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87 Responses to “City Lights, Kochaidaiyaan & Heropanti (ongoing), the rest of the box office”
Finally superstar Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan released worldwide on May 23 in 2D and 3D in six languages. The film according to its producers grossed a humongous Rs 42 Crore worldwide in its first three days, with lion share coming from Tamil Nadu, where only Tamil version was played.
And in Tamil Nadu Kochadaiiyaan is doing the best in Chennai city and suburbs where it is playing in 90 odd screens. The film is said to have netted approximately Rs 1.80 Crore from city and suburbs and the numbers are huge, as it is tax free.
Kochadaiiyaan is the clear number one by a mile at the CBO this week. Next at number two is the Hollywood biggie X Men: Days of the Future Past, which has taken a very good opening in Tamil/English.
In the third place is the horror comedy Yamirukka Bayamey, which is rocking the box-office in its third week and can be classified as a runaway super hit. At number four is the Telugu new release Manam, which has been appreciated by the masses and critics alike and has taken a very good opening. Valavanukku Pullum Aayudham is at number five.
Heropanti Does Good First Week Business
Friday 30 May 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Heropanti had a good first week as it grossed around 34 crore nett in its first week. The film collected 8 crore nett more than the big Hollywood release X Men – Days Of Future Past and not many would have expected Heropanti to lead that film by such a big margin before release.
The film held steady collections on the weekdays and could hit the 50 crore nett mark for its lifetime business as the second weekend looks set for a decent total.
The film has put up strong numbers in CP Berar, CI, Rajasthan and Gujarat while circuits which were not too strong initially like Delhi/UP and East Punjab were pretty steady over the weekdays.
BO update: Poor start for ‘Citylights’, ‘Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi’
By Taran Adarsh, May 30, 2014 – 13:47 IST
While the business sky-rocked last Friday, with HEROPANTI, KOCHADAIIYAAN [in Tamil Nadu specifically] and the newest instalment of X-MEN opening to a heartening response, the two prominent films that released today, namely CITYLIGHTS and KUKU MATHUR KI JHAND HO GAYI, opened to lacklustre response across the nation. While CITYLIGHTS has an edge, both CITYLIGHTS and KUKU MATHUR KI JHAND HO GAYI are heavily dependent on word of mouth and will need a miraculous jump over the weekend to post healthy numbers.
Meanwhile, last week’s HEROPANTI continues its successful run at the box-office, garnering a better response than the new releases. As per early trends, HEROPANTI is expected to dominate the domestic BO, despite the two new releases grabbing a good share of screens and shows.
good to note that again my 50 cr(wh)ore prophesy seems to be comin true! even im surprised…
how do these uneducated hunches materialise?
Confession time–
havent seen the film -infact havent even seen/heard the rest of the songs
made this random prediction at the time of heights of negativity–femininity, ‘gay-ness’ of tiger
but what changed my view?
Apparently there IS a ‘method to my madness”
i had just seen the song ‘aa raat bhar”
theres a few seconds sequence wherein tiger has a few dance steps around a fire in the background followed by an aerial kick.
Its the few seconds of follow through beyond that jump–
that impressed me…
Exuding that exhuberance is rare..
its all bout moments for me…
also good to see tiger -KS (kriti sanon) trumping rajini-DPad 🙂
Toh paar de sabhi hadein
Gale lage kabhi nahi hone de sehar
Iss raat mein beete umar, saari umar….
My ears aka ‘musical filters’ have got another pick…
Needless to say it turned out to be a Rahman creation
It’s not exceptional (by Rahman standards of composition) but is catapulted by rahmans unique vocals & his collaboration with the fast rising amitabh bhattachryas lyrics…
Creating a psychedelic ecstatic mix for me–
Am posting this here as a ‘gift’ so u can also savour this
Khalifa khalifa khaleefa bare
Karam jale hain
Aye, Khalifa khalifa khalifa bare
Kadam chale hain
Zokhim hardam hardam zokhim
Humein yehi talab hai
Jaise tevar waise mausam
Ye rutbaa alag hai..
******
Aasmaan zara nichod ke
O.. pee gaye sharbat neela
O.. sooraj ka ek tukda
Baadal ka ek tukda
Sau ungliyon se pakda, chaba liya
Munna, I checked out the Pakistani film (Josh) you mentioned in the previous box office thread. The performances were fine which were I guess what you recommended. Otherwise I found the movie rather poor. Started off well enough, right at the beginning especially there were some nice shots, but it quickly descends into incredibly simplistic stuff. A vastly better movie could have been made with this material. Some effective moments later on but still far too easy and quick a resolution.
By the way anyone who’s still interested can access this on Netflix streaming.
On a related note not sure if you saw this recently:
and then of course there was this on this side of the border:
This too makes for a perverse anti-Partition argument. The animals on both sides should really have been in the same zoo!
Note how the women are always the worst sufferers whether it’s some antiquated honor system in play, about ethnic or clan politics or whether they’re leading more liberated lives in a major metropolis. And this was the essential point made by the Swedish author of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy (the original titles are ‘The Men who hate Women’ and so on). That in addition to other things this moment of globalization and with its otherwise (capitalist) emancipatory potential in many ways also led to in other respects this increase in violence directed towards women.
That case in Pakistan took a strange twist: turns out the husband of the deceased had himself killed his first wife so he could be with this second woman!
And the case in India has taken several disturbing turns as well:
1) The girls were raped when they had to venture outside in the dark because their village has no indoor sanitation/ toilet and hardly any electricity
2) The victim’s mother was beaten brutally by several men when she refused to drop the compliant and she is now critically ill with multiple broken bones
3) The police (who earlier refused to register the complaint) have used water canons against women protesting the rape and it’s disgraceful handling by authorities
4) Just a few days later, another woman was gang raped, forced to drink acid and strangled in the same locality
It simply does not get more horific, depressing or grotesque than this! 😦
Actually it does: in a different story children at an institution for tribal orphans were sexually abused. Those who refused to comply were forced to eat dog feces.
There really is no limit to human brutality in India, is there? It’s not that crime doesn’t happen in other countries, it is the sheer savagery and grotesque nature of these crimes that occur on a daily basis (and most often slip by entirely unnoticed and unpunished, even aided by authorities) that sets South Asia apart.
I just hope the “change” that people voted in is not a change that accelerates violence against women. This acid attack again confirms that the lunatics are indeed taking over the asylum. I hope Modi does not take a business as usual stance. If he remains silent, then he is not the strong leader he pretends to be.
The Breaking Bad vibe is unmistakable though. But I am really pumped-up for this- Kashyap has written this and the supporting cast looks fantastic…Dhulia, Kay Kay, Nawaz but especially Sarika.
Now that Modi is generally accepted and even his detractors are seeing a ray of hope, it is time to get rid off hate sites and cyber coolies of all hues who attack indiscriminately spreading bitterness. Constructive criticism should be accepted while dharna politics should be discarded. And cynical politics is the bane of our country like politicians visiting Badaun which is nothing but using a tragedy to get political leverage.
Bigotry and Hate is unconditionally evil. Hence, how about unconditionally getting rid of ALL HATE speech and ALL BIGOTRY, regardless of who it is directed against.
Why just make an exception for Modi ? Hate is bad when it is directed against Modi, but it is also bad when it is directed against Sonia.
