This entry was posted on October 12, 2014 at 5:18 AM and is filed under the bad. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
100 Responses to “Bang Bang & Haider (ongoing), the rest of the box office (2)”
As early as Day 1 end of day I had said that this movie is going the Ra-1 way….If anything this has gone worse than Ra-1. Ra-1 did 200 crores worldwide on a 100 crore budget. This will struggle to reach 250 crores on a 140 crore budget…Bad result for Hritik and the future is not too rosy as he doesnt have any strength genre movies coming up…
On HNY i am sticking to my 40 cr day 1 estimate. Nothing in the promos that I have seen makes me feel it is going to gross anything less. If the product is half decent, expect 300 crores to fall by Week 2…
Lol Satyam! you have started supporting HNY in a classical way just because Abi is in it..And your claim of 300 cr looks like a dream and nothing else.
Actually that’s Krrish’s comment.. shifted it from the other thread here because it was buried under a political discussion..
speaking for myself I am still skeptical about 300.. because I don’t believe Farah Khan’s circuses can have that kind of staying power. Plus the music here is just poor, not the kind of soundtrack one should have in more or less a film with a musical subject. OSO still had the Karz framing which this doesn’t. Having said that there might be a better than expected film here though I’d be surprised if that were the case.
Now could it be a big enough initial that gets one there even with weak trending? Sure. But I’m a bit skeptical whether it can even do this over a 7-10 period. It would have to keep putting up big numbers for this period a la D3 to have that shot. Possible but improbable. Either way I don’t have anything invested in this. As for Abhishek he might have a role/performance here that pleases everyone but since I never had doubts about his skill set it will either take a remarkable performance for me (SRK thinks this is one but my standards let’s see..) and/or a better film than the trailers. So far it’s not just that the trailers make it look like business as usual. I find it awfully poor in every sense. On every score. But yeah a good Abhishek performance is just about the only thing that could make the film watchable for me. Maybe he gets a lot out of this. But that’s different from what I get out of it! Without Abhishek I wouldn’t even check it out in the theater! Actually if I could get a proper transfer on a disc relatively soon I probably wouldn’t check it out in the theater even with him!
The big Diwali film for me is the Shankar/Vikram deal. Nothing else even remotely compares.
Now you must tell when you’re going to begin your reading lessons..
yes I heard some rumors earlier. was hoping it was untrue. that’s unfortunate. Goods news for HNY in some of those markets though. Because Vikram and Shankar are big pan-South Indian names as well. Anniyan in fact grossed more in Telugu than in Tamil.
Have always felt frankly that It’s an achievement that bang bang got completed. I seemed impossible for it to make it for the oct 2 deadline but for HRs superb fight back & katrinas cooperation
It has avoided the SHELVING of a big movie and averted a massive disaster (Which was possible)
The v good box office INSPITE of these factors is ONLY a CHERRY ON THE CAKE —
Sid anand interview –how bang bang got completed under adverse conditions
Hrithik is a very strong person. His strength comes from positivity, as he sees the positive in the most adverse situations. He is warm and respectful to everybody. I have seen other actors, who just don’t treat normal people as people, whereas I have seen Hrithik getting up, offering seats, wishing hello and goodbye, wishing good morning and good night to the crew.
Did you ever feel insecure about Bang Bang getting shelved at any point, given all that Hrithik was going through personally?
This film started against all odds. Hrithik Roshan is approached for every film that is written I would assume. And that the fact that he chose my film over everyone else’s film and that too, after I had delivered a flop film Anjaana Anjani. I wasn’t sure that he would do my film, as he had not signed anything after Krrish3. Everyone was shocked in disbelief, hoping that it would not be made. That started playing on my mind. We did the first schedule in Thailand and Greece. And then he went into his brain surgery. I was in Prague waiting for him but had to come back, obviously, as he could not shoot. I came back three days after his surgery. The last message I got from him said how his brain surgery would propel Bang Bang into being a film even bigger and better than before and he invited me home for lunch with my wife. That was really motivating. Next day, I came back but didn’t hear from him. His mobile was switched off and I didn’t hear anything from him for a month-and-a-half. I knew nothing that was happening. By nature, I will never push and will not make a call. Nobody had access to him other than me. After a month-and-a-half, he surfaced and said, ‘Forgive me for the absence from your life. Just give me 10-12 more days and we will get back full throttle.’ He got into post production and promotions of Krrish3 and we had decided to shoot immediately post that. We were to start shooting in 8 days, when we had to pull the set down as he wanted to go to US to recover. And that is the first time I had a doubt. I didn’t tell him that though. I knew that he is too strong a person, but that’s when the crew lost motivation and the word started coming out that he may not do the film and I heard that he was starting Shuddhi. I knew now that something was wrong and it is at this time that I read the predictions made about Hrithik in one of the newspapers. It said, ‘He will back out of a project that he is currently doing. And the next film that he will start will be in November 2015.’ That was a low. I still didn’t confront it. I am both sensitive and egoistic. He then called me one day and told me, ‘I am not doing Shuddhi any more.’ I was shocked. And suddenly that newspaper prediction made sense to me that it was correct and that he would back out of Shuddhi and not Bang Bang, as I assumed and that he would start his next film in November 2014 and he is starting Mohenjo Daro. I told Hrithik about this incident just recently a few days before the release.
Someone told me about this book & since I don’t read books nowadays (due to impatience issues)–she gave me a ‘verbal book review/tour of sorts.
What I heard was damn interesting -I have also read bits …
Highly recommended stuff
The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan Hardcover – 16 Sep 2014
by Jenny Nordberg (Author)
A bacha posh (literally “dressed up like a boy” in Dari) is a third kind of child – a girl who will be raised as a boy and presented as a son to the world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke this story for The New York Times, constructs a dramatic account of Afghan women and girls clandestinely living on the other side of the gender divide that grants half its population almost no rights and little freedom.
Set against the violent backdrop of America’s longest war, The Underground Girls of Kabul follows Afghan girls who live disguised as boys through childhood and puberty, only to be expected by adult age to transform into subordinate wives and mothers. But the battle of nature versus nurture lingers, and some bacha posh will refuse to rescind their male prerogatives in what the UN calls the world’s most dangerous country to be a woman.
The book is anchored by vivid female characters who bring this ancient phenomenon to life: Azita, a female parliamentarian whose youngest daughter is chosen to pose as her only son; Zahra, the tomboy teenager who struggles with puberty and resists her parents’ attempts to turn her into a woman; Shukria, who was forced to marry and have three children after living for twenty years as a man; and Shahed, an Afghan special forces soldier, still in disguise as an adult man.
Offering a new and original story about Afghanistan and its women, The Underground Girls of Kabul investigates the hidden practice of bacha posh that has affected generations, while examining its parallels to our own history. The act of reaching for more freedom by impersonating a man is one that can be recognized by women everywhere.
Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan enjoyed a night out with American socialite Paris Hilton here. The stars had flown down to Dubai for the VIP launch of Cle Dubai, a new restaurant by celebrity chef Greg Malouf.
“#GoodTimes at @CleDubai with Hrithik Roshan. Such a beautiful restaurant, my new favourite hot spot in Dubai,” Hilton posted along with the picture.
Hrithik looked dapper in a grey suit, whereas the hotel heiress looked chic in a black dress.
The other guests present at the star-studded event included Hilton’s sister Nicky, supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk, Carla DiBello and reality star Khloe Kardashian.
Hrithik Roshan and Nargis Fakhri’s dinner date
Thu, October 9, 2014 10:26am UTC by Subhash K Jha, DNA Add first Comment
Tweet
The actors were spotted at a restaurant-pub on Saturday night
No, we aren’t implying anything. Just that the two make an extremely fetching couple… If only they could be a couple. But they are not because Nargis Fakhri is still very close to Hrithik Roshan’s best friend Uday Chopra. But on Saturday night, they walked together into a restaurant-pub Ellipsis in Mumbai.
And here’s an eyewitness account: Hrithik and Nargis walked in first. They looked breathtakingly good together. All eyes at Elipsis turned automatically to them. They are so made-for-each-other, they must do a film together very soon. Just when we thought they had come for a cool cosy dinner date, up popped Uday Chopra behind them, trying to keep up.
That Nargis was enjoying Hrithik’s company more than Uday’s was palpably evident.
Says the eyewitness, “Clearly Hrithik is the new friend in Nargis’ life. And since he is Uday’s best friend this was just a case of the Bang Bang! star innocuously enjoying his pal’s girl’s company.” However, the eyewitness says, “There was far more palpable chemistry between Nargis and Hrithik than between Nargis and Uday. So anything can happen in the future.”
Also, present at the same place at the same time was Ali Zafar who walked in with his publicist. But all eyes at the eatery that Saturday evening, including Uday’s, were on Duggu. Says the eyewitness, “If there is a sequel to Bang Bang! it will star Hrithik and Nargis. She looks much hotter with him than Katrina.”
Re.-Rocky, you’ve gone on a tear here! Thought Modi won..
Satyam, I had barely warmed in responding to the intolerant left with their agenda driven, aimed at brown nosing posts, but you rocked Rocky’s boat shuru mein hee as usual…lol
p.s.- part of it was due to jet lag….
Too much of political discussions of late, I spend lot of time to read comments about movies. Satyam, if you want, create a different thread for people who talk about political topics but don’t let them ruin every movie review thread for that.
tried doing that for a while but it became like the Wild West in those threads too and it was drowning out everything else! Had to shut them down.
I will watch the politics in these threads as closely as I can but it does become a bit unfair when you have a film like Haider which is inherently political as a work and where certainly a lot of the political discussion is in order but where people then use this occasion to vent out their feelings on politics as a general matter and this then invites the same sort of response from other quarters. It even becomes a kind of blackmail at points (‘if you say something about my side I’ll say something about yours’!). Now to an extent even a more general political discussion is fine but people just don’t have the maturity to do it (in most cases and on both sides). So either it’s a series of very intemperate comments and/or too many comments burying everything else. But this becomes a conundrum when it’s a film like Haider because it’s hard to discuss it without getting into the politics. Rather than treat this as Bhardwaj’s take and argue with it people decide it’s about a larger problem and keep expanding the discussion. Soon it becomes about Modi and Nehru! But it also speaks to a moment in time when Indians (following the lead of the US and many other countries now where things are completely polarized in every sense) decide that everything from a film to the weather is about right/left divides and talk about every such example in apocalyptic terms. The ‘fanatic’ if you will (because whether one is this or not one speaks about it using such ‘fundamentalist’ language) then starts calling others out for the very same attitude that he or she is indulging in. Again this happens in the US too where a mediatized political discourse divides every single feature of life along such lines and it leads to not just a vulgar, coarsening of things but also contributes to a certain cramped, impoverished, ultimately bankrupt view of life where even liking a sunny day might be considered a Republican or Democratic position! And the online world exacerbates all this too because now you can literally live in your bubble where there are people exactly like you all the time. So even the most perverse or absurd view still finds a reception among ‘like-minded’ people. People quote opinions they like (only such links are supplied), facts are brought up equally selectively (sometimes these might even be true in a literal sense but ripped out of all context these are made to serve the ‘lie’), so on and so forth. In short a bunch of over-zealous crusaders who think the world’s going to end because of one thing or another. Now of course one can argue polemically and passionately about any number of things but the keyword here is ‘argue’. Simply asserting stuff with more and more ferocious zeal if not downright fanaticism does not an argument make. And again it’s hard to police all this without stopping genuine discussion on a film. And I am here fully aware of the tactics many employ. If a filmmaker makes a film that one doesn’t like, one doesn’t just attack him but one makes sure any other sort of discussion on him (or her) also doesn’t get going. Because if it does one does things to create an atmosphere where the entire discussion then has to be stopped. Not just referring to Haider, making a more general point about these things.
I quite liked Bang Bang for what it is.
Could have been trimmed by 20-30 min
Hrithik for most part is pretty much perfect in his part and seems to be enjoying himself.
Katrina is fine on her part and this is a good pairing. Photography, locales are excellent.
The plot is what it is. With the plot being what it is , I don’t think there was a better film to be made.
Most people Inhave spoken with seem to have liked the film. It is not the kind of film that would do well at mass centers . Still , it’s a little surprising the numbers are not a bit stronger. I think presence of a viable choice in the from of Haider might have hurt it at BO. With ZNMD and now Bang Bang, HR seems to be coming into his own. I still like him quite a bit inspire of some of his public uttering at the time of Krrish3 release and even now show him in a somewhat poor light.
Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra add glamour to the opening ceremony of ISL
The opening ceremony of Indian Super League was held in Kolkata. Celebrities like Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra performed at the event.
Infact, Hrithik even lifted Priyanka during their act.
Other team owners like Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan were present.
Eminent personalities like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar made their presence felt.
The out-and-out entertainer “Bang Bang!” has flown past the Rs.150-crore mark in India NETT
The Siddharth Anand-directorial’s collection stands at Rs.154.68 crore nett (approximately Rs.221 crore gross) and the total worldwide collection soars to Rs.290.97 crore gross, read a statement.
Released Oct 2, “Bang Bang!” collected $11.3 million (Rs.70 crore) in 11 days in the overseas market.
If the Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif-starrer enthralled massy film lovers in home country, it also managed to perform well in the Middle East, Britain, US, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
The film, that has been produced by Fox Star Studios, was made in the budget of Rs.140 crore.
Bang Bang First Week Territorial Breakdown
Monday 13 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang in Hindi grossed good 112.51 crore nett in week one but with so many holidays the collections were not what they should be. The Tamil and telugu versions of the film grossed 1.20 crore nett and 3.25 crore nett respectively.
The film had the best collections in South India and when this happens that means the core markets have not performed and drops in all India business are inevitable. The ratio for Mumbai and Delhi/UP was less than 30% and 20% respectively and a big budget film has to go over these ratios at least in one circuit to score well in long run. The other area which performed well was East India but that was due to holidays due to Puja. The collections have dropped badly after holidays.
Below is the first week (8 days) territorial breakdown of Bang Bang with the territory ratio of the all India business.
Bang Bang Second Weekend Business
Monday 13 October 2014 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang had a poor second weekend grossing around 13.75 crore nett. The collections of the film have dropped badly in the second weekend The daily second weekend figures are as follows.
Bang Bang
Friday – 3,15,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
Sunday – 6,00,00,000
TOTAL – 13,65,00,000
The business crashed further in mass circuits as a circuit like Rajasthan could not even collect 1 crore nett in it second weekend. It was even worse in CP Berar and CI. Gujarat also continued its poor run. The film was somewhat better in the cities but that is not enough for a big budget film like Bang Bang. The film is looking at a lifetime total of around 140 crore nett.
