Abhishek-Asin & ‘All Is Well’ (older post updated)
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The speculations regarding the title of Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Rishi Kapoor starrer film have been finally put to rest, with the film being named ALL IS WELL. T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar recently announced the title of his venture with director Umesh Shukla ALL IS WELL, which was earlier tentatively titled MERE APNE.
The slice-of-life film that went on floors earlier this year, initially had the title registered with Vidhu Vinod Chopra who was gracious enough to let go of the title, given his long standing equation with producer Bhushan Kumar.
Says Bhushan Kumar, ‘I told Vidhu ji that everyone says it would be impossible to get the title from you. But he was large-hearted enough to give me the title on the condition that I get him his favorite Delhi mitthai. The film is now officially titled ALL IS WELL.’
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Box Office India was the first one to inform you that Umesh Shukla has been signed up by T-Series for his film and we were even the first one to reveal that Abhishek Bachchan and Asin are going to be paired up for the leading role. The actors were earlier seen playing siblings in Bol Bachchan.
When contacted Umesh Shukla he reveals, “Yes and the film has been titled as Mere Apne. It’s very different from OMG! And I am sure Abhishek Bachchan and Asin fits the role. Both the actors have great potential in my film they will be seen in never before characters. My script has a lot of potential where they can perform out of their way.” This time again Shukla tackles a thorny issue.
When asked more about the film Shukla reveals, “We are now scouting for a foreign location as the film goes on floor from August end so the first schedule will be shot in foreign destination but the second schedule will be shot in Himachal Pradesh. Most probably it will release second half of next year.
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Director Umesh Shukla of “OMG: Oh My God!” fame will start shooting his second film “Mere Apne” with actor Abhishek Bachchan soon. He says it is a family oriented movie.
“In the next four weeks, we will confirm Abhishek’s dates and will start shooting. The schedule will complete in one go, it is a 60-day schedule. We will be shooting in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and London,” Shukla told IANS.
The film has the same title as a 1971 movie. However, Shukla confirmed it is not a remake of any film.
“It is a family oriented film with lots of fun and humour. I am quite excited about this project,” he said.
Abhishek was his only choice for the film, says the director, confident that the actor will do justice to his role.
“When I was scripting the film, I knew I only want Abhishek in the film… I believe Abhishek suits the role the best.”
The rest of the cast is yet to be locked.
“Things will take time. It is only Abhishek who has been finalised as of now. The rest of the cast and crew, I will decide later,” he said.
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Director Umesh Shukla, who tasted success with his debut film ‘Oh My God’, will be next working on a comedy project with actor Abhishek Bachchan in the lead.
“I am doing a film with Abhishek. I have met him and narrated the story line in short. He has liked it and has showed his interest towards it. I am still working on my script and will meet Abhishek once again with a proper draft,” Shukla told PTI.
Shukla’s directorial venture ‘Oh My God’ had Paresh Rawal playing the role of an atheist while Akshay Kumar was seen in a modern day avatar of Lord Krishna.
The film was a satirical-comedy-drama on religion and did well at the box office after its release on September 28 last year.
This time again, Shukla is going to have a social element in the film.
“I can’t talk about it now as I am still working on my story. All I can say is it will be of social relevance coupled with comedy.”
When asked about the leading lady, he said, “I haven’t thought of anyone yet.”
The film is likely to be backed by Bhushan Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director of T-Series, and Shyam Bajaj.
“The film will go on floors this year,” Shukla said. The director was even toying with the idea of making a film on scams and share market which has been put on hold.
He was also planning to work with “Dabangg 2” star Sonakshi Sinha, but nothing is happening on that front also.
“The film on scams is on hold. While for the one with Sonakshi, nothing is finalised yet. If things work out then we would work. I would need a good script for Sonakshi,” Shukla said.
SATYAMSHOT 
January 27, 2013 at 9:42 PM
this is a good move by abhi.
Also bhushan kumar is on a roll it seems – that ramaiyaa vastavaiyaah starring his son Girish Kumar (debut) with Shruti is directed by Prabhu deva. here is the first look:
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January 27, 2013 at 11:04 PM
Girish Kumar is producer Kumar Taurani’s son …Bhushan Kumar got married few years back i guess 😉
And this film is a remake of Prabhu Deva’s telugu film Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana. It has been already remade in Tamil, Bengali and odia etc…
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January 28, 2013 at 3:09 AM
ok BM thnx 🙂 but the guy looks good ans shruti is a bomb. Prabhu Deva has got 2 100 cr behind him (wanted and RR) – so this can be a good debut for Girish kumar
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January 28, 2013 at 12:39 AM
Did a lot of people just hear “Ta thaiya Ta thaiya hoooooo”
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January 29, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Though I liked OMG, I still am not sure of Umesh Shukla as a director. The reason why I say this is cause the play that I watched (krishna vs Krishna) was exactly the same as the movie, and it could have been much much better on screen. My point is that his Shukla didn’t have an extraordinary vision for hte film version of the play. It just did justice to the play, thats all.
Not sure if this is a right move (if true) from junior. He should still be doing 1 or 2 BO friendly films than this. what you think Satyam Sir?
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January 29, 2013 at 1:17 PM
I personally didn’t think all that much of OMG. It was engaging enough and really a harmless film but rather silly too. The kind of premise one would perhaps see in a Disney movie. Shukla on the basis of this film strikes me as being a poor man’s Hirani. However this film was loved a great deal and trended enormously well, probably the best trending film last year. As a box office move from Abhishek it’s not a bad one all things considered. Because in Bollywood the really safe genres often scrape the bottom of the barrel while the somewhat better ones are often risky. I wouldn’t expect much more than the OMG kind of deal here unless Shukla really wishes to take a step forward. It might be a way for Abhishek to do something that’s wholly commercial but somewhat more meaningful. Following on BB and D3 (if that turns out to be the case) it probably allows him a relatively safe commercial venture that is not just about him venturing into well-established terrain. In other words you can do over the top comedies but besides being repellent (!) these films don’t necessarily add much to your standing. Because everyone prospers in them. The Shukla film, specially if he builds off OMG and gets a bit more intelligent, avoids this trap. Abhishek is also clearly going in for commercial subjects with broader appeal. I still think he should do a bit more than his current rate. Nothing can realistically release before D3 at this point but he can have stuff lined up. The one film a year model is not good enough even if these films work hugely. Also, and to repeat an older point once more, if Shukla is part if building a bridge to more meaningful commercial cinema that is not all-out risky, at least for the most part, I can see the value of doing it even more. In other words if it’s a step along the way.
Overall though OMG wasn’t the sort of film (for me at least and I know I’m in the minority on this) that makes its director a no-brainer. But then again barring Hirani there is no such commercial director in Bollywood. There are some in the risky camp who can deliver iconic films but equally experimental misfires (in box office terms) but not really reliable commercial directors striving toward meaningful entertainment. In other words a lot of ‘concept’ directors at various ends of the spectrum.
Finally I think there’s some danger in Abhishek pursuing comedy too much. This genre offers easy returns but one can get typecast as well. Sure he wants to break away from his very ‘serious’ image but one doesn’t have to over-correct. I understand he’s trying to be careful and really build up some street-cred and so on. But the trick of this business is that you have to do a number of things at one time. By the way I’m not just talking box office here because I see a number of important box office stars as not really being significant in any other sense.
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January 29, 2013 at 1:28 PM
Agree Satyam -/ I didn’t think much of omg !!
Yeah some liked it for its ‘script’ & ‘forward perspective’ – besides that it was primarily liked for Paresh chawal!
As for the director of omg- whatever his name is– the treatment & handling was less than interesting & an outdated way of film making
Perhaps those used to bodyguard thought they had found their own accessiblr ‘tree of life’ lite– but for me – it was meh!
As for abhiskrek–he again seems to hav gone wrong
With this he will neither get critical nor mass appeal –& the fact that he has chosen it (& some others may have left it) makes it likely that the script won’t be great either!!
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January 29, 2013 at 1:42 PM
Though I have some questions about Shukla you’re quite off the mark here at a number of levels. And towards the end the ‘imaginary’ seeps in once again! As always the mutually exclusive logical propositions:
1)Shukla is nothing great so Abhishek working with him means nothing.
2)Nonetheless many refused the film before Abhishek signed on to it.
Sometimes one’s enemies know one better than one’s friends! The anti-Abhishek partisans always go so crazy over him precisely because they see something there that they cannot simply ignore. On the other hand those who sometimes like Abhishek to some degree or are jilted lovers (like yourself) are in a tougher spot. Because they’d rather not have Abhishek succeed on terms that cancels out their own! So there was Bol Bachchan where people didn’t like what I said from the very beginning but hey I’m not the handing out all these awards to him nor was I giving him all that attention when the film released! Now one could of course argue that the Devgan is the reliable box office star here and so forth but the problem is that theory only works if the bigger star also gets ‘more’ out of the film, not less! And again there are a series of mutually exclusive claims. In other words no matter what ABhishek does it’s a negative for him, hot or flop or whatever! This even includes a seemingly supreme moment like Guru! I’ve been following the online chatter on him for very many years so I know how it keeps mutating. Why there is always this kind of chatter is a different debate altogether. My larger point however is that one can be dogmatically committed to a position where the facts eventually start becoming inconvenient and the gap has to be filled in with the ‘imaginary’. In your case I don’t think there’s in any case a dividing line between the ‘factual’ and the ‘imaginary’ but that’s another matter!
Getting back to OMG this film was the best-trending film last year (and it made a rather substantial amount given where it started off.. so it wasn’t a great trending film at the low end of the spectrum) and it’s hard to find people who didn’t like or love it. I still argue against the film but not as a box office matter.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:08 PM
C’mon let’s be honest here. Devgn, by offering him BB, served him a hit on a platter. But since some are saying that Devgn’s presence did not matter to BB’s gross let’s wait for the auspicious occasion when Abhishek finally gets a solo-hit
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January 29, 2013 at 2:16 PM
Saurabh, what’s the last multi-starrer you can think of where the bigger star got less mileage out of the film? Specially when it’s a totally commercial entertainer like BB?
I also think you’re offering a red herring here. No one has said as far as I can tell that Devgan’s presence did not matter. One would have to be pretty crazy to say this. However from the film’s title to the way the double was set up here to all the post-release attention to all these awards (not that I have anything but contempt for them but why isn’t Devgan getting them?) there are some other important facts here as well. As for the solo hit isn’t this little more than talking point? There were plenty who said this in 2004/05 when he had his string of successes but is it really plausible that he could get his solo in a film like Guru but was somehow not responsible for stuff like BnB just because these films had other important selling points as well (which selling points benefit even the biggest of stars)?
As I’ve said before your argument might be with the BB reception more than anything else. Nor is anyone saying that Abhishek has suddenly solved all of his box office problems post-BB. there’s a reason he’s being so cautious!
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January 29, 2013 at 9:06 PM
thought omg was a very weak film when i caught it on youtube. don’t know why this film did well.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:23 PM
Thank You Sir for replying to my query. Exactly what I wanted to say on Shukla, just couldn’t write it on paper like you did. yes agree, He does need to steer away from comedy a little bit, maybe he needs to do something like Rowdy or even a singham, I think the rustic Jr would be a something audiences would like.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:30 PM
I’ve always felt this but whatever genre Abhishek touches there should be a ‘difference’ within the subject that somehow accounts for his signature. This was consciously or otherwise the trick Shetty pulled off in BB. In other words Abhishek cannot be like Akshay. He can’t just be a star in a film that could as easily be done by some others. This can be an option within a larger set but not the key one. Because in a rather perverse sense and irrespective of his box office fortunes he’s sort of heir to even this part of his father’s signature. It’s a rather complicated problem that I’ve elaborated on eslewhere and won’t repeat here.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:36 PM
I believe I have read those points from you before. But coming to putting his own signature. I believe a movie like run (with a much much better script) would do wonders with the current trend that is going on right now. It would be a perfect set up for Jr to have his own signature ( a la Bachchan of the 80’s) but hold up his own as well. Run if made today would do wonders.
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January 29, 2013 at 4:05 PM
I’d disagree here. The past cannot be simply repeated. A lot can be done with that signature and the space it opened up but not by repetition. The Ratnam model here involves this ‘re-thinking’ but it’s also a riskier path. Otherwise this is not an industry where the strongest institutional forces are busy trying to re-invigorate this signature. Ultimately the moment has to be right for these things. Abhishek’s biggest problem in some ways might be that he lacks the industry to tap his greatest strengths. he can still be successful or even very successful doing other things. But that becomes a different debate. when the angry young man arrived the industry also offered him singular opportunities in terms of scripts and directors and so forth. There was a certain conjunction in this sense. But the star of Yuva or Guru or DMD doesn’t have an industry that can adequately house him.
The second problem here transcends genre. Bollywood doesn’t make too many authentic films at any level and in any genre. These are mostly fake attempts or films pretending to be very different. Bollywood is essentially a luxury industry that offers a series of comforting, ‘untroubling’ choices to its multiplex base. It can be masala-comedy or a thriller or whatever. But these films rarely test the complacency of the audience. Over time things have degenerated to the point where audiences just have a very different expectation of cinema. They’re not in it for ‘experience’ anymore. They simply want to ‘while away’ a couple of hours. The productions then reflect this. Things are very different in Tamil cinema where there is a lot of this stuff but a lot of authentic cinema too.
When Abhishek did a lot of stuff that didn’t work irrespective of what one thought of it most of the key choices here weren’t fake films. But no one is interested in the D6 sort of exploration. Unless of course it’s totally dumbed down and converted into a rather fake film which everyone can applaud. Barfi here is the classic symptom. There’s nothing wrong with this film, it’s a very recognizable sort on the festival scene. It’s of course a considerably inferior example within this paradigm but nonetheless I don’t have any objections here. This is the sort of ‘different’ multiplex audiences like. It doesn’t bother anyone at any level. But you can’t be a passive viewer in the same way for SR or DMD or D6 or Raavan. These are not feel-good films, they are meant to question, often to disturb. Notice along the same lines how GoW was celebrated in the media a lot more than Rakta Charitra. I haven’t seen GoW yet but I’m not surprised people didn’t love the RGV double. But in any case it’s partly about the strength of genres that might suit Abhishek and a lot more about the terms of the discourse for any given genre. The last example I leave you here is Khakee. An outstanding film in every sense. It should have been an absolute blockbuster but it didn’t do more than decently or so in most of the key markets (the ones that drive the gross). The audience refuses to embrace anything truly serious.
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January 29, 2013 at 4:15 PM
yeah, All valid points sir. But my issue or recommendation rather is that if other stars are banking on Bachchan’s 70’s and 80s glory and remaking his classsics and put a check mark as a hit next to their films, Why shouldn’t jr do the same (not suggesting on doing remakes literally )but to to build a model along the lines of the 80s’ in this case RUN is the best example if it had the right script and moulded in the bachchan of 80s’ mode it would work effectively and honestly people would lap it up with open arms. At times, I do feel that some part of the audience WANTS him to do along the lines of 80’s bachchan and because he hasn’t given that to them, his choices are not working (though given and we know htat he is a different mould of actor from his father).
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January 29, 2013 at 5:25 PM
Because my point is that one can get a hit to one’s name or even multiple hits and it doesn’t matter. It matters in the sense of an individual career but it has no larger meaning. No one’s going to care about Akshay Kumar once he’s done. Because he hardly has any sensible films nor does he have anything that’s of the status of a true blue classic. I like the guy, I’m not attacking him, the fact however is that there are very many successful or very successful stars that don’t really matter in historical terms. Now it’s fine not to have that as an aim. Will Smith probably doesn’t care how he stacks up in history as long as he can keep those big grossers rolling in (actually not literally true because everyone in Hollywood craves for this at some level or the other). But the truly ambitious are never just thinking about the present. Certainly not those who have a genuine interest in the craft and the more meaningful side of the business and are not just there to become great stars. Again no one has to believe all of this to be very successful. What Hrithik’s place in history is or isn’t doesn’t matter to the producers of Bang Bang! But from my perspective if one is Abhishek it should matter. And I know for a fact it does matter to him. The noise and static of the present dies down rather quickly. Both in terms of mediocre films and the audiences that patronize them. What remains is the more meaningful stuff and/or the classic. And by the way I am as much for silly/trashy entertainment as the next person (even if there are better avenues to realize this urge than Bollywood). I’m not making a case for serious cinema or high art here. I am just arguing against a particularly ridiculous disease that has infected most people in the media and the audience to varying degrees, and for all sorts of reasons, where films like Bang Bang are spoken about in the same breath as films like Paan Singh Tomar! There’s lots of nonsense Hollywood dishes out every year but no one takes it seriously. whether it is successful or not. So to get back to your point there’s a kind of success that doesn’t mean much beyond the immediate gratification. As for the audience accepting it or not these are cattle (to paraphrase Hitchcock) who can be led anywhere. Give them the right film and they’ll make any star a god and they’ll conveniently forget how much they were abusing the same star the previous night!
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January 29, 2013 at 5:46 PM
I do see your point now sir, The best example here would be Rajendra Kumar, As rightly said by you about Akshay. How many really remember Rajendra Kumar’s Legacy (using legacy very loosely here in a form of all his silver jubiless that he gave us). and I do agree with what you are saying, no one is going to remember films like Krish and what not, they are not imp films in their resumes. But then again, I as a fan do want to see Jr give out a tremendous BO shattering movie from time to time, But yes not at the cost of mediocre level of films or unimportant films. Which brings the quesiton, do we have makers besides Hirani right now who can be Hrishikesh and Desai at the same time. The challenge is with the makers and no the actors (jr in case) at the moment.