We need to accept that hate is a sickness of the heart. Even if Modi had been rejected, it would have been wrong to hate. Yes oppose him (if need be), draw attention to his checkered past, but don’t hate.
But if one cannot stop hating the weak, the powerless, and the minorities. If one cannot stop aligning one’s self with hate mongers, then why make an exception for the flavor of the month ? Today indeed he is NaMO, tomorrow he will be NoMo. But even tomorrow we will have to live with our conscience.
You did not understand what I was trying to say. As BJP has become the ruling party, it should stop behaving like opposition party any more except during election time. With power comes great responsibility. While the prime minister himself has started to work for development than pursuing trivial matters, his followers should follow his example.
This is just par for the course, after all today is the spring of NaMo’s powers. Today for their own vested interest, people will remember every smile that cracked on NaMo’s unrepentant face. Even if they don’t remember, the PR machinery will make sure that no such incident goes un milked.
But there will come a new dawn tomorrow, a new India will rise, an India that will reject Bigotry & Hate, Tomorrow there will be new stories to share, tomorrow in the winter of NoMo’s powers, people will remember the innocent that died in Gujarat. That too will just be par for the course.
LOL, hamarey gaon mein ek kahawat hai- Khisiyani Billi Khamba Nochey !!!
The one thing that I am extremely happy about is the plight of the commies, becharon ko samajh nahee aa raha , apnee hate ka bayaan kaisey Kare , kahan kare,..kya sey kya ho gaya , bewafa Bhartiya janta, tere faisley ney…humen kaheen ka na choda, tere faisley ney !!!
wahan Rana Ayyub is peddling a lie about the New NSA chief….
Congi Salman Khurshid is appearing for tejpal, making it so obvious.
Just recently the corrupt were arguing that no corruption exist. Perhaps you are arguing that oppression/suppression of women/minorities does not exist in India. Well, just give some time, the same forces within an average Indian will unlease a new wake up call. Our collective success requires us to leave divisions behind.
Bandra/Sanjan
y’all were talking about being positive and not hate mongering…right? So there…that was one positive piece of news on namo after all the congress sponsored hatred filled news on this karma yogi. Some how all the negativity is reserved for namo and any criticism of rani-raja-shahjada are met with severe opposition. So basically you want to have your cake and eat it too. Ulta chor kutwal ko datey (for omi: mujhey bhi muhaverey aatey hai par aapkey jaisey high level nahi hai).
No reason for two assamese girls to say good things about namo, back in 1995. I would say, Satyamev jayate, with rest of the electorate of India who were smart to see through it all!!
It becomes hard to discuss, when you switch between language. Not everyone is as good as the rest in Hindi/Urdu. I can still somewhat understand when spoken to, but run into hurdles reading the transliteration.
For example I don’t understand what Omrocky786 was saying about the cat in his village. To begin with, one cannot use the deeds of a cat as some universal teachable factoid. Then again, to me , looking at this via the prism of the transliteration, it seems that the guys in his village need to shoulder some blame. I don’t understand why they would present themselves in a manner that would facilitate the possibility of the cat grabbing their pole. I believe the cat would be within his rights to claim entrapment. it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. The villagers would be better off dressing appropriately rather than blame the cat for unwarranted grabbing.
Anyway, I do understand that there is no stated requirement to use English exclusively, but it does make discussion easier.
Bandra: your name means monkey. So basically monkey-nri. quite apt. don’t you think.
jokes aside. you should spit all the venom out. Not good for the system.
Excellent IPL Final match today. Congrats to KKR though Punjab also played well. Saha was very good though Manish Pandey managed to peak at right time. Could have gone either way but KKR kept cool and won it.
The one that retains charm for me is Khiladi’s “Dekha teri mast nigaahon mein”…. although what a great song that would have been had Amit Kumar sung it! (Same point about 1942’s “Kuch na Kaho” and even “O jaana” from Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai — badee rawaangee hai us gaane mein)…
Heropanti Has Good Second Weekend
Monday 02 June 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Heropanti had a good weekend of around 7.75-8 crore nett taking its ten day total to around 43 crore nett. The drop in the second weekend was around 62% which is very good. It is better than most films released this year barring the ones which sustained very well like Queen and 2 States.
The film should now comfortably collect 50 crore nett lifetime business and maybe go even higher if third week does not totally capitulate due to the release of big budget Holiday..
Heropanti did not start too well in North India bur it held up in the weekdays and that pattern help up over the second weekend. The drop in Delhi/UP was less than 60%.
anyone watching the new mahabharat on television ? What are the views and interpretation of the Mahabharat yours, shall like to know!
The reason for asking is, interestingly wherever i go among friends this days everyone is discussing it, and interpreting it. Ofcourse we all know who shall win! but yet the interest among the youth has taken me by surprise, though it had to be considering the rich characters and interesting sagas invovled! More interesting is the fact that many among whom i know are discussing the meaning of Dharma. If i have missed some discussion on this kindly guide me there! if not kindly comment if any one is watching… or knows the legendary indian saga!
me neither.
Last time I watched few scenes from jodha-akbar serial, in India (in Feb this year), I needed CPR. The number of times camera has to go to each charater, after EVERY dialogue can leave one dead in no time. No sure how people watch it in India!! total crap.
Ratings aside, this Mahabharat doesn’t make for easy watching. It is bloated, testosterone-heavy, and starved of moral complexity. Most of all, its eagerness to be contemporary is unsettling. From September 2013, it took seven months and innumerable episodes to work up to what was advertised as the show’s pivotal moment—the dice game between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, in which the former gamble away their wealth, their kingdom and eventually their wife, Draupadi. In the run-up to the show’s launch, Star Plus ran a hugely popular advertisement centered around Draupadi. She screams into the camera, vengeful and aggrieved, as the dice game proceeds in the background. A gravelly-voiced narrator signs off with, “Iske maryaada se mat khelo” (Don’t mess with her dignity). The Mahabharata, we are told in an annotation attached to the Youtube advertisement—in case it needed amplification—is a “saga of what happens when society treats its women with disrespect.” Welcome, in short, to the post-16 December Mahabharat.
I actually found the older version pretty unwatchable as well. Never saw more than snippets but it was incredibly cheesy and not in a good way. In other words it wasn’t a good masala version of the epic. And because I am particularly fond of the Mahabharata (unlike the Ramayana which I don’t like at all.. at least in the canonical Northern versions) I find this to be particularly unfortunate. What the subject really needs is the HBO treatment!
Similarly saw snippets from the new one and this struck me as synthetic.
Yes, but considering the specific comic series (Days of the Future Past) on the which the film is based, is an absolute classic, I assumed it would get far more love atleast from the fans.
“nostalgist’s film…”-
That’s also the major reason why the Cap. America films don’t get much love from the audience. I was flummoxed when not just the audience, but even the critics fraternity preferred the first Thor film over the Cap. Am one.
yes I know.. I liked this film myself.. but the period element becomes a bit unwieldy at times.. in a comic book the deal is always different because there are very many issues and all kinds of ideas can be tried out.. it can even be a long series.. nonetheless I did like the movie quite a bit but I think the previous one (First Class) is the gold standard for all superhero films. In a similar vein much as I admire both Nolan’s and Miller’s Dark Knight one can reach a point where these franchises get overladen with metaphor. You can’t make high art out of this stuff. Even the Dark Knight gets ponderous a lot of times. And I say this as a fan. First Class on the other hand was a very fluid film that kept the balance just right.