Overall the film is an average fair which is set to do lifetime business of around 50 crore nett. The business outside Delhi city, Mumbai city and Bangalore to an extent is a disappointment.
It was pleasant to see Rekha on TV this weekend doing the rounds promoting her next Super Nani both on CNWK and then Big Boss 8. It was a big change to actually see her interact – unlike last few years we have been watching her on award shows coming and handing the best actor trophy at the end like a mannequin.
Her interactions with Salman were damn lively and frolicsome and both shared a very cordial camaraderie and the comfort level was visible on screen. Both were looking ravishing on stage when they danced on the Dagabaaz Re song and the famous dialogue followed from Dabangg but in her own style, “Thappad se darr nahin lagta saab… Pyaar se bhi nahin lagta…woh toh hum beshumaar kar saktey hain. Big B – yaani ki Big Boss se lagta hai..” – Very coy indeed!
Coming to Qalander comment on hosting on other thread of Big B
“Qalandar Says:
October 7, 2014 at 1:01 PM
Even on TV there is a huge gulf between him and everyone else. While my favourite show is Satyamev Jayate, none of the other major Hindi film stars hold my attention in the TV show-format the way he can.”
Though he caters to a different set of audience, Salman too has been a great host and has been holding his own on Bigg Boss with his wit, humor and repartee. With his TV appearances he has effectively knocked down some of the widely held false beliefs (don’t wish to name them here).
Call it a coincidence but similar to Bachchan’s KBC , his 2nd innings came about with Dus Ka Dum – Wanted in 2008 around the same time.
Meanwhile Aamir continues to excel in what he does and another remarkable episode of SMJ on road fatalities and hazards. The live sessions after the episode are a good interaction and he seems relaxed and natural.
TV continues to get more entertaining than the films on offer !
Akkineni Amala Exploring Shiva After 25 Years || The Beauty Of Shiva || Shiva Movie Celebrating 25 Years || Shiva is a 1989 Telugu film, written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma, starring Akkineni Nagarjuna, Amala, Raghuvaran, and Paresh Rawal in lead roles
Bang Bang Suffers Badly In Mumbai Circuit
Tuesday 14 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang has suffered badly in Mumbai circuit and that is the reason why its collection will be be below expectations.. The film will collect in 20 crore nett less in Mumbai circuit than Singham returns and a huge 30 crore nett less than Kick.
Bang Bang grossed 7.75 crore nett in Mumbai city in week one (8 days) while Singham Returns with a more mass feel grossed 9 crore nett in just seven days. In a centre like Mumbai city it should have done better than Singham Returns. Ahmedabad the second biggest centre in the circuit would not have been expected to be at Singham Returns level but the gap in business was unthinkable before release.
Basically the lifetime figures in Ahmedabad of Bang Bang will get no where near the the week one figures of Singham Returns. In the first week (8 days) Bang Bang grossed 3.15 crore nett in Ahmedabad while the business of Singham returns was 6 crore nett. Singham Returns is an unbelievable 90% more. In Mumbai circuit, Bang Bang grossed 31.97 crore nett (8 days) while Kick grossed 49.15 crore nett and Singham Returns grossed 46.55 crore nett.
The gaps between Bang Bang and the other two big films are huge in Mumbai circuit and it is due to this circuit that Bang Bang is an under performer. If the film had emerged with even 10% less business than Kick or Singham Returns in Mumbai over its eight days it would have made a huge difference to the final outcome of the film.
Bang Bang And Haider Second Monday Business
Tuesday 14 October 2014 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang grossed around 2.25 crore nett on its second Monday taking it four day second week total to around 16 crore nett. The total till date is 128.50 crore nett for the Hindi version. The second week business for Bang bang will be around 21 crore nett. The second week figures will not even be amongst the top five second weeks this year.
Haider grossed around 1 crore nett on its second Monday and it has collected around 8.25 crore nett in four days of its second week. The total business of the film in twelve days is around 43 crore nett. The second week will gross around 10.50 crore nett
Overall Haider is heading for lifetime business in the 50 crore nett range and Bang Bang will finish in the 140 crore nett range.
A spokesman of the proscribed Kashmir University Students’ Union said in a statement that the demonstrators forced the film unit to bring down the Indian flag and also forced actor Irrfan Khan to put out his cigarette on the “smoke-free campus”. He alleged that two of the “protesters” were arrested by the police but let off later. “The students came out of the hostels and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans in the campus. After the situation got out of control, Proctor Naseer Iqbal managed the release of both the students and promised prompt action against the security personnel,” he said.Bhardwaj has reportedly assured Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the film would have nothing to harm the local sensibilities and the political aspirations http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/kashmir-university-students-disrupt-shooting-of-vishal-bhardwaj-film/article5387994.ece
Let me make this very clear that I am voicing my angst against this film as an audience and an Indian. Even though I don’t identify with the subject of the film, I don’t want the film to be boycotted as I don’t want the freedom of speech of the maker to be curbed or squashed. That’s the beauty of India and we Indians. We hoist the flag of expression at the cost of dignity of the armed forces.
If today a Haider can be made, then that day is not too far off when a film will be made of 26/11 and Hemant Karkare, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and the respected others who were martyrs of the dreaded terror attack, will be shown as villains. Investigating officers who had captured Kasab will be portrayed as torturers, while Kasab will shine as the hero of the film because some director chose to see his motivation and the need to kill 164 innocent people of Mumbai. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/7332
It’s ironic that throughout the movie the main protagonist keeps reiterating the Yiddish word Chutzpah which, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others.
Strangely enough there is no better illustration of this than the movie itself
The obvious, low-hanging fruit waiting to be plucked is the Jammu & Kashmir Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990 (AFSPA), the emergency law that legally empowers the army to search, apprehend, destroy property and shoot to kill on suspicion. The generals insist they need the protection of AFSPA in an environment in which militancy has taken control of the judiciary. In 2011, when J&K chief minister, Omar Abdullah, proposed revoking AFSPA in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Jammu and Samba, the army’s top commander in the valley, Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain – an officer acclaimed for his outreach – flatly rejected the idea as premature. http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/ajai-shukla-india-s-crown-of-thorns-114101301280_1.html
Mr. Satyam, you need to have strict policy of off topic posts and political discussion. We jump into reading this and start getting long posts about some other topic. Basically everything loses impact.
I agree, have a post for politcs and let people go at it in there.
I’m not discounting somebodys religious/politicale views, I’m just saying that let’s move on from it and talk about films which this blog is primerly on. no?
not referring to your links though for the record I think the negative stuff in this sense outweighs the positive on this blog.. there have been a few pieces from members but otherwise the links have mostly been about those attacking the film for its politics. I don’t have an issue because it is connected with the film but I think it has been ‘one-sided’ on this score. You can find a 100 reviews praising it, a 100 dissing it on the same grounds. My own sense with these things always is less about whether someone likes the film or not but about what is actually being said. I prefer reading meaningful pieces by those who disagree with me than superficial ones by those who agree.
The other thing I’d say as a general matter is that one can’t be as one-sided as one likes because one thinks everyone who thinks otherwise is a “commie” and then question/attack the other side for being one-sided! The other side often plays the very same game. It’s a different matter that I don’t think all arguments are always equal. It all depends on the contexts. If you’re in the Soviet Union there might be some right-wingers but the real threat is always extremism from the left (or leftist totalitarianism). If you’re in present-day America the ‘left’ simply isn’t a problem the way the ‘Right’ is. Of course Tea Party types and many Republicans think otherwise but I think one can arrive at a reasonable objective view on these things. One can believe if one likes that Obama has king-like powers and that he’s shredded the constitution and so forth. The Right feels that those who don’t agree with this are left-wing ideologues! Similarly in present day India the danger comes all from the Right and I could of course quote any number of metrics here. Not just in the US or India but globally too the left has been pretty much on the defensive for the longest time (sometimes there are exceptions that prove the rule). India is not unique in this sense though the same formulations exist everywhere else. You just have to change the names. But again one can always deny everything and say it’s just propaganda on the other side. And one can play this game till eternity.
It’s never about ‘balance’ (first off those who talk about this word have anything but balance on any issue!). It’s about taking sides. If one says Obama’s on one side and the Tea Party on the other and that there should be balance or that one should be a centrist balancing these two I’d say one is crazy!
Whatever the politics of Haider might or might not be and while one has every right to object either way I’m not quite sure why it spells the end of Indian civilization or something! People on both sides often go after things with a certain crusading zeal which then has very little to do with the merits of their case.
Anyway just making a larger point here.
And once again a caveat for others.. this is just directed to Rocky.. those who can’t respond sensibly will see their comments deleted.
Bandra.NRI.. for that personal comment directed to Rocky (which I deleted) your comments will henceforth be held in moderation first. I’ve warned you many times on this, not to resort to such personal name-calling. I have no choice at this point. All ‘normal’ comments will be let through as and when I get a chance to do it. I am very lenient about this stuff (most would say too lenient) but some stuff is beyond the pale.
I agree to your points in general. here,
I mentioned that after reading some KP reviews, I am considering to watch the movie on DVD.I have also posted a link which supports repealing the AFSPA, Now personally I am confused whether it should be repealed or not, but I thought the piece was quite insightful and therefore I posted that link here.
– Rich people are thin/well maintained, poor people are fat. This stems from the fact that cheap food is fatty, rich people don’t eat cheap food — they tend to eat either home-cooked food which is expensive or eat at expensive/healthy places. Unfortunately, it is expensive to be healthy in America.
– Fat people are not respected much in society. Being fat often has the same connotations as being irresponsible towards your body. If you’re thin (and tall, but not as much), people will respect you a lot more and treat you better. You will also receive better customer service if you’re well maintained. This extends my previous point which mentioned that if you’re thin, you’re statistically likely to be rich. Reason why I know this is that I went down from being 210lbs to 148-150lbs. The way people started treating me when I was thin was generally way better than the way I was treated when I was fat. As a small example, the Starbucks baristas were much nicer to me and made me drinks with more care/love.
– Girls are not very promiscuous, contrary to most Hollywood films
Quite liked reading this article, so thought about sharing it here. It does resonate with me, personally speaking. I have found myself agreeing with Richard Dawkins’ belief in science and rational thinking more and more…
Irrational Atheism
Religious beliefs are remarkably various. But sometimes it can seem that there is only one way to be an atheist: asserting, on the basis of reasoned argument, that belief in God is irrational. The aging “new atheists”—Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett, for example—pit reason against faith, science against superstition, and declare for reason and science.
It pictures the universe as a natural system, a system not guided by intelligent design and not traversed by spirits; a universe that can be explained by science, because it consists of material objects operating according to physical laws. In this sense, atheism embodies a whole picture of the world, offering explanations about its most general organization to the character of individual events.
The beauty of belief in science, for me, lies in the observation that the more you know, the less sure you are about your surroundings. There is genuine humility involved in discovering the vastness of the universe. It’s frightening as well…but it most certainly beats the idea of fighting over which imaginary God is more powerful!
Arresting image though that’s par for the course as far as Bejoy Nambiar is considered. Shaitan and especially David were visually very strong films. I just hope that time VVC has given him a solid enough plot to work with as well. Quite like Farhan’s look here.
“What is religion? What is faith? Does a perfect definition exist? I don’t know. But I know doubt. I’m intrigued by the politics of doubt. Doubt gives us faith. Doubt keeps us questioning what keeps us alive. If we become sure of something, then there is a danger of becoming fanatical.
Religion needs to be separated from a lot of things. Our religions are based on fear. The Old Testament spoke of a Promised Land for a people, but there were people already living there. The problem is still burning today. There have been too many atrocities committed in the name of god.
I know good people are scared of marrying their daughters to Muslims. They fear conversion, quick divorces, multiple marriages — basically, it suits the boys a bit more than the girls. All this is undoubtedly outdated. A lot of Islam needs to modernise and renew itself in order to be relevant. We also need a loud moderate voice to separate the good from the evil. Islam today is more unpopular than it has ever been. This is a great shame to me, as I have always thought of Islam as the moon, the desert, calligraphy and flying carpets, the thousand and one nights. I have always thought about it as a religion of peace and submission. As I grew older, I saw religion twisted and used so badly by men that I distanced myself from all man-made religion. I choose to be as spiritual as I can be.
Anyway, I digress. The good news is that no one needs to convert from their religion to get married. The Special Marriage Act, when applicable, is the paramount law of the land. If you marry under this, it is upheld over any religious law. It is truly secular.
The fabric of India is woven from many threads — English, Muslim, Hindu and many others. A major concern in today’s India is that we keep deleting our past. To say Muslims don’t have a role in India is denying their importance and contribution. It is like saying women don’t have a part to play in India. Why do we need to deny Islam? It’s what we are. We come with our mix. To deny this is to cheat us of our inheritance. I don’t know what “love jihad” is. It is a complication created in India. I know intermarriages because I am a child of one and my children are born out of it. Intermarriage is not jihad. Intermarriage is India. India is a mix. Ambedkar said the only way to annihilate caste is intermarriage. It is only through intermarriage that the real Indians of tomorrow can be truly equipped to take our nation forward with the right perspective. I am the product of such a mixed marriage and my life has been full of Eid and Holi and Diwali. We were taught to do adaab and namaste with equal reverence.
It is sad that too much importance is given to religion, and not enough to humanity and love. My children were born Muslim but they live like Hindus (with a pooja ghar at home), and if they wanted to be Buddhist, they would have my blessing. That’s how we were brought up.”….
“My children were born Muslim”
Really? Why was that so? If he truly wanted to give religious freedom, he could have given them hindu-christian names? Why Sharmila gave all her kids muslim names AFTER converting to Islam herself? Not a single child was given Hindu name. Same goes for Saif/Amrita’s kids. He or his family is NOT practicing liberalism that he speaks of and his article is full of lies. So this is from a rich, ‘liberal’ practisioner. What to talk of others from his faith!
The essential question you’re asking is a fair one. But whether you are credible at all in any sense to raise it is another matter altogether. One cannot be a critic of liberalism from the site of a deep fundamentalism!
Of course no one starts off with a blank slate in life. Nor is the Desai ideal regrettably available to us. So even in the most liberal households (in this sense) kids are usually not called Amar, Akbar, Anthony! Incidentally Kareena hasn’t converted.