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January 29, 2013 at 5:55 PM
and to be absolutely clear I’m not saying there’s anything wrong in being Akshay Kumar or salman Khan. Actually their present fates are the best possible ones for them! So it’s not that I expect every actor to have the same goal or desire it for them. Nor do I believe that the more worthy actor should somehow exist in a different stratosphere. So Abhishek can certainly do stuff like BB or whatever from time to time. All I’m suggesting is that there be a discourse that recognizes these distinctions. In terms of your point this doesn’t stop him from achieving the ‘shattering hit’ (in a mediocre genre or otherwise). But if it’s the usual stuff it shouldn’t be the only career option. In other words if there were a path whereby Abhishek could be in Akshay’s or Salman’s position doing whatever they’re doing I’d say that path isn’t worth taking. But I’ve been consistent about this. One of the reasons I’ve always been a kind of naysayer on Bachchan’s 80s phase.
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January 29, 2013 at 5:59 PM
Fair enough, I understand your point. And yes not taking anything away from Akshay, Salman or even Rajendra Kumar. They are there in their own zone, and work on their own strength.
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January 29, 2013 at 6:00 PM
I clearly see your point here and agree with most of what you have said Satyam. Having said that people who have extrordinarily successful careers (from a commercial point of view) are also remembered- an Akshay Kumar still does not belong to this category but a Will Smith does. Also with certain stars their stardom is transcendental enough to last long in people’s memory- Cruise, Hrithik and Arnie are primary examples. Finally the impact of some stars cannot be reduced to their BO records, acting abilties, presence in important films etc- Govinda is a great example. Even Dutt, who hardly has a great BO track record, would be remembered for a long time
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January 29, 2013 at 8:44 PM
Don’t think Tom Cruise will stand any test of time. How does one know this? How many stars do most people who are not total film buffs remember from past decades? In any vital sense? There are very many hugely iconic stars that no one remembers today. Of course this is not literally true for Hollywood because there’s a proper film culture in the US. Despite this there are very many important names that don’t get enough attention outside of that rarefied culture. Not much survives as a historical matter that is not either of the order of a great classic or important enough to always stand a chance of being reinvented. This is always difficult to accept in the present when one is the fan of one star or another. What has Hrithik really done that will stand the test of time? Once trends and fashions and concepts of ‘beauty’ change no one’s going to drool over him. His hits don’t even have the status of something like DDLJ. His movies don’t even define a moment in time the way SRK’s iconic ones did. So a lot of these judgments sound harsh and/or about playing favorites. That’s not at all true for me because I am a bit too obsessed with the history. Which is why even when it’s Abhishek I am not likely to celebrate choices that I consider unimportant. How often did I talk about Raavan despite that film’s failure and how often have I discussed BB? OMG was feted in so many quarters, I am hardly celebrating Abhishek doing the director’s next (if this turns out to be the case) despite considering this a somewhat better commercial choice than many others. And BB hasn’t changed my mind on what Rohit Shetty is about. If I expected something better for that terrain from BB I also do with Chennai Express. And I equally found All the best better than most films of that genre. So these aren’t partisan statements from my side. I enjoyed Rowdy Rathore more than just about every masala film or masala-comedy including BB barring an exception here and there.
The question always is: what is the standard one is using? if it’s about being a marquee box office star Hrithik achieved it with his very first film and has maintained that standing through a lot of things. Whether he’s ‘important’ in any more profound sense even in the present he occupies is I believe greatly debatable. Tom Cruise has obviously been a huge box office force. But I believe DiCaprio will matter more over time because he’s sacrificed some of those instant box office ‘pleasures’ to work with talents like Scorsese or Nolan or Tarantino or Eastwood. It’s a path where there are often underperformers if not downright box office disappointments, it’s a path where even great success is not of the absolute sort, and where years have to spent in crafting even this balance. Hollywood isn’t a system that takes an actor to task for trying to fashion such a career and yet it is not an easy proposition. What is clear in the meantime is that DiCaprio will never be the kind of box office force Cruise was. That’s a choice he’s made. But it will pay dividends over time. And he’s part of an industry where people compare like for like. No one used the MI gross as a yardstick for a Scorsese film. Even Inception in terms of its fantastic gross is an exception. Tarantino and scorsese and Eastwood don’t get anywhere close to that even on a good day.
In Bollywood the way of measuring these things is very different. Not in a good way of course. But the insanity lies on the side of the ‘measurement’ not on the side of someone like Abhishek who has often tried to chart out a more meaningful path in the authentic sense. It might be absurd to do so given how these things are analyzed in his industry, it might be silly on his part to take the ‘Hollywoodization’ of Bollywood seriously when for the most part this isn’t meant to be taken that way and from supposedly serious critics to supposedly serious directors people still celebrate the obvious choices for the most part. So pragmatically it might be foolish on his part to have attempted all of this given the gulf that exists just between Bollywood and Tamil cinema on this score. In every sense. You have an audience that rips you apart for attempting films with the likes of Mehra or Ratnam when these don’t work. You have an audience that apparently cannot tell the difference between these sorts of films and Bang Bang! Given all of this insanity perhaps one is crazy to strive for anything better. But why do we who take part in these discussions often succumb to those very same bankrupt standards when we otherwise pretend to be appreciating the best of Hollywood or the best from the festival circuit or even the best from Indian cinema? If all we’re looking for at the end of the day is a hit for our favorite star even if it comes by way of the most crass entertainment why do we pretend to be in it for the meaningful otherwise? I am not attacking anyone here nor will I name anyone but I find it positively bizarre when folks mention some extraordinary films as their favorites but otherwise support the worst out of Hollywood because it helps the stars their patronize. If one is in it just for this ‘erotic’ connection with the star why pretend to anything else elsewhere? I don’t see anything wrong with doing the former but doing both is hypocritical. Of course one can like all kinds of films but even with the merely entertaining some standards apply. Rowdy Rathore can be enjoyed a lot but some of the other stuff Akshay does?! So on and so forth. As an Abhishek fan I can live with certain questionable commercial choices from time to time when there are clear reasons to do so but if I felt the rest of his career would be a series of Rohit Shetty films I’d not be interested even if he became a historically big star! Because I am not interested in his skills (such as I see them) just to them thrown out of the window for whatever reason and to see him then do a Salman impersonation! Nor is it my dream that he somehow beef up like Hrithik and become more credible for the Bang Bang sort of venture!
By the way in the right film I have often enjoyed watching Tom Cruise. In the right venture I don’t mind Hrithik either. The same goes for some other stars. But the bankruptcy of how these things are measured in Bombay ought not to obscure what the essence of some of these stars really is.
Once again I don’t have anyone specific in mind with some of the polemics though with many people it’s impossibly hard to square some of their opinions in one place with some others they express elsewhere. It’s the usual joke I have about how the SRK fan (or the Hrithik fan or now even the Aamir fan) is only about the crores when it’s about KKHH or Krrish or D3 but then suddenly pretends to be only in it for the meaningful when it’s Swades or Guzaarish or TZP!
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January 29, 2013 at 2:35 PM
I think Abhishek has exactly the presence (physical and otherwise) for a more serious Masala. Even otherwise I found him excellent in Run (and those who say he cannot do action should check out the scene im the market where he bashes up goons with the ‘weight’).
I think Rajamouli is an even better choice for lighter masala. The best option here is Murugadoss. Also think Okkadu (IMO the best Mahesh film by a margin) and Athidi are good choices
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January 29, 2013 at 2:39 PM
haha, Great minds think alike, read my above comment, we must have typed it at the same time. haha.
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January 29, 2013 at 3:48 PM
yes but there is also an expiry date on all of these things. Which doesn’t mean these films cannot be successful, just that it’s too late to make any sort of point doing it. When Ghajini appeared it was new for contemporary Bollywood. Salman does run of the mill but at least operates at a different level in box office terms. The narrative-based masala path is certainly not sealed off, I don’t disagree there. Ultimately the problem is that for whatever reason Abhishek doesn’t believe enough in this paradigm. And that’s something you cannot change. When you’re not really into it you’ll do the right project when it shows up but you’ll never try to hard to land it.
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January 29, 2013 at 1:49 PM
Haha again Satyam walked into this one…
I have no problems with abhishrek and infact want his to use this ‘lease of life’ courtesy Bol bachchan more wisely and string together a series of ‘successes’
Omg is undoubtedly a success but he is doing some other film–which remains an unknown entity
The director was no great shakes either ways…
I would have liked him to do something like prabhudeva in a masala/remake –go unabashed for the jugular and for box office success
Or even his dads remakes b4 others rape their legacy–atleast there will be a decent opening
Yeah, given his history, abhishrek could have made bigger blunders at this stage–just that personally I felt this wasn’t the project/maker.
It’s more a progression for this director cv than abhishreks!
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January 29, 2013 at 2:11 PM
The problem with masala is that Abhishek should have done it much earlier. Now it’s simply too late. He could do it as an option at some point but in its contemporary Bollywood manifestation the genre has already been beaten to death. Unless he takes on something with a proper narrative like Ghajini. That options remains open and there are very many, much better films where that came from. The Prabhudeva option would certainly be a good one but again with each new release of this director’s in Hindi it becomes that much more late.
Judging from his interview doesn’t look like Shukla will complete another film before the Abhishek one. Even the Abhishek one doesn’t seem to be completely set in stone. It’s easy to imagine a scenario where Abhishek comes across something better and decides to delay this or something.
As for the director I stand by something I’ve always said. The interesting directors or the ones with remotely interesting ambitions always have Abhishek as a choice one way or the other. But yes the box office picture matters. A star has to be minimally viable for this to happen. However such directors unless in dire straits themselves are also not in the game of just latching on to the topmost star. Once again people have a very distorted sense of these things. In no industry does every relatively significant director run around trying to get the top 2-3 stars. It just doesn’t work that way. Because there are many projects that are worse with top stars! And not just as an aesthetic matter but also as a business deal. If you decided today to sign on Salman for a Rakeysh Mehra film not many significant distributors would be willing to back up such a project. Because those in the business know that there has to be a certain credibility attached to every kind of project. A film like Kahaani can work but it can’t work with just the biggest actress out there. So on and so forth. When you’re making Bang Bang you are just indulging in eye candy and you need the likes of Hrithik and Katrina. But notice what happened with Guzaarish. With a high profile director, a huge co-star, Hrithik got not just a failure here but a total washout. So it’s not as if every director requires the biggest star around irrespective of the subject and so forth. So Shukla after OMG could have got a number of people.
There’s by the way another fallacy here. Raj Kumar Gupta wanted to do Ghanchakkar with Abhishek. When the latter didn’t agree he went with Emraan Hashmi. This isn’t because he thought the two were comparable stars or actors. It’s because a lot of people in his position are either interested in and/or find Abhishek credible for a lot of these middle of the road films. These aren’t films that require huge box office forces and these can’t be budgeted that way. As we saw with Talaash no one’s getting to 150 crores in this film! When Abhishek doesn’t do the film it automatically gets downsized and then you’re talking about a very different bunch of actors. So films often go through lots of changes at different ends of the production line depending on how this other stuff shapes up.
Finally, and though this point is often too subtle for partisans of various sorts, there’s a difference between a star who is seen as significant even when down on his luck and one who isn’t seen as such even when he does well. One kind of star can with success instantly become very attractive to a vast variety of filmmakers. The other kind is simply a kind of fallback option for want of better ones. Of course either kind of star needs minimal box office credibility but Abhishek even on his weakest days has generally not had a problem attracting projects one way or the other. If currently he’s being very careful it’s certainly not for lack of opportunities.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:45 PM
But to be honest, I really hope and wish that he works with Sippy again soon. We have seen hopes from their twitter exchange over doing a Bluffmaster 2, If that is announced anytime soon, dont be surprised. It will be a welcome news for all Jr and sippy fans. And doing B2 would be a great idea (if it is half the script than the first one, it will surely be a big opener and trend quite decent)
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January 29, 2013 at 2:48 PM
“I really hope and wish that he works with Sippy again soon”
Think sippy being the auteur he is, doesn’t have time for abhishrek as of now–lol
Btw kash –which film did u end up seeing with your wifey (or did u go with a girlfriend ?)
U got ‘silent’ after that 🙂
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January 29, 2013 at 2:51 PM
haha on the sippy bit. Ended up renting Looper, Very well made film. Not the best sci-fi or time travel, but very well executed. Really like this kid JGL, But his make up was little too weird to make him look like Willis, other than that I didn’t ahve any issues.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:54 PM
“Ended up renting Looper”
Hahaha what an anti’climax’ kash after all that!
C’mon maan –‘grow up’
Do something interesting–get us some good ‘gossip’
U are spoiling my name 🙂 (joking)
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January 29, 2013 at 3:02 PM
Glad that you liked Looper and your observation on Levitt’s make-up is dead right. It was my fav hwood film of last year (though I have not seen a lot of important major releases) after The Grey. And it would also be my favourite time-travel film after Primer
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January 29, 2013 at 3:08 PM
Kash -was just pulling your leg…
U are perfectly fine to rent looper and watch at home… Safe n sensible n convenient
Ps: good u didn’t go4 les mis tho 🙂
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January 29, 2013 at 3:19 PM
@Saurabh, Yeah it was good fun. Have yet to see Primer. I did manage to see almost all the ones that are nominated at all the major awards. I have 2 favs from last year Argo and Django. Have yet to see Hitchcock though (has anyone seen it? what are your views?). Didn’t think much of SLP, very well acted by Cooper and Lawrence. Cooper deserves all the nominations and Lawrence is rightly getting all the awards. I have been discouraged to watch Les Mes by many here and elsewhere. From the independent circuit, really liked Jeff, Who lives at home and Butter (think this maybe 2011). Also, really liked sessions and Rust and Bones.
@Alex, No worries Alex, and btw there was another sort of Climax that was involved, which took a long time to peak LOL. Just kidding brother, Learned to speak your language now. lol.
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January 29, 2013 at 3:36 PM
“btw there was another sort of Climax that was involved, which took a long time to peak LOL”
Haaw hmm that’s y renting movies eh
God buoy
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February 5, 2013 at 1:31 PM
“@Alex, No worries Alex, and btw there was another sort of Climax that was involved, which took a long time to peak LOL. Just kidding ”
Haha good boy kash–so u are ‘scoring’ somewhere –nice …
Ps–been damn busy–no time 4 cinema ..
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January 29, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Would certainly be great to see him do anything with Sippy. However I would like something other than a BM sequel. I’m sure this makes commercial sense but Sippy is too talented to fall into the sequel trap unless like Hirani he could do something really interesting with it.
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January 29, 2013 at 3:42 PM
“Would certainly be great to see him do anything with Sippy”
Something like broke back mountain part deux
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January 29, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Right, And I wouldn’t really mind a sequel. Knowing sippy he wouldn’t make a sequel just for the heck of making it, He would not use a half baked script here. He is one of those rare directors who would learn from him mistakes from the previous ones and try and make a better product. Not like others where they just go ahead and use the template from the previous one and copy and paste it pretty much.
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January 29, 2013 at 2:41 PM
Agree with all that but I think we are all tired of being career advisors and sympathisers of abhishrek.
This has been going on a while now!
“The problem with masala is that Abhishek should have done it much earlier”
The ‘problem’ here for abhishrek is not only with masala 🙂
Basically lot of water has flown under the bridge…
“When you’re making Bang Bang you are just indulging in eye candy and you need the likes of Hrithik and Katrina” one of the problems is that even if he wanted, abhishrek could never make these sort of projects work either
So it’s a bit like vidya balan declaring that she rejects all ‘Chickni chameli’ numbers hahaha
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January 29, 2013 at 3:45 PM
But that’s like saying De Niro could never do what Will Smith did! what does this mean? Taking this logic to an extreme one could say that lots of good actors would make lousy porn stars!
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January 29, 2013 at 3:54 PM
“Taking this logic to an extreme one could say that lots of good actors would make lousy porn stars!”
Not necessarily,…
Some can be ‘versatile all rounders’
Katrina has a certain ‘past’ that like sunny leone shoulnt be held against her lol
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January 29, 2013 at 4:06 PM
I think the point Alex is trying to make is that public has neither ‘accepted’ Abhishek as a De Niro kind of formidable ‘actor’ (atleast not most of the times) nor Will Smith/Cruise kind of star (and he is also not someone like Cage who can effortlessly be both). Not saying that the public is right here but that is how it is.
Also not everyone can be a Cruise, Arnie or Smith. These folks also put in hardwork to become the kind of stars they are. Not even De Niro can match Cruise when he does a Topgun or Knight and Day
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January 29, 2013 at 4:12 PM
There are worst things in the world for an actor than being unable to work in a remake of a Tom Cruise movie that Tom Cruise couldn’t make work for himself.
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January 29, 2013 at 4:13 PM
I know what his point is but it really relies on the box office one way or the other. Brad Pitt spent years doing critically important stuff that wasn’t much at the box office and he didn’t have this balanced with commercially big films either. DiCaprio himself until very recently was going through a very mixed phase in box office terms because he didn’t want to be limited to the Titanic mold and it takes a while to get the balance right doing the other stuff.
As for not being considered a formidable actor I actually think it’s the opposite with Abhishek. I think people largely have other issues with him. Most reasonable folks wouldn’t really question his acting abilities. This is by the way manifested even in the stuff partisans say. Once upon a time the biggest charge on him was that he couldn’t act but for many years now most people get at him for the box office stuff not these other things. With half a brain it would be hard to argue that the guy who’s done Yuva/Guru/Sarkaar and then Dostana/BB and so on couldn’t act! Of course if the choice is that one should either be Tom Cruise or De Niro that would exclude 99% of Hollywood actors let alone Bollywood ones!
On the rest actually I completely accept it takes great effort to be a pornstar as well! I am being very serious here. I at least don’t have the mental tools to be able to equate Cruise and De Niro or Stallone and Nicholson or Schwarzenegger and Pacino! great effort is required to do many things in life. That’s not the point here. I’m not saying being Hrithik or Katrina is easy. I’m saying it’s unimportant!
