have to do is hear his signature line on his promo for his show on CNN-IBN: “I don’t want to go into the facts, the facts are disputed”. LOL! Facts are disputed? You have to undo a lot of learning to understand that facts aren’t facts and can be disputed. The worst job KT did in 2011 was massaging Kapil Sibal’s brazen attempt at pre-screening content on the internet. As if that wasn’t enough he pulled out Brajesh Mishra, former NSA, out of nowhere to call serving army chief, Gen. VKSingh, the worst ever chief of army in history. My prediction: As long as he is in the business, KT will be on this list.
Wheres the smirk?
5. Vinod Sharma (New entry): For those who don’t know, Vinod Sharma is the political editor of Hindustan Times. That’s right, ‘Political’ is the key word – less of an editor and more of a politician. It’s not very hard to recognise VS on a friendly channel. He has made the ‘smirk’ more popular than child-molester DGP Rathore on television. Sharma has also been acknowledged by many political spokespersons and viewers as the most loyal spokesperson of the Congress party. No matter what the scam or what the scandal you can expect him to staunchly defend even the worst misdeeds of the Congress by blaming it on the opposition or anyone else he can lay his hands on. The one chance to get him off TV for longer periods was a Rajya Sabha ticket, when Shobana Bhartiya, his boss at HT exited, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. So we’re going to be stuck with VS for quite a while. His best moment in recent times was during the debate over Gen. VK Singh and the Tatra trucks scam. He was angry that the debate was going one way (in favour of Gen. Singh) so had to somehow twist it against the tide. In his business time VS writes a blog titled ‘Separated at birth’. I guess that refers to some Pakistani connection or maybe his journalistic independence was separated at birth. Someday we’ll find out.
He’s no Egghead
4. Shekhar Gupta (2010 #10): When he appeared on the last list, a fan of Gupta wrote in stating he will email my post to SG for his response. I was wondering whether that fan objected to SG being at #10 and wanted him to be lower on the list. I guess that fan’s prayers are answered. SG has sunk further in the rankings and his Indian Express is almost on doles from the govt. His senseless programme ‘Walk the talk’ , the equivalent of ‘Koffee with Karan’ or ‘On the couch with Koel’, continues on NDTV but what sunk SG the most is his misadventure with an article on Army troop movements. In his quest to please SG’s UPA, this SG splashed a headline in IE that nearly implied the army, led by Gen.VK Singh, may have dreamt of a coup. Worse, there have been reports that the troop movement story was stale and SG’s version was actually a plant by a union minister. SG laid an egg alright but ended up with more on his face. He will forever be credited with reducing a fiercely independent newspaper like IE to a mouthpiece of a political party. His permanent place on this list is forever assured.
I washed my hands in the Hammam
3. Rajdeep Sardesai (2010 #6): Hmmm! The guy is making progress alright. I have always maintained there are two Rajdeeps – One on TV and one off it. Whenever he is off TV his conscience strikes and one can hear a sane person, sometimes profound, sometimes emotional. But his character loses focus in front of the camera. Recently, he lamented on Twitter about being abused as a’Muslim whore and a Motherf$#!#*’. Bad, but the kind of abuse of journalistic ethics that Rajdeep has frequently allowed under his watch is far more serious. He has even given the media the right to ‘conduct hearings’ against personalities. While he wonders about ‘image makeovers’ for others, there is no way he can ever get past the Cash4Votes bungling or the terribly biased reporting on Gujarat riots. His 2007 conduct of an HT Summit which featured a key speaker reflects a character of pathetically low moral values and journalistic ethics. And to top that he defended the tainted Radiagate journalists and was rightly ‘slapped’ by his own community. Death of decent journalism owes a small debt to him. He has rightly earned the nick name ‘Hammamboy’!
If it’s Friday, it must be…
2. Sagarika Ghose (2010 #2): Ms. Cacofonix stays where she was: at No.2. You can’t fault Sagarika for not trying hard enough to be India’s worst journalist. She has made every effort in the recent past to get to #1. Journalism gives her a bad name. For her truly pathetic and fraudulent ‘live’ show with SriSri she would have been sacked from any TV channel in the world. That in itself is a reflection of the ethics and morals practiced at CNN-IBN by her and her boss Rajdeep Sardesai. You can imagine the skulduggery behind all other programmes and debates. And if that wasn’t enough she misses no chance to prove she is a ‘journalistic bimbo’ by mindless tweets on the social network. Be it about ‘ugly Indian males’, or Orange being a colour in our national flag or sending out a Good Friday greeting and withdrawing it she is truly the court-jester of Indian journalism. What can I say? Better luck next time!
Me, Myself & I
1. Barkha Dutt (2010 #1): For the second time in a row Barkha retains her position as India’s worst journalist in the poll, by a whopping margin. The only road to redemption is apologising for past blunders. While she and another one have been vocal in demanding apologies and expressions of remorse from public figures the same standard doesn’t seem to apply to her. No matter what she does the taint of Radiagate and many other indiscretions are unlikely to disappear. The accusations of causing deaths in Kargil or in 26/11 are also going to linger. She is probably the only news celeb on TV that has a ‘wardrobe sponsor’. All the image makeovers may not help much. Most of us have held Rahul Gandhi for the Congress’ UP election disaster but Barkha and NDTV must be credited with the disaster too. No one has singularly promoted RG and his cause and almost turned him into India’s saviour till the engine got derailed. Her penchant for Pakistani politics and politicians is another thing that disgusts many viewers. In the meantime her language keeps getting better and better. In a recent tweet she responded to sarcasm with: “… ‘Nazi Dogs’ .. if ever language betrayed desperation of loser, it is here…” Losers or not, with over 70% of the votes polled, Barkha is the absolute winner here. Cheers!
Completely agree on Burkha dutt and Rajdeep sardesai…
Although i like ‘walk the talk’. Karan thapar is more of an english teacher then a journo… Vir sanghvi is a cool man but not a very serious journo..
that was a super article here. as i said itself tells us about the sorry state of journalism in india. though i will disagree with sum of the choices- i find arnab the best among the new lot(and times now, alongwith ndtv is my fav news channel). i have always found rajdeep as honest and well-spoken. and vir sanghvi and karan thapar cannot be dismissed like this. one of my favs is “prannoy roy”. but i hope we go back to the ‘doordarshan days’ when news was not about sensationalism
Burqa dutt as me, myself and I lol
Ghose-ms caconifox 🙂
Rajdesai-“he lamented on Twitter about being abused as a’Muslim whore and a Motherf$#!#*’. Bad, but the kind of abuse of journalistic ethics that Rajdeep has frequently allowed under his watch is far more serious”
Egghead shekhars Gupta laid an egg
“Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism”
And the list goes on
Hahahahah
Well done Shobha de
No body would be spared -I like thou
one field were india is really doing well is ‘cricket writing’. yes we may not have a Peter Roebuck but i find Harsha bhogle the best in the world currently and even Boria Majumadar is not far behind. one guy who should not be forgotten here is Ramchandra guha who has written fabulous books on the game. also Sharda ugra, though is not at all good at analysing the intricacies(i can do a much better job than her here), has such a refreshing tone and a lovely bird’s eye view of the game.
Shobha de classics
Pat on the back to the aunty
Think this is a v long one
But deserved more than a link -enjoy
THE KARAN JOHAR INTERVIEW: SHOBHAA DE
SELL: She’s got India’s most outspoken mouth and she’s not afraid to use it. Best selling author and columnist Shobhaa De talks about why good-looking men are the most boring, why Mumbai socialites make her laugh, and why real men don’t cheat on their wives.
Shobhaa De and I have been bumping into each other at parties and events for over a decade, and when we chat, it’s invariably an energizing conversation. She has a perspective that’s youthful, and is always brilliantly honest and brave. She’s the kind of person you either adore or loathe, but there’s no way you can ignore her. She’s out there with her comments, and has an opinion on everything. I love that about her because people without opinions scare me. It’s also why she’s one of the most feared commentators in the country. She isn’t afraid about taking anyone on, and speaking her mind. The interview took place in my office and ended up being an absorbing discussion about modern marriages in India, Bollywood and society in general. I had interviewed Shobhaa for my television show in the past, but I thought she was a little guarded in front of the camera. At the end of the day, Shobhaa’s domain is the world of print, and the GQ interview format allows us to exist in the space she most thrives in. There’s no question that her piquant personality comes across in this conversation.
Karan Johar: Your opinion on John Abraham’s butt, Shobhaa?
Shobhaa De: I’m waiting to see it in your film [Dostana]. There’s a lot of anticipation. There is a lot riding on his butt, let’s put it that way. And I am sure he knows it, too.
Who else’s butt excites you? Do you think men in India have nice-looking butts?
Are there interesting men in India to start with? We’ll get to their butts later.
You tell me, you’re the authority.
Frankly, the answer is no. In fact, men don’t interest me, generally speaking.
A good conversation stimulates you more?
But it’s hard to come by. And frighteningly good-looking men are generally pretty boring because it’s all about them and how wonderful they are. It’s a kind of narcissism. I’m sure it goes both ways – I’m sure men find that about women as well. But I’ve met a lot of smashing women, really gorgeous women who are not boring, not one-dimensional, not full of themselves. Most good-looking men are all about “Aren’t I the prettiest?”
We associate vanity very strongly with women.
Men are much more vain.
Maybe the ones who are really good-looking stand out much more because they’re rarer.
That only happens for homo sapiens. Whether it’s four-legged creatures or birds, it’s always the male of the species that’s much better-looking because the courtship rituals are very different, and I don’t see why that doesn’t work for us. It should, actually. Men should just be trying that much harder to grab our attention and, in this century, to be able to grab an interesting woman’s attention takes much more than a great-looking butt. So I hope John knows that.
You’re a columnist, an author, an opinion-maker. Have you ever taken off these hats and found out who you really are?
I’ve always known who I am, and I’m all of this. I can’t separate myself and don’t see the need to. It’s like I’ve been marinated in a certain discipline and it’s been mine for over 40 years. I must have emerged from my mother’s womb with a pen in my hand because I’ve always written for self-expression. I found my diaries from when I was 12 and 14 – tiny little plastic diaries – and all the entries are always an opinion. It’s never about, “Oh, that boy didn’t wish me today”, or “I’m crying because my sister pinched my cheeks”.
So not the regular day-to-day girly problems.
Not at all. First of all, the diaries are not girly – the entries are very gender-neutral. Generally it’s an observation, it’s about something I’ve seen on the street or a movie or a person I’ve met . They are acutely observed comments. So it was always there. I don’t think there is any other me. This is it. I cannot be separated from my writing. Don’t wish to be…
Are you saying you were born opinionated?
Yeah, I think my entire family was. Maybe the rest of them don’t get paid for their opinions but when we all get together…
Sounds like a very scary evening.
It’s the best! It’s the most fun because it’s always about bouncing observations, bouncing comments off each other. It’s a very articulate family, and now I see it in my children and that’s getting… well, it’s like there are too many of us with all these opinions going back and forth – but it keeps us on our toes.
Do you sometimes feel compelled to be opinionated about things?
No, never.
Do you let something just pass by without having a thought about it?
Very rarely. Everything registers.
PULL QUOTE:
Do you have to deliver an opinion on every occasion?
It’s not that I have to deliver. I do deliver. There’s no compulsion.
But do you get stuck in a loop, because that’s what’s expected of you?
I never perform, I don’t have to. I don’t need to pander. I say what I passionately feel at that moment if I feel like saying it …. or I don’t. In the presence of a much older person I would hold back an opinion because I think it’s very rude to challenge someone who is much older, even if I disagree violently.
Can you be objective?
There is no such thing as complete objectivity. All opinion is subjective by definition. A writer aims for objectivity to the extent that it’s possible. I don’t think absolute objectivity is either possible or desirable.
Sometimes the people you write about are the people you meet on a daily basis. How tough is that?
It’s not tough at all. People know what I stand for. I think over the years I have made it perfectly clear that my space as a columnist is sacred to me and I will not compromise –take it or leave it. If they don’t want to be my friends after that, it’s fine. I will not short change my readers or my credibility to favour a friend. If I’ve been unduly judgmental about or harsh to someone, and if at a later stage I’ve seen a different side to that person or seen quality being delivered, I have never hesitated in setting the record straight. My pen is not for sale!!
There’s so much focus on fashion and couture in the media today, it’s become a kind of mania. What’s your reaction to it?
I think what passes for Western fashion in India is a monumental joke. I think they’ve got it so wrong. It’s pathetically derivative. It’s nothing but borrowed high-street fashion with a bit of zardozi on it, and we grandly call it ‘fusion’. More confusion!
So are you silently laughing on the front row of a fashion show?
I stopped going ! But I’m laughing all the time when I see them in the papers. I was travelling to Delhi yesterday, and next to me was this very chic Japanese lady. We were looking through Mumbai Mirror and the coverage of one of those interchangeable Fashion Weeks. We stared at all these painted-up, Botox-ed, horrifying socialites with bows in their hair. And she said, “Why are these women all wearing teenage clubwear?” An 18-year-old girl clubbing in London or Paris would wear that stuff, not a 40-plus socialite.
Which 40-plus socialites are you talking about?
She was referring to pictures of Queenie Dhody, Malaika Arora and Nandita Mahtani. It was shocking how strangely dressed they were at that event. It may have been the top label du jour, but they did look comical. The exaggerated clown’s make-up, the lenses, the bleached hair, the artificiality of it all, with the clutch being held up in a certain way, so that the photographers can catch the brand. It is acutely embarrassing. It is tragic, and I wonder what happens when some of these perennial party girls go home and actually see themselves without all of that.
Maybe they think they’re looking lovely. Have you ever thought of that?
Of course they think they’re looking lovely. BUT does the rest of the world agree??
So who do you think is genuinely stylish?
You cannot be a stylish person if you’re a label slave. It’s not possible.
You believe that?
Absolutely. The silliest red carpet question is , “ Who are you wearing?”I believe style is about individuality and about having the courage to go against the tide and highlight your own personality, not represent someone else’s version of what they believe a fashionable woman or man should be.
So who is genuinely stylish in this country?
I don’t even like her, but I would say Sonia Gandhi. She has exquisite taste. She gets it right every time. She knows how to dress for the occasion; she knows how to glam up in a way that is completely appropriate for her position. She’s discreet. It’s this whole thing of less is more; we don’t understand that at all. We think more is more.
I’ve read your columns, and I think you genuinely believe that no one in Bollywood really gets their style right, on-screen or off.
They got it right in the Thirties, Forties, Fifties and Sixties. Those brocade cholis with just a hint of cleavage. It was just wonderful, classic diva dressing. The minute the girls got into frocks, it was the end because they can’t carry them off. Even if they turn size zero or minus or whatever, they cannot get it right.
I’m going to list a few names. Give me just one word.
We’re doing rapid fire now? Do I get a hamper at the end of the day?
You get a hug.
I’ll settle for a hamper and a hug.
*************************************************************************************
PULL QUOTE
Okay. I am just going to say the name and you give me your first thought, your general impression. So if I say Katrina Kaif, you would say…
English rose – and as boring.
Sonam Kapoor.
No sex appeal whatsoever.
Deepika Padukone.
Overrated and very average-looking. Any young girl from Brigade Road in Bangalore could give her a run for her money.
Kareena Kapoor.
Hot. She has it. She’s magic on screen. Four generations of talent showing.
Priyanka Chopra.
Very hot. Very intelligent eyes and a body language that is assertive and very today. She’s today’s girl.
Imran Khan.
He needs to trim his eyebrows, to start with. He’s a cutie, but without the mammu factor I don’t know whether he would have catapulted into the Rs 11 crore bracket with just that one film, which was okay. He registered because of the hype, but he could as easily un-register. He’s not the kind of personality that you say, “Oh wow, here’s a talent.” I’m not falling over backwards.
Ranbir Kapoor.
Technically, no looks. He looks goofy but because he’s so confident, so laid back and so easy in front of the camera I think the girls respond to him big time.
So who has impressed you recently in the world of entertainment?
Frankly, after Hrithik Roshan, no one. When he’s on screen, no one else exists.
Your daughter is getting married in December. Do you think there is a faithful man left in this world?
*************************************************************************************
I know I am married to one, and for me that’s good enough. My father told me something which has stayed with me all my married life. He said it’s not a question of temptation. He said it was not that he did not find another woman (apart from my mother) attractive – that’s not possible – but even when he did have the opportunity and his wife would never have known, he believed his commitment to her was more important than whatever he was going to share with a stranger – that defined character… it also defined commitment to marriage. Any relationship outside marriage is not an option. I remind my children – if that is your level of commitment, then get into marriage. Otherwise, forget it.
And in the current scenario, do you think it’s impossible?
I don’t think so at all. I think it’s very possible. I think a lot of young people, particularly my daughter’s age group, have seen too many marriages collapsing around them. I hope and pray that she remains committed to marriage because I think that’s what it’s all about. It’s about believing enough in marriage to say, “OK, this is for me.”
It’s a battle sometimes.
It is. There are always going to be terrible patches, as there are with any close relationship, but I think the C-word is what the new generation needs to rediscover. And if you don’t believe strongly enough you don’t need to marry. In my time, society pressurized girls in particular to marry. It was the norm. No longer.
But you know many people believe that sexual infidelity doesn’t have to be considered infidelity.
What other kind of infidelity is there?
Love. Falling in love outside your marriage.
No. If you’re in love with your partner, then the question of cheating on your partner does not arise, whether it’s sexually, financially or emotionally. To me it’s 100 per cent – it’s all or nothing, and that’s the only way it can be.
And you’re not being over-optimistic believing that?
Perhaps I am.
But I know men who genuinely love their wives and still…
That’s not genuine love.
So you think if you can cheat on your wife sexually, that means that there is something lacking in your relationship?
Definitely. Well, you don’t care enough about that person. You don’t respect that person. The key word is respect. It’s not about being found out or not being found out, it’s about not wanting to do it in the first place.
What about the urge of the moment?
That’s about character. Of course you’re going to be attracted to someone or the other in your life, but what you do with that attraction is what separates the men from the boys.
PULL QUOTE:
Okay, say 10 men have the opportunity to cheat. Out of 10, how many wouldn’t take the bait?
Would not? One in ten. I’m being optimistic!
That’s the fidelity ratio?
Yes, it is. But we’re talking about a very elite class.
But it could be rampant in the middle class, the working class…
It’s happening there as well because the day women stepped out of their homes and into the work place the dynamics of family changed in India. After all, men are not having it off with another male colleague….well…. most of the time.
Well, of course they are.
They are, but most of the time I would say it’s with a female colleague. Women did not exist in the work place earlier.
But what’s your opinion of women who hang on with bad marriages because they feel they can’t leave their comfort zone?
I have very little respect for women like that because I think it’s a very selfish thing to do. You and I must know at least 200 women who hang in there because of the perks of being married to who they’re married to, and the comforts they’ve become accustomed to. My sympathy is often with guys who have found true love and want to move on honourably. They want to settle their wives, marry the ‘other woman’ and live the life that they feel they are missing out on.
But they have a sort of guilt hanging over them.
