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337 Responses to “Bombay Velvet, Piku (ongoing), the rest of the box office”
Ranbir Kapoor Only Real Plus For Bombay Velvet
Thursday 14 May 2015 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
This week will see the release of Bombay Velvet after many delays and its main plus is Ranbir Kapoor who has good a following amongst the youth which watches film in multiplexes. When an actor with some sort of star pull is presented well it gives the film an extra push but here its about what the star alone can do initially without help from music or content.
If the film was made on half the cost then the star power of Ranbir Kapoor may have been enough but not at this level. The metros may even take a good initial but the A centres like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, Jodhpur, Ludhiana, Lucknow etc which are the key to big numbers for any filmmay be the problem for the film
No film has performed in these cities this year with Gabbar Is Back putting up best numbers but that being a South style film was always going to limit it. Still if Bombay Velvet can surpass Gabbar Is Back in these places then it may have a decent final total as if these citis are higher then the metros will be much higher.
Bombat Velvet Is First Big Budget Urban Niche Film
Thursday 14 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The biggest film of the year so far will release this week with a landing cost of well over 100 crore but that is just on paper whereas on screen it looks a niche urban drama which has a limited market of 6-7 cities. It is the first film of this sort which has a cost which is this high.
It is tenth Hindi film to have cost of over 100 crore following likes of Dhoom 3, Bang Bang, Happy New Year, Kick and Chennai Express amongst others. The difference between these films and Bombay Velvet is that they looked big budget extravaganzas and irrespective of content opened big all over the country. The lowest opening for a film costing 100 crore plus is Ra.One at 14.50 crore nett in 2011 and that 14.50 crore nett came on Diwali Puja which hits business in most parts of the country.
There is talk in the industry of a big threat from Hollywood which is not really the case as yet but it will be reality if the industry continues to be infatuated with these urban films, if the content is not urban then the story telling style is which puts lid on the growth of the industry and basically this has been the problem this year so far.
If Bombay Velvet pulls it off then that would give a lot of hope to this urban cinema being made today as it gives a sign that this sort of recovery is possible. Realistically it will be hard as historically the audience outside the metros has never patronised this type of cinema.
Karan Johar has really hijacked this film and made it into a Dharma production. I am wondering at the amount of time, money and his own resources he has put in here for his so called archfoe Kashyap. He even announced a new project just to save Ranbir’s career. Anushka was dead duck anyway after that atrocious lip job. KJO seems to be the single most destabilizing factor of bollywood in terms of politicking and camp ‘baazi’. …..and to think most of his interviews he is cribbing about lack of unity and bitchy bollywood.
Coming to BV there seems to be excessive marketing and the genre may not support all this. Kashyap for all his ‘so called’ brilliance is a copy and paste international filmmaker. Most of these so called indie/geniuses sit and translate an international movie to Indian setting but it seems here in BV the temptation to make a Godfather was so immense that he forgot to transform an American city into real Bombay. I have not seen the movie yet but the hats / cigars and suits make me wonder which Bombay are they talking about.
No point posting few of the Dubai based user reviews which have been disparaging and KRK being prominent among them here is Mihir Fadnavis who is kind to the movie but seems to have pointed the same –
” Rather than being its own beast, Bombay Velvet is more a throwback to older, better gangster films by Hollywood legends like Martin Scorsese, the Coen brothers and Curtis Hanson. There’s a Goodfellas car-trunk nudge and a Miller’s Crossing hat wink, and neither of them add anything to the plot except for fan service and a strain for greatness that remains out of reach.”
You see, I tried liking this film. I really did. So when the movie opened with a young boy landing in Bombay with his bechari maa, I could see him slip into the underworld, the mother being sold to prostitute and all those things that happen in Hindi films that made people in the theatre go, “So dark, man. So hard-hitting.” I wanted to hand each one of them a DVD of Being Cyrus or even a Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron because dark doesn’t mean KJo’s half smirks.
But it’s an Anurag Kashyap film, with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, so I was like, let me not be too quick to judge. But then I lost all my patience when I saw Remo Fernandez. You will NOT believe, he plays a singer, from GOA! KIIIIIILLLLLL MEEEE GENTTTTLLYYYY!!!! I bet Emraan Hashmi hasn’t kissed in as many films as Remo has played a ‘singer’ from ‘Goa’ in Hindi films. http://www.masala.com/movie-review-bombay-velvet-195528.html
I was confident and expected this to be great. The trailer was THE best I have seen in a long, long, time for any summer flicks.. I was sold right when I saw the preview.
The trailer was a grabber, but also frenetic and crazed in a way that could have meant something fantastic or something horrid. From the reviews it seems to have gone the former route.
“Those guys wouldn’t have been champion when I was around,” Mike Tyson once said, looking over the men who’d held the heavyweight belt during his prison stint. “I went away… and that made them competitive for a time.”
George Miller, who made his directorial debut with 1979’s exemplar of vehicular action Mad Max, hasn’t been in the cooler like Tyson (or John McTiernan), but recently he has concerned himself with franchises involving talking pigs (Babe) and soft-shoeing penguins (Happy Feet). In the 30 years since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, a number of champs have come and gone, and the car chase has become a game of featherlight pixels floating about. Now the wait is over, and the weight is back.
BV is not going to fly at all, so it wont tank too. Look at BMS, i have never seen such low booking for such a big budget awaited movie.
I dont think it will pickup more than normal, feedback is mixed. Public feedback will be mixed to negative.
It is big flop. No one can save it.
The result: “Bombay Velvet” is a like a dead body decorated with utmost care —it lacks vitality but must therefore have a beautiful shroud and casket
The title of the re-created chartbuster “Jaata Kahaan Hai Deewane” from the 1956 “C.I.D.” that is used in the film, perfectly sums up this film’s ethos. No one, least of all the director, really knows where and how the script is going. Of course, the film is based on a Gyan Prakash novel, but to what extent we would not know. In short, we do not know who spoiled the content and let the script — adapted, modified or otherwise — go vamoose http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/bollywood/bombay-velvet-movie-review-a-dead-body-decorated-with-a/article_762f81c4-fa6a-11e4-9116-7f53da4606d7.html
#BombayVelvet is a Visual Diarrhea. A review! When you are supremely stupid like Anurag Kashyap or brain dead, same in this case, then you mix everything in a grinder and come up with Kafkasque ‘s borefest which is Bombay Velvet.
In a parallel universe inhabited by doped Anurag Kashyap, there might exist a decade where guns come from Capone’s America, gowns from ‘90s Miss Universe contests, goggles from ‘40s world War II Era, men’s clothes from ‘50s Europe, art-deco buildings from Fascist Italy, but alas, such a decade never existed. http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Bombay-Velvet-review-qurqlrlpss
Whatever it is. Be ready to read BO commentary with worlds Industry shocked with opening of BV.
No one expected it to open so low. Look at BMS, not just in NCR, Mumbai too is lagging for BV. It is behind Piku which is running on 8th day.
Opening may be around 7 cr. Though, it is wide release my estimation may go little wrong and lets see if it can touch 10 cr day one.
At the most BV may flop or lose in terms of BO. Ranbir may go below Ranveer. Anurag Kashyap will make a small budget film costing 1 crore starring KRK.
Meanwhile aamir khan is dancing with Malang and Zoobi Doobi with chinese girls promoting his PK and also collaborating with Jackie chan.
Source ? Not heard any cancellation of show yet ..
But yes, opening is shockingly low .. even PIKU doing better than BV today .. though business is all time poor for all movies today .. PIKU and Gabbar also witnessed quite a drop in morning shows ..
BV opens to 10% in morning, wont make even 10 cr on day one. Opening is lower than Roy. It is disaster on day one itself.
7-8 cr first day and 25 cr weekend simliar to Piku. NCR/Delhi and mumbai are performing better for Piku day 8th.
Anurag KashyapFrom feminists to the film industry, Anurag Kashyap has managed to get everyone’s goat.It’s been called a “Rs 100-cr mess”. Nothing that leads up to the release of Bombay Velvet has been easy. Viewing have been closely guarded. Its marketing, desperate. Critics, vicious. Rumours claimed portions have had to be reshot , that actor Ranbir Kapoor wouldn’t promote it. That co-producers Fox Star Studios had to intervene on the editing of the original four-hour play time. At first Anurag Kashyap bursts of anger, then sullen silence. His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete. We spent his last four months in the city tracking his state of mind-from bedroom to set and studio. An exclusive insight into mind of Bombay’s darkest living noir…
Bombay Velvet Opens To Dull Collections
Friday 15 May 2015 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet had a dull opening all over as it opened to collections of 15-20%. For such a big film the opening is a disaster. The only thing going for the film was Ranbir Kapoor but it has not worked as the audience gas just not come. It is probably due to the presentation as the opening is less than Roy where he had an extended guest role.
The film should improve collections irrespective of content as they can’t go any lower but it’s unlikely the film can survive a setback like this.
The film has opened to poor figures in metros as well. You can’t really make an urban niche film costing over 100 crore as this sort of investment needs a 20 crore nett day one or at least 15 crore nett at worst but here the film has not even opened at 10 crore pace.
BO update: BOMBAY VELVET starts on a good note, PIKU holds strong
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, May 15, 2015 – 14:09 IST
Before a film releases, the media and the audiences alike are abuzz with anticipation and anxiety for its release. However in the case of Anurag Kashyap’s BOMBAY VELVET, there was a lot of mixed opinion surrounding the film. But putting all naysayers to rest, BOMBAY VELVET has in fact opened on a good note.
In fact reports suggest that the Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar starrer BOMBAY VELVET has opened to a 45-50% occupancy rate across the country, contrary to what was expected. On the other hand, the Hollywood release, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD that returns as the fourth film in the series after a 30 year gap has started slow, while the Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan starrer PIKU that released last week continues to hold strong.
On the whole, BOMBAY VELVET that has currently opened well will have to depend on good word of mouth, and is likely to face stiff competition from PIKU. With a similar screen count, both films will be slugging it out this weekend. However, MAD MAX is expected to pick up over evening and night shows, but will not be a threat to the Bollywood releases.
Piku Has Good First Week
Friday 15 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku did well in its first week grossing around 40 crore nett. the film had a poor start but gained momentum from Saturday and has maintained very well in the metros. the other major cities have also maintained well but the collections here are on the lower side. Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore are set to give the best collections of the year.
The performance of these of these cities means that Mumbai, West Bengal and Mysore are the best performers while Rajasthan, CP Berar, CI and Bihar have low numbers although have held very well since on Monday
The film should remain strong in the big cities over the next couple of weeks which should take it to a good lifetime total.
Gabbar Is Back Holds Well In Week Two
Friday 15 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Gabbar Is Back held up well in week two grossing around 18.75 crore nett taking its two week total to 79 crore nett. The drop from the first week was around 67% which is a decent trend for a mass film like Gabbar Is Back
The film did have competition at metro multiplexes from Piku but at many centtres its second week collections were better than Piku. in fact better than both the new releases (Piku and Kuch Kuch Locha Hai) put together. It is the highest grossing film of 2015 in many circuits in two weeeks and should become the highest grossing film Hindi film of 2015 by the end of its run.
The film will cross 3 crore nett in Bihar which is more than double the business of any other releases of 2015.
Genuinely surprising. Blockbusters don’t get reviews like this. Even leaving the summer biggies aside, at this point it’s going to end up being one of the best reviewed movies of any kind this year. I’ve got my ticket for Sunday.
Somebody was saying that PK became a big hit because ranbir made a last minute appearance. Now BV is full of Ranbir and yet it is struggling on its first day!
Taran Adarsh is trying to justify his 4 stars to Bombay velvet. In Bangalore, BV is wash out, PIKU’s 8th day collection is more than 2 times at Bangalore Multiplexes. BOI is saying 40+ Cr is for piku because it has done that kind of business (41.42 Cr ) and more than a number, the kind of response it is generated (almost 90 to 100% thumsup from targeted audience)…
“It’s the late 1960s. Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar are holding strong, various Kapoors are running all over the screen, Dharmendra has already taken off his shirt, and Amitabh Bachchan has made his first picture.
Yet, the face on the poster that street thug Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) worships belongs to James Cagney, the American icon from the 1930s and ’40s ‒ one of cinema’s original angry young men. As he watches The Roaring Twenties, a film that that was made in 1939 but is playing at a Mumbai theatre all these years later, Balraj is struck by the iconic closing line that is spoken over Cagney’s corpse: “He used to be a big shot.”
Balraj badly wants to be this big shot, even if it means dying young, and it’s telling that the protagonist of Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet picks up his cues from the movies. Like Kashyap’s other films, especially Gangs of Wasseypur, his latest effort, Bombay Velvet has utmost faith in the power of cinema to influence attitudes and career choices. However, it is never clear why a ruffian trying to get in on the big game in 1969 in Mumbai needs guidance from long-dead fictional Americans.
Both character and actor are unable to free themselves from the yoking of a ’60s drama set in the city that was then known as Bombay with the moral dilemmas that gripped America during the Depression: prohibition, the rise of organised crime and the corruption of public office.”…
…”This handsomely produced and always attractive retro-retelling of Mumbai’s recent history – a kind of Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again again – has been meticulously designed by Sonal Sawant and lit by cinematographer Rajeev Ravi in amber tones to create a twilight zone between dreams and nightmares. At its nub is an old-fashioned love triangle. There’s Balraj, the manager of the Bombay Velvet nightclub, star attraction Rosie (Anushka Sharma, chanelling Goan singing great Lorna Cordeiro to whom the movie is partly dedicated), and Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar), the club’s owner. Balraj and Rosie are in love, but Khambatta hasn’t taken Balraj off the streets to run his club because he likes the excitable young man’s curriculum vitae. Khambatta wants to own Balraj’s soul, and had the movie shed its ambitions of being a Mumbai origin story and been a study of these three characters, it would have worked just fine.”..
…”he ardour between Balraj and Rosie, however passionless, provides the trigger for the preposterous post-intermission portion. When Chiman picks up a Thomson sub-machine gun and pays visual homage to Cagney, Paul Muni, Edward G Robinson and other leading lights of ’30s cinema, Balraj’s world, and the movie’s conceit of being a cautionary history lesson, come crashing down.
The nods to an American storytelling idiom are at odds with the hyper-locality of the story, which contains references to Mumbai’s actual history of prohibition, jazz clubs, the Nanavati murder case (through the song Sylvia) and the rivalry between the tabloids Blitz and Current. Mistry has been inspired by Blitz’s charismatic editor Russi Karanjia, though it is impossible to believe that an influential character like Mistry or, for that matter, Khambatta, would be threatened by the loutish Balraj. Kashyap also doesn’t make a convincing case about the nuclear-hot secret that these parties are shedding blood over.”..
“Ranbir Kapoor has the Cagney template down pat: he displays guts, gumption and guns but little grey matter. It’s an all-surface and no-interior performance from an actor who is capable of suggesting depth and hidden emotions, and it doesn’t come naturally to Kapoor. He neither carries off the Mumbai patois nor suggests a complex beast who is being yanked this way and that.
The American gangster films weren’t big on complex characterisation either, but their narrative style had the directness, smoothness and impact of machine-gun fire. They also had sharp dialogue, which Bombay Velvet misses. The plot is needlessly complicated at the expense of emotion, and assembles a set of well-dressed people who seem to want to go someplace but are not quite sure where.”…
There are some filmmakers who scoff at the very notion of historical accuracy — like Oliver Stone or Quentin Tarantino — and Anurag Kashyap is one of that bunch, a man who prefers to create his own sumptuous version of history.
Bombay Velvet looks to be, then, his very own Bob Fosse-meets-Scarface take on what might have been, instead of bothering with what really was.
Honestly not a single trailer or poster or anything from this film looked remotely interesting to me. Something very leaden about it from the first look, which is what I felt about GOW. I never saw Ugly but I found the promotions for that film far more effective than this.
Ugly is worth watching.. somewhat uneven and even a bit lumbering at points but engaging till the end. Still Udaan remains the best film at this end of the production scale. At least among Hindi releases. On Ugly I came across a recent Italian release that seemed to have a similar plot-line. Not sure if Kashyap saw it at a festival earlier and was inspired or if there was another film like it or if it’s just coincidence. Don’t recall the title of the Italian film at the moment.
Satyam: Which Italian are you talking about?! I doubt if Ugly shares its plotline with any other film; if that would have been the case, by now poeple would have started talking about it.
can’t recall the title.. saw a review in the NY Times at some point in the last 3 months or so. Tried a quick search but couldn’t find it. Will look for it again later. The premise seemed very similar. Some kind of disappearance that gradually involved a number of characters and so on. As I said it might well be a coincidence.
i remember reading some comments ugly is copied from Prisoners. Then i lost interest in it and never watched ugly.
Btw, i loved Prisoners , it was released in 2013. I saw gravity on same day but liked prisoners more.
I found Ugly a very strong film and found it in, in some ways, Kashyap’s best film since Black Friday. A good film to see right after Ugly is Mysskin’s “Onaayum Aatukkuttiyum”.
Satyam: Are you talking about “Human Capital” by any chance? I think if there are any similarities they must be purely incidental (I haven’t seen Human Capital, but would do so now) because Ugly actually released more than a few months before the Italian film (and I am talking about the earliest “festival releases” of both films)
I will say though that anachronisms and cultural grab-bags of this sort don’t always bother me. It really depends on what’s going on in the film, and whether these transgressions are, in some way, part of the point.
There is a bit of sad news on Bajrangi Bhaijaan with reports coming out today saying movie may now be postponed and not come this Eid and may have a non festive release. It is to be noted SRK’s Fan too was postponed from Independence Day and shifted.
In retrospect this may not be such a bad move to neutralize the murmurs to unfair release day advantage. The real box-office potential of these two may be revealed. Reports also say they have not decided on the next release date but BB is eyeing for a date somewhere in Aug.
This may not be such a bad move by Salman since Eid is associated with a certain religious coding /demographic which he is always working to negate and by just coming to court and declaring I am both Hindu and Muslim (obvious reference to Hindu mother and Muslim Father) may not be sufficient. Eid release date has potential to polarize audience into ‘for and against’ and media may go into an overdrive. Hope he shifts to a more neutral national day which is Independence Day and give Eid release to Brothers (Akshay/kjo).
Alternately he may get Hero coming from his own production house to release on Eid. This may work wonders for the newcomers since his court verdict has adversely affected the promotions of that movie which has not even started and it is coming out on July 03.
Or this may be just a rumor to gain some traction so let’s wait and watch.
“There is a bit of sad news on Bajrangi Bhaijaan…”
Now this is sad news?? To begin with this movie was never supposed to complete so fast.. they took a gamble and trying to complete for Eid release and then finally delaying it. Movies do get postponed and its not really a sad news.
Yeah definitely there is more to life than release date of a movie but sad news in terms of a longer wait. Since there is hardly any engaging cinema coming out of Bollywood lately at least give me my regular dose of these event movies timely to keep me amenable to Bollywood.
Will give BV a skip and focus on Mad Max…Johny Balraj…saala naam se hi it looks alien movie made for 50+ age demographic for US and US return Indian audience. Thanks Satyamshot…comments se we can get the idea of what this movie is like.
At bookmyshow .. Bombay velvet for entire first day remained below PIKU which is on its 8th day … Epic failure for such big movie. Feeling sad for Anurag …
Those interested in reading into Kashyap’s mind here are few links to his India Today cover titled – The Runaway director.
Its says – “At once incisive and wracked, inside the lights and shadows of Anurag Kashyap, the master of Bombay noir, as he readies to leave the city that shaped him.”
Here are more details and I feel a bit sad for Kashyap here.
” His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete. We spent his last four months in the city tracking his state of mind-from bedroom to set and studio. An exclusive insight into mind of Bombay’s darkest living noir…
“He is just back from Paris, where he’s finalised a small studio apartment that will allow him to move base out of Mumbai in May. He will retain his business interests here, he says: Phantom, that he forms a quartet with Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl; and Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd (AKFPL), managed by Guneet Monga.
The All India Bakchod (AIB) Roast debacle has just happened, the entire Central Board of Film Certification has just resigned, producing a new list of expletives that the board has issues with, targeting his genre of films. His bank accounts have been frozen in a service tax issue, and that’s just pissed him off even more”
“bit sad for Kashyap here” me too 😦
I think the “too much edit” and too much caring for reviews may have actually marred the movie. Dibaker and now Kashyap. After all the struggles, now this.
Yeah Bong indeed sorry. But he is to be blamed partially for being such a big mouth with no validation as such. I mean let your work speak more than gab and he has a perfect example to emulate in Hirani who remains humble to the core even after achieving humongous success in the Indian setting. Same with the Khan trio and then Akki , Ajay too who have never let success get to their head even after keeping at it for a good 25 years.
May be being different and ‘muhfut’ was his USP and shifting base to France is part of that same characteristic of throwing tantrum at the drop of hat which in this instance is BV’s failure. Ranbir is somewhat a poor choice for such a movie and he should have refused to cast him in spite of Kjo pushing or then he should have worked around Ranbir’s stronger points. Man you cannot make a Pacino or De Niro out of Ranbir because he is too much of woman-faced wus. He could not even do justice to Rockstar fully which if done properly would have been huge movie with a better suited actor. Barfi and Rocket are the only two movies worth talking about.
Ideally he should have still gone back to Aamir or SRK and worked around with them on the script something which Ashutosh did to realize his dream in Lagaan and Swades. BV script seems damn interesting on paper but actors like Ranbir cannot add or bring anything to the table.
Perhaps Kashyap is a better writer than a director and his Satya remains etched on our minds.
Actually he was quiet for a year till promotions. He will move to France…maybe die drinking or suicide. Than 25 yrs from now they will be celebrating his genius and saying things like BV had poor opening and was a great movie it was. Problem with the creative, artistic people is that they are utterly sensitive and cannot take criticism or failure easily.