I don’t think you can define Liberalism by what people name their children by. By that token hardly anyone I know is Liberal. And I don’t know any Hindu who has a traditional “muslim” name or any Muslim who has a traditional “hindu” name. I do however know muslims and hindus who retain names that could easily be Christian.
I am not saying Saif is Liberal…just that expecting names of babies to derive how Liberal someone is not going to happen.
Society is not ready for this level of Liberalism. It will cause the identity of the religion to be diluted.
Religion is an identity and faith and every person of that Religion deserves the right to practise it and that includes the names. There is no moral obligation to swap names to prove something. The act of Liberalism is behaving like one not be be something you are not.
i.e.
Do onto others what you want done on you.
What if the boot was on the other shoe…
Treat others like you want to be treated
Everyone deserves a fair crack…
ETC…
It basically boils down too we all eat, sleep, shit and piss. Everything else is just noise created by factions, divisions, traditions and principles. The noise can be beautiful as it creates diversity. It’s the bad noise, finger pointing and “mines bigger than yours” attitude that needs to be done away with.
What next? I am expected to eat Fish and Chips every day to practise Christianity instead of Curry and Roti? Or maybe I should wear a turban to prove liberalism? It’s not about what you wear, say, do, eat or practise. It’s basically how you treat the other person in the room if that person is different to you. Do you judge, talk, walk and communicate in the same way as if it were someone from your village or town, same faith etc. Do you set a higher hurdle for that person? Do you stereotype etc.
And trust me, I stereo type, I can be stubborn, judgemental etc. but then motive and imperfection has a large part to play.
yes true, these things are part of one’s cultural identity as well. Many people are culturally part of a ‘faith’ without practicing it in any sense much less believing in it. And of course Saif was rather young when he had kids the first time around. I recall as interview of his not too long ago where he talked about maturing in life as one grew older and how one should really have different concerns, broaden one’s horizons and how cinema needn’t be the beginning and end of everything. I think this piece very much reflects that person. Now of course one can crib about his imperfections but you’ve already responded adequately to this!
I do concede that these issues do get gendered in certain ways which reflect deep-seated histories and traditions and of course prejudices. For instance you will almost never see a Hindi film with a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl though the opposite is the norm. But again this isn’t something that I have a problem with in the sense that it doesn’t top the list of my concerns! Similarly Saif’s sentiments here are I think unobjectionable unless of course one is seeking perfection! And again not to deny the more serious discussion that can be had in a deeper sense on this (and which probably belongs on a Satyamev Jayate episode!) but you’re again right in that one cannot equate such dubious notions of perfection with a liberal attitude. Again in cinema Amitabh Bachchan is among the most liberal people imaginable. But we don’t ask him to marry minorities first and prove it in that way!
“For instance you will almost never see a Hindi film with a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl though the opposite is the norm”-
True. The last film I can recall where there was a Muslim boy and Hindu girl was the underrated “Anwar” and that was some 7-8 years ago. Incidentally the Mithoon soundtrack in the film is one of the heights of the decade (not just Maula Mere Maula, but also tracks like Tose Naina Lage Re)
“Amar and Akbar is fine, but Anthony? that’s asking for too much ” Kareena (karishma and their mom as well) are practicing Christians. So when they have kids 😉
I don’t find this odd. It is quite natural and traditional to born the surname and religion of the man in the house. Based on that having Muslim names for the children is not a surprise, nor anti-liberal or whatever. It might be more traditional and in keeping with the centuries of male dominance.
Now tell me, which man has ever taken the surname of a woman or the religion of the woman? Wouldn’t that be a bigger statement of Liberalism?
I think this is more a debate about sexes than religion, the one on names etc. Or part Religion of the man and part because of MAN! LOL
“in keeping with the centuries of male dominance.
Now tell me, which man has ever taken ” so basically you are saying it is all love jihad? Akbar married hindu Jodha but the kids born was still Muslim. Anyhow, Salman khan’s mom was hindu who converted. Sharmila is/was hindu at least converted on paper. She has begum something or other name. Aamir’s grandmom/mom were/are hindus. Basically offspring is not given a choice the way Saifu is declaring in his innocent piece!
Given that you’re expecting one of the greatest emperors of his age not have his kids follow his religion and this 5 centuries ago I suppose there’s hope for Saif..!
“It is quite natural and traditional to born the surname and religion of the man in the house.”
Traditional certainly, but what’s “natural” about deferring to the name and religion of the man in a couple? I do think there is a spectrum of gender and religious “liberalism” and it’s fair to judge how enlightened one is in these areas by looking at things like’s children’s names. IIRC, SRK’s, kids’s names are Aryan and Suhana. I do interpret that as a sign of religious open-mindedness.
I’d rather look at how the kids are bought up than their names. There is no connection to a name and a bad deed…but a tough upbringing or schooling can show kids going off the rail later in life.
It’s a name at the end of the day…Not as important as how the parents bring that child up. Rather trivial in the grander scheme of things
Not ‘natural’ in any strict sense (what is?) but certainly male authority and the male signature in this sense are a lot more transcultural, have a lot more ancient (read ‘caveman’!) roots and therefore transcend any notion of organized religion. These are anthropological/sociological issues found in every age and culture (or almost.. there are of course exceptions.. but for instance why does the child take the father’s name at all? The same ‘lineage’ principle works either way). Which is why I said initially this ‘gender’ point was a fair one to raise but it’s different from a religious issue. Saif could be an atheist and still insist on this. On the names remember though that he married the first time around when he was rather young. He might not do the same next time.
SRK has covered all three categories though — the normative name (in the sense of being connected with one belief system – Aryan), then the ambiguous one (could be both — Suhana), finally the freaky one (even if still connected to a belief system — AvRam, he even has an odd spelling, it’s the Hebrew version of Abraham). Of course not the absence here — he doesn’t have a completely ‘religious’ Hindu or Muslim name. Even Aryan though not a name a Muslim would normally keep still has more racial connotations than anything else. It’s not like Ram or Arjun or something. And AvRam is again not a name a Muslim ever keeps. Not sure if this suggests more ‘enlightenment’ necessarily. But this would be a longer debate. The point I’m trying to make is I don’t automatically consider people more enlightened one way or the other based on these name choices. Much as I don’t consider a Hindu who only marries a Hindu and so on (or a Muslim who does the same or whatever) automatically less enlightened. Because it seems to me that if we follow that logic connected with the name we should also be saying this. It’s fair to say that having made the decision to marry someone of a different faith the bar is raised in certain ways. But perhaps one doesn’t marry for these reasons at all. One just likes the other without committing anything to the other in any deeper sense. Similarly though the bar might be lower when one just stays within the fold one was born in the question becomes: why does one do so?
>which man has ever taken the surname of a woman or the religion of the woman?
I don’t know if you mean in India alone or also the rest of the world.
I know many cases where this has happened. A man taking on his wife’s surname. It’s legal in some countries in Europe.
I think it’s absolutely correct that 99% of the time in these inter-religious marriages the Hindu lady is “forced” to adopt Islam after marriage. Someone like Gauri is really an exception to the rule.
Funny. Calling yourself an atheist needs balls? Why would other Khans need to do something similar when they believe in gods? Btw, Naseer and Javed Akhtar are self confessed atheist from decades who belong to muslim background. Nothing new from Saif to say this.
I think naming one’s kids is a superficial exercise to show to the world that one is broadminded. If the kids are allowed to choose their religions, then it will be good. Or no religion at all. Salman Khan’s mother is a hindu. If he was named Shantanu(popular marathi name), would he have been as famous? Would Eid would have made any difference? Abdul Kalam is one of the most secular and sane voices. And the most loved one by all the Indians. That is because he spoke more about science and technology and kept his religious beliefs to himself.
‘Happy New Year’s Abhishek Bachchan Gets Candid on Films and Sports
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 5:30 pm
R.M. Vijayakar, India West
Mumbai — According to Shah Rukh Khan, the star and producer of “Happy New Year,” Abhishek Bachchan’s and Deepika Padukone’s characters are the most pivotal to the plot and are their very spine.
We meet Abhishek Bachchan (Bachchan Jr.), who is dressed casually complete with a perky orange cap, on the ninth floor of the Red Chillies building Oct. 13. He is full of energy, belying the tight schedules the team is following 10 days prior to the “Happy New Year” release.
His gear is what probably makes us take on his fascination for sports first, as he owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers, a professional Kabaddi team. “I have been very passionate about sports from childhood, from the age of nine when I was in a British boarding school,” the actor told India-West.
Bachchan Jr. is convinced that once the “khel-kudd” (playing and jumping around) concept is junked, India can excel in multiple sports. “I am mad about cricket and football, though I was good at basketball. And the one thing I wish to change about sports in India is the popular and age-old perception that sports are just khel-kudd! Today, it is not only a career option but a very viable one.”
The latest buzz is that Chennaiyin FC, the professional football team that he also owns, will attend the “Happy New Year” premiere, but he neither confirms nor denies this.
We move on to the topic of how his father celebrated his birthday Oct. 11. Bachchan Jr.s’ face lights up and he says, “Dad spent it the way he is happiest — quietly, with family. We live in the same house but thanks to our crazy schedules I met him after four days! My sister had also come down and that completed our family. On top of that, karwa chauth fell on that day, too.”
How much does Bachchan Jr. believe in the premise of the film “Happy New Year”?
“I do believe that when you are defeated, life does give you that second chance to be a winner. And the secret is to recognize it and take advantage,” he replies. “A positive approach throughout life helps in making us know instinctively when that chance comes.”
One field in which Bachchan is very successful is as a producer of films, and he agrees. What is his secret? “To be realistic is the most important thing of all,” he told India-West. “Don’t spend more than you can afford, and try and avoid loss. Another secret is to keep it simple and not complicate it unnecessarily.” Bachchan is now co-producing his father’s “Shamitabh” with R. Balki.
As a producer, he has to be economical, which Bachchan Jr. emphasizes that an actor or director can never be. “Though we had my father in the cast, I thought that ‘Paa’ would work best within 15 to 17 crore. I even rejected an offer to sell it for 60 crore, because it would have been a flop then. Films do not flop, budgets do. I made a lot of money on ‘BBuddah Hoga Terra Baap’ too, which I completed in even less money — 10 crore.”
By the same token, he grins and says that Shah Rukh Khan is a great producer for his actors, but bad for himself. “He is not economic [sic],” he sums up with a grin. “He gives us all so much.”
But as an actor, he finds Shah Rukh the same as when they last worked on “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” eight or nine years ago. “And he is as much fun and passionate as ever, and as excited about his work. Being around him you learn so much, not just about the craft of acting but also because he is such a wise soul and a font of knowledge.”
Bomsi (as he calls Boman Irani) also is able to talk on almost any topic under the sun. “I respect him so much and have followed him closely ever since he was a huge theater actor in plays like ‘I’m Not Bajirao,’” reveals Bachchan. “I love spending time with him and can ask him anytime on advice as an actor, too. We first worked together in ‘Bluffmaster!’ and since then in more films too.”
Deepika Padukone’s growth has fascinated Bachchan, as they had worked together in the 2010 “Khelein Hum Jee Jan Sey.”
“It’s wonderful to see her grow and do so well,” he comments, adding that Farah Khan is always very maternal towards him (Abhishek had done a cameo in “Om Shanti Om” as well). “Yesterday, [Khan] was in Ahmedabad and I in Kolkata and she called up just to say that she was missing me!” he smiles. “We fool around but I have a lot of respect for her. In an era where we find so many new directors trying out new kinds of cinema, she is holding fort, that too being a woman, for the kind of films we grew up on — the masala Hindi cinema!”
Terming Vivaan Shah “the baby of the unit but a unique performer,” Bachchan expresses his affection for Sonu Sood as well, as a kind of elder brother who “ensures that I eat properly and takes care of me. We go to the gym together and I was also his producer of ‘Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap,’” he explained.
Speaking of that film starring his father, which of his films would Bachchan Jr. like to remake, as when Shah Rukh Khan had done “Don” and Hrithik Roshan had done “Agneepath?” Abhishek merely replies, “Mujhe baksh do yaar (Spare me friend!). I do not want to do any of dad’s films. On the other hand, see him in all of them and I want to do each and every one of them! But then I think of his brilliant performances and I know that I should not even think of it!”
Having worked last with Aamir Khan in “Dhoom:3” and Shah Rukh and Amitabh Bachchan as well, Abhishek enumerates the common factor that makes them all superstars.
“Look, they are all in this position in life for a reason,” he said. “It’s not luck or their films’ successes. They are so hardworking and dedicated and know their jobs so immensely well. They are complete professionals, though it is easy to disregard the way they have come up and remained super-stars.
“Their approach is very similar and they have very hard to reach that level. At their stage, they can tell any director that they know their jobs, but instead of ego, there is complete humility and a desire to please! My father is 72, but he’s like a nervous child who practices his lines all night for a shoot the next morning! When he had used a different voice in ‘Agneepath’ and people thought that it was a technical gaffe, he had gone to a dubbing [studio] and re-dubbed the entire film, sitting up all night!”
Abhishek Bachchan is now doing Umesh Shukla’s “All Is Well” and declares that he will only do those films whose scripts touch him. “I am often asked why I don’t want to do solo hero films. I think that the only solo hero was Sunil Dutt-saab’s experimental ‘Yaadein,’ in which there was no other actor.
“Take my ‘Guru’ – do you mean to say that Mithun (Chakraborty)-da and R. Madhavan were nothing in it? Or was ‘Refugee’ a solo hero film when Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty and Kulbhushan Kharbanda had major contributions?”
A very nice and intelligent comment from Saif here. A day or two earlier had read below article and wished to comment on this blog on the non ending political and sometimes religious debate as distrust of muslim is at the core of this issue:
‘The president said the country has been fortunate as hardly any among the 150 million Muslims -second largest population after Indonesia – indulges in terrorism.’
Above seems to be the universal fact of course barring a few unruly elements which are on either side of the aisle. I guess most commentators here are either Indians or of Indian origin….. So I don’t know why each one of us are running pillar to post to prove the other is incorrect. All these constant innuendos / insinuations just bring distrust and don’t serve any purpose and the faster we as a nation realize the better it will be for the future of nation building. To be fair this kind of angst/ debate is more common among people who are disconnected with ground realities / nri types who live in isolation unlike common people in India who is much at ease with each other’s presence.