No. There’s a petty little woman at home who says ‘I will not give you a divorce’. Often, There are grown children who are begging their mother, saying, “Come on, you’re just being such a bitch… He’s going to be looking after you and us. It’s not about the money, it’s certainly not about us because we’re OK with dad taking an independent decision on this, so what are you being such a… female dog about?” But that’s how it is. And I think that’s horrible. Spiteful and nasty.
When you’re at a party, watching people mingling, air-kissing, chatting, the wives interested in others’ husbands, the husbands interested in others’ wives, the lovers floating around, gay men in denial, gay men married… This is pretty much the society we’re living in. When you see this happening, what do you think?
Thank God it’s there ! How boring life would be without these colourful creatures. It has never really touched or affected me. This whole nonsense of taking sides. I say I’m on the side of God and my family, and that’s where it begins and ends. I think what’s happening in our society right now is what F Scott Fitzgerald captured in The Great Gatsby. We need someone like him to chronicle this moment. It’s really about too much new money and decadence… and a very low level of moral standards in every aspect of life, whether it’s towards your spouse, your kids, or money or your colleagues or your business associates.
The fantastic thing is that we can stare at these people, go back and have a good laugh.
Or a good cry sometimes…
The two key words are entertainment and indifference to the social scene…?.
I have always been very detached. I’ve been the eternal insider who’s the ultimate outsider, so it’s suited me very well.
sorry alex but this is the shittiest interview i have seen. i can take her case on every single point but what’s the point. and i don’t why johar is licking off from her fingers. it just proves the line- opinions r like a$sholes, each one has one.” but sadly in shoba’s case her opinions actually seem to come from her ‘that-hole’
One cannot comment on her as a person-haven’t got enuf info of that
But the way she writes is ace
Her reading is spot on most of the time
Many people get uncomfortable for a middle aged unconnected Indian female aunty speaking her mind
Anyhow-agree with most here
“Priyanka Chopra.
Very hot. Very intelligent eyes and a body language that is assertive and very today. She’s today’s girl.
Imran Khan.
He needs to trim his eyebrows, to start with. He’s a cutie, but without the mammu factor I don’t know whether he would have catapulted into the Rs 11 crore bracket with just that one film, which was okay. He registered because of the hype, but he could as easily un-register. He’s not the kind of personality that you say, “Oh wow, here’s a talent.” I’m not falling over backwards.
Ranbir Kapoor.
Technically, no looks. He looks goofy but because he’s so confident, so laid back and so easy in front of the camera I think the girls respond to him big time.
So who has impressed you recently in the world of entertainment?
Frankly, after Hrithik Roshan, no one. When he’s on screen, no one else exists.”
And most of her ‘pull quotes’ are good
Check this one
PULL QUOTE:
“Okay, say 10 men have the opportunity to cheat. Out of 10, how many wouldn’t take the bait?
Would not? One in ten. I’m being optimistic!”
🙂
u know what alex, shoba de is said to be having ‘sharp observations’ on things. i can assure u that leave alone Satyam, our own Ami can give sharper yet deeper takes on things than this ‘laidy’- and i mean it.
Ya that I agree with
Amy is surprisingly succinct and writes with ‘broad strokes’
Her comments have a certain relevance and focus, yet some ‘generalised’ universalism
I suggested to her to write some more reviews after her take on EMAET
But unfortunately she seems to have taken that feedback non-‘constructively’ 😉
Anyhow she maybe busy with esha Gupta -so u never know ..
Ps-not sure how many flatmates she has-have heard of Chinese, japanese, french, lebanese, andalucians etc
Hahaha that last one was just an exaggerated joke 😉
And poor Oldgold- she seems to be still recovering from the ‘designer bikini’ it seems 🙂
These are just jokes
She didn’t understand that the dress code was optional
Ps-omg- I think before I get attacked, should get ready to run 🙂
well- different races make a colourful orgy … just kidding (ami is really sweet). and on shobha’s humour, dude c’mon as i have said before i find your lines a zillion times more hilarious than hers.
ami, i just realised that even though i was simply joking, probably i should not have made the above comment(got carried away a bit). and as alex said that it may end end up rubbing u the wrong way, i apologise beforehand
“may end end up rubbing u the wrong way”
Lol @ “rubbing”
Hahah
Minor-that is my prerogative lol
U r digging yourselves into a bigger ‘hole’
Oops–need to run (& off to some action)
Will try to keep an eye (if u are safe)
I’m innocent as usual 🙂
Amy won’t be happy with that ‘orgy’ comment, minor
I didnt mean that by ‘flat mates’
And just noticed it-
that comment on Shobha auntys ‘that hole’
C’mon one should atleast spare aunties lol
Naughty comments minor lol
What effect will this have on ‘unspoilt’ girls like bliss and Oldgold who are eagerly reading stuff we are typing
We should have some ‘social responsibility’
Ps-just to clarify that Oldgold didn’t wear any bikini-that was just a joke
Ok minor
Like a ‘good boy’ i have to do some Friday night ‘socialising’ now.
So take care
Hope u don’t get ‘beaten up’ by Amy and Oldgold etc
I’m running away in advance (am taking bliss as well today-for a change)
😉
this is kind of disappointing. HP owns the record at 43 mill. anyways, will be watching the avengers tomorrow night. im curious to see what the friday numbers will be.
Weekend Forecast (May 4-6):
1. The Avengers – $172.5 million
2. Think Like a Man – $8.6 million (-51%)
3. The Pirates! – $6.6 million (-41%)
4. The Hunger Games – $6.3 million (-42%)
5. Five-Year Engagement – $5.8 million (-45%)
so boxofficemojo is predicting a record breaking opening weekend….barely. i think itll be around 150-160 opening. TDKR will break all records considering it’s the last one of the franchise.
Jannat 2 had a very good opening day as it collected around 8.25 crore nett. The business of the film was excellent in Bihar, CP Berar, CI, Rajasthan, Nizam and Orissa. UP and Gujarat also did very well with relative under performance coming in Punjab, Delhi city and Mysore.
The opening day collections are the highest for an Emraan Hashmi starrer after The Dirty Picture and the film should emerge with a weekend of around 25 crore nett.
Jannat 2 may find it hard to grow on Saturday though as key centres in the North which are drivers of Saturday growth were not as strong as other parts of the country but Sunday should be strong.
The opening day numbers are the fourth highest of the year after Agneepath, Housefull 2 and Agent Vinod. These three films were released on a full holiday or a part holiday.
Vicky Donor Continues Strong Run Emerges SUPER HIT
Saturday 5th May 2012 10.30 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Vicky Donor continued its strong into the third week and has emerged a Super Hit. The film remained unaffected by the release of Jannat 2, infact in Delhi and Punjab, the strength of Vicky Donor may have cost Jannat 2 some business.
Vicky Donor collected around 80 lakhs nett on its third Friday which should enable it to have a third weekend of around 3.50 crore nett. The film will have comfortably crossed 30 crore nett by the end of its third week. The lifetime business of the film will be in the 34-36 crore nett region.
The film is likely to do huge shares in the North for a film of its size with Delhi/UP going to around 5 crore and East Punjab around 2.50 crore.
kahaani and vicky donor working with wonderful script is good enough and lethargic tezz and janna2(bad reviews and -ve wom ) indicates finally these people will give prominence to decent enough films
May 4, 2012
Movie Review
Bollywood Characters Pursuing Weapons While Fleeing the Deadliest One, the Past
By RACHEL SALTZ
Like many Hindi movies, “Jannat 2” doesn’t like to keep you guessing about its characters’ motivations. Why is that cop (Randeep Hooda) swigging whiskey and preparing to dangle a suspect off a bridge? Because, his partner soon explains, he has lost his wife and vowed revenge against the gun smugglers who killed her.
And why does our hero, Sonu (the sad-eyed Emraan Hashmi), a small-time gun seller and “cheeky rogue” want to go straight? Because, he explains, he needs to live up to the ideals of the woman he loves, Jaanvi (Esha Gupta, a beauty queen making her wan film debut). She’s the clinic doctor who patches him up after Mr. Hooda’s cop slashes his hand.
Directed by Kunal Deshmukh and set in Delhi, “Jannat 2” has a clever opening in which Sonu gives us the lay of the land: everyone’s angry, he says, everyone wants a gun. In a pinch, a knife will do. The movie, though, is not about the toll of weapons on society but about the toll of the past on the characters’ lives.
Even Jaanvi is running from something: her father, who as Bollywood luck would have it, is the main villain, a gun importer with dreams of using traditional Indian know-how to make homegrown arms. (So why shoot the hands of the one guy who knows how to do it?)
Mr. Deshmukh gives the film a stylish surface, using Delhi well — its scruffy back alleys, romantic rooftops and, for songs, familiar monuments. But the modestly entertaining “Jannat 2,” a sequel to the 2008 hit “Jannat,” never lives up to the cheeky-rogue promise of its first scenes. It sails along on formula, perking up at the tear-jerking end, when Sonu makes a sacrifice worthy of Stella Dallas.
“Jannat 2” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes gun fetishism, violence and a rather risqué song sequence.
hat sounds unprofessional of aamir
the graceful bachchan ‘fills in’ for BIG aamir
It’s a known fact that Aamir Khan skips most of the award functions in India. That’s why the news of Aamir Khan agreeing to attend the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards came as a surprise. Aamir, on his part, had reportedly agreed to unveil the wax statue of Dadasaheb Phalke and attend at the function for almost half an hour. But on D-day Aamir was simply absent from the event! And that’s when Amitabh Bachchan came to rescue and unveiled Phalke’s statue.
News reports have it that Aamir, who was supposed to arrive at the event, chose to cancel it at the last moment, which eventually put the organizers in a big fix. Not knowing what to do, they then approached Big B at the last moment. Big B graciously agreed to do the unveiling at such a short notice. The organizers of the event, who confirmed the same, said that Aamir was supposed to come but backed out at the last moment, stating that he had some last minute dubbing to do because of which he could not come.
had mentioned earlier-seen Priyanka c sing a couple of lines somehwere in a show and mentioned that she may have a good carrer as a singer/performer mode (internationally even)
Katy perry isnt exactly creditable but she does have a certain following—now this news….Priyanka Chopra always claimed that when she’d decide to sing it would be done on a scale never attempted before.
She is living up to her promise. Priyanka’s singing debut gets bigger by the day. She’s currently in the US recording her ambitious music album which has several notable international artistes pitching in.
The latest musician to pitch in for Priyanka’s warbling wisdom is the American recording superstar Kate Perry.
We hear from very reliable sources that Perry who is currently one of the three hottest-selling American artistes,will join Priyanka for a duet in the album.
Says the source, “Priyanka met Kate at the IPL match when the latter was over in India.They hit it off instantly and even tweeted to one another about girlie preoccupations.Thereafter Priyanka decided to invite Katy into her album.Katy gladly joined in.”
Though Priyanka remained unavailable for comment and her business manager chose to be non-commital , our source tells us that Priyanka’s music album will be completed by the end of August. Thereafter she returns to start shooting with Ramcharan Teja for Zanjeer.
In an earlier interview Priyanka had told this writer, “Singing is part of my life. My father is a very good singer.Yeah, I want to sing professionally. But when I cut an album it would have to be something really special.I’ll do it only I am completely confident of my abilities as a singer.” Looks like Priyanka found the right moment.
And Emraan Hashmi is going from strength to strength. Today some of my friends saw Jannat 2 and the verdict is out- it’s a super hit and is getting good review all around. As much insipid as i find him, Hashmi has a considerable fan following and a box-office record better than the rest.And now he is getting credible projects-Apart from Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai, he has been cast in Vishal Bhardwaj’s next after ‘Matru ki bijli ka mandola’ which is a horror-supernatural flick, “Daayan’ alongside Kalki and Konkana. And then has a karan Johar production’s film which is going is going to be helmed by the Kurbaan director Rensil D’ Silva which also reportedly also has Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda and Kangana Raut which is a cop-gangster film. And then he Has Bhatt’s Raaz 3
something for puppy khan fans.. haha
(Guess what about the luck f the public who pays to watch his movies lol)
Imran khan lucky for his heroines
Looking at career track of the following actresses looks like a movie with Imran managed to strike gold for these actresses. The movies he did with these actresses managed to give some sort of success to his leading ladies in form of either critical or commercial success.
Genelia D’Souza – Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na was Genelia’s first big Bollywood success and marked her return back to Bollywood as a mainstream actress.
Sonam Kapoor – Sonam’s I Hate Luv Storys is her only big success when it comes to box office. And probably one of the few movies shes remembered for.
Katrina Kaif – Despite numerous success at box office most of Katrina’s movies fail to attract the critics. However MBKD won Katrina critical acclaim and got her, her second Filmfare nomination for best actress.
Kareena Kapoor – After being criticised for her roles in Bodyguard & Ra.one Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu gave Kareena that much needed critical acclaim.
I guess he is a Khan afterall 😉 Let’s hope this strike continues with Anushka Shamra in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.
Jannat 2 found it tough going at the box office on Saturday as many centres had noticeable drops. The trending at key centres on Friday suggested that growth would be difficult on Saturday but still expectations would have been for a similar second day to first.
This has not happened and the film is almost certain to have a fall on Saturday and when final collections come in,the fall will be somewhere in the 10-20% range which is a pretty big drop for its second day. The two day business of the film is likely to be in the 15-16 crore nett region.
Jannat 2 has also seen drops in mass belts on Saturday as well with the mixed reports being reflected in the collections. It will need a good jump on Sunday to get a 25 crore weekend which looks the best case scenario for the film now.
Jannat 2 grossed around 7 crore nett on its second day. The film dropped more than 15% on Saturday. The two day business is around 15.50 crore nett. The film will have to show a big jump on Sunday if it is to have a chance of sustaining on Monday. Some territory numbers from Saturday are as follows with Friday figures in brackets.
May 6, 2012
‘Avengers’ Vanquish Box-Office Rivals
By BROOKS BARNES
LOS ANGELES — Sorry, Harry. “The Avengers” have crushed you.
In a strong start to Hollywood’s summer movie season the superhero team in “Marvel’s The Avengers” took in about $200.3 million at North American theaters over the weekend, according to Walt Disney Studios, which released the film. That No. 1 result easily smashed what the movie industry considers the record, set last summer by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” for the biggest opening weekend of all time. Its total was $169.2 million if you don’t account for inflation, or about $172 million if you do.
“The Avengers” — about a star squad of Marvel superheroes, including Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Black Widow — is now on track to take in over $1 billion at the global box office, analysts estimate. This 3-D picture, directed by Joss Whedon (until now best known for creating “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), has already sold about $441.5 million in tickets overseas and has yet to open in important markets like Japan.
“I’m running low on double takes,” Dave Hollis, executive vice president for distribution at Disney, said on Sunday morning. “As the numbers came in, we kept thinking, ‘Can these numbers possibly be right?’ ”
Marvel Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company, spent about $220 million to make the film and at least another $100 million on global marketing. The film played at 4,349 locations in North America, and 52 percent of its domestic ticket sales came from 3-D showings, which cost $3 to $5 more than standard screenings. About 60 percent of the audience was male, Mr. Hollis said.
“Euphoric” was the only way to describe theater chains, some of which reported that their ticket-selling systems became overwhelmed with demand. “Imax had one big issue: We ran out of seats to sell,” Greg Foster, president of Imax Filmed Entertainment, the programming division of the large-format film company, wrote in an e-mail on Sunday morning.
No other movie came close to “The Avengers” over the weekend. “Think Like a Man” (Sony) was second, taking in about $8 million for a three-week total of $73 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. “The Hunger Games” (Lionsgate) took in about $5.7 million in third place, lifting its seven-week total to $380.7 million.
“The Lucky One” (Warner Brothers) was fourth, taking in $5.5 million for a three-week total of $47.9 million, and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” (Sony) was fifth, selling about $5.4 million in tickets for a two-week total of $18.6 million.
Several factors contributed to the enormous audience interest in “The Avengers,” starting with its quality. The movie, stuffed to the brim with special effects, has been popular with most critics, with the review-aggregation site RottenTomatoes.com rating it at 94 percent on the “fresh” scale. Audiences in exit polls gave the film a rare A-plus score, an indication that word-of-mouth was strong. The Hulk, played this time by Mark Ruffalo, has received particularly high marks.
“People come to the movies to see giant spectacles, but what really makes the difference is over-delivering on expectations,” said Kevin Feige, a producer of “The Avengers” and president of Marvel Studios. “Maybe it’s delivering a movie that is funnier than people expected or one that moves them a little bit more than they expected. Joss has accomplished that.”
Marvel also expertly orchestrated one of the longest marketing teases in Hollywood history. The studio planted the seeds for an all-star “Avengers” movie in 2008 with the release of “Iron Man,” played by Robert Downey Jr. Then a thunder god with a magic hammer, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), got his own movie, followed by Captain America (Chris Evans). Iron Man arrived with a sequel. All were worldwide hits.
This strategy, largely devised by Mr. Feige and mirroring how Marvel historically approached the publication of its comics, carried enormous risk. If even one of those prior films had flopped, “The Avengers” — envisioned as a multifilm series — would have been thrown into question.
More Marvel is on the way. Sony will release “The Amazing Spider-Man” in July. (Sony holds those rights in a long-standing deal that predates Disney’s purchase of Marvel.) “Iron Man 3” is scheduled for next May, with “Thor 2” following in November of next year. A sequel to “Captain America: The First Avenger” is planned for April 2014.
The turnout for “The Avengers” is being called a record by the movie industry even though independently verified box-office data is available going back only about 30 years. That means inflation cannot be taken into account when measuring the success of old blockbusters like “Gone With the Wind.”
Still, it marks an important win for Disney, which has struggled mightily at the box office in recent months. The studio’s last major release was “John Carter,” a failed science-fiction epic that prompted Disney to take a $200 million write-down. The company fired its movie chairman last month and has not yet announced a successor.
Hollywood will now try to keep the “Avengers” momentum going by releasing blockbusters every weekend until Labor Day, a season that typically accounts for 40 percent of the industry’s annual ticket sales. It’s a summer stuffed with promising new entries, like “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and franchises: the return of Will Smith in “Men in Black III,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift.”
One window for armchair box-office analysts to watch in particular is Aug. 3, when two major releases will go after the same audience: “The Bourne Legacy,” the first film in that series without Matt Damon, and “Total Recall.”
The movie industry is trying hard to reverse four consecutive summers of declining attendance. Ticket sales for the summer period last year totaled $4.38 billion; attendance was about 543 million, the lowest tally since 1997. This year has been strong so far, with ticket sales up 16 percent to $3.6 billion and attendance up 18 percent.
“That No. 1 result easily smashed what the movie industry considers the record, set last summer by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” for the biggest opening weekend of all time. Its total was $169.2 million if you don’t account for inflation, or about $172 million if you do.”
Damn, this is all so crude compared to Taran’s and Nahata’s sophisticated reasoning. Emran Hashmi just beat the Awara opening!
This is the most laughably biased piece of box office reporting I’ve seen:
Jannat 2 Has Good Weekend
Monday 7th May 2012 10.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 had a good first weekend of around 24 crore nett. The weekend was good but the film failed to show any growth in business on Saturday and Sunday. It dropped on Saturday and Sunday was similar to Friday. The approx breakdowns are 8.40 crore on Friday, 6.90 crore on Saturday and 8.75 crore on Sunday.