“It’s been called a “Rs.100-cr mess”. Nothing that leads up to the release of Bombay Velvet has been easy. Viewings have been closely guarded. Its marketing, desperate. Critics, vicious. Rumours claimed portions have had to be reshot , that actor Ranbir Kapoor wouldn’t promote it. That co-producers Fox Star Studios had to intervene on the editing of the original four-hour play time. At first Anurag Kashyap responded with bursts of anger, then sullen silence. His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete.”
“I am a villain in real life also, of course, all perception of me is that I am a villain,” he grins, attempting to appear dastardly. He is far more relaxed, fitter today. His vulnerabilities masked with plumbing sealant. Kashyap seems to have moved out of his shadows. “Dark is a very relative term. Because in India everything is so candyfloss I come across as a relatively dark person. They see me starkly.”
RGV shame on you gloating. You were his mentor.
“It is not by any means a flawless story, nor a comprehensive one. It does not aim to be the truth, it aims to highlight truths long forgotten. Mostly that as filmmakers and moviegoers go, there are contexts and histories upon which we stand, that we owe ourselves cognisance to. In as much, Bombay Velvet, sink or swim, is a film much larger than the sum of its flaws.”
Below average start for Bombay Velvet
The highly awaited film fails to make an early box-office impact
One of the most awaited releases, Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet releases today, along with Hollywood action flick, Mad Max: Road to Fury.
Despite the expectations from the film, the collections have already taken a beating with a low score of 15 to 20% collections in the opening shows. While the film can look to perform in niche sectors, major multiplexes in Mumbai and Gurgaon are registering low occupancies. The film needs a massive turnaround to register a strong opening day, but judging from the present state, a double-digit day one will be a struggle.
Bombay Velvet faces strong competition from the Hollywood release Mad Max: Road to Fury, which has been performing better at multiplexes as opposed to the Ranbir Kapoor starrer.
Piku, on the other hand, closed its first week on a high. After registering one of the strongest opening weekends this year, the Monday collections only saw a 13% drop and the film collected Rs 4.40 crore. Piku had a steady week with only a slight drop from day to day, going on to collect Rs 4.10 crore on Tuesday, Rs. 4 crore on Wednesday and Rs. 3.70 crore on Thursday.
The first week total for Piku stands at Rs. 41.42 crore domestically. The film needs to achieve a minimum of Rs 55 crore in its lifetime to recover its costs, which seems highly likely.
Bombay Velvet Heads For Disaster
Friday 15 May 2015 23.30 IST
Bombay Velvet is heading for disaster as first day collections look to be around 6 crore nett. The film opened to dull houses and has not improved much. There will be a jump in cities on Saturday but this is a 2500 screen release and not a 1000-1500 screen release like a NH10 or Piku where the screens are mainly those which grow on Saturday. There will be screens that fall here as well meaning limited growth..
Leaving that aside it needs multi fold growth of the like which is unlikely as it has never happened before. Basically the first day has sealed its fate.
The year saw a mega disaster earlier in Broken Horses which had practically zero collections with a fair budget, here the collections are not exactly zero but the budget is big. Both films are by directors who have a history of disasters but this year they both have delivered the sort of disasters that make their other flops look reasonable..
that 6 crore number is in absolute terms what BOI reported for Raavan (day 1) 5 years ago. Didn’t expect anything this bad. Thought the weekend numbers would be quite alright irrespective of anything else. But if this continues it’s going to be a historic disaster. For Ranbir suddenly after YJDH he’s had two epic failures. This is a crazy business. He must have least expected this. And ironically he’s had them with both Kashyap brothers.
he’s still lucky that he’s not getting the sort of hysterical reactions Abhishek used to get. Certainly on Raavan. But even as early as JBJ the media responses were over the top.
Abhishek did the smart thing.. he married Ash when his career was in upwards swing and didn’t give time her time to think but looks like Ranbir, if he takes some more time, Kat will be out of his way. 🙂
I think with Abhishek there was always an unfair comparison to his father, everyone was expecting him to have the same kind of BO success. It was just unrealistic thinking. With Ranbir, there isn’t so many comparisons but maybe he will face the wrath also after this one…who knows. I remember after Besharam he was destroyed.
Ranbir can easily turn this around and he will.
He still has tremendous good will and public support. Doesn’t hurt that he is good looking and talented too.
Abhishek inspite of being very talented suffered from unfair expectations and unconventional looks. Didn’t help that this idiot Kashyap went around saying he is lazy. Media created this narrative that he is lazy, uninterested star son who is only their because of his father. His refusal to cave in and develop a buffed body didn’t help either. Hopefully, things are looking up after Bol Bachchan and HNY.
I think All is well is looking promising based on whatever I’ve learnt about this. And candidly this really counts more than anything else because it’s his only solo at the moment.
I think the adverse reaction AB Jr got in Raavan was more due to his acting which didnt go down well with everyone. In Ranbir’s case his acting in BV has not been criticised but he did get adverse reactions for his role in Besharam. IMO I dont think there is any negativity towards Ranbir. His next 3 movies all will be mostly successes.
Weekend wont go beyond 20 cr , i bet. Bookings havent improved and now hugely negative wom spread aswell.
I just checked BMS for Delhi/NCR region.region. Piku has good booking for Saturday. BV booking just dont exist, worse than friday. You also can see for yourself.
I wont be surprised if it goes below 5 cr sat.
Weekend wont be more than 20 cr at this pace. Nahta already reported show cancelling at some places.
3 disaster in 2 years and his next release will come after 6 months. He really fell big time.
Damn, never would have expected a 6 crore opening for any of the top 7 stars…BOI will probably have this at a lifetime of less than 50 crore meaning probably a 75 crore loss for Fox. I wonder why the Hollywood big brothers of India’s Fox keep funding these big Bollywood movies…first a disaster in Humshakals, Finding Fanny, Losses in Bang Bang and now this epic disaster…
Wow.. to do another less than 50crore film in this age.. you don’t deserved to be called a SUPERSTAR. I doubt that any of Salman’s, SRK’s or Aamir’s film will do less than 50crores irrespective of the content or budget of the film.
Considering for inflation, BV should do 12-15 cr first day to be respectable disaster like Raavan. This is disaster of decade. Even Love story 2050 did much better than this.
DAMN! as a RK fan this sucks. But soon as I saw the trailer on here I commented that this looks like a debacle…and here we are. I think Ranbir will be fine considering his upcoming films look solid (except the super hero movie)…but AK really got his ass handed to him by the public. He should stick to what he knows…and also not associate himself with KJo!!!
he certainly has a very strong lineup coming up.. commented on this the other day.. all the films have important actresses too. On Jagga Jasoo though there have been stories of reshoots. Of course people get carried away with their responses to these things. He’s not going anyway. this is a really tough break for sure. But he’s a young guy, lots ahead of him. What is however true is that the unexpected success of YJHD (given the scale) had been a huge deal. Besharam and now this have completely reversed that. But again the media is still extremely kind on him, no matter much they might dislike a movie they’re always praising him.
Katrina might want to reconsider her relationship with Ranbir:) Last 3 movies hav been disasters. Khans alongwith Akki and to some extent Hrithik continue to rule the trade. Youngsters continue to disappoint.
Satyam: Not sure if it was automatically added by WordPress or you added but If possible, can you get rid of that ‘LIKE’ star button? Clicking it many times a day while scrolling page to read content. I don’t think anyone really logs into WordPress to read this blog and not serving much purpose.
that doesn’t have anything to do with this though. It might be bad for Ranbir at this point but don’t over-read what this film means. Because it’s Kashyap who’s a niche filmmaker. Ranbir doesn’t have another film like this. And even if some of those don’t work he’s not likely to get another Besharam again. Ranbir has Ayan Mukherjee’s film with Deepika, Jagga Jasoos with Katrina, the Johar film, the Imtiaz Ali with Alia Bhatt I think. All these films will have strong or great initials.
Ranbir’s Ayan film is with Alia is a superhero film, can go either ways. Jagga Jasoos is a teen film as he plays 17 year old, risky film. Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha with Deepika is sureshot hit. Karan Johar out of SRK with the same cast of BV and Ash, can’t say. Could be easily semi-hit at worst.
But yeah personally, Ranbir is not going anywhere. He will work till he’s 80!
As for ranbir, it’s ironical to see his fall from grace courtesy katrina’gate’!
Any sub10 crores opening is shameful for any top notch actor!
Ranbir seems to be in a saif like zone (after happy ending!)
But although it seems like it, they are still not in an abhishrek like dump/pit since both still have promising solo projects..
How ironical
First deepika ‘raped’ sunny leones ‘release’ last week with her piku and now she ‘raped’ ranbir & anu together !!
🙂
Hrithik Roshan-Katrina Kaif Likely To Pair Up Again
Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif undoubtedly make one of the best on-screen pairs in Bollywood, and the success of Bang Bang validated the fact. Now, as a good news for all Katrina and Hrithik fans, the duo are likely to be seen together again in a film by Siddharth Anand.
The ‘Bombay Velvet’ director who has had a rather unusual innings in Bollywood is about to leave India and settle in Paris. Anurag Kashyap’s news of moving out had been rife last year too. But this year he is surely moving out.
In reports published in India Today, Anurag’s relocation was confirmed by the man himself. He has finalized a studio apartment and will be shifting this month itself. Anurag would still be retaining his interest in Phantom films with his other three partners. And as for the Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd (AKFPL), it will be managed by Guneet Monga.
Anurag was quoted, “I want to begin again. I want to go and make films where people have lesser boundaries. I want to push myself. Beyond a point, I can’t push myself here.”
His films belong to a different genre and CBFC’s new rules and regulations aint going down too well with him. So he decided to move out.
I feel this is actually good decision and Anurag can make films without strict censor board. He was never proper ‘Bollywood’ film maker as such and seeing his recent short film boldness with Radhika Apte, he wants to be free and shoot as required by the script than the censorboard.
“My first choice when I wrote the film in 2006 was Saif Ali Khan. From there it went to Aamir and Hrithik. This film has gone around before landing with Ranbir. We also tried to make it with Ranveer Singh but we could raise only Rs.40 to 50 crore” – –Anurag Kashyap.
Taking better actor for the character is more important than just taking the biggest star available to get the bigger budget from financiers. Eventually that was pointless as this supposed bigger star couldn’t even open the film. Sigh..
“Last night, i watched Piku, and after what seems like ages, felt like hugging Amitabh Bachchan.
There was a time when we were brothers.
I would come down from the trees, warm from the sun, a warrior of stick fights, jumps and tumbles, dragging the earth with me into the house. Something cold, something soothing was offered by Ma, a peace offering.
Then i would drag a three-legged metal stool over to where the music was. The size of a small briefcase, with it’s own handle, our Bush tape player was a thing of beauty to me. It had large pock-marks where the speakers were, and a 4-digit mechanical ticker which told you your position on the tape. I watched that ticker like it held some secret, waiting for it to trip – but it never did.
But there was a certain combination of numbers on it, i knew, when Amitabh Bachchan would speak. ‘Neela Aasmaan’, and ‘Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum’ on the Silsila tape would start, and i would try quite hard to decipher why MY Amitabh was so sad. I had no memory of the film itself, perhaps my parents in their wisdom only ever took me to the theaters when he was fighting, singing, and jumping about on very long legs. So it mystified me no end to find him so sad. I worried for him. …”
“… And although that transition in me wasn’t completely successful either, my dancing singing brother stepped back into the shadows. I’ve been watching
from far of course – i can see him tip-toeing on the edges of the silver screen, only a copy of himself. Sometimes he’s sitting on a chair on TV, warm and inviting, showing a glimmer of magic. But he’s never really been able to breach my skeptical, world-weary eyes.
Until last night, that is. Piku’s Baba is my brother, the pied-piper of old. And though he’s not punching out villians or kicking out his legs to dance this time, he’s the one i worry for. I can feel my hand on his, when Piku sits by his bedside. I can feel my heart shrivel when he passes away.
So here’s a hug for you, Amitabh, my collar-chewing brother of golden summers. Whenever you’re feeling lonely, seeing the clouds roll in, know that i am crouched up there in the trees, saying a prayer for you.”
Less than 12 hours since I came back from seeing Bombay Velvet. My feelings? Still trying to make sense of them. As for now, I am listening to this classic Rolling Stone track – to get me started up, also because the killer hook kind of reflects what I am feeling.
The film gave a brand new tone to on-screen patriotism. Manoj Kumar’s directorial debut was something he himself referred to as “Bharat ka 16,000-foot lamba celluloid flag (a 16,000-foot-long celluloid flag of India)”. He gave a new patriotic hero to the country—Bharat—a name Manoj Kumar used again in Purab aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Kranti and Clerk. In fact, he came to be called Bharat Kumar.
With Upkar, villain-of-the-day Pran got an image makeover. He played the handicapped Malang Chacha and sang Kasme Vaade Pyaar Wafa Sab on screen. The role won him the Filmfare supporting actor trophy and led to his transformation into a character artiste. Upkar also won the best film, direction, lyrics, story and dialogue awards. Music added to the emotional crescendo. MereDesh Ki Dharti, composed by Kalyanji Anandji and written by Gulshan Bawra is arguably the most popular patriotic Hindi film song of all times. It won Mahendra Kapoor the national award for the best singer. Among other leaders, it shows some footage of Shastri.
Bombay Velvet First Day Business
Saturday 16 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet grossed a disastrous 5.75 crore nett on day one. It can’t really be put into words how bad the collections are. It’s hard to describe how good a 25 crore day one is for Kick pre Eid and here its hard to describe how bad 5.75 crore nett is with 2500 plus screens and a huge cost.
The story was same all over barring Mysore which at least had some sort of collections. The film suffer huge losses, in terms of the amount lost it will be the highest ever. In terms of percentage of the investment loss it will be 75%.
The film had lower collections than last week’s Piku in some circuits. Even a big curcuit like Mumbai had similar collections of around 1.80 crore nett.
The BO of BV has gone from shocking to comical. Most of the time I’m curious to see what the max BO a film makes. Here I’m curious to see how low this movie grosses given this epic disastrous opening day. 5.75 is really low. Sure it was a Kashyap film and niche and everything but 5.75 is about as much Badlapur made with zero supporting cast, a star smaller than Ranbir, a director less famous than AK and a smaller production house.
There really is some new negativity among the audience for Ranbir since post-YJHD and I think Abhinav Kashyap’s crazy statement that “Khan” fans are responsible doesn’t seem that crazy of a statement anymore..
I dont think there is any negativity for Ranbir as such. The movie itself looked uninteresting and looked niche. It was neither a family movie nor a comedy nor a movie youth will look out for. And on top of that you have a director who has no worthwhile body of work to talk of. And the directors works have been minor successes primarily due to controlled cost…There is a group of youngsters who are crazy about AK and keep peddling the cult thing that they make his film out to be but that group if they all go to the theatre even then the collection will hardly touch 2-4 crores. And when the first trailor of this movie came out, the only thing I could notice was that the producers are mad to trust AK with 100 crores. There was NO WAY, I repeat NO WAY this movie would have been a success even if the movie was good. The budget had killed the movie long way back…Whats happening now is just the last rites..
It’s a tragedy, in fact. For all the people who have invested money and effort in it. It’s the kind of disaster we’ve rarely seen. I can think of Ra1, Kites, maybe Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja earlier before. But even these movies’ business look epic compared to BV.
This looks like the Bollywood equivalent of Heaven’s Gate.
It barely has an initial. Ranbir wasn’t able to ensure an opening. Maybe his last couple of movies (Besharam and Roy) have had some kind of effect.
He will come back surely. He’s probably going through his weakest phase. Besharam, Roy and BV never really looked promising. But Tamasha, Rajkumar Hirani’s next and Jagga Jasoos are most probably going to be better. The KJo project looks the less promising there.
But you never know, Abhishek was riding high after Guru and he had a Mehra, a Gowatrikar, a Rohan Sippy and another Ratnam lined up and suddenly nothing worked.
Ranbir looked like a world beater right after YJHD. Since then he has lost ground and by the time his next releases, it will have been 2 and a half years of under-performance. It’s the problem associated with lack of required volume. Aamir gets away with it because he almost always delivers. Hrithik also doesn’t usually deliver 3 consecutive disasters.
Ranbir is surely going to be under more pressure to deliver something big next time around.
Not great for Ranbir but he will be back. This is an epic disaster for Anurag though. Very unlikely any time soon he will get an opportunity like this where he has a huge budget to play with. Most the blame will go to him.
“It’s the kind of disaster we’ve rarely seen. I can think of Ra1, Kites, maybe Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja earlier before. ”
You gotta be kidding by including Ra.One with those. There was negative feedback but you can’t rule out that it collected at least 115cr in that era(2011) when just 3 films had crossed 100 crs. It was in TOP 5 grosser of all time at its end run. Not being a hit with budget being very high is different than not even getting an opening and flopping.
Whereas Kites and Besharam didn’t touch even 50 crores lifetime even releasing after Ra.One.
Yes, but Ra. One was promoted CRAZILY, was hyped to death and that is also one of the reasons why it got that huge initial. That has hardly happened in case of Bombay Velvet. Also just because Bombay Velvet is a more mainstream film from Kashyap, it does not automatically mean that it’s subject also become as mainstream as Ra. One (so it’s plain wrong to club Ra. One and Bombay Velvet together just because they are big budget films). Ra. One, Kites and Besharam belong to one club, Raavan and Bombay Velvet however are very different kinds of films (and box-office failures).
But then why do we have SRK having these insane promotions for most of his films (especially the ones he produces). Considering he is such a huge star, why does he need to go berserk with promotions (No one, and I mean NO ONE, tries to generate hype for his films as SRK does). No one is denying the fact that Aamir, SRK and Salman are far bigger box-office forces than Ranbir. But here is the thing- even after DDLJ, SRK’s films didn’t always open very well. In other words, even when SRK, Aamir and Salman had become stars (and had established their box-office standing), all their films weren’t getting very good initials. It’s only after 2000 (I think) that Aamir and SRK got a minimally good initial on pretty much every film.
I think SRK had been quoted as saying back then that Ra1 had cost 125cr in the making and then 50cr in addition for marketing and promotion. So, the final BO figures don’t look good at all, do they? However, there is no denying that BV looks like a disaster in a league of it’s own, as I said. Most of the big budget under-performers look like blockbusters in comparison.
agree with master here: Ra One had a fantastic initial and crossed 100 cr easily…even ashoka was flop but recovered the money on long run..I cannot see any srk disaster apart from paheli which whimped on first weekend..
And right when we are talking about it, BOI has put up a post mentioning Ra1 as among the top 5 most expensive Indian movies of all time alongside D3, HNY, Bang Bang and Kick. It released way earlier than all these, so it’s budget must have been colossal compared to other films of that year or the years just before. And at the end of the day, it probably doesn’t even rank in the top 20 grossers of the last 5 years. So, it is a big under-performer, taking all things into account.
I think people here don’t understand moving flopping without anyone turning up 1st day is very different than opening well and then flopping coz of the content. This kind of d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r usually doesn’t happen with top stars. If it happens, he’s is not worthy to be called ‘top’ star (if he can’t even bring some % of die hard fans on the 1st day).
Flopping coz of the budget is completely different but for SRK, Ra.One did beat his highest grossing film in his lifetime by additional 25 crores. I don’t think you would call that disaster when he surpassed his own best by a huge margin. It is under-performing coz of the budget but he at least lot of people come to watch his movie and making his biggest grosser in his career at that time. If guys still don’t get it and comparing it to BV, I don’t have anything to add.
Rahul , I think most of SRK movies have a huge international / overseas market, so a lot of it gets recouped / recompense there and his accounting on most of his projects including Ra1 may be unflawed / absolute.
But BV has turned out to be a very noticeable case and one cannot stave off a 17-20 cr weekend in today’s market.
When a big film sinks, it is really sad. I thought multiplex audience will give this movie a chance. The long smooches in the trailers must have kept family audience away. The music is unappealing. The film does not go with Ranbir’s image as today’s icon.
@taran_adarsh: #Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr. Grand total: ₹ 44.52 cr. India biz. FABULOUS!
So, weekend 2 will be in the range of 16 to 18 Cr. Today’s trending suggests that film will cross 6 Cr (credit goes to BV), means piku will earn nearly 60 Cr in 10 days. Sure to cross 75 Cr and has an outside chance to reach 85 to 90 Cr. As a Bachchan Fan, always wanted to witness one 100 Cr movie from him, Happy to see Piku coming close to 100 cr. PIku is a Class movie, Imagine a typical Bachchan masala movie with A list actress like Deepika trending like Piku, released in a right time, will surely do 150 to 200 Cr business. Bachchan has agreed five scripts apart from Wazir, one is with Sujoy Ghosh and Nawazuddin, others wait for AB’s confirmation (AB’s hardwork at Gym suggests Sarkar sequel is on cards, 102 not out is confirmed. not sure about other 3 projects, may be one with Russel Pookutty, where he will be playing pakistani and one each from balki and Abbas Mustan…)
It was a Friday night 10pm show, after a work day and 90 minutes’ drive from my workplace on Sarjapur Road. But I did sit through the film without my attention wandering. (My wife next to me was even snoring gently for a good part of the film. But I must add she stole a few winks during Piku too in a similar late night show. But here she slept through the almost entire second half. ) But there was not a single scene that perked me up, except maybe the song sequences with Amit Trivedi’s gorgeous jazz-laced ,melodies. ) But there was not a single scene that I could say was badly written, performed or staged (unlike say in films like Sawariya or Raavan.) Did I lie the film? Not at all. Did I dislike the film? Not one bit. ( One lady from my wife’s Kitty Party group Whatsapped her, “ The Times Of India review of Bombay Velvet is pretty bad.’ My wife replied, ‘Don’t go to see films after reading reviews. Go see the film and give your views! ( So we have another writer in the family, I see!). And as you can see Even my wife won’t tell anyone to not to go and see the film.