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January 29, 2013 at 9:38 PM
ha! love the last line 🙂
agree with most of the stuff here. even though i don’t think of abhishek as highly as you, but like him.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:02 PM
Just because Bollywood is full of mediocre star-actors, Abhishek, I think, is lucky to be called an actor. I’m quite serious about it.
He’s not some thespian down on his luck…at least in my opinion. The comparisons to Dicaprio or even Brad Pitt are unwarranted as well.
Coming back to Bollywood, Aamir and even Ranbir (saw Barfi recently and quite liked it) are stars who take their roles seriously. Then there are serious actors like Bajpai, Boman Irani, recently Nawazuddin Siddiqui etc who define the craft through some of their performances.
I don’t think Abhishek is good enough to warrant a comparison with the pure actors…and beating SRK, Hrithik in acting chops can hardly be called an achievement.
Yes, I liked Abhishek a lot in Yuva, Guru and Paa. The rest of his filmography doesn’t make me a believer.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:05 PM
This is, of course, my personal opinion. Don’t mean to offend anyone, but I honestly don’t see what Satyam sees in Abhishek.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:10 PM
I concur with u on abhi-shrek…
What Satyam sees on abhishrek is a different topic lol (& something I won’t elaborate now)
“and beating SRK, Hrithik in acting chops can hardly be called an achievement”–btw who said he beat them even in ‘acting chops’ …(forget stardom)
As I said above –lots of water has flowed under the bridge — these things are said time n again
The amount of grey matter and wherewithal invested in abhishreks career planning here (& by a person of Satyam intellect) could have guided a whole batch of students into Ann Arbor or Harvard (& on scholarships!) lol
Finally —
“On the rest actually I completely accept it takes great effort to be a pornstar as well! I am being very serious here.”–this is perhaps the only statement of yours in the post above that I agree (and read!) 🙂
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January 29, 2013 at 10:23 PM
What Satyam sees on abhishrek is a different topic lol (& something I won’t elaborate now)
Sorry, I did not intend any sarcasm. I only put my views forward.
“and beating SRK, Hrithik in acting chops can hardly be called an achievement”–btw who said he beat them even in ‘acting chops’ …(forget stardom)
I just said that…
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January 29, 2013 at 10:50 PM
Haha wasn’t being ‘literal’ here
“Sorry, I did not intend any sarcasm”-no need 2 be sorry..
“I just said that…”–yeah so do many believe-abhishrek is certainly not a bad actor and more n the ‘restrained’ variety (that is rarer. but unfortunately, in this ball game/target profile, it’s more about playing to the galleries and underlining the nuances with a bold highlighter (that srk and hr do more effectively –the results show it)-cheers n -gud nite
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January 29, 2013 at 9:50 PM
Shri Shri Ravishankar was not happy with OMG for obvious reasons. It was a timepass movie. One time watch. It was a big hit in Gujarat. Hope this movie changed some people atleast. Not to trust fake godmen and godwomen and guruji types.
If we go deep even believing in god itself is something to be questioned. Especially offerings and donations. Maybe belief brings some solace and some godpeople offer this. Each to his own. If there is no belief, there might have been more rootless criminals on the prowl. We must be grateful to some of these for keeping the animal in humans under leash and making society more liveable.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:14 PM
Amongst stars, Aamir, IMO, is clearly the most honest performer. I wasn’t a big fan of his acting earlier on, but with each subsequent film, I’m beginning to appreciate him more. He was very good in Dhobi Ghaat and very impressive in Talaash. He’s definitely numero uno in my books.
I’m still not a fan of Ranbir, but he’s taking risks. He’s kind of following Aamir’s path and pulling it off. Not just in the box office sense either. Given some time, I think he’s likely to come up with a very good performance as well. The key thing is, he’s on the right track.
Akshaye Khanna is out of Bollywood, I guess. Otherwise, he’d be my pick for the most natural performer in commercial cinema.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:29 PM
Very good choices Saket. All the 3 have proved themselves and only Akshaye Khanna has not got his due. Maybe he did not pursue success and stardom like others.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:42 PM
He just didn’t get the right projects. Doing Abbas-Mastan’s thrillers or Priyadarshan’s comedies can only take you this far.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Nobody really cares about Jimmy Shergill…at least here. I think he’s quite good as a lead.
Seriously, there are very few stars in Bollywood who can be called upon to be consistent performers. With everyone’s bhanja and bhatija making his debut, it’s unlikely there will be a change in the situation.
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January 29, 2013 at 11:58 PM
I really like Shergill. He (as well as Akshaye) can run circles around most of our actors and stars. Just recently he was very good in SBAG. Haasil and Yahaan are two other worthy mentions. And Oh, I forgot Eklavya
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January 29, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Akshaye Khanna’s plight has been pretty sad, I agree completely there. He’s still the best thing in DCH to my mind, and should have done a lot more. Age and the industry haven’t been particularly kind to him. I think all those Priyadarshan comedies where he was basically trying to out-yell his cast-mates probably didn’t help either.
On Aamir he has shown more growth as an actor than any of the peers he came up with. But given that we’re taking about a peer-pool that includes SRK (who, while at one point a more spontaneous performer than Aamir has not really evolved beyond a point) and Salman (who’s pretty much a non-actor) this isn’t saying all that much. Don’t mean to take anything away from him. He’s certainly grown leaps and bounds. On a related note I found him effective in Talaash but not much better than this…quite unlike Dhobi Ghat where he was really memorable.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:49 PM
SRK’s spontaneity used to be good to some extent and beyond that it became intolerable.
As for growth, Aamir has been consistent. If an actor is bad or average then only growth comes into play.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:57 PM
From day one Aamir was good, mostly underplayed and tried to do different types of characters and succeeded a lot. What else one need to prove? He is true to his profession and was not flamboyant by nature inspite of his filmy background.
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January 29, 2013 at 11:05 PM
I thought Aamir and Rani worked really well together in Talaash…in fact, I think Rani’s performance was the best in the film.
With Aamir, I’ve usually had a problem with his dialog delivery. He wasn’t bad per se, but he just couldn’t strike the right balance earlier on. I now see that he’s matured to the point that it doesn’t stick out anymore.
He’s usually quite conscientious about his role preparation, getting in character etc. I don’t think that’s all that defines an actor, but I do appreciate the effort on his part. Earlier Aamir used to be all ‘method’ and no instinct, but I think lately that has changed quite a bit.
I’ve never really cared about SRK as an actor (found him phony in Chak De as well) except for his role in Dil Se…and that too because Mani Rathnam chanelled his “enthusiasm” (for want of a better word) into the right character. SRK was brilliant in Dil Se, but that’s because he was playing the perfect character designed for him.
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January 30, 2013 at 8:31 AM
Agree on Dil Se, though I probably prefer him in CDI to anything else in his career. Didn’t find him phony at all..
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January 30, 2013 at 10:52 AM
And on Talaash, I made a comment here but on the whole I found this to be a kind of uneven film, probably the Aamir film I’ve felt least enthused about since having seen it in some time. Rani was certainly in fine form but I didn’t think much of anybody’s performance here. Nothing really blew me away about this movie and I think the best thing it does is sustain a very effective noir mood.
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January 30, 2013 at 10:59 AM
What are the other noir films?
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January 30, 2013 at 11:03 AM
I’m not sure I understand your question…?
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January 30, 2013 at 11:06 AM
Among Indian films in general and bollywood in particular, are there any other noir type films apart from Talaash?
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January 30, 2013 at 11:19 AM
I’m certain there have been investigative thrillers here and there, (certainly in the South I can think of some) though it’s harder to think of one that references Hollywood noir as much as Talaash does. I think most recently Kahaani attempted this.
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January 30, 2013 at 11:41 AM
The great bollywood noirs will be Baazi, CID and to some extent Anmol Ghadi
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January 30, 2013 at 11:58 AM
I have a great weakness for House No 44. Many films in the 50s though were strongly influenced by various noir trends.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:29 PM
House No. 44 reminded me of the fact that Dev Anand IMO was most effective in these moody nourish films (Kalapani is my favourite performance of his followed by Baazi, Johnny Mera Naam, CID and Jewel Thief)
Another noirish thriller I love is Howrah Bridge. Always found K. N. Singh the scene stealer as a shady guy. And he looked very handsome
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January 30, 2013 at 12:33 PM
K N Singh was one of the very singular presences of Hindi cinema. Born to do noir! The kind of distinctive presence Hindi cinema completely lost after the 70s.
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January 30, 2013 at 9:10 PM
agree on dev and kn singh. love those 50’s films.
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January 29, 2013 at 10:47 PM
Coming back to Oh My God, I think it was a decent film…typical of its stage to screen translation, the effects were jarring. It did look like a stage play projected on screen.
There wasn’t much directorial flourish on display either. It had its fun moments and Paresh Rawal is a solid performer. Having said that, the film (or the script) did raise some relevant points. I won’t be remembering it for long…
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January 30, 2013 at 2:23 AM
Actually beyond this blog have not found anybody who really thinks Abhishek is a good actor. Nobody thinks he’s bad either…mearly a competent one. I think Rangan, some years ago, in one of his reviews, i think it was for Drona, aptly said that both Abhi and Hritik are actors who don’t embaress you and themselves with their acting.
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January 30, 2013 at 11:10 AM
“But why do we who take part in these discussions often succumb to those very same bankrupt standards when we otherwise pretend to be appreciating the best of Hollywood or the best from the festival circuit or even the best from Indian cinema? If all we’re looking for at the end of the day is a hit for our favorite star even if it comes by way of the most crass entertainment why do we pretend to be in it for the meaningful otherwise? I am not attacking anyone here nor will I name anyone but I find it positively bizarre when folks mention some extraordinary films as their favorites but otherwise support the worst out of Hollywood because it helps the stars their patronize. If one is in it just for this ‘erotic’ connection with the star why pretend to anything else elsewhere? I don’t see anything wrong with doing the former but doing both is hypocritical.”
I don’t think thats fair satyam sir, Just cause we support certain types of cinema, Is it a crime to see your favorite star be successful at the end of the day? You want him/her to be successful so they are around for a longer period, I actually liked kumar gaurav as an actor (though bad choices, I like his work in lots of later works), But he didnt have any hits hence his career ended. I would like to see Junior on screen for a longer period, which requires a hit from time to time, If it has to be in the means of BB then be it, Atleast with his longer innings he will be able to churn out some other Sarkaars or Gurus too, every now and then. Didn’t think that was a fair judgement on your part (My apologies if I have offended you)
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January 30, 2013 at 11:27 AM
I am not offended at all. But I think you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not setting up a meaningful cinema/disposable cinema divide here. Nor is it wrong to want one’s favorite star to be successful irrespective of anything else. But your second paragraph is what I’m getting at. BB is acceptable if it gets to a Guru or whatever. What if however one only does BB? Presumably you’re not interested in the star here just to see him successful but also because you liked him in a certain kind of film. That’s all I’m getting at.
But the second part of what you quoted was about many others who tend to be hypocritical in these matters. It would be as if you loved Guru or whatever but then loved BB equally. But you don’t! This entire comment wasn’t about you. I do think though that it is possible to wish for one’s favorite star to succeed without necessarily agreeing with all the choices. So BB is something I can swallow (as you can) if it enables something greater. But this does not mean that I have to defend the film in every sense. Now of course if one is say an Akshay fan one looks at things differently because Akshay presumably is not in the race to work with Dibakar Bannerjee! This is understandable. But not if one then goes around looking for the most meaningful films everywhere else. So it’s two different things. People have every right to love any star they like and support any and every one of the films concerned. But what has happened (and this for some time now) is that the box office has become the only ‘metric’ with which one as it were proves one’s erotic investment in the star! Once upon a time people were equally crazy about their favorites but not as obsessed with box office numbers. Today, online more than anything else, partly elsewhere, no discussion seems legitimate if it is not translatable into a certain box office language. Almost all discussions depend directly or indirectly on this. It is this structure that I was arguing against.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:06 PM
Glad you clarified it sir, Understand your point sir. And I know it was not directed towards me (Even if it was, I dont take things too seriously anyways sir). But agree iwth you on the whole BO #’s here and thats the reason why I was saying that I really want jr to have a bonifide hit, So they dont look for excuses to run him down with BO #’s and also defend him time to time with movie like Guru/Yuva etc if the attack comes from another angle. But thanks for understanding and not taking it offensively.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:18 PM
Gaurav’s best work is Naam followed by Bhatt’s TV film Janam which sadly cannot be found anywhere. Another very good film of his which again seems to be missing is Bhatt’s Janam. On that note I finally saw Swayam today- stars Vinod Khanna, Hema and Dimple- a rather engaging having shades of U. G. Krishnamurthy’s philosophies. One of Bhatt’s last worthwhile efforts.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Yes ofcourse those 2 stand out in his resume, But I really liked him in Siyasat and Goonj (though a very mediocre affairs, Liked his work in both these films). He could have been at a differrent place if there were multiplex cinema’s were around in taht time. Im sure he would have been able to come out with some of the boutique type of films and would’ve worked well for him.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Have seen Siyasat but not Goonj. But his films had fantastic soundtracks almost invariably- Naam and Love Story need no introduction on this score but even Star and Teri Kasam had some very peppy songs (I have audio casettes of all these courtesy my father)
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January 30, 2013 at 12:40 PM
Yeah, Teri Kasam I do revisit its soundtrack every now and then. Amit Kumar was also another one who did good songs, but the movies weren’t great so he didn’t get his dues. Amit Kumar my fav after Kishore ofcourse.
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January 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM
Agreed on Naam and Janam. Swayam is a strong film too. I still enjoy Love Story!
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January 30, 2013 at 12:35 PM
Have you seen Aaj. Remember watching it long back on a channel called B4U. Cannot locate it
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January 30, 2013 at 12:38 PM
Huh never heard of Swayam, Will need to track it down and watch it.
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January 30, 2013 at 4:39 PM
Perhaps Satyam will move it or leave it..
Some images of AB’s peace concert..
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/abhishek/abhishek-amitabh-bachchan-other-celebs-global-peace-concert
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January 31, 2013 at 11:31 AM
ok people here didn’t liked OMG that much and Like Abhishek Acting and movies……hmm..!!
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January 31, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Any update regarding abhishek bachchans projects with Ekta Kapoor / Tigamanshu, Businessman, Dostana 2, Sarkar 3, Priyadarshan movie, Rajkumar Santoshi movie, Hera Pheri, a movie with Sr bachchan directed by Idea ad maker & produced by ABCL, Goldie Behl / Anurag Basu etc… Satyam Sir, please update on the confirmed movies (if you are aware). Buzz is that Junior B is all set to act in few big movies and is working hard on his looks / physique for the same
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January 31, 2013 at 1:49 PM
all these projects were talked about at different times, some are just rumors. In any case nothing really in the works at the moment from among these.
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January 31, 2013 at 2:24 PM
Even though the rumoured ones do work out and somehow made, I see the slightest possibility for Dostana 2.
@Shivakumar, When you say he is all set to work in BIG movies, what are those? with whom? and why the physique alterations all of the sudden (very unlike jr to do that
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February 1, 2013 at 10:09 AM
Shukla provides a storyline for the film here. (though a one liner, this keeps inching towards being confirmed)
http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/ENT-abhishek-bachchan—s-double-whammy-in-2013-4165866-NOR.html
Quietly, Abhishek Bachchan has slithered forward to a place under the sun. Rohit Shetty’s Bol Bachchan got the underrated actor a renewed box office endorsement. After saying no to a slew of almost-accepted offers Abhishek has finally given his nod to two major projects this year.
The first of these is Farah Khan’s Happy New Year which Abhishek starts shooting in the first quarter of the year. Abhishek would be sharing the marquee in Farah’s film with Shah Rukh Khan. The two were supposed to come together in Farah Khan’s directorial debut Main Hoon Na. Abhishek was supposed to play the role that eventually went to Zayed Khan.
Now in Happy New Year SRK and Junior AB are being cast in parallel parts. Farah would be Abhishek’s second woman director after Revathi in Phir Milenge, not counting the cameo as himself in Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance and Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om.
In the second-half of 2013 Abhishek goes into Oh My God director Umesh Shukla’s film. A solo-hero project with a serious social issue underlining the humour,the two have zeroed in on a script that Shukla describes as a “social comedy.”
Elaborating on the project Shukla says, “This time it’s not based on a play or any other external source. It is an original script.It’s the story of a son and his relationship with his parents. I can’t reveal too much at the moment. But like my OMG it will address an important social issue in an engaging humorous mood.”
Shukla says he is the process of writing his social comedy for Abhishek. “There’s time yet. Abhishek will first go into Happy New Year . I will lock in his dates after he returns from New York. I narrated the idea to Abhishek before he left. He liked it.So we’re going ahead with it.”
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February 1, 2013 at 10:11 AM
not pleased about the farah Khan thing. Though this too has been mentioned a number of times I don’t see what farah khan really offers in any sense. Because even for pure box office reasons one could do other stuff. I have however been ‘concerned’ about this for a while because I know she’s wanted to work with Abhishek for a number of years.
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February 1, 2013 at 10:18 AM
Right on Sir, Though both brothers and sisters claim to be the biggest “masala” makers, there is hardly any touch of excellence there in that part of movie making. Many may think that it doesn’t take an effort to make a masala movie, Let me say this, It requires special skills to do that and I personally dont think neither of them have any. They keep swearing by MMD and Prakash Mehra, yet they can’t even give a proper tribute to their songs forget the films. (I know i am going off topic a bit here, as you can see I am just as frustrated).
Yeah, Not sure why Jr (if true) is going with this one. Maybe its an easy BO winner, but still he can do something more substantial than this. Do a movie with Prabudeva if really wanna the masala route.