With respects to PM Modi (thorny issue for few here) commonsense dictates India desperately needed a Modi type personality in current state of affairs to give some sort of dignity and respectability to the nation. Until now he has proven himself to be the correct choice by being more of a karmyogi than just being a bol bachchan. He has taken few bold initiatives and it’s up to the people of India to get things moving from hereon as leadership is in place now.
It is important PM Modi single-mindedly take a clean cut path towards development & progress as nothing else will work at the moment due to polarized views. Yes sometime what worries me is if the going gets tough for a few in power a lot many riots will be created to vitiate the atmosphere, divert attention and polarize people and that will where real test of PM Modi will come at play. These diversions are never good for any county in the long run and ‘United we stand divided we fall’ has a lot of meaning which we may learn ultimately but at a cost after getting nowhere. Look at the mandir-masjid issue which has put a good 25 years of our lives to senseless posturing with no results in sight.
We have Pakistan sitting on the fence which encourages these kind of events and the Thackeray/ Togadia type personalities to gain prominence and thereby increasing discontent among people esp. the minorities. And for the record it’s not easy to take down these countries since we are not America where we are separated ‘naturally’ by vast oceans and afford to fcuk around with the world the way they do.
Rest on all the conspiracy theorists for each event happening across the world , there is no end to these things and now it’s all muddled into politics and world affairs and we really don’t know what is genuine and what is fake. We are reaching a stage where common man needs to just mind his own business, look after his friends and family and follow religion and beliefs within the confines of 4 walls. All this display of overt fanaticism can lead to insanity.
My two cents on the hardliners (either side) of this political / religious debate here.
Dhoni….superb comment!!
I had posted the following observation elsewhere..
omrocky786 Says:
October 12, 2014 at 5:48 AM
An Jo, appreciate that sir…means a lot.
BTW I was in Pune last two weeks, and my relative’s driver is a Muslim and is a Sallu Bhai fan. We became friends as he drove me around, and took me to his home to meet his wife and mom.. I was pleasantly surprised..The flat next to him had the Shubh -Labh, his flat had an Urdu inscription, His wife is educated , I said Aadaab to her and she replied back in Namsatey.
I weas really impressed by Pune…..
It is of course nobody’s contention that only positive remarks can or need to be made about the legacy of a writer, living or deceased. However, given Karnad’s record, it is his practised duplicity on the question that jars. In all these long years, and as long as Ananthamurthy was alive, Karnad didn’t mutter as much as one negative word about the former’s work. And barely a month after his death, we are treated to this torrent of strident attacks. The duplicity is magnified when we consider the fact that the celluloid adaptation of Ananthamurthy’s Samskara was one of the steps of the success-ladder Karnad clim¬bed—he played the protagonist Pranesha¬ch¬arya. Apparently, Karnad spares none—first it was Bhyrappa’s two novels, and now it is Ananthamurthy’s turn. Needless to say, Karnad “regretted” Samskara as well.
Bang Bang! collected 304 crore (US$49 million) worldwide in 13 days.[4]
India
Bang Bang! had excellent opening day (Thursday) collections of 27.54 crore (US$4.5 million).[98] On its second day (Friday) it collected 24.08 crore (US$3.9 million).[99] On its third day (Saturday) Bang Bang! collected 20.1 crore (US$3.3 million). The Sunday collection was 22.41 crore (US$3.6 million) , leading to whooping extended weekend collection of 94.13 crore (US$15 million).Film collected 15.36 crore (US$2.5 million) on Monday,10.31 crore (US$1.7 million) on Tuesday, 8.23 crore (US$1.3 million) nett on Wednesday and 7.42 crore (US$1.2 million) nett on Thursday which was quite steady,thus making a total collection of 135.45 crore (US$22 million)in the extended week run of 8 days.[100][101] The film collected about 4 crore (US$650,000) in it’s first week and thus became the highest grossing Hindi film in Kerala.[102] As of 14th October,the film now stands with a total collection of 161.78 crore (US$26 million) at the domestic box office.
Overseas
Bang Bang! collected 76.85 lakh (US$120,000) in day one in Pakistan and became the highest opener in the country’s box office history.[103] On it’s opening weekend the film earned $25.4 million worldwide from about 4,700 screens in more than 8 foreign markets. The biggest debut came from UAE ($1.8 million from 44 screens), North America ($1.35 million from 271 screens), UK ($922K from 116 screens).[104] As of 13th October it collected 72 crore (US$12 million) from overseas.[105] 3 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Bang!
The movie, costliest from the Fox stable in India till date, marks the biggest opening for Hrithik Roshan ever
Urvi Malvania | Mumbai October 14, 2014 Last Updated at 19:34 IST
RELATED NEWS
Bang Bang is Hrithik’s highest opener till date
Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif’s action romance flick Bang Bang is achieving one milestone after another for its producer Fox Star Studios and for the lead pair. The movie, costliest from the Fox stable in India till date, marks the biggest opening for Roshan ever and has also managed to movie into profit in the first week of release.
Bang Bang, directed by Siddharth Anand, started its campaign at the box office on October 2 with net collections of Rs 27.5 crore and has gone on to make Rs 158.29 crore in 12 days. In the overseas market, the movie has made 72 crore, taking the worldwide collection to Rs 230 crore.
Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios says, “With Bang Bang, we tried to introduce a new kind of action to Bollywood and it’s clicked very well with the masses. People have appreciated the movie for its thrills and are also liking the Hrithik and Katrina pairing. In the first week itself, we were in the green when you consider the worldwide box office collections, the revenue from satellite and music and home video. For a big budget movie, that’s a big thing.”
In its first week, Bang Bang had domestic collections of Rs 135 crore and overseas revenues in the range of Rs 57-58 crore. The producer’s share, Singh informs, was close to Rs 120 crore (total) while the satellite, home video and music rights have brought in another Rs 50 crore to Fox, taking the total revenue for the producer to Rs 170 crore. With a total cost of production in the range of Rs 140 to 150 crore, the movie had, in its first week itself, made a profit of around Rs 20 crore.
However, given its huge cost, the movieis not likely to break-even through domestic box office revenuesonly. Unlike Viacom18’s Queen and Mary Kom or UTV Motion Pictures’ and Dharma Productions’ or Balaji Motion Pictures’ Ragini MMS, Bang Bang will not be able to break-even at the domestic office level.
Singh also reveals that Bang Bang has gained traction in the overseas market because of the production quality and content. In its first phase of overseas release, the movie was launched in 750-800 screens in traditional territories like the US, UK and Middle East. It has become Roshan’s biggest hit overseas and has established him as a force at the global box office.
“Most importantly, with Bang Bang, Fox Star has established itself as a studio with the end-to-end production of the movie, and that too at such a big scale, done in-house. Until now, we were either distribution and marketing partners or co-producers, but with this movie, we have started our journey as a creative production house,” says Singh.
The movie has another 10 days at the cinema halls to rake in the moolah since no major release has been planned until October 24, when Red Chilies Entertainment’s multi-starrer Diwali flick Happy New Year is set to hit the screens.
Vijay Singh from FOX is either a liar or an idiot. Probably both. I completely understand saying things like “The film is a huge hit” or “Everyone loved HR-Kat” or “People are loving the film” but he said “The masses have loved the action”. And that’s just so far from the truth, BB is probably the worst single screen performance from a big action movie since like Don 2. And definitely HR’s worst performing action movie at the single screen. FOX just has no idea what the masses want and that statement just really pissed me off.
There is no way they are going to get a sattelite figure of 50 crores. Just no way…Those days are gone…And specially after the BO performance of bang Bang it will struggle to get anything around 20 crores..
Bang Bang Daily Second Week Business
Wednesday 15 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang has grossed around 18 crore nett in five days of its second weekend, The figures are low. The daily five day second week figures are as follows.
Bang Bang
Friday – 3,15,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
Sunday – 6,00,00,000
Monday – 2,30,00,000
Tuesday – 2,00,00,000
TOTAL – 17,95,00,000
The second week business is looking to be around 21.50 crore nett and the lifetime business at around 140 crore nett for the Hindi version of the film.
Dull Pre Diwali Week Ahead Happy New Year Awaited
Thursday 16 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
There will be two new releases on Friday but not much can be expected from them. Mumbai 125KM and Sonali Cable are not only restricted by no face value but also by the fact they coming on the dullest week of the year. It is Pre Diwali so even if some what decent content is there its unlikely to translate into box office figures.
Both film should record better opening figures than last week’s releases Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami and Tamanchey but that is still from even respectable numbers. Bang Bang and Haider have not sustained well despite a practically three week open run and are likely to fall further although they should collect better than Mumbai 125Km and Sonali Cable.
The wait now is for Happy New Year which is almost certain to set a new all India first day box office record and the question is how far above can it go of the 32 crore nett of Dhoom 3. The film industry had seen a good run from 2006-2012 until business sort of stagnated last year and this year is looking at a poorer result unless Happy New Year and PK can put up big lifetime numbers. There have been three event films this year in Jai Ho, Kick and Bang Bang but only Kick has worked at the box office and so if Happy New Year can work it will even things up as far as event films are concerned.
BOI are desperate for HNY to do well,if it was amitabh starrer then negativity would have started now,what a lot of cobblers,biased srk fanatic site,never ever this site can be trusted ever,anti-amitabh bachan hater
Yes, Vijay BOI are biased and they support all three Khans not only Srk..They have little inclination towards Amir as producers numbers of any Amir film coincide with those of BOI.Apart from this bringing Amitabh here in BO discussion is totally irrelevant as he has lost BO clout since more than two decades.I don’t think BOI or some other source needs to spread negativity for his film as it is foolish to shoot a dead duck.
BOI mostly downplay Hrithik movies just because he is bigger than all three Khans and cause of headache for BOI.They can go to any extent to prove that a Hrithik movie collects less than any of Khan’s movie.
samar,
so amitabh is dead duck.
samar you need to put an application to boi and get another hatred towards big b. at the age of 72 mr amitabh is still kicking well,his rivals are long gone and are 20 light years behind.
samar,
get an hearing aid and a visit to spec-savers and also reminder that ritik has survived because of his dad.
SATYAMSHOT 
October 12, 2014 at 7:23 AM
Krrish:
As early as Day 1 end of day I had said that this movie is going the Ra-1 way….If anything this has gone worse than Ra-1. Ra-1 did 200 crores worldwide on a 100 crore budget. This will struggle to reach 250 crores on a 140 crore budget…Bad result for Hritik and the future is not too rosy as he doesnt have any strength genre movies coming up…
On HNY i am sticking to my 40 cr day 1 estimate. Nothing in the promos that I have seen makes me feel it is going to gross anything less. If the product is half decent, expect 300 crores to fall by Week 2…
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 9:37 AM
Lol Satyam! you have started supporting HNY in a classical way just because Abi is in it..And your claim of 300 cr looks like a dream and nothing else.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 10:12 AM
Actually that’s Krrish’s comment.. shifted it from the other thread here because it was buried under a political discussion..
speaking for myself I am still skeptical about 300.. because I don’t believe Farah Khan’s circuses can have that kind of staying power. Plus the music here is just poor, not the kind of soundtrack one should have in more or less a film with a musical subject. OSO still had the Karz framing which this doesn’t. Having said that there might be a better than expected film here though I’d be surprised if that were the case.
Now could it be a big enough initial that gets one there even with weak trending? Sure. But I’m a bit skeptical whether it can even do this over a 7-10 period. It would have to keep putting up big numbers for this period a la D3 to have that shot. Possible but improbable. Either way I don’t have anything invested in this. As for Abhishek he might have a role/performance here that pleases everyone but since I never had doubts about his skill set it will either take a remarkable performance for me (SRK thinks this is one but my standards let’s see..) and/or a better film than the trailers. So far it’s not just that the trailers make it look like business as usual. I find it awfully poor in every sense. On every score. But yeah a good Abhishek performance is just about the only thing that could make the film watchable for me. Maybe he gets a lot out of this. But that’s different from what I get out of it! Without Abhishek I wouldn’t even check it out in the theater! Actually if I could get a proper transfer on a disc relatively soon I probably wouldn’t check it out in the theater even with him!
The big Diwali film for me is the Shankar/Vikram deal. Nothing else even remotely compares.
Now you must tell when you’re going to begin your reading lessons..
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 10:24 AM
Will you be watching Haider anytime soon?
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 10:45 AM
Satyam, I is not releasing this Diwali. It is pushed to Nov 14th. Only Katthi and Poojai are the Diwali releases down south.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 11:05 AM
yes I heard some rumors earlier. was hoping it was untrue. that’s unfortunate. Goods news for HNY in some of those markets though. Because Vikram and Shankar are big pan-South Indian names as well. Anniyan in fact grossed more in Telugu than in Tamil.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Satyam
Domestic triple century given our infrastructure in India is impossible.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 9:43 AM
In the time you have allowed.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 7:24 AM
Bang Bang And Haider Second Saturday Business
Sunday 12 October 2014 14.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang showed growth of around 50% on its second Saturday. The Friday and Saturday collections of the second week are as follows.
Bang Bang
Friday – 3,15,00,000
Saturday – 4,75,00,000
TOTAL – 7,90,00,000
Haider showed growth of around 85% on its second Saturday. The Friday and Saturday collections of the second week are as follows.
Haider
Friday – 1,40,00,000
Saturday – 2,60,00,000
TOTAL – 4,00,00,000
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 7:38 AM
Have always felt frankly that It’s an achievement that bang bang got completed. I seemed impossible for it to make it for the oct 2 deadline but for HRs superb fight back & katrinas cooperation
It has avoided the SHELVING of a big movie and averted a massive disaster (Which was possible)
The v good box office INSPITE of these factors is ONLY a CHERRY ON THE CAKE —
Sid anand interview –how bang bang got completed under adverse conditions
Hrithik is a very strong person. His strength comes from positivity, as he sees the positive in the most adverse situations. He is warm and respectful to everybody. I have seen other actors, who just don’t treat normal people as people, whereas I have seen Hrithik getting up, offering seats, wishing hello and goodbye, wishing good morning and good night to the crew.
Did you ever feel insecure about Bang Bang getting shelved at any point, given all that Hrithik was going through personally?