A strange creature this film must be!
Strange indeed it is.
There are so many departments in which the film excels. Vintage Bombay has never been so been beautifully recreated. The performances are all good. The plot has enough twists and turns, quite intelligently weaved. The music as I have mentioned is gorgeous. ( Muhabbat buri bimari, Naak pe gussa, Sylvia, Dhadaam Dhadaam,Bahuripiya and Darban are exquisite. I am mad at Amazon for telling me that they will deliver my CD only after 23rd.). Yet, why didn’t a care for any of the characters while I was watching the film? Why wasn’t there a smidgen of feeling welling within me at any of the scenes (except perhaps towards the end during the Dhadam Dhadam song) ? Why the whole thing left me so cold (Until much later, when I was running the film in my head during my morning walk) ?
In fact during this walk a strange but simple image wafted into my head: It was god creating a beautiful woman, perfect in all respect…but for one small omission. He forgot to breathe life into his creation. The next image that floated in was that He did not really forget, more like the devil stole the cruet containing the film’s life breath. Now who could the devil be? The Fox Studio executives? Or Anurag Kashyap’s own inner devil inhibiting his natural creative impulses in order to shoehorn the film into a commercial format? Or the film’s Hollywood benefactors including Scorsese’s editor, Thelma Schoonmaker who seems to have chipped ( chopped) in at the last moment? I think it’s all of them.
I think the problem started at the start when Kashyap conceived the film in Hollywood clothing…literally in jackets, bowler hats and swanky gowns. That could never be the reality of the Bombay in the 60’s. But such an island of Western sophistication and cultural influence, where a street urchin fantasizes about a James Cagney character, could have existed. Or at least we could be made to believe for the length of the film that it could be so…only if many other creative mis-steps wouldn’t have compounded the alienation.
Next I will pick on Schoonmaker. Yes the film is tightly edited, but so tightly that it can hardly breathe. Things happen. Shots glissade into shots without a pause for the scene to sink in or the emotion to register. The film has so many strands running in parallel – the creation of a swanky Bombay on the back of crime and backroom deals; the tragic love story of a small time gangster and a talented but vulnerable jazz club singer; the birth of a capitalist Bombay against the backdrop of a violent labour movement; a power-hungry tabloid baron and corrupt politicians. But each of them are touched upon, never fully explored. The potential in each of these narrative kernels is evident in many scenes and strands begging to be elaborated upon.
I have a feeling the film would have worked so much better if it had unfolded at a lumbering pace, spread over two parts like in Gangs Of Wasseypur, or stretching over a running time of over 3 hours if needed. What so many scenes now lack is any kind of context or continuity. Johny’s boxing scenes, his relationship with his friend Chiman, and his intimate moments with Rosie … all these lack detailing that could make them real for us. Raveena Tandon Thadani is so resplendent in her two singing breaks. But she is just dropped from the sky. We surely would have loved to know a little more about her. The scene where Rosy pulls Johny into the bath tub, is where the scene should have begun, not ended. We would have liked to see What Johny does next as hat would reveala bit of his inner self to us.
Take similar scenes in Gangs of Wasseypur. There is a scene where Manoj Bajpai wants to make love to his pregnant wife ( Richa Chadda). She tells him, ‘ Hamar pet mein jo hai use gnada karige kya?’. Mext we see Bajpai talking with the maulavi, planning his marriage to Durga, his paramour. Earlier, there was also the scene where Durga is washing a bundle of clothes by squashing them rhythmically on a slab as Bajapai is all lust and desire, salivating to the strains of ‘ Oh Womaniya.’ Then there is the scene of “ Haan touch kar sakte hain, leking pehle permission to lena chahiye na” between Nwazuddin and Huma. Or take the elaborate explanation of the naming of ‘ Tangent’ and compare the perfunctory manner in which Kaizad asked Balram to change his name to Johny…no rhyme, no reason proffered.
Actually it is the eschewing of the detailing and the quirky that emasculates the film , turning it into a neuter incapable of arousing any passion. Much of the writing so flat. The public speaker who was speaking against the land reclamation was so colourful, but his stints are cut short and there is nothing else that is remotely as interesting or witty. The verbal and theatrical inventiveness of Kashyap is totally missing in the film…letting us glimpse only a lifeless narrative skeleton. There is this song ‘Dhdaam Dhdaam’, which comes after Johny accuses Rosie of spying on him on behalf of Jimmy. She is heartbroken and finds the ground beneath her feet slipping. But it is not a conventional song; the dhdaam dhadaam reprise has an element of the bizarre. Anushka should have played it accordingly and nor straight sad as she has done. She could have alternated between straight emotions and the burlesque. There is similar straightjacketing in staging of most scenes, robbing them of Anurag’s signature with which you can have a love-or-hate relationship. Right now you feel neither.
Similarly the birth of modern Bombay built on reclaimed land is quite fascinating. The animated graphic showing the sea between the seven islands whets our appetite. But a coherent commentary completing the narrative goes missing. The voice-over at the start of and all through Gangs of Wasseypur bridged the gaps so well.
When I got up in the morning and spooled out the film in my head again there was much that seemed to have stick. The tragic love story of Johny and Rosy bothered me a lot. The false bravado of Johny, basically a small-time henchman trying to punch above his weight is the tragic flaw in his character. For Rosie it is her frailty and vulnerability. It is this strand which should have been central if it was to be shirt and tight film. And it could have been more imaginatively narrated for better emotional cohesion. For example, it could have started with us meeting the 80-year-old Rosie, singing in a Goan bar ( as she is supposed to be doing as per the end notes of the film) and hearing about Johny through her flashback. That would have made the canvas smaller, leading to many superfluous scenes being thrown out and making the narrative flow smoother and easier to follow.
And maybe it would have need only half of its rumoured 90-crore budget. If Gangs of Wasseypur could be made for 30 crores, this should have been too , not including the fees of the lead pair. And frankly who cares if Bombay has been recreated faithfully or not – when the historical accuracy has any way been sacrificed at the altar of visual styling. All we want to see on screen is good story, well told. I suspect the good story is very much there, only it has been obscured by too much cleansing. I suspect I might be able to see the rough edges and the quirky detailing snipped off during the Hollywood-style editing or the director’s self-censorship, if I give the film a second viewing, through my own imagining – or in reality if there is later director’s cut of 4 hours.
( Ps: While I have been hammering this out the film apparently has opened to a disastrous opening. As always, when such a thing happens I never blame the audience but try to look for what did the film not do right. Sometimes the punishment that the audience metes out is grossly disproportionate to the film’s crime, but certainly there is something amiss. It is not a bad film. Far from it. But I can understand the audience’s disappointment. But my recommendation to anyone who sees cinema as an art form: Do go and see it. There is much that is beautiful even though the film in its totality will disappoint you.)
I may watch it because of Ranbir Kapoor. The casting of RK saved this film to some extent. Hope the DVD version will include the uncut footage to connect the dots. Watching on big screen with full audience is a different experience altogether.
lol, you seem to be enjoying Ranbir’s failure a lot…looks like you would rather watch an aging talenless ham king than the younger generation taking risks
Who are u dude? I’m responding to Santana that she wanted to check out BV in cinema with full audience but if there’s not much audience how can we enjoy the same experience? People come with weird names and comment on here without any sense.
Director’s Cut? Hahaha……
Anurag should do a Dandvat Pranam to Thelma for somehow rescuing the mess of a movie he made. There is going to be no Director’s Cut to this shit pile.
Why can’t we simply accept that the magic is gone from the craft of Anurag? It happens all the time. If you read “Midnight’s Children” and then read “Shalimar The Clown” both by the same writer (Rushdie) you will see the same difference……whereas, Midnight’s glows Shalimar sucks. The same is the situation between Gangs of Wasseypur and Bombay Velvet…..
Its sloppy work.you may minutely analyze and justify it and peddle cliches like….the soul is missing in the lesser work because of editing or whatever but the honest truth is that the blame has to be taken up by the author or the director.
According to me….the magic…that crazy…diabolical inventiveness is gone….My sincere request to Anurag…..Concentrate in producing movies from now on and to rushdie write non fictions and travelogues…..age gracefully dont make a buffoon of urself.
this is a classic Indian problem. Getting completely carried away with one success or failure.. Kashyap has never failed like this on any of his smaller films. With a big project like this there are lots of pressures, lots of compromises that are made and the result can often be a very messy film. And part of the problem is that the director’s favored edit is never allowed. But either way though this kind of a failure might have serious practical consequences for the director this doesn’t mean that he’s forgotten to make films! I’ve never ever supported such an absurd idea. If this logic were followed half the careers in the world and in history would be over and we wouldn’t get treated to many wonderful films that then came later. Yes it’s a huge failure but there’s no reason to get hysterical about it. One of course has every right to dislike the film and completely.
I really liked his last 2 films – GOW and Ugly, so I wouldn’t say the magic is gone. All along, it was clear that Anurag was doing too many compromises while making BV.
Composed by Amit Trivedi, written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Neeti Mohan, Dhadaam Dhadaam is a masterwork, an emotionally overwrought song of operatic intensity, and it is the one song Kashyap reverentially leaves alone in Bombay Velvet. In a film made up of many a scrap of fine songs—understandably, considering it is the tale of a jazz singer—Dhadaam Dhadaam is the song Kashyap backs away from and lets blossom in the harshest and bloodiest spotlight. It plays out in full, gorgeously and film-haltingly, the absolute pièce de resistance.
Piku Day Eight Business Gabbar Is Back Third Friday Business
Saturday 16 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku held up very well on day eight grossing around 2.75 crore nett which is less than 50% drop from first weekend. The film is putting up very good numbers in Mumbai, West Bengal and Mysore.
The failure of Bombay Velvet will help the film in week two and it should get a bug jump on Saturday. The weekend should cross 12 crore ar least and may even become the highest second weekend of the year. .
Gabbar Is Back grossed 75 laks nett on its third Friday which us 75% drop from last Friday. This is reasonable as multiplex business was hut due to the release of Bombay Velvet and Piku going strong which meant those two films covered most of the screens at multiplexes.
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 5h 5 hours ago
#BombayVelvet Fri ₹ 5.20 cr. India biz. D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 4h 4 hours ago
#Besharam had collected ₹ 21.56 cr on Day 1 [2 Oct – holiday]. #BombayVelvet has collected 1/4th of that film on Day 1 [₹ 5.20 cr].
something odd about this. I am always interested as a sociological matter when something strange happens. If this film had opened with a decent initial and then tanked there would be nothing to think about. There’s nothing strange about Besharam! However the fact that this film didn’t even get an initial (to put it kindly). Why not? In absolute terms BV is probably not going to do too much better than either part of GOW. What explains this? Yes Kashyap isn’t for everyone, maybe the trailers didn’t excite anyone but still there ought to have been a minimal audience for the film on day 1. Part of the story here also is that the media exaggerates everything and people elsewhere consume this narrative and start believing it. The comparisons of Ranbir with Salman or Aamir or whoever are unfair. Why? Because Ranbir never started off like Hrithik and became a true blue elite star right away. But nor does he have the cultural memory that some of those older stars have built up over time. The media narrative has always been unrealistic on Ranbir (on both his stardom and his acting) and specially after YJHD it became more plausible. But that’s still a genre film. If Ranbir keeps doing something loosely similar (and he has some of those lined up) he’ll be fine. Over time then a certain cultural memory builds where then even away from a strength genre the star can get an initial. And when I say ‘loosely similar’ what I mean is that even a film like Rockstar which isn’t YJHD by any stretch still promises some of the same elements. Eventually the audience doesn’t like it but there’s enough here to get an initial and a decent total. When you then move to something like BV you are making certain assumptions that have never been proved. I actually never found Ranbir credible in the trailers in this part. The media says otherwise but they praise him on every occasion anyway! It’s ‘asserted’ at every turn! Ranbir is certainly a hot star at the moment, specially within the space of certain multiplex genres. But between this and the larger media narrative on him (again in terms of both star magnitude and acting ability) there is assuredly a wide gap. Which doesn’t mean that I subscribe to some of the exaggerated comments that are being made about him post BV. It also doesn’t mean he isn’t a top star. No one ever argued he was in the Salman zone or something. Again the media narrative got out of hand on this and people started believing it. That’s another matter.
I’d lastly say this and this has been an old point of mine. It is not easy to do ‘different’ even in a limited sense and keep prospering. The problem with Abhishek was that he didn’t course-correct soon enough and kept on doing films that were problematic in the box office sense. Ranbir is not doing that, he has a number of safe ventures coming up. Nonetheless it’s a tricky business. No one expected Besharam to be this kind of disaster. Alright he can be given a pass on Roy. But again BV failing wasn’t unexpected but becoming this kind of historic failure is. Now one hears Jagga Jasoos is being reshot. Still that looks to be a safe deal. But the point is that after these two films he needs a big one. Where I still think the media is with him is that they never really criticize him for any of these failures. They just attack the film. This has always been an ideological position on the media’s part much as with Abhishek it’s the opposite (if the film’s fine he’s doing a good job otherwise he’s personally responsible for the failure!). But yes it’s true that these things can turn quickly. Ranbir certainly cannot afford another significant failure at this point.
On BV once though this will probably never happen Kashyap should just put out a director’s cut on DVD. Whatever the film might or might not be this sort of ‘editing’ never helps. Lastly I’d still say that tough as this failure might be this is not the sort of film an actor with any ambition should ever refuse. Not just because such films can always be reinvented with time. Even if not this is the sort of director and this is the sort of film one should always take up unless one’s career is in dire straits and one is only looking for box office success.
Review: ‘Bombay Velvet’ Is a Bollywood Ode to American Gangster Movies
By RACHEL SALTZMAY 15, 2015
In the period world of “Bombay Velvet,” Ranbir Kapoor — with his pencil mustache, crop of flyaway hair and broad-shouldered jacket — looks more than a bit like his grandfather Raj Kapoor. And he has some of his raffish, leading-man charm.
Like the elder Kapoor in such films as “Awaara” and “Shree 420,” Ranbir plays an underdog battling the system. He’s Johnny Balraj, a petty gangster who doesn’t mind taking a pounding or doling one out. Johnny runs a nightclub and longs for a piece of the real-estate pie that is Bombay in 1969, a city on the cusp of (over)development.
The director Anurag Kashyap’s cinematic touchstones don’t end with Raj Kapoor. He also has a thing for American gangster movies. There are echoes here of “The Godfather” and “Scarface” (Brian De Palma’s). James Cagney shows up, too; Johnny watches “The Roaring Twenties,” with Cagney dying on snowy steps as a blonde intones, “He used to be a big shot.”
Which is to say that “Bombay Velvet” (great title) is more about movies than it is about gangsters. Mr. Kashyap’s restless camera likes the look of rain on windshields and tommy guns, Art Deco nightclubs and girl singers with beehive ’dos.
If Mr. Kashyap’s previous films, like “Ugly” and “That Girl in Yellow Boots,” have had an indie, sometimes arty sensibility, here, and in the ambitious “Gangs of Wasseypur,” he paints on a bigger canvas, or perhaps a bigger screen, wedding indie impulses and Bollywood storytelling. For much of its first half, “Bombay Velvet” hums with the kind of energy found in movies by the 1970s American directors Mr. Kashyap seems to admire. (Martin Scorsese is thanked in the head credits.)
Mr. Kashyap is perhaps too faithful to his Bollywood imperatives, though. In the grand tradition, his film is overlong (149 minutes) and overplotted. (It’s hard to keep track of all the dirty deals and dirty dealers carving up Bombay.) And just when you expect it to explode some of the clichés it reinvigorates, it embraces them instead.
Still, as one fast operator tells our hero, “The map of Bombay is being redrawn, Johnny.” Even with its faults, Mr. Kashyap’s film is more evidence that the map of Bollywood is, too.
and this has been precisely the problem here. I won’t repeat all of my older comments but why is a movie, ostensibly a love letter to Bombay’s past, actually an ‘ode’ to American gangster movies?
“…Or maybe, if you look closely, you will eventually find an answer. These cardboard cutouts appear so because they want to be Cool. That is their sole raison d’être. Which is perhaps why there is no real attempt to show how, and why, Johnny and Rosie fall for each other, be it via dialogues, moments of hesitancy, or silence, because that requires these characters to be real; it requires the two to be vulnerable; to risk something; to open up to each other. But Kashyap wants his leads, and possibly every character (with the exception of Johhny’s childhood friend, Chimman (expertly played by Satyadeep Misra)) in the film, to be Cool. And, frankly, there’s nothing flagrantly wrong with that. Kashyap is one filmmaker who does Cool better than any other Bollywood filmmaker (you only have to see that fascinating chase sequence in Gangs of Wasseypur II, underscored by the ingenious Chi Cha Leather song, to understand what Kashyap can achieve when he is in his elements), but for that to happen, your film and characters need to be at least consistent with their idiosyncrasies. Here they are not. Johnny and Rosie coming together—via the song Behroopiya—appears contrived, because we don’t get a fair sense of the kind of people they are (which, by extension, means we don’t know what love does or means to them). So when, in the later portions of the film, we see the two of them waxing eloquent about love and their readiness to pay its price, those lines just don’t ring true.
Also, it’s confounding that a film like Bombay Velvet, which centers around an everyman being sucked into the murky world of the rich and depraved, doesn’t feel it’s important enough to comment on the moral compass of its leads. So Johnny kills a tabloid photographer, in front of Rosie, in the course of altercation, and both of them move on as if nothing happened. Rosie does look appalled for a moment, but in the very next scene all’s good between the two. It’s difficult to believe that a crime as horrific as that goes unquestioned by her—someone who is neither a criminal nor shows signs of being one—that it doesn’t change the dynamics of their relationship even one bit. Does love turn ordinary people into callous robots? I am not so sure. (It can be argued that since Rosie might have herself killed a man in Goa, so she’s become inured to violence, but the fact is, Rosie’s was an act of self-defence, while Johnny’s is an act of cowardice. Rosie’s indifference to Johnny’s crime seems weird.) Films, of course, shouldn’t be moral science lectures, and their characters can do whatever they feel like, but we need to know how Bombay Velvet’s characters, especially Johnny and Rosie, react to these crimes, because they don’t belong to this world. They used to be perfectly ordinary folks who got embroiled in situations they couldn’t wrap their head around. When you are willing to show the depravity of your world in unhesitating strokes, why shy away from showing what bearing it has on its perpetrators and bystanders?
So the important question is not what Bombay Velvet is, but what it is trying to be. I am not even sure if the word “Bombay” in the title befits the film, because nearly nothing in it evokes Bombay. (And no, shoehorning a plot point about the city being made out of land reclaimed from the sea doesn’t quite cut it.) The gentleman’s club in the film looks like a thinly veiled imitation of one of the clubs in Las Vegas and, really, what’s up with its characters wearing suits all the time? You can still understand Johnny wearing a suit, because, well, he’s the manager of the club, but what explains journalists, cops, gangsters—practically everyone—in the film suited up? Is the answer to that question, too, just like the answer to nearly every other question in the film, this: Because wearing suit spells … Cool? And it’s this bit about the film that is most upsetting and jarring, even infuriating. Bombay Velvet is not, as its unending promotions led us to believe, a film about the changing fortunes of Bombay. It is a clichéd, formulaic film that doesn’t know where it belongs, or is too sheepish to acknowledge where it wants to belong….”
“…But, finally, what’s even more off-putting about the film is the way it ends: by telling us what happened to Rosie (as if she’s a character in a documentary), and the transformation of Bombay (which appears pointless because, as argued above, this is not a Bombay Film—it simply uses the complex history of the city to sell a generic plot). These lines intend to send us home with the feeling that we saw something “real” and, hence by that account, valuable. Curiously, Johar’s Khambata, unlike Rosie, based on a real life figure, Russi Karanjia, the editor of the famous Bombay tabloid Blitz (Khambata’s tabloid is called Glitz), doesn’t find a mention. But, of course, none of that matters. What really matters is pleasing the God of Cool. And Bombay Velvet has at least got that sorted.”
All I can say at this point is AB has shown again with deeds and not words that Baap akhir Baap hota hai . This despicable idiot Kashyap had been mouthing trash about AB but AB has shown what he is made of by giving a critical and commercial success at this age while this moron with a 100 plus budget and hot young star comes up with a critical and commercial disaster.
Thats how this world works. When someone is at peak, they try to pull that person down or not acknowledge the fact. When that person falls, there is glee all around. One cant please everyone.
I think rajen1 is living in past. Anurag and Amitabh get along fine now and just recently Anurag directed Amitabh in Yudh TV series, which although great, didn’t do well.
Bollywood me one sleeps with enemies. There are no real friends or foes. Based on time, kota sikka becomes kara. Bigb and SmallB hung out with even salman khan, so AK kya cheez hai.
Finally saw Bombay Velvet. What a huge disappointment. But I already knew after watching Ugly that Kashyap is becoming sloppy and senile. The characters and plot lines in Ugly were clearly half baked and some of the humor was delusional. However, Bombay Velvet has simply brought all those lapses out in glorious detail. BV is simply the worst film Kashyap has made, much worse than No Smoking.
To be honest I have a deep feeling that Kashyap has simply lost it and he wont be able to make another good movie. He is the new Ram Gopal Varma. Kashyap chapter is finally over in Bollywood. Wonder who will be the next poster boy of indie cinema?