The film has fared best in the Maharashtra area and the circuits which fall in Maharashtra like CP Berar and Nizam have done very well. Mumbai has also scored well thanks to Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Business in the North remained lower comparatively as UP did well but collections in Delhi and Punjab were not so strong.
The film is a success while the weekday business will decide if it emerges a hit.
They also attribute TDP’s success to Emraan 😉 I wonder if he pays them to shamelessly contort all data in his favour? But the funniest thing was Komal Nahta labelling EMAET neither hit nor flop, nor above/ below average but a ‘box office plus’. I think he invented a new category just for that film.
Lol.. They have a thing going for Emraan I presume. Interestingly I still find Taran a tad better than Komal in appreciating cinema that’s non box-office friendly but qualitative. Komal would rather place Housefull 2 / Singham and 3 idiots on the same page while considering Udaan as just about okay.
thing is hashmi has no range at all and still its the sleaze content for him which they tried for jannat 2(another bhatt production) but its dam predictable
i guess he understands his limitation and beginning to get supporting role outside bhatt…can’t see him going anywhere as an actor and as star to ….he is just to dam predictable
I wont entirely agree with that notion. Hashmi can be effective at times (like in Awarapan and OUATIM) but its natural to be prejudiced against him especially when he’s hardly worked with someone outside the Bhatt camp, and of course his reputation of being a part of many a sleazy product
Btw what’s the take on esha guptas ‘performance’.
B4 the film release, there was her mention as a cross between Angelina jolie and smita patil 🙂
Btw she seems ‘natural’ really from the pics – to give her credit
if this news is true, ali zafar should be on cloud 9. sudir mishra is one of the finest directors working today(imo he hasn’t made a single mediocre film till now).btw before mehrunnisa, mishra’s ‘power play'(formerly ‘inkaar’) is releasing this yr- it’s based on ‘sexual harassment of women in offices’ and stars chitrangada and arjun rampal. and yes alex, i saw LPN, it’s not my type of film but a friend (girl) dragged me along- quite an enjoyable with a very nice performance by aditi rao-a one-time watch
Thanx minor for the info
Btw that topic is interesting
Is it sexual harrassment ‘by’ women on offices or ‘of’ women?
Btw am a bit surprised that LNPY wasn’t liked
From the promos: Seemed a film that will find a certain ‘market’ amongst the young crowd
Haven’t seen the film but a couple of song s were good
The title song and there ws one on “phase hai”
‘inkaar’- it’s ‘of’ women( though i agree ‘by women’ might have made for a more interesting topic but still trust mishra to come up with something really good).LPNY was a reasonable success(atleast that’s what the director and goldie behl were saying) and most of the people who saw it ended up liking it. it was way better than MBKD, IHLS, BKB. yes- very hummable songs- ali zafar has done a good job as a singer and composer- the 2nd version of ‘phase hai’, sung by aditi rao herself, is even better
LPNY had a few scenes in first half that were pleasant to watch – playful banter and camaraderie between the leads but that’s just about it. The film was flat, dull and directionless.
That’s the song minor
Yucks- all this paperwork
Hope the music helps me stay.sane
Actually like working to music
Get time to watch v few films – only few clips, promos here n there r enuf
Becoming more of a music buff
Jannat 2 collected 23.50 crore nett over its first weekend. The collections were nearly 2 crore better than Murder 2 but was released on 500 more screens. The weekend territorial breakdown of Jannat 2 is as follows.
The collections of Jannat 2 fell around 55% on Monday as it collected around 3.75 crore nett. The trend was the same in all circuits and even the ones that performed well over the weekend fell around 55%. Delhi/UP held up best of all circuits with a less than 50% fall.
The film has now collected around 27.25 crore nett with the week heading towards a 35 crore nett total. The Monday collections suggest that the film will find it hard to cross the business of Murder 2 which was a smaller film and had huge competition in the form of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Singham after its first week.
If the film has the regular 15% drops over the weekdays then it will find it hard to put up decent numbers in its second week.
Jannat 2 collected around 3.1-3.2 crore nett on Tuesday. The film had a noticeable drop in the big circuits while smaller circuits were comparitively steady. The Tuesday figures from some circuits are as follows with Monday in brackets.
The winning streak continues!
By Taran Adarsh, May 9, 2012 – 07:42 IST
The Bhatts have, most of the times, got it right. Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have never chased stars, yet created ample curiosity for their movies. One of the prime reasons why Vishesh Films has been around for so many years — and has a fantastic track record — is because the Bhatts have kept a sharp eye on the economics, never spending an extra penny or bowing down to the whims and fancies of the stars. Making hi-concept movies in a stipulated budget is their mantra, which explains why the Bhatts and their distributors have never cried tears of blood even if the film didn’t meet the expectations at the box-office.
JANNAT 2, riding on Emraan Hashmi’s star power, is, by far, their biggest opener, having grossed Rs 24 cr nett in its opening weekend. Despite the fact that Emraan’s stature has grown over the years, you might be surprised to know that the cost of production of JANNAT 2 is a mere approx Rs 9.5 cr.
Unlike some media created stars, who get written about and feature on Page 3 every second day, but fail to draw audiences when their movies release, Emraan Hashmi’s movies have, consistently, drawn moviegoers in hordes. He enjoys tremendous fan following amongst masses, which explains why his last four films [including JANNAT 2] have opened big at the ticket window. Amongst the newer lot, only Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan have lived up to the expectations of the distributors.
JANNAT 2 had a great start on Friday, slipped on Saturday, but gathered steam on Sunday, thus packing a solid punch in its first three days. The multiplexes aren’t strong [the family audience hasn’t taken to the cuss words in the narrative], but the consolation is that the shares would be much, much higher since the film has performed exceedingly well at single screens.
Speaking from the economics point of view, yes, JANNAT 2 is a success story. The question is, how big a success will it be? Emraan’s films have a limited market in Overseas [even THE DIRTY PICTURE had a limited release there, although it fared well internationally]. JANNAT 2 has had a smaller release in the international arena, which means it will have to rely on the business from the domestic market. The makers have already sold the Satellite and Music Rights for a good amount and the recoveries from India theatrical will only add to the profits.
But Satyam, to be truthful here the film has worked big time in my town. I have not seen it but my friends who went for it were thoroughly entertained and reported that the theatre was housefull
The BOI reporting and Taran’s is completely at odds. But leaving this aside a film could be doing poorly overall but still do well enough in pockets. Or it could open well enough and then not to well. One can get lots of houseful shows even for flops depending on what theater one is going and when. Mann was very successful in Lucknow and overall did reasonably well in UP and some other parts of the North. Doesn’t mean it was a hit film.
find it hard to believe it will be one if even BOI who otherwise think Hashmi is two steps away from hrithik (I only exaggerate slightly) are negative on the film. Sure it should be profitable.
But Satyam , Hasmi is on a wave. Look at some of his upcoming projects- Apart from Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai, he has been cast in Vishal Bhardwaj’s next after ‘Matru ki bijli ka mandola’ which is a horror-supernatural flick, “Ek Thi Daayan’ alongside Kalki and Konkana where he reportedly plays a magician.
And then has a karan Johar production’s film which is going is going to be helmed by the Kurbaan director Rensil D’ Silva which reportedly also has Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda and Kangana Raut which is a cop-gangster film. And then he Has Bhatt’s Raaz 3
I wonder these directors have saw in him that he is getting such films. One guy who is a far better actor is Randeep Hooda
Satyam, btw do check out the trailer of Killer Joe which I have posted on the Twixt thread. It’s creating quite a buzz internationally and is getting high critical praise
Dont you think sometimes you let your bias towards or against a star cloud your judgement (not being personal)? Emraan may not have had great or ‘respectable’ beginnings in the industry but sometimes I find it odd even his presence in a film makes some people here form opinions and biases against the film itself! While the houseful in his home-town claim was put forwarded by saurabh, you had a theory against it but the same theory would be used in favour of Amitabh’s BHTB (posters will be put on main page, queue outside theatres will be talked about in an effort to showcase that the film’s a success). Why not accept Jannat 2 as Emraan’s success, even if we accept it isnt a clear hit?
And Emraan isnt the only example. Lets even leave the Box office argument aside for an instant. Is our bias in favour of a star so strong that we’d put forth all our rational thinking to use in order to defend a piece of crap Abhishek starred in? If Raavan for instance, a wasted effort in my opinion, is suddenly talked about as a sort of a puritan attempt, whats wrong in accepting a say, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara despite its flaws.
Does Raavan deserve appreciation just because it has a director at the helm whose previous works we have absolutely loved and which are genuine classics? Why not look at a film on an individual basis and based on its merits rather than letting our judgement decide what the filmmaker could have tried to attempt here? That way, you may also derive sense from an Om Shanti Om!
I dont know whether I have digressed from the main issue but my focus was on ‘bias’
Tony- I agree with a lot of what you’re saying- and I moderately enjoyed ZNMD- but Raavan was a much more genuine, intelligent and skillful effort than ZNMD- having said that- I preferred the Tamil version because Vikram’s performance was far superior to Abhishek’s- and Prithviraj was a much more appropriate choice for Ram than Vikram was.
btw Ami, EMAET is not much better than Jannat, Killer, OUATIM, Gangster or Kalyug content-wise. I will rather watch these films than watch Imran Khan’s stupid act
No one ever said that EMAET was a masterpiece- the difference is that Bhatt films are generally sleazy and misogynistic- and to me that’s a big difference. And anyway- I never questioned your taste- there’s no need to be so defensive. 🙂
“there’s no need to be so defensive. 🙂 “- Ami, I love the way u take people’s case in a surreptitious manner…LOL. The films of Hashmi I mentioned above didn’t have much celebration of sleaze. The fact is that I hardly like acting but he sometimes his films, on a rather good day, entertain me a bit. Kalyug, even though a bit sleazy was better than most of Bhatt’s effort and I really like Kunal Khemu. Killer, though a rip-off of Collateral, was not at all sleazy and was enjoyable bcos of Irrfan’s performance. And Jannat also was not sleazy at all. And I d not like any of his sleazy stuff- Murder, Zehar, etc.
Not to trying to take your case- sorry if it sounded that way- I thought you misunderstood my comment as attacking your taste so I said that.
Anyway- What is ‘B-Grade’ really? 5 years ago films like Singham and Ready would have been considered B-Grade- today they’re big budget, big star blockbusters. If a Mallika Sherawat or Rakhi Sawant do an item song its trashy but if Katrina or another British/ American woman do it then its sexy and slick and if Vidya does it- it’s artistic and brave. I didn’t object to Hashmi because he is ‘B-Grade’- I just don’t see anything of any merit in him. Even if he does sleazy films- if he had some talent or appeal- I wouldn’t judge him so harshly.
I was kidding Ami- I know that u not attacking me, I have seen ur attacks they r rather sharp…lol. To be true, even I don’t know the proper criteria behind calling a film B-grade? And u know, u once suggested that Vidyut Jamwaal should play a lead in an action flick, I think Randeep Hooda should be acting alongside him, the guy is freaking taleneted
Tony, I sometimes feel the same. And more than accepting Hashmi or Jannat 2’s success, the main grouse I have is that these films are not even discussed properly on the box-office thread (when compared to some other films). there should be some equality in these matters.Thiis is just my view but I believe putting up an entire episode of Styamev Jayate does not serve anything, in that way we should also put up a video of an entire film which has just released. I am only saying this bcos I will rather have Satyam’s write-up on films(or even someone else’s pieces) than watching episodes of a tv show however good it may be. I have gone through Satyam’s previous articles and he used to write much more back then and was more prolific. The main reason for my interest in this blog is reading his write-ups- because
1)they are damn interesting and entertaining . I get to lean so much frm them even if I don’t understand them fully always.
2)because the comments which follow those write-ups are the real constructive discussions which happen on the blog. I mean some of the comments which GF and Q have written are so bloody good that an entire article can me made out of them.
Hashmi????
Come on guys. Get serious.
The only thing one can possibly discuss is how a guy bereft of any talent and charisma is continuing to get films and finding people who are willing to pay to watch his movie. I understand it takes all kinds and all other BS but Hashmi has nothing going for him IMO.
As far as Jannat 2 BO goes, it seems to be fading rapidly after a good Friday and given a low budget will be profitable.
Hashmi was OK in Footpath but has the same expression otherwise.
He may have good projects but unless he ups his game, he is soon going to be on a downward trajectory.
As far as comparng him with AB Jr goes, he has more talent in his little toe than Hashmi can imagine. Am sure there are people who will disagree but to each his own.
” The only thing one can possibly discuss is how a guy bereft of any talent and charisma is continuing to get films and finding people who are willing to pay to watch his movie. I understand it takes all kinds and all other BS but Hashmi has nothing going for him IMO ”
But than U are already in the club of Idiots and losers 🙂
Is there big loser than Jr B in BW right now???
And I just posed the question and ur logic.. logic must hold from both sides..its not when you utter it becomes gospel and when others it become moronic act .
But may be you didnt read the comment but just saw JR B name and replied back.. 🙂
The main argument I read here for Jr B despite of huge num of flops in his kitty, is that Directors see something in him and that’s why they cast him and when some directors see same thing in any other stars, they cease to be good directors… 😀
I think Shanghai is a litmus test for Emran IMO. If he delivers, performance wise, I might change my mind. I didnt find him impressive in OUATIM. The Bhatt films, I totally disregard. Not meant for serious consumption, am afraid.
1)People who follow this logic for Hashmi should be following it in an even bigger way for Abhishek. But of course they don’t!
2)One has to look at contexts and not just at the names involved. Otherwise one would have to conclude that Ratnam considered Arvind Swamy better than Kamal as he did more films with the latter! Or that Prakash Jha probably thinks Abhay Deol is just like Ranbir since he’s doing a film with him.
Hashmi has taken some steps forward for sure but note how no major star would be willing to do most of the roles he does with the exception of Shanghai. Because either they’re very obvious supporting parts as in TDP or UOATIM and so on or else he’s doing the Bhatt stuff which is not anyone’s ticket to prestige! All of this is very obvious and scarcely needs to be debated. Hashmi is basically a B grade guy who’s got most of his success doing soft porn (or the Indian commercial equivalent of this) married to hit soundtracks. In more recent times he’s graduated to somewhat better things. This doesn’t mean he’s on a glide path to anything substantial. One would rather be Neil Mukesh than him irrespective of the box office records in each case. Some people are just not ‘serious’ and Hashmi’s one of them. Though I find him fairly offensive at many levels this isn’t the reason why I am arguing against him. The fact is that from Taran to BOI and now some people on blogs the whole ‘hurrah’ing’ of Hashmi has reached positively idiotic proportions.
Hashmi is for the most part a signal — come watch my films. the girl strips, I kiss her crazily, she writhes in bed with me. That’s his essential calling card. But he has done some better stuff of late. Most of it hasn’t amounted to much either commercial or for him. If some want to keep giving him credit for TDP they’re welcome to do so. So far I’ve shied away from substance abuse, therefore can’t join in.
and of course the best example here is OUATIM even in another sense. So the sequel takes up Hashmi’s character in detail and they switch the actor and go for Akshay! So much for being this box office force!
I dont agree to either of this or that. I just found rajen’s logic flawed, So I Posed the Query..
Rest cinema is more about BO, than prestige or not, instead of prestige the better word would be Good or bad film..
If Prestige was all that directors carve for than Raj kapoor would not have felt dejected and depressed about MNJ BO performance, same hold true for Guru Dutt and all Directors..
Its Economics and than Rest follows as far as commercial cinema goes..
Rest I dont know if Hashmi is good or bad actor, not seen his movies , may be on Gangster but if he is rising than its more noteworthy because he is coming from lowest rung of ladder, say from minus and now attracting some attention.
Well, Abhishek is definitely far ahead (and much tolerable) in the acting department than Hashmi but that wasn’t really the issue. My comment was directed towards a different thing
Tony, I think we were talking about giving him his due respect. I have never liked Hashmi as an actor but somehow he manages to give one hit after another. There must be something right about him.
Btw he has one more long delayed film “Rush” (earlier titled Raftaar 24×7 and Play) also releasing this yr. It got delayed bcos the director Shimin Desaidied before film could be completed but his wife has finished the film now. Also stars Neha Dhupia, Sagarika Ghatge and Aditya Pancholi. Its tentative release date as of now is Dec 15, 2012
Plot synopsis- A story about media and politics. Sam Grover (Emraan Hashmi) is a struggling news reporter. Even though his talk show is at the pinnacle of success, his personal life turns upside down when he accepts an assignment offered by a dynamic media tycoon. It plunges him into a vortex of violence in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Beneath the veneer of glamour, money, power and the enviable life of media, lays a truth that is at once unbelievable and shocking..
the issue was about forming an opinion about the film even before its release and based on the same opinion, carrying forward your judgement even after having watched the film – because you dont like the actor. dont have only emraan in mind in particular but also stars like Hritik. I dont say I support these fellows but the basis on which you judge a thing should be consistent for every thing. not as if based on one parameter you’re criticizing a film but the same parameter will be used to appreciate another just because you have fixed perception
Tony, your statement is quite correct here and one couldn’t disagree with it in general. However it’s also equally true that in all of these things contexts matter. One cannot mechanically apply a set of rules either way.
“As far as comparng him with AB Jr goes, he has more talent in his little toe than Hashmi can imagine. Am sure there are people who will disagree but to each his own.”- Rajen Sir, obviously no one is denying it. But currently Hashmi’s hit-loss ratio is way better than Abhishek’s. And I dunno how but this guy is getting projects helmed by credible directors like Dibakar and Vishal Bharadwaj. and now he has entered KJo’s camp and is also reportedly been offered Yash Raj’s next which will be made by Parmeet Sethi (who made Badmaash Company). We have to give te guy his due
If a film opens reasonably well, falls on Saturday, posts a similar collection to Friday on Sunday and then continues sliding during the weekdays, isn’t it a pretty clear sign that it hasn’t been accepted by the audience?
Jannat 2 opened much stronger than Kahaani and EMAET but it’s box office is probably going to end with a total that is a notch lower than EMAET- which itself was not well accepted- and about half of Kahaani. And this is going by BOI’s predictions of a 35 crore total- which comes from a source that is biased positively towards Emran in the first place.
Ami, I don’t think so. I think it will earn much more than EMAET. And he has been a part of many successful films- Murder, Murder 2, Gangster, Jannat, Raaz 2, Zehar, OUATIM, TDP- even Dil to Bachcha Hai and Kalyug(where he had a supporting role) did good business
Sauarabh- this is not my prediction- this is what BOI has predicted based on Jannat 2’s disappointing trending. Emran has had an excellent track record no doubt- but this film has not been wholegeartedly accepted by the audience and that is evident from the way it is trending. And let’s not forget that this is just the domestic gross- EMAET had a much higher international total than Jannat 2 will. I don’t think TDO’s success had anything to do with Emran though- that was down to Ekta’s ace marketing campaign- his contribution to OUTIM was minimal as well- and Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji did not do good business. His real test is going to be the KJo production- it will tell us if he can deliver in a solo hero film outside of the Bhatt sleaze factory.