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February 1, 2013 at 10:33 AM
Prabhudeva, while good at making at low-brow masala, is hardly an above-average filmmaker (and almost all his films are remakes). The best option here are Murugadoss and Gautham ‘Kaakha-Kaakha’ Menon. Oh! I forgot, if one wants a superhit one must go to Rajamouli- he really cracked the code with Eege. And he has a track record which, I think, is unparalleled in India- 11 films, 11 hits.
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February 1, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Prabhudevaa just knows the art of picking up remakes and making them enjoyable with the right stars. So he certainly isn’t a great director or anything but as we saw with Rowdy he can make a film for that terrain that is more entertaining that virtually every other (in contemporary Bollywood masala). I do regret his project with Abhishek didn’t take off but I wouldn’t be surprised if this did happen in a year or so.
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February 1, 2013 at 10:51 AM
Fair enough Saurabh, All those names are capable of coming out with a BO winner also it will please some partisans as well. But, with prabhudeva, I think he is got it irght now, he is on a roll and got hte pulse going. (if you know what I mean). Prabhudeva at this point I htink has more credibility with Hindi audiences than any of the other names.
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February 2, 2013 at 9:47 AM
let him do this 100 cr stuffs satyam – all his weak years (B.O.) will be wiped out with D3 and HNY and few more such films and then he can breathe easy…….
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February 2, 2013 at 8:12 AM
this is a Subhash Jha writeup:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrities/news/type/view/sort/What%27s_New/id/1708353
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February 4, 2013 at 6:49 AM
http://www.media247.co.uk/showbiz/abhishek-bachchan-confirmed-for-two-major-projects-in-2013
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February 5, 2013 at 12:51 AM
Happy Birthday Abhishek
Bachchan: Special moments from
the actor’s life as he turns 37 http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/12509.html?classic
Thanks
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February 5, 2013 at 10:06 AM
Abhishek Bachchan turns older, fitter
As he turns 37 today, Abhishek Bachchan is sporting a brand new physique. The actor has been working out with celebrity fitness trainer, Prashant Sawant, to look lean and taut in his upcoming film, Dhoom:3.
“He has become a gym freak. Prashant has put him on a specially-designed exercise regimen and high protein diet. The results are already showing. He’s looking fit and athletic,” says an insider close to the development.
Earlier, Prashant had been responsible for helping Shah Rukh Khan achieve six-pack abs in Om Shanti Om (2007) and getting in shape for Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). He also trained Ajay Devgn for his lean, muscular look in Singham (2011). When contacted, Prashant confirmed, “I’m training Abhishek sir, but I can’t disclose his workout details yet. I can talk about them once the training sessions are completed.”
Abhishek has been keen to work on his body since Dhoom:3 began. “Aamir Khan (his co-star) is training hard and even practicing acrobatics, so Abhishek wanted his look to be perfect too. That’s why he has been working so hard on his body,” explains the insider.”
Birthday gift for Abhishek
For his birthday, Abhishek Bachchan has been “gifted” a new film by T-Series boss, Bhushan Kumar. The yet-untitled film will be directed by Umesh Shukla of OMG: Oh My God! fame.
Describing the film as an entertaining and emotional one, Kumar says, “It’s a very touching story that delves into the equation between a man and his son. My co-producers and I agreed that Abhishek fits the role. We didn’t even think of anyone else. The film will go on floors around mid-2013. By then, we need to cast Abhishek’s father and the other lead roles.”
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February 5, 2013 at 10:08 AM
“This will be Bhushan’s first film with Abhishek. “Umesh has written a very strong author-backed role for Abhishek. The heroine though is yet to be finalised,” says an insider. Confirming the film Bhushan says, “We are very happy to have Abhishek Bachchan on board the film directed by Umesh Shukla..They’ve both had a good year, Abhishek with Bol Bachchan and Umesh with OMG!, and this collaboration promises to not disappoint the audiences. It will be hardcore entertainment all the way.”
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_it-s-work-first-play-later-for-abhishek-bachchan_1796526
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February 5, 2013 at 10:54 AM
vow! suddenly abhi is making all the right moves and things are looking brighter for him on b.o. side also….
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February 5, 2013 at 6:21 PM
This sounds like a very promising movie project for Abhishek!
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February 5, 2013 at 12:07 PM
Satyam’s objections not withstanding, am glad Abhishek is trying to get fit. Nothing wrong with that. And, it certainly helps. At this point in his career.
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February 5, 2013 at 12:25 PM
never had a problem with his getting fit. In fact I am pleased he is doing so. My argument with some here has always been about the ‘gym body’ in its classic John Abraham manifestation. Even here I don’t have an issue with one or two examples but the fact that this is the general ideal of ‘beauty’ (male and female) these days. Of course every age has its own conceptions of beauty but I find this one particularly problematic because it reduces the body to a collection of body parts! Leaving this aside it has lent itself, at least in India, to ideas of hard work and discipline and so forth. As if the discipline, hard-working actor is the one who works out the most! This is absurd because one could be disciplined and hard-working in terms of fashioning one’s body this way but it would reveal nothing about one’s acting abilities. Or one could be a very hard-working actor without being a ‘fit’ one. But this link has become quite insidious so that not doing so is considered a sign of laziness. Of course it is also true that since this last charge is singularly leveled at Abhishek (no other actor at any end of the spectrum has to ever face this charge..) has larger ideological underpinnings but nonetheless the idea that a disciplined person goes to the gym is a deeply held belief at this point.
But leaving all this aside I am glad he’s getting to be more in shape for pragmatic reasons (as you’ve pointed out) but also for aesthetic ones (not that thinner Abhishek is better but that a fitter Abhishek accentuates certain physical attributes, here height, specially in action sequences). In fact I do agree that he could have looked better in D6 and some other films that did not have him playing the usual ‘hero’. The idea (his explanation) that he was doing different sorts of films at one point and had to put on weight for some and not for others is not justification in itself because the audience just sees one film at a time and if one has to put on weight or something one should do one film at a time. But again my argument with many on D6 was, this isn’t the reason why the film didn’t work. Because with every Abhishek failure these other issues were read into the equation. Not only that he couldn’t act or wasn’t a star but that he looked terrible and uninterested which was because he was lazy and taking things for granted and what not.
On that note we see with Kadal how a Ratnam film has received largely negative reviews and though not hysterical by any means the film has clearly been panned by both the media and the viewers (at least if the early indications mean anything). Raavanan (Tamil) was definitely better reviewed than the current film. Leaving aside Guru which was much more accessible in many ways AE (Tamil Yuva) also got no more than middling reviews. So Ratnam has just been a filmmaker for very long whose trajectory has for very long been at odds with his audience ‘desire’. Now one could debate all of this but the point here is that had Abhishek been in the film it would all have been chalked up to his issues. Ratnam is just a risky filmmaker. It would make my day (and year!) is he now did a Hindi film and had Abhishek in it but the film would remain risky (unless he went for something safer.. though interestingly in Kadal he’s clearly done something risky with what is a very traditional format, that of the coastal love story/drama).
Lastly and getting back to the original point I certainly agree that especially with eye-candy films like Dhoom the star certainly needs to look sharp.
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February 5, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Well, this IS a welcome development in abhishreks mentality (more than physique!)
My feeling is that seeing aamir exerting so much at his stage n stature for the same film left it impossible for abhi shrek not to follow suit!!
Satyam makes some worthy points but there is a perspective here —
A) cinema IS a visual medium
B) atleast in mainstream fare, there IS a premium at good looks male or female
C) there’s NO need to be apologetic about this fact
D) fitness of body percolates into mind as well (& vice versa!)
E) these two facets are NOT mutually exclusive
F) when u are in Alaska, u can’t /shouldn’t be allergic to snow!!!
G) if some are SO not bothered about looks /physique they have PLENTY of occupations even related to tv, films and BEHIND the camera
They should NOT create more Rakesh mehras, Jp duttas, Abbas mastaans just due to their own passivity
H) I am NOT talking about /condoning John Abrahams bum side show in dostanna by gay kjo or undue stress on looks at the EXPENSE of other facets -but per say it’s not negative to have good physique/looks –period !
I) if this was abhishreks ‘principled stance’–
It is uncanny how the guy who resisted the effort needed to trim down all his career (even for roles like dhoom, dhoom2 that would have gone with the script !) has NO Qualms about putting on weight !!!
It’s simple –the latter is easy, one can binge on food an still get credit (as in guru!)
🙂
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February 5, 2013 at 1:45 PM
“fitness of body percolates into mind as well (& vice versa!)”
then Gerard Depardieu and Mohanlal must be terrible actors!
There’s a difference between being fit and having a gym body. Abhishek was fit in Dhoom, no one had any complaints here. or for that matter a number of films which followed. Or more recently in something like Paa.
Two different debates are being conflated here though. Pragmatically it is of course wise for any actor not to try and buck the trend in these matters. I would however resist the notion that the present demands a gym body from every actor. I don’t think anyone has a problem with Vidya Balan on these grounds. No one has a problem with Abhishek Bachchan either in ’04 or ’05 and so on when he was fit but still didn’t have a gym body. Secondly the other issue here is that while it might be negative for the actor to buck the trend entirely and in a larger sense (because the audience has to keep falling in love with the actor in a physical sense) it is not necessarily so for a given film that has larger issues in terms of trying to win over the audience. In other words D6 is not depending on Abhishek being fitter!
But some of your points illustrate what I got to in my longer comment, specially your last comment — the idea that it is easier to put on weight. One might as well say it must have been easiest for De Niro to do Raging Bull and get to those 300 lbs or whatever!
The Mohanlal example again. when he started out he was rather slim and for a long time had perfectly normal weight. So it’s not as if he was always this way. He clearly did not take good care of himself. However this lack of discipline on one front does not in the least suggest to me an overall lack of discipline. This is precisely what I’m arguing against. Lal is utterly dedicated to his craft. Both in terms of volume and often in terms of the kind of part he plays it isn’t the person who lacks discipline who could do this stuff. Much as it isn’t the lazy guy who wants to take it easy who chooses to do tough shoots like Raavan (Ratnam’s toughest shoot). The lazy guy does bread and butter films and stays in the running that way. One has nothing to do with the other. Much as a lot of people say pretty idiotic things in most discussions but that doesn’t mean they cannot be good doctors or lawyers or investment bankers or whatever. There is no general intelligence that covers the gamut. Similarly there is no single notion of discipline that covers everything. Barring of course doing certain sorts of things that disable one from being disciplined even in a limited sense.
Finally the idea that if one doesn’t conform to a certain idea of physical beauty one should stay behind the camera is a somewhat offensive idea from my perspective. But more than this I would argue that cinema is not predicated on such textbook definitions even though the audience might have such an ideal.
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February 5, 2013 at 2:01 PM
There are NO hard n fast rules.
If u succeed (whatever way) u mostly don’t have to explain and if u don’t, u mostly arnt there to explain!
For every hritik there is an on puri -for every Katrina there is a vidya (though not 1:1 ratio!)
Unfortunately for abhi shrek neither is his success ratio been high nor is he a ‘male counterpart of’ Katrina nor of vidya !
Yes he is a competent actor in certain genres and when he exerts but .. Well we’ve been there b4 haha
Ps -as for putting on weight being no less difficult than losing it–well it maybe true for some constitutionally thin humans like keira kneightly but not for most …
Ps2: as for mohan lal–have rated him v high just on the basis of his paperweight scene in company –but alas, he hasn’t don’t himself a favor by restricting to regional films mostly (& failing in other attempts)
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February 5, 2013 at 2:13 PM
just like Bollywood actors haven’t done themselves any favors by not being truly international in Hollywood fashion!
“There are NO hard n fast rules.”
I know! Which is why I didn’t take your earlier itemization seriously!
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February 5, 2013 at 2:22 PM
““There are NO hard n fast rules.”
yeah i repeat it…
the day (if it comes) abhi shrek starts getting serial hits (critical &/or commercial) all these ‘sins’ will be forgotten
Till then these conjectures, theories and hypotheses will continue..
again as for mohan lal, not saying that his staying ‘restricted’ to kerala fare is the be-all n end-all of his (lack of) appeal etc —but theres a reason folks branch out to higher vistas(or atleast attempt to !)
There is an inherent risk, coming out of the comfort zone involved besides bigger exposure–those who achieve it successfully do deserve credit than those who remained kings of their backyard..(and backside).
Finally, all these things are relative and to be viewed in perspective
One cant “cut copy paste” one or two lines from the whole point above and argue against it..without looking at the totality of that premise
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February 5, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Yes, Alex because if there’s something you are known for it’s your ability to keep a cool head and assess the big picture with great sobriety.
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February 5, 2013 at 2:34 PM
“Yes, Alex because if there’s something you are known for it’s your ability to keep a cool head and assess the big picture with great sobriety.”
Thankx gf 😉
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February 5, 2013 at 2:48 PM
AA:
Such reasons are the ones that shove actors like Nawazuddin or even Irrfan Khan or Rajpal to the background and nobody wishes to touch them even with a barge pole.
Actually your entire theory is mis-guided since the ‘good-looking’ actors are the ones that are having it easy..not vice-versa!! Abraham Sir is demanding and getting good roles and staying in the lime-light even though he doesn’t have a SINGLE actor’s bone in him. Mr. jacky bhagnani has not learnt the ABC of acting though he has been given a career on a platter from his father..but he has the six-packs though!! An above-mediocre actor like Hrithik Roshan is thought to the #1 actor (not arguing about the star-front) after another sub-par actor (I am not saying ‘star’ here too) like Salman Khan. So nobody is being apologetic..I think you need to change your perspective about who is having it hard in the industry and who is not..
Did Ajay Devgn have a 6-pack when he won the national award for ZAKHM? What is the need for him to get a gym-body at the age of 40+? This is what ‘peer’ pressure does. to one.Didn’t he have confidence in his acting — after winning a national award — that he still falls prey to the 6-pack syndrome. At least Aamir had Ghazini as the reason to get those packs..
You see this unhealthy (pun intended) peer pressure..No new-comer or actor wants to get his acting faculties –what faculties? even the basics!!–right. But he is willing to bend over back-wards to get a 6-pack!!
==A) cinema IS a visual medium
B) atleast in mainstream fare, there IS a premium at good looks male or female==
Your A) and B) apply more to MODELING than to ACTING..
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February 5, 2013 at 2:59 PM
An Jo: very well said. And in fact that this is almost uniquely Bollywood’s issue: ie in many other industries there is no easy conflation between “acting” and “modelling” industries, whereas in Bollywood we see that the two have become almost the same, to the point where someone who doesn’t subscribe the team is treated as retrograde and as letting the team down. And I don’t think this is about “fitness”, any more than breast implants are about fitness — it is about conforming to one and only one standard of beauty, and has led to greater conformity in look and appearance, and greater blandness all around. Many of these young actors don’t even realise how much their look actually detracts from the character’s plausibility (eg Abraham in Shootout at Wadala)…
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February 5, 2013 at 2:54 PM
Ann jo–im not denying what u are saying
thats correct and in theory
but ‘practical modules’ different
Many folks like satyam or u do go to the cinema to check out brilliant acting but many more dont
They go for a certain ‘larger than life’persona(s) and an ‘escape from reality’
yeah theres space for the nawazuddins and irrfans as well and if one follows the definition of ‘actor’ technically these are the sorts of guys who SHOULD be the BIGGEST star/actors
but they arent–thats a fact
When u go for a movie—u were caught ogling at anne hathway in tdkr and satyam ahs gone on record of rewinding repeatedly (till ‘climax”) deepikas red bikini scene in cock tale
So there are certain ‘realities’ one cant ignore 🙂
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February 5, 2013 at 3:10 PM
“Your A) and B) apply more to MODELING than to ACTING..”
agree–but thats why theres a C to I
these things are to be read in totality
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February 5, 2013 at 1:09 PM
We make disposable cinema and looking good is one of the criterias which attracts younger crowd. Most of the the stars have a good physique. Even relatively older ones like Aamir, SRK have maintained a good body. Ajay Devgn has found new fans with gym like body (compensating for his average looks). It is not a must but it is not going to hurt (but vice versa may not be true).
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February 5, 2013 at 1:30 PM
Don’t disagree at all..
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February 5, 2013 at 2:28 PM
RUMOUR:
Abhishek Bachchan to do dad’s remake for the first time
By Meena Iyer, TNN | Feb 6, 2013
here have been innumerable offers asking Abhishek Bachchan to do a role that has been made famous by his father Amitabh Bachchan. But AB Jr has steered clear of the temptation until now as he rightfully felt that no actor, including him, could do justice to a role done by Big B.
However, it seems that producer Kunal Kohli has managed to convince him, as word is, for the first time, Abhishek will reprise a role played by Big B.
Almost 33 years after the release Do Aur Do Paanch (1980), he will step into his dad’s shoes in the remake of the yesteryear fun caper that also had Shashi Kapoor.
Bobby Deol will play Shashi’s role and the girls, originally played by Hema Malini and Parveen Babi, are still being finalised.
The filmmaker says, “It’s too early to reveal anything, we will make a formal announcement as soon as we are ready with all details.”
The film will be directed by newcomer Akshaye Puri, who is a maternal cousin of designer Manish Malhotra and actor Varun Dhawan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Abhishek-Bachchan-to-do-dads-remake-for-the-first-time/articleshow/18349400.cms
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February 5, 2013 at 3:08 PM
Aargh, yet another one. Bachchan really needs to buy the rights to all of them and stop churning em out. Not sure if Jr will go ahead with this. Though not a classic, dont mind it either. Actually do revisit it every couple of years. Loved, Bachchans and Shashi’s chemistry here more than any other comic capers they made. (yes even more than Shaan).