Haven’t seen BV yet. I’m not surprised at the poor bo- infact I would’ve been v surprised if a kashyap film worked on the indian box office!
What’s a bigger surprise is the poor first day initial which a tepid flaccid ranbir couldn’t lift, it seems!
Ranbir stands exposed here.
But I still CANNOT believe the film is bad as is made out by people here. Will check it out soon (if it stays onscreen)
But the BIGGEST disappointment is the likely demise and of the Bollywood innings of perhaps one of the best film mind on contemporary Asian screens
I still remember one of the best films I’ve ever seen
GoW
It’s disappointing to see VIRTUAL MONKEYS jumping over each other to celebrate the demise of an icon..
To be frank (I can’t comment on bv) but most of these people aren’t competent on opining on his films
It’s a bigger disappointment to see kashyap thinking of moving to Paris
A familiar story …repeats
To those who haven’t seen BV and are thinking it must be some kind of a glorious convoluted hyper intelligent mess like No Smoking that the mediocre Indian Audience could not respond to…I would say they are simply wrong. BV is a very conventional cliched movie (as many reviewers of repute have pointed out.) It has simply been done without any plot or characterization or creativity…..sloppy work.
One can say whatever to Anurag Kashyap but I don’t think anyone in right mind would associate the word ‘mediocre’ with him. Even his flop No Smoking is not mediocre, haven’t seen BV yet.
AK is too sweet. He bends backwards for people when they approach him with scripts. In this case the writer of (gyam prakash-prof at princeton) was on his case to make BV. At times AK should listen to his gut then please people.
“And just when you expect it to explode some of the clichés it reinvigorates, it embraces them instead.
Still, as one fast operator tells our hero, “The map of Bombay is being redrawn, Johnny.” Even with its faults, Mr. Kashyap’s film is more evidence that the map of Bollywood is, too.”
Even WITHouT having seen BV yet, can gauge that —
Just when uve made up your mind about the Bollywood illiteracy of Rachel saltz, she delivers a killer blow and gives a lesson to all these self styled ‘critics’ trashing kashyap…
“Even his flop No Smoking is not mediocre”— hmm well, Domt wanna start on ‘no smoking’–in short, it wasn’t a ‘film’–it was art on celluloid , anyhow need to stop there !
Bombay Velvet Is Flat On Day Two
Saturday 16 May 2015 23.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet showed no growth on day two with collections again set to be around 5.25 crore nett. If some growth does come it will be to the tune of 25 lakhs nett at best. Even a 100% jump would not have altered its fate.
The collections of Piku edged part it at some multiplexes on Saturday while Gabbar Is Back had better collections at single screens in some cities despite being in third week. Infact collections of Gabbar Is Back at single screens were better even on the first day. The only circuit where any decent growth has come in is Mysore where collections look set to be 15% plus higher.
The film will have around 10.50 crore nett with a weekend having no chance of the first day collections of films like Besharam and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which collected in the 19.50 crore nett range on day one.
Baradwaj’s review is out.
“Bombay Velvet looks horribly shrunk. I’d like to see all the footage that was edited out. Maybe that will make the film more of a piece. The second half, especially, goes all over the place, a grab bag of desperate invention. There’s a bomb blast. There’s gonorrhoea. There’s a Tommy gun. There’s a line of dialogue that tells us it’s a Tommy gun. I threw my hands up. I kept thinking about Mahesh Bhatt’s Kabzaa, which was also about a young man with criminal tendencies caught between two powerful men and their fight over a piece of land. Call it unfashionable melodrama, but at least that movie moved, physically and emotionally.”
Piku Second Saturday Business
Sunday 17 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku showed good growth on Saturday as it grossed around 4.5 crore nett. The failure of Bombay Velvet aided business. The second week first two day business of Piku is as follows.
Friday – 2,75,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
TOTAL – 7,25,00,000
The film is now looking at the best second weekend of the year if it can manage to add least 5.50 crore nett on Sunday..
Bombay Velvet Second Day Business
Sunday 17 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The fate of Bombay Velvet was sealed on day one and the second day was no better. The business in the metros improved around 10% while other places were down or flat. The first two day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
Friday – 5,25,00,000
Saturday – 5,35,00,000
TOTAL – 10,60,00,000
Sunday will be it’s best day but it looks the best it can do for the weekend is 17 crore nett.
Mad Max is getting stoned without having Cocaine. If one wants to experience of getting stoned go watch Mad Max 2.
Pure unadulterated adrenaline experience
Saw Mad Max on Friday. After the first few minutes I was just wondering – this is quite weird. After 2 hours I still felt that was weird. But a pretty good weird.
Definitely worth a watch, hardly any moments to breathe and incredibly imaginative. Can’t get past the red guitarist goon. Hilarious.
Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet didn’t live up to the expectations at the box-office and the director has opened up on the same on his Facebook account. In a post, wherein Anurag thanked numerous people associated with the film, he clarified that he is not depressed and will be back. Anurag wrote, “Its time to close the book and move on. its been a journey, as if one life is over with Bombay Velvet. a lot of people do not connect with it and a small number of people did. Maybe when the shock of the narrative wears down , you will revisit it in the calm of your homes and will get into it. Maybe our experimenting with the narrative didn’t work for most but i firmly believe in the film. This is the film i wanted to make and i am glad i got to make it. I am very happy that all those who have been part of this journey firmly stand with it. No i am not depressed or hiding, this has taught us a lot and is my absolute personal favourite, there have been no regrets whatsoever.”
Post the film’s release, many thought that Kashyap would quit making films because of the debacle but Kashyap, in his post, also clarifies that he has no such plans. ” Films is what I breathe, what I live for, does not matter where I go and where I stay , I will only make films , and no I am not done with making films in and about my country, rest is just a little detour. none of you need to worry about me.”
“And how was it working with big names for the first time? “The younger generation have a good head on their shoulders. The Varun Dhawans, the Ranbir Kapoors. They are willing to experiment. The older lot are too busy playing ‘who’s dick is bigger’. They’re at war with each other and will self-destruct.”
Self destruct ? They have already spent 25 years in the industry. Now one may sympathize with Kashyap on BV, but he is being arrogant here and he does not understand that the younger lot take refuge in indie cinema when the regular Bollywood movie do not work for them. They don’t have a audience base and they get their acting credentials back before going back to doing regular fare. Saif , Shahid, and a lot more easily come to mind…
I feel Kashyap is a cry baby and this anti establishment stance on most things Bollywood and ridiculing big stars is to get quick publicity. Now his taking names etc would have died its own death with time because none of the stars respond to his jibes but for a sudden support from certain kjo whose brand of cinema was suddenly getting out of vogue and deserted by srk, he took shelter under kashyap dark cinema.
The worst thing is for all the big mouth and ramblings against big stars, Kashyap was still not allowed to get his final cut to the theatre and what is shown in theatre is bits and pieces tied together
( after interference by kjo/fox/rishi kapoor ) to tighten the movie which loses the essence of his whole exercise. May be the longer version will be much coherent and we should wait for the directors cut if ever it comes out.
On BV box office adverse reactions, it’s the media narrative which pisses off most movie seeking audience. Ideally Ranbir would have to cross Hrithik, Ajay and Akki before going for a tear down of Khan trio. But with YJHD super success, he supersedes everyone and threatens to topple over the top immediately. No one talks about him being in the industry for a good 8 years and with not much to talk about and mostly saawariyas , anjana anjanis thrown around. In direct contrast SRK who entered in ’92 had some good volume by year 2000 and was treated like topmost star of that period. Same standing goes to Aamir, Salman and to even Ajay & Govinda though Akki did wait until Here Pheri to be in top bracket.
I feel the failure is going to affect Kashyap the most here since PR for Ranbir will go on a overdrive and the newly found bromance with KJO the ultimate power broker will tie over this period for him.
You have to be bit unemotional in the show business or in any business e.g look at Vijay Mallya or Subrata Roy or Satyam computer guy or Bill Clinton’s public embarrassment at one point etc. Don’t let success and failure at BO drive you. If AK follows that, he will be ok too. No one can take talent or your contributions away from you. Little bit of passing through fire , every now and then is good for ego to be in check.
“The older lot are too busy playing ‘who’s dick is bigger’.”
🙂
Hahaha well, there ARE issues with his attitude and dissing people etc but at the end of the day, when one goes and sees anybody’s movie or work, one assesses and enjoys his/her WORK & not the personality or behavioural issues
“he’s going to Paris and making films”–
Well all the best
I actually suspect that he’s not fully broken up with Kalki and after giving her the break in bw, he will get her ‘support’ in his sojourn there
And ask for his ‘pound of flesh’
& my advice will be —
even if no films made, a change in scenery will do well 🙂
Anurag kashyaps work will never work on indian box office. This has always been my view and this has been confirmed (inspite of his efforts to ‘conform’ & roping in kjo like entities & enrolling a much bigger budget)
I won’t harp on the flaws and issues in script etc. There are many to do so esp with the box office verdict now at hand
As for me, I enjoyed it a lot and there were multiple moments and scenes that gave me pleasure
The FIRST half had AK in his elements and he was on his way to deliver another tour de force but soon the MULTIPLE INHERENT CONTRADICTIONS weighed the project down
But does it matter to me? Not beyond a point
Can we get something as Unformly smooth and brilliant like GOW —
I feel AK has it in him to deliver more brilliance but GoW is a v hard act to follow ..
This needed a TWO or THREE part SAGA (of about 4-5 hours duration) on the lines of GoW to do FULL JUSTICE to AKs vision
But with the budget and cast and canvas it wasn’t possible to accommodate that
Editing by Thelma was creditable but unfortunately she edited out much of kashyaps vision
But she also couldn’t kill all of it — moments of magic and brilliance managed to spill out
Another Kashyap fan boy(fortunately the species is soon going to be extinct). Kashyap is a closed chapter. No producer in his right mind will produce a kashyap film after the BV debacle…that’s a given.
Apart from the economics and the box office…..kashyap as a creative person is a spent force. I have seen unmistakable signs in his last two films of a very fundamental deterioration in his craft and creative mind-space. It’s nothing new…sudhir mishra had it after hazaron khwahisen aisi…..he continues making films…no one cares……there are many other examples….the creative world is full of such instances. It is my prediction that Kashyap is most definitely going down the same route. His plot lines and characterizations/themes and humor in movies will become more and more delusional. In his mind (like a doped up buffoon who thinks his garbled nonsense is of immense profundity) he may assume he is pushing the boundaries of cinema and story telling (RGV and his weird camera shots). In reality his movies will stink like shit pile. but I really liked Kashyap once upon a time and I sincerely hope he will not follow the example of other creative ppl who continued making garbage long after they had become creatively bankrupt. He must learn from the immensely gifted Shekhar Kapoor and quit film making and age gracefully. He owes that much to his fans and the brand of cinema he made in the past. He can be a good producer or a talent show host. I sincerely hope kashyap will show the maturity of shekhar kapoor and not follow in the footsteps of ram gopal varma.
“the immensely gifted Shekhar Kapoor and quit film making and age gracefully.”
Or Mahesh Bhatt who calls himself a dead non-erupting volcano but keeps supporting others and provides creative input behind camera. It was RK’s deep interest in working in ‘different’ movies and be more creative, so there he should be happy now for chasing AK down to cast him in BV. I think another hero would have worked the movie better but then they couldn’t get the 100crore budget the way ranbir could. Somehow RK looks too much choclate boy, chikna cupcake, even with makeup (which just made him look even more ridiculous) to be starring in noir film. This was EPIC miscasting. abhishek bachcan would have better suited for the dark hero role!! I think AK didn’t get as much creative freedom as he does in low budget movies to do his sh*t. Too many chefs spoiled the dish. Whereever he got creative freedom, you can see sparks of genius be it casting Karan or music and so forth. wherever he didn’t you can see khichdi confusion!
Salma Hayek shares her experiences of ‘sexist, ignorant’ Hollywood
“Hayek, who also works as a producer and director, appeared at a UN Women panel event about film, alongside actresses Parker Posey, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the producers of Cate Blanchett’s new film Carol.
Of why the situation did not seem to be improving over time, she added: “It’s simple, plain ignorance. They think the only value we bring to a movie is as an object.
“The only kind of film where women make more money than men is porno. It’s not funny.”
Speaking of the current situation for actresses, she said: “Our pay can never go up because we never get the opportunity to show what we can bring in revenue.”
…
Even when an A-list actress brings in audiences to a film, she added, the numbers still registered in the lead actor’s favour.
“The dude takes the credit,” she said. Speaking of her own experience in the film industry, she gave an expectedly frank insight into the problems she had faced personally, thanks in no small part to unnamed leading men.”
Bachchan said that even in international markets, a women starring in a movie is considered a niche product. “It’s pretty much the same everywhere across the globe,” Bachchan said. “We keep coming back to reiterating preconceived ideas.”
I’d like to see the entire session, hopefully it comes up online somewhere. This is an important issue that needs to be discussed. I would like to hear what the likes of Clooney and Khans have to say about this issue.
Bombay Velvet An Indie dream of a “goodfellas meets Gatsby” blockbuster
I’m not good at ‘reviewing’ most films least of all those by certain film makers like Anurag Kashyap (due to various reasons). Fortunately his greatest work till date GOW was well received by most critics who could get the sense of what was being tried (even if they didn’t love it as much as I did).Inspite of universal criticism, for me, BV worked in moments and scenes and I’m happy with that. The Goodfellas meets gatsby vibe is his humble tribute to his influences both Hollywood and Bollywood. Most things of beauty are flawed and have to be seen as such. But having skimmed though some BV reviews, haven’t come across a SINGLE review(er) who could tune into the wavelength here (which is not necessarily an ‘achievement’ for the filmmaker though). I will pick Vishal Menons piece below in the Hindu & I endorse his balanced view. This shows that you don’t necessarily have to be either a snob or a wordsmith or an encyclopaedia to get it right….
Early on in Bombay Velvet, there’s a scene where Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) dreams of becoming a ‘Big Shot’ after watching James Cagney in the arms of Priscilla Lane in the climax of The Roaring 20’s. Later on, Balraj enters a caged street fight against a stronger opponent. With each blow, we see Balraj’s smirk widen. He’s losing the battle but he seems to be enjoying himself. Never before have I seen a Bollywood hero revelling in cathartic bliss after being beaten to pulp. After the fight, he tells his friend that the pain helps him forget his mother (a prostitute who runs away with his loot) and, consequently, his past. Bombay Velvet is the love story of a masochist.
Set in late 60’s Bombay, this Anurag Kashyap love story is a tribute to classic film noir, which, by definition, is limited to a set of plots, props and recurring clichés. What this has done is liberate Kashyap from making a film restricted by plot, making the Bombay setting as much a protagonist as Balraj. This Bombay we talk of is in a 20-year-old India where Englishmen have been replaced by English-speaking Indians — a kind of scotch-sipping, jazz-bar-frequenting elite, whose pastimes include betting on horses at derbies.
Befittingly, it is during one of these derbies that Balraj is rechristened ‘Johny’ Balraj by Kaizad Khambatta (a chilling Karan Johar, especially in the scene where he nonchalantly offers his wife for personal gains) just a few moments after he’s mistaken for a servant. For Balraj, Kaizad is a one way ticket to becoming an insider, one of the elite, a big shot. As for Kaizad, Balraj is a priced racehorse on which he stands to gain handsomely.
Johny Balraj’s association as Kaizad’s dirty right hand leads him to riches to the point where he runs Bombay Velvet, the city’s hottest Jazz bar, drives his own Ford Falcon and dates club singer Rosie Noronha (Anushka Sharma). The moments where Johny falls for Rosie form the film’s most tender (a word used interestingly in the film) and vulnerable portions.
Ironically, Rosie too is a mere pawn in the hands of Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudary), the owner of Glitz, a left-leaning tabloid, ideologically opposite to Kambatta’s Torrent. United by their fight against those who use them, the couple decide to stay on rather than escape Bombay for normalcy. When Rosie proposes a life outside of Bombay, Johny tells her that outside Bombay is a place called India…filled with poor people, a place where he will never be big shot. Given that Johny Balraj derives pleasure from pain, even his idea of a happy ending is perhaps far from that of regular Bollywood cinema. In a way, he does get his happy ending then.
In one of the most spectacular-looking Hindi films in recent times, Kashyap transports us effortlessly to a different age and time. Scenes like the phone call between Kaizad Khambatta and Johny Balraj, where they speak nothing, is signature Anurag Kashyap, and so is the idea of a single photograph deciding the fate of a city. Despite pacing issues, the tendency to overstate the obvious and an inconsequential Tommy gun shootout, the film stands true to an indie filmmaker’s idea of a blockbuster. The film is every cinematic cliché and so much more. It is every crime movie you have already seen but so much more.
Ps: I Will add, that the performances extracted by AK from all including the lead pair & the sideys were consistently A-grade..In the second half towards the end, when the plot starts losing steam, Kashyap desperately goes back to ‘guns blazing’ mode as if to latch on to what I feel is an unrepeatable feat ( GOW). So while one may take this failure against him, this is ironically because Kashyap tries to own the very cliches he has tried to subvert all his life. This needs to be viewed in that context, classed in the very difficult to pull off ‘indie turned mainstream’ genre..
The flawed beauty of BV-
Kaise karoon yaqeen tu hai dilbar
Ya koi vaham piya, Behroopia.
Yeh dil tune bas me kiya, Behroopia …
Shikha Joshi, a 40-year-old model-turned-actress, who appeared in critically acclaimed 2013 film BA Pass, committed suicide by slitting her throat open mysteriously at her MHADA flat in Versova on Saturday evening (May 16, 2015). According to a report, police have registered an accidental death case. The report quoted DCP Satya Narayan Chaudhry as saying, “The incident took place at around 6 pm. Joshi would stay in the flat with her friend. She went into the bathroom and slit her throat open using a sharp object. When she did not open the door for a long time, her friend knocked on the door and Joshi opened it. However, she collapsed immediately due to excessive bleeding.” A bleeding Joshi was then rushed to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri where she was pronounced dead. Later, the body was sent to Cooper Hospital for post-mortem. No suicide note has been found from the place of the incident.
Bombay Velvet Is Flat Again On Sunday
Sunday 17 May 2015 23.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet remained pretty flat on Sunday again with growth likley to be less than 10%. The collections will be around 5.75 crore nett which will give it a weekend of around 16.25 crore nett apprx. The initial was a disaster and so is the trend as the film has not even seen the normal growth that happens with an urban film for metros..
The weekend collections will be less than films like Badlapur and Tevar and quite a bit less as these films crossed 20 crore nett. The film is a total mess and will record losses which are double of any previous Hindi film
The business in the two big circuits will be 5.50 crore nett apprx in Mumbai and 3.75 crore nett apprx in Delhi/UP.
16.25cr weekend? Even Badlapur and Tevar had 20 crore weekend which were not big grossers. I think the film will wrap under 30crores. This will be benchmark for biggest record loss for any film in Hindi film industry for years to come.
There is nothing much to fall lower. Also, it usually doesn’t fall over weekend. Friday is like half working day and Sunday is holiday. So, getting same collections as of Fri is actually shows the fate. It won’t cross 30 crores now.
Khaapshaptards- Ab kya bataoo mausi,, bhaley hee laakh chu##yapa pichchar banata hai mera Khapshyap, lekinn ladka heera hai Heera !! Bus usskey plot ka pata chaltey hee, aapko khabar kar dengey !!!!
Wish I was a part of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’: Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone, who is currently basking in the glory of her recently released film Piku, regrets not being a part of Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, reports IANS. When quizzed, if she has watched the trailer of Dil Dhadakne Do, she said, “It is simply wow. If you ask me that this year which film I would love to be a part of, then Dil Dhadakne Do is one of those films. I really wish that I was a part of that film.” Deepika further added, “Zoya is a close friend and she had given me the script to read, just for some feedback.”
Piku Holds Strong – Heads For 75 Crore Nett Lifetime Total
Monday 18 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku had a very strong second weekend as it grossed 13.25 crore nett which is the best second weekend of the year beating the figures of Gabbar Is Back. The second weekend business of Piku is as follows.
The film has grossed over 53 crore nett in ten days and is heading for a 75 crore nett plus lifetime. The film has found good appreciation amongst the gentry audience with the two premium multiplex chains contributing over 50% of its all India business.
Bombay Velvet To Set Benchmark In Terms Of Losses
Monday 18 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet grossed around 16.25 crore nett in its first weekend. The film opened to dull collections and remained there. It even failed to jump much on Sunday. The losses on the film will be of the magnitude never seen before for a Hindi film.
The recovery of the film from all revenues will struggle to hit 25 crore with the domestic theatrical share looking to settle at 11-12 crore. Overseas is looking 4 crore and though the satellite rights are on the books on the distributors sister company at a high rate the actual revenue will hardly touch 5 crore. Its is similar case for music. Its a similar case with music which will hardly fetch revenue. All this on a 120 crore plus cost which means a near 100 crore loss between the holders of the main rights (theatrical, television and music)
There have been huge losses before be it Drona, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se and Guzaarish amongst others but nothing like this. It will be easier to beat the box office records of PK then to beat the record losses of Bombay Velvet going forward.
PIKU, 2nd Week end is 14.60 Cr. Total domestic collection is 56 Cr and looking at today’s trend Week two will finish at 67-69 Cr so heading towords 80 to 90 Cr range. (as per BOI, heading towords 75 Cr domestic business). which is a block buster collection. Overseas, till Sunday 27.34 Cr and still going strong (Note as of now, 27.34 Cr is the biggest overseas of 2015). So Piku has grossed around 110 Cr in 10 days.
Read a articles in bollywoodhungama and one more portal talking about why Amitabh movies will never able to reach 100 Cr.