His contribution to OUTAIM was minimal- I thought he played the 2nd lead and had as much screen-time as DEvgn(have seen the film quite a few times). On TDP, all I said was he is a part of successful films. Yes, u r right abt KJO project but he will also be tested IN Vishal Bhardwaj’s next “Ek thi Daayan” where he is with Konkana and Kalki
I meant his contribution in terms of box office pull- with OUTIM it was a very nicely packaged film and that’s what worked. Yes I forgot about Vishal Baradwaj’s film- more than KJo who is a shameless profiteer I’m shocked than Vishal has given Emran a film- his appeal/ talent completely escapes me.
Anyway, Ami did u see the trailer of “Iron Sky” which I posted on the “Prometheus Trailer” thread or not? please do so, want to know ur views on it. And I recommend it to everyone. Also see the trailer of “Killer Joe” which I posted on the Twixt thread
Even if Vishal couldn’t cast a major star- I didn’t expect him to cast Hashmi of all people! Disappointing! BTW is it confirmed that Konkana is making a comeback with this film?
its akshay kumar who is in ouatim 2 replacing the man jay devgan not others and its balan who is in media and getting national awards
its not about some low budget niche production(which are usually risk free) for single screen and precisely for that one gets here and there role to milk around this phase temporarily
Konkana is not confirmed but Kalki is. Konkana somewhere said that her comeback film will be with her hubby Ranvir Shorey. And she is confirmed for a new love story based on a Bengali novel along with Rahul Bose. btw Emraan in Ek Thi Daayan is playing a magician
Satyam < i have sen Vikramakardu- the Ravi Teja ne from which they remaking Rowdy. And it redefined a bad film for me. I can bet on it that u or anyone will not be able to sit through Vikramakardu in a single sitting (and I am someone who loved Masala films). And come on, films like Rowdy Rathore are making a mockery of Masala, u should be feeling disappointed with them
“Yeah I see major stars bending over backwards to get into a Bhardwaj film with ‘Daayan’ in the title!”- I don’t know abt that but Bhardwaj gave 2 career-making roles to Saif and Shahid, so there is a posiibility that Emraan may shock us with his performance. btw as per reports even though the title has Daayan, it’s Emraan who plays the central role here.
And Satyam, I find Emraan ‘s films no more offensive than the crappy stuff which Akshay is doing for quite some time. Rowdy Rathore looks horrible and I believe he has been completely miscast in the sequel of OUATIM
Saurabh, yes those two had career performances in films that didn’t have ‘Daayan’ in the title! It’s like RGV made Company and Satya but also made Raat and lots of other horror stuff. He’s still the same director!
On the rest I find Hashmi himself offensive. Wasn’t referring to the films though I find most of his Bhatt stuff offensive as well. On Akshay’s comedies sure they’re terrible too. Disagree on Rowdy Rathore though. It looks as good or bad as most films in this genre. I’ve enjoyed the trailers and I think Prabhudevaa will have an entertainer here (I forget what this is remaking..). But seriously you can’t be comparing Akshay with Hashmi!
Yes, Housefull, Housefull2, Desi Boyz, Chandni Chowk to China, De Dana Dan, Thank You and Kambakkht Ishq were all ‘class efforts’, right. and regarding Akshay working in big budeget projects, lemme get into his entire 90’s phase where he kept doing innumerable B-grade action-porns (though i quite love some of them)-
Tone, u have seen it. great man . And I loved those 3 naris. Btw another of my basement bargain favs of Akki is “Taraazu” where there is a hot smooch between him and Sonali Bendre. He actually starts killing villains while remaining in a coma- like limbo state here.
“Bharadwaj’s direction is limited to Hindi belt”- he made a damn good film Kaminey which had nothing to do with Hindi belt, even 7 khoon maaf, a film i quite like, is not set in that belt. And he is my fav director currently, period. His Maqbool was the best adaptation of Macbeth I have ever seen anywhere- a modern day classic
Rockstar, I have read Ruskin Bond’s Susaana’s 7 husbands, the fact that Vishal made a movie out of that crap is itself an achievement. And I have tried to see all adaptations of Macbeth, do tell me which one did u find which was better than Maqbool.
On a separate note, The Hunger Games hung on better than I expected and has managed to go past 380 crores and deserves props. I had initially suggested that it may end at 350 crores and wish to acknowledge that I was wrong on that score. Had argued with somebody here about it. Dont remember who but may be Ami and jsut wanted to say it HAS done better than I felt was possible after the first week.
380 million you mean. 🙂 It has done extremely well- I think most people were surprised at it’s sustaining power- apparently no film since Avatar has been at the top of the box office for so many weeks.
I think that releasing potential blockbuster before summer- when they wouldn’t have competition from other major films- was a really smart move.
I have a feeling it will be tough for TDKR to out-gross Avengers. It has made $702.1 million till now, has had the biggest opening-weekend gross ever and the biggest single-day gross
“Tone, u have seen it. great man . And I loved those 3 naris. Btw another of my basement bargain favs of Akki is “Taraazu” where there is a hot smooch between him and Sonali Bendre. He actually starts killing villains while remaining in a coma- like limbo state here”
— i enjoyed aflatoon the most among his flop hindi films. n also have a weakness for mr and mrs khiladi 🙂
I loved the title track of Aflatoon- it goes like “Ye khabar chhap waa do akhbaar mein, poster lagwa do bazaar mein”- abhijeet singing that was quite fun. didn’t like Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi at all, only Khiladi film which I have not liked.My favs f his action days are- Mohra( a damn smart film), Khiladi, Khiladiyon ke khiladi, International Khiladi, Dancer, Elaan, Sainik, Khiladi 420, Taraazu, Mr. Bond, Zaalim, Waqt Hamara Hai and Sapoot- btw his best act in the dcade was in Sangharsh and Yeh Dillagi.
Well as i have said before, my fav masala moment from 90’s was Jindaal (naseer) beating the hell out of both Akki and Suniel Shetty single-handedly in the climax. Btw did u know Ami’s fav song is “Tip -tip barsa paani”-
So especially for Ami- this song turned me from a boy to a man- and I am putting it in HD version so that one can see ‘everything’ clearly- btw on a serious note check out the music, VIju Shah was way ahead of his time
Re: Bhardwaj gave 2 career-making roles to Saif and Shahid
This statement has two sides. I think VB gave those two career highs of sorts with his films but notice how both have been on a dwonward trajectory since!
Yeah “career-making” in either case is rather hyperbolic. Both of those guys didn’t exactly get any major mileage or change perception to any great degree as a result of their work in those films. Certainly this wasn’t like Abhishek in Yuva where one could sense people waking up to a talent and then saw follow-through with important filmmakers signing the actors up.
i certainly believe that after omkara, people did wake up to saif’s talent. it is almost universally considered as his best performance(he himself has said so many times). and i don’t think saif has been on a downward path at all after omkara-after this he did eklavya, being cyrus, race, love aajkal, aarakshan- all of them which worked in one way on other. yes shahid still has not been able to capitalise on kaminey’s success but it did tell people that he is more than just a good-looking guy
I think nothing gave Saif’s career a more revitalizing jolt than DCH. Omkara certainly showed that he could do a certain type of character and won him a lot of applause. I’m not arguing that it’s not a career high. Just not a career-making performance. Because honestly I don’t think he got those other films (certainly not Being Cyrus or Race or LAK!) on the merit of Omkara.
“I think VB gave those two career highs of sorts with his films but notice how both have been on a dwonward trajectory since!” I have been thinking about the irony of it. The same happened to Rani with Black.
On the flip side, it is a role like DCH that revived Saif’s career.
Agree utkal uncle
Infact both saif and akshaye ‘hairy’ khanna got a ‘second life’ with this film
And not only a new life
Saif found his niche whic may have been difficult in a lesser film
Btw utkal uncle: hav u watched any films lately-any comments
Or are u waiting for josm2 🙂
SATYAMSHOT 
May 4, 2012 at 6:23 AM
Top 5: ‘VIcky Donor’ is a smash hit, ‘Tezz’ debacle
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May 4, 2012 at 6:24 AM
B.O. update: ‘Jannat 2’ starts with a bang
By Taran Adarsh, May 4, 2012 – 14:46 IST
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI. MURDER 2. THE DIRTY PICTURE. Emraan Hashmi’s movies open big at the box-office. His new release, JANNAT 2, too started with a bang. While the morning shows in Rajasthan and Gujarat were terrific [the film opened with 90% + occupancy], the pre-noon and post-noon shows maintained the same pace across the country. The multiplexes ranged from good to excellent, while the single screens were rocking.
JANNAT 2 is expected to fetch excellent numbers over the weekend, with the Friday figure looking at Rs 9 cr + nett, as per early trends. At the rate it is faring, JANNAT 2 should be the third biggest opener of the year, after AGNEEPATH and HOUSEFULL 2.
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May 4, 2012 at 6:24 AM
Guess Devgan wasn’t in OUATIM nor Balan in TDP!
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May 4, 2012 at 7:09 AM
I’ve been saying it since FOOTPATH, yeh lambi race ka ghoda hai! He may not be everyones cup of tea BUT I think his BO record as well as the variety of roles he is starting to do speak for themselves. SHANGHAI will be another feather in his cap….
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May 4, 2012 at 6:25 AM
Jannat 2 Has Very Good Opening
Friday 4th May 2012 12.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 had a very good opening of around 70-75% on average. The Central India belts of CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan took an excellent opening of 80-100%. Gujarat was also very strong.
North India was a bit weaker as Delhi/UP opened to around 60-70% while East Punjab was 50-55% but overall its still a very good opening as Central and most of Western India has opened to excellent numbers. Areas dominated by premium multiplexes like Bangalore and Gurgaon had a lower opening.
The first day collections will come out very strong and could even be the third biggest opening day of 2012.
Jannat 2 has been released on 1975 screens at 1575 theatres across India.
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May 4, 2012 at 6:26 AM
Suddenly they’ve all stopped talking about HF2. Guess it hasn’t done anything significant in week 3.
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May 4, 2012 at 7:02 AM
What is it about Emraan that the masses get so excited about?
Does he appeal that much to the aam junta or is it the often said arguements that the guys love going to his movies because they’l have a ‘good time’ watching a semi-soft porn?
I think he’s a cracking actor and he plays it safe by doing small budget movies whereas Ranbir is acting in big budget movies which are risky (Rockstar)
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May 4, 2012 at 7:18 AM
Dont think its really about Emran Hashmi..
It’s official – Sequels give guaranteed good openings…
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May 4, 2012 at 1:01 PM
According to bhatts tweets :
Esha Gupta looks like Angelina jolie !!
From where
Though there is something ‘interesting’ about her looks
I’m not sure I her being ‘endowed’ (as pointed by minor) is anything ‘augmented’
May well be ‘natural’
Let’s give her the benefit of doubt folks
Not sure why is she getting so many films even before her first release ..
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May 4, 2012 at 4:42 PM
Grousefull 2,3,4
🙂
When one watches seriously awful movies that go all over the place without going anywhere, it hurts! I watched ‘Housefull-2’ at a reasonably packed multiplex, and was both bewildered and astonished. Why bewildered? Because I actually heard a few people laughing! That too at some of the most ludicrous scenes, like a particularly nasty one in which Mithun Chakraborthy is shown running around a tree with an English maid. Nothing wrong with it…. except that the maid is played by a dwarf. And the offensive ‘joke’ revolves around her physical stature. Surely, as senior an actor as Mithun, could have refused to enact such an insensitive scene? There are enough obligatory messages that assure audiences no animals have been harmed during the shoot, and that cigarette smoking is injurious to health. What about somebody objecting to the cruel projection of people with physical problems. There were several distasteful jibes which are blatantly racist /sexist. Like referring to a dark complexioned man as a negro and implying his wife had slept with a fair complexioned chap to produce their son( Shreyas Talpade).Most of the humour is off-colour and far-from-funny. It’s the vulgar cracks in our movies that need better monitoring. Cracks, that display our deep rooted prejudices so brazenly. Of course, the four over age and over grown ‘boys’ in the film have done their best with the lousy material and put in spirited performances despite the complete absence of any logic or even basic decency. Take the ‘painfully’ long drawn out sequence involving an alligator biting Riteish’s bottom and a python going for
crotch .The absurd movie hurtles along on nothing more than koila gags. In all probability, it will be declared a huge hit. Which will provide the green signal to make Housefull-3. Aaaaargh!
Shobha de aunty- your writing is so fun…
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May 4, 2012 at 4:57 PM
well shoba de is spot on here but i find her intolerable. all she does is take potshots at people. and she is delusional enough to think that she is a ‘sexy 25 yr old hottie’. and lastly she writes ‘horrible books’ which r nothing more than soft-porn(even there she is not good). yes sum of her books were sumwhat popular in my school’s hostel, simply bcos they were used to satiate the male hormonal upsurge at times
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May 4, 2012 at 5:04 PM
I haven’t read her books
But find her posts good fun
Not to be taken v seriously
But she does have an acerbic political incorrect style
Sometimes it is gud to have people who speak not along expected lines and as per the ‘party whips’ (happens everywhere including blogs)
Ps-think she is ok for her age and enjoys life-let the lady have some fun
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May 4, 2012 at 5:09 PM
alex, being poltically incorrect is completely ok but she makes disgustings comments about people which r in bad taste. i simply detest her
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May 4, 2012 at 5:18 PM
I can understand and appreciate how and why she annoys people
But somehow I enjoy her comments
They are meant to be taken in the correct vibe
Anyhow this is another aunty who doesn’t irritate me
Something posted on her blog about the top Indian journalists 🙂
Some prominent faces from the 2010 roll of honour have dropped out. Vinod Mehta has retired from active journalism and remains Chairman of Outlook. We wish him well. Suzy Roy has moved from part-time lie-mongering to full-time Maoist-Hurriyat sympathiser. ‘Pastiwalas’ are over-joyed at the ever growing size and weight of her 50+ page essays – they’re the only ones handling them now. Prannoy Roy was also dropped. He is now more into barbeque chats than any serious attempts at journalism. Even elections don’t arouse him. But there are some new faces with the old ones. Polling for IWJ ended today and thanks to all those who voted. So here are the winners from the poll, the list of India’s Worst Journalists-2012 from the poll results. Their 2010 ranking is indicated after their name:
Large & Larger..
10. Nidhi Razdan, NDTV (New entry): She has come to prominence more for many reasons other than journalistic skills. ‘Left, right, centre’ is her signature programme and happens to be one of those mindless debates on every topic under the sun. She is proof that you can be an expert on everything with specialisation in nothing. The best part of Nidhi? Now, don’t get me wrong, she likes everything large. Whenever confounded by a brilliant argument or point by a panellist she quickly jumps to her favourite line “let’s look at the LARGER picture”. One would have thought that debates are meant to look at the finer small details. No, not with Nidhi, the larger picture is a convenient exit. Training from NDTV helps. My prediction for this debutant is that she is likely to go higher up in the list in the future.
Friendly five member
9. Kumar Ketkar (New entry): Somewhere a brief bio about Ketkar says “He started his life as an active communist worker of the Lal Nishan Paksh (Red flag party)”. Now why is that not so surprising? And that also explains Ketkar somewhat. He is also reported to be a former speech writer during elections for Congress members. Isn’t that an accomplishment any journalist would be proud of? He has been mostly a Marathi journalist and last heard he is editor of Divya Marathi. A respected veteran, he was one of the privileged Five invited to a private press meet of PM Manmohan Singh around June 2011. Ever since, it has been downhill. He achieved his right to be on this list through his performances as a panellist. What can I say? I hope being a veteran he doesn’t appear here in the future.
Your Banal
8. Arnab Goswami, TimesNow (2010 #3): There can be no denying that Arnab is one of the rare patriots among journalists. Almost every one wishes our judiciary could be as quick and decisive as Arnab is. Which is the reason I conferred him the title ‘Justice Arnab’. His performance on TimesNow has definitely battered ratings of NDTV and CNN-IBN. Pick up any scam, any scandal Arnab can throw the documents at you. IB, RAW, GOI have no escape – all documents and papers have to pass through Arnab. Sometime back I remarked: Most of us wake up in the morning and want Coffee or Tea! Not Arnab, he just wants ‘answers’. Such are the never-ending questions he has. Much before Arnab became a journalist the rock band U2 wrote a song for him – “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. They were the only ones to anticipate all the unanswered questions he’d come up with. Undeniable fact is that Arnab has dropped from #3 in 2010 to #8 in 2012 on this list. That is proof of his ever-growing popularity. He can out-shout anyone in this world. Anyone, except Meenakshi Lekhi and Smriti Irani.
Fine WhINES
7. Vir Sanghvi (2010 #9): I honestly don’t have any idea whatsoever what Sanghvi currently does. I don’t even see him on any Cookery or Foodie show. He must be doing something to merit an appearance on this list again, at a higher position even. Radiagate has damaged him far more than any other journalist, which is unfortunate. He managed to surface sometime back on his home channel NDTV claiming the Radia tapes were doctored and weren’t authentic and were tested by reliable foreign forensic labs. Nobody bought that though. Sometimes, a wayward journalist, at his peak, forgets simple decency. Sanghvi will forever be haunted with two things: Radiagate and the fact that he called Narendra Modi a ‘mass-murderer’. He will regret both episodes. Had it not been for Modi ignoring his stupid outburst Vir Sanghvi would have been in prison writing a cookery book or his autobiography titled “Fine Whines!”.
No facts, please
6. Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism. One can say he has improved a bit but still retains the unwanted scowl and growl when interviewing people. Madhu Trehan in her NewsLaundry interview showed up KT for the little puppy he was. Like the ones who just need a hug and a cuddle once in a while. And if you thought you knew nothing about KT, never mind. All you have to do is hear his signature line on his promo for his show on CNN-IBN: “I don’t want to go into the facts, the facts are disputed”. LOL! Facts are disputed? You have to undo a lot of learning to understand that facts aren’t facts and can be disputed. The worst job KT did in 2011 was massaging Kapil Sibal’s brazen attempt at pre-screening content on the internet. As if that wasn’t enough he pulled out Brajesh Mishra, former NSA, out of nowhere to call serving army chief, Gen. VKSingh, the worst ever chief of army in history. My prediction: As long as he is in the business, KT will be on this list.
Wheres the smirk?
5. Vinod Sharma (New entry): For those who don’t know, Vinod Sharma is the political editor of Hindustan Times. That’s right, ‘Political’ is the key word – less of an editor and more of a politician. It’s not very hard to recognise VS on a friendly channel. He has made the ‘smirk’ more popular than child-molester DGP Rathore on television. Sharma has also been acknowledged by many political spokespersons and viewers as the most loyal spokesperson of the Congress party. No matter what the scam or what the scandal you can expect him to staunchly defend even the worst misdeeds of the Congress by blaming it on the opposition or anyone else he can lay his hands on. The one chance to get him off TV for longer periods was a Rajya Sabha ticket, when Shobana Bhartiya, his boss at HT exited, but that unfortunately didn’t happen. So we’re going to be stuck with VS for quite a while. His best moment in recent times was during the debate over Gen. VK Singh and the Tatra trucks scam. He was angry that the debate was going one way (in favour of Gen. Singh) so had to somehow twist it against the tide. In his business time VS writes a blog titled ‘Separated at birth’. I guess that refers to some Pakistani connection or maybe his journalistic independence was separated at birth. Someday we’ll find out.