This film started against all odds. Hrithik Roshan is approached for every film that is written I would assume. And that the fact that he chose my film over everyone else’s film and that too, after I had delivered a flop film Anjaana Anjani. I wasn’t sure that he would do my film, as he had not signed anything after Krrish3. Everyone was shocked in disbelief, hoping that it would not be made. That started playing on my mind. We did the first schedule in Thailand and Greece. And then he went into his brain surgery. I was in Prague waiting for him but had to come back, obviously, as he could not shoot. I came back three days after his surgery. The last message I got from him said how his brain surgery would propel Bang Bang into being a film even bigger and better than before and he invited me home for lunch with my wife. That was really motivating. Next day, I came back but didn’t hear from him. His mobile was switched off and I didn’t hear anything from him for a month-and-a-half. I knew nothing that was happening. By nature, I will never push and will not make a call. Nobody had access to him other than me. After a month-and-a-half, he surfaced and said, ‘Forgive me for the absence from your life. Just give me 10-12 more days and we will get back full throttle.’ He got into post production and promotions of Krrish3 and we had decided to shoot immediately post that. We were to start shooting in 8 days, when we had to pull the set down as he wanted to go to US to recover. And that is the first time I had a doubt. I didn’t tell him that though. I knew that he is too strong a person, but that’s when the crew lost motivation and the word started coming out that he may not do the film and I heard that he was starting Shuddhi. I knew now that something was wrong and it is at this time that I read the predictions made about Hrithik in one of the newspapers. It said, ‘He will back out of a project that he is currently doing. And the next film that he will start will be in November 2015.’ That was a low. I still didn’t confront it. I am both sensitive and egoistic. He then called me one day and told me, ‘I am not doing Shuddhi any more.’ I was shocked. And suddenly that newspaper prediction made sense to me that it was correct and that he would back out of Shuddhi and not Bang Bang, as I assumed and that he would start his next film in November 2014 and he is starting Mohenjo Daro. I told Hrithik about this incident just recently a few days before the release.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Siddharh-Anand-I-feel-low-only-when-I-have-fought-with-my-wife/articleshow/44783183.cms?intenttarget=no&utm_source=TOI_AShow_OBWidget&utm_medium=Int_Ref&utm_campaign=TOI_AShow
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 8:19 AM
A BOOK RECOMMENDATION from me folks —
Someone told me about this book & since I don’t read books nowadays (due to impatience issues)–she gave me a ‘verbal book review/tour of sorts.
What I heard was damn interesting -I have also read bits …
Highly recommended stuff
The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan Hardcover – 16 Sep 2014
by Jenny Nordberg (Author)
A bacha posh (literally “dressed up like a boy” in Dari) is a third kind of child – a girl who will be raised as a boy and presented as a son to the world. Jenny Nordberg, the reporter who broke this story for The New York Times, constructs a dramatic account of Afghan women and girls clandestinely living on the other side of the gender divide that grants half its population almost no rights and little freedom.
Set against the violent backdrop of America’s longest war, The Underground Girls of Kabul follows Afghan girls who live disguised as boys through childhood and puberty, only to be expected by adult age to transform into subordinate wives and mothers. But the battle of nature versus nurture lingers, and some bacha posh will refuse to rescind their male prerogatives in what the UN calls the world’s most dangerous country to be a woman.
The book is anchored by vivid female characters who bring this ancient phenomenon to life: Azita, a female parliamentarian whose youngest daughter is chosen to pose as her only son; Zahra, the tomboy teenager who struggles with puberty and resists her parents’ attempts to turn her into a woman; Shukria, who was forced to marry and have three children after living for twenty years as a man; and Shahed, an Afghan special forces soldier, still in disguise as an adult man.
Offering a new and original story about Afghanistan and its women, The Underground Girls of Kabul investigates the hidden practice of bacha posh that has affected generations, while examining its parallels to our own history. The act of reaching for more freedom by impersonating a man is one that can be recognized by women everywhere.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 12:44 PM
Paris Hilton, 33, took to micro-blogging site Twitter to share a picture with the Bang Bang star Hrithik
#GoodTimes at @CleDubai with Hrithik Roshan. Such a beautiful restaurant, my new favorite hot spot in… http://t.co/yB68ehXufz
— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) October 12, 2014
Xxxxx
Hrithik Roshan’s night out with Paris Hilton in Dubai
Sunday, 12 October 2014
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-hrithik-roshan-s-night-out-with-paris-hilton-in-dubai-2025410
Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan enjoyed a night out with American socialite Paris Hilton here. The stars had flown down to Dubai for the VIP launch of Cle Dubai, a new restaurant by celebrity chef Greg Malouf.
“#GoodTimes at @CleDubai with Hrithik Roshan. Such a beautiful restaurant, my new favourite hot spot in Dubai,” Hilton posted along with the picture.
Hrithik looked dapper in a grey suit, whereas the hotel heiress looked chic in a black dress.
The other guests present at the star-studded event included Hilton’s sister Nicky, supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk, Carla DiBello and reality star Khloe Kardashian.
Hrithik also spotted with some other gals
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/hrithik-roshan/hrithik-roshan-launch-ceremony-dubai-based-restaurant
Ps : after all the ‘hard work’ during bang bang –it’s good to see HR enjoying the sweet fruits of success.
Totally Well deserved
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 1:16 PM
Now this turning interesting. I’m proud of u HR
Hrithik Roshan and Nargis Fakhri’s dinner date
Thu, October 9, 2014 10:26am UTC by Subhash K Jha, DNA Add first Comment
Tweet
The actors were spotted at a restaurant-pub on Saturday night
No, we aren’t implying anything. Just that the two make an extremely fetching couple… If only they could be a couple. But they are not because Nargis Fakhri is still very close to Hrithik Roshan’s best friend Uday Chopra. But on Saturday night, they walked together into a restaurant-pub Ellipsis in Mumbai.
And here’s an eyewitness account: Hrithik and Nargis walked in first. They looked breathtakingly good together. All eyes at Elipsis turned automatically to them. They are so made-for-each-other, they must do a film together very soon. Just when we thought they had come for a cool cosy dinner date, up popped Uday Chopra behind them, trying to keep up.
That Nargis was enjoying Hrithik’s company more than Uday’s was palpably evident.
Says the eyewitness, “Clearly Hrithik is the new friend in Nargis’ life. And since he is Uday’s best friend this was just a case of the Bang Bang! star innocuously enjoying his pal’s girl’s company.” However, the eyewitness says, “There was far more palpable chemistry between Nargis and Hrithik than between Nargis and Uday. So anything can happen in the future.”
Also, present at the same place at the same time was Ali Zafar who walked in with his publicist. But all eyes at the eatery that Saturday evening, including Uday’s, were on Duggu. Says the eyewitness, “If there is a sequel to Bang Bang! it will star Hrithik and Nargis. She looks much hotter with him than Katrina.”
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/hrithik-roshan-and-nargis-fakhris-dinner-date/
Ps: actually won’t mind a HR-nargis flick
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Re.-Rocky, you’ve gone on a tear here! Thought Modi won..
Satyam, I had barely warmed in responding to the intolerant left with their agenda driven, aimed at brown nosing posts, but you rocked Rocky’s boat shuru mein hee as usual…lol
p.s.- part of it was due to jet lag….
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 10:10 AM
anyway let’s not have political discussions in this thread..
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 11:18 AM
Too much of political discussions of late, I spend lot of time to read comments about movies. Satyam, if you want, create a different thread for people who talk about political topics but don’t let them ruin every movie review thread for that.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 11:33 AM
tried doing that for a while but it became like the Wild West in those threads too and it was drowning out everything else! Had to shut them down.
I will watch the politics in these threads as closely as I can but it does become a bit unfair when you have a film like Haider which is inherently political as a work and where certainly a lot of the political discussion is in order but where people then use this occasion to vent out their feelings on politics as a general matter and this then invites the same sort of response from other quarters. It even becomes a kind of blackmail at points (‘if you say something about my side I’ll say something about yours’!). Now to an extent even a more general political discussion is fine but people just don’t have the maturity to do it (in most cases and on both sides). So either it’s a series of very intemperate comments and/or too many comments burying everything else. But this becomes a conundrum when it’s a film like Haider because it’s hard to discuss it without getting into the politics. Rather than treat this as Bhardwaj’s take and argue with it people decide it’s about a larger problem and keep expanding the discussion. Soon it becomes about Modi and Nehru! But it also speaks to a moment in time when Indians (following the lead of the US and many other countries now where things are completely polarized in every sense) decide that everything from a film to the weather is about right/left divides and talk about every such example in apocalyptic terms. The ‘fanatic’ if you will (because whether one is this or not one speaks about it using such ‘fundamentalist’ language) then starts calling others out for the very same attitude that he or she is indulging in. Again this happens in the US too where a mediatized political discourse divides every single feature of life along such lines and it leads to not just a vulgar, coarsening of things but also contributes to a certain cramped, impoverished, ultimately bankrupt view of life where even liking a sunny day might be considered a Republican or Democratic position! And the online world exacerbates all this too because now you can literally live in your bubble where there are people exactly like you all the time. So even the most perverse or absurd view still finds a reception among ‘like-minded’ people. People quote opinions they like (only such links are supplied), facts are brought up equally selectively (sometimes these might even be true in a literal sense but ripped out of all context these are made to serve the ‘lie’), so on and so forth. In short a bunch of over-zealous crusaders who think the world’s going to end because of one thing or another. Now of course one can argue polemically and passionately about any number of things but the keyword here is ‘argue’. Simply asserting stuff with more and more ferocious zeal if not downright fanaticism does not an argument make. And again it’s hard to police all this without stopping genuine discussion on a film. And I am here fully aware of the tactics many employ. If a filmmaker makes a film that one doesn’t like, one doesn’t just attack him but one makes sure any other sort of discussion on him (or her) also doesn’t get going. Because if it does one does things to create an atmosphere where the entire discussion then has to be stopped. Not just referring to Haider, making a more general point about these things.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 12:23 PM
Looks like there are many others who need lessons in English too!!
http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/jackky-bhagnanis-twitter-faux-pas-calls-malala-yousafzai-masala-678316?utm_source=ndtv&utm_medium=top-stories-widget&utm_campaign=story-15-http%3a%2f%2fmovies.ndtv.com%2fbollywood%2fjackky-bhagnanis-twitter-faux-pas-calls-malala-yousafzai-masala-678316
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 12:42 PM
I quite liked Bang Bang for what it is.
Could have been trimmed by 20-30 min
Hrithik for most part is pretty much perfect in his part and seems to be enjoying himself.
Katrina is fine on her part and this is a good pairing. Photography, locales are excellent.
The plot is what it is. With the plot being what it is , I don’t think there was a better film to be made.
Most people Inhave spoken with seem to have liked the film. It is not the kind of film that would do well at mass centers . Still , it’s a little surprising the numbers are not a bit stronger. I think presence of a viable choice in the from of Haider might have hurt it at BO. With ZNMD and now Bang Bang, HR seems to be coming into his own. I still like him quite a bit inspire of some of his public uttering at the time of Krrish3 release and even now show him in a somewhat poor light.
LikeLike
October 12, 2014 at 7:25 PM
http://www.eenadu.net/Homeinner.aspx?item=break188
Even the statue is not spared by the wind god.
Nature as the ultimate destructor.
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 5:12 AM
Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra add glamour to the opening ceremony of ISL
The opening ceremony of Indian Super League was held in Kolkata. Celebrities like Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra performed at the event.
Infact, Hrithik even lifted Priyanka during their act.
Other team owners like Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan were present.
Eminent personalities like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar made their presence felt.
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/indian-super-league/hrithik-roshan-and-priyanka-chopra-add-glamour-opening-ceremon#19
ps–some nice pics there of some people i like —
HR & PC have a v easy camaraderie- A well taken pic of HR lifting PC–with no blur
abhishrek & ranbir also there (sharing similar issues with HR lol)
a rare pic of HR & Sachin
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 5:22 AM
Bang Bang crosses Dabang & Singham 2
The out-and-out entertainer “Bang Bang!” has flown past the Rs.150-crore mark in India NETT
The Siddharth Anand-directorial’s collection stands at Rs.154.68 crore nett (approximately Rs.221 crore gross) and the total worldwide collection soars to Rs.290.97 crore gross, read a statement.
Released Oct 2, “Bang Bang!” collected $11.3 million (Rs.70 crore) in 11 days in the overseas market.
If the Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif-starrer enthralled massy film lovers in home country, it also managed to perform well in the Middle East, Britain, US, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
The film, that has been produced by Fox Star Studios, was made in the budget of Rs.140 crore.
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/katrina-kaif/bang-bang-crosses-rs150-crore-india
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 7:15 AM
Bang Bang First Week Territorial Breakdown
Monday 13 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang in Hindi grossed good 112.51 crore nett in week one but with so many holidays the collections were not what they should be. The Tamil and telugu versions of the film grossed 1.20 crore nett and 3.25 crore nett respectively.
The film had the best collections in South India and when this happens that means the core markets have not performed and drops in all India business are inevitable. The ratio for Mumbai and Delhi/UP was less than 30% and 20% respectively and a big budget film has to go over these ratios at least in one circuit to score well in long run. The other area which performed well was East India but that was due to holidays due to Puja. The collections have dropped badly after holidays.
Below is the first week (8 days) territorial breakdown of Bang Bang with the territory ratio of the all India business.
http://boxofficeindia.com/Details/art_detail/bangbangfirstweekterritorialbreakdown#.VDu0F0uwjLY
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 7:15 AM
Bang Bang Second Weekend Business
Monday 13 October 2014 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang had a poor second weekend grossing around 13.75 crore nett. The collections of the film have dropped badly in the second weekend The daily second weekend figures are as follows.
Bang Bang
Friday – 3,15,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
Sunday – 6,00,00,000
TOTAL – 13,65,00,000
The business crashed further in mass circuits as a circuit like Rajasthan could not even collect 1 crore nett in it second weekend. It was even worse in CP Berar and CI. Gujarat also continued its poor run. The film was somewhat better in the cities but that is not enough for a big budget film like Bang Bang. The film is looking at a lifetime total of around 140 crore nett.
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 10:23 AM
Reports of BOI are very much biased for BB. This site supports khans only and for others they throw false nos.
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 7:16 AM
Haider Second Weekend Business
Monday 13 October 2014 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Haider has dropped in week two with collections around 7 crore nett. It is a low number for week two. The second weekend figures are as follows
Haider
Friday – 1,40,00,000
Saturday – 2,50,00,000
Sunday 3,25,00,000
TOTAL – 7,15,00,000
Overall the film is an average fair which is set to do lifetime business of around 50 crore nett. The business outside Delhi city, Mumbai city and Bangalore to an extent is a disappointment.