Yes, article was logical and of course, he is 73, no more angry young man. I am a big fan of AB, but never claimed he is the best looking or best actor etc, for me, its simple i love him the most. One thing about AB is undeniable, he is blessed, please dont write such idiotic articles, dont try to pull him down or make him smaller. God will hear you and make him more strong with films like PIKU. Same has happened earlier, when ever media try to write him off, he will come back stronger from no where, for me its just God love towords him, i mean he is really BLESSED.
PIKU,
Went to see 20:40 show @ trafford center on saturday,big que at the ticket counter,few tickets available as standing in the que,said to mrs it will be ok,finally at the counter we were told its ” sold out” to our dissappointment and all the way from home about 12 miles we were tempted to see bombay velvet which was running on empty, but decided to book for sunday night same time.anyway watched last night and only half full because of next working day.
As through out the film everyone one glued in and cheering the film ,one must say that all 3 were exquisite,even Moushumi Chatterjee she was awesome,overall the film was just too good and cannot wait for HD DVD to come out..
As I said by the trailor that Amitabh did look good but someone here not naming him but might have guesses it,was laughing as if he collected the ebola…my guess was right the film will give lift not only amitabh but iirfaan and deepika…
Kashyap Vs Kapoor: Have brothers Anurag and Abhinav scuttled Ranbir Kapoor’s starry status?
By Rajiv Vijayakar, May 18, 2015 – 12:37 IST
Like experts say when any man-made calamity strikes: it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Arguably the biggest cinematic cataclysm since films began, and without doubt in the last 20 years, Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet is now the catastrophe supreme to hit an industry already beleaguered by flops galore, and media-branded hits, all of which have lost money.
The sick part is that with corporate culture coming in, no one loses money from his own pocket, and so such tottering monoliths are actually green-lit, bank-rolled, made and released! Worse, the actual producer usually (but mercifully it is not true in this case) makes a fat profit, leaving the corporate entity and private distributors tearing their hair!
Why do I use the phrase “Waiting to happen”? It is simply because a director, whose highest-grossing directorial is Gangs Of Wasseypur with a lifetime collection of Rs. 25 crores, was allowed to purvey a star-studded extravaganza that would probably cost anything from Rs. 80-100 crores (never mind the final budget of Rs. 120 cr. because of re-shooting and other Anurag-ian matters!). As of now, BV might match or surpass the lifetime collection of GOW by a whisker, the monumentally vital difference being in its projected target audience and thus its production budget!
Like a seasoned filmmaker quoted from a line in one of his own films, “If a man used to a Fiat is told to drive a Mercedes, he is going to have a mishap!” Zero credentials as a commercial filmmaker (the IQ level of mainstream makers has to be far higher by definition than the brigade that purveys arty, niche cinema) and Anurag’s fatheaded script (from what we can judge now) should have set the alarms ringing at Fox Star Studios. Of course, we cannot really blame Phantom, Anurag’s banner, where his producer partners are largely his proteges.
Plus, when a director has never handled true-blue stars (Amitabh Bachchan in a short film and a disastrous television serial notwithstanding) and openly professed aversion to them as well as mainstream cinema decides to make a starry, ‘masala’ movie, it is dead certain that things will go wrong. Unless, like with the films of a Basu Chaterjee, the stars themselves take a pay cut because they and their skills are going to be shown in a new light, that too, a realistic, wholesome one. Which was not at all the case here!
And so we come to the crux: this is the second mishap Ranbir Kapoor (till now considered the biggest young star to come after Hrithik Roshan and in the top league that is placed below the six superstars) has had with the Kashyap fraternity- Anurag and his brother Abhinav Kashyap of Besharam ‘fame’. These two filmmakers have given the star his two career-biggest setbacks.
As a close observer who would remain anonymous states, “The process of sucking up to big names began for Anurag Kashyap after his professed remarks against Amitabh Bachchan and Karan Johar, and then turning a full 180 degrees, courting them and beguiling them into working with him! After that, he tried this with more top names, obvious enough to go unnamed, and then managed to sell himself as a master storyteller to Ranbir Kapoor.”
But exhibitor Akshaye Rathi points a crucial difference between the two Kashyap brothers – that Abhinav never had any malafide intentions. “His intentions in Besharam were to make a proper mainstream film. He went wrong in the execution, that’s all, and let’s face it, the biggest and best of filmmakers give flops.”
Rathi points out that the film opened to a good Rs. 21-plus crore two years ago. “It was Gandhi Jayanti, and the combo of the Dabangg director and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani hero, plus a couple of hit songs was hot!” After that, however, the demerits took over, and the film tanked.
Ranbir Kapoor himself compared the two brothers by stating that Abhinav was more mass-oriented, making films with proper heroes and entertaining elements, while Anurag “liked to tell good stories.”
However, the latter part has been clearly disproved. As Rathi points out, “After signing a big star, going to Sri Lanka to build these sets, and hiring talents like a French editor and then wasting all their collective talent and the moneys paid to them, you cannot make a niche film in 100 crore! People are not so gray or mean in real life as they are shown in Kashyap’s films, and the world is a nicer place. On the other hand, every era and time has its own set of problems in real life, and as always, people want escapism and entertainment when they go to watch a film. And Bombay Velvet lacked that.”
The Kapoor train, therefore, has been strongly derailed by the Kashyaps and the intentions barely make a difference to Ranbir’s commercial reality. In between Besharam and Bombay Velvet, Ranbir Kapoor unfortunately had another calamity in Roy (lifetime collection Rs. 44 crore for a big film riding on Ranbir, even though his was only a special appearance), and the declining graph from YJHD to BV sees Ranbir’s star status at flashpoint.
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani feels that “All stars have a series of flops. It will take Ranbir Kapoor just one hit to bounce back, as he has a strong fan following!” But others are not so sure. “It will take him a while to recover his commercial standing that had come with Barfi! and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” feels another observer.
Maybe the lesson to be learnt here is that while stars do not lose their clout after even a hat-trick of flops, their individual films are actually dependent on the directors, more than on their starry clout. This is an old maxim, but still not appreciated in a star-driven world.
Conclusion: It is a coincidence that the two Kashyaps-for completely diverse reasons- may have momentarily harmed Ranbir Kapoor’s track record, but not his star status. But the actor must carefully, if necessary cold-bloodedly, avoid such blunders in future.
Anurag Kashyap is an egotist and a hypocrite. Extremely happy the way RGV is taking his case. The loud mouth…narcissist deserves no less. Loss of 100 crore….wow…..he always wanted to join the elite 100 crore club……he sure did it….HIS WAY! Keh ke doonga….
rishi kapoor @chintskap · May 14
AB feat.Saw PIKU,outstanding!AB had the youth going crazy then and now senior citizens going crazy.Most unable to walk in a house full. Wah!
rishi kapoor @chintskap · May 14
Who has written photographed edited this brilliant Piku?Director Shoojit, doff my hat! All character actors, some I don’t know fabulous.
Saw Piku last week. Thoroughly enjoyable film, thankfully did not have to think too much or use my brain…just enjoy it. Nice performance, funny scenes and dialogues and not a typical ending either.
Also saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes last night on tv. Really liked it, did not expect to enjoy it that much.
Absolutely no courage to watch Bombay Velvet unfortunately. The bashing is so severe that I cannot muster it. Bit of a shame really as I thought it might surprise.
Think it would really be helpful if Kashyap could somehow put out a director’s cut on it. The film might be messy but it never helps to severely edit these things.
Have you ever had to work on a project after its ‘completion’ for a year? I had to at work. The boss wasn’t happy after I completed it. It took me a year to complete and I did everything he wanted in it and ALL the changes he wanted through the year. After its completion he wanted me to work on it even “more”. So I quit. Not just the project but the job as well. It is like asking someone to run after putting chains on their feet!! In that I empathy for AK. You can bend backward for producer, financiers and audience but only so much. Then it smothers your creativity. Then you want to quit it. Not just that film but that country too. at least for a while so you can breathe and regroup. Even if he made a “bad” film, they are going after him like a pitbull and all kinds of uncalled for namecalling that he doesn’t deserve, including our own Rajen!!
“Even if he made a “bad” film, they are going after him like a pitbull and all kinds of uncalled for namecalling that he doesn’t deserve”
This happens in very many cases in India. of course people tend to defend only those they want to. I have always called out this culture of hysteria. You can’t be selective about this stuff. In other cases if you’re happy to join the ‘mob’ you can’t suddenly get squeamish about it in this case.
As for Rajen he’s coming from a different space. He hasn’t said anything about the film. I’d always defend Kashyap the director and the film (even though I haven’t seen it) but that doesn’t mean I can defend him everywhere in terms of stuff he’s said.
well agree (on rajen and last para). However one man’s pomposity could be another man’s attitude. If I were to read and take Rishi Kapoor’s twitter comments on facevalue he would appear to be jerk/a-hole/pompous full of b.s. whatnot. But on the other hand he is just a man with attitude and opinions. It is not like AK single handedly killed abhishek’s career with his comments or something like that. He said what he saw and observed and to give him due credit he does change his opinion on people when he gets to know them, doesn’t hold lifelong panga.
never mentioned Abhishek or Kashyap in this context.. of course I don’t believe his career his killed to begin with but that’s a different debate! Whatever issues I have with Kashyap’s pronouncements are about larger matters.
secondly if anyone can have an attitude why are you objecting to Rajen’s?!
ok. You got me there. I guess Rajen can have bad attitude (and what would the world be with out “ye dosti hum nahi chodenge…”) but just not express it when someone is bloodied and down and under. Rest of the time it is ok. 😉 🙂
Rangan on Bombay Velvet’s music: Yes, a pity about the music. Utterly outstanding stuff, reworking the standard Broadway (you can hear a lot of Kander-Ebb here) and jazz templates. The first time I heard Mohabbat buri beemari, I was like “Hmm… nice!” But then I realised it was an effing waltz (one-two-three, one-two-three…) and the bulb went on and I slapped my forehead 😀
I wish the people who give the Rahman albums multiple listens give the album the same courtesy too. Tons to discover.
So BV is one of the biggest disaster. Thank you AK, please go to Paris and make festival films and with more blood, sex and gore as the french will understand you better then Desis. Overall Fox is the culprit for putting in 100 cr + into Anurag Kashyap..this is like same Fox did with Sid Anand for Bang Bang..but BB did well to come out a hit.
‘Overall Fox is the culprit for putting in 100 cr + into Anurag Kashyap.”
Actually, just the opposite.
The Hollywood studios take such risks every now and then That’s why they hand out 150 million USD to some one like Nolan with only Memento and Insomnia behind him. That’s how you get excellence. Sometimes a film like Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate turn sout to bea disaster. But taht’s par for the curse. That’s how you get Aaple and Facebook, because venture capitalists invest millions in the hands of college kids.Of course for every Facebook there are hundred others that fail. But that is what risk-taking is about. In India you play safe and you settle for mediocrity.
Money well spent. Generated employment in Sri Lanka and India. Gave permanent, fabulous sets in Sri lanka that others can now shoot there. Put bread on lot of tables of petty artists. Good to get $$ to third world countries like this instead of charity and conversion causes!
“The Hollywood studios take such risks every now and then That’s why they hand out 150 million USD to some one like Nolan with only Memento and Insomnia behind him. ”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They hand out 150 USMD only because he has Memento and Insomnia behind him man! and Nolan delivers 500 USMD and more with that 150 USMD……….
lol. Lot of what he says is true. “Prove me wrong by showing me a review of Bombay Velvet that does not talk about Anurag Kashyap’s ambitions with this film, the film compared to his other work, the film with respect to other gangster film, the budget of the film, the expected box office, the negative buzz around it, etc etc etc. ”
Apart from the reasons he listed for not watching the movie, all true for me, I also didn’t watch BV in theater, because I just couldn’t bear to look at Ranbir (from the promos and otherwise) in that characterization and wasn’t sure if I could tolerate him for 2 hours. So gave it a skip.
I understand all internet reasons and I would also include the wrong release time with IPL knockouts happening all this week started on Friday onwards but the only prime reason which people didn’t turn up 1st day is bad and unexciting promos. I know many folks who couldn’t complete 3 minute theatrical promo as well. So, I knew that none of them would show up 1st day and only possibility was that movie had absolutely great reviews which forces them go and check it out.
you’re quite right in that the hysteria is misdirected in this sense. Because for whatever reason no one showed up on day 1. It can’t be said that everyone hated it because most people just weren’t interested in it. Now it’s true of course that a film that is loved can show jumps over the weekend, clearly this wasn’t liked even by those who saw it. But that’s a bit different from the Besharam scenario where a film gets a normal or strong opening and then completely tanks. These distinctions are important. A film might lose money either way but how and why it happens makes a difference.
Of course even on the advertising I’d say this. Why is it the case that people found the promos so uninteresting? I didn’t like them too much for other reasons but they were certainly better than 95% of other stuff that’s put out there. People show up for all kinds of stuff and those promos are also nothing special. Because they are more receptive to those genres. Whatever problems the film might or might not have those are not the reasons the audience doesn’t show up for this sort of thing. Because they accept the same problems in other genres. I am fairly persuaded this is a messy film but I am also fairly certain that the longer cut is going to be better. Whether it ever sees the light of day is another matter. And once again I’ll invoke some sense of history here. A debacle in the present is always tough to deal with for all concerned. However this is never the last word on a film. Specially with a director who’s otherwise talented or more the odds are at least 50-50 that such a film will be ‘rescued’ over time. It’s not just about India. I’ve had this argument many times here before but if one were to remove such debacles or less failures (commercial, critical or both) from the industries of the world (beginning with Hollywood) one would be left without a lot of movies that are considered important. Again I’m not arguing that everything that fails is somehow important. But just because it’s a debacle doesn’t mean it’s the worst thing out there. Failures often happen on the production side of things but they equally happen on the audience side as well.
I think the whole concept here was a little screwed up. I am sorry but Kashyap doesn’t get to pass the blame to anyone else here really. This was not commercially viable from inception and I have been consistent here.
I had actually been impressed by some of the later promos and I suspect I might like some aspects of the film.!doesnt change the fact that this was a dud from day one and is not going to have any after life, Sometimes makers making their magnum opus lose sight of reality.
On a personal level , I thoroughly despise the guy and will never forgive him for the comments he made about Abhishek and false allegations he leveled against AB at the release time of KHJJS.
Amitabh may have forgiven him but I cannot. He IS talented but I don’t really care. One way ticket to Paris sounds like a good idea.
BTW, he didn’t damage Abhishek’s career with his petty remarks because he doesn’t weild that kind of power. He is just a loudmouth and gets heard sometimes like all loudmouths do.
On the movie posted elsewhere : Movie needed trimming and the screenplay was not engaging.. I think Kashyap had something in mind to make around Hollywood gangster movie and he became self indulgent with style instead of writing.
LOL, …what a stupid piece…
Itna hee Dum hai then what happened to GOW – USA release, or that too was Internet’s fault ??? What happened to Ugly ? to Yudhh ?
The reverse of this logic is that had the movie been liked/ written about in kinder terms by the 2% Internet class, then even if it did the same amount if business , the perception would have been built to call it an average and move along !!
But this time the audience as well as the critics Ek ho gaye and hence the problem !!!
Na class haath aaya , Mass toh kabhee saath tha hee nahi ?
Khhapshayp must be saying the following about the Snobtaards-
Humey toh apno ney loota, Single screen par toh bharosa hee nahee tha !!
Meri Picture doobi wahan bhee Jahan sey poora ummeed tha !!!
Anurag Kashyap recently expressed himself on social networking site Facebook with regards to the poor results of his latest release Bombay Velvet. Filmmaker RGV and Anurag had an interesting exchange of words on micro-blogging site Twitter about the same.
RGV @RGVzoomin:
‘A director standing by his film rejected by the audience is like him telling a girl “I love myself and I don’t care if you don’t love me”’
Anurag Kashyap @anuragkashyap72:
“@RGVzoomin sir i love you too much.. now put that Vodka aside and sleep.. lots of kisses”
RGV @RGVzoomin:
“@anuragkashyap72 well sir for ur info I stopped drinking …I am not into kissing men but love you too”
Anurag Kashyap @anuragkashyap72:
“@RGVzoomin then lets have filter coffee together soon to celebrate the AAG..”
(Disclaimer: All tweets have been sourced from Twitter and written as is)
Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma reportedly had a huge fall out after Anurag co-wrote Satya with him. Post the debacle of RGV’s Aag, Anurag had reportedly commented that he felt that Ramuji had lost it all in Aag. He had said that he couldn’t see the Ramuji he used to know at all now and that he has stopped watching his films completely. However, now that Bombay Velvet failed to impress the critics and the audience alike, RGV took to Twitter to get even with Anurag. He tweeted, “Because I am 1st maker of AAG I think I have experience and right to lay them on a velvety cushion nd console the future AAGIANS…..My velvety tears for the maker of a disaster like AAG are for the tragedy,that by being the butt of it,he himself doesn’t get to fuck it….The bottom line is everyone makes an AAG and till he makes his own AAG he will bitch about others AAGS until he too burns in his own AAG.” [sic]
lol- aamir needs to do some light films – romantic genre – he has literally abandoned after Fanaa…………what a pity! QSQT star has become a socio-superstar 🙂
Anurag K’s mind may veer thru stylish offbeat noir cinema but at the heart both kashayp brothers seem like the typical Gorakhpuri bhaiyya more suited to be the face of legit masala cinema. More so as both claimed to have admired and grown up on 70s Bachchan staple. I think those anglo boarding school years spent at Scindia, Gwalior may have left them a bit twisted and confused.
They were perfectly suited to be in Salim-Javed mould and represent the new age cinema in masala undertone mixing it with their fetish for noir filmmaking laden with cynical attitudes and sexual motivations as an added twist. Abhinav had more or less nailed that with Dabangg and if that script was tweaked a bit, it would have be one for the ages. The dialogues etc were not only innovative but authoritative in masala setting and then who better in current bollywood to mouth them – swaagat nahi karoge hamara !
However unlike Salim –Javed who vouched and stuck with Bachchan to take their script to another level, the egos of Kashyap brothers got the better of them and a perfectly budding career of Abhinav was halted by suddenly pushing Ranbir do a Salman in Besharam. There are few jodis which connect like the sanju-hirani, dhawan-govinda and here salman should have been the face of their angst once they saw how well Salman connected with the masses.
It seems the guy has serious egoistic attitudes and is a top notch braggart because nothing explains why a Aamir type will not have reservations to work with a Nitesh Tiwari and ignore a talent like him.
Interesting read here. I am so looking forward to Tanu Weds Manu Returns and one may add Madhvan to the list below –
“How the tables have turned for heroines in 2015. After fighting for equal pay and respect as their male counterparts for years, the Hindi film heroine has grown leaps and bounds to reach the stage she has today. While films like Queen, Mary Kom, and Piku have been huge hits; they have also received much love, critical acclaim, and awards when compared to some of the “Money Churners” that the boys have been presenting us with. This year is even more special as quite a few heroes are relying on these powerful women’s star power to resurrect their career”
It is this superficiality, this lack of substance, this absence of soul, that makes Bombay Velvet an underwhelming mess, not some prejudiced hacks who say it is one. Of course, that doesn’t mean it is as bad as Gabbar; the sign of Kashyap’s talent is that even his spectacular failures are as good, if not better, than the godawful tripe we call our mainstream cinema.
Piku May Emerge Top Worldwide Grosser Of 2015
Tuesday 19 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku may emerge the highest grossing film worldwide of 2015. Baby earlier this year had grossed 125 crore Worldwide and that figure has been beaten by Gabbar Is Back which is looking to settle around the 135 crore mark but the way Piku is going it may just edge past the figure of Gabbar Is Back.
It will be photo finish between Gabbar Is Back and Piku and will take another a few weeks to settle issue but by that time Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Dil Dhadakne Do may also come into the picture depending on content.
The latter is hot in Overseas even though there is no big star in the film. The promos have worked and it will probably be the top Overseas in 2015 till date film content willing. Even a market like United Kingdom may put up numbers. Still its a sign how bad things are that the top grossers are falling short of even 150 crore Worldwide when a few films have crossed that amount in three days. Last year nine films topped 150 crore Worldwide even though business was not that good.
One of the best movies, that showcases the modern day India, as we know. It’s a funny movie, which is funny not because of jokes, loud scenes or shit, but the way character’s are defined, and I am sure one shall know similar traits in their loved ones or near or dear ones.
Deepika two thumbs up! After a long time I have enjoyed Big B’s performance. Irfan well what can one say about the man! He is always good imo!
Bombat Velvet Crashes Further On Monday
Tuesday 19 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet crashed further on Monday with business of 2 crore nett apprx and a 60% plus fall from Tuesday.. The first four day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
BV seems one of those rare films where Taran’s numbers are slightly lower than BOI’s.
Gabbar’s numbers also seems very similar when it comes to BOI, Taran and Koimoi.
In BV’s case, the producers have probably felt that it’s going to be a useless exercise to forge the numbers. It’s going to be called a disaster anyway.
Saw Piku again on sat -70% full in second weekend
The scene I laughed hardest was when they make a stop and AB is using the urinal and Budhan is standing outside and going ‘Psssssssssssss’ and Irfan comes by and is like WTF and the expression on his face was priceless! Had tears in my eyes and am laughing uncontrollably as I am writing this.
Has to be one of the funniest scenes ever!
Just back from Mad Max: Fury Road. I feel so humbled to see at what level some people can imagine….so many machines, so many landscapes, so many characters….detailed to perfection. And such an inspiring story at the core…an anti-war, anti-patriarchy, feminist action epic. Wow! Take a bow George Miller. Can remember only Matrix and V for Vendetta as close to this in visual imagination coupled to epic storytelling.