When I used that phrase however I didn’t mean it derisively. The point was that critics respond to precisely those elements of the film that make it more interesting but a more general audience, the overwhelming majority of which is under 30 for this film is not invested in those 70s pop archives in the same way if at all. So for instance that sequence featuring the Jim Croce classic is superb but how many under 40 have heard the song? The whole effect of the sequence vanishes if you cannot related in some way to the song. The same goes for the Vietnam archive, vitally a part of an older generation’s consciousness for obvious reasons but not so today. This is where I was coming from though I consider some of the narrative less fluid for reasons independent of these. By the way even on that classic comic book issue it might be important to consider just how many under 30 today are that immediately informed by comic books? I would suspect not very many. They know many of the characters in a generic sense. I very much doubt they’re aware of specific story-lines and so forth the way previous generations going up with comic books in a primary sense were.
On Captain America liked the first one reasonably. Wasn’t crazy about it though. Haven’t seen the second one which has done rather well. Thor was junk each time.
I seriously think there is superhero fatigue…the odd one now is doing great business (TDK, avengers) but the others though profitable are merely scratching the surfaces. And the other problem in the aim to differentiate or make something bigger, you have to bring superheroes together and make bigger franchises and bigger confrontations. Eventually the audiences will get bored. I think hardcore fans of marvel, dc characters will always turn up but the casual fan will definitely feel the pinch.
“Was with the boys for a night out !! The ‘X Men’ at a theatre PVR near by for the 11:30 pm show – Abhishek, Bunty Walia, Sameer, Vishal-Shekhar and that mad bong Sujoy .. pop corn, corny jokes, 3D glasses and fun ..!!
Char Futiya Chokre ? Surprised with such a name, but then guess desiness is being taken to new levels these days.
The way there is a sudden splurge of realistic / grounded / desi movies shot in the bazaars of India that people are going to get vary of them very soon too and the novelty will be lost and the mush /schmaltz is going to get back with a vengeance.
It’s all cyclic and let’s see who catches the fancy of moviegoers next time around with fluffy films in the mode of Rajesh Khanna / Srk. Being in the right place at the right time is something we all agree and lets be honest anurag kashyap types are no geniuses and no more Indian than a kjo/yrf but the foreign locales were getting obnoxiously repetitive and excessive and since there was no Bachchan waiting in the wings these guys barged in with all bag and baggage. Its funny how kjo has been purged. /baptized into all this and cannot see anything anurag/ dibankar and is in fact acting in a movie with anurag to keep him relevant to the proceedings.
The big question now is where does a Hirani fit in all this? He is coming after 6/7 years with PK and times/ cycles are moving at a faster pace. Though aamir is there as corrective action hope he is not in Ferrari Ki Sawaari mode.
I am more excited about this film than I was about 3 Idiots. This looks to be a much more interesting subject even if I like everyone else loved 3I. Even leaving this aside Hirani has extraordinarily sharp instincts and I have no doubts that he’ll make something very worthwhile. Of course not every film can automatically do a 3I at the box office, that’s a different debate, but certainly this will get a massive start and Hirani generally trends well. You then have the Christmas release and so forth. Nonetheless it cannot automatically be considered as being on track to do a 3I. It depends on what kind of film it is. The 3I sort of entertainment quotient isn’t easy to repeat. But I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Hirani made his best film ever here.
Ofc Hiran is sharp and will do something worthwhile.
It’s the long 6 years gap which I am worried and audience has graduated from being spoon-fed and too much idealism may turnout sugary which happened with Ferrari which I am sure hirani must have been involved too at some stage.
Though I see Kashyap as the other side of the Johar ideological coin in certain ways I wouldn’t say otherwise that there aren’t otherwise great distinctions between the two.
Also Rajesh Khanna must be defended. His key films were not fluffy by any stretch. Even for his age. The real fluff came from Shammi Kapoor a bit earlier or even Rajendra Kumar (where you had farcical situations in the name of drama.. even if some of the films are enjoyable). Rajesh Khanna always relied on strong narratives (besides of course the great soundtracks). Anand, Aradhana, Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Dushman et al.. these are not fluff by any measure.
Not fluff but then he came after the great drama / tragedy / sadness of a dilip kumar / raj kapoor and was a bit light hearted aided by hit soundtracks. The narratives were strong but intensity was not there and he was the change of those times.
Between that great trio and Rajesh Khanna there were the interventions of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. The latter of course was the most successful star of his time.
On another note I think Aamir was smart to move his release date as this not only prevented him from commenting on the thorny issue of Modi during promotions keeping in mind the past they share but also the content of the movie may be a anti belief / myths / mythology which the theologist brigade may be vary off of simply oppose.
Here I would like to say what on earth was Abhi doing and how could he miss the change of 90s cycle to rooted cinema. He was the counteragent to the diminutive bunch of actors who had taken over and look wise too he represented certain ruggedness.
He should have been the first choice of the dibankars and the kashyaps but somewhere his laidback nature prevented him to seize the moment.
It is very hard for Abhishek now. 14 years in the industry is a long time now, and there are probably not many examples of actors who are around for that long and then suddenly sky rocket their careers upwards. I imagine it usually happens very early on, or within 5-7 years of debuting. His best chances were still in 07. Post Guru he just needed one or 2 more big hits and things could have changed dramatically. Since then, it’s been very much a case of him landing some interesting films but unfortunately not clicking box office wise.
But note how the answer to this question lies in your own earlier comment. leaving aside the fact that Abhishek was unlucky with many of his choices (or one should say that he went too far in certain ways even if he thought the films would work) he also would have been precisely too ‘real’ for some of these rooted films. In other words many other stars are acceptable because they conform to the very notion of ’boutique realism’, the kind you have been criticizing. Differently still they do those films for ‘Hollywood’ reasons, the subjects look interesting but are ultimately handled in anodyne ways, no one is offended, the films do reasonably well at the very least and the stars win awards. Now Abhishek in an ideological sense doesn’t seem to be ‘with the multiplex program’ in a variety of ways anyway (I won’t repeat everything I’ve said here in the past) so the audience is far more less ‘relaxed’ if you will when he does this stuff. They don’t necessarily perceive him as being on their [new Indian] side. But again when he does those films that minimal distance cannot be preserved. It cannot at that point be ’boutique realism’ or ’boutique rootedness’ or whatever. I wonder if you saw those Golden Temple images I put up the other day. Now a lot of stars do this sort of thing from time to time but he looks a bit too ‘authentic’ in those surroundings, too ‘real’ (whether this is actually so or not matters less here), fits in rather easily. But anyone who looks that much ‘at home’ in that sort of surrounding would always be more than a little out of place in most multiplex genres. Can the gap be closed? By a very shrewd mind perhaps. But nonetheless you can’t become a hugely iconic star by arguing ‘against’ the general mood of your age. The opening he nonetheless had and perhaps still does (though it would now take a very big moment, a defining one to truly change the narrative on him.. this isn’t just about an accumulation of hits but defining successes) is the Guru/Sarkar kind of thing where you marry a certain Bachchan signature to a certain overman type who can then be coded in certain suspect ways as well. And on the side you do the rooted BnB kind of thing, essentially great entertainment but not the kind of politics that disturbs anyone too much. This was the model that worked for him. When you however get into D6/Raavan/DMD you’re looking at a very different ballgame. Quite apart from superficial considerations about what might have been ‘fixed’ in those films to make them more viable. Put differently his peers are precisely not doing this sort of film. They’re just pretending to. A good example elsewhere would be Talaash. Here’s another film that really takes on ‘new India’ (in the light of all these disgusting rapes from Delhi to UP to Assam and so on the film seems even more relevant for its focus on women) and even Aamir though he got it to the best possible initial and hence more than a decent total for that subject couldn’t take it much further (in a more art house sense the same holds for his wife’s film). Again Talaash isn’t the kind of film commercial stars usually do. Now of course if you have a very great scriptwriter you can do both. But how often does that happen?