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 9:37 AM
It was pleasant to see Rekha on TV this weekend doing the rounds promoting her next Super Nani both on CNWK and then Big Boss 8. It was a big change to actually see her interact – unlike last few years we have been watching her on award shows coming and handing the best actor trophy at the end like a mannequin.
Her interactions with Salman were damn lively and frolicsome and both shared a very cordial camaraderie and the comfort level was visible on screen. Both were looking ravishing on stage when they danced on the Dagabaaz Re song and the famous dialogue followed from Dabangg but in her own style, “Thappad se darr nahin lagta saab… Pyaar se bhi nahin lagta…woh toh hum beshumaar kar saktey hain. Big B – yaani ki Big Boss se lagta hai..” – Very coy indeed!
Coming to Qalander comment on hosting on other thread of Big B
“Qalandar Says:
October 7, 2014 at 1:01 PM
Even on TV there is a huge gulf between him and everyone else. While my favourite show is Satyamev Jayate, none of the other major Hindi film stars hold my attention in the TV show-format the way he can.”
Though he caters to a different set of audience, Salman too has been a great host and has been holding his own on Bigg Boss with his wit, humor and repartee. With his TV appearances he has effectively knocked down some of the widely held false beliefs (don’t wish to name them here).
Call it a coincidence but similar to Bachchan’s KBC , his 2nd innings came about with Dus Ka Dum – Wanted in 2008 around the same time.
Meanwhile Aamir continues to excel in what he does and another remarkable episode of SMJ on road fatalities and hazards. The live sessions after the episode are a good interaction and he seems relaxed and natural.
TV continues to get more entertaining than the films on offer !
LikeLike
October 13, 2014 at 11:38 AM
Akkineni Amala Exploring Shiva After 25 Years || The Beauty Of Shiva || Shiva Movie Celebrating 25 Years || Shiva is a 1989 Telugu film, written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma, starring Akkineni Nagarjuna, Amala, Raghuvaran, and Paresh Rawal in lead roles
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 6:19 AM
Bang Bang Suffers Badly In Mumbai Circuit
Tuesday 14 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang has suffered badly in Mumbai circuit and that is the reason why its collection will be be below expectations.. The film will collect in 20 crore nett less in Mumbai circuit than Singham returns and a huge 30 crore nett less than Kick.
Bang Bang grossed 7.75 crore nett in Mumbai city in week one (8 days) while Singham Returns with a more mass feel grossed 9 crore nett in just seven days. In a centre like Mumbai city it should have done better than Singham Returns. Ahmedabad the second biggest centre in the circuit would not have been expected to be at Singham Returns level but the gap in business was unthinkable before release.
Basically the lifetime figures in Ahmedabad of Bang Bang will get no where near the the week one figures of Singham Returns. In the first week (8 days) Bang Bang grossed 3.15 crore nett in Ahmedabad while the business of Singham returns was 6 crore nett. Singham Returns is an unbelievable 90% more. In Mumbai circuit, Bang Bang grossed 31.97 crore nett (8 days) while Kick grossed 49.15 crore nett and Singham Returns grossed 46.55 crore nett.
The gaps between Bang Bang and the other two big films are huge in Mumbai circuit and it is due to this circuit that Bang Bang is an under performer. If the film had emerged with even 10% less business than Kick or Singham Returns in Mumbai over its eight days it would have made a huge difference to the final outcome of the film.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 6:20 AM
Bang Bang And Haider Second Monday Business
Tuesday 14 October 2014 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang grossed around 2.25 crore nett on its second Monday taking it four day second week total to around 16 crore nett. The total till date is 128.50 crore nett for the Hindi version. The second week business for Bang bang will be around 21 crore nett. The second week figures will not even be amongst the top five second weeks this year.
Haider grossed around 1 crore nett on its second Monday and it has collected around 8.25 crore nett in four days of its second week. The total business of the film in twelve days is around 43 crore nett. The second week will gross around 10.50 crore nett
Overall Haider is heading for lifetime business in the 50 crore nett range and Bang Bang will finish in the 140 crore nett range.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 8:28 AM
5 Must Watch Movies at Mumbai Film Festival 2014
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/5-must-watch-movies-at-mumbai-film-festival-2014/20141014.htm
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:12 AM
A spokesman of the proscribed Kashmir University Students’ Union said in a statement that the demonstrators forced the film unit to bring down the Indian flag and also forced actor Irrfan Khan to put out his cigarette on the “smoke-free campus”. He alleged that two of the “protesters” were arrested by the police but let off later. “The students came out of the hostels and raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans in the campus. After the situation got out of control, Proctor Naseer Iqbal managed the release of both the students and promised prompt action against the security personnel,” he said.Bhardwaj has reportedly assured Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the film would have nothing to harm the local sensibilities and the political aspirations
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/kashmir-university-students-disrupt-shooting-of-vishal-bhardwaj-film/article5387994.ece
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:13 AM
Decoding Half Truths of Haider and Story Behind Necessary Chutzpa in Kashmir – See more at: http://www.invadecafe.com/article/347-decoding-half-truths-of-haider-and-story-behind-necessary-chutzpa-in-kashmir#sthash.go1EpJ51.Mj7QNWAz.dpuf
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:14 AM
I am now planning to watch it on DVD…
Let me make this very clear that I am voicing my angst against this film as an audience and an Indian. Even though I don’t identify with the subject of the film, I don’t want the film to be boycotted as I don’t want the freedom of speech of the maker to be curbed or squashed. That’s the beauty of India and we Indians. We hoist the flag of expression at the cost of dignity of the armed forces.
If today a Haider can be made, then that day is not too far off when a film will be made of 26/11 and Hemant Karkare, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and the respected others who were martyrs of the dreaded terror attack, will be shown as villains. Investigating officers who had captured Kasab will be portrayed as torturers, while Kasab will shine as the hero of the film because some director chose to see his motivation and the need to kill 164 innocent people of Mumbai.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/7332
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:15 AM
Ashoke Pandit @ashokepandit · 10h 10 hours ago
The presence of ISIS now in Kashmir is a good subject for a film & can be based on Hamlet.Lets see who makes it.?@timesnow @newsxonline
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:25 AM
It’s ironic that throughout the movie the main protagonist keeps reiterating the Yiddish word Chutzpah which, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is defined as personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others.
Strangely enough there is no better illustration of this than the movie itself
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:34 AM
The obvious, low-hanging fruit waiting to be plucked is the Jammu & Kashmir Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1990 (AFSPA), the emergency law that legally empowers the army to search, apprehend, destroy property and shoot to kill on suspicion. The generals insist they need the protection of AFSPA in an environment in which militancy has taken control of the judiciary. In 2011, when J&K chief minister, Omar Abdullah, proposed revoking AFSPA in the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Jammu and Samba, the army’s top commander in the valley, Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain – an officer acclaimed for his outreach – flatly rejected the idea as premature.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/ajai-shukla-india-s-crown-of-thorns-114101301280_1.html
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:48 AM
Mr. Satyam, you need to have strict policy of off topic posts and political discussion. We jump into reading this and start getting long posts about some other topic. Basically everything loses impact.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:15 AM
LOL yes. Had to wade through the spam to see what the BO was of the films.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 10:48 AM
BTW…my prediction of Bang Bang came true…140 cr..total.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 12:12 PM
Try telling that to Apex..
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:09 AM
I agree, have a post for politcs and let people go at it in there.
I’m not discounting somebodys religious/politicale views, I’m just saying that let’s move on from it and talk about films which this blog is primerly on. no?
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:26 AM
I had such a post. It didn’t work because it became a free for all and it drowned out everything else.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:41 AM
But how are my links political ? they are all reviews of the movie Haider , or only one sided reviews are allowed here now ????????
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:55 AM
not referring to your links though for the record I think the negative stuff in this sense outweighs the positive on this blog.. there have been a few pieces from members but otherwise the links have mostly been about those attacking the film for its politics. I don’t have an issue because it is connected with the film but I think it has been ‘one-sided’ on this score. You can find a 100 reviews praising it, a 100 dissing it on the same grounds. My own sense with these things always is less about whether someone likes the film or not but about what is actually being said. I prefer reading meaningful pieces by those who disagree with me than superficial ones by those who agree.
The other thing I’d say as a general matter is that one can’t be as one-sided as one likes because one thinks everyone who thinks otherwise is a “commie” and then question/attack the other side for being one-sided! The other side often plays the very same game. It’s a different matter that I don’t think all arguments are always equal. It all depends on the contexts. If you’re in the Soviet Union there might be some right-wingers but the real threat is always extremism from the left (or leftist totalitarianism). If you’re in present-day America the ‘left’ simply isn’t a problem the way the ‘Right’ is. Of course Tea Party types and many Republicans think otherwise but I think one can arrive at a reasonable objective view on these things. One can believe if one likes that Obama has king-like powers and that he’s shredded the constitution and so forth. The Right feels that those who don’t agree with this are left-wing ideologues! Similarly in present day India the danger comes all from the Right and I could of course quote any number of metrics here. Not just in the US or India but globally too the left has been pretty much on the defensive for the longest time (sometimes there are exceptions that prove the rule). India is not unique in this sense though the same formulations exist everywhere else. You just have to change the names. But again one can always deny everything and say it’s just propaganda on the other side. And one can play this game till eternity.
It’s never about ‘balance’ (first off those who talk about this word have anything but balance on any issue!). It’s about taking sides. If one says Obama’s on one side and the Tea Party on the other and that there should be balance or that one should be a centrist balancing these two I’d say one is crazy!
Whatever the politics of Haider might or might not be and while one has every right to object either way I’m not quite sure why it spells the end of Indian civilization or something! People on both sides often go after things with a certain crusading zeal which then has very little to do with the merits of their case.
Anyway just making a larger point here.
And once again a caveat for others.. this is just directed to Rocky.. those who can’t respond sensibly will see their comments deleted.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:58 AM
Bandra.NRI.. for that personal comment directed to Rocky (which I deleted) your comments will henceforth be held in moderation first. I’ve warned you many times on this, not to resort to such personal name-calling. I have no choice at this point. All ‘normal’ comments will be let through as and when I get a chance to do it. I am very lenient about this stuff (most would say too lenient) but some stuff is beyond the pale.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 12:00 PM
I agree to your points in general. here,
I mentioned that after reading some KP reviews, I am considering to watch the movie on DVD.I have also posted a link which supports repealing the AFSPA, Now personally I am confused whether it should be repealed or not, but I thought the piece was quite insightful and therefore I posted that link here.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 12:02 PM
which is why I wasn’t complaining! Just pointing out that actually there haven’t been too many positive links quoted on the film.
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 11:20 AM
Salma aa gayee, now waiting for Sabrina…..LOL!!
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 3:38 PM
– Rich people are thin/well maintained, poor people are fat. This stems from the fact that cheap food is fatty, rich people don’t eat cheap food — they tend to eat either home-cooked food which is expensive or eat at expensive/healthy places. Unfortunately, it is expensive to be healthy in America.
– Fat people are not respected much in society. Being fat often has the same connotations as being irresponsible towards your body. If you’re thin (and tall, but not as much), people will respect you a lot more and treat you better. You will also receive better customer service if you’re well maintained. This extends my previous point which mentioned that if you’re thin, you’re statistically likely to be rich. Reason why I know this is that I went down from being 210lbs to 148-150lbs. The way people started treating me when I was thin was generally way better than the way I was treated when I was fat. As a small example, the Starbucks baristas were much nicer to me and made me drinks with more care/love.
– Girls are not very promiscuous, contrary to most Hollywood films
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/The-most-surprising-things-about-America-according-to-an-Indian-international-student/articleshow/44799285.cms
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 5:53 PM
Quite liked reading this article, so thought about sharing it here. It does resonate with me, personally speaking. I have found myself agreeing with Richard Dawkins’ belief in science and rational thinking more and more…
Irrational Atheism
Religious beliefs are remarkably various. But sometimes it can seem that there is only one way to be an atheist: asserting, on the basis of reasoned argument, that belief in God is irrational. The aging “new atheists”—Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett, for example—pit reason against faith, science against superstition, and declare for reason and science.
It pictures the universe as a natural system, a system not guided by intelligent design and not traversed by spirits; a universe that can be explained by science, because it consists of material objects operating according to physical laws. In this sense, atheism embodies a whole picture of the world, offering explanations about its most general organization to the character of individual events.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/10/a-leap-of-atheist-faith/381353/?single_page=true
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 6:05 PM
The beauty of belief in science, for me, lies in the observation that the more you know, the less sure you are about your surroundings. There is genuine humility involved in discovering the vastness of the universe. It’s frightening as well…but it most certainly beats the idea of fighting over which imaginary God is more powerful!
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 7:33 PM
Imagination has taken over and Science has to bust it. Meanwhile nature doing its duty in it own way.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 8:27 AM
‘idea of fighting over which imaginary God is more powerful!”
It is not imaginary 🙂
It is as real as you and me.
And we are non-separate from Bhagvan!
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 6:00 PM
IMAGE FROM DO [Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar]..
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/images/id/749651/type/view/imageid/2682828
LikeLike
October 14, 2014 at 6:41 PM
Arresting image though that’s par for the course as far as Bejoy Nambiar is considered. Shaitan and especially David were visually very strong films. I just hope that time VVC has given him a solid enough plot to work with as well. Quite like Farhan’s look here.
Some pics from the shoot-
http://www.timesofindia.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Amitabh-Bachchan-and-Farhan-Akhtar-shoot-in-Delhi/articleshow/44812314.cms
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 6:03 AM
Thoughtful piece by Saif Ali Khan-
“What is religion? What is faith? Does a perfect definition exist? I don’t know. But I know doubt. I’m intrigued by the politics of doubt. Doubt gives us faith. Doubt keeps us questioning what keeps us alive. If we become sure of something, then there is a danger of becoming fanatical.
Religion needs to be separated from a lot of things. Our religions are based on fear. The Old Testament spoke of a Promised Land for a people, but there were people already living there. The problem is still burning today. There have been too many atrocities committed in the name of god.
I know good people are scared of marrying their daughters to Muslims. They fear conversion, quick divorces, multiple marriages — basically, it suits the boys a bit more than the girls. All this is undoubtedly outdated. A lot of Islam needs to modernise and renew itself in order to be relevant. We also need a loud moderate voice to separate the good from the evil. Islam today is more unpopular than it has ever been. This is a great shame to me, as I have always thought of Islam as the moon, the desert, calligraphy and flying carpets, the thousand and one nights. I have always thought about it as a religion of peace and submission. As I grew older, I saw religion twisted and used so badly by men that I distanced myself from all man-made religion. I choose to be as spiritual as I can be.