He’s no Egghead
4. Shekhar Gupta (2010 #10): When he appeared on the last list, a fan of Gupta wrote in stating he will email my post to SG for his response. I was wondering whether that fan objected to SG being at #10 and wanted him to be lower on the list. I guess that fan’s prayers are answered. SG has sunk further in the rankings and his Indian Express is almost on doles from the govt. His senseless programme ‘Walk the talk’ , the equivalent of ‘Koffee with Karan’ or ‘On the couch with Koel’, continues on NDTV but what sunk SG the most is his misadventure with an article on Army troop movements. In his quest to please SG’s UPA, this SG splashed a headline in IE that nearly implied the army, led by Gen.VK Singh, may have dreamt of a coup. Worse, there have been reports that the troop movement story was stale and SG’s version was actually a plant by a union minister. SG laid an egg alright but ended up with more on his face. He will forever be credited with reducing a fiercely independent newspaper like IE to a mouthpiece of a political party. His permanent place on this list is forever assured.
I washed my hands in the Hammam
3. Rajdeep Sardesai (2010 #6): Hmmm! The guy is making progress alright. I have always maintained there are two Rajdeeps – One on TV and one off it. Whenever he is off TV his conscience strikes and one can hear a sane person, sometimes profound, sometimes emotional. But his character loses focus in front of the camera. Recently, he lamented on Twitter about being abused as a’Muslim whore and a Motherf$#!#*’. Bad, but the kind of abuse of journalistic ethics that Rajdeep has frequently allowed under his watch is far more serious. He has even given the media the right to ‘conduct hearings’ against personalities. While he wonders about ‘image makeovers’ for others, there is no way he can ever get past the Cash4Votes bungling or the terribly biased reporting on Gujarat riots. His 2007 conduct of an HT Summit which featured a key speaker reflects a character of pathetically low moral values and journalistic ethics. And to top that he defended the tainted Radiagate journalists and was rightly ‘slapped’ by his own community. Death of decent journalism owes a small debt to him. He has rightly earned the nick name ‘Hammamboy’!
If it’s Friday, it must be…
2. Sagarika Ghose (2010 #2): Ms. Cacofonix stays where she was: at No.2. You can’t fault Sagarika for not trying hard enough to be India’s worst journalist. She has made every effort in the recent past to get to #1. Journalism gives her a bad name. For her truly pathetic and fraudulent ‘live’ show with SriSri she would have been sacked from any TV channel in the world. That in itself is a reflection of the ethics and morals practiced at CNN-IBN by her and her boss Rajdeep Sardesai. You can imagine the skulduggery behind all other programmes and debates. And if that wasn’t enough she misses no chance to prove she is a ‘journalistic bimbo’ by mindless tweets on the social network. Be it about ‘ugly Indian males’, or Orange being a colour in our national flag or sending out a Good Friday greeting and withdrawing it she is truly the court-jester of Indian journalism. What can I say? Better luck next time!
Me, Myself & I
1. Barkha Dutt (2010 #1): For the second time in a row Barkha retains her position as India’s worst journalist in the poll, by a whopping margin. The only road to redemption is apologising for past blunders. While she and another one have been vocal in demanding apologies and expressions of remorse from public figures the same standard doesn’t seem to apply to her. No matter what she does the taint of Radiagate and many other indiscretions are unlikely to disappear. The accusations of causing deaths in Kargil or in 26/11 are also going to linger. She is probably the only news celeb on TV that has a ‘wardrobe sponsor’. All the image makeovers may not help much. Most of us have held Rahul Gandhi for the Congress’ UP election disaster but Barkha and NDTV must be credited with the disaster too. No one has singularly promoted RG and his cause and almost turned him into India’s saviour till the engine got derailed. Her penchant for Pakistani politics and politicians is another thing that disgusts many viewers. In the meantime her language keeps getting better and better. In a recent tweet she responded to sarcasm with: “… ‘Nazi Dogs’ .. if ever language betrayed desperation of loser, it is here…” Losers or not, with over 70% of the votes polled, Barkha is the absolute winner here. Cheers!
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May 6, 2012 at 7:09 PM
Completely agree on Burkha dutt and Rajdeep sardesai…
Although i like ‘walk the talk’. Karan thapar is more of an english teacher then a journo… Vir sanghvi is a cool man but not a very serious journo..
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May 4, 2012 at 5:28 PM
Haha another gud one for gossipers
The king and queen of gossip
Kjo n Shobha de (also azmi)
Enjoy
Ps-I like Shobha de.
There’s a second part as well for those interested
Transcript
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/discussion/shobha-de-interview-gq-old
I find her quite entertaining -go Shobha aunty go 🙂
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May 4, 2012 at 5:31 PM
that was a super article here. as i said itself tells us about the sorry state of journalism in india. though i will disagree with sum of the choices- i find arnab the best among the new lot(and times now, alongwith ndtv is my fav news channel). i have always found rajdeep as honest and well-spoken. and vir sanghvi and karan thapar cannot be dismissed like this. one of my favs is “prannoy roy”. but i hope we go back to the ‘doordarshan days’ when news was not about sensationalism
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May 4, 2012 at 5:36 PM
OT,
Top 5 greatest Hindi movies of all time
http://www.ndtv.com/video/special/top-5-greatest-hindi-movies-of-all-time-731/231204
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May 4, 2012 at 5:39 PM
Bliss- u are an ‘OT’ expert
Haha
Joking -just pulling your (lovely) legs
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May 4, 2012 at 5:38 PM
Burqa dutt as me, myself and I lol
Ghose-ms caconifox 🙂
Rajdesai-“he lamented on Twitter about being abused as a’Muslim whore and a Motherf$#!#*’. Bad, but the kind of abuse of journalistic ethics that Rajdeep has frequently allowed under his watch is far more serious”
Egghead shekhars Gupta laid an egg
“Karan Thapar (2010 #4): Readers must remember that every journo looks tall in the studio but not in actual life. KT is not blessed with stature and the same goes for his journalism”
And the list goes on
Hahahahah
Well done Shobha de
No body would be spared -I like thou
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May 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM
http://www.newslaundry.com/2012/02/barkha-dutt-on-2611-kargil/
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May 4, 2012 at 5:38 PM
one field were india is really doing well is ‘cricket writing’. yes we may not have a Peter Roebuck but i find Harsha bhogle the best in the world currently and even Boria Majumadar is not far behind. one guy who should not be forgotten here is Ramchandra guha who has written fabulous books on the game. also Sharda ugra, though is not at all good at analysing the intricacies(i can do a much better job than her here), has such a refreshing tone and a lovely bird’s eye view of the game.
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May 4, 2012 at 5:42 PM
Shobha de classics
Pat on the back to the aunty
Think this is a v long one
But deserved more than a link -enjoy
THE KARAN JOHAR INTERVIEW: SHOBHAA DE
SELL: She’s got India’s most outspoken mouth and she’s not afraid to use it. Best selling author and columnist Shobhaa De talks about why good-looking men are the most boring, why Mumbai socialites make her laugh, and why real men don’t cheat on their wives.
Shobhaa De and I have been bumping into each other at parties and events for over a decade, and when we chat, it’s invariably an energizing conversation. She has a perspective that’s youthful, and is always brilliantly honest and brave. She’s the kind of person you either adore or loathe, but there’s no way you can ignore her. She’s out there with her comments, and has an opinion on everything. I love that about her because people without opinions scare me. It’s also why she’s one of the most feared commentators in the country. She isn’t afraid about taking anyone on, and speaking her mind. The interview took place in my office and ended up being an absorbing discussion about modern marriages in India, Bollywood and society in general. I had interviewed Shobhaa for my television show in the past, but I thought she was a little guarded in front of the camera. At the end of the day, Shobhaa’s domain is the world of print, and the GQ interview format allows us to exist in the space she most thrives in. There’s no question that her piquant personality comes across in this conversation.
Karan Johar: Your opinion on John Abraham’s butt, Shobhaa?
Shobhaa De: I’m waiting to see it in your film [Dostana]. There’s a lot of anticipation. There is a lot riding on his butt, let’s put it that way. And I am sure he knows it, too.
Who else’s butt excites you? Do you think men in India have nice-looking butts?
Are there interesting men in India to start with? We’ll get to their butts later.
You tell me, you’re the authority.
Frankly, the answer is no. In fact, men don’t interest me, generally speaking.
A good conversation stimulates you more?
But it’s hard to come by. And frighteningly good-looking men are generally pretty boring because it’s all about them and how wonderful they are. It’s a kind of narcissism. I’m sure it goes both ways – I’m sure men find that about women as well. But I’ve met a lot of smashing women, really gorgeous women who are not boring, not one-dimensional, not full of themselves. Most good-looking men are all about “Aren’t I the prettiest?”
We associate vanity very strongly with women.
Men are much more vain.
Maybe the ones who are really good-looking stand out much more because they’re rarer.
That only happens for homo sapiens. Whether it’s four-legged creatures or birds, it’s always the male of the species that’s much better-looking because the courtship rituals are very different, and I don’t see why that doesn’t work for us. It should, actually. Men should just be trying that much harder to grab our attention and, in this century, to be able to grab an interesting woman’s attention takes much more than a great-looking butt. So I hope John knows that.
You’re a columnist, an author, an opinion-maker. Have you ever taken off these hats and found out who you really are?
I’ve always known who I am, and I’m all of this. I can’t separate myself and don’t see the need to. It’s like I’ve been marinated in a certain discipline and it’s been mine for over 40 years. I must have emerged from my mother’s womb with a pen in my hand because I’ve always written for self-expression. I found my diaries from when I was 12 and 14 – tiny little plastic diaries – and all the entries are always an opinion. It’s never about, “Oh, that boy didn’t wish me today”, or “I’m crying because my sister pinched my cheeks”.
So not the regular day-to-day girly problems.
Not at all. First of all, the diaries are not girly – the entries are very gender-neutral. Generally it’s an observation, it’s about something I’ve seen on the street or a movie or a person I’ve met . They are acutely observed comments. So it was always there. I don’t think there is any other me. This is it. I cannot be separated from my writing. Don’t wish to be…
Are you saying you were born opinionated?
Yeah, I think my entire family was. Maybe the rest of them don’t get paid for their opinions but when we all get together…
Sounds like a very scary evening.
It’s the best! It’s the most fun because it’s always about bouncing observations, bouncing comments off each other. It’s a very articulate family, and now I see it in my children and that’s getting… well, it’s like there are too many of us with all these opinions going back and forth – but it keeps us on our toes.
Do you sometimes feel compelled to be opinionated about things?
No, never.
Do you let something just pass by without having a thought about it?
Very rarely. Everything registers.
PULL QUOTE:
Do you have to deliver an opinion on every occasion?
It’s not that I have to deliver. I do deliver. There’s no compulsion.
But do you get stuck in a loop, because that’s what’s expected of you?
I never perform, I don’t have to. I don’t need to pander. I say what I passionately feel at that moment if I feel like saying it …. or I don’t. In the presence of a much older person I would hold back an opinion because I think it’s very rude to challenge someone who is much older, even if I disagree violently.
Can you be objective?
There is no such thing as complete objectivity. All opinion is subjective by definition. A writer aims for objectivity to the extent that it’s possible. I don’t think absolute objectivity is either possible or desirable.
Sometimes the people you write about are the people you meet on a daily basis. How tough is that?
It’s not tough at all. People know what I stand for. I think over the years I have made it perfectly clear that my space as a columnist is sacred to me and I will not compromise –take it or leave it. If they don’t want to be my friends after that, it’s fine. I will not short change my readers or my credibility to favour a friend. If I’ve been unduly judgmental about or harsh to someone, and if at a later stage I’ve seen a different side to that person or seen quality being delivered, I have never hesitated in setting the record straight. My pen is not for sale!!
There’s so much focus on fashion and couture in the media today, it’s become a kind of mania. What’s your reaction to it?
I think what passes for Western fashion in India is a monumental joke. I think they’ve got it so wrong. It’s pathetically derivative. It’s nothing but borrowed high-street fashion with a bit of zardozi on it, and we grandly call it ‘fusion’. More confusion!
So are you silently laughing on the front row of a fashion show?
I stopped going ! But I’m laughing all the time when I see them in the papers. I was travelling to Delhi yesterday, and next to me was this very chic Japanese lady. We were looking through Mumbai Mirror and the coverage of one of those interchangeable Fashion Weeks. We stared at all these painted-up, Botox-ed, horrifying socialites with bows in their hair. And she said, “Why are these women all wearing teenage clubwear?” An 18-year-old girl clubbing in London or Paris would wear that stuff, not a 40-plus socialite.
Which 40-plus socialites are you talking about?
She was referring to pictures of Queenie Dhody, Malaika Arora and Nandita Mahtani. It was shocking how strangely dressed they were at that event. It may have been the top label du jour, but they did look comical. The exaggerated clown’s make-up, the lenses, the bleached hair, the artificiality of it all, with the clutch being held up in a certain way, so that the photographers can catch the brand. It is acutely embarrassing. It is tragic, and I wonder what happens when some of these perennial party girls go home and actually see themselves without all of that.
Maybe they think they’re looking lovely. Have you ever thought of that?
Of course they think they’re looking lovely. BUT does the rest of the world agree??
So who do you think is genuinely stylish?
You cannot be a stylish person if you’re a label slave. It’s not possible.
You believe that?
Absolutely. The silliest red carpet question is , “ Who are you wearing?”I believe style is about individuality and about having the courage to go against the tide and highlight your own personality, not represent someone else’s version of what they believe a fashionable woman or man should be.
So who is genuinely stylish in this country?
I don’t even like her, but I would say Sonia Gandhi. She has exquisite taste. She gets it right every time. She knows how to dress for the occasion; she knows how to glam up in a way that is completely appropriate for her position. She’s discreet. It’s this whole thing of less is more; we don’t understand that at all. We think more is more.
I’ve read your columns, and I think you genuinely believe that no one in Bollywood really gets their style right, on-screen or off.
They got it right in the Thirties, Forties, Fifties and Sixties. Those brocade cholis with just a hint of cleavage. It was just wonderful, classic diva dressing. The minute the girls got into frocks, it was the end because they can’t carry them off. Even if they turn size zero or minus or whatever, they cannot get it right.
I’m going to list a few names. Give me just one word.
We’re doing rapid fire now? Do I get a hamper at the end of the day?
You get a hug.
I’ll settle for a hamper and a hug.
*************************************************************************************
PULL QUOTE
Okay. I am just going to say the name and you give me your first thought, your general impression. So if I say Katrina Kaif, you would say…
English rose – and as boring.
Sonam Kapoor.
No sex appeal whatsoever.
Deepika Padukone.
Overrated and very average-looking. Any young girl from Brigade Road in Bangalore could give her a run for her money.
Kareena Kapoor.
Hot. She has it. She’s magic on screen. Four generations of talent showing.
Priyanka Chopra.
Very hot. Very intelligent eyes and a body language that is assertive and very today. She’s today’s girl.
Imran Khan.
He needs to trim his eyebrows, to start with. He’s a cutie, but without the mammu factor I don’t know whether he would have catapulted into the Rs 11 crore bracket with just that one film, which was okay. He registered because of the hype, but he could as easily un-register. He’s not the kind of personality that you say, “Oh wow, here’s a talent.” I’m not falling over backwards.
Ranbir Kapoor.
Technically, no looks. He looks goofy but because he’s so confident, so laid back and so easy in front of the camera I think the girls respond to him big time.
So who has impressed you recently in the world of entertainment?
Frankly, after Hrithik Roshan, no one. When he’s on screen, no one else exists.
Your daughter is getting married in December. Do you think there is a faithful man left in this world?
*************************************************************************************
I know I am married to one, and for me that’s good enough. My father told me something which has stayed with me all my married life. He said it’s not a question of temptation. He said it was not that he did not find another woman (apart from my mother) attractive – that’s not possible – but even when he did have the opportunity and his wife would never have known, he believed his commitment to her was more important than whatever he was going to share with a stranger – that defined character… it also defined commitment to marriage. Any relationship outside marriage is not an option. I remind my children – if that is your level of commitment, then get into marriage. Otherwise, forget it.
And in the current scenario, do you think it’s impossible?
I don’t think so at all. I think it’s very possible. I think a lot of young people, particularly my daughter’s age group, have seen too many marriages collapsing around them. I hope and pray that she remains committed to marriage because I think that’s what it’s all about. It’s about believing enough in marriage to say, “OK, this is for me.”
It’s a battle sometimes.
It is. There are always going to be terrible patches, as there are with any close relationship, but I think the C-word is what the new generation needs to rediscover. And if you don’t believe strongly enough you don’t need to marry. In my time, society pressurized girls in particular to marry. It was the norm. No longer.
But you know many people believe that sexual infidelity doesn’t have to be considered infidelity.
What other kind of infidelity is there?
Love. Falling in love outside your marriage.
No. If you’re in love with your partner, then the question of cheating on your partner does not arise, whether it’s sexually, financially or emotionally. To me it’s 100 per cent – it’s all or nothing, and that’s the only way it can be.
And you’re not being over-optimistic believing that?
Perhaps I am.
But I know men who genuinely love their wives and still…
That’s not genuine love.
So you think if you can cheat on your wife sexually, that means that there is something lacking in your relationship?
Definitely. Well, you don’t care enough about that person. You don’t respect that person. The key word is respect. It’s not about being found out or not being found out, it’s about not wanting to do it in the first place.
What about the urge of the moment?
That’s about character. Of course you’re going to be attracted to someone or the other in your life, but what you do with that attraction is what separates the men from the boys.
PULL QUOTE:
Okay, say 10 men have the opportunity to cheat. Out of 10, how many wouldn’t take the bait?
Would not? One in ten. I’m being optimistic!
That’s the fidelity ratio?
Yes, it is. But we’re talking about a very elite class.
But it could be rampant in the middle class, the working class…
It’s happening there as well because the day women stepped out of their homes and into the work place the dynamics of family changed in India. After all, men are not having it off with another male colleague….well…. most of the time.
Well, of course they are.
They are, but most of the time I would say it’s with a female colleague. Women did not exist in the work place earlier.
But what’s your opinion of women who hang on with bad marriages because they feel they can’t leave their comfort zone?
I have very little respect for women like that because I think it’s a very selfish thing to do. You and I must know at least 200 women who hang in there because of the perks of being married to who they’re married to, and the comforts they’ve become accustomed to. My sympathy is often with guys who have found true love and want to move on honourably. They want to settle their wives, marry the ‘other woman’ and live the life that they feel they are missing out on.
But they have a sort of guilt hanging over them.
No. There’s a petty little woman at home who says ‘I will not give you a divorce’. Often, There are grown children who are begging their mother, saying, “Come on, you’re just being such a bitch… He’s going to be looking after you and us. It’s not about the money, it’s certainly not about us because we’re OK with dad taking an independent decision on this, so what are you being such a… female dog about?” But that’s how it is. And I think that’s horrible. Spiteful and nasty.