“What a day. What a lovely day it is to be a movie fan” – To paraphrase a line in the film.
Sicario review: Emily Blunt cracks the cartel in a white-knuckle thriller
4 / 5 stars
Denis Villeneuve borrows Michael Mann’s crown to take control of a straight-ahead genre movie as Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro battle Mexican druglords
“Did Denis Villeneuve just take Michael Mann’s crown? Or borrow it, anyway? Sicario is a brutal action thriller with screeching feedback notes of fear and paranoia. It is all about the war on terror culture of retaliate-first being transferred from the Middle East to an unending homeland security war, prosecuted by people who may not be fully briefed about the game plan, targeted against Mexico and its top suppliers of drugs to the prosperous US. Villeneuve handles conventional action sequences terrifically well, and also places this white-knuckle material within a general atmosphere of nihilist ruthlessness. There’s a persistent queasy sense that acts of violence against the enemy are accomplished in order to gain trust and find out what is going on with your own team – and that these discoveries may be late in coming. …”
“…The script from actor and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has some great moments. When Kate asks Alejandro what’s going on, he replies calmly: “You’re asking me how a watch works. Just keep an eye on the time.” The huge, macho “convoy” scenes and assault-rifle shootouts are clearly indebted to Mann and the eerie infra-red nighttime sequences, as if on an alien planet, have something of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty. Interestingly, there is not much of an auteurist signature from Villeneuve himself: I was agnostic about his more cerebral work such as Incendies (2010) and his English-language drama Prisoners (2013), though I enjoyed his doppelgänger nightmare Enemy (2013). Here, he has just taken control of a straight-ahead Hollywood genre movie, and managed it with great flair without any supercilious over-thinking – which is not to say that it isn’t smart. As an action thriller, it delivers.
I loved the movie, the ending too was fine as an inversion of Psycho but somehow I didn’t quite like it within this film. Almost felt a bit too regular and ‘definite’ given everything that had preceded it.
Like Mr. Jones’s universe, Mr. Miller’s world has its rules. Viewers raised on the more baroque, digitally enabled forms of blockbuster spectacle are likely to admire the relative simplicity of “Fury Road,” while aficionados of the traditional slam-bang methods will revel in its coherence. Even in the most chaotic fights and collisions, everything makes sense. This is not a matter of realism — come on, now — but of imaginative discipline. And Mr. Miller demonstrates that great action filmmaking is not only a matter of physics but of ethics as well. There is cause and effect; there are choices and consequences.
There is also enormous pleasure in watching those consequences play out, and in encountering surprises along the way. Not twists — the plot moves from Point A to Point B and back again, ending up pretty much where you knew it would — but kinks and swerves, tricks of perspective and playful reversals of expectation. A sweet, almost wordless romance blossoms between a hapless war boy (Nicholas Hoult) and one of Joe’s brides, as she and her comrades evolve from eye candy into a feminist guerrilla force. They are joined by a band of older women called the Vuvalini, who along with Furiosa, decide to give Immortan Joe’s patriarchy a taste of its own medicine.
It’s all great fun, and quite rousing as well — a large-scale genre movie that is at once unpretentious and unafraid to bring home a message. Way back in the “Thunderdome” days, Tina Turner sang, “We don’t need another hero.” That’s more true than ever, especially during summer movie season. And “Mad Max: Fury Road,” like its namesake both humble and indomitable, isn’t about heroism in the conventional, superpowered sense. It’s about revolution.
Do you have friends in the industry, and do you keep in touch with them?
I do, as and when time permits. Gulzar bhai is my neighbour, so we find a reason to be in touch. I exchange messages with Amitji (Bachchan) once in a while. On my birthdays, I get the first call from him, even if my family or even I forget about it. Aamir (Khan) is like a soulmate, so he is always there for me. (AR) Rahman is an inspiration. Although he keeps travelling across the globe, it’s amazing to see how he keeps in touch with people who he cares for. And I have just found new friends in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Bombay Velvet is Kashyap’s sleekest but most restrained film. The editing appears constricted, leaving out certain moments that would have enhanced both story and characterisation. But it is still an engaging film about a charming lumpen and his brave songstress. Only the workers with their red flags and slogans are now waiting to flood Kashyap’s camera, demanding their presence in his cinematic vision.
Just back from PIKU; having savored it the second time. These days, because of the onslaught of reviews, at the first view, I always wonder whether it is my aural and visual senses that I am being loyal to or that of the review glut. So I had to catch it the second time. And what a simple – not simplistic – pleasure it was!
There have been a century of reviews now for this one, and I do not really wish to [am actually incapable of covering more than the wonderful insights folks like Rangan or Saibal – or our very own Mr. Mohanty—provide] add more to it. But rarely do Hindi films these days ‘sieve’ out—in the context of this film— emotional residue the way Piku has managed to. That forces one who is a reluctant and a lazy keyboard-rapper to give vent to one’s thoughts. And it is difficult to feel the essence too because of the, debatably, time-mandated transport and import of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s or Basu Chatterjee’s middle-class onto multiplex-India’s– to quote an instance, Zoya Akhtar’s faux-middle-class via Farhan Akhtar’s role in the vapid ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.’[At least her brother’s ‘Dil Chahata Hain’ (DCH) had a quirky quality that led the struggling upper-middle-class folks like me and the Worli sea-face brats concurrently to identify with the three protagonists of DCH.]
A movie like Piku’s essential success lies not in the number of laughs it generates or in the ‘fact’ that it makes 120 minutes fly by keeping one’s mundane and depressing life completely at bay. It is with the reflections and the refractions of one’s own life that one finds in the script-writing, in the characters and their characteristics’’, and later, in the entire movie-making exercise.
That is the biggest success of Piku. It is that identification and connect that one finds with the characters’ characteristics generally and the situations ‘specifically’ that is its triumph. How many times has one seen one’s parents or near-and-dear-ones bicker with a domestic help that Amitabh’s Banerjee does? How many times has one seen an extremely irritating sister or brother or a cousin that is as rude – in circumstances not entirely prejudiced— as Deepika’s Piku? How many times has someone come across a disgruntled, though utterly loyal, help like Budhan? How many times has one come across an aunt – fill up the blanks with any relative you want—who is completely invested in your life—and unwelcomingly so? How many times has one been annoyed with the persistent interference of one’s distant and not-so-distant relatives’ interference in one’s personal life, trauma, and situations – without understanding ANY references to the contexts? And how many times one has EXCATLY wished that the same happen because one needs somebody to be ‘smothering’! Oh how many times life has churned one helplessly into a cesspool of contradictions! Through PIKU and BHASKOR, one finds one’s life cavorting through the snake-and-ladder game and that’s again, what under-scores its ‘connect’ with the audience. How many times one finds liberation from the claustrophobic societally-vetted life by riding a bicycle through the lanes of Calcutta? One might find it through alcohol, one might through writing, and one might find it through watching movies in ready-to-collapse single-screen theaters that one spent a significant time of movie-watching life at any given pretext, or through just sitting idle atop a mound. But almost EVERYONE battling this everyday monstrosity called life has tried his or her own remedial quick-fix salvation. Just as Amitabh’s BhaskOr tries jelabi, one might have tried – hungry or not— the city’s delicacies like Pav Bhaji or Kacchi Dhabeli or what have you!
Amitabh the actor has been such a ‘coupled’ life of my childhood and adulthood – and other avid Hindi movie-goers of India of my age—it is imperative that I speak something about this man’s role and performance in this movie. One hates to go into ‘review’ mode – talking at least in the context of PIKU – but when it comes to Amitabh, it’s kind of difficult to stay away. It’s been a long way, personally for me, from watching Amitabh being the coolest ‘man’ in ‘Shaan’ to dying FANTASTICALLY in ‘Shakti’ –what with my father and uncle successfully halting my tears and convincing my kiddie-self that Amitabh is not actually dead after SHAKTI’s rolls ends but is alive by showing me his photograph on STARDUST just after walking out of the theatre!—and now, in PIKU, to playing an irascible old man! It is a fitting tribute to the infinite talent that a man that epitomized ‘coolth’ in the ‘70s and ‘80s and unknowingly forced folks like us to stand in front of the dilapidated mirror in our homes and imitate his ‘style’ and ‘action’ to STILL be considered funny and cool going scatologically viral!
This PIKU’s success shall dominate as long as the middle-class life in ANY metro of India finds an ‘honest’ reflection in its depiction.
P.S: I, personally, am not interested in understanding or dissecting the so-called ‘honest and forward-thinking’ sexual life of PIKU because, frankly speaking, it falls ‘outside’ of the purview of the primary and honest concerns of this movie and secondarily, because, I refuse to fall prey to some ‘celebrated’ and mis-placed jingoism of ‘feminisim.’
Your review is as good if not better. Atleast you have not made Piku’s feminism as central point of the film as others did. The film would have been delectable even without those subtle statements. It is about father daughter or daughter father relationship.
Oye…how old were you when you watched Shakti 😉
And even though blogmaster doesn’t want me to, your post made me think as well as look up “scatologically”. Tere review ne mera dil chu liya (which most posting here don’t except maybe Omrocky). Jinda raho puttar
“I, personally, am not interested in understanding or dissecting the so-called ‘honest and forward-thinking’ sexual life of PIKU because, frankly speaking, it falls ‘outside’ of the purview of the primary and honest concerns of this movie and secondarily, because, I refuse to fall prey to some ‘celebrated’ and mis-placed jingoism of ‘feminisim.’ ” well said An jo. That was not a big deal in the film, and we shouldn’t make it one.
According to an IANS report, Asiya Andrabi, chief of women’s separatist group ‘Dukhtaran-e-Milat’ (Daughters of Faith) came down heavily on Salman Khan on May 19, 2015, for advocating re-opening of cinema theatres in the Kashmir Valley. “Salman Khan is acting like an Indian agent to help cultural aggression of Kashmir by India,” Asiya told reporters. The firebrand chief alleged India was planning to export whatever is “immoral” and “un-Islamic” into Kashmir through the medium of cinema and for this, agents like Salman Khan were being used. She asserted that re-opening of cinema theatres would be opposed at all costs by her group. “We will not allow cinema halls to function in Kashmir. Whatever be the cost…,” she said. Khan had advocated the re-opening of cinema theatres in the Valley asserting that everyone here watches movies on television and even through pirated CDs and this could be checked if the Valley got its cinema theatres back. Radical groups like the ‘Dukhtaran-e-Milat’ campaigned against cinema halls, beauty parlours, wine shops and video parlours in the Valley in the early 1990s and forced their closure. No cinema hall has been able to restart operations in Kashmir since then.
Bombay Velvet Day Five – Crashes Further
Wednesday 20 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet had another big fall on Tuesday with collections down 30% from Monday. The film has totally capatulated. The first five day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
I heard Anurag Kashyap was planning a trilogy on Bombay. I would like to ask, Mr. Vijay( Fox CEO), when are they planning to shoot the second part?
Satyam you have any idea when the shooting starts?
India’s inexorable rise as a 21st century global power may be undeniable but it remains a country tethered to a past firmly marked by the caste system, class division and deeply ingrained religious beliefs. Neeraj Ghaywan’s very engaging debut feature Masaan confronts the tensions between ancient and modern through a Paul Haggis-style approach of intertwining tales of love, loss, grief, police corruption and crumbling moral certainties set in Benares, the holy city of the Ganges.
The involving characters and vibrant visions of Benares (Varanasi) should be a winning combination for an international audience who have embraced non-Bollywood Indian films like Udaan, The Lunchbox and The Gangs Of Wasseypur. There might even be enough charm and substance in these tales from the “ real India” to tempt elements of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel crowd.
Ghaywan worked as an assistant on The Gangs Of Wasseypur and has cited director Anurag Kashyap ( a co-producer here) as an important mentor and influence on his work. He certainly shares an interest in character-driven narratives and social issues that is closer to mainstream Hollywood than typical Bollywood fare and Masaan might hold more appeal internationally than it will in India.
Masaan begins as Devi (Richa Chadda) and fellow student Piyush check into a hotel for the afternoon. They have scarcely had any time for intimacy before the police arrive, burst through the door and arrest them. A “sex scandal” brings shame on Devi and her father Pathak (Sanjay Mishra).
In a separate story, Deepak (Vicky Kaushal) lives in a poor neighbourhood on the banks of the Ganges, working at the funeral pyres of the ghats whilst studying to become a civil engineer. There is a sweet, ready charm in the way he shyly romances his dream girl, the poetry-loving Shaalu (Sheta Tripathi), knowing that her high caste family could never possibly approve of him.
In a further story, young scamp Jhonta (Nikil Sahni) tries to win favour with Pathak in diving competitions to retrieve coins from the depths of the Ganges.
All of the characters are trying to escape lives and circumstances that oppress them and Ghaywan and co-writer Varun Grover find some clever ways to tie individuals together, almost entering Nicholas Sparks territory with one final romantic encounter but also avoiding sentimentality in one unexpected and moving death. In a compact running time, the characters are established and challenged as the film moves comfortably from romance to melodrama via some lyrical interludes and significant journeys.
Vicky Kaushal brings a gauche charm to Deepak and Richa Chadda invests the long suffering Devi with a weary, unwavering determination to move forward. Cinematographer Avinash Arun Dhaware captures some fantastic images of Benares that convey the bustling spirit of the city from the brightly lit street markets to the flurry of sparks that dot the night sky from the funeral pyres.
I remember the nasty manner in which you made fun of Ram Gopal Varma. He gave you roti when you were a hungry street urchin in the by lanes of bombay and you gave him the middle finger. After the debacle of Bombay Velvet, I am waiting for Motwane, Ghayan, Vasan Bala and the likes to give you the middle finger.
RIP Anurag’s Bollywood career.
One thing I learnt from this sad story: Pride comes before a fall.
Bye Bye Anurag
Shah Rukh Khan : Un-Necessarily Targeted Mega Star! – Koimoi Reader’s View
I read in an article that in western countries if a student wishes to learn Hindi language, he or she has to fill a form that why he/she wishes to learn Hindi. You will be shocked to know that in countries like Germany and France, 60% of students mention the reason that they want to learn Hindi so that they can hear and understand Shah Rukh Khan Films in its original language. Isn’t it a matter of pride for you? Don’t you feel proud when one of the world’s biggest director i.e. James Cameron says that he came to know about India because of Shah Rukh Khan only and that he wishes to visit Shah Rukh’s country!
The domestic and overseas gross collections of Shoojit Sircar’s Piku totales to Rs 107.34 crore. Bombay Velvet, on the other hand, could only mint Rs 16 crore over the first weekend of its release on May 15.
Now this is Complete bias by BOI. See the 1st sentence ie Talent
Q. Is Ranbir Kapoor going the Abhishek Bachchan way as the disaster of Bombay velvet is like Drona, Raavan and Khelein Jee Jaan Se?
Ans. There is a huge difference in talent so that should not be the case. The affect of Bombay Velvet can only be seen in the next release but he has a gained a fan following amongst the city youth and that not disappear after one film. The expectations were of super stardom by now a few years back in some quarters but mass penetration takes a long time and even longer without an action image.
A. Basra
SATYAMSHOT 
May 14, 2015 at 7:12 AM
Ranbir Kapoor Only Real Plus For Bombay Velvet
Thursday 14 May 2015 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
This week will see the release of Bombay Velvet after many delays and its main plus is Ranbir Kapoor who has good a following amongst the youth which watches film in multiplexes. When an actor with some sort of star pull is presented well it gives the film an extra push but here its about what the star alone can do initially without help from music or content.
If the film was made on half the cost then the star power of Ranbir Kapoor may have been enough but not at this level. The metros may even take a good initial but the A centres like Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Surat, Jodhpur, Ludhiana, Lucknow etc which are the key to big numbers for any filmmay be the problem for the film
No film has performed in these cities this year with Gabbar Is Back putting up best numbers but that being a South style film was always going to limit it. Still if Bombay Velvet can surpass Gabbar Is Back in these places then it may have a decent final total as if these citis are higher then the metros will be much higher.
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May 14, 2015 at 7:12 AM
Bombat Velvet Is First Big Budget Urban Niche Film
Thursday 14 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The biggest film of the year so far will release this week with a landing cost of well over 100 crore but that is just on paper whereas on screen it looks a niche urban drama which has a limited market of 6-7 cities. It is the first film of this sort which has a cost which is this high.
It is tenth Hindi film to have cost of over 100 crore following likes of Dhoom 3, Bang Bang, Happy New Year, Kick and Chennai Express amongst others. The difference between these films and Bombay Velvet is that they looked big budget extravaganzas and irrespective of content opened big all over the country. The lowest opening for a film costing 100 crore plus is Ra.One at 14.50 crore nett in 2011 and that 14.50 crore nett came on Diwali Puja which hits business in most parts of the country.
There is talk in the industry of a big threat from Hollywood which is not really the case as yet but it will be reality if the industry continues to be infatuated with these urban films, if the content is not urban then the story telling style is which puts lid on the growth of the industry and basically this has been the problem this year so far.
If Bombay Velvet pulls it off then that would give a lot of hope to this urban cinema being made today as it gives a sign that this sort of recovery is possible. Realistically it will be hard as historically the audience outside the metros has never patronised this type of cinema.
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May 14, 2015 at 7:35 AM
This one might tank big time…Reports are very middling…
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May 14, 2015 at 8:35 AM
Karan Johar has really hijacked this film and made it into a Dharma production. I am wondering at the amount of time, money and his own resources he has put in here for his so called archfoe Kashyap. He even announced a new project just to save Ranbir’s career. Anushka was dead duck anyway after that atrocious lip job. KJO seems to be the single most destabilizing factor of bollywood in terms of politicking and camp ‘baazi’. …..and to think most of his interviews he is cribbing about lack of unity and bitchy bollywood.
Coming to BV there seems to be excessive marketing and the genre may not support all this. Kashyap for all his ‘so called’ brilliance is a copy and paste international filmmaker. Most of these so called indie/geniuses sit and translate an international movie to Indian setting but it seems here in BV the temptation to make a Godfather was so immense that he forgot to transform an American city into real Bombay. I have not seen the movie yet but the hats / cigars and suits make me wonder which Bombay are they talking about.
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May 14, 2015 at 9:00 AM
No point posting few of the Dubai based user reviews which have been disparaging and KRK being prominent among them here is Mihir Fadnavis who is kind to the movie but seems to have pointed the same –
” Rather than being its own beast, Bombay Velvet is more a throwback to older, better gangster films by Hollywood legends like Martin Scorsese, the Coen brothers and Curtis Hanson. There’s a Goodfellas car-trunk nudge and a Miller’s Crossing hat wink, and neither of them add anything to the plot except for fan service and a strain for greatness that remains out of reach.”
http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/bombay-velvet-review-ranbir-and-anushkas-love-story-sizzles-in-a-film-thats-beautiful-but-cliched-2243700.html
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May 14, 2015 at 10:41 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 7h 7 hours ago
#Piku Fri 5.32 cr, Sat 8.70 cr, Sun 11.20 cr, Mon 4.40 cr, Tue 4.10 cr, Wed 4 cr. Total: ₹ 37.72 cr. India biz. FANTASTIC!
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May 14, 2015 at 1:22 PM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/randeep-hooda-to-star-with-amitabh-bachchan/16208186. Sankar’s rumored next project
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May 14, 2015 at 11:34 PM
Exactly what I was suggesting for BigB
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May 14, 2015 at 1:43 PM
Box Office Collection: Deepika’s ‘Piku’ Crosses 50 Crore Mark Worldwide; Sunny Leone’s ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ a Disaster
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/box-office-collection-deepikas-piku-crosses-50-crore-mark-worldwide-sunny-leones-kuch-kuch-632416
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May 14, 2015 at 2:03 PM
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May 14, 2015 at 2:04 PM
You see, I tried liking this film. I really did. So when the movie opened with a young boy landing in Bombay with his bechari maa, I could see him slip into the underworld, the mother being sold to prostitute and all those things that happen in Hindi films that made people in the theatre go, “So dark, man. So hard-hitting.” I wanted to hand each one of them a DVD of Being Cyrus or even a Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron because dark doesn’t mean KJo’s half smirks.
But it’s an Anurag Kashyap film, with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, so I was like, let me not be too quick to judge. But then I lost all my patience when I saw Remo Fernandez. You will NOT believe, he plays a singer, from GOA! KIIIIIILLLLLL MEEEE GENTTTTLLYYYY!!!! I bet Emraan Hashmi hasn’t kissed in as many films as Remo has played a ‘singer’ from ‘Goa’ in Hindi films.
http://www.masala.com/movie-review-bombay-velvet-195528.html
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May 14, 2015 at 2:26 PM
Simply did not expect this kind of universal acclaim for Mad Max:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mad_max_fury_road/
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May 14, 2015 at 2:33 PM
Agree- some of the reviews have been hyperbolic. Good for George Miller- very tempted to go catch this in the theater
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May 14, 2015 at 2:38 PM
I was a bit on the fence before, but seeing this deluge of ecstatic reviews from wide-ranging sources, it’s now on the docket for me this weekend.
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May 14, 2015 at 3:36 PM
yes I’ve never been a fan of the franchise but these reviews are stunning! Will have to check it out.
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May 14, 2015 at 3:38 PM
I was confident and expected this to be great. The trailer was THE best I have seen in a long, long, time for any summer flicks.. I was sold right when I saw the preview.
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May 14, 2015 at 4:06 PM
The trailer was a grabber, but also frenetic and crazed in a way that could have meant something fantastic or something horrid. From the reviews it seems to have gone the former route.
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May 14, 2015 at 2:37 PM
Is Bombay Velvet any good?