Anyway, I digress. The good news is that no one needs to convert from their religion to get married. The Special Marriage Act, when applicable, is the paramount law of the land. If you marry under this, it is upheld over any religious law. It is truly secular.
The fabric of India is woven from many threads — English, Muslim, Hindu and many others. A major concern in today’s India is that we keep deleting our past. To say Muslims don’t have a role in India is denying their importance and contribution. It is like saying women don’t have a part to play in India. Why do we need to deny Islam? It’s what we are. We come with our mix. To deny this is to cheat us of our inheritance. I don’t know what “love jihad” is. It is a complication created in India. I know intermarriages because I am a child of one and my children are born out of it. Intermarriage is not jihad. Intermarriage is India. India is a mix. Ambedkar said the only way to annihilate caste is intermarriage. It is only through intermarriage that the real Indians of tomorrow can be truly equipped to take our nation forward with the right perspective. I am the product of such a mixed marriage and my life has been full of Eid and Holi and Diwali. We were taught to do adaab and namaste with equal reverence.
It is sad that too much importance is given to religion, and not enough to humanity and love. My children were born Muslim but they live like Hindus (with a pooja ghar at home), and if they wanted to be Buddhist, they would have my blessing. That’s how we were brought up.”….
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/intermarriage-is-not-jihad-it-is-india/99/
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 9:02 AM
“My children were born Muslim”
Really? Why was that so? If he truly wanted to give religious freedom, he could have given them hindu-christian names? Why Sharmila gave all her kids muslim names AFTER converting to Islam herself? Not a single child was given Hindu name. Same goes for Saif/Amrita’s kids. He or his family is NOT practicing liberalism that he speaks of and his article is full of lies. So this is from a rich, ‘liberal’ practisioner. What to talk of others from his faith!
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 11:36 AM
The essential question you’re asking is a fair one. But whether you are credible at all in any sense to raise it is another matter altogether. One cannot be a critic of liberalism from the site of a deep fundamentalism!
Of course no one starts off with a blank slate in life. Nor is the Desai ideal regrettably available to us. So even in the most liberal households (in this sense) kids are usually not called Amar, Akbar, Anthony! Incidentally Kareena hasn’t converted.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 11:40 AM
I don’t think you can define Liberalism by what people name their children by. By that token hardly anyone I know is Liberal. And I don’t know any Hindu who has a traditional “muslim” name or any Muslim who has a traditional “hindu” name. I do however know muslims and hindus who retain names that could easily be Christian.
I am not saying Saif is Liberal…just that expecting names of babies to derive how Liberal someone is not going to happen.
Society is not ready for this level of Liberalism. It will cause the identity of the religion to be diluted.
Religion is an identity and faith and every person of that Religion deserves the right to practise it and that includes the names. There is no moral obligation to swap names to prove something. The act of Liberalism is behaving like one not be be something you are not.
i.e.
Do onto others what you want done on you.
What if the boot was on the other shoe…
Treat others like you want to be treated
Everyone deserves a fair crack…
ETC…
It basically boils down too we all eat, sleep, shit and piss. Everything else is just noise created by factions, divisions, traditions and principles. The noise can be beautiful as it creates diversity. It’s the bad noise, finger pointing and “mines bigger than yours” attitude that needs to be done away with.
What next? I am expected to eat Fish and Chips every day to practise Christianity instead of Curry and Roti? Or maybe I should wear a turban to prove liberalism? It’s not about what you wear, say, do, eat or practise. It’s basically how you treat the other person in the room if that person is different to you. Do you judge, talk, walk and communicate in the same way as if it were someone from your village or town, same faith etc. Do you set a higher hurdle for that person? Do you stereotype etc.
And trust me, I stereo type, I can be stubborn, judgemental etc. but then motive and imperfection has a large part to play.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 11:49 AM
yes true, these things are part of one’s cultural identity as well. Many people are culturally part of a ‘faith’ without practicing it in any sense much less believing in it. And of course Saif was rather young when he had kids the first time around. I recall as interview of his not too long ago where he talked about maturing in life as one grew older and how one should really have different concerns, broaden one’s horizons and how cinema needn’t be the beginning and end of everything. I think this piece very much reflects that person. Now of course one can crib about his imperfections but you’ve already responded adequately to this!
I do concede that these issues do get gendered in certain ways which reflect deep-seated histories and traditions and of course prejudices. For instance you will almost never see a Hindi film with a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl though the opposite is the norm. But again this isn’t something that I have a problem with in the sense that it doesn’t top the list of my concerns! Similarly Saif’s sentiments here are I think unobjectionable unless of course one is seeking perfection! And again not to deny the more serious discussion that can be had in a deeper sense on this (and which probably belongs on a Satyamev Jayate episode!) but you’re again right in that one cannot equate such dubious notions of perfection with a liberal attitude. Again in cinema Amitabh Bachchan is among the most liberal people imaginable. But we don’t ask him to marry minorities first and prove it in that way!
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:30 PM
“For instance you will almost never see a Hindi film with a Muslim boy and a Hindu girl though the opposite is the norm”-
True. The last film I can recall where there was a Muslim boy and Hindu girl was the underrated “Anwar” and that was some 7-8 years ago. Incidentally the Mithoon soundtrack in the film is one of the heights of the decade (not just Maula Mere Maula, but also tracks like Tose Naina Lage Re)
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:34 PM
Not very many examples of Muslim man-Hindu woman romances in Hindi films but I’ve always thought of “Jab Jab Phool Khile” as one.
PS. Agree on the excellence of the “Anwar” songs – love both of the ones you’ve mentioned.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 11:06 AM
kudos to Saif.
Must say he has bigger balls than the three other Khans combined.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 11:18 AM
yes great piece.. incidentally it’s longer than what Saurabh has quoted..
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:12 PM
All 4 khans married hindu girls. I wish their kids were named Amar, Akbar, Anthony too! On Saif : Andho mei kana raja
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Amar and Akbar is fine, but Anthony? that’s asking for too much 🙂
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:05 PM
“Amar and Akbar is fine, but Anthony? that’s asking for too much ” Kareena (karishma and their mom as well) are practicing Christians. So when they have kids 😉
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:50 PM
I don’t find this odd. It is quite natural and traditional to born the surname and religion of the man in the house. Based on that having Muslim names for the children is not a surprise, nor anti-liberal or whatever. It might be more traditional and in keeping with the centuries of male dominance.
Now tell me, which man has ever taken the surname of a woman or the religion of the woman? Wouldn’t that be a bigger statement of Liberalism?
I think this is more a debate about sexes than religion, the one on names etc. Or part Religion of the man and part because of MAN! LOL
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:52 PM
agreed on all counts.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:14 PM
“in keeping with the centuries of male dominance.
Now tell me, which man has ever taken ” so basically you are saying it is all love jihad? Akbar married hindu Jodha but the kids born was still Muslim. Anyhow, Salman khan’s mom was hindu who converted. Sharmila is/was hindu at least converted on paper. She has begum something or other name. Aamir’s grandmom/mom were/are hindus. Basically offspring is not given a choice the way Saifu is declaring in his innocent piece!
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 2:04 PM
Given that you’re expecting one of the greatest emperors of his age not have his kids follow his religion and this 5 centuries ago I suppose there’s hope for Saif..!
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:27 PM
“It is quite natural and traditional to born the surname and religion of the man in the house.”
Traditional certainly, but what’s “natural” about deferring to the name and religion of the man in a couple? I do think there is a spectrum of gender and religious “liberalism” and it’s fair to judge how enlightened one is in these areas by looking at things like’s children’s names. IIRC, SRK’s, kids’s names are Aryan and Suhana. I do interpret that as a sign of religious open-mindedness.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:39 PM
I’d rather look at how the kids are bought up than their names. There is no connection to a name and a bad deed…but a tough upbringing or schooling can show kids going off the rail later in life.
It’s a name at the end of the day…Not as important as how the parents bring that child up. Rather trivial in the grander scheme of things
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 2:13 PM
Not ‘natural’ in any strict sense (what is?) but certainly male authority and the male signature in this sense are a lot more transcultural, have a lot more ancient (read ‘caveman’!) roots and therefore transcend any notion of organized religion. These are anthropological/sociological issues found in every age and culture (or almost.. there are of course exceptions.. but for instance why does the child take the father’s name at all? The same ‘lineage’ principle works either way). Which is why I said initially this ‘gender’ point was a fair one to raise but it’s different from a religious issue. Saif could be an atheist and still insist on this. On the names remember though that he married the first time around when he was rather young. He might not do the same next time.
SRK has covered all three categories though — the normative name (in the sense of being connected with one belief system – Aryan), then the ambiguous one (could be both — Suhana), finally the freaky one (even if still connected to a belief system — AvRam, he even has an odd spelling, it’s the Hebrew version of Abraham). Of course not the absence here — he doesn’t have a completely ‘religious’ Hindu or Muslim name. Even Aryan though not a name a Muslim would normally keep still has more racial connotations than anything else. It’s not like Ram or Arjun or something. And AvRam is again not a name a Muslim ever keeps. Not sure if this suggests more ‘enlightenment’ necessarily. But this would be a longer debate. The point I’m trying to make is I don’t automatically consider people more enlightened one way or the other based on these name choices. Much as I don’t consider a Hindu who only marries a Hindu and so on (or a Muslim who does the same or whatever) automatically less enlightened. Because it seems to me that if we follow that logic connected with the name we should also be saying this. It’s fair to say that having made the decision to marry someone of a different faith the bar is raised in certain ways. But perhaps one doesn’t marry for these reasons at all. One just likes the other without committing anything to the other in any deeper sense. Similarly though the bar might be lower when one just stays within the fold one was born in the question becomes: why does one do so?
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 2:45 PM
>which man has ever taken the surname of a woman or the religion of the woman?
I don’t know if you mean in India alone or also the rest of the world.
I know many cases where this has happened. A man taking on his wife’s surname. It’s legal in some countries in Europe.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 2:46 PM
Sure it could happen…and has but just have not seen it.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 12:53 PM
who’s the 4th married Khan?
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 1:19 PM
I think it’s absolutely correct that 99% of the time in these inter-religious marriages the Hindu lady is “forced” to adopt Islam after marriage. Someone like Gauri is really an exception to the rule.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 12:34 AM
Irrfan?
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 7:56 PM
Funny. Calling yourself an atheist needs balls? Why would other Khans need to do something similar when they believe in gods? Btw, Naseer and Javed Akhtar are self confessed atheist from decades who belong to muslim background. Nothing new from Saif to say this.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 12:43 AM
I think naming one’s kids is a superficial exercise to show to the world that one is broadminded. If the kids are allowed to choose their religions, then it will be good. Or no religion at all. Salman Khan’s mother is a hindu. If he was named Shantanu(popular marathi name), would he have been as famous? Would Eid would have made any difference? Abdul Kalam is one of the most secular and sane voices. And the most loved one by all the Indians. That is because he spoke more about science and technology and kept his religious beliefs to himself.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 8:21 AM
‘Happy New Year’s Abhishek Bachchan Gets Candid on Films and Sports
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2014 5:30 pm
R.M. Vijayakar, India West
Mumbai — According to Shah Rukh Khan, the star and producer of “Happy New Year,” Abhishek Bachchan’s and Deepika Padukone’s characters are the most pivotal to the plot and are their very spine.
We meet Abhishek Bachchan (Bachchan Jr.), who is dressed casually complete with a perky orange cap, on the ninth floor of the Red Chillies building Oct. 13. He is full of energy, belying the tight schedules the team is following 10 days prior to the “Happy New Year” release.
His gear is what probably makes us take on his fascination for sports first, as he owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers, a professional Kabaddi team. “I have been very passionate about sports from childhood, from the age of nine when I was in a British boarding school,” the actor told India-West.
Bachchan Jr. is convinced that once the “khel-kudd” (playing and jumping around) concept is junked, India can excel in multiple sports. “I am mad about cricket and football, though I was good at basketball. And the one thing I wish to change about sports in India is the popular and age-old perception that sports are just khel-kudd! Today, it is not only a career option but a very viable one.”
The latest buzz is that Chennaiyin FC, the professional football team that he also owns, will attend the “Happy New Year” premiere, but he neither confirms nor denies this.
We move on to the topic of how his father celebrated his birthday Oct. 11. Bachchan Jr.s’ face lights up and he says, “Dad spent it the way he is happiest — quietly, with family. We live in the same house but thanks to our crazy schedules I met him after four days! My sister had also come down and that completed our family. On top of that, karwa chauth fell on that day, too.”
How much does Bachchan Jr. believe in the premise of the film “Happy New Year”?
“I do believe that when you are defeated, life does give you that second chance to be a winner. And the secret is to recognize it and take advantage,” he replies. “A positive approach throughout life helps in making us know instinctively when that chance comes.”
One field in which Bachchan is very successful is as a producer of films, and he agrees. What is his secret? “To be realistic is the most important thing of all,” he told India-West. “Don’t spend more than you can afford, and try and avoid loss. Another secret is to keep it simple and not complicate it unnecessarily.” Bachchan is now co-producing his father’s “Shamitabh” with R. Balki.
As a producer, he has to be economical, which Bachchan Jr. emphasizes that an actor or director can never be. “Though we had my father in the cast, I thought that ‘Paa’ would work best within 15 to 17 crore. I even rejected an offer to sell it for 60 crore, because it would have been a flop then. Films do not flop, budgets do. I made a lot of money on ‘BBuddah Hoga Terra Baap’ too, which I completed in even less money — 10 crore.”
By the same token, he grins and says that Shah Rukh Khan is a great producer for his actors, but bad for himself. “He is not economic [sic],” he sums up with a grin. “He gives us all so much.”
But as an actor, he finds Shah Rukh the same as when they last worked on “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna” eight or nine years ago. “And he is as much fun and passionate as ever, and as excited about his work. Being around him you learn so much, not just about the craft of acting but also because he is such a wise soul and a font of knowledge.”
Bomsi (as he calls Boman Irani) also is able to talk on almost any topic under the sun. “I respect him so much and have followed him closely ever since he was a huge theater actor in plays like ‘I’m Not Bajirao,’” reveals Bachchan. “I love spending time with him and can ask him anytime on advice as an actor, too. We first worked together in ‘Bluffmaster!’ and since then in more films too.”