Harmony Korine forced me to ‘pen down’ some random thoughts with this exuberant, semi menacingly transcendent take which can be viewed as a Terence Mallick variant on banned substances. It maybe classified as a semi-exploitation, pop-art, semi-Indie, beach party. Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens shed their Disney image, joining Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine (Harmonys real-life wife!) heading to Florida for spring break. Whilst attending a class wherein they are being taught ‘serious subjects’ the girls draw pictures of penises in their notebooks demanding their ‘rights’ and yearning for freedom This sets the tone for a journey that’s as esoteric & metaphorical as it is easy and disposable. Our teenage girls land into jail after trying to rob a shop in order to fund the vacation trip. Unsurprisingly, the nubile mask-wearing nymphets are perennially dressed in two-piece bikinis throughout the course of the movie.
They are bailed out by Alien who initiates them into his hedonistic life and taken under his wings. James Franco as ‘Alien’ produces his finest perfomance yet (well, his second best!). He projects a seductive menace laced with improvisational nonsense creating a charismatic mix as the wannabe drug gangster.
This neon-nihilistic project is perhaps the best film to come out of style auteur Harmony Korine. He is taking potshots at the hipper than thou crowd whilst not sparing the mainstream movie goer either stradding the space between a social commentary and an MTV styled music video. Somewhere along his quest for the deeper meaning, Harmony gets waylaid in the hedonistic debauchery that he intended to ‘expose’ drowning in it himself! He uses the camera as an intrusive vehicle (rather a weapon) to analyse the deeper nooks & crevices of this millennial MTV culture snapshot.
This can be described as a ‘trance music in movie form’ and a ‘gangsta mystic epic’. So much so that the entire narrative seems like a repetitive rhythm on a circular loop! The musical score by Cliff Martinez and Skrillex, is hallucinatory and finds the perfect accomplice in the cinematography by Benoit Debie. which can be best described by the word often used for effect (but fits here perfectly) -“phantasmagoric”.
Theres a media approved ‘mature’ narrative and theres the flippant ‘younger casual’ one. Theres an overwhelming attempt to disengage from any racial, cultural or societal judgements. The biggest achievement of Korine here is the way he straddles the ambiguity between satire and earnestness, excess and social commentary, striking a collective blow to this duality…and coming out triumphant. And who else to acknowledge this dichotomy than yours truly….
SATYAMSHOT 
May 30, 2014 at 5:43 AM
Chennai Box-Office : May 23 to 25
Tuesday, 27 May , 2014, 13:22
Finally superstar Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan released worldwide on May 23 in 2D and 3D in six languages. The film according to its producers grossed a humongous Rs 42 Crore worldwide in its first three days, with lion share coming from Tamil Nadu, where only Tamil version was played.
And in Tamil Nadu Kochadaiiyaan is doing the best in Chennai city and suburbs where it is playing in 90 odd screens. The film is said to have netted approximately Rs 1.80 Crore from city and suburbs and the numbers are huge, as it is tax free.
Kochadaiiyaan is the clear number one by a mile at the CBO this week. Next at number two is the Hollywood biggie X Men: Days of the Future Past, which has taken a very good opening in Tamil/English.
In the third place is the horror comedy Yamirukka Bayamey, which is rocking the box-office in its third week and can be classified as a runaway super hit. At number four is the Telugu new release Manam, which has been appreciated by the masses and critics alike and has taken a very good opening. Valavanukku Pullum Aayudham is at number five.
http://www.sify.com/movies/boxoffice.php?id=15056554&cid=13525926
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May 30, 2014 at 5:43 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 2h
#Heropanti Fri 6.63 cr, Sat 6.42 cr, Sun 8.28 cr, Mon 4.26 cr, Tue 3.79 cr, Wed 3.41 cr, Thu 3.12 cr. Total: ₹ 35.91 cr nett. HIT!
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May 30, 2014 at 5:53 AM
Decent debut for Tiger. Simply gone are the days when a new star can debut in a mammoth historic way though.
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May 30, 2014 at 5:53 AM
Heropanti Does Good First Week Business
Friday 30 May 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Heropanti had a good first week as it grossed around 34 crore nett in its first week. The film collected 8 crore nett more than the big Hollywood release X Men – Days Of Future Past and not many would have expected Heropanti to lead that film by such a big margin before release.
The film held steady collections on the weekdays and could hit the 50 crore nett mark for its lifetime business as the second weekend looks set for a decent total.
The film has put up strong numbers in CP Berar, CI, Rajasthan and Gujarat while circuits which were not too strong initially like Delhi/UP and East Punjab were pretty steady over the weekdays.
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May 30, 2014 at 5:46 AM
BO update: Poor start for ‘Citylights’, ‘Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi’
By Taran Adarsh, May 30, 2014 – 13:47 IST
While the business sky-rocked last Friday, with HEROPANTI, KOCHADAIIYAAN [in Tamil Nadu specifically] and the newest instalment of X-MEN opening to a heartening response, the two prominent films that released today, namely CITYLIGHTS and KUKU MATHUR KI JHAND HO GAYI, opened to lacklustre response across the nation. While CITYLIGHTS has an edge, both CITYLIGHTS and KUKU MATHUR KI JHAND HO GAYI are heavily dependent on word of mouth and will need a miraculous jump over the weekend to post healthy numbers.
Meanwhile, last week’s HEROPANTI continues its successful run at the box-office, garnering a better response than the new releases. As per early trends, HEROPANTI is expected to dominate the domestic BO, despite the two new releases grabbing a good share of screens and shows.
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May 30, 2014 at 8:14 AM
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-deepika-padukone-fans-disappointed-over-response-to-kochadaiyaan-1992170
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May 30, 2014 at 9:11 AM
the reviews were poor so not surprised it came down after a strong start.. animation is hard to pull off in India in any case.
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May 30, 2014 at 3:48 PM
ok so left the heropanti song here—-
good to note that again my 50 cr(wh)ore prophesy seems to be comin true! even im surprised…
how do these uneducated hunches materialise?
Confession time–
havent seen the film -infact havent even seen/heard the rest of the songs
made this random prediction at the time of heights of negativity–femininity, ‘gay-ness’ of tiger
but what changed my view?
Apparently there IS a ‘method to my madness”
i had just seen the song ‘aa raat bhar”
theres a few seconds sequence wherein tiger has a few dance steps around a fire in the background followed by an aerial kick.