When you’re at a party, watching people mingling, air-kissing, chatting, the wives interested in others’ husbands, the husbands interested in others’ wives, the lovers floating around, gay men in denial, gay men married… This is pretty much the society we’re living in. When you see this happening, what do you think?
Thank God it’s there ! How boring life would be without these colourful creatures. It has never really touched or affected me. This whole nonsense of taking sides. I say I’m on the side of God and my family, and that’s where it begins and ends. I think what’s happening in our society right now is what F Scott Fitzgerald captured in The Great Gatsby. We need someone like him to chronicle this moment. It’s really about too much new money and decadence… and a very low level of moral standards in every aspect of life, whether it’s towards your spouse, your kids, or money or your colleagues or your business associates.
The fantastic thing is that we can stare at these people, go back and have a good laugh.
Or a good cry sometimes…
The two key words are entertainment and indifference to the social scene…?.
I have always been very detached. I’ve been the eternal insider who’s the ultimate outsider, so it’s suited me very well.
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May 4, 2012 at 7:51 PM
Alex, when it’s this long just do some lines and refer the link..
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May 4, 2012 at 5:51 PM
sorry alex but this is the shittiest interview i have seen. i can take her case on every single point but what’s the point. and i don’t why johar is licking off from her fingers. it just proves the line- opinions r like a$sholes, each one has one.” but sadly in shoba’s case her opinions actually seem to come from her ‘that-hole’
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May 6, 2012 at 7:58 PM
I think that was some hard truth… for hard appetite
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May 4, 2012 at 5:55 PM
Hahaha
C’mon minor-u shouldn’t talk about an auntys …. Like that
Bad manners 🙂
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May 4, 2012 at 6:03 PM
One cannot comment on her as a person-haven’t got enuf info of that
But the way she writes is ace
Her reading is spot on most of the time
Many people get uncomfortable for a middle aged unconnected Indian female aunty speaking her mind
Anyhow-agree with most here
“Priyanka Chopra.
Very hot. Very intelligent eyes and a body language that is assertive and very today. She’s today’s girl.
Imran Khan.
He needs to trim his eyebrows, to start with. He’s a cutie, but without the mammu factor I don’t know whether he would have catapulted into the Rs 11 crore bracket with just that one film, which was okay. He registered because of the hype, but he could as easily un-register. He’s not the kind of personality that you say, “Oh wow, here’s a talent.” I’m not falling over backwards.
Ranbir Kapoor.
Technically, no looks. He looks goofy but because he’s so confident, so laid back and so easy in front of the camera I think the girls respond to him big time.
So who has impressed you recently in the world of entertainment?
Frankly, after Hrithik Roshan, no one. When he’s on screen, no one else exists.”
And most of her ‘pull quotes’ are good
Check this one
PULL QUOTE:
“Okay, say 10 men have the opportunity to cheat. Out of 10, how many wouldn’t take the bait?
Would not? One in ten. I’m being optimistic!”
🙂
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May 4, 2012 at 6:03 PM
u know what alex, shoba de is said to be having ‘sharp observations’ on things. i can assure u that leave alone Satyam, our own Ami can give sharper yet deeper takes on things than this ‘laidy’- and i mean it.
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May 4, 2012 at 6:09 PM
Ya that I agree with
Amy is surprisingly succinct and writes with ‘broad strokes’
Her comments have a certain relevance and focus, yet some ‘generalised’ universalism
I suggested to her to write some more reviews after her take on EMAET
But unfortunately she seems to have taken that feedback non-‘constructively’ 😉
Anyhow she maybe busy with esha Gupta -so u never know ..
Ps-not sure how many flatmates she has-have heard of Chinese, japanese, french, lebanese, andalucians etc
Hahaha that last one was just an exaggerated joke 😉
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May 4, 2012 at 6:11 PM
And poor Oldgold- she seems to be still recovering from the ‘designer bikini’ it seems 🙂
These are just jokes
She didn’t understand that the dress code was optional
Ps-omg- I think before I get attacked, should get ready to run 🙂
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May 4, 2012 at 6:14 PM
well- different races make a colourful orgy … just kidding (ami is really sweet). and on shobha’s humour, dude c’mon as i have said before i find your lines a zillion times more hilarious than hers.
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May 4, 2012 at 6:26 PM
ami, i just realised that even though i was simply joking, probably i should not have made the above comment(got carried away a bit). and as alex said that it may end end up rubbing u the wrong way, i apologise beforehand
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May 4, 2012 at 6:29 PM
“may end end up rubbing u the wrong way”
Lol @ “rubbing”
Hahah
Minor-that is my prerogative lol
U r digging yourselves into a bigger ‘hole’
Oops–need to run (& off to some action)
Will try to keep an eye (if u are safe)
I’m innocent as usual 🙂
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May 4, 2012 at 6:19 PM
Amy won’t be happy with that ‘orgy’ comment, minor
I didnt mean that by ‘flat mates’
And just noticed it-
that comment on Shobha auntys ‘that hole’
C’mon one should atleast spare aunties lol
Naughty comments minor lol
What effect will this have on ‘unspoilt’ girls like bliss and Oldgold who are eagerly reading stuff we are typing
We should have some ‘social responsibility’
Ps-just to clarify that Oldgold didn’t wear any bikini-that was just a joke
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May 4, 2012 at 6:22 PM
” and on shobha’s humour, dude c’mon as i have said before i find your lines a zillion times more hilarious than hers.”
Thanx Minor
I like praise
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May 4, 2012 at 6:26 PM
Ok minor
Like a ‘good boy’ i have to do some Friday night ‘socialising’ now.
So take care
Hope u don’t get ‘beaten up’ by Amy and Oldgold etc
I’m running away in advance (am taking bliss as well today-for a change)
😉
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May 4, 2012 at 7:17 PM
‘Avengers’ Scores Highest Superhero Midnight Opening Ever
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3436&p=.htm
this is kind of disappointing. HP owns the record at 43 mill. anyways, will be watching the avengers tomorrow night. im curious to see what the friday numbers will be.
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May 4, 2012 at 7:27 PM
Weekend Forecast (May 4-6):
1. The Avengers – $172.5 million
2. Think Like a Man – $8.6 million (-51%)
3. The Pirates! – $6.6 million (-41%)
4. The Hunger Games – $6.3 million (-42%)
5. Five-Year Engagement – $5.8 million (-45%)
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3435&p=.htm
so boxofficemojo is predicting a record breaking opening weekend….barely. i think itll be around 150-160 opening. TDKR will break all records considering it’s the last one of the franchise.
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May 5, 2012 at 4:13 AM
massive numbersd for the the avengers…not seen it yet but heard it is really good
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May 5, 2012 at 1:46 AM
Jannat 2 First Day Business
Saturday 5th May 2012 10.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 had a very good opening day as it collected around 8.25 crore nett. The business of the film was excellent in Bihar, CP Berar, CI, Rajasthan, Nizam and Orissa. UP and Gujarat also did very well with relative under performance coming in Punjab, Delhi city and Mysore.
The opening day collections are the highest for an Emraan Hashmi starrer after The Dirty Picture and the film should emerge with a weekend of around 25 crore nett.
Jannat 2 may find it hard to grow on Saturday though as key centres in the North which are drivers of Saturday growth were not as strong as other parts of the country but Sunday should be strong.
The opening day numbers are the fourth highest of the year after Agneepath, Housefull 2 and Agent Vinod. These three films were released on a full holiday or a part holiday.
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May 5, 2012 at 1:47 AM
Vicky Donor Continues Strong Run Emerges SUPER HIT
Saturday 5th May 2012 10.30 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Vicky Donor continued its strong into the third week and has emerged a Super Hit. The film remained unaffected by the release of Jannat 2, infact in Delhi and Punjab, the strength of Vicky Donor may have cost Jannat 2 some business.
Vicky Donor collected around 80 lakhs nett on its third Friday which should enable it to have a third weekend of around 3.50 crore nett. The film will have comfortably crossed 30 crore nett by the end of its third week. The lifetime business of the film will be in the 34-36 crore nett region.
The film is likely to do huge shares in the North for a film of its size with Delhi/UP going to around 5 crore and East Punjab around 2.50 crore.
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May 5, 2012 at 4:23 PM
kahaani and vicky donor working with wonderful script is good enough and lethargic tezz and janna2(bad reviews and -ve wom ) indicates finally these people will give prominence to decent enough films
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May 5, 2012 at 1:54 AM
NY TImes:
May 4, 2012
Movie Review
Bollywood Characters Pursuing Weapons While Fleeing the Deadliest One, the Past
By RACHEL SALTZ
Like many Hindi movies, “Jannat 2” doesn’t like to keep you guessing about its characters’ motivations. Why is that cop (Randeep Hooda) swigging whiskey and preparing to dangle a suspect off a bridge? Because, his partner soon explains, he has lost his wife and vowed revenge against the gun smugglers who killed her.
And why does our hero, Sonu (the sad-eyed Emraan Hashmi), a small-time gun seller and “cheeky rogue” want to go straight? Because, he explains, he needs to live up to the ideals of the woman he loves, Jaanvi (Esha Gupta, a beauty queen making her wan film debut). She’s the clinic doctor who patches him up after Mr. Hooda’s cop slashes his hand.
Directed by Kunal Deshmukh and set in Delhi, “Jannat 2” has a clever opening in which Sonu gives us the lay of the land: everyone’s angry, he says, everyone wants a gun. In a pinch, a knife will do. The movie, though, is not about the toll of weapons on society but about the toll of the past on the characters’ lives.
Even Jaanvi is running from something: her father, who as Bollywood luck would have it, is the main villain, a gun importer with dreams of using traditional Indian know-how to make homegrown arms. (So why shoot the hands of the one guy who knows how to do it?)
Mr. Deshmukh gives the film a stylish surface, using Delhi well — its scruffy back alleys, romantic rooftops and, for songs, familiar monuments. But the modestly entertaining “Jannat 2,” a sequel to the 2008 hit “Jannat,” never lives up to the cheeky-rogue promise of its first scenes. It sails along on formula, perking up at the tear-jerking end, when Sonu makes a sacrifice worthy of Stella Dallas.
“Jannat 2” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes gun fetishism, violence and a rather risqué song sequence.
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May 5, 2012 at 3:56 AM
Really happy for Vicky Donor – a fresh and unique film that deserved to do well. Glad it has found an audience..
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May 5, 2012 at 5:39 AM
a rare pic–the big 3–a brilliant pic
the ‘serious’ dilip showing his real side lol
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/discussion/old-pic-raj-kapoor-dilip-kumar-and-dev-anand-spotted?ts=related
Some private pics of Katrina kaif with family, salman
ps–is her dad indian? doesnt look like
http://timesofindia.hotklix.com/link/Movies/Bollywood/Katrina-s-unseen-pics-with-Salman
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May 5, 2012 at 5:40 AM
hat sounds unprofessional of aamir
the graceful bachchan ‘fills in’ for BIG aamir
It’s a known fact that Aamir Khan skips most of the award functions in India. That’s why the news of Aamir Khan agreeing to attend the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards came as a surprise. Aamir, on his part, had reportedly agreed to unveil the wax statue of Dadasaheb Phalke and attend at the function for almost half an hour. But on D-day Aamir was simply absent from the event! And that’s when Amitabh Bachchan came to rescue and unveiled Phalke’s statue.
News reports have it that Aamir, who was supposed to arrive at the event, chose to cancel it at the last moment, which eventually put the organizers in a big fix. Not knowing what to do, they then approached Big B at the last moment. Big B graciously agreed to do the unveiling at such a short notice. The organizers of the event, who confirmed the same, said that Aamir was supposed to come but backed out at the last moment, stating that he had some last minute dubbing to do because of which he could not come.
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May 5, 2012 at 8:01 AM
some nf pics for any fans
showing off her earings haha
her ‘ride’
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May 5, 2012 at 9:33 AM
had mentioned earlier-seen Priyanka c sing a couple of lines somehwere in a show and mentioned that she may have a good carrer as a singer/performer mode (internationally even)
Katy perry isnt exactly creditable but she does have a certain following—now this news….Priyanka Chopra always claimed that when she’d decide to sing it would be done on a scale never attempted before.
She is living up to her promise. Priyanka’s singing debut gets bigger by the day. She’s currently in the US recording her ambitious music album which has several notable international artistes pitching in.
The latest musician to pitch in for Priyanka’s warbling wisdom is the American recording superstar Kate Perry.
We hear from very reliable sources that Perry who is currently one of the three hottest-selling American artistes,will join Priyanka for a duet in the album.
Says the source, “Priyanka met Kate at the IPL match when the latter was over in India.They hit it off instantly and even tweeted to one another about girlie preoccupations.Thereafter Priyanka decided to invite Katy into her album.Katy gladly joined in.”
Though Priyanka remained unavailable for comment and her business manager chose to be non-commital , our source tells us that Priyanka’s music album will be completed by the end of August. Thereafter she returns to start shooting with Ramcharan Teja for Zanjeer.
In an earlier interview Priyanka had told this writer, “Singing is part of my life. My father is a very good singer.Yeah, I want to sing professionally. But when I cut an album it would have to be something really special.I’ll do it only I am completely confident of my abilities as a singer.” Looks like Priyanka found the right moment.
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May 5, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Here is something for Kate Perry fans- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCgQeNetJgA
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May 5, 2012 at 9:55 AM
And Emraan Hashmi is going from strength to strength. Today some of my friends saw Jannat 2 and the verdict is out- it’s a super hit and is getting good review all around. As much insipid as i find him, Hashmi has a considerable fan following and a box-office record better than the rest.And now he is getting credible projects-Apart from Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai, he has been cast in Vishal Bhardwaj’s next after ‘Matru ki bijli ka mandola’ which is a horror-supernatural flick, “Daayan’ alongside Kalki and Konkana. And then has a karan Johar production’s film which is going is going to be helmed by the Kurbaan director Rensil D’ Silva which also reportedly also has Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda and Kangana Raut which is a cop-gangster film. And then he Has Bhatt’s Raaz 3
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May 5, 2012 at 2:57 PM
Friday Report: ‘Avengers’ Amazes with $80.5 Million
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3437&p=.htm
All-Time opening day records: Avengers Second best ever
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/days/?page=open&p=.htm
wow so first day VERY good….i’ll bee seeing this movie tonight in 3D IMAX….very excited. even the reviews are good.
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May 5, 2012 at 6:48 PM
apparently ranveer singh also had to come thru the ‘casting couch !! lol
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Casting-couch-grabs-bigger-role-in-television-world/articleshow/13014724.cms
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May 5, 2012 at 7:50 PM
something for puppy khan fans.. haha
(Guess what about the luck f the public who pays to watch his movies lol)
Imran khan lucky for his heroines
Looking at career track of the following actresses looks like a movie with Imran managed to strike gold for these actresses. The movies he did with these actresses managed to give some sort of success to his leading ladies in form of either critical or commercial success.
Genelia D’Souza – Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na was Genelia’s first big Bollywood success and marked her return back to Bollywood as a mainstream actress.
Sonam Kapoor – Sonam’s I Hate Luv Storys is her only big success when it comes to box office. And probably one of the few movies shes remembered for.
Katrina Kaif – Despite numerous success at box office most of Katrina’s movies fail to attract the critics. However MBKD won Katrina critical acclaim and got her, her second Filmfare nomination for best actress.
Kareena Kapoor – After being criticised for her roles in Bodyguard & Ra.one Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu gave Kareena that much needed critical acclaim.
I guess he is a Khan afterall 😉 Let’s hope this strike continues with Anushka Shamra in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.
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May 6, 2012 at 2:35 PM
‘The Avengers’ opens to record $200.3 million
http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/
holy crap. saw the movie last night and it was worth the 18 bucks in IMAX 3D.
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May 6, 2012 at 2:47 PM
Wow! Still haven’t been able to see it.
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May 6, 2012 at 2:47 PM
http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3438&p=.htm
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May 6, 2012 at 2:44 PM
Jannat 2 Struggles On Saturday
Saturday 5th May 2012 22.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 found it tough going at the box office on Saturday as many centres had noticeable drops. The trending at key centres on Friday suggested that growth would be difficult on Saturday but still expectations would have been for a similar second day to first.
This has not happened and the film is almost certain to have a fall on Saturday and when final collections come in,the fall will be somewhere in the 10-20% range which is a pretty big drop for its second day. The two day business of the film is likely to be in the 15-16 crore nett region.
Jannat 2 has also seen drops in mass belts on Saturday as well with the mixed reports being reflected in the collections. It will need a good jump on Sunday to get a 25 crore weekend which looks the best case scenario for the film now.
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May 6, 2012 at 2:45 PM
Jannat 2 Second Day Business
Sunday 6th May 2012 10.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 grossed around 7 crore nett on its second day. The film dropped more than 15% on Saturday. The two day business is around 15.50 crore nett. The film will have to show a big jump on Sunday if it is to have a chance of sustaining on Monday. Some territory numbers from Saturday are as follows with Friday figures in brackets.
Delhi/UP – 131 (152)
East Punjab – 60 (72)
CP Berar – 45 (60)
CI – 27 (38)
Rajasthan – 39 (54)
All figures in lakhs
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May 6, 2012 at 9:59 PM
May 6, 2012
‘Avengers’ Vanquish Box-Office Rivals
By BROOKS BARNES
LOS ANGELES — Sorry, Harry. “The Avengers” have crushed you.
In a strong start to Hollywood’s summer movie season the superhero team in “Marvel’s The Avengers” took in about $200.3 million at North American theaters over the weekend, according to Walt Disney Studios, which released the film. That No. 1 result easily smashed what the movie industry considers the record, set last summer by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” for the biggest opening weekend of all time. Its total was $169.2 million if you don’t account for inflation, or about $172 million if you do.
“The Avengers” — about a star squad of Marvel superheroes, including Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Black Widow — is now on track to take in over $1 billion at the global box office, analysts estimate. This 3-D picture, directed by Joss Whedon (until now best known for creating “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), has already sold about $441.5 million in tickets overseas and has yet to open in important markets like Japan.
“I’m running low on double takes,” Dave Hollis, executive vice president for distribution at Disney, said on Sunday morning. “As the numbers came in, we kept thinking, ‘Can these numbers possibly be right?’ ”
Marvel Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company, spent about $220 million to make the film and at least another $100 million on global marketing. The film played at 4,349 locations in North America, and 52 percent of its domestic ticket sales came from 3-D showings, which cost $3 to $5 more than standard screenings. About 60 percent of the audience was male, Mr. Hollis said.
“Euphoric” was the only way to describe theater chains, some of which reported that their ticket-selling systems became overwhelmed with demand. “Imax had one big issue: We ran out of seats to sell,” Greg Foster, president of Imax Filmed Entertainment, the programming division of the large-format film company, wrote in an e-mail on Sunday morning.
No other movie came close to “The Avengers” over the weekend. “Think Like a Man” (Sony) was second, taking in about $8 million for a three-week total of $73 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. “The Hunger Games” (Lionsgate) took in about $5.7 million in third place, lifting its seven-week total to $380.7 million.