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May 14, 2015 at 2:39 PM
“Those guys wouldn’t have been champion when I was around,” Mike Tyson once said, looking over the men who’d held the heavyweight belt during his prison stint. “I went away… and that made them competitive for a time.”
George Miller, who made his directorial debut with 1979’s exemplar of vehicular action Mad Max, hasn’t been in the cooler like Tyson (or John McTiernan), but recently he has concerned himself with franchises involving talking pigs (Babe) and soft-shoeing penguins (Happy Feet). In the 30 years since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, a number of champs have come and gone, and the car chase has become a game of featherlight pixels floating about. Now the wait is over, and the weight is back.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/max-max-fury-road
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May 14, 2015 at 2:58 PM
BV is not going to fly at all, so it wont tank too. Look at BMS, i have never seen such low booking for such a big budget awaited movie.
I dont think it will pickup more than normal, feedback is mixed. Public feedback will be mixed to negative.
It is big flop. No one can save it.
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May 14, 2015 at 3:52 PM
The result: “Bombay Velvet” is a like a dead body decorated with utmost care —it lacks vitality but must therefore have a beautiful shroud and casket
The title of the re-created chartbuster “Jaata Kahaan Hai Deewane” from the 1956 “C.I.D.” that is used in the film, perfectly sums up this film’s ethos. No one, least of all the director, really knows where and how the script is going. Of course, the film is based on a Gyan Prakash novel, but to what extent we would not know. In short, we do not know who spoiled the content and let the script — adapted, modified or otherwise — go vamoose
http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/bollywood/bombay-velvet-movie-review-a-dead-body-decorated-with-a/article_762f81c4-fa6a-11e4-9116-7f53da4606d7.html
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May 14, 2015 at 4:11 PM
#BombayVelvet is a Visual Diarrhea. A review! When you are supremely stupid like Anurag Kashyap or brain dead, same in this case, then you mix everything in a grinder and come up with Kafkasque ‘s borefest which is Bombay Velvet.
In a parallel universe inhabited by doped Anurag Kashyap, there might exist a decade where guns come from Capone’s America, gowns from ‘90s Miss Universe contests, goggles from ‘40s world War II Era, men’s clothes from ‘50s Europe, art-deco buildings from Fascist Italy, but alas, such a decade never existed.
http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Bombay-Velvet-review-qurqlrlpss
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May 14, 2015 at 4:40 PM
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May 14, 2015 at 4:55 PM
The MI vs KKR game at Wankhede Stadium saw three of Mumbai’s biggest legends — Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar — coming together in a single frame. Here they are… – See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/photos/in-pictures-when-three-mumbai-legends-met-at-wankhede/8853#sthash.xTp0m1Rr.dpuf
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May 14, 2015 at 4:57 PM
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May 14, 2015 at 6:01 PM
Wow, this pic made my day.
Almost worth putting up with the shite talk about MadMax😄
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May 14, 2015 at 6:02 PM
wow what a great picture….thanks AnJo and Satyam ..
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May 14, 2015 at 6:14 PM
Pencho Munna , itna time laga reply mein ..LOL
Aside- seems like BV is going the Besharam way !!!
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May 14, 2015 at 7:36 PM
Kashyap sahib western sensibilities ke hain …I don’t find his cinema bad but it is mostly self-indulgent. Ab noir cinema kitno ko accha lagega?
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May 15, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Noir naheen Chor Cinema …
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May 14, 2015 at 8:13 PM
Whatever it is. Be ready to read BO commentary with worlds Industry shocked with opening of BV.
No one expected it to open so low. Look at BMS, not just in NCR, Mumbai too is lagging for BV. It is behind Piku which is running on 8th day.
Opening may be around 7 cr. Though, it is wide release my estimation may go little wrong and lets see if it can touch 10 cr day one.
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May 14, 2015 at 8:23 PM
Matlab aap basically yeh keha rahe hain Rocky Saab ki KRK ka hathiyaar safe hands mein HAIN !!!!!!
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May 14, 2015 at 8:59 PM
Just watched KRK for the first time in my life and now understand your ‘hathiyar’ reference. His spin of Ranbir-Salman-Katrina-Kashyap is hilarious.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:50 PM
AnJo, KRK ka toh safe hai, Kashyap and more importantly usskey bhakts ka kya hoga ??
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May 14, 2015 at 6:42 PM
It is Sunny Leone’s birthday and I wish her a very happy birthday…suit
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/rana-daggubati-and-sunny-leone-to-play-tarzan-and-jane/16205168
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May 14, 2015 at 10:27 PM
At the most BV may flop or lose in terms of BO. Ranbir may go below Ranveer. Anurag Kashyap will make a small budget film costing 1 crore starring KRK.
Meanwhile aamir khan is dancing with Malang and Zoobi Doobi with chinese girls promoting his PK and also collaborating with Jackie chan.
http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/aamir-khan-machaos-dhoom-in-beijing-dances-with-fans-763136
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May 15, 2015 at 1:15 AM
The opening of BV is disastrous. In some places shows have been cancelled due to no audience!!
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May 15, 2015 at 1:40 AM
Source ? Not heard any cancellation of show yet ..
But yes, opening is shockingly low .. even PIKU doing better than BV today .. though business is all time poor for all movies today .. PIKU and Gabbar also witnessed quite a drop in morning shows ..
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May 15, 2015 at 1:45 AM
Ohh just saw Komal tweet .. Damnn
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May 15, 2015 at 3:05 AM
The opening is worse than Roy…First day looks like 10 crores as of now…This is a huge huge disaster unless it does a Piku tomorrow!!
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May 15, 2015 at 1:54 AM
But Komal also tweeted this:
Komal Nahta @KomalNahta · May 8
Classes will go ga ga over #Piku, masses won’t. Recovery of investment doubtful. Read my review at https://komalsreviews.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/piku/ …
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May 15, 2015 at 4:40 AM
BV opens to 10% in morning, wont make even 10 cr on day one. Opening is lower than Roy. It is disaster on day one itself.
7-8 cr first day and 25 cr weekend simliar to Piku. NCR/Delhi and mumbai are performing better for Piku day 8th.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:41 AM
Does that mean Big B >>> Ranbir
It was Ranbir’s most awaited with all big names with it. So i wont deny it.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:50 AM
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anurag-kashyap-bombay-velvet/1/438119.html
Anurag KashyapFrom feminists to the film industry, Anurag Kashyap has managed to get everyone’s goat.It’s been called a “Rs 100-cr mess”. Nothing that leads up to the release of Bombay Velvet has been easy. Viewing have been closely guarded. Its marketing, desperate. Critics, vicious. Rumours claimed portions have had to be reshot , that actor Ranbir Kapoor wouldn’t promote it. That co-producers Fox Star Studios had to intervene on the editing of the original four-hour play time. At first Anurag Kashyap bursts of anger, then sullen silence. His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete. We spent his last four months in the city tracking his state of mind-from bedroom to set and studio. An exclusive insight into mind of Bombay’s darkest living noir…
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May 15, 2015 at 5:50 AM
Komal Nahta @KomalNahta · 5h 5 hours ago
Opening of disastrous Roy was better than BombayVelvet initial in C.I. Sad day for film industry
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May 15, 2015 at 5:53 AM
Bombay Velvet Opens To Dull Collections
Friday 15 May 2015 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet had a dull opening all over as it opened to collections of 15-20%. For such a big film the opening is a disaster. The only thing going for the film was Ranbir Kapoor but it has not worked as the audience gas just not come. It is probably due to the presentation as the opening is less than Roy where he had an extended guest role.
The film should improve collections irrespective of content as they can’t go any lower but it’s unlikely the film can survive a setback like this.
The film has opened to poor figures in metros as well. You can’t really make an urban niche film costing over 100 crore as this sort of investment needs a 20 crore nett day one or at least 15 crore nett at worst but here the film has not even opened at 10 crore pace.
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May 15, 2015 at 6:15 AM
BollywoodHungama saying exactly the opposite:
BO update: BOMBAY VELVET starts on a good note, PIKU holds strong
By Bollywood Hungama News Network, May 15, 2015 – 14:09 IST
Before a film releases, the media and the audiences alike are abuzz with anticipation and anxiety for its release. However in the case of Anurag Kashyap’s BOMBAY VELVET, there was a lot of mixed opinion surrounding the film. But putting all naysayers to rest, BOMBAY VELVET has in fact opened on a good note.
In fact reports suggest that the Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar starrer BOMBAY VELVET has opened to a 45-50% occupancy rate across the country, contrary to what was expected. On the other hand, the Hollywood release, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD that returns as the fourth film in the series after a 30 year gap has started slow, while the Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan starrer PIKU that released last week continues to hold strong.
On the whole, BOMBAY VELVET that has currently opened well will have to depend on good word of mouth, and is likely to face stiff competition from PIKU. With a similar screen count, both films will be slugging it out this weekend. However, MAD MAX is expected to pick up over evening and night shows, but will not be a threat to the Bollywood releases.
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May 15, 2015 at 5:50 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 2h 2 hours ago
#Piku Fri 5.32 cr, Sat 8.70 cr, Sun 11.20 cr, Mon 4.40 cr, Tue 4.10 cr, Wed 4 cr, Thu 3.70 cr. Total: ₹ 41.42 cr. India biz. SUPER!
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May 15, 2015 at 5:52 AM
Piku Has Good First Week
Friday 15 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku did well in its first week grossing around 40 crore nett. the film had a poor start but gained momentum from Saturday and has maintained very well in the metros. the other major cities have also maintained well but the collections here are on the lower side. Cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore are set to give the best collections of the year.
The performance of these of these cities means that Mumbai, West Bengal and Mysore are the best performers while Rajasthan, CP Berar, CI and Bihar have low numbers although have held very well since on Monday
The film should remain strong in the big cities over the next couple of weeks which should take it to a good lifetime total.
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May 15, 2015 at 5:52 AM
Gabbar Is Back Holds Well In Week Two
Friday 15 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Gabbar Is Back held up well in week two grossing around 18.75 crore nett taking its two week total to 79 crore nett. The drop from the first week was around 67% which is a decent trend for a mass film like Gabbar Is Back
The film did have competition at metro multiplexes from Piku but at many centtres its second week collections were better than Piku. in fact better than both the new releases (Piku and Kuch Kuch Locha Hai) put together. It is the highest grossing film of 2015 in many circuits in two weeeks and should become the highest grossing film Hindi film of 2015 by the end of its run.
The film will cross 3 crore nett in Bihar which is more than double the business of any other releases of 2015.
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May 15, 2015 at 9:56 AM
Besharam, Roy, Bombay Velvet…… hmmm
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May 15, 2015 at 5:59 AM
Never liked the original franchise but the 99% for Mad Max on rotten tomatoes beggars belief! Will have to check it out!
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May 15, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Genuinely surprising. Blockbusters don’t get reviews like this. Even leaving the summer biggies aside, at this point it’s going to end up being one of the best reviewed movies of any kind this year. I’ve got my ticket for Sunday.
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May 15, 2015 at 11:20 AM
And Scott recommends 3D for this one..
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May 15, 2015 at 11:25 AM
Yeah, apparently Miller postponed the release of the film to get the 3D conversion right.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:08 PM
I am normally not a fan of blood and gore..and for some reason trailers were causing aversion; But with this ratings, I might check.
Have been watching Game of Thrones which has good amount of violence; After sometime you get used to all disgusting stuff.
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May 15, 2015 at 6:43 AM
Somebody was saying that PK became a big hit because ranbir made a last minute appearance. Now BV is full of Ranbir and yet it is struggling on its first day!
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May 15, 2015 at 7:02 AM
The movie is a goner…Time to talk about Tanu weds manu 2
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May 15, 2015 at 7:04 AM
Taran Adarsh is trying to justify his 4 stars to Bombay velvet. In Bangalore, BV is wash out, PIKU’s 8th day collection is more than 2 times at Bangalore Multiplexes. BOI is saying 40+ Cr is for piku because it has done that kind of business (41.42 Cr ) and more than a number, the kind of response it is generated (almost 90 to 100% thumsup from targeted audience)…
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May 15, 2015 at 7:26 AM
Superb piece by Nandini Ramnath-
“It’s the late 1960s. Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar are holding strong, various Kapoors are running all over the screen, Dharmendra has already taken off his shirt, and Amitabh Bachchan has made his first picture.
Yet, the face on the poster that street thug Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) worships belongs to James Cagney, the American icon from the 1930s and ’40s ‒ one of cinema’s original angry young men. As he watches The Roaring Twenties, a film that that was made in 1939 but is playing at a Mumbai theatre all these years later, Balraj is struck by the iconic closing line that is spoken over Cagney’s corpse: “He used to be a big shot.”
Balraj badly wants to be this big shot, even if it means dying young, and it’s telling that the protagonist of Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet picks up his cues from the movies. Like Kashyap’s other films, especially Gangs of Wasseypur, his latest effort, Bombay Velvet has utmost faith in the power of cinema to influence attitudes and career choices. However, it is never clear why a ruffian trying to get in on the big game in 1969 in Mumbai needs guidance from long-dead fictional Americans.
Both character and actor are unable to free themselves from the yoking of a ’60s drama set in the city that was then known as Bombay with the moral dilemmas that gripped America during the Depression: prohibition, the rise of organised crime and the corruption of public office.”…
…”This handsomely produced and always attractive retro-retelling of Mumbai’s recent history – a kind of Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Again again – has been meticulously designed by Sonal Sawant and lit by cinematographer Rajeev Ravi in amber tones to create a twilight zone between dreams and nightmares. At its nub is an old-fashioned love triangle. There’s Balraj, the manager of the Bombay Velvet nightclub, star attraction Rosie (Anushka Sharma, chanelling Goan singing great Lorna Cordeiro to whom the movie is partly dedicated), and Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar), the club’s owner. Balraj and Rosie are in love, but Khambatta hasn’t taken Balraj off the streets to run his club because he likes the excitable young man’s curriculum vitae. Khambatta wants to own Balraj’s soul, and had the movie shed its ambitions of being a Mumbai origin story and been a study of these three characters, it would have worked just fine.”..
…”he ardour between Balraj and Rosie, however passionless, provides the trigger for the preposterous post-intermission portion. When Chiman picks up a Thomson sub-machine gun and pays visual homage to Cagney, Paul Muni, Edward G Robinson and other leading lights of ’30s cinema, Balraj’s world, and the movie’s conceit of being a cautionary history lesson, come crashing down.
The nods to an American storytelling idiom are at odds with the hyper-locality of the story, which contains references to Mumbai’s actual history of prohibition, jazz clubs, the Nanavati murder case (through the song Sylvia) and the rivalry between the tabloids Blitz and Current. Mistry has been inspired by Blitz’s charismatic editor Russi Karanjia, though it is impossible to believe that an influential character like Mistry or, for that matter, Khambatta, would be threatened by the loutish Balraj. Kashyap also doesn’t make a convincing case about the nuclear-hot secret that these parties are shedding blood over.”..
“Ranbir Kapoor has the Cagney template down pat: he displays guts, gumption and guns but little grey matter. It’s an all-surface and no-interior performance from an actor who is capable of suggesting depth and hidden emotions, and it doesn’t come naturally to Kapoor. He neither carries off the Mumbai patois nor suggests a complex beast who is being yanked this way and that.
The American gangster films weren’t big on complex characterisation either, but their narrative style had the directness, smoothness and impact of machine-gun fire. They also had sharp dialogue, which Bombay Velvet misses. The plot is needlessly complicated at the expense of emotion, and assembles a set of well-dressed people who seem to want to go someplace but are not quite sure where.”…
http://scroll.in/article/727486/film-review-bombay-velvet-struggles-to-make-the-heart-skip-a-beat-let-alone-go-boom-boom
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May 15, 2015 at 7:52 AM
There are some filmmakers who scoff at the very notion of historical accuracy — like Oliver Stone or Quentin Tarantino — and Anurag Kashyap is one of that bunch, a man who prefers to create his own sumptuous version of history.
Bombay Velvet looks to be, then, his very own Bob Fosse-meets-Scarface take on what might have been, instead of bothering with what really was.
http://m.rediff.com/movies/review/review-bombay-velvet-is-an-epic-misfire/20150515.htm
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May 15, 2015 at 10:27 AM
Honestly not a single trailer or poster or anything from this film looked remotely interesting to me. Something very leaden about it from the first look, which is what I felt about GOW. I never saw Ugly but I found the promotions for that film far more effective than this.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:38 AM
Ugly is worth watching.. somewhat uneven and even a bit lumbering at points but engaging till the end. Still Udaan remains the best film at this end of the production scale. At least among Hindi releases. On Ugly I came across a recent Italian release that seemed to have a similar plot-line. Not sure if Kashyap saw it at a festival earlier and was inspired or if there was another film like it or if it’s just coincidence. Don’t recall the title of the Italian film at the moment.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:50 AM
Satyam: Which Italian are you talking about?! I doubt if Ugly shares its plotline with any other film; if that would have been the case, by now poeple would have started talking about it.
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May 15, 2015 at 11:54 AM
can’t recall the title.. saw a review in the NY Times at some point in the last 3 months or so. Tried a quick search but couldn’t find it. Will look for it again later. The premise seemed very similar. Some kind of disappearance that gradually involved a number of characters and so on. As I said it might well be a coincidence.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:02 PM
i remember reading some comments ugly is copied from Prisoners. Then i lost interest in it and never watched ugly.
Btw, i loved Prisoners , it was released in 2013. I saw gravity on same day but liked prisoners more.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:11 PM
no Prisoners is a very different film.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:55 AM
I found Ugly a very strong film and found it in, in some ways, Kashyap’s best film since Black Friday. A good film to see right after Ugly is Mysskin’s “Onaayum Aatukkuttiyum”.
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May 16, 2015 at 5:39 AM
Satyam: Are you talking about “Human Capital” by any chance? I think if there are any similarities they must be purely incidental (I haven’t seen Human Capital, but would do so now) because Ugly actually released more than a few months before the Italian film (and I am talking about the earliest “festival releases” of both films)
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May 15, 2015 at 10:43 AM
I will say though that anachronisms and cultural grab-bags of this sort don’t always bother me. It really depends on what’s going on in the film, and whether these transgressions are, in some way, part of the point.
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May 15, 2015 at 7:57 AM
http://www.india-forums.com/video/bollywood/365146-public-review-of-bombay-velvet.htm
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May 15, 2015 at 9:15 AM
There is a bit of sad news on Bajrangi Bhaijaan with reports coming out today saying movie may now be postponed and not come this Eid and may have a non festive release. It is to be noted SRK’s Fan too was postponed from Independence Day and shifted.
In retrospect this may not be such a bad move to neutralize the murmurs to unfair release day advantage. The real box-office potential of these two may be revealed. Reports also say they have not decided on the next release date but BB is eyeing for a date somewhere in Aug.
This may not be such a bad move by Salman since Eid is associated with a certain religious coding /demographic which he is always working to negate and by just coming to court and declaring I am both Hindu and Muslim (obvious reference to Hindu mother and Muslim Father) may not be sufficient. Eid release date has potential to polarize audience into ‘for and against’ and media may go into an overdrive. Hope he shifts to a more neutral national day which is Independence Day and give Eid release to Brothers (Akshay/kjo).
Alternately he may get Hero coming from his own production house to release on Eid. This may work wonders for the newcomers since his court verdict has adversely affected the promotions of that movie which has not even started and it is coming out on July 03.
Or this may be just a rumor to gain some traction so let’s wait and watch.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:00 AM
“There is a bit of sad news on Bajrangi Bhaijaan…”
Now this is sad news?? To begin with this movie was never supposed to complete so fast.. they took a gamble and trying to complete for Eid release and then finally delaying it. Movies do get postponed and its not really a sad news.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:43 PM
what r u saying Master? That is an extremely sad news indeed and a public holiday must be declared tom 😉
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May 15, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Yeah definitely there is more to life than release date of a movie but sad news in terms of a longer wait. Since there is hardly any engaging cinema coming out of Bollywood lately at least give me my regular dose of these event movies timely to keep me amenable to Bollywood.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:20 AM
Will give BV a skip and focus on Mad Max…Johny Balraj…saala naam se hi it looks alien movie made for 50+ age demographic for US and US return Indian audience. Thanks Satyamshot…comments se we can get the idea of what this movie is like.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:23 AM
At bookmyshow .. Bombay velvet for entire first day remained below PIKU which is on its 8th day … Epic failure for such big movie. Feeling sad for Anurag …
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May 15, 2015 at 10:25 AM
Those interested in reading into Kashyap’s mind here are few links to his India Today cover titled – The Runaway director.
Its says – “At once incisive and wracked, inside the lights and shadows of Anurag Kashyap, the master of Bombay noir, as he readies to leave the city that shaped him.”
Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/section/30/1/cover-story.html
http://www.readwhere.com/publication/1154/India-Today
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/section/30/1/cover-story.html
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May 15, 2015 at 10:45 AM
Here are more details and I feel a bit sad for Kashyap here.
” His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete. We spent his last four months in the city tracking his state of mind-from bedroom to set and studio. An exclusive insight into mind of Bombay’s darkest living noir…
Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anurag-kashyap-bombay-velvet/1/438119.html
“He is just back from Paris, where he’s finalised a small studio apartment that will allow him to move base out of Mumbai in May. He will retain his business interests here, he says: Phantom, that he forms a quartet with Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl; and Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd (AKFPL), managed by Guneet Monga.
The All India Bakchod (AIB) Roast debacle has just happened, the entire Central Board of Film Certification has just resigned, producing a new list of expletives that the board has issues with, targeting his genre of films. His bank accounts have been frozen in a service tax issue, and that’s just pissed him off even more”
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May 15, 2015 at 12:00 PM
“bit sad for Kashyap here” me too 😦
I think the “too much edit” and too much caring for reviews may have actually marred the movie. Dibaker and now Kashyap. After all the struggles, now this.