Its the few seconds of follow through beyond that jump–
that impressed me…
Exuding that exhuberance is rare..
its all bout moments for me…
also good to see tiger -KS (kriti sanon) trumping rajini-DPad 🙂
Toh paar de sabhi hadein
Gale lage kabhi nahi hone de sehar
Iss raat mein beete umar, saari umar….
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May 30, 2014 at 6:59 PM
KHALIFA
My ears aka ‘musical filters’ have got another pick…
Needless to say it turned out to be a Rahman creation
It’s not exceptional (by Rahman standards of composition) but is catapulted by rahmans unique vocals & his collaboration with the fast rising amitabh bhattachryas lyrics…
Creating a psychedelic ecstatic mix for me–
Am posting this here as a ‘gift’ so u can also savour this
Khalifa khalifa khaleefa bare
Karam jale hain
Aye, Khalifa khalifa khalifa bare
Kadam chale hain
Zokhim hardam hardam zokhim
Humein yehi talab hai
Jaise tevar waise mausam
Ye rutbaa alag hai..
******
Aasmaan zara nichod ke
O.. pee gaye sharbat neela
O.. sooraj ka ek tukda
Baadal ka ek tukda
Sau ungliyon se pakda, chaba liya
Frenzy……ecstasy………
Khalifa/Apex
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May 30, 2014 at 1:14 PM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/Thank-god-Himmatwala-flopped-Sajid-Khan/articleshow/35770965.cms
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May 30, 2014 at 1:22 PM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/us-canada-news/Indian-Americans-spelling-bee-win-draws-racial-remarks/articleshow/35794405.cms
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May 30, 2014 at 1:28 PM
Sounds familiar.
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May 31, 2014 at 9:33 AM
http://www.india-forums.com/bollywood/hot-n-happening/43719-amitabh-bachchan-and-aamir-khan-to-launch-dilip-kumar-biography.htm
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May 31, 2014 at 12:21 PM
This seems like a must:
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May 31, 2014 at 12:22 PM
Rangan has an astute piece on the new X-Men and superhero franchises in general:
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May 31, 2014 at 12:24 PM
Munna, I checked out the Pakistani film (Josh) you mentioned in the previous box office thread. The performances were fine which were I guess what you recommended. Otherwise I found the movie rather poor. Started off well enough, right at the beginning especially there were some nice shots, but it quickly descends into incredibly simplistic stuff. A vastly better movie could have been made with this material. Some effective moments later on but still far too easy and quick a resolution.
By the way anyone who’s still interested can access this on Netflix streaming.
On a related note not sure if you saw this recently:
and then of course there was this on this side of the border:
This too makes for a perverse anti-Partition argument. The animals on both sides should really have been in the same zoo!
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May 31, 2014 at 12:36 PM
Note how the women are always the worst sufferers whether it’s some antiquated honor system in play, about ethnic or clan politics or whether they’re leading more liberated lives in a major metropolis. And this was the essential point made by the Swedish author of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy (the original titles are ‘The Men who hate Women’ and so on). That in addition to other things this moment of globalization and with its otherwise (capitalist) emancipatory potential in many ways also led to in other respects this increase in violence directed towards women.
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May 31, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Yes women and minorities (anyone weak)
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May 31, 2014 at 7:27 PM
true, minorities also get attacked in all sorts of ways..
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June 2, 2014 at 3:30 AM
That case in Pakistan took a strange twist: turns out the husband of the deceased had himself killed his first wife so he could be with this second woman!
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June 2, 2014 at 6:52 AM
LOL, didn’t know this!
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June 2, 2014 at 10:20 AM
And the case in India has taken several disturbing turns as well:
1) The girls were raped when they had to venture outside in the dark because their village has no indoor sanitation/ toilet and hardly any electricity
2) The victim’s mother was beaten brutally by several men when she refused to drop the compliant and she is now critically ill with multiple broken bones
3) The police (who earlier refused to register the complaint) have used water canons against women protesting the rape and it’s disgraceful handling by authorities
4) Just a few days later, another woman was gang raped, forced to drink acid and strangled in the same locality
It simply does not get more horific, depressing or grotesque than this! 😦
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June 2, 2014 at 10:38 AM
Actually it does: in a different story children at an institution for tribal orphans were sexually abused. Those who refused to comply were forced to eat dog feces.
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June 2, 2014 at 12:05 PM
Was this in India as well?
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June 2, 2014 at 2:52 PM
Yes, in Maharastra.
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June 2, 2014 at 5:38 PM
There really is no limit to human brutality in India, is there? It’s not that crime doesn’t happen in other countries, it is the sheer savagery and grotesque nature of these crimes that occur on a daily basis (and most often slip by entirely unnoticed and unpunished, even aided by authorities) that sets South Asia apart.
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June 2, 2014 at 7:09 PM
I just hope the “change” that people voted in is not a change that accelerates violence against women. This acid attack again confirms that the lunatics are indeed taking over the asylum. I hope Modi does not take a business as usual stance. If he remains silent, then he is not the strong leader he pretends to be.
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May 31, 2014 at 3:08 PM
Finally…the trailer of AB’s tv series is out-
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May 31, 2014 at 3:13 PM
The Breaking Bad vibe is unmistakable though. But I am really pumped-up for this- Kashyap has written this and the supporting cast looks fantastic…Dhulia, Kay Kay, Nawaz but especially Sarika.
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May 31, 2014 at 3:31 PM
thanks.. just put up a post..
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May 31, 2014 at 8:39 PM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/wcd-ministry-to-take-leaf-out-of-aamir-s-satyamev-jayate/article1-1224863.aspx
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June 1, 2014 at 3:44 AM
Now that Modi is generally accepted and even his detractors are seeing a ray of hope, it is time to get rid off hate sites and cyber coolies of all hues who attack indiscriminately spreading bitterness. Constructive criticism should be accepted while dharna politics should be discarded. And cynical politics is the bane of our country like politicians visiting Badaun which is nothing but using a tragedy to get political leverage.
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June 1, 2014 at 1:40 PM
Bigotry and Hate is unconditionally evil. Hence, how about unconditionally getting rid of ALL HATE speech and ALL BIGOTRY, regardless of who it is directed against.
Why just make an exception for Modi ? Hate is bad when it is directed against Modi, but it is also bad when it is directed against Sonia.
We need to accept that hate is a sickness of the heart. Even if Modi had been rejected, it would have been wrong to hate. Yes oppose him (if need be), draw attention to his checkered past, but don’t hate.
But if one cannot stop hating the weak, the powerless, and the minorities. If one cannot stop aligning one’s self with hate mongers, then why make an exception for the flavor of the month ? Today indeed he is NaMO, tomorrow he will be NoMo. But even tomorrow we will have to live with our conscience.
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June 1, 2014 at 1:58 PM
You did not understand what I was trying to say. As BJP has become the ruling party, it should stop behaving like opposition party any more except during election time. With power comes great responsibility. While the prime minister himself has started to work for development than pursuing trivial matters, his followers should follow his example.
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June 1, 2014 at 3:21 PM
Ok got it.
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June 2, 2014 at 9:16 AM
A positive article for you to read. Please note: It was published in 1995. A train journey and two names to remember
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/a-train-journey-and-two-names-to-remember/article6070562.ece?homepage=true&utm_source=Most%20Popular&utm_medium=Homepage&utm_campaign=Widget%20Promo
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June 2, 2014 at 11:41 AM
This is just par for the course, after all today is the spring of NaMo’s powers. Today for their own vested interest, people will remember every smile that cracked on NaMo’s unrepentant face. Even if they don’t remember, the PR machinery will make sure that no such incident goes un milked.