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March 2, 2013 at 6:40 AM
Re: “Loved, Bachchans and Shashi’s chemistry here more than any other comic capers they made. (yes even more than Shaan).”
Man, that verges on blasphemy! Do aur Do Paanch was quite a turkey-fest, a sequence of gags only barely stitched together. The two actors’ chemistry was on much better display in Shaan…
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February 5, 2013 at 6:32 PM
This is not an iconic or classic movie of Bachchan’s. However it is a very entaining movie. So I have no problem with Abhishek remaking it in his own manner ig this actually happens. The only problem is Bobby Deol. If this movie happens I hope he is nowhere in the cast. I also think the leading ladies should either be A or B list actresses. This could be a goo project for Abhishek if done right.
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February 5, 2013 at 9:40 PM
not the worst idea if one has to do a Bachchan remake. But Bobby Deol would be a disaster. Saif would be ideal here but I doubt he’d do the Shashi Kapoor part. Bobby Deol would also send all the wrong signals. Nonetheless I hope this is a rumor.
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February 6, 2013 at 12:40 AM
It’s also a rather pointless film to remake; apart from everything else, not sure what sort of narrative would be advanced here… I’m generally opposed to these remakes, but at least if Rohan Sippy were doing a Shaan remake, I’d be interested.
More broadly, consider the bankruptcy: Do aur Do Paanch is, to put it charitably, a modest script, and it shows you the extent to which industries like Bollywood and Hollywood (the latter addicted to remakes, sequels, and adaptations of one sort or another) are scraping the bottom of the barrel that even this sort of thing needs to be mined for some “afterglow” from the halcyon days of old, to make up for the emptiness at the core of the industries’ “products” today.
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February 6, 2013 at 2:01 AM
@supercinemaent
Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol to star in Kunal Kohli’s remake of Do Aur Do Paanch which will be directed by debut director Akshaye Puri
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March 2, 2013 at 6:41 AM
Re: “The film will be directed by newcomer Akshaye Puri, who is a maternal cousin of designer Manish Malhotra and actor Varun Dhawan.”
They saved the most relevant bit for last.
Wait, does this mean Manish Malhotra and Dhawan, and hence the two male leads of Student of the Year, are related to each other?
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February 5, 2013 at 2:33 PM
actually i didnt mind 2 +2 =5..
shashi had some good comic timing and amitabh at that time was gold…some good songs–will have to look em up
ps–
seems abhishrek is reading my comments and learning at long last
🙂
remake em yourselves b4 others rape em….haha
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February 28, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Abhi on his twitter feed says that he’s only signed to Dhoom 3 and Dostana 2
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February 28, 2013 at 9:34 AM
yes I know.. but doubt the director and producer would be go so far as to keep specifying things this way in the absence of a proper commitment from him.
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February 28, 2013 at 10:02 AM
I think after all this delay Abhishek could have easily avoided Dostana 2 if he wanted to but for some reason he has been quite on it which is disappointing. Not against going commercial totally like Abhishek is but one could still make better choices.
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March 1, 2013 at 11:32 AM
Playing second fiddle to SRK in a Farah Khan flick and then Dostana 2? That’s not looking good at all. Where is the Prabhu Deva project gone? Why did he drop out of Special Chabbis? What about Businessman or Balki’s next? Abhishek’s choice of projects is baffling, to say the least. There will be huge threads on Dostana 2 and HNY here but I am not looking forward to these flicks at all.
I have to say that Abhishek’s line-up is far from impressive. I don’t think playing second fiddle in D3 will harm him in any way (in fact I feel he has everything to gain from this) but then building on that by playing second fiddle to SRK in a Farah Khan film and then a gay act opposite John Abraham isn’t the wisest of moves.
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March 1, 2013 at 12:27 PM
My sense is that (and in Hollywood terms) even if Abhishek did Scorsese some people would have a problem. On the other hand if he took up a Spielberg project some others would object. Not making fun of you. I’m part of the group! But I have never seen another star where so many of his choices are argued against by so many people using all sorts of criteria. Do think there’s a more serious point hidden here which is that the space of the Bachchan signature is just more contested in this sense or more simply a lot of the reactions people have in this sense suggests a certain ambiguity on both sides of this equation. Differently still if Abhishek’s choices have often been ‘confused’ it has been exactly the same with his audience. Even among his fans there is no unanimity in terms of what his choices should be. And the same confusion has been operative even in his father’s career for the longest time.
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March 2, 2013 at 6:39 AM
Fair points Satyam, but I must confess I feel he didn’t need to do Dostana 2; there are other commercial films that could be chosen, and half a decade after the first one, I don’t think there’s much value to doing a second Dostana…
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March 20, 2013 at 8:46 AM
“I hope to work with Aishwarya in a film soon” – Abhishek BachchanBy Subhash K. Jha, Mar 20, 2013 – 10:48 IST
Abhishek Bachchan talks to Subhash K Jha about his films and more
This year you turned 37. How does it feel to be older?
It’s no different from 35 or 36. I am still doing what I love doing the most. I still shoot my films the whole day and then return to my family.
Now there is more in the family?
Yes, Aaradhya is the centre of our universe. She’s a wonderful child. All credit to Aishwarya for being a terrific mother.
Has fatherhood changed you?
Of course it has! Bringing a child into the world changes all your priorities. I am sure every parent would agree.
Are you now more eager to reach home than you used to be?
I wouldn’t say that. It would be very unfair to the rest of the family. But yes, I’ve one more reason to reach home quickly.
You’ve recently joined the 100-crore club with Bol Bachchan. Does that give you a sense of renewed self-confidence?
It doesn’t matter which club an actor belongs to. He still approaches every role with the same trepidation and waits with fingers crossed for the audiences’ verdict. I don’t think reaching the 100-crore mark is a signal for any actor to get more confident. I think the 100-crore club is the new substitute for what the silver or golden jubilee used to be in Pa’s times.
Many times the films that make it into the 100-crore club are the least deserving of their success?
I think that’s very unfair. At the end of the day if a film does well it means the audience wanted to see that film. How can we question the audiences’ tastes? Sometimes we forget that cinema is about entertainment. It’s about giving people their money’s worth. And the audiences’ tastes shouldn’t be undermined. I understand cinema is an art form. But audiences spend their hard-earned money on seeing films. If they are entertained by a film we are no one to question their choice. And look at the diversity of films that have done well recently!
Generally the films that do well are devoid of aesthetics?
No I disagree with you.
So are you doing more films with the president of the 100-crore club Rohit Shetty?
Well, Bol Bachchan was my second film with Rohit and Ajay Devgn. I was in Rohit’s first film Zameen which also starred Ajay. It’s a joy to work with them. I’m thankful to both for thinking of me for giving me Bol Bachchan. I had a ball doing it.
How tough was it doing comedy in Bol Bachchan?
Very, very tough. As an actor I had to depend entirely on the written word. In a dramatic performance you can depend on your silences to see you through. Not in a comedy. All the humour comes from the spoken word. My only proof that my performance was working was my crew and others on the sets. They seemed to be enjoying what was going on.
Are you excited about Dhoom 3?
Oh yes. It’s shaping up very well. We’re bang in the middle of the shoot. And it would be releasing for Christmas this year. And I am excited. Dhoom is like coming home for me. It’s wonderful to be back in the franchise with Uday Chopra.
In fact you and Uday are the only constant actors in the series?
In all modesty, I don’t think there would be a Dhoom without a Jai and an Ali. So going into another Dhoom film is like continuing with the adventures of Jai and Ali. And this time we’ve the pleasure of welcoming Aamir into the Dhoom fold. I am very excited to be working with him for the first time. I am very happy to be working with him. The whole process of watching him at work is very enriching.
You’re also part of Dostana 2?
Yes, it starts later during the year. Director Tarun Mansukhani has finally cracked the script. And we’re all very happy with it. I appreciate the effort that Karan Johar and Tarun have out into ensuring the sequel moves ahead of the first film. When a film is as successful as Dostana it is very tempting to follow it up quickly with a sequel. But history has taught us to be very careful about the sequel. One can’t just cash in on the success of the first film. I really laud Tarun for patiently working on the sequel for five years until he got it right. There was a time three years ago when we thought we had cracked the sequel. But it didn’t work out. But Tarun was determined to get it right. There’s no point in doing it otherwise.
How tough is it for you as a heterosexual man to pretend to be gay in Dostana?
Isn’t that what acting is about? I’ve played a thief, a thug, a politician, a freedom fighter. I am none of these.
What would be the USP of Dostana 2?
That Tarun, Karan, John and Abhishek are back together. Trust me; it’s a really funny script. And I always believe the script is king.
You’ve done dark-toned film and now you’re doing lighter ones. Which is easier?
I find every kind of film equally challenging. Each time I push myself harder.
Can we hope to see you and your dad together again soon?
Most certainly. We’re both very conscious of the fact that all our films together have been successful. But we can’t fall back on the success ratio of our films together. We want to do a film that would inspire both of us.
Which is your favourite film with your Dad?
I’ve enjoyed each and every moment with him on camera. I’ve learnt so much from just sharing camera space with him. I can’t wait to work with him again.
Your journey from Refugee to Bol Bachchan, has it been tough?
I don’t think it has been an especially troublesome journey. Every actor goes through his share of hiccups. Why should it be any different for me? The fact that I’m still around after 13 years means I’m doing something right.
What about choosing wrong scripts and rejecting right ones like Lagaan and Saathiya?
The past is better left where it is. I’ve no regrets. And by the way, I think I’ve a very good script sense. Sometimes you do a film for emotional reasons. I agree I should be ruthlessly professional. But I am not. And I am not making apologies for it. I guess the way I work makes me who I am. I don’t regret doing any of the films of I’ve done. I’ve always worked from my heart. That works for me.
Besides Aishwarya who have been your favourite co-stars?
John and Uday. Jokes aside I’ve enjoyed working with each and everyone of my co-stars. By the grace of God I’ve so far not had one unpleasant experience.
That says more about you?
If you say so.
When do we get to see Aishwarya and you together again?
Very soon, I hope. I really enjoy working with her. We get a lot fan-mail asking us to be together again on screen. We’d be more than glad to get together.
What plans for your production house AB Corp Ltd?
We’ve just released a Gujarati film Saptapadi. But that was my mother’s baby. I am sure we’d be producing films where I can express my own impulses as an actor. This is a very exciting time to be an actor.
Your dad is going great guns at 70. What do you think you’d be doing at that age?
I hope at 70 I’d be spoken about in a similar manner as he. But there can never be another Amitabh Bachchan. His preparation and dedication took him where he is. We can only emulate him. Give our hundred percent to our work.
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March 20, 2013 at 9:55 AM
‘What about choosing wrong scripts and rejecting right ones like Lagaan and Saathiya?”
abhi rejected lagaan but i don’t know even if he or as per say any other actor accepted it (apparently everybody and their bros. and sis. had rejected before aamir took it up) – it wud have been a masterpiece like this.
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March 20, 2013 at 10:23 AM
The Lagaan thing is not correct. Gowariker in an interview said he’d gone back and forth between Aamir and SRK. Aamir initially didn’t accept it, SRK didn’t either, he went back to Aamir and things worked out. He said then that Abhishek was the only other actor he’d considered but I doubt whether the film was actually offered formally to him. Among the more noteworthy rejections though were Company and then RDB where Abhishek rejected first Aamir’s part and then Siddharth’s. The RDB one is especially surprising. On Lagaan I do agree that without Aamir’s involvement and given the rest of Gowariker’s trajectory it’s hard to imagine the film shaping up the way it did. Because it’s the only one of the director’s films that is visually interesting and also has a very crisp narrative.
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March 20, 2013 at 10:26 AM
Even Hrithik rejected Siddharth’s part according to grapewine.
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March 20, 2013 at 10:43 AM
i think abhi’s perf. in KHJJS was quite honest but ashu had already delivered a dud WYR and he became so indulgent – also the plot had no novelty as such. If it had released before lagaan ….maybe…..
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April 29, 2013 at 6:57 AM
Rishi Kapoor And Abhishek Bachchan To Team Up After ‘Delhi 6′?
April 29th, 2013 by Koimoi.com Team
Four years after their last outing together Delhi 6 Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan would be pairing up for a film again. This would be for the Umesh Shukla’s next which is all set to go on floors soon.
“This is going to be a fun film about a father and his son, both of whom are on the run,” informs a source, “While normally you see a boy and a girl on the run, the very uniqueness of this film lies in the father-son relationship. While it was pretty much a sombre outing for Rishiji and Abhi in Delhi 6 they would be getting an opportunity to let their hair down for this film.”
Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan
The makers are currently tight lipped about the casting of the film though.
“While Abhishek has been signed for the film already, it is just a matter of formality that remains for Rishiji. He has okayed the film in principle,” the source adds.
When contacted, Bhushan Kumar, the film’s producer, wasn’t willing to reveal much either. He just said, “The film is definitely on and it is a family comedy cum drama with a very strong father-son angle to it. Of course the actor who is going to play the father would be someone with a very strong and powerful presence. Just like OMG – Oh My God!, Umesh would be sending out a very strong message. It shouldn’t be mistaken with a social film though as the narrative is going to be as commercial as it gets.”
Meanwhile we await an official announcement around the eventual cast of the film.
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April 29, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Great news. Probably first project after long time which seems interesting for Abhishek.
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June 3, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Asin to team up with Abhishek Bachchan for a comedy film?
Press Trust of India Posted online: Mon Jun 03 2013, 17:43 hrs
Mumbai : Actress Asin is likely to team up with Abhishek Bachchan for a comedy film directed by Oh My God fame director Umesh Shukla.
“We did speak to her about it (film). But it is at an early stage. Nothing is finalised yet,” Shukla told PTI.
Abhishek and Asin earlier featured together playing brother-sister in Rohit Shetty’s comedy film Bol Bachchan.
If all goes well, this time they will be paired romantically opposite each other.
“We are reworking on our script. And then accordingly we will decide things. As of now we have not signed any heroine,” Shukla said.
Shukla’s directorial venture Oh My God had Paresh Rawal playing the role of an atheist while Akshay Kumar was seen in a modern day avatar of Lord Krishna.
The film was a satirical-comedy-drama on religion and did well at the box office after its release on September 28 last year.
This time again, the Abhishek starrer yet-to-be-titled film will have a social element in it, but the director is not willing to share any details about it.
The film is reportedly backed by Bhushan Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director of T-Series, and Shyam Bajaj. It will go on floors this year.
Meanwhile, Shukla was planning to work with Dabangg actress Sonakshi Sinha, but nothing is happening on that front. “For the film with Sonakshi nothing is finalised yet. We are yet to work on the script,” Shukla said.
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June 3, 2013 at 10:53 AM
hope this pans out. I’ve long felt he should be cast with Asin.
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June 3, 2013 at 10:57 AM
Yes, they would make a good pair…Asin isn’t a great actress, but she has loads of (that hokey word) spunk.
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June 5, 2013 at 7:07 AM
Abhishek, Big B to swap dates for Rishi Kapoor
By Subhash K. Jha, June 05, 2013 – 10:39 hrs IST
For the first time in their respective careers, the Big B and Abhishek Bachchan are all set to swap their dates to accommodate the dates of the actor common to their two projects, both starring Rishi Kapoor.
This, so that Rishi can do Umesh Shukla’s film with Abhishek Bachchan.
Says a source, “Umesh Shukla is very keen to cast Rishi Kapoor as Abhishek’s father in his social comedy. But this film starts in July. Rishi doesn’t have time before November. So they’re trying to shift Rishi’s dates for Mehrunissa with the Big B to later during the year to accommodate Umesh’s film with Rishi and Abhishek. So father and son Bachchan are basically swapping dates to accommodate Rishi.”
Says Umesh, “Yes, Rishiji and Abhishek are on. Their characterization and character graphs are very strong. In fact we will complete the film this year itself. I am now in the sixth draft of my script. And the way the script has shaped up, the role of the heroine opposite and Abhishek is very strong. Rishiji and Abhishek have worked together in Rakeysh Mehra’s Delhi 6. But they didn’t have many scenes together. Here they will be cast as father and son. And they both have very important roles. I’ve narrated the script to both individually. Now I’ll narrate it jointly to them.”
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June 5, 2013 at 7:09 AM
really pleased with some of the casting decisions here. Had always felt that Rishi and Abhishek could have shared more scenes in D6. They really worked well together. So this news really increases my interest in the film a great deal more. Plus if the Asin news turns out to be true that would be good too.
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June 9, 2013 at 8:07 AM
Diana Penty to star opposite Abhishek Bachchan
She made an impressive debut with the Saif Ali Khan-starrer Cocktail (2012). But ever since, Diana Penty hasn’t signed any other film. Now, we hear that she is set to bag Umesh Shukla’s (of OMG: Oh My God!; 2012 fame) yet-untitled next starring Abhishek Bachchan. The film, produced by Bhushan Kumar of T- Series, goes on the floors in August.
“Bhushan, as well as Umesh, are keen on roping Diana in. She has been given the full narration of the script and has really liked the storyline but is yet to get back to the makers. In all likelihood, she will be confirmed to star opposite Abhishek,” says an insider close to the film. “They are also keen on her because the pairing is fresh.”
Till a few days ago, reports suggested that Diana was in the running to bag the female lead role in the Akshay Kumar-starrer, Thuppakki remake, but Sonakshi Sinha was roped in for the part. “Diana is choosy. She has been offered many films, some of which she has also liked, but she has turned them all down. But this time, things are going in the positive direction,” adds the insider.
While Diana couldn’t be reached for a comment, Bhushan says, “We are in touch with Diana, but are still in the process of finalising the female lead.” Abhishek will start shooting for the film before Tarun Mansukhani’s Dostana 2, around October.