“The Lucky One” (Warner Brothers) was fourth, taking in $5.5 million for a three-week total of $47.9 million, and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” (Sony) was fifth, selling about $5.4 million in tickets for a two-week total of $18.6 million.
Several factors contributed to the enormous audience interest in “The Avengers,” starting with its quality. The movie, stuffed to the brim with special effects, has been popular with most critics, with the review-aggregation site RottenTomatoes.com rating it at 94 percent on the “fresh” scale. Audiences in exit polls gave the film a rare A-plus score, an indication that word-of-mouth was strong. The Hulk, played this time by Mark Ruffalo, has received particularly high marks.
“People come to the movies to see giant spectacles, but what really makes the difference is over-delivering on expectations,” said Kevin Feige, a producer of “The Avengers” and president of Marvel Studios. “Maybe it’s delivering a movie that is funnier than people expected or one that moves them a little bit more than they expected. Joss has accomplished that.”
Marvel also expertly orchestrated one of the longest marketing teases in Hollywood history. The studio planted the seeds for an all-star “Avengers” movie in 2008 with the release of “Iron Man,” played by Robert Downey Jr. Then a thunder god with a magic hammer, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), got his own movie, followed by Captain America (Chris Evans). Iron Man arrived with a sequel. All were worldwide hits.
This strategy, largely devised by Mr. Feige and mirroring how Marvel historically approached the publication of its comics, carried enormous risk. If even one of those prior films had flopped, “The Avengers” — envisioned as a multifilm series — would have been thrown into question.
More Marvel is on the way. Sony will release “The Amazing Spider-Man” in July. (Sony holds those rights in a long-standing deal that predates Disney’s purchase of Marvel.) “Iron Man 3” is scheduled for next May, with “Thor 2” following in November of next year. A sequel to “Captain America: The First Avenger” is planned for April 2014.
The turnout for “The Avengers” is being called a record by the movie industry even though independently verified box-office data is available going back only about 30 years. That means inflation cannot be taken into account when measuring the success of old blockbusters like “Gone With the Wind.”
Still, it marks an important win for Disney, which has struggled mightily at the box office in recent months. The studio’s last major release was “John Carter,” a failed science-fiction epic that prompted Disney to take a $200 million write-down. The company fired its movie chairman last month and has not yet announced a successor.
Hollywood will now try to keep the “Avengers” momentum going by releasing blockbusters every weekend until Labor Day, a season that typically accounts for 40 percent of the industry’s annual ticket sales. It’s a summer stuffed with promising new entries, like “Snow White and the Huntsman,” and franchises: the return of Will Smith in “Men in Black III,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Ice Age: Continental Drift.”
One window for armchair box-office analysts to watch in particular is Aug. 3, when two major releases will go after the same audience: “The Bourne Legacy,” the first film in that series without Matt Damon, and “Total Recall.”
The movie industry is trying hard to reverse four consecutive summers of declining attendance. Ticket sales for the summer period last year totaled $4.38 billion; attendance was about 543 million, the lowest tally since 1997. This year has been strong so far, with ticket sales up 16 percent to $3.6 billion and attendance up 18 percent.
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May 6, 2012 at 10:01 PM
“That No. 1 result easily smashed what the movie industry considers the record, set last summer by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” for the biggest opening weekend of all time. Its total was $169.2 million if you don’t account for inflation, or about $172 million if you do.”
Damn, this is all so crude compared to Taran’s and Nahata’s sophisticated reasoning. Emran Hashmi just beat the Awara opening!
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May 7, 2012 at 12:18 AM
so jannat2 is dropping-ha
it was being billed up as this ‘big hit’
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May 7, 2012 at 12:52 AM
This is the most laughably biased piece of box office reporting I’ve seen:
Jannat 2 Has Good Weekend
Monday 7th May 2012 10.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 had a good first weekend of around 24 crore nett. The weekend was good but the film failed to show any growth in business on Saturday and Sunday. It dropped on Saturday and Sunday was similar to Friday. The approx breakdowns are 8.40 crore on Friday, 6.90 crore on Saturday and 8.75 crore on Sunday.
The film has fared best in the Maharashtra area and the circuits which fall in Maharashtra like CP Berar and Nizam have done very well. Mumbai has also scored well thanks to Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Business in the North remained lower comparatively as UP did well but collections in Delhi and Punjab were not so strong.
The film is a success while the weekday business will decide if it emerges a hit.
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May 7, 2012 at 1:15 AM
its hardly a surprise considering BOI’s standards.
For a site that attributes Kahaani’s success to the release period more than anything else, what else can one think of?
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May 7, 2012 at 1:29 AM
They also attribute TDP’s success to Emraan 😉 I wonder if he pays them to shamelessly contort all data in his favour? But the funniest thing was Komal Nahta labelling EMAET neither hit nor flop, nor above/ below average but a ‘box office plus’. I think he invented a new category just for that film.
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May 7, 2012 at 2:02 AM
Lol.. They have a thing going for Emraan I presume. Interestingly I still find Taran a tad better than Komal in appreciating cinema that’s non box-office friendly but qualitative. Komal would rather place Housefull 2 / Singham and 3 idiots on the same page while considering Udaan as just about okay.
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May 7, 2012 at 4:09 AM
thing is hashmi has no range at all and still its the sleaze content for him which they tried for jannat 2(another bhatt production) but its dam predictable
i guess he understands his limitation and beginning to get supporting role outside bhatt…can’t see him going anywhere as an actor and as star to ….he is just to dam predictable
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May 7, 2012 at 4:34 AM
I wont entirely agree with that notion. Hashmi can be effective at times (like in Awarapan and OUATIM) but its natural to be prejudiced against him especially when he’s hardly worked with someone outside the Bhatt camp, and of course his reputation of being a part of many a sleazy product
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May 7, 2012 at 6:27 AM
Btw what’s the take on esha guptas ‘performance’.
B4 the film release, there was her mention as a cross between Angelina jolie and smita patil 🙂
Btw she seems ‘natural’ really from the pics – to give her credit
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May 7, 2012 at 6:30 AM
Update on mehrunissa
Something for Ali zafar fans
Btw did someone end up watching London Paris NY in the end ?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Ali-Zafar-in-Mehrunnisa/articleshow/13020787.cms
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May 7, 2012 at 6:58 AM
if this news is true, ali zafar should be on cloud 9. sudir mishra is one of the finest directors working today(imo he hasn’t made a single mediocre film till now).btw before mehrunnisa, mishra’s ‘power play'(formerly ‘inkaar’) is releasing this yr- it’s based on ‘sexual harassment of women in offices’ and stars chitrangada and arjun rampal. and yes alex, i saw LPN, it’s not my type of film but a friend (girl) dragged me along- quite an enjoyable with a very nice performance by aditi rao-a one-time watch
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May 7, 2012 at 7:09 AM
Thanx minor for the info
Btw that topic is interesting
Is it sexual harrassment ‘by’ women on offices or ‘of’ women?
Btw am a bit surprised that LNPY wasn’t liked
From the promos: Seemed a film that will find a certain ‘market’ amongst the young crowd
Haven’t seen the film but a couple of song s were good
The title song and there ws one on “phase hai”
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May 7, 2012 at 7:27 AM
‘inkaar’- it’s ‘of’ women( though i agree ‘by women’ might have made for a more interesting topic but still trust mishra to come up with something really good).LPNY was a reasonable success(atleast that’s what the director and goldie behl were saying) and most of the people who saw it ended up liking it. it was way better than MBKD, IHLS, BKB. yes- very hummable songs- ali zafar has done a good job as a singer and composer- the 2nd version of ‘phase hai’, sung by aditi rao herself, is even better
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May 7, 2012 at 8:48 AM
LPNY had a few scenes in first half that were pleasant to watch – playful banter and camaraderie between the leads but that’s just about it. The film was flat, dull and directionless.
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May 7, 2012 at 9:15 AM
That’s the song minor
Yucks- all this paperwork
Hope the music helps me stay.sane
Actually like working to music
Get time to watch v few films – only few clips, promos here n there r enuf
Becoming more of a music buff
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May 7, 2012 at 9:47 AM
btw saw a copule of rowdy rathor songs–seem to be potential hits-chinta and that other one
some vanessa paradis
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May 7, 2012 at 6:50 AM
Midweek: ‘Jannat 2’ has 24.03 cr wknd- http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/top5
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May 7, 2012 at 8:12 AM
Another piece on Milan Hansen love’s latest film
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/may/06/goodbye-first-love-review
Awaiting kiran raos next film
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kiran-rao-to-return-to-direction/1/185853.html
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May 8, 2012 at 8:28 AM
Jannat 2 Weekend Territorial Breakdown
Monday 7th May 2012 14.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 collected 23.50 crore nett over its first weekend. The collections were nearly 2 crore better than Murder 2 but was released on 500 more screens. The weekend territorial breakdown of Jannat 2 is as follows.
Mumbai – 8.52 crore
Delhi/UP – 4.31 crore
East Punjab – 2.05 crore
West Bengal – 86 lakhs
Bihar – 56 lakhs
CP Berar – 1.68 crore
CI – 1.00 crore
Rajasthan – 1.48 crore
Nizam – 1.37 crore
Mysore – 1.00 crore
Others – 65 lakhs
TOTAL – 23.47 crore
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May 8, 2012 at 8:28 AM
Jannat 2 Falls On Monday
Tuesday 8th May 2012 10.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
The collections of Jannat 2 fell around 55% on Monday as it collected around 3.75 crore nett. The trend was the same in all circuits and even the ones that performed well over the weekend fell around 55%. Delhi/UP held up best of all circuits with a less than 50% fall.
The film has now collected around 27.25 crore nett with the week heading towards a 35 crore nett total. The Monday collections suggest that the film will find it hard to cross the business of Murder 2 which was a smaller film and had huge competition in the form of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Singham after its first week.
If the film has the regular 15% drops over the weekdays then it will find it hard to put up decent numbers in its second week.
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May 9, 2012 at 8:03 AM
Jannat 2 Tuesday Business
Wednesday 9th May 2012 11.30 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Jannat 2 collected around 3.1-3.2 crore nett on Tuesday. The film had a noticeable drop in the big circuits while smaller circuits were comparitively steady. The Tuesday figures from some circuits are as follows with Monday in brackets.
Delhi/UP – 62 (83)
East Punjab – 30 (35)
CI – 16 (18)
Rajasthan – 19 (22)
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May 9, 2012 at 8:02 AM
The winning streak continues!
By Taran Adarsh, May 9, 2012 – 07:42 IST
The Bhatts have, most of the times, got it right. Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt have never chased stars, yet created ample curiosity for their movies. One of the prime reasons why Vishesh Films has been around for so many years — and has a fantastic track record — is because the Bhatts have kept a sharp eye on the economics, never spending an extra penny or bowing down to the whims and fancies of the stars. Making hi-concept movies in a stipulated budget is their mantra, which explains why the Bhatts and their distributors have never cried tears of blood even if the film didn’t meet the expectations at the box-office.
JANNAT 2, riding on Emraan Hashmi’s star power, is, by far, their biggest opener, having grossed Rs 24 cr nett in its opening weekend. Despite the fact that Emraan’s stature has grown over the years, you might be surprised to know that the cost of production of JANNAT 2 is a mere approx Rs 9.5 cr.
Unlike some media created stars, who get written about and feature on Page 3 every second day, but fail to draw audiences when their movies release, Emraan Hashmi’s movies have, consistently, drawn moviegoers in hordes. He enjoys tremendous fan following amongst masses, which explains why his last four films [including JANNAT 2] have opened big at the ticket window. Amongst the newer lot, only Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan have lived up to the expectations of the distributors.
JANNAT 2 had a great start on Friday, slipped on Saturday, but gathered steam on Sunday, thus packing a solid punch in its first three days. The multiplexes aren’t strong [the family audience hasn’t taken to the cuss words in the narrative], but the consolation is that the shares would be much, much higher since the film has performed exceedingly well at single screens.
Speaking from the economics point of view, yes, JANNAT 2 is a success story. The question is, how big a success will it be? Emraan’s films have a limited market in Overseas [even THE DIRTY PICTURE had a limited release there, although it fared well internationally]. JANNAT 2 has had a smaller release in the international arena, which means it will have to rely on the business from the domestic market. The makers have already sold the Satellite and Music Rights for a good amount and the recoveries from India theatrical will only add to the profits.
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May 9, 2012 at 8:05 AM
Whatever stuff Taran’s on must be pretty good if he’s vastly more positive on this film than even BOI!
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May 9, 2012 at 8:16 AM
But Satyam, to be truthful here the film has worked big time in my town. I have not seen it but my friends who went for it were thoroughly entertained and reported that the theatre was housefull
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May 9, 2012 at 8:33 AM
The BOI reporting and Taran’s is completely at odds. But leaving this aside a film could be doing poorly overall but still do well enough in pockets. Or it could open well enough and then not to well. One can get lots of houseful shows even for flops depending on what theater one is going and when. Mann was very successful in Lucknow and overall did reasonably well in UP and some other parts of the North. Doesn’t mean it was a hit film.
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May 9, 2012 at 8:37 AM
OT:
http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-bollywoods-10-most-violent-films/20120509.htm
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May 9, 2012 at 8:38 AM
So what do u bthink? will it end up being a hit?
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May 9, 2012 at 8:42 AM
find it hard to believe it will be one if even BOI who otherwise think Hashmi is two steps away from hrithik (I only exaggerate slightly) are negative on the film. Sure it should be profitable.
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May 9, 2012 at 8:52 AM
But Satyam , Hasmi is on a wave. Look at some of his upcoming projects- Apart from Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai, he has been cast in Vishal Bhardwaj’s next after ‘Matru ki bijli ka mandola’ which is a horror-supernatural flick, “Ek Thi Daayan’ alongside Kalki and Konkana where he reportedly plays a magician.
And then has a karan Johar production’s film which is going is going to be helmed by the Kurbaan director Rensil D’ Silva which reportedly also has Sanjay Dutt, Randeep Hooda and Kangana Raut which is a cop-gangster film. And then he Has Bhatt’s Raaz 3
I wonder these directors have saw in him that he is getting such films. One guy who is a far better actor is Randeep Hooda
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May 9, 2012 at 8:53 AM
Satyam, btw do check out the trailer of Killer Joe which I have posted on the Twixt thread. It’s creating quite a buzz internationally and is getting high critical praise
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May 9, 2012 at 8:59 AM
Satyam,
Dont you think sometimes you let your bias towards or against a star cloud your judgement (not being personal)? Emraan may not have had great or ‘respectable’ beginnings in the industry but sometimes I find it odd even his presence in a film makes some people here form opinions and biases against the film itself! While the houseful in his home-town claim was put forwarded by saurabh, you had a theory against it but the same theory would be used in favour of Amitabh’s BHTB (posters will be put on main page, queue outside theatres will be talked about in an effort to showcase that the film’s a success). Why not accept Jannat 2 as Emraan’s success, even if we accept it isnt a clear hit?
And Emraan isnt the only example. Lets even leave the Box office argument aside for an instant. Is our bias in favour of a star so strong that we’d put forth all our rational thinking to use in order to defend a piece of crap Abhishek starred in? If Raavan for instance, a wasted effort in my opinion, is suddenly talked about as a sort of a puritan attempt, whats wrong in accepting a say, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara despite its flaws.
Does Raavan deserve appreciation just because it has a director at the helm whose previous works we have absolutely loved and which are genuine classics? Why not look at a film on an individual basis and based on its merits rather than letting our judgement decide what the filmmaker could have tried to attempt here? That way, you may also derive sense from an Om Shanti Om!
I dont know whether I have digressed from the main issue but my focus was on ‘bias’
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May 9, 2012 at 10:52 AM
Tony- I agree with a lot of what you’re saying- and I moderately enjoyed ZNMD- but Raavan was a much more genuine, intelligent and skillful effort than ZNMD- having said that- I preferred the Tamil version because Vikram’s performance was far superior to Abhishek’s- and Prithviraj was a much more appropriate choice for Ram than Vikram was.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:57 AM
btw Ami, EMAET is not much better than Jannat, Killer, OUATIM, Gangster or Kalyug content-wise. I will rather watch these films than watch Imran Khan’s stupid act
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May 9, 2012 at 11:09 AM
No one ever said that EMAET was a masterpiece- the difference is that Bhatt films are generally sleazy and misogynistic- and to me that’s a big difference. And anyway- I never questioned your taste- there’s no need to be so defensive. 🙂
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May 9, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Of the films you mention- OUTIM was entertaining- it doesn’t fall under the usual Emran movie bracket.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:11 AM
I haven’t seen Gangster- but I’m referring to the type of films that Emran usually makes- even Imran has had JTYJN and Delhi Belly.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:15 AM
“there’s no need to be so defensive. 🙂 “- Ami, I love the way u take people’s case in a surreptitious manner…LOL. The films of Hashmi I mentioned above didn’t have much celebration of sleaze. The fact is that I hardly like acting but he sometimes his films, on a rather good day, entertain me a bit. Kalyug, even though a bit sleazy was better than most of Bhatt’s effort and I really like Kunal Khemu. Killer, though a rip-off of Collateral, was not at all sleazy and was enjoyable bcos of Irrfan’s performance. And Jannat also was not sleazy at all. And I d not like any of his sleazy stuff- Murder, Zehar, etc.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:27 AM
Not to trying to take your case- sorry if it sounded that way- I thought you misunderstood my comment as attacking your taste so I said that.
Anyway- What is ‘B-Grade’ really? 5 years ago films like Singham and Ready would have been considered B-Grade- today they’re big budget, big star blockbusters. If a Mallika Sherawat or Rakhi Sawant do an item song its trashy but if Katrina or another British/ American woman do it then its sexy and slick and if Vidya does it- it’s artistic and brave. I didn’t object to Hashmi because he is ‘B-Grade’- I just don’t see anything of any merit in him. Even if he does sleazy films- if he had some talent or appeal- I wouldn’t judge him so harshly.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:32 AM
I was kidding Ami- I know that u not attacking me, I have seen ur attacks they r rather sharp…lol. To be true, even I don’t know the proper criteria behind calling a film B-grade? And u know, u once suggested that Vidyut Jamwaal should play a lead in an action flick, I think Randeep Hooda should be acting alongside him, the guy is freaking taleneted
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May 9, 2012 at 9:12 AM
Tony, I sometimes feel the same. And more than accepting Hashmi or Jannat 2’s success, the main grouse I have is that these films are not even discussed properly on the box-office thread (when compared to some other films). there should be some equality in these matters.Thiis is just my view but I believe putting up an entire episode of Styamev Jayate does not serve anything, in that way we should also put up a video of an entire film which has just released. I am only saying this bcos I will rather have Satyam’s write-up on films(or even someone else’s pieces) than watching episodes of a tv show however good it may be. I have gone through Satyam’s previous articles and he used to write much more back then and was more prolific. The main reason for my interest in this blog is reading his write-ups- because
1)they are damn interesting and entertaining . I get to lean so much frm them even if I don’t understand them fully always.
2)because the comments which follow those write-ups are the real constructive discussions which happen on the blog. I mean some of the comments which GF and Q have written are so bloody good that an entire article can me made out of them.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:29 AM
Hashmi????