But there will come a new dawn tomorrow, a new India will rise, an India that will reject Bigotry & Hate, Tomorrow there will be new stories to share, tomorrow in the winter of NoMo’s powers, people will remember the innocent that died in Gujarat. That too will just be par for the course.
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June 2, 2014 at 12:45 PM
LOL, hamarey gaon mein ek kahawat hai- Khisiyani Billi Khamba Nochey !!!
The one thing that I am extremely happy about is the plight of the commies, becharon ko samajh nahee aa raha , apnee hate ka bayaan kaisey Kare , kahan kare,..kya sey kya ho gaya , bewafa Bhartiya janta, tere faisley ney…humen kaheen ka na choda, tere faisley ney !!!
wahan Rana Ayyub is peddling a lie about the New NSA chief….
Congi Salman Khurshid is appearing for tejpal, making it so obvious.
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June 2, 2014 at 1:35 PM
Omrocky786
Just recently the corrupt were arguing that no corruption exist. Perhaps you are arguing that oppression/suppression of women/minorities does not exist in India. Well, just give some time, the same forces within an average Indian will unlease a new wake up call. Our collective success requires us to leave divisions behind.
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June 2, 2014 at 1:42 PM
Bandra/Sanjan
y’all were talking about being positive and not hate mongering…right? So there…that was one positive piece of news on namo after all the congress sponsored hatred filled news on this karma yogi. Some how all the negativity is reserved for namo and any criticism of rani-raja-shahjada are met with severe opposition. So basically you want to have your cake and eat it too. Ulta chor kutwal ko datey (for omi: mujhey bhi muhaverey aatey hai par aapkey jaisey high level nahi hai).
No reason for two assamese girls to say good things about namo, back in 1995. I would say, Satyamev jayate, with rest of the electorate of India who were smart to see through it all!!
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June 2, 2014 at 11:03 PM
Di
It becomes hard to discuss, when you switch between language. Not everyone is as good as the rest in Hindi/Urdu. I can still somewhat understand when spoken to, but run into hurdles reading the transliteration.
For example I don’t understand what Omrocky786 was saying about the cat in his village. To begin with, one cannot use the deeds of a cat as some universal teachable factoid. Then again, to me , looking at this via the prism of the transliteration, it seems that the guys in his village need to shoulder some blame. I don’t understand why they would present themselves in a manner that would facilitate the possibility of the cat grabbing their pole. I believe the cat would be within his rights to claim entrapment. it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. The villagers would be better off dressing appropriately rather than blame the cat for unwarranted grabbing.
Anyway, I do understand that there is no stated requirement to use English exclusively, but it does make discussion easier.
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June 4, 2014 at 9:34 AM
Bandra: your name means monkey. So basically monkey-nri. quite apt. don’t you think.
jokes aside. you should spit all the venom out. Not good for the system.
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June 4, 2014 at 10:44 AM
Di
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandra
What does Di mean ? Did you give up your brains ? 🙂
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June 4, 2014 at 1:00 PM
lets not make fun based on language.
Bandra – It seems you don’t understand Hindi.
http://qna.rediff.com/questions-and-answers/khisyani-billi-khamba-noche-ka-kya-matlab-hai/13450248/answers
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June 2, 2014 at 10:05 PM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/2g-raja-chose-to-ignore-auction-route-due-to-misra/article1-1225400.aspx
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June 1, 2014 at 5:58 AM
stupid-criticism-in-Devyani-Khobragade-case-Preet-Bharara-tells-Harvard-Law-School-graduates/articleshow/35888112.cms
Preet crying at Harvard.
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June 5, 2014 at 1:25 PM
I don’t think so. A very fine speech :
Another one from Indian origin at same function and funny:
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June 1, 2014 at 9:23 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 2h
#Heropanti [Week 2] Fri 2.07 cr, Sat 2.59 cr. Total: ₹ 40.57 cr nett. Heading towards ₹ 50 cr mark. India biz. SMASH HIT.
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June 1, 2014 at 1:53 PM
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/satyamev-jayate-tv-show-headed-to-china/475932-3.html
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June 1, 2014 at 9:34 PM
Excellent IPL Final match today. Congrats to KKR though Punjab also played well. Saha was very good though Manish Pandey managed to peak at right time. Could have gone either way but KKR kept cool and won it.
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June 2, 2014 at 1:23 AM
Heard this song after ages today. One of the few Kumar Sanu songs I enjoy-
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June 2, 2014 at 3:17 AM
The one that retains charm for me is Khiladi’s “Dekha teri mast nigaahon mein”…. although what a great song that would have been had Amit Kumar sung it! (Same point about 1942’s “Kuch na Kaho” and even “O jaana” from Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai — badee rawaangee hai us gaane mein)…
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June 2, 2014 at 6:57 AM
Abhishek at Golden Temple with Neetu Singh:
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June 2, 2014 at 7:08 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 3h
#Heropanti [Week 2] Fri 2.07 cr, Sat 2.59 cr, Sun 3.63 cr. Total: ₹ 44.20 cr nett. Heading towards ₹ 50 cr mark. India biz. SMASH HIT.
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June 2, 2014 at 7:09 AM
Heropanti Has Good Second Weekend
Monday 02 June 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Heropanti had a good weekend of around 7.75-8 crore nett taking its ten day total to around 43 crore nett. The drop in the second weekend was around 62% which is very good. It is better than most films released this year barring the ones which sustained very well like Queen and 2 States.
The film should now comfortably collect 50 crore nett lifetime business and maybe go even higher if third week does not totally capitulate due to the release of big budget Holiday..
Heropanti did not start too well in North India bur it held up in the weekdays and that pattern help up over the second weekend. The drop in Delhi/UP was less than 60%.
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June 2, 2014 at 9:23 AM
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dilip-kumars-autobiography-narrates-details-of-his-career-marriage-and-bitter-breakup-with-madhubala/476125-8-66.html
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June 2, 2014 at 12:55 PM
@satyam, Gf, Q bhai, sanjana, saurabh, di, etc
anyone watching the new mahabharat on television ? What are the views and interpretation of the Mahabharat yours, shall like to know!
The reason for asking is, interestingly wherever i go among friends this days everyone is discussing it, and interpreting it. Ofcourse we all know who shall win! but yet the interest among the youth has taken me by surprise, though it had to be considering the rich characters and interesting sagas invovled! More interesting is the fact that many among whom i know are discussing the meaning of Dharma. If i have missed some discussion on this kindly guide me there! if not kindly comment if any one is watching… or knows the legendary indian saga!
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June 2, 2014 at 1:07 PM
Haven’t seen it..
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June 2, 2014 at 3:56 PM
@satyam – ok. But imo you should! the mega battle is about to begin!
@di- haha! well it’s running successfully!
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June 2, 2014 at 2:03 PM
me neither.
Last time I watched few scenes from jodha-akbar serial, in India (in Feb this year), I needed CPR. The number of times camera has to go to each charater, after EVERY dialogue can leave one dead in no time. No sure how people watch it in India!! total crap.