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June 11, 2013 at 8:03 AM
Abhishek Bachchan’s leading lady in ‘Mere Apne’ is not finalised yet
IANS | Posted on Jun 11, 2013 at 04:41pm IST
Mumbai: ‘Oh My God!’ fame director Umesh Shukla has teamed up with Abhishek Bachchan for ‘Mere Apne’, but says that he hasn’t finalised any actress for the female lead in his next directorial venture.
According to reports, Asin Thottumkal was to be part of the film. However, Shukla said: “We have not approached Asin so far. In fact, we have not approached anybody so far.”
The director is busy giving finishing touches to the “final draft of the script” and “as soon as I finish the script, we will hunt for the leading lady.”
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June 13, 2013 at 7:46 AM
No actresses for Abhishek Bachchan
Thursday, Jun 13, 2013, 8:44 IST | Agency: DNA
Proucer Bhushan Kumar has roped in director Umesh Shukla of Oh My God! fame for a three-film deal. Abhishek Bachchan plays the main lead in the first film. But thanks to the announcements made by some over-anxious actresses, the bigger actresses like Katrina Kaif, Sonakshi Sinha and Kareena Kapoor are shying away.
Says a source, “The hunt for the film’s leading lady is on, Bhushan is in talks with several big names and will soon zero in on an actress to star alongside Bachchan Jr. Recently there have been reports of Asin and Diana Penty signing the film, but these are just rumours.
These reoprts have put Umesh and Bhushan in a dilemma because bigger actresses are staying away believing that the leading lady has been signed already.” Bhushan says, “Yes we have signed a three-film deal with Umesh Shukla. He is an extremely talented director and as a producer I have full faith in his ability to helm the film. We are very excited to have him onboard. We haven’t finalised the main lead actress as yet.”
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June 15, 2013 at 7:35 AM
Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan bury the past
Ankur Pathak, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 15, 2013, 12.00 AM IST
OMG director Umesh Shukla has been in a casting dilemma for a while now. His next film, Bhushan Kumar-produced ‘Mere Apne’ has actor Abhishek Bachchan, but who will be paired opposite him in the family-drama was a mystery.
But now, TOI has learnt that the director had approached Kareena Kapoor on Thursday. After an intense hour-long meeting Bebo seemed quite excited and according to sources, she is seriously considering the project. A script-narration has been scheduled for Monday.
If the project works out with the actress, it will see Kareena team up with Abhishek Bachchan after a decade. Interestingly, both the actors debuted together in Refugee but have worked only once ever since – in Sooraj Barjatiya’s Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon in 2003.
It was rumoured that Bachchan Junior’s split with his fiance Karisma Kapoor the same year had embittered relations between the two families and they were not in the mood to be civil to each other ever since.
Mere Apne also has Rishi Kapoor playing the role of Abhishek Bachchan’s father. The film will be shot in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and London.
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June 15, 2013 at 8:36 AM
Sounds interesting. Abhi and Kareena looked good in refugee.
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June 15, 2013 at 10:31 AM
there have been many such stories before. Not sure if this is any more true. Even leaving this aside there’s a new actress mentioned in connection with this film every single day.
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June 19, 2013 at 6:48 AM
‘Sign Kareena with Abhishek Bachchan? I’ve never met her in my life!’
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 14:11 IST By Subhash K Jha, Santa Banta News
It may make juicy copy to say Abhishek Bachchan would be paired with Kareena Kapoor in Umesh Shukla’s untitled film.
But regrettably, it is not the truth.
Poohpoohing a report on Saturday in a tabloid that Kareena is `seriously considering` director Umesh Shukla’s offer to star in his next with Abhishek, Umesh says, `I’ve never in my life met Kareena Kapoor, let alone offer her a role. The closest I’ve come to her is while sitting some rows behind her at awards function. I’ve never approached her for any role. `
Aghast and amused Umesh says, `The tabloid’s imagination takes my breath away. According to them I had an hour-long meeting with her and now I’m supposed to give her a full narration on Monday.
All this is news to me. Obviously the reporter who wrote this article knows more about my activities than I do. Maybe I’ve been sleepwalking through my meeting with Kareena. `
Umesh further informs there is no heroine for his film, nor a title. `I will approach a leading lady after I lock in the script this week. I’ve so far only finalized Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek for the film. `
Why not Paresh Rawal after their amazing rapport in Oh My God? `Because the personality and spoken language required in this film suited Rishiji more. But I will miss Pareshji immensely in this film. I will work with him again in the near future. That’s a promise I’ve made to myself. `
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June 19, 2013 at 11:17 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Shraddha-to-work-with-younger-Siddharth-not-veteran-Bachchan-Jr/articleshow/20659718.cms
one more rumor.. i remember this kind of rumors for others films too of Ab jr and it look as if they want to malaise and ill fate the film from the very start to any of the films that stars Ab jr.. I pity Ab jr has to face all these idiotic tricks played by media and Ab sr and jr haters..
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June 24, 2013 at 9:27 PM
Hunt for the elusive actress opposite Abhishek Bachchan
His last film was path-breaking. But Umesh Shukla is still struggling to find a leading lady for his next
June 24, 2013
MUMBAI
Shaheen Parkar
Director Umesh Shukla’s last film OMG: Oh My God! did not have an actress. For his next project with Abhishek Bachchan, he has not yet ascertained who will essay the female lead. The project however has had several names being tossed around those who were apparently approached, those who were given a hearing and those who were allegedly not even approached.
Even before the shooting begins later in the year, the project has been garnering more attention about its female casting. Looks like Shukla, a name synonymous with Gujarati theatre, has his hunt for an actress opposite Junior B creating more buzz than the film itself. Some of the names that were rumoured to star in his upcoming film include…
Diana Penty
After making her debut in the Saif Ali Khan production Cocktail last year, the model-turned-actress has not signed any other film. Diana was given a narration of the script but did not sign on the dotted line. Buzz about her being Abhishek’s heroine gained credence when Junior Bachchan posted on his micro-blogging site on May 25, “Guys, show the love to @_dianapenty welcome to the chaos D!” It was assumed that as she would be acting opposite him he was welcoming her on Twitter.”
Kareena Kapoor
Though the director claims he did not approach Bebo, reportedly Kareena’s name too figured in the list. Eyebrows were raised about this casting because after Junior B’s split with her sister Karisma Kapoor, the two stars have not worked together.
Shraddha Kapoor
The more recent of the names to be approached for the film even though she reportedly turned it down for Mohit Suri’s film with Sidharth Malhotra. Shraddha made her stand clear about the buzz on her micro-blogging site. She stated, “It’s upon my director to decide who will be my co-star… Where is the question of me deciding to work with my co-stars? I would absolutely love to work with AB.”
Asin
She played Abhishek’s sister in Bol Bachchan and in this film there was buzz that she would be his ladylove. Her B-town outings have only been with a select few actors, speculation grew after she was approached for the film.
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July 18, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Asin shd be paired with abhi
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June 27, 2013 at 10:31 AM
any updated news on new movies AB jr signing (apart from D3, Dostana2, mere apne)?
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July 18, 2013 at 8:59 AM
Umesh Shukla heads to South Africa for recce of Abhishek Bachchan starrer
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, July 18, 2013 – 15:28 hrs IST
While it was recently announced that Abhishek Bachchan has been roped in for Umesh Shukla’s next, produced by Shyam Bajaj and T-Series, the director will soon be flying to South Africa next week for the recce of the locations. The high-budget film will be shot extensively across South Africa and Himachal Pradesh.
In fact so kicked are the producer and director about the project that they are going all out to ensure that the film high-on content and entertainment looks to be one of the most promising projects this year – The film will act as an eye-opener in signature Umesh Shukla style.
All praise for producer Bhushan Kumar says Umesh Shukla, “Bhushan Kumar is a great producer to work with – He goes all out to provide the director with whatever is required without interfering in the creative process”.
The socially relevant film coupled with comedy, also starring Rishi Kapoor, will be co-produced by Shyam Bajaj and will go on floors this year.
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August 8, 2013 at 12:53 PM
Hello Satyam Sir, and friends. Been a long time. Hope all is well here and all well with all your families etc.
Glad to hear Jr is doing this, Read his tweet about a month or so ago where he replied saying that he has signed this one and Happy New Year. So Dostana 2 and all other speculations about him doing Abbass Mustan and 10 others are wrong. Just an FYI.
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August 10, 2013 at 2:03 AM
KJO confirmed on dostana 2 on the set of jhalak dikhlaja when john abhraham came to promote Madras cafe
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August 12, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Yes looks like his next few releases are D3, Mere Apne, Dostana 2 in that order. There’s now the rumor that he has a double role in Farah Khan’s film. This hasn’t been confirmed of course.
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August 14, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Looks like Deepika is now being preferred over Katrina:
http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/news/not-deepika-katrina-to-romance-john-abhishek-in-dostana-2/12387/
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August 21, 2013 at 7:51 AM
Umesh Shukla ropes in Smriti Irani
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, Aug 21, 2013 – 12:03 hrs IST
Umesh Shukla has been busy with this new five film deal with T-series and their first film is already in the final stages of its casting. While the movie already has Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Rishi Kapoor, Smriti Irani is also set to join the league.
Smriti who started her career in TV serials, has previously appeared in regional cinema too and appeared in a Hindi spiritual film titled Malik Ek. As far as the Umesh Shukla film is concerned, this untitled project will be shot in Dubai, South Africa and Himachal Pradesh.
This film is produced by T-Series and Shyam Bajaj.
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September 28, 2013 at 3:29 AM
AB plays a singer
Umesh talks about cast and film
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September 28, 2013 at 8:34 AM
good to hear. A different kind of part for him. Also good to learn that the title hasn’t been fixed. All else being equal it’s better not to use ‘Mere Apne’ as a title inasmuch as a younger demographic might get the wrong signal from it. Most films these days have frivolous titles or at least frothy ones. Certainly if one looks at the successful films over the last 15 years or so there’s hardly ever one with gravitas. Changing a title on these grounds or to attract the largest demographic isn’t I think the worst compromise in the world specially since everything else seems to be right about this film.
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October 5, 2013 at 6:04 AM
”The shoot starts from the 16th. We are in work shops prepping for the film. And it isn’t titled mere apne,” posted the actor on his micro-blogging site.
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/13/oct/05-news-abhishek-bachchan-to-start-shooting-for-t-series-next-from-october-16-101307.asp
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November 13, 2013 at 6:52 PM
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November 26, 2013 at 3:02 PM
They’ve made the right decision here..
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November 26, 2013 at 10:09 PM
Box office per to All is well hona mushkil hai, Name main hi sahi.
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December 5, 2013 at 6:05 AM
The only thing good about this film could be the music.
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December 21, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Music Of All Is Well
by Soumita Sengupta (December 21, 2013)
T-Series is known to make great music and they have turned films into superhits solely due to their music. Now that they are making their own films, we can all look forward to some outstanding music. We hear that their next film All Is Well has some smashing music. Although the second schedule of the film is yet to be shot, Bhushan Kumar along with composer Himesh Reshammiya have made some amazing songs, among which two have been shot.
PS: Abhishek Bachchan, the lead actor in the film, plays a struggling singer in the movie, so expect music to be the backbone of the film.
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January 17, 2014 at 8:50 AM
Abhishek Bachchan: work in progress, forever
Ranjita Ganesan | Mumbai January 17, 2014 Last Updated at 18:31 IST
It is hot, isn’t it?” asks the man, whose ability to turn on the cool in any room is common Bollywood trivia. He switches on the air-conditioner as if compensating for the fact that he is not in the uniform that gave him that epithet. The evening stubble is missing. So is his blazer and the Aviator glasses. In an airy, dark tracksuit and white trainers, Abhishek Bachchan looks as though he is back from a jog, though he has just finished a long meeting with a producer.
Recently, the actor, whose 13-year career has seesawed between lows and highs, has been having a successful run. Bol Bachchan directed by Rohit Shetty, known for low-brow films that become guaranteed hits, garnered ~100 crore and the latest installment of the Dhoom franchise, in which he plays cop Jai Dixit, broke records to earn about ~280 crore in three weeks.
Though the actor seemed largely sidelined in its promotion (Dhoom celebrates the anti-hero more than the good guy), the film’s box-office success is also believed to have encouraged telecom operator Idea Cellular to revive the ‘Sirji’ ad campaign featuring him. As his father triumphantly tweeted a photo of a younger Abhishek while saying, “Abhishek on rare Sunday at Prateeksha, never imagined he would become what he is today #Dhoom 3.”
The younger Bachchan has also learnt to accept the harsh glare of show business. When he entered Hindi cinema as a lanky 20-something, Bachchan was a tinge overconfident. A lot was expected of the son of Hindi cinema’s biggest superstar Amitabh Bachchan and seasoned actress Jaya Bhaduri, but as Refugee and a string of releases after it failed to make an impact, most bouquets turned into brickbats. “It was happening rapidly, and after a while I became numb. I began watching the whole process from a distance like an outsider,” he said in an interview with film critic Bhawana Somaaya. Maturity has come with age and experience, observes the actor who is now 37.
===
The word “shadow” has been used in conjunction with his name more than any other celebrity’s. The Bachchans’ Juhu office Janak —watched over by a troop of distrustful guards and attendants, who bustle about offering guests coffee or tea — is splashed with portraits and photographs, mostly of the Big B, in whose shadow he has lived.
The surname allowed the younger Bachchan to get a foothold in the industry but his story is not devoid of struggle. He brings to our notice that he is one of the few star kids whose father did not make a film for him, “In fact, I made Paa for him.” Producers and directors were initially reluctant to take on the heavy responsibility of launching him. Early on, he was dropped from a film two days before shoot was to begin and in another project, went from being flown business class to economy.
Bachchan, who was dyslexic as a child, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland at the age of nine. He had to quit studying at Boston University as his father’s production company, ABCL, ran up massive losses. Acting, as an ambition, developed organically as he was surrounded by films growing up.
The beginning of his undulating career was marked by failure. A period of success sparked by releases like Yuva, Sarkar, Dus and Guru was quickly followed by duds including Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Drona and Game. Even his unconventional outings with directors like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in Delhi 6 and Ashutosh Gowariker in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se did not impress the audience.
The abundant wit and jokes his friends warn about are at bay. To strangers, he speaks with flair and sometimes quotes Rudyard Kipling. “Meet triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same,” he says, between bites of Bourbon biscuits. He is a keen observer too, “Every now and then you pull up your sleeves and adjust your hair. I might use that in a film some day.” His responses seem calm and almost rehearsed, likely because he has been introspecting. Bachchan embraces criticism, of which there has been plenty, saying “The day I become accepting of it is the day I start growing.”
One Facebook page wants him to “please retire.” His detractors in Bollywood have included Anurag Kashyap, who noted that Bachchan had not understood half the lines he wrote for him in Yuva, and Prahlad Kakkar, who once quipped about the actor’s copious flops. Adman and filmmaker R Balki reportedly pointed out in an interview that Bachchan is not always careful in his choice of roles. The actor disagrees, noting that he picks films that appeal to him emotionally and will continue to do so. “I am proud of my films and they have all taught me either from a performance perspective or a business perspective.”
While some feel he is an average performer who is given opportunities owing to his lineage, others say he a good actor who is judged too harshly because of his background. Film maker and friend Rohan Sippy, who directed Bachchan in films including Bluffmaster, says the actor is unselfish.
“He looks at the film as a whole rather than the length of his own dialogues or screen time. That’s rare.” Dhoom 3 director Vijay Krishna Acharya, who worked with Bachchan in Guru and Raavan, vouches for his talent and says he should take on more unusual roles. Sanjay Gadhvi, who made the first two parts of Dhoom, agrees, “I would like to see him in a deeply emotional role. There is so much bottled up, and that is one aspect of him that has not been explored enough.”
Neither as celebrated as Hrithik Roshan or Ranbir Kapoor nor as spectacular a letdown as Fardeen Khan or Tusshar Kapoor, Bachchan is a star son stuck somewhere in the middle of the popularity race. “There are star kids out there who don’t have a job anymore and people are indifferent to them. The fact that people have expectations from me means they see potential,” he says. Sometimes, a defensive side shows up, “Show me one actor who has made all successful films. No actor is perfect.”
===
Commercial success scores over critical acclaim, he says without batting an eyelid, because show business demands box-office results. It helps explain why Bachchan, known for his subtle sensibility, is also warming up to boisterous comedy with films like Bol Bachchan, and his next Happy New Year, a musical heist directed by Farah Khan and starring Shah Rukh Khan. A more promising upcoming project is All is Well, helmed by Umesh Shukla who made Oh My God.
An interest in business is revealed when he explains even a fitness routine in somewhat economic terms. “If you want to lose weight, your output has to be more than your input. Your supply has to be less than demand.” Bachchan, who studied economics in his A-levels, feels financial acumen is essential today as most actors run side ventures. His is the production house AB Corp.
He will produce two films this year, one of which is directed by R Balki, starring his father and Dhanush.
On a list of top stars researched by Ormax Media, Bachchan is ranked 18 with a popularity share of 1 %. It would take 2-3 consistent successes in leading roles to see a jump, says Gautam Jain, the company’s insights head for films. On the endorsement front, the actor lends his face to four brands. While he is no longer a frontrunner in the game, the combo effect of Abhishek and Aishwarya still works the magic for brands, notes industry expert Harish Bijoor.
Forty minutes into the interview, the office help brings a note that leads Bachchan to glance meaningfully at his Omega watch, a product he endorses, and his words begin to gather pace. There is another meeting to attend. After more than a decade in the business and with some 50 films (including cameos) under his belt, he still considers himself “work in progress.” Bachchan admits that to many in the audience, his best may not be good enough and is willing to spend sleepless nights to change that view.
Any debate about unfair privilege is rendered futile with responses such as “I am lucky and proud to carry the Bachchan surname. I feel I am over-appreciated. There are a lot of actors who are more talented than me.” So far, people have been supportive, he says. For that, he thanks his stars, both the ones in the sky and the ones at home.