Deepika Padukone’s growth has fascinated Bachchan, as they had worked together in the 2010 “Khelein Hum Jee Jan Sey.”
“It’s wonderful to see her grow and do so well,” he comments, adding that Farah Khan is always very maternal towards him (Abhishek had done a cameo in “Om Shanti Om” as well). “Yesterday, [Khan] was in Ahmedabad and I in Kolkata and she called up just to say that she was missing me!” he smiles. “We fool around but I have a lot of respect for her. In an era where we find so many new directors trying out new kinds of cinema, she is holding fort, that too being a woman, for the kind of films we grew up on — the masala Hindi cinema!”
Terming Vivaan Shah “the baby of the unit but a unique performer,” Bachchan expresses his affection for Sonu Sood as well, as a kind of elder brother who “ensures that I eat properly and takes care of me. We go to the gym together and I was also his producer of ‘Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap,’” he explained.
Speaking of that film starring his father, which of his films would Bachchan Jr. like to remake, as when Shah Rukh Khan had done “Don” and Hrithik Roshan had done “Agneepath?” Abhishek merely replies, “Mujhe baksh do yaar (Spare me friend!). I do not want to do any of dad’s films. On the other hand, see him in all of them and I want to do each and every one of them! But then I think of his brilliant performances and I know that I should not even think of it!”
Having worked last with Aamir Khan in “Dhoom:3” and Shah Rukh and Amitabh Bachchan as well, Abhishek enumerates the common factor that makes them all superstars.
“Look, they are all in this position in life for a reason,” he said. “It’s not luck or their films’ successes. They are so hardworking and dedicated and know their jobs so immensely well. They are complete professionals, though it is easy to disregard the way they have come up and remained super-stars.
“Their approach is very similar and they have very hard to reach that level. At their stage, they can tell any director that they know their jobs, but instead of ego, there is complete humility and a desire to please! My father is 72, but he’s like a nervous child who practices his lines all night for a shoot the next morning! When he had used a different voice in ‘Agneepath’ and people thought that it was a technical gaffe, he had gone to a dubbing [studio] and re-dubbed the entire film, sitting up all night!”
Abhishek Bachchan is now doing Umesh Shukla’s “All Is Well” and declares that he will only do those films whose scripts touch him. “I am often asked why I don’t want to do solo hero films. I think that the only solo hero was Sunil Dutt-saab’s experimental ‘Yaadein,’ in which there was no other actor.
“Take my ‘Guru’ – do you mean to say that Mithun (Chakraborty)-da and R. Madhavan were nothing in it? Or was ‘Refugee’ a solo hero film when Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty and Kulbhushan Kharbanda had major contributions?”
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 8:33 AM
A very nice and intelligent comment from Saif here. A day or two earlier had read below article and wished to comment on this blog on the non ending political and sometimes religious debate as distrust of muslim is at the core of this issue:
Hardly-any-Indian-Muslim-indulges-in-terrorism
‘The president said the country has been fortunate as hardly any among the 150 million Muslims -second largest population after Indonesia – indulges in terrorism.’
Above seems to be the universal fact of course barring a few unruly elements which are on either side of the aisle. I guess most commentators here are either Indians or of Indian origin….. So I don’t know why each one of us are running pillar to post to prove the other is incorrect. All these constant innuendos / insinuations just bring distrust and don’t serve any purpose and the faster we as a nation realize the better it will be for the future of nation building. To be fair this kind of angst/ debate is more common among people who are disconnected with ground realities / nri types who live in isolation unlike common people in India who is much at ease with each other’s presence.
With respects to PM Modi (thorny issue for few here) commonsense dictates India desperately needed a Modi type personality in current state of affairs to give some sort of dignity and respectability to the nation. Until now he has proven himself to be the correct choice by being more of a karmyogi than just being a bol bachchan. He has taken few bold initiatives and it’s up to the people of India to get things moving from hereon as leadership is in place now.
It is important PM Modi single-mindedly take a clean cut path towards development & progress as nothing else will work at the moment due to polarized views. Yes sometime what worries me is if the going gets tough for a few in power a lot many riots will be created to vitiate the atmosphere, divert attention and polarize people and that will where real test of PM Modi will come at play. These diversions are never good for any county in the long run and ‘United we stand divided we fall’ has a lot of meaning which we may learn ultimately but at a cost after getting nowhere. Look at the mandir-masjid issue which has put a good 25 years of our lives to senseless posturing with no results in sight.
We have Pakistan sitting on the fence which encourages these kind of events and the Thackeray/ Togadia type personalities to gain prominence and thereby increasing discontent among people esp. the minorities. And for the record it’s not easy to take down these countries since we are not America where we are separated ‘naturally’ by vast oceans and afford to fcuk around with the world the way they do.
Rest on all the conspiracy theorists for each event happening across the world , there is no end to these things and now it’s all muddled into politics and world affairs and we really don’t know what is genuine and what is fake. We are reaching a stage where common man needs to just mind his own business, look after his friends and family and follow religion and beliefs within the confines of 4 walls. All this display of overt fanaticism can lead to insanity.
My two cents on the hardliners (either side) of this political / religious debate here.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 7:36 AM
Dhoni….superb comment!!
I had posted the following observation elsewhere..
omrocky786 Says:
October 12, 2014 at 5:48 AM
An Jo, appreciate that sir…means a lot.
BTW I was in Pune last two weeks, and my relative’s driver is a Muslim and is a Sallu Bhai fan. We became friends as he drove me around, and took me to his home to meet his wife and mom.. I was pleasantly surprised..The flat next to him had the Shubh -Labh, his flat had an Urdu inscription, His wife is educated , I said Aadaab to her and she replied back in Namsatey.
I weas really impressed by Pune…..
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 2:21 PM
It is of course nobody’s contention that only positive remarks can or need to be made about the legacy of a writer, living or deceased. However, given Karnad’s record, it is his practised duplicity on the question that jars. In all these long years, and as long as Ananthamurthy was alive, Karnad didn’t mutter as much as one negative word about the former’s work. And barely a month after his death, we are treated to this torrent of strident attacks. The duplicity is magnified when we consider the fact that the celluloid adaptation of Ananthamurthy’s Samskara was one of the steps of the success-ladder Karnad clim¬bed—he played the protagonist Pranesha¬ch¬arya. Apparently, Karnad spares none—first it was Bhyrappa’s two novels, and now it is Ananthamurthy’s turn. Needless to say, Karnad “regretted” Samskara as well.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article/The-Many-Masques-Of-The-Playwright/292203
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 12:32 AM
He is confused. Or has become cynical like Naseer.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 4:40 PM
Bang Bang! collected 304 crore (US$49 million) worldwide in 13 days.[4]
India
Bang Bang! had excellent opening day (Thursday) collections of 27.54 crore (US$4.5 million).[98] On its second day (Friday) it collected 24.08 crore (US$3.9 million).[99] On its third day (Saturday) Bang Bang! collected 20.1 crore (US$3.3 million). The Sunday collection was 22.41 crore (US$3.6 million) , leading to whooping extended weekend collection of 94.13 crore (US$15 million).Film collected 15.36 crore (US$2.5 million) on Monday,10.31 crore (US$1.7 million) on Tuesday, 8.23 crore (US$1.3 million) nett on Wednesday and 7.42 crore (US$1.2 million) nett on Thursday which was quite steady,thus making a total collection of 135.45 crore (US$22 million)in the extended week run of 8 days.[100][101] The film collected about 4 crore (US$650,000) in it’s first week and thus became the highest grossing Hindi film in Kerala.[102] As of 14th October,the film now stands with a total collection of 161.78 crore (US$26 million) at the domestic box office.
Overseas
Bang Bang! collected 76.85 lakh (US$120,000) in day one in Pakistan and became the highest opener in the country’s box office history.[103] On it’s opening weekend the film earned $25.4 million worldwide from about 4,700 screens in more than 8 foreign markets. The biggest debut came from UAE ($1.8 million from 44 screens), North America ($1.35 million from 271 screens), UK ($922K from 116 screens).[104] As of 13th October it collected 72 crore (US$12 million) from overseas.[105] 3
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Bang!
Katrinas deglam look in phantom
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/katrina-kaif/katrina-s-deglam-look-phantom-yay-or-nay
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 4:43 PM
Bang Bang runs into profit in week one itself
The movie, costliest from the Fox stable in India till date, marks the biggest opening for Hrithik Roshan ever
Urvi Malvania | Mumbai October 14, 2014 Last Updated at 19:34 IST
RELATED NEWS
Bang Bang is Hrithik’s highest opener till date
Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif’s action romance flick Bang Bang is achieving one milestone after another for its producer Fox Star Studios and for the lead pair. The movie, costliest from the Fox stable in India till date, marks the biggest opening for Roshan ever and has also managed to movie into profit in the first week of release.
Bang Bang, directed by Siddharth Anand, started its campaign at the box office on October 2 with net collections of Rs 27.5 crore and has gone on to make Rs 158.29 crore in 12 days. In the overseas market, the movie has made 72 crore, taking the worldwide collection to Rs 230 crore.
Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios says, “With Bang Bang, we tried to introduce a new kind of action to Bollywood and it’s clicked very well with the masses. People have appreciated the movie for its thrills and are also liking the Hrithik and Katrina pairing. In the first week itself, we were in the green when you consider the worldwide box office collections, the revenue from satellite and music and home video. For a big budget movie, that’s a big thing.”
In its first week, Bang Bang had domestic collections of Rs 135 crore and overseas revenues in the range of Rs 57-58 crore. The producer’s share, Singh informs, was close to Rs 120 crore (total) while the satellite, home video and music rights have brought in another Rs 50 crore to Fox, taking the total revenue for the producer to Rs 170 crore. With a total cost of production in the range of Rs 140 to 150 crore, the movie had, in its first week itself, made a profit of around Rs 20 crore.
However, given its huge cost, the movieis not likely to break-even through domestic box office revenuesonly. Unlike Viacom18’s Queen and Mary Kom or UTV Motion Pictures’ and Dharma Productions’ or Balaji Motion Pictures’ Ragini MMS, Bang Bang will not be able to break-even at the domestic office level.
Singh also reveals that Bang Bang has gained traction in the overseas market because of the production quality and content. In its first phase of overseas release, the movie was launched in 750-800 screens in traditional territories like the US, UK and Middle East. It has become Roshan’s biggest hit overseas and has established him as a force at the global box office.
“Most importantly, with Bang Bang, Fox Star has established itself as a studio with the end-to-end production of the movie, and that too at such a big scale, done in-house. Until now, we were either distribution and marketing partners or co-producers, but with this movie, we have started our journey as a creative production house,” says Singh.
The movie has another 10 days at the cinema halls to rake in the moolah since no major release has been planned until October 24, when Red Chilies Entertainment’s multi-starrer Diwali flick Happy New Year is set to hit the screens.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/bang-bang-runs-into-profits-in-a-week-114101401060_1.html
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 5:57 PM
Vijay Singh from FOX is either a liar or an idiot. Probably both. I completely understand saying things like “The film is a huge hit” or “Everyone loved HR-Kat” or “People are loving the film” but he said “The masses have loved the action”. And that’s just so far from the truth, BB is probably the worst single screen performance from a big action movie since like Don 2. And definitely HR’s worst performing action movie at the single screen. FOX just has no idea what the masses want and that statement just really pissed me off.
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 7:56 PM
Yaar, let it go 🙂
LikeLike
October 15, 2014 at 9:26 PM
the nos. speak of themselves – where is the lying involved here? 150+ cr is any day a good no.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 6:55 AM
There is no way they are going to get a sattelite figure of 50 crores. Just no way…Those days are gone…And specially after the BO performance of bang Bang it will struggle to get anything around 20 crores..
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 12:30 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Most-controversial-posters-of-Bollywood/photostory/44825684.cms
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 6:19 AM
Bang Bang Daily Second Week Business
Wednesday 15 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bang Bang has grossed around 18 crore nett in five days of its second weekend, The figures are low. The daily five day second week figures are as follows.
Bang Bang
Friday – 3,15,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
Sunday – 6,00,00,000
Monday – 2,30,00,000
Tuesday – 2,00,00,000
TOTAL – 17,95,00,000
The second week business is looking to be around 21.50 crore nett and the lifetime business at around 140 crore nett for the Hindi version of the film.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 6:20 AM
Dull Pre Diwali Week Ahead Happy New Year Awaited
Thursday 16 October 2014 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
There will be two new releases on Friday but not much can be expected from them. Mumbai 125KM and Sonali Cable are not only restricted by no face value but also by the fact they coming on the dullest week of the year. It is Pre Diwali so even if some what decent content is there its unlikely to translate into box office figures.
Both film should record better opening figures than last week’s releases Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami and Tamanchey but that is still from even respectable numbers. Bang Bang and Haider have not sustained well despite a practically three week open run and are likely to fall further although they should collect better than Mumbai 125Km and Sonali Cable.
The wait now is for Happy New Year which is almost certain to set a new all India first day box office record and the question is how far above can it go of the 32 crore nett of Dhoom 3. The film industry had seen a good run from 2006-2012 until business sort of stagnated last year and this year is looking at a poorer result unless Happy New Year and PK can put up big lifetime numbers. There have been three event films this year in Jai Ho, Kick and Bang Bang but only Kick has worked at the box office and so if Happy New Year can work it will even things up as far as event films are concerned.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 11:42 AM
BOI are desperate for HNY to do well,if it was amitabh starrer then negativity would have started now,what a lot of cobblers,biased srk fanatic site,never ever this site can be trusted ever,anti-amitabh bachan hater
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 1:26 PM
Yes, Vijay BOI are biased and they support all three Khans not only Srk..They have little inclination towards Amir as producers numbers of any Amir film coincide with those of BOI.Apart from this bringing Amitabh here in BO discussion is totally irrelevant as he has lost BO clout since more than two decades.I don’t think BOI or some other source needs to spread negativity for his film as it is foolish to shoot a dead duck.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 1:32 PM
BOI mostly downplay Hrithik movies just because he is bigger than all three Khans and cause of headache for BOI.They can go to any extent to prove that a Hrithik movie collects less than any of Khan’s movie.
LikeLike
October 16, 2014 at 6:14 PM
samar,
so amitabh is dead duck.
samar you need to put an application to boi and get another hatred towards big b. at the age of 72 mr amitabh is still kicking well,his rivals are long gone and are 20 light years behind.
samar,
get an hearing aid and a visit to spec-savers and also reminder that ritik has survived because of his dad.
LikeLike