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June 5, 2014 at 1:32 PM
Ratings aside, this Mahabharat doesn’t make for easy watching. It is bloated, testosterone-heavy, and starved of moral complexity. Most of all, its eagerness to be contemporary is unsettling. From September 2013, it took seven months and innumerable episodes to work up to what was advertised as the show’s pivotal moment—the dice game between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, in which the former gamble away their wealth, their kingdom and eventually their wife, Draupadi. In the run-up to the show’s launch, Star Plus ran a hugely popular advertisement centered around Draupadi. She screams into the camera, vengeful and aggrieved, as the dice game proceeds in the background. A gravelly-voiced narrator signs off with, “Iske maryaada se mat khelo” (Don’t mess with her dignity). The Mahabharata, we are told in an annotation attached to the Youtube advertisement—in case it needed amplification—is a “saga of what happens when society treats its women with disrespect.” Welcome, in short, to the post-16 December Mahabharat.
http://caravanmagazine.in/perspectives/epic-fail
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June 5, 2014 at 4:30 PM
I actually found the older version pretty unwatchable as well. Never saw more than snippets but it was incredibly cheesy and not in a good way. In other words it wasn’t a good masala version of the epic. And because I am particularly fond of the Mahabharata (unlike the Ramayana which I don’t like at all.. at least in the canonical Northern versions) I find this to be particularly unfortunate. What the subject really needs is the HBO treatment!
Similarly saw snippets from the new one and this struck me as synthetic.
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June 2, 2014 at 11:12 PM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/I-could-not-even-buy-a-cup-of-tea-for-my-father-with-my-money-AR-Murugadoss/articleshow/35951275.cms
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June 3, 2014 at 6:18 AM
http://www.india-forums.com/bollywood/hot-n-happening/43770-a-r-rahman-puts-his-international-projects-on-hold.htm
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June 3, 2014 at 8:14 PM
forgot to put this up earlier but X-Men dropped quite a bit:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3851&p=.htm
and not surprised that this happened despite the strong reviews because in many ways it’s an older person’s or nostalgist’s film.
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June 3, 2014 at 9:33 PM
Yes, but considering the specific comic series (Days of the Future Past) on the which the film is based, is an absolute classic, I assumed it would get far more love atleast from the fans.
“nostalgist’s film…”-
That’s also the major reason why the Cap. America films don’t get much love from the audience. I was flummoxed when not just the audience, but even the critics fraternity preferred the first Thor film over the Cap. Am one.
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June 3, 2014 at 10:02 PM
yes I know.. I liked this film myself.. but the period element becomes a bit unwieldy at times.. in a comic book the deal is always different because there are very many issues and all kinds of ideas can be tried out.. it can even be a long series.. nonetheless I did like the movie quite a bit but I think the previous one (First Class) is the gold standard for all superhero films. In a similar vein much as I admire both Nolan’s and Miller’s Dark Knight one can reach a point where these franchises get overladen with metaphor. You can’t make high art out of this stuff. Even the Dark Knight gets ponderous a lot of times. And I say this as a fan. First Class on the other hand was a very fluid film that kept the balance just right.
When I used that phrase however I didn’t mean it derisively. The point was that critics respond to precisely those elements of the film that make it more interesting but a more general audience, the overwhelming majority of which is under 30 for this film is not invested in those 70s pop archives in the same way if at all. So for instance that sequence featuring the Jim Croce classic is superb but how many under 40 have heard the song? The whole effect of the sequence vanishes if you cannot related in some way to the song. The same goes for the Vietnam archive, vitally a part of an older generation’s consciousness for obvious reasons but not so today. This is where I was coming from though I consider some of the narrative less fluid for reasons independent of these. By the way even on that classic comic book issue it might be important to consider just how many under 30 today are that immediately informed by comic books? I would suspect not very many. They know many of the characters in a generic sense. I very much doubt they’re aware of specific story-lines and so forth the way previous generations going up with comic books in a primary sense were.
On Captain America liked the first one reasonably. Wasn’t crazy about it though. Haven’t seen the second one which has done rather well. Thor was junk each time.
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June 5, 2014 at 4:27 AM
I seriously think there is superhero fatigue…the odd one now is doing great business (TDK, avengers) but the others though profitable are merely scratching the surfaces. And the other problem in the aim to differentiate or make something bigger, you have to bring superheroes together and make bigger franchises and bigger confrontations. Eventually the audiences will get bored. I think hardcore fans of marvel, dc characters will always turn up but the casual fan will definitely feel the pinch.
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June 5, 2014 at 6:22 AM
yes you’re probably right on all counts..
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June 5, 2014 at 6:29 AM
on Bachchan’s blog yesterday:
“Was with the boys for a night out !! The ‘X Men’ at a theatre PVR near by for the 11:30 pm show – Abhishek, Bunty Walia, Sameer, Vishal-Shekhar and that mad bong Sujoy .. pop corn, corny jokes, 3D glasses and fun ..!!
Must do this more often !!”
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June 5, 2014 at 6:23 AM
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June 5, 2014 at 9:44 AM
Char Futiya Chokre ? Surprised with such a name, but then guess desiness is being taken to new levels these days.
The way there is a sudden splurge of realistic / grounded / desi movies shot in the bazaars of India that people are going to get vary of them very soon too and the novelty will be lost and the mush /schmaltz is going to get back with a vengeance.
It’s all cyclic and let’s see who catches the fancy of moviegoers next time around with fluffy films in the mode of Rajesh Khanna / Srk. Being in the right place at the right time is something we all agree and lets be honest anurag kashyap types are no geniuses and no more Indian than a kjo/yrf but the foreign locales were getting obnoxiously repetitive and excessive and since there was no Bachchan waiting in the wings these guys barged in with all bag and baggage. Its funny how kjo has been purged. /baptized into all this and cannot see anything anurag/ dibankar and is in fact acting in a movie with anurag to keep him relevant to the proceedings.
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June 5, 2014 at 9:48 AM
The big question now is where does a Hirani fit in all this? He is coming after 6/7 years with PK and times/ cycles are moving at a faster pace. Though aamir is there as corrective action hope he is not in Ferrari Ki Sawaari mode.
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June 5, 2014 at 9:57 AM
I am more excited about this film than I was about 3 Idiots. This looks to be a much more interesting subject even if I like everyone else loved 3I. Even leaving this aside Hirani has extraordinarily sharp instincts and I have no doubts that he’ll make something very worthwhile. Of course not every film can automatically do a 3I at the box office, that’s a different debate, but certainly this will get a massive start and Hirani generally trends well. You then have the Christmas release and so forth. Nonetheless it cannot automatically be considered as being on track to do a 3I. It depends on what kind of film it is. The 3I sort of entertainment quotient isn’t easy to repeat. But I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Hirani made his best film ever here.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:22 AM
Ofc Hiran is sharp and will do something worthwhile.
It’s the long 6 years gap which I am worried and audience has graduated from being spoon-fed and too much idealism may turnout sugary which happened with Ferrari which I am sure hirani must have been involved too at some stage.
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June 5, 2014 at 9:54 AM
Though I see Kashyap as the other side of the Johar ideological coin in certain ways I wouldn’t say otherwise that there aren’t otherwise great distinctions between the two.