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April 13, 2014 at 1:12 PM
” The unit starts shooting from April 9, in a start-to-finish schedule till June 10 in Himachal. Whether the film will release on the scheduled date of July 11, however remains unconfirmed”
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/all-is-well-with-umesh-shuklas-film/
Weird.. thought this had an early Dec release date..
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May 14, 2014 at 3:58 AM
Abhishek Bachchan and Asin shooting in Shimla
Ankur Batra,TNN | May 14, 2014, 12.00 AM IST
Abhishek Bachchan and Asin chose going to Shimla, (Himachal Pradesh) by road from Chandigarh two days ago. While they are there to shoot for the film All Is Well, it was Abhi’s idea to travel by road since he was keen on exploring the scenic beauty en route, especially watching the toy train chug through the hills. We are told that the story of the film, directed by Umesh Shukla, begins in the hill station.
“Abhishek’s role is that of a foreign returned student who visits his mother at an old age home in Shimla,” a source said.
The shooting is taking place at Bishop Cotton School, which is converted into a home for the elderly. According to the local unit members, the shoot will continue for 10 days. “A song sequence will be shot at Kaitlighat railway station,” the source added.
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June 3, 2014 at 8:23 AM
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June 4, 2014 at 5:40 PM
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June 7, 2014 at 5:01 PM
Is Smriti Irani giving the makers of All is Well a tough time?
Posted by Swagatika on June 2, 2014
June 02, 2014 – The recently-appointed HRD minister is shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai to keep to her Cabinet commitments and seems to have no time for the film
The makers of Asin and Abhishek Bachchan starrer All is Well might just be regretting the decision to cast the BJP minister Smriti Irani in the film. They have had to reschedule the film’s shooting in the past to accommodate the actor turned politician’s HRD ministry responsibilities.
With Irani having to make decisions for the HRD ministry, she cannot seem to find time for the shoot. All is Well was being shot in Shimla when we heard that the Kyuki actor had to drive down to Delhi for Election results. Now that the film unit is back in Mumbai, Smriti is finding it hard to juggle between her acting and political commitments. Though we thought that this would serve as a bone of contention between Smriti and the filmmakers, Vinod Bhanushali, President of Marketing and promotions of T-Series has another story to tell, “Smritiji had to go to Delhi to be part of the newly-formed government and as responsible Indian citizens, we understand that taking on the HRD ministry’s responsibility is currently her priority.
Director Umesh Shukla has already shot with her in Shimla and she will join the crew at a later stage to finish her remaining scenes. The film’s Mumbai schedule begins on June 12 and Smriti is supposed to be part of this schedule.”
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August 27, 2014 at 7:51 AM
Abhishek Bachchan understands HRD minister Smriti Irani’s priorities
Wed, August 27, 2014 3:20pm UTC by Srishti Dixit
Abhishek Bachchan understands HRD minister Smriti Irani’s priorities
The two are working in All is Well together but the shoot has been put on hold as Irani has political commitments to deal with first
All doesn’t seem to be well for producer Bhushan Kumar and his All his Well crew including Abhishek Bachchan and Asin are waiting for Smriti Irani to make some time for shooting their upcoming film. But for the last three months Irani has been busy with her responsibilities as the HRD minister under the new government. As a result the film’s shooting has been put on hold.
While Bhushan Kumar is worried about the film getting further delayed Irani’s co-actor Abhishek Bachchan completely supports the actor-politician. He said, “It’s a huge deal for her (Smriti)… and a huge honour. It must be her priority and we must support her. Yes, we all (the crew) had to take a break as her duties to the nation called, but they are far more important. We will resume [the shoot] once she gives us a window.”
Smriti is playing a pivotal role in the film and once she takes some time out of serving her duties as the HRD minister, the makers of All is Well will resume shooting.
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September 16, 2014 at 12:19 PM
Abhishek Bachchan’s ALL IS WELL postponed?
September 16, 2014 6:37:52 PM IST
By Urvi Parikh, Glamsham Editorial
It seems all is not well with the team of Umesh Shukla’s ALL IS WELL. The film which stars Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor and Smriti Irani seems to have been delayed yet again.
The film, which earlier got postponed due to actress Smriti Irani’s unavailability, as she was busy with the elections and handling her new job as the HRD minister, has now been running late in terms of its schedule.
A little birdie informs us that film was supposed to wrap up its shoot by August end but has now been stretched on till almost September end, thus postponing the film to next year.
Well, now going with this update, it seems Abhishek Bachchan will only have one major release this year in the form of HAPPY NEW YEAR and incidentally Ajay Devgn’s ACTION JACKSON and Karan Johar’s UNGLI will be the only two films clashing with each other on December 5, 2014.
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September 16, 2014 at 12:20 PM
was expecting this. Had a comment on it yesterday.
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October 24, 2014 at 11:30 PM
“There is Umesh Shukla’s ‘All is Well’, where I go back to doing a family drama after ‘Om Jai Jagdish’. But the best part about Umesh’s film is that although it talks about serious things, it handles them light-heartedly, just the way he did it in his previous film ‘OMG-Oh My God!’. It’s about a dysfunctional family where Chintu uncle (Rishi Kapoor) and I play father and son.”
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/play/abhishek-bachchan-i-dont-have-the-ego-to-decline-multi-starrers/99/#sthash.EC2548DT.dpuf“
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November 15, 2014 at 10:41 AM
Abhishek in today’s interview that All is Well was last shot in June and they have stopped shooting after that. Abhishek plans to ‘revive’ the film from Jan next year and start shooting back and then plan when it gets completed and then plan the release. No release date in place as of now.
I think Abhi was waiting for HNY’s release and success to complete All is Well and release it.
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November 15, 2014 at 12:18 PM
don’t think that’s true.. because it was supposed to have a Dec release date, then things got moved, then the stories about Smriti Irani came out and Abhishek confirmed them saying they were willing to wait as she had more important things to do. All is well was never going to release before HNY in any scenario. But this is a problem now because he looks very different now. I think this is the best he’s looked possibly ever but certainly since the Yuva days. But when All is well was being shot he didn’t look that way. Much as if you see the HNY events he looks dramatically different from the way he looked in HNY. But at least there was consistency there. Here there won’t be.
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December 15, 2014 at 7:10 AM
Why did Smriti Irani opt out of Abhishek Bachchan- Asin starrer All Is Well?
Mon, December 15, 2014 5:20pm UTC by Rukmini Chopra
The BJP Human Resources and Development minister, who was initially going to be a part of the venture, has now called it quits. Reason? Read on to find out!
Before Smriti Irani became a political figure and the current HRD minster from the BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party), she was well known for her stint as Tulsi in Star Plus’ hit show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The actress reportedly was roped in by producer Bhushan Kumar in 2013 for his film All Is Well starring Abhishek Bachchan and Asin. Post the same, Smriti was elected as a minister in this year’s Lok Sabha elections and hasn’t been able to dedicate her time to the film ever since.Reports suggest that Smriti has been trying hard to work her way through the schedule of the film, but hasn’t succeeded in doing so because of her cabinet work. The same has resulted in her calling it quits with the producer and the film.
The HRD minister revealed the details to a portal saying,” It is really sad but I had to take this decision of opting out of the project as I have a larger role to play and have a duty towards our nation. The nation has expectations from me and this Government, which I will fulfil. The people of India have put their faith in us and I will not let them down.”
She further added saying,” “I understand the team has to make accommodations due to my departure and for that I am extremely grateful to them. I tried to rework my schedule and shoot every weekend which my co-stars graciously agreed to as well, but for logistical reasons that did not materialize. Given the circumstances, Mr. Bhushan graciously let me bow out.”
Happy New Year actor Abhishek Bachchan, on the other hand, opened up about Smriti’s exit to the entertainment portal and said,” Smriti Irani is a wonderful actress but her role as the minister of Human Resource Development is definitely the most important and must be prioritized above all else. When Bhushan Kumar and the team of All Is Well informed me of their decision, I was happy to rework my dates and reshoot the portions required in the best interests of the film.”
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December 15, 2014 at 7:11 AM
not good for the film at all… it will be hard to make up for this in terms of continuity.. when the film was getting delayed for a while on her account I had the sense that something like this might be up. Unless they’re going to reshoot everything with her with a new actress.
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December 15, 2014 at 12:52 PM
Don’t know why they went for Smrit Irani in first place? She’s not a regular movie actor and was already active in politics and impending elections in 2014. Now reshooting all her scenes again would cost additional for the movie.
Anyways, delayed movies doesn’t seem fresh, something like Ungli released couple weeks back. Everything was good about the movie(producers, actors, director) but movie was looking old and jaded inspite of adding last minute ‘Basanti’ track with Shraddha, No one cared about it even on 1st weekend.
Abhi should have made a quick 4 month shoot film and release in rightaway. This kind of projects are never helpful.
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December 15, 2014 at 4:32 PM
Satyam, your continuity issue might be actual issue if they plan to shoot the movie completely from Jan.
“The film will be completely reshot”
The makers of Umesh Shukla’s All is Well, with Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Rishi Kapoor in the lead, have decided to replace actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani as she couldn’t allot them any more dates after having shot for more than half the film.
After canning major portions in Shimla and Bangkok, the makers have been waiting for the last six months for the Human Resources & Development Minister, to make time in her busy schedule to film the climax.
A source close to the unit told Mirror that shooting with a new actress will resume in January.
“The film will be completely reshot. The makers are currently looking for Smriti’s replacement as it is impossible to complete the film without her character. She plays Abhishek’s mother in the film,” the source said. The film’s producer Bhushan Kumar told Mirror, “With her job as Union Minister keeping her on her toes, it is impractical to wait for Smriti’s dates. The parting of ways was amicable. The rest of the cast has also been understanding and have alloted fresh dates. We are hoping to release the film around June.”
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December 15, 2014 at 4:44 PM
If this was a big budget movie, they pull a Endhiran and have some other person play the role of Smriti Irani and then later digitally add her face. All she would have to do then is say her lines in a VFX studio. It looked fine in Endhiran and I’m sure they used this in Ra.1/ETT/D3
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December 15, 2014 at 8:41 PM
this explains why Abhishek didn’t begin his home production in Nov as was the plan. If it’s completely reshot the problem is solved and actually Abhishek looks great physically now which wasn’t the case when this film began. Nonetheless it’s been a huge waste of resources.
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December 15, 2014 at 10:17 PM
If they are really reshooting whole movie, I think they should replace Asin as well with someone more happening.
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December 16, 2014 at 6:10 AM
I’d disagree there. I like Asin but even otherwise I think she’d work well with Abhishek.
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December 15, 2014 at 10:21 PM
The shoot for the film – All is Well – starts in January next year and producer Bhushan Kumar confirms the release date as July 3, 2015.
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December 15, 2014 at 11:15 AM
great pictures of Abhishek, Rishi and Neetu Singh…..
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January 20, 2015 at 7:50 PM
Film being reshot with Supriya Phatak:
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150121/entertainment-bollywood/article/asin-resumes-filming-abhishek-bachchan
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February 19, 2015 at 2:24 PM
Abhishek Bachchan’s All Is Well to wrap up by March end
Abhishek Bachchan, who was last seen in a double role in Happy New Year has a choc-a-bloc year ahead.
Written by Screen Correspondent | Mumbai | February 20, 2015 12:00 am
Abhishek Bachchan, who was last seen in a double role in Happy New Year has a choc-a-bloc year ahead.
With three movies in his kitty along with work related to his sports associations, there’s a lot on Bachchan’s plate.
But the actor is not complaining, “There are 24 hours in a day and there’s a lot that can be done in
that time,” he says when asked about how he is managing his time with two sports teams and three
films.
Shooting for Umesh Shukla’s All is Well is currently in progress. “The film is 40 per cent complete and we should wrap up by March end,” says Bachchan, after which he will start shooting for the third
installment of Housefull in which he stars alongside Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh.
The actor, who will also be seen in the third installment of Hera Pheri along with John Abraham, says he is “absolutely looking forward” to working with his Dostana co-star.
On being quizzed about the reason he has chosen so many multi-starrers, the actor says, “Because I am getting to play good characters in these films.”
As for working in two sequels he agrees that there’s a lot of pressure when one works in an established brand like a Hera Pheri or Housefull as they already have an audience that has liked that film.“So we can’t let them down.
As an actor, one needs to be responsible about it,” says Bachchan, who is excited to be working in these
movies
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March 12, 2015 at 12:26 AM
releasing July 3 according to this:
http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/102-not-out-postponed/
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March 22, 2015 at 8:40 AM
Abhishek Bachchan @juniorbachchan 8h8 hours ago
“@chintskap: Good shot AB junior. Second last one. Tough to match standards set by your parents but you getting there. God Bless!”-thank you
Abhishek Bachchan @juniorbachchan 8h8 hours ago
Not much better than one of your favourite actors complimenting you…. @chintskap big hug.
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March 22, 2015 at 11:55 AM
I don’t know why but I feel that Abhishek is probably over-relying on All Is Well. The delay in the making hasn’t helped him at all.
He had very limited footage in HNY and then he has this solo starrer delayed for quite a while. And after that, there’s nothing in the pipe-line concretely. You hear about some upcoming project once in a while and then nothing after that. The latest one we hear about now is the 2 heroes Bhagnani production. And then he is reportedly taking over from the likes of John Abraham and Arjun Rampal in the Housefull series.
The fact remains that we’ve seen very little of Abhishek recently. Bit roles in D3 and HNY. There is All is Well this year and then we may have to wait quite a while before we see him again.
He certainly has a lot riding on All Is Well and with all the delay if the movie turns out to be another under-performer, then it seems his career is going to be into doldrums really.
For a guy who had Mehra, Ratnam, Rohan Sippy and Gowatrikar lined up for him a few years back, he currently seems to have no line-up at all.
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March 24, 2015 at 1:33 PM
Hera Pheri 3 just has him and John though. He seems to be doing another one with John for Vashu Bhagnani. I don’t agree with these choices, that’s another matter! but they’re not D3. I’m fine with All is well. The others are a problem. Somehow he’s been going commercial with a vengeance and in these sorts of genres. He’s also decided he doesn’t want solo if it’s not big enough (hard to believe Saif all these years has only done solos and Abhishek couldn’t). He’s certainly staying away from the riskier stuff. Either way I’m not on board with most of his choices if not all. All is Well is an exception. let’s see how this turns out. But I think he’s over-correcting for his earlier strategy. He needs to do some prestige stuff that’s viable and moreover he needs to get into a mode where he starts exciting the audience again. I’ve said this in the past. Even great success can sometimes flatter to deceive. Even if he did this kind of stuff for a while and then started doing solos along the same lines and even if those worked that would still be a waste for an actor like him. here I do agree there’s a lot riding on All is well but also including the fact that if this works he might perhaps do more meaningful stuff going forward. but yeah this isn’t a lineup to excite anyone!
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April 17, 2015 at 10:35 AM
Why do you think these are choices? I think these are the only good available choices. Times have changed. No solo for him
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April 17, 2015 at 10:37 AM
er… check out what thread you’re commenting in..
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April 17, 2015 at 8:50 AM
Confirmed for Aug 21, if this is correct:
http://businessofcinema.com/bollywood_news/revealed-abhishek-bachchans-all-is-well-release-date/203263
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May 6, 2015 at 2:46 PM
The long delayed film is now scheduled to open in the theatres on August 21, but the makers still feel that it lacks sizzle and have roped in Brazilian model and Kingfisher calendar girl, Nathalia Kaur, to steam up the screen.
Nathalia who was last seen conquering her fears in Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2014, is presently in Rio De Janeiro, where she was crowned Miss Espirito Santo this week. She will now be competing for the title of Miss Brazil World. A source close to her confirmed that she has been signed for a special appearance number which will be filmed in Los Angeles during a two-week schedule in June.
“It is a racy track in which Nathalia woos both Abhishek and Rishi, while Asin looks on with a glum face. It won’t be a sleazy song because the film is a wholesome family entertainer,” added the source.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Nathalia-Kaur-to-film-a-special-number-with-Rishi-and-Abhishek/articleshow/47172346.cms
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May 11, 2015 at 4:25 PM
Sonakshi Sinha to dance to a song in Abhishek Bachchan’s All Is Well
Their fathers Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan have given blockbusters like ‘Dostana’ and ‘Kaala Patthar’ together and were pitted as arch rivals at one time. Today they are friends. We have exclusively learnt that Sonakshi Sinha will soon be dancing to a song in Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘All Is Well’. This is the first time that Sonakshi and Abhishek will share screen space.
The song on the lines of ‘Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan’ will once again be composed by Meet Brothers and sung by the super talented Kanika Kapoor and choreographed by the extremely creative Ahmed Khan. Bhushan Kumar’s ‘All Is Well’ is a family film directed by Umesh Shukla and is slated for release August 21. Sonakshi and Abhishek, we love this Dostana.
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May 22, 2015 at 8:56 AM
All is Well’s trailer to be unveiled with Dil Dhadakne Do?
May 21, 2015
Umesh Shukla’s All is Well starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Asin and Supriya Pathak is a family drama that comes with a message. And as per our sources, the first trailer of the film is likely to be attached to Zoya Akhtar’s family drama, Dil Dhadakne Do.
Not only that, Pinkvilla has also learnt that the film will be IIFA bound too. Abhishek Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor have been fervently shooting for the film that is said to have a social message.
Umesh Shukla’s last outing OMG! Oh My God, was much appreciated and with ‘AIW’ too expectations are riding high. The film is slated to release on August 21st!
However official announcements are yet to come, whether or not it’s trailer would be coming out with DDD!