Come on guys. Get serious.
The only thing one can possibly discuss is how a guy bereft of any talent and charisma is continuing to get films and finding people who are willing to pay to watch his movie. I understand it takes all kinds and all other BS but Hashmi has nothing going for him IMO.
As far as Jannat 2 BO goes, it seems to be fading rapidly after a good Friday and given a low budget will be profitable.
Hashmi was OK in Footpath but has the same expression otherwise.
He may have good projects but unless he ups his game, he is soon going to be on a downward trajectory.
As far as comparng him with AB Jr goes, he has more talent in his little toe than Hashmi can imagine. Am sure there are people who will disagree but to each his own.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:38 AM
” The only thing one can possibly discuss is how a guy bereft of any talent and charisma is continuing to get films and finding people who are willing to pay to watch his movie. I understand it takes all kinds and all other BS but Hashmi has nothing going for him IMO ”
Same can be said for Jr B 🙂 Just posing it ….
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May 9, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Re: Same can be said for Jr B 🙂 Just posing it ….
Sure, you can. That is if you dont mind being clubbed with losers and idiots.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:45 AM
But than U are already in the club of Idiots and losers 🙂
Is there big loser than Jr B in BW right now???
And I just posed the question and ur logic.. logic must hold from both sides..its not when you utter it becomes gospel and when others it become moronic act .
But may be you didnt read the comment but just saw JR B name and replied back.. 🙂
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May 9, 2012 at 9:41 AM
The main argument I read here for Jr B despite of huge num of flops in his kitty, is that Directors see something in him and that’s why they cast him and when some directors see same thing in any other stars, they cease to be good directors… 😀
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May 9, 2012 at 9:46 AM
I think Shanghai is a litmus test for Emran IMO. If he delivers, performance wise, I might change my mind. I didnt find him impressive in OUATIM. The Bhatt films, I totally disregard. Not meant for serious consumption, am afraid.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:05 AM
Bliss, here’s the problem with that:
1)People who follow this logic for Hashmi should be following it in an even bigger way for Abhishek. But of course they don’t!
2)One has to look at contexts and not just at the names involved. Otherwise one would have to conclude that Ratnam considered Arvind Swamy better than Kamal as he did more films with the latter! Or that Prakash Jha probably thinks Abhay Deol is just like Ranbir since he’s doing a film with him.
Hashmi has taken some steps forward for sure but note how no major star would be willing to do most of the roles he does with the exception of Shanghai. Because either they’re very obvious supporting parts as in TDP or UOATIM and so on or else he’s doing the Bhatt stuff which is not anyone’s ticket to prestige! All of this is very obvious and scarcely needs to be debated. Hashmi is basically a B grade guy who’s got most of his success doing soft porn (or the Indian commercial equivalent of this) married to hit soundtracks. In more recent times he’s graduated to somewhat better things. This doesn’t mean he’s on a glide path to anything substantial. One would rather be Neil Mukesh than him irrespective of the box office records in each case. Some people are just not ‘serious’ and Hashmi’s one of them. Though I find him fairly offensive at many levels this isn’t the reason why I am arguing against him. The fact is that from Taran to BOI and now some people on blogs the whole ‘hurrah’ing’ of Hashmi has reached positively idiotic proportions.
Hashmi is for the most part a signal — come watch my films. the girl strips, I kiss her crazily, she writhes in bed with me. That’s his essential calling card. But he has done some better stuff of late. Most of it hasn’t amounted to much either commercial or for him. If some want to keep giving him credit for TDP they’re welcome to do so. So far I’ve shied away from substance abuse, therefore can’t join in.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:16 AM
and of course the best example here is OUATIM even in another sense. So the sequel takes up Hashmi’s character in detail and they switch the actor and go for Akshay! So much for being this box office force!
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May 9, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Satyam,
I dont agree to either of this or that. I just found rajen’s logic flawed, So I Posed the Query..
Rest cinema is more about BO, than prestige or not, instead of prestige the better word would be Good or bad film..
If Prestige was all that directors carve for than Raj kapoor would not have felt dejected and depressed about MNJ BO performance, same hold true for Guru Dutt and all Directors..
Its Economics and than Rest follows as far as commercial cinema goes..
Rest I dont know if Hashmi is good or bad actor, not seen his movies , may be on Gangster but if he is rising than its more noteworthy because he is coming from lowest rung of ladder, say from minus and now attracting some attention.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Completely agree with u Bliss. A film is either good or bad- as simple as that.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Well, Abhishek is definitely far ahead (and much tolerable) in the acting department than Hashmi but that wasn’t really the issue. My comment was directed towards a different thing
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May 9, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Tony, I think we were talking about giving him his due respect. I have never liked Hashmi as an actor but somehow he manages to give one hit after another. There must be something right about him.
Btw he has one more long delayed film “Rush” (earlier titled Raftaar 24×7 and Play) also releasing this yr. It got delayed bcos the director Shimin Desaidied before film could be completed but his wife has finished the film now. Also stars Neha Dhupia, Sagarika Ghatge and Aditya Pancholi. Its tentative release date as of now is Dec 15, 2012
Plot synopsis- A story about media and politics. Sam Grover (Emraan Hashmi) is a struggling news reporter. Even though his talk show is at the pinnacle of success, his personal life turns upside down when he accepts an assignment offered by a dynamic media tycoon. It plunges him into a vortex of violence in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Beneath the veneer of glamour, money, power and the enviable life of media, lays a truth that is at once unbelievable and shocking..
Here is the first look poster of Rush- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Rush_2012_Indian.jpg
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May 9, 2012 at 10:29 AM
the issue was about forming an opinion about the film even before its release and based on the same opinion, carrying forward your judgement even after having watched the film – because you dont like the actor. dont have only emraan in mind in particular but also stars like Hritik. I dont say I support these fellows but the basis on which you judge a thing should be consistent for every thing. not as if based on one parameter you’re criticizing a film but the same parameter will be used to appreciate another just because you have fixed perception
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May 9, 2012 at 10:39 AM
Tony, your statement is quite correct here and one couldn’t disagree with it in general. However it’s also equally true that in all of these things contexts matter. One cannot mechanically apply a set of rules either way.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:34 AM
“As far as comparng him with AB Jr goes, he has more talent in his little toe than Hashmi can imagine. Am sure there are people who will disagree but to each his own.”- Rajen Sir, obviously no one is denying it. But currently Hashmi’s hit-loss ratio is way better than Abhishek’s. And I dunno how but this guy is getting projects helmed by credible directors like Dibakar and Vishal Bharadwaj. and now he has entered KJo’s camp and is also reportedly been offered Yash Raj’s next which will be made by Parmeet Sethi (who made Badmaash Company). We have to give te guy his due
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May 9, 2012 at 9:34 AM
If a film opens reasonably well, falls on Saturday, posts a similar collection to Friday on Sunday and then continues sliding during the weekdays, isn’t it a pretty clear sign that it hasn’t been accepted by the audience?
Jannat 2 opened much stronger than Kahaani and EMAET but it’s box office is probably going to end with a total that is a notch lower than EMAET- which itself was not well accepted- and about half of Kahaani. And this is going by BOI’s predictions of a 35 crore total- which comes from a source that is biased positively towards Emran in the first place.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Ami, I don’t think so. I think it will earn much more than EMAET. And he has been a part of many successful films- Murder, Murder 2, Gangster, Jannat, Raaz 2, Zehar, OUATIM, TDP- even Dil to Bachcha Hai and Kalyug(where he had a supporting role) did good business
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May 9, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Oh, I forgot to mention Gangster which was a hit. and Aashiq banaya aapne also was an average film
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May 9, 2012 at 9:47 AM
Sauarabh- this is not my prediction- this is what BOI has predicted based on Jannat 2’s disappointing trending. Emran has had an excellent track record no doubt- but this film has not been wholegeartedly accepted by the audience and that is evident from the way it is trending. And let’s not forget that this is just the domestic gross- EMAET had a much higher international total than Jannat 2 will. I don’t think TDO’s success had anything to do with Emran though- that was down to Ekta’s ace marketing campaign- his contribution to OUTIM was minimal as well- and Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji did not do good business. His real test is going to be the KJo production- it will tell us if he can deliver in a solo hero film outside of the Bhatt sleaze factory.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:50 AM
His contribution to OUTAIM was minimal- I thought he played the 2nd lead and had as much screen-time as DEvgn(have seen the film quite a few times). On TDP, all I said was he is a part of successful films. Yes, u r right abt KJO project but he will also be tested IN Vishal Bhardwaj’s next “Ek thi Daayan” where he is with Konkana and Kalki
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May 9, 2012 at 9:53 AM
I meant his contribution in terms of box office pull- with OUTIM it was a very nicely packaged film and that’s what worked. Yes I forgot about Vishal Baradwaj’s film- more than KJo who is a shameless profiteer I’m shocked than Vishal has given Emran a film- his appeal/ talent completely escapes me.
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May 9, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Yeah I see major stars bending over backwards to get into a Bhardwaj film with ‘Daayan’ in the title!
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May 9, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Anyway, Ami did u see the trailer of “Iron Sky” which I posted on the “Prometheus Trailer” thread or not? please do so, want to know ur views on it. And I recommend it to everyone. Also see the trailer of “Killer Joe” which I posted on the Twixt thread
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May 9, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Even if Vishal couldn’t cast a major star- I didn’t expect him to cast Hashmi of all people! Disappointing! BTW is it confirmed that Konkana is making a comeback with this film?
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May 9, 2012 at 10:19 AM
its akshay kumar who is in ouatim 2 replacing the man jay devgan not others and its balan who is in media and getting national awards
its not about some low budget niche production(which are usually risk free) for single screen and precisely for that one gets here and there role to milk around this phase temporarily
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May 9, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Konkana is not confirmed but Kalki is. Konkana somewhere said that her comeback film will be with her hubby Ranvir Shorey. And she is confirmed for a new love story based on a Bengali novel along with Rahul Bose. btw Emraan in Ek Thi Daayan is playing a magician
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May 9, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Satyam < i have sen Vikramakardu- the Ravi Teja ne from which they remaking Rowdy. And it redefined a bad film for me. I can bet on it that u or anyone will not be able to sit through Vikramakardu in a single sitting (and I am someone who loved Masala films). And come on, films like Rowdy Rathore are making a mockery of Masala, u should be feeling disappointed with them
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May 9, 2012 at 10:37 AM
“Yeah I see major stars bending over backwards to get into a Bhardwaj film with ‘Daayan’ in the title!”- I don’t know abt that but Bhardwaj gave 2 career-making roles to Saif and Shahid, so there is a posiibility that Emraan may shock us with his performance. btw as per reports even though the title has Daayan, it’s Emraan who plays the central role here.
And Satyam, I find Emraan ‘s films no more offensive than the crappy stuff which Akshay is doing for quite some time. Rowdy Rathore looks horrible and I believe he has been completely miscast in the sequel of OUATIM
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May 9, 2012 at 10:40 AM
bhardwaj is on new career low after saat khoon mauf( afilm which was about to change perception about priyanka the actress)
akshay does volume and high budget production not some low budget safety bo wise and is not limited to some production house
from hrithik, abhishek,akshay to what next common
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May 9, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Saurabh, yes those two had career performances in films that didn’t have ‘Daayan’ in the title! It’s like RGV made Company and Satya but also made Raat and lots of other horror stuff. He’s still the same director!
On the rest I find Hashmi himself offensive. Wasn’t referring to the films though I find most of his Bhatt stuff offensive as well. On Akshay’s comedies sure they’re terrible too. Disagree on Rowdy Rathore though. It looks as good or bad as most films in this genre. I’ve enjoyed the trailers and I think Prabhudevaa will have an entertainer here (I forget what this is remaking..). But seriously you can’t be comparing Akshay with Hashmi!
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May 9, 2012 at 10:45 AM
I don’t understand your point about the film having Dayaan in the title- why is that such a terrible thing?
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May 9, 2012 at 10:58 AM
because it’s a horror show and Bhardwaj is clearly playing off a very campy film tradition of the past..
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May 9, 2012 at 10:45 AM
Yes, Housefull, Housefull2, Desi Boyz, Chandni Chowk to China, De Dana Dan, Thank You and Kambakkht Ishq were all ‘class efforts’, right. and regarding Akshay working in big budeget projects, lemme get into his entire 90’s phase where he kept doing innumerable B-grade action-porns (though i quite love some of them)-
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May 9, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Btw something for Akshay fans here. It’s his very cheesy B-grade film which I absolutely adore- “Mr. Bond” -has anyone seen it?
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May 9, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Yeah Bond having a fling with three ‘Bhartiya Naris’ who join forces with him in the end. 😀
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May 9, 2012 at 11:05 AM
you mean his makdee days lol
but ya still it was not that bad
but ya bhardawaj the direction is limited to his portrayl of hindi belt and one feel its has been stereotyped
ishquiya was an exception thanks to wonderful star cast
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May 9, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Tone, u have seen it. great man . And I loved those 3 naris. Btw another of my basement bargain favs of Akki is “Taraazu” where there is a hot smooch between him and Sonali Bendre. He actually starts killing villains while remaining in a coma- like limbo state here.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:09 AM
“Bharadwaj’s direction is limited to Hindi belt”- he made a damn good film Kaminey which had nothing to do with Hindi belt, even 7 khoon maaf, a film i quite like, is not set in that belt. And he is my fav director currently, period. His Maqbool was the best adaptation of Macbeth I have ever seen anywhere- a modern day classic
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May 9, 2012 at 11:14 AM
saat khoon mauf was a bad adaptation of ruskin bond story unlike macbeth…saurav there have been better adaptation in art cinema but lets leave that
what i mean some of his better work end with portrayl of hindi hearland belt even maqbool was indianised well
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May 9, 2012 at 11:25 AM
Rockstar, I have read Ruskin Bond’s Susaana’s 7 husbands, the fact that Vishal made a movie out of that crap is itself an achievement. And I have tried to see all adaptations of Macbeth, do tell me which one did u find which was better than Maqbool.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:29 AM
Oh right- that’s true- but I enjoyed Makdee immensely- I don’t think that a Baradwaj horror film will ever be pure camp.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:39 AM
the book is not that not crap and has cult following …see his other adaptation blue umbrella and it was a tad decent….
macbeth unofficially has ben used earlier in plays and inspired movie(not officially) but lets leave that as i said
bharwaj don’t make movies on crap book but the desi version of bestsellers
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May 9, 2012 at 9:36 AM
On a separate note, The Hunger Games hung on better than I expected and has managed to go past 380 crores and deserves props. I had initially suggested that it may end at 350 crores and wish to acknowledge that I was wrong on that score. Had argued with somebody here about it. Dont remember who but may be Ami and jsut wanted to say it HAS done better than I felt was possible after the first week.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:42 AM
380 million you mean. 🙂 It has done extremely well- I think most people were surprised at it’s sustaining power- apparently no film since Avatar has been at the top of the box office for so many weeks.
I think that releasing potential blockbuster before summer- when they wouldn’t have competition from other major films- was a really smart move.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Millions. My bad.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:47 AM
Did you watch Hunger Games Rajen? What did you think of it?
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May 10, 2012 at 6:07 PM
I did and cant say was able to relate to a great degree. Did appreciate certain parts.
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May 9, 2012 at 9:47 AM
I have a feeling it will be tough for TDKR to out-gross Avengers. It has made $702.1 million till now, has had the biggest opening-weekend gross ever and the biggest single-day gross
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May 9, 2012 at 11:11 AM
“Tone, u have seen it. great man . And I loved those 3 naris. Btw another of my basement bargain favs of Akki is “Taraazu” where there is a hot smooch between him and Sonali Bendre. He actually starts killing villains while remaining in a coma- like limbo state here”
— i enjoyed aflatoon the most among his flop hindi films. n also have a weakness for mr and mrs khiladi 🙂
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May 9, 2012 at 11:22 AM
I loved the title track of Aflatoon- it goes like “Ye khabar chhap waa do akhbaar mein, poster lagwa do bazaar mein”- abhijeet singing that was quite fun. didn’t like Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi at all, only Khiladi film which I have not liked.My favs f his action days are- Mohra( a damn smart film), Khiladi, Khiladiyon ke khiladi, International Khiladi, Dancer, Elaan, Sainik, Khiladi 420, Taraazu, Mr. Bond, Zaalim, Waqt Hamara Hai and Sapoot- btw his best act in the dcade was in Sangharsh and Yeh Dillagi.
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May 9, 2012 at 11:25 AM
Oh yes, how can I forget Mohra? A very entertaining film. and smart masala..
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May 9, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Well as i have said before, my fav masala moment from 90’s was Jindaal (naseer) beating the hell out of both Akki and Suniel Shetty single-handedly in the climax. Btw did u know Ami’s fav song is “Tip -tip barsa paani”-
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May 9, 2012 at 11:31 AM
What? I haven’t even heard of that song. 😛
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May 9, 2012 at 11:34 AM
So especially for Ami- this song turned me from a boy to a man- and I am putting it in HD version so that one can see ‘everything’ clearly- btw on a serious note check out the music, VIju Shah was way ahead of his time
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May 10, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Viju Shah was Pritam of his time…Most of his tunes were copied or significantly inspired.
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May 9, 2012 at 6:32 PM
Re: Bhardwaj gave 2 career-making roles to Saif and Shahid
This statement has two sides. I think VB gave those two career highs of sorts with his films but notice how both have been on a dwonward trajectory since!
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May 10, 2012 at 5:49 PM
Yeah “career-making” in either case is rather hyperbolic. Both of those guys didn’t exactly get any major mileage or change perception to any great degree as a result of their work in those films. Certainly this wasn’t like Abhishek in Yuva where one could sense people waking up to a talent and then saw follow-through with important filmmakers signing the actors up.
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May 10, 2012 at 5:59 PM
i certainly believe that after omkara, people did wake up to saif’s talent. it is almost universally considered as his best performance(he himself has said so many times). and i don’t think saif has been on a downward path at all after omkara-after this he did eklavya, being cyrus, race, love aajkal, aarakshan- all of them which worked in one way on other. yes shahid still has not been able to capitalise on kaminey’s success but it did tell people that he is more than just a good-looking guy
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May 10, 2012 at 6:13 PM
I think nothing gave Saif’s career a more revitalizing jolt than DCH. Omkara certainly showed that he could do a certain type of character and won him a lot of applause. I’m not arguing that it’s not a career high. Just not a career-making performance. Because honestly I don’t think he got those other films (certainly not Being Cyrus or Race or LAK!) on the merit of Omkara.
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May 10, 2012 at 9:30 AM
“I think VB gave those two career highs of sorts with his films but notice how both have been on a dwonward trajectory since!” I have been thinking about the irony of it. The same happened to Rani with Black.
On the flip side, it is a role like DCH that revived Saif’s career.
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May 10, 2012 at 6:08 PM
For once I agree with Utkal sir.
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May 10, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Agree utkal uncle
Infact both saif and akshaye ‘hairy’ khanna got a ‘second life’ with this film
And not only a new life
Saif found his niche whic may have been difficult in a lesser film
Btw utkal uncle: hav u watched any films lately-any comments
Or are u waiting for josm2 🙂
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