Also Rajesh Khanna must be defended. His key films were not fluffy by any stretch. Even for his age. The real fluff came from Shammi Kapoor a bit earlier or even Rajendra Kumar (where you had farcical situations in the name of drama.. even if some of the films are enjoyable). Rajesh Khanna always relied on strong narratives (besides of course the great soundtracks). Anand, Aradhana, Amar Prem, Kati Patang, Dushman et al.. these are not fluff by any measure.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:18 AM
Not fluff but then he came after the great drama / tragedy / sadness of a dilip kumar / raj kapoor and was a bit light hearted aided by hit soundtracks. The narratives were strong but intensity was not there and he was the change of those times.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:36 AM
Between that great trio and Rajesh Khanna there were the interventions of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. The latter of course was the most successful star of his time.
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June 5, 2014 at 11:47 AM
Satyam, your knowledge of hindi cinema history continues to amaze me…
also really glad to see you bat for Rajesh Khanna !!!
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June 5, 2014 at 7:03 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 1h
#Heropanti [Week 2] Fri 2.07 cr, Sat 2.59 cr, Sun 3.63 cr, Mon 1.87 cr, Tue 1.69 cr, Wed 1.53 cr. Grand total: ₹ 49.29 cr nett. SMASH HIT.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:28 AM
idealism here means ‘preachy’
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June 5, 2014 at 10:32 AM
On another note I think Aamir was smart to move his release date as this not only prevented him from commenting on the thorny issue of Modi during promotions keeping in mind the past they share but also the content of the movie may be a anti belief / myths / mythology which the theologist brigade may be vary off of simply oppose.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:33 AM
I mean the film promotions would have coincided with election cycle.
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June 5, 2014 at 10:54 AM
Here I would like to say what on earth was Abhi doing and how could he miss the change of 90s cycle to rooted cinema. He was the counteragent to the diminutive bunch of actors who had taken over and look wise too he represented certain ruggedness.
He should have been the first choice of the dibankars and the kashyaps but somewhere his laidback nature prevented him to seize the moment.
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June 5, 2014 at 12:05 PM
It is very hard for Abhishek now. 14 years in the industry is a long time now, and there are probably not many examples of actors who are around for that long and then suddenly sky rocket their careers upwards. I imagine it usually happens very early on, or within 5-7 years of debuting. His best chances were still in 07. Post Guru he just needed one or 2 more big hits and things could have changed dramatically. Since then, it’s been very much a case of him landing some interesting films but unfortunately not clicking box office wise.
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June 5, 2014 at 4:43 PM
But note how the answer to this question lies in your own earlier comment. leaving aside the fact that Abhishek was unlucky with many of his choices (or one should say that he went too far in certain ways even if he thought the films would work) he also would have been precisely too ‘real’ for some of these rooted films. In other words many other stars are acceptable because they conform to the very notion of ’boutique realism’, the kind you have been criticizing. Differently still they do those films for ‘Hollywood’ reasons, the subjects look interesting but are ultimately handled in anodyne ways, no one is offended, the films do reasonably well at the very least and the stars win awards. Now Abhishek in an ideological sense doesn’t seem to be ‘with the multiplex program’ in a variety of ways anyway (I won’t repeat everything I’ve said here in the past) so the audience is far more less ‘relaxed’ if you will when he does this stuff. They don’t necessarily perceive him as being on their [new Indian] side. But again when he does those films that minimal distance cannot be preserved. It cannot at that point be ’boutique realism’ or ’boutique rootedness’ or whatever. I wonder if you saw those Golden Temple images I put up the other day. Now a lot of stars do this sort of thing from time to time but he looks a bit too ‘authentic’ in those surroundings, too ‘real’ (whether this is actually so or not matters less here), fits in rather easily. But anyone who looks that much ‘at home’ in that sort of surrounding would always be more than a little out of place in most multiplex genres. Can the gap be closed? By a very shrewd mind perhaps. But nonetheless you can’t become a hugely iconic star by arguing ‘against’ the general mood of your age. The opening he nonetheless had and perhaps still does (though it would now take a very big moment, a defining one to truly change the narrative on him.. this isn’t just about an accumulation of hits but defining successes) is the Guru/Sarkar kind of thing where you marry a certain Bachchan signature to a certain overman type who can then be coded in certain suspect ways as well. And on the side you do the rooted BnB kind of thing, essentially great entertainment but not the kind of politics that disturbs anyone too much. This was the model that worked for him. When you however get into D6/Raavan/DMD you’re looking at a very different ballgame. Quite apart from superficial considerations about what might have been ‘fixed’ in those films to make them more viable. Put differently his peers are precisely not doing this sort of film. They’re just pretending to. A good example elsewhere would be Talaash. Here’s another film that really takes on ‘new India’ (in the light of all these disgusting rapes from Delhi to UP to Assam and so on the film seems even more relevant for its focus on women) and even Aamir though he got it to the best possible initial and hence more than a decent total for that subject couldn’t take it much further (in a more art house sense the same holds for his wife’s film). Again Talaash isn’t the kind of film commercial stars usually do. Now of course if you have a very great scriptwriter you can do both. But how often does that happen?
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June 5, 2014 at 6:07 PM
SPRINGBREAKERS
Harmony Korine forced me to ‘pen down’ some random thoughts with this exuberant, semi menacingly transcendent take which can be viewed as a Terence Mallick variant on banned substances. It maybe classified as a semi-exploitation, pop-art, semi-Indie, beach party. Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens shed their Disney image, joining Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine (Harmonys real-life wife!) heading to Florida for spring break. Whilst attending a class wherein they are being taught ‘serious subjects’ the girls draw pictures of penises in their notebooks demanding their ‘rights’ and yearning for freedom This sets the tone for a journey that’s as esoteric & metaphorical as it is easy and disposable. Our teenage girls land into jail after trying to rob a shop in order to fund the vacation trip. Unsurprisingly, the nubile mask-wearing nymphets are perennially dressed in two-piece bikinis throughout the course of the movie.
They are bailed out by Alien who initiates them into his hedonistic life and taken under his wings. James Franco as ‘Alien’ produces his finest perfomance yet (well, his second best!). He projects a seductive menace laced with improvisational nonsense creating a charismatic mix as the wannabe drug gangster.
This neon-nihilistic project is perhaps the best film to come out of style auteur Harmony Korine. He is taking potshots at the hipper than thou crowd whilst not sparing the mainstream movie goer either stradding the space between a social commentary and an MTV styled music video. Somewhere along his quest for the deeper meaning, Harmony gets waylaid in the hedonistic debauchery that he intended to ‘expose’ drowning in it himself! He uses the camera as an intrusive vehicle (rather a weapon) to analyse the deeper nooks & crevices of this millennial MTV culture snapshot.
This can be described as a ‘trance music in movie form’ and a ‘gangsta mystic epic’. So much so that the entire narrative seems like a repetitive rhythm on a circular loop! The musical score by Cliff Martinez and Skrillex, is hallucinatory and finds the perfect accomplice in the cinematography by Benoit Debie. which can be best described by the word often used for effect (but fits here perfectly) -“phantasmagoric”.
Theres a media approved ‘mature’ narrative and theres the flippant ‘younger casual’ one. Theres an overwhelming attempt to disengage from any racial, cultural or societal judgements. The biggest achievement of Korine here is the way he straddles the ambiguity between satire and earnestness, excess and social commentary, striking a collective blow to this duality…and coming out triumphant. And who else to acknowledge this dichotomy than yours truly….
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