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May 25, 2015 at 8:00 AM
Abhishek Bachchan plays a singer in All Is Well
By Subhash K. Jha, May 25, 2015 – 12:45 hrs IST
Abhishek Bachchan plays a singer in his next film, the Umesh Shukla-helmed All Is Well. The character is modeled on Abhishek’s father’s character in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Abhimaan.
42 years ago, Amitabh Bachchan had played a professional singer in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Abhimaan, and then 8 years later, Big B again played a singer in Rakesh Kumar’s Yaaraana. Since then this is the first time that an actor from the Bachchan parivar has played a professional singer.
Says the director Umesh Shukla, “Yes, it does seem providential that Abhishek plays a singer in my film. It gave me chance to have lip-sync songs in the film.”
All Is Well went through a series of hiccups after Smriti Irani exited from the project. Now the film’s shooting is complete and Umesh is readying the film for release on August 21.
Umesh is happy with the success of Shoojit Sircar’s Piku which is a family drama like All Is Well. “But,” warns Umesh, “All Is Well is far more dramatic. Piku is done in a tone that’s absolutely normal and life-like. It’s good to see a family film getting a wide audience.”
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May 25, 2015 at 8:07 AM
of course nowhere does Shukla say the character is based on Abhimaan! But then this is how these stories are routinely written.
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May 25, 2015 at 8:54 AM
I think this might be a good film. The one thing to remember is that no one had anticipated to gross as much as it did on BO (and trend that well). It was a complete surprise and not something which happens regularly even when these sort of films are liked. So one should not reach too much into the fact that the director of OMG is making this film(of course it’s important to remember that OMG was pretty much a re-enactment of a very successful play. Whether Shukla can come up with a strong enough plot this time around without the support of an pre-existing plot, remains to be seen). Now All is Well (why have they gone for such a corny title! Why not go for something a little edgier) will certainly open better than OMG even if Abhishek’s present box-office state would not allow it to open too strongly. The other thing is quite a few pieces on the film are promoting it as some sort of “family film”. This is isn’t a bad thing in itself, but I doubt a “family film” would excite the multiplex audience (and I doubt Shukla is the sort of director who is going to make films which will excite the single-screen crowd). Think of this- if something like “Piya Ka Ghar” is amde today, how many folks are going to watch it in the theatre (forget anything else, that title itself will keep most of the audience away). There are of course exceptions like Vivaah, but those are few and far in between. That being said, i doubt Shukla has made a regular “family film” (I will be horrified if it’s something like Om Jai Jagdish!).
That entire “singer” bit tells me that it wouldn’t be bad idea if Abhishek would do a remake of “Alaap”. I really like this film (and I think it is “edgier” than Abhimaan), but it is not one of Mukherjee’s most sustained efforts on pure narrative grounds. So it can be improved on that score. Incidentally Alaap has one of my favourite Om Prakash performances- one of Mukherjee’s many variants of a Hitler like father/family patriarch.And Rishi Kapoor wouldn’t be bad choice for that part
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May 29, 2015 at 6:41 AM
the film needs a decent or better initial and the rest is about WOM with this sort of subject. It can’t be huge on day 1, these subjects never are. Even otherwise and with the biggest stars certain kinds of films just don’t excite the box office on day 1 in terms of landing massive initials and so on.
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May 29, 2015 at 7:31 AM
This will be promoted big time by T series and since ABJr plays a singer there will be lot of songs to promote too. I dont think this will be a niche subject too. It will be a proper mainstream movie with comedy, emotion and the whole thing. I dont know how it will open, but expect a frenzy of promotions here…
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May 29, 2015 at 8:00 AM
agreed on all counts.. it’s a mainstream film. Shukla has also said that unlike Piku its a dramatic subject. It’s also something of a road movie. Most of it centers on Abhishek and Rishi. Eevrything seems to be in place but a big question mark for me remains Himesh’s music. Think this was the wrong choice. They really should have gone with someone else. I’ve never liked him anyway but he’s certainly not been in his ‘hit music’ phase for a while. I know they’re adding a song or two here (Rishi/Abhishek doing the Bachchan, Rishi medley, another pop hit or something) but still they could have gone in for a much better choice. Actually almost anyone would have been better as far as I’m concerned. otherwise I believe this is a dark horse. If Shukla is in anything like OMG form (which trended superbly) this film should do well. How well of course depends on the actual product. On the opening day I agree it’s hard to put a number. Abhishek is doing a solo after ages. Also this isn’t in the genre he’s otherwise been doing with his multistarrers.
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May 29, 2015 at 12:18 PM
The whole point of this movie is not success by WOM but opening weekend. If AB Jr can open decently a movie as a solo starrer, he can make more movies in future even if this one doesn’t do well. But if no one turns up for the first weekend(irrespective of the film content) then to make another solo film will get delayed for a long time.
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May 29, 2015 at 1:33 PM
If no one turn up for the first weekend the film isn’t doing well. Because that would indicate no WOM pickup. There’s no movie that shows no movement over the weekend and the goes on to do well! These days if anything the pickup is evident in the evening shows, often by Sat and certainly Sun is big. Depending on the strength of the pickup it can be one or more of these cases. The film has to open decent or better. But a big opening, unless the advertising truly interests people a lot, is just highly unlikely. it’s not just about Abhishek. ZNMD just had a decent opening, good enough for the genre but it was only as big as MBKD with Imran Khan (actress the same in each case). It certainly wasn’t a very strong opening even for a multiplex film. Take Hirani. Despite the two Munnabhais and despite Aamir 3I opened very strong but all things considered it wasn’t historic or something. it wasn’t a Ghajini-like deal. But of course it went from strength to strength. We saw this again with Piku recently. So whichever end of the production scale you look at, whichever star combination, you will find that relative to more masala or ‘blockbuster’ type genres the same stars will give you far less of an initial. Ultimately the test is how well the film does overall. Piku did 5.5 crores or whatever on day 1 and now it’s on course for 80. Now if it had done 1 crore on day 1 it wouldn’t have been on this path! In other words you need a minimal audience to start off with. DMD had a low audience to begin with, it didn’t trend all that badly, had it opened much higher it would have had a much better gross on exactly the same sort of trending. So All is Well needs a minimal initial on day 1. A number off which a great deal of growth is possible if WOM is strong. But the distributors know everything I’m saying here. They will be looking for a success. They’re not going to expect the biggest opener possible on day 1. That sort of thing doesn’t happen unless a genre is truly hot and/or the star has had a lot of success in the recent past. But again it comes to the same thing since there is no possibility of the sort of scenario you’re painting — that the film opens extremely low on day 1 and then does a 100 or something. So people say it’s a success but he couldn’t open it. That doesn’t happen. Now opening weekend is a different thing. When you refer to this I of course agree. However in this media-soaked age not to mention all the technologies that enable WOM to spread with the speed of light the fact is that if a film opens half-decently on day 1 it can still be very strong on the remaining weekend days because of this factor. But either way success is very much the point of the movie. Success has a way of justifying itself! I know you referred to opening weekend and that certainly goes without saying. My only point is that you just can’t get through an opening weekend with poor numbers and have the film become successful somehow. Because that indicates either that the film hasn’t been liked or people have not been interested enough to show up. Such a film cannot become an eventual success.
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May 31, 2015 at 8:45 AM
Himesh is just a guest composer for this movie. The main music composer is Amaal mallik. It would have been better to have Himesh as a composer. He gives chartbusters even on his bad days; the kind not everyone likes but ones which masses lap it up. Incidentally he is also the composer for PRDP..
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May 31, 2015 at 9:34 AM
Who’s Amaal Mallik? I’d only heard stories of Himesh being the composer. His is the name listed everywhere. As for giving chartbusters I think that phase of his was many years ago.
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May 31, 2015 at 9:35 AM
LOL, should have figured with that last name:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaal_Mallik
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May 31, 2015 at 9:43 AM
he doesn’t mention All is well even here:
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/interviews/amaal-mallik-happy-with-salman-khan-featuring-in-my-song.asp
I suspect though what that more than one person might be contributing to the soundtrack. Even in the most recent news items about the Sonakshi appearance and so on Himesh was the only guy mentioned.
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June 4, 2015 at 8:37 PM
I read some Himesh interview where he was talking about being guest composer for this movie. Don’t recollect where…
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May 29, 2015 at 11:53 AM
Didn’t know Himesh was the choice for this one. A very poor choice for such a topic. Himesh is always good for the masala block-buster types. Not for movies that try to attempt some depth.
BTW, I am a big fan of SUR. Lucky Ali’s vocals synced very well with M.M. Kreem’s. I wonder where Kreem is now. I think he has just gone AWOL. You need somebody like him for such a topic. Or maybe even Trivedi. Trivedi is wonderful with experimentation.
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May 29, 2015 at 12:14 PM
MM Kreem is busy composer down south from decades. He just did few Hindi films when offered. He’s not in Mumbai and Hindi films are not his career.
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May 29, 2015 at 6:40 AM
Sonakshi Sinha’s Not Doing An Item Song With Abhishek
6 hours agoby Subhash K Jha
“It’s not an item song,” explains director Umesh Shukla in whose forthcoming family film All Is Well Sonakshi Sinha is reported to have
performed an “item song” along with Abhishek Bachchan.
Correcting the misrepresentation Umesh says, “It’s a road movie and Sonakshi joins in for a song. Everybody in the principal cast Rishi
Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Abhishek Bachchan and Asin is part of the song, along with Sonakshi.”
Umesh is a family friend of the Sinha parivar.The director of Oh My God (OMG) one of 2012’s most influential social dramas,is all set to
direct a political thriller which would star Sonakshi Sinha and her brother Luv Sinha, though not as siblings.
Umesh whose debut film blew the lid off ritualistic religion, declines to call the Sonakshi-Luv Sinha a family film. “I don’t work
that way.I don’t make films to accommodate actors. The film with Sonakshi and Luv is not going to be a vehicle to spotlight the Sinha
family.And it certainly won’t star the other members of the family Shatruji and Punamji . I selected Sonakshi and Luv because they suit
the parts.”
Umesh says there is no pressure in him to commence a film with the Sinha siblings. “It will happen once I complete All Is Well and crack
the climax of the political thriller with Sonakshi and Luv . I am not going to hurry the process just to create an opportunity for the
actors.”
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June 3, 2015 at 6:05 AM
Abhishek-Asin’s ‘All Is Well’ trailer to release in June last week
June 3, 2015
Umesh Shukla’s ‘All Is Well’ has been in the news for quite some time now. The film, which was initially slated to release in December 2014, got delayed as actress Smriti Irani, who was initially a part of the film, couldn’t allot dates owing to her political commitments.
Smriti was then replaced by Supriya Pathak Kapoor and certain scenes have been reshot and now the movie is all set to release on August 21, 2015.
Apparently, the first trailer of ‘All Is Well’ was slated to release this week and was supposed to be attached to ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, there seems to be a change in the release of the film’s trailer. A source close to the film’s production house revealed to us that the trailer of the movie will be out in the last week of June.
“We were planning to release the trailer this week and also had plans of integrating it at IIFA, but then we decided to come out with it in June last week. Bhushan Kumar is very particular about everything and he wants the trailer to be perfect. Also, he wanted to add few glimpses of Sonakshi Sinha’s dance number which will be shot next week,” revealed the source.
The source further added, “Also our actors are busy with their prior commitments in these two weeks. Abhishek is busy and is not in a position to travel to IIFA. Supriya Pathak Kapoor is also busy with her personal commitments, given that Shahid Kapoor’s wedding is scheduled for next week. Keeping all of this in mind, we all thought of unveiling the trailer sometime between June 22-26, 2015.”
However, the source insisted that though there is a delay in the launch of the trailer, the film will release as scheduled i.e. August 21, 2015.
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June 4, 2015 at 11:59 AM
Sonakshi Sinha, who made a special appearance in Umesh Shukla’s film ‘OMG: Oh My God’ with a dance number ‘Go Go Govinda’, is all set to sizzle in another lively song for the director’s upcoming film ‘All is Well’.
“The song is a lively and foot-tapping dance number. Sonakshi will be shooting for the song next week. Sung by Kanika Kapoor and composed by Meet Brothers, the song will be shot in a span of three days in Mumbai,” reveals a source, adding further, “Sonakshi will be seen grooving with the primary cast of the film including Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak Kapoor and the dance number has been choreographed by none other than Ahmed Khan.”
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/sonakshi-sinha/sonakshi-sinha-shoot-all-well-dance-number-next-week
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June 4, 2015 at 3:24 PM
Sad. There is very little marketing or media presence with ‘All is well’ with a release date of Aug 21…’Wazir’ has its second trailer out which is due in Dec..But not even a poster for this yet..I really hope this clicks for Abhi..I know the trade does not have big expectations nor many outside :)..although they give a different spin at the time of release which is common to any Abhi movies….But I hope it at least gets a average tag ..Abhi’s solo movie and I’am eagerly awaiting for this…
Puzzled by his choices or what is coming his way offlate..too many multi-starers..He has given up too early on a Solo lead roles or does he have different game plan?..He should have taken up more Solo masala movies after the the success of ‘Bol Bachchan’ 3 years ago..he is playing too safe and keeping lot of distance across releases..
Saw one more media byte that Abhishek is a failure in spite of heavy promotion from Amitabh since the last 15 years…
Yes Abhi is a failure isnthe perspective of many..He had his very bad choices and many films bombed…But he is definitely talented as any other star there( GURU, YUVA, SARKAR, etc) ..
Media does not like him and painted a different picture that did not help him get a fan base..
But I don’t think Amitabh promoted him at all..ABCL never produced a movie with Abhi ..I’a, not sure if he has influenced any top directors to cast him as well..Abhi does not seem to be in the future plans of in their list too…So that Amitabh was promoting him feels wrong to me..Even few words about his performance in GURU was not taken well by the media
I’am sure Mani sir did not sign him for three movies on Big B’s recommendation.
Anyways,looking for success for Abhi in ‘All is well’
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June 4, 2015 at 3:31 PM
this will be advertised the right way.. on Wazir, that’s unusual too.. so much in advance.. on the rest I wouldn’t worry too much about the commentary one way or the other..
Anyway hope all’s well at your end.. good to see you here after quite sometime..
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June 4, 2015 at 7:15 PM
Thanks a lot Satyam..”All is well” at my end..I visit this site everyday ( next thing I do religiously at the first break at work 🙂 or make time for this) just that I don’t comment regularly….
Hope all is well there too…
Aside and offtopic, Satyam not sure if you got chance to read this which is going viral…One of the incredible post I have read in recent times..
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June 15, 2015 at 5:44 PM
hadn’t seen this earlier.. thanks for pointing out that post..
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June 4, 2015 at 3:59 PM
Not much breathing space for All is Well.
Aug 14- Brothers (Akshay, Siddarth – Karan Malhotra/Johar)
Aug 21 – All is Well
Aug 28 – Phantom (Saif, Katrina – Kabir Khan)
Sep 04 – Shandaar (Shahid, Alia – Vikas Bahl)
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June 4, 2015 at 4:34 PM
yes it’s a cluster.. which is never good.. having said that if All is well finds its audience I wouldn’t worry too much about Phantom. And an Akshay Kumar movie hasn’t made much of a bang in a long time. Still would have been better for All is well not to be surrounded by releases but this is in any case going to be a long trending film if it works. I’d go further and say that if Shukla has done his job it’s the sort of film that will strike a chord. Again in any scenario less competition is better than more.
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June 16, 2015 at 3:48 AM
All is well looks the best out of all 4 releases but just 1 week run will eat up its business although Saif can be a threat only to KRK 😉
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June 16, 2015 at 5:59 AM
Dont count out Shandaar. Its one of my most awaited movies this year
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June 16, 2015 at 10:51 PM
Now, Welcome Back is releasing on Aug 21 as well.
Aug 14- Brothers (Akshay, Siddarth – Karan Malhotra/Johar)
Aug 21 – All is Well & Welcome Back (Anees Bazmee)
Aug 28 – Phantom (Saif, Katrina – Kabir Khan)
Sep 04 – Shandaar (Shahid, Alia – Vikas Bahl)
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June 16, 2015 at 11:07 PM
Welcome Back can move to Sep 11, 2015
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June 17, 2015 at 11:10 AM
Anil Kapoor has said on twitter it’s Sep 11.
That’s still a crazy cluster. A new release every week between Aug 14 and Sep 11!
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June 4, 2015 at 4:24 PM
“Not much breathing space for All is Well.”
Thats a pity–Had there been some ‘breathing space’–‘all is well’ would have done a krish3 or PK
Hahaha
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June 17, 2015 at 12:07 AM
Agreed…especially since AB Sr is not in the Ramanujam mathematics school of additing 60 crores to every equation out there..
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June 15, 2015 at 5:43 PM
Rishi Kapoor makes an exception
Jun 15, 2015 – Natasha Coutinho
Veteran star Rishi Kapoor who was in Coonoor (Tamil Nadu) for the first schedule of his next film, recently cut his trip short and flew down to Mumbai to shoot a special song for All is Well. The song is called Naccha Farrate and it also features Abhishek Bachchan and Sonakshi Sinha.
Director Umesh Shukla wanted Rishi to be a part of the song, but the shoot was clashing with the actor’s other schedules. Umesh tried his luck once again, and sent Rishi a sound clip of the song. The actor was so impressed with it that he decided to make a two-day trip to Mumbai to shoot for it. He shot it at a suburban studio for over two days.
Recalling the episode, Umesh said, “I requested Chintuji to come for the song and make it memorable. He has worked with both Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha, so it would be interesting to share the screen with the next generation as well. At first, he refused because he had already committed to Karan Johar’s film and his makeup man has come from abroad. So it’s quite an expensive affair to make him sit idle. But when Chintuji heard the song, he thought it would be worthwhile to make an exception. The shoot turned out to be a very special experience for all of us, because there was so much excitement.”
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