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May 15, 2015 at 12:10 PM
Yeah Bong indeed sorry. But he is to be blamed partially for being such a big mouth with no validation as such. I mean let your work speak more than gab and he has a perfect example to emulate in Hirani who remains humble to the core even after achieving humongous success in the Indian setting. Same with the Khan trio and then Akki , Ajay too who have never let success get to their head even after keeping at it for a good 25 years.
May be being different and ‘muhfut’ was his USP and shifting base to France is part of that same characteristic of throwing tantrum at the drop of hat which in this instance is BV’s failure. Ranbir is somewhat a poor choice for such a movie and he should have refused to cast him in spite of Kjo pushing or then he should have worked around Ranbir’s stronger points. Man you cannot make a Pacino or De Niro out of Ranbir because he is too much of woman-faced wus. He could not even do justice to Rockstar fully which if done properly would have been huge movie with a better suited actor. Barfi and Rocket are the only two movies worth talking about.
Ideally he should have still gone back to Aamir or SRK and worked around with them on the script something which Ashutosh did to realize his dream in Lagaan and Swades. BV script seems damn interesting on paper but actors like Ranbir cannot add or bring anything to the table.
Perhaps Kashyap is a better writer than a director and his Satya remains etched on our minds.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:27 PM
Actually he was quiet for a year till promotions. He will move to France…maybe die drinking or suicide. Than 25 yrs from now they will be celebrating his genius and saying things like BV had poor opening and was a great movie it was. Problem with the creative, artistic people is that they are utterly sensitive and cannot take criticism or failure easily.
“It’s been called a “Rs.100-cr mess”. Nothing that leads up to the release of Bombay Velvet has been easy. Viewings have been closely guarded. Its marketing, desperate. Critics, vicious. Rumours claimed portions have had to be reshot , that actor Ranbir Kapoor wouldn’t promote it. That co-producers Fox Star Studios had to intervene on the editing of the original four-hour play time. At first Anurag Kashyap responded with bursts of anger, then sullen silence. His tribute to a city that shaped him comes as he prepares to leave it for Paris, where he will relocate once the release is complete.”
“I am a villain in real life also, of course, all perception of me is that I am a villain,” he grins, attempting to appear dastardly. He is far more relaxed, fitter today. His vulnerabilities masked with plumbing sealant. Kashyap seems to have moved out of his shadows. “Dark is a very relative term. Because in India everything is so candyfloss I come across as a relatively dark person. They see me starkly.”
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May 15, 2015 at 11:28 AM
Try the Zizek movie.
http://www.highexistence.com/25-spectacular-movies-probably-havent-seen-pt-3/
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May 15, 2015 at 1:11 PM
EPIC-
RGV—maza aa gaya !!!
Ram Gopal Varma @RGVzoomin
The bottom line is everyone makes an AAG and till he makes his own AAG he will bitch about others AAGS until he too burns in his own AAG
My velvety tears for the maker of a disaster like AAG are for the tragedy,that by being the butt of it,he himself doesn’t get to fuck it
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May 15, 2015 at 1:21 PM
Raja Sen @RajaSen
Glad to see most of you agree with the #BombayVelvet review. Fanhood is one thing, fact another. And hey, we can always watch #Ugly again.
http://rajasen.com/2015/05/14/review-anurag-kashyaps-bombay-velvet/
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May 15, 2015 at 3:31 PM
RGV shame on you gloating. You were his mentor.
“It is not by any means a flawless story, nor a comprehensive one. It does not aim to be the truth, it aims to highlight truths long forgotten. Mostly that as filmmakers and moviegoers go, there are contexts and histories upon which we stand, that we owe ourselves cognisance to. In as much, Bombay Velvet, sink or swim, is a film much larger than the sum of its flaws.”
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May 15, 2015 at 1:54 PM
Filmfare:
Below average start for Bombay Velvet
The highly awaited film fails to make an early box-office impact
One of the most awaited releases, Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet releases today, along with Hollywood action flick, Mad Max: Road to Fury.
Despite the expectations from the film, the collections have already taken a beating with a low score of 15 to 20% collections in the opening shows. While the film can look to perform in niche sectors, major multiplexes in Mumbai and Gurgaon are registering low occupancies. The film needs a massive turnaround to register a strong opening day, but judging from the present state, a double-digit day one will be a struggle.
Bombay Velvet faces strong competition from the Hollywood release Mad Max: Road to Fury, which has been performing better at multiplexes as opposed to the Ranbir Kapoor starrer.
Piku, on the other hand, closed its first week on a high. After registering one of the strongest opening weekends this year, the Monday collections only saw a 13% drop and the film collected Rs 4.40 crore. Piku had a steady week with only a slight drop from day to day, going on to collect Rs 4.10 crore on Tuesday, Rs. 4 crore on Wednesday and Rs. 3.70 crore on Thursday.
The first week total for Piku stands at Rs. 41.42 crore domestically. The film needs to achieve a minimum of Rs 55 crore in its lifetime to recover its costs, which seems highly likely.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:37 PM
Bombay Velvet Heads For Disaster
Friday 15 May 2015 23.30 IST
Bombay Velvet is heading for disaster as first day collections look to be around 6 crore nett. The film opened to dull houses and has not improved much. There will be a jump in cities on Saturday but this is a 2500 screen release and not a 1000-1500 screen release like a NH10 or Piku where the screens are mainly those which grow on Saturday. There will be screens that fall here as well meaning limited growth..
Leaving that aside it needs multi fold growth of the like which is unlikely as it has never happened before. Basically the first day has sealed its fate.
The year saw a mega disaster earlier in Broken Horses which had practically zero collections with a fair budget, here the collections are not exactly zero but the budget is big. Both films are by directors who have a history of disasters but this year they both have delivered the sort of disasters that make their other flops look reasonable..
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May 15, 2015 at 3:40 PM
that 6 crore number is in absolute terms what BOI reported for Raavan (day 1) 5 years ago. Didn’t expect anything this bad. Thought the weekend numbers would be quite alright irrespective of anything else. But if this continues it’s going to be a historic disaster. For Ranbir suddenly after YJDH he’s had two epic failures. This is a crazy business. He must have least expected this. And ironically he’s had them with both Kashyap brothers.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:00 PM
Poor Ranbir but what do you expect working with the pompous ass Kashyap?
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May 15, 2015 at 4:10 PM
he’s still lucky that he’s not getting the sort of hysterical reactions Abhishek used to get. Certainly on Raavan. But even as early as JBJ the media responses were over the top.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:21 PM
Abhishek did the smart thing.. he married Ash when his career was in upwards swing and didn’t give time her time to think but looks like Ranbir, if he takes some more time, Kat will be out of his way. 🙂
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May 15, 2015 at 4:28 PM
I think with Abhishek there was always an unfair comparison to his father, everyone was expecting him to have the same kind of BO success. It was just unrealistic thinking. With Ranbir, there isn’t so many comparisons but maybe he will face the wrath also after this one…who knows. I remember after Besharam he was destroyed.
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May 15, 2015 at 6:15 PM
Ranbir can easily turn this around and he will.
He still has tremendous good will and public support. Doesn’t hurt that he is good looking and talented too.
Abhishek inspite of being very talented suffered from unfair expectations and unconventional looks. Didn’t help that this idiot Kashyap went around saying he is lazy. Media created this narrative that he is lazy, uninterested star son who is only their because of his father. His refusal to cave in and develop a buffed body didn’t help either. Hopefully, things are looking up after Bol Bachchan and HNY.
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May 15, 2015 at 6:17 PM
I think All is well is looking promising based on whatever I’ve learnt about this. And candidly this really counts more than anything else because it’s his only solo at the moment.
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May 15, 2015 at 8:44 PM
“he is good looking and talented too.” He is fair skinned but not good looking like chintu was.
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May 16, 2015 at 5:57 AM
I think the adverse reaction AB Jr got in Raavan was more due to his acting which didnt go down well with everyone. In Ranbir’s case his acting in BV has not been criticised but he did get adverse reactions for his role in Besharam. IMO I dont think there is any negativity towards Ranbir. His next 3 movies all will be mostly successes.
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May 15, 2015 at 8:43 PM
“pompous ass Kashyap” Don’t hate the man…hating his movie is enough. 😉
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May 15, 2015 at 4:07 PM
Weekend wont go beyond 20 cr , i bet. Bookings havent improved and now hugely negative wom spread aswell.
I just checked BMS for Delhi/NCR region.region. Piku has good booking for Saturday. BV booking just dont exist, worse than friday. You also can see for yourself.
I wont be surprised if it goes below 5 cr sat.
Weekend wont be more than 20 cr at this pace. Nahta already reported show cancelling at some places.
3 disaster in 2 years and his next release will come after 6 months. He really fell big time.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:43 PM
Damn, never would have expected a 6 crore opening for any of the top 7 stars…BOI will probably have this at a lifetime of less than 50 crore meaning probably a 75 crore loss for Fox. I wonder why the Hollywood big brothers of India’s Fox keep funding these big Bollywood movies…first a disaster in Humshakals, Finding Fanny, Losses in Bang Bang and now this epic disaster…
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May 15, 2015 at 3:46 PM
Wow.. to do another less than 50crore film in this age.. you don’t deserved to be called a SUPERSTAR. I doubt that any of Salman’s, SRK’s or Aamir’s film will do less than 50crores irrespective of the content or budget of the film.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:47 PM
I thought Besharam will hold the distinction of the worst disasters in recent times for top stars.. looks like BV will surpass it with higher budget.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:47 PM
Considering for inflation, BV should do 12-15 cr first day to be respectable disaster like Raavan. This is disaster of decade. Even Love story 2050 did much better than this.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:17 PM
DAMN! as a RK fan this sucks. But soon as I saw the trailer on here I commented that this looks like a debacle…and here we are. I think Ranbir will be fine considering his upcoming films look solid (except the super hero movie)…but AK really got his ass handed to him by the public. He should stick to what he knows…and also not associate himself with KJo!!!
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May 15, 2015 at 4:23 PM
he certainly has a very strong lineup coming up.. commented on this the other day.. all the films have important actresses too. On Jagga Jasoo though there have been stories of reshoots. Of course people get carried away with their responses to these things. He’s not going anyway. this is a really tough break for sure. But he’s a young guy, lots ahead of him. What is however true is that the unexpected success of YJHD (given the scale) had been a huge deal. Besharam and now this have completely reversed that. But again the media is still extremely kind on him, no matter much they might dislike a movie they’re always praising him.
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May 15, 2015 at 3:49 PM
20 cr weekend and 30 cr lifetime. It is disaster like never before. Overseas also not going well. It is 80 cr loss min.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:11 PM
Katrina might want to reconsider her relationship with Ranbir:) Last 3 movies hav been disasters. Khans alongwith Akki and to some extent Hrithik continue to rule the trade. Youngsters continue to disappoint.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:10 PM
Satyam: Not sure if it was automatically added by WordPress or you added but If possible, can you get rid of that ‘LIKE’ star button? Clicking it many times a day while scrolling page to read content. I don’t think anyone really logs into WordPress to read this blog and not serving much purpose.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:23 PM
After this, I think Karan Johar, Ranbir and Anushka again coming together in “Ae dil hai mushkil” is not good news at all!!!
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May 15, 2015 at 4:28 PM
that doesn’t have anything to do with this though. It might be bad for Ranbir at this point but don’t over-read what this film means. Because it’s Kashyap who’s a niche filmmaker. Ranbir doesn’t have another film like this. And even if some of those don’t work he’s not likely to get another Besharam again. Ranbir has Ayan Mukherjee’s film with Deepika, Jagga Jasoos with Katrina, the Johar film, the Imtiaz Ali with Alia Bhatt I think. All these films will have strong or great initials.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:38 PM
Ranbir’s Ayan film is with Alia is a superhero film, can go either ways. Jagga Jasoos is a teen film as he plays 17 year old, risky film. Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha with Deepika is sureshot hit. Karan Johar out of SRK with the same cast of BV and Ash, can’t say. Could be easily semi-hit at worst.
But yeah personally, Ranbir is not going anywhere. He will work till he’s 80!
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May 15, 2015 at 5:03 PM
In Jagga Jasoos he covers different periods of life… goes from a teenager to a 40 year old if some of the reports are to be believed.
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May 15, 2015 at 4:40 PM
Some good moves by this girl
As for ranbir, it’s ironical to see his fall from grace courtesy katrina’gate’!
Any sub10 crores opening is shameful for any top notch actor!
Ranbir seems to be in a saif like zone (after happy ending!)
But although it seems like it, they are still not in an abhishrek like dump/pit since both still have promising solo projects..
How ironical
First deepika ‘raped’ sunny leones ‘release’ last week with her piku and now she ‘raped’ ranbir & anu together !!
🙂
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May 15, 2015 at 5:24 PM
The box office fate of this kashyap film is no surprise (though the poor opening also reflects on the spent ranbir!)
Ironically ranbirs career will need resusc by deepika in tamasha now !
Anyhow enjoyed this song track
Has a certain old world charm sung brilliantly by Neeti mohan
Ps: may catch bv soon (if it’s not taken off screens till then!)
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May 15, 2015 at 5:37 PM
Apex, don’t get carried away here.. Ranbir’s problems at the moment are not going to add to Hrithik’s gross!
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May 15, 2015 at 5:36 PM
[edited]
Hrithik Roshan-Katrina Kaif Likely To Pair Up Again
Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif undoubtedly make one of the best on-screen pairs in Bollywood, and the success of Bang Bang validated the fact. Now, as a good news for all Katrina and Hrithik fans, the duo are likely to be seen together again in a film by Siddharth Anand.
Read more at: http://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/gupshup/2015/hrithik-roshan-katrina-kaif-likely-to-pair-up-again-183023.html
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May 15, 2015 at 5:38 PM
“and the success of Bang Bang validated the fact”
guess this article was written for folks like yourself..
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May 15, 2015 at 6:35 PM
LOL if HR teams up with Siddharth Anand again then he really does believe that K3 made 240 and Bang Bang made 180. He really is delusional…
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May 15, 2015 at 5:46 PM
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May 15, 2015 at 6:10 PM
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May 15, 2015 at 6:29 PM
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May 15, 2015 at 7:52 PM
Looks like this is confirmed now..
Anurag Kashyap to leave India and settle in Paris
The ‘Bombay Velvet’ director who has had a rather unusual innings in Bollywood is about to leave India and settle in Paris. Anurag Kashyap’s news of moving out had been rife last year too. But this year he is surely moving out.
In reports published in India Today, Anurag’s relocation was confirmed by the man himself. He has finalized a studio apartment and will be shifting this month itself. Anurag would still be retaining his interest in Phantom films with his other three partners. And as for the Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd (AKFPL), it will be managed by Guneet Monga.
Anurag was quoted, “I want to begin again. I want to go and make films where people have lesser boundaries. I want to push myself. Beyond a point, I can’t push myself here.”
His films belong to a different genre and CBFC’s new rules and regulations aint going down too well with him. So he decided to move out.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:10 PM
I feel this is actually good decision and Anurag can make films without strict censor board. He was never proper ‘Bollywood’ film maker as such and seeing his recent short film boldness with Radhika Apte, he wants to be free and shoot as required by the script than the censorboard.
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May 16, 2015 at 3:50 AM
this man is a male diva….
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May 15, 2015 at 8:00 PM
Katrina at Cannes:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3082091/Katrina-stuns-crowds-Cannes-film-festival-joins-Oscar-winner-Julianne-Moore-red-carpet.html
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May 15, 2015 at 10:03 PM
Am I reading obituaries?
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May 15, 2015 at 10:09 PM
100 crores and he could not make a film that could break even.
With that budget, he could have made 3 to 4 small films.
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May 15, 2015 at 10:18 PM
“My first choice when I wrote the film in 2006 was Saif Ali Khan. From there it went to Aamir and Hrithik. This film has gone around before landing with Ranbir. We also tried to make it with Ranveer Singh but we could raise only Rs.40 to 50 crore” – –Anurag Kashyap.
Taking better actor for the character is more important than just taking the biggest star available to get the bigger budget from financiers. Eventually that was pointless as this supposed bigger star couldn’t even open the film. Sigh..
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May 15, 2015 at 11:08 PM
Anurag Kashyap’s brother-in-law writes a wonderful piece on “Piku”-
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sm72o6
“Last night, i watched Piku, and after what seems like ages, felt like hugging Amitabh Bachchan.
There was a time when we were brothers.
I would come down from the trees, warm from the sun, a warrior of stick fights, jumps and tumbles, dragging the earth with me into the house. Something cold, something soothing was offered by Ma, a peace offering.
Then i would drag a three-legged metal stool over to where the music was. The size of a small briefcase, with it’s own handle, our Bush tape player was a thing of beauty to me. It had large pock-marks where the speakers were, and a 4-digit mechanical ticker which told you your position on the tape. I watched that ticker like it held some secret, waiting for it to trip – but it never did.
But there was a certain combination of numbers on it, i knew, when Amitabh Bachchan would speak. ‘Neela Aasmaan’, and ‘Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum’ on the Silsila tape would start, and i would try quite hard to decipher why MY Amitabh was so sad. I had no memory of the film itself, perhaps my parents in their wisdom only ever took me to the theaters when he was fighting, singing, and jumping about on very long legs. So it mystified me no end to find him so sad. I worried for him. …”
“… And although that transition in me wasn’t completely successful either, my dancing singing brother stepped back into the shadows. I’ve been watching
from far of course – i can see him tip-toeing on the edges of the silver screen, only a copy of himself. Sometimes he’s sitting on a chair on TV, warm and inviting, showing a glimmer of magic. But he’s never really been able to breach my skeptical, world-weary eyes.
Until last night, that is. Piku’s Baba is my brother, the pied-piper of old. And though he’s not punching out villians or kicking out his legs to dance this time, he’s the one i worry for. I can feel my hand on his, when Piku sits by his bedside. I can feel my heart shrivel when he passes away.
So here’s a hug for you, Amitabh, my collar-chewing brother of golden summers. Whenever you’re feeling lonely, seeing the clouds roll in, know that i am crouched up there in the trees, saying a prayer for you.”
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May 16, 2015 at 12:13 AM
Less than 12 hours since I came back from seeing Bombay Velvet. My feelings? Still trying to make sense of them. As for now, I am listening to this classic Rolling Stone track – to get me started up, also because the killer hook kind of reflects what I am feeling.
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May 16, 2015 at 12:23 AM
waiting for your review… Utkal.
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May 16, 2015 at 1:36 AM
Do not worry
Dada will have liked quite a few things here which is ok as am sure movie must have some redeeming features like the visuals
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May 16, 2015 at 1:57 AM
The first Hindi film I ever saw:
The film gave a brand new tone to on-screen patriotism. Manoj Kumar’s directorial debut was something he himself referred to as “Bharat ka 16,000-foot lamba celluloid flag (a 16,000-foot-long celluloid flag of India)”. He gave a new patriotic hero to the country—Bharat—a name Manoj Kumar used again in Purab aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Kranti and Clerk. In fact, he came to be called Bharat Kumar.
With Upkar, villain-of-the-day Pran got an image makeover. He played the handicapped Malang Chacha and sang Kasme Vaade Pyaar Wafa Sab on screen. The role won him the Filmfare supporting actor trophy and led to his transformation into a character artiste. Upkar also won the best film, direction, lyrics, story and dialogue awards. Music added to the emotional crescendo. MereDesh Ki Dharti, composed by Kalyanji Anandji and written by Gulshan Bawra is arguably the most popular patriotic Hindi film song of all times. It won Mahendra Kapoor the national award for the best singer. Among other leaders, it shows some footage of Shastri.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article/the-plough–the-gun/294333
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May 16, 2015 at 2:10 AM
Bombay Velvet First Day Business
Saturday 16 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet grossed a disastrous 5.75 crore nett on day one. It can’t really be put into words how bad the collections are. It’s hard to describe how good a 25 crore day one is for Kick pre Eid and here its hard to describe how bad 5.75 crore nett is with 2500 plus screens and a huge cost.
The story was same all over barring Mysore which at least had some sort of collections. The film suffer huge losses, in terms of the amount lost it will be the highest ever. In terms of percentage of the investment loss it will be 75%.
The film had lower collections than last week’s Piku in some circuits. Even a big curcuit like Mumbai had similar collections of around 1.80 crore nett.
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May 16, 2015 at 2:14 AM
The BO of BV has gone from shocking to comical. Most of the time I’m curious to see what the max BO a film makes. Here I’m curious to see how low this movie grosses given this epic disastrous opening day. 5.75 is really low. Sure it was a Kashyap film and niche and everything but 5.75 is about as much Badlapur made with zero supporting cast, a star smaller than Ranbir, a director less famous than AK and a smaller production house.
There really is some new negativity among the audience for Ranbir since post-YJHD and I think Abhinav Kashyap’s crazy statement that “Khan” fans are responsible doesn’t seem that crazy of a statement anymore..
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May 16, 2015 at 5:53 AM
I dont think there is any negativity for Ranbir as such. The movie itself looked uninteresting and looked niche. It was neither a family movie nor a comedy nor a movie youth will look out for. And on top of that you have a director who has no worthwhile body of work to talk of. And the directors works have been minor successes primarily due to controlled cost…There is a group of youngsters who are crazy about AK and keep peddling the cult thing that they make his film out to be but that group if they all go to the theatre even then the collection will hardly touch 2-4 crores. And when the first trailor of this movie came out, the only thing I could notice was that the producers are mad to trust AK with 100 crores. There was NO WAY, I repeat NO WAY this movie would have been a success even if the movie was good. The budget had killed the movie long way back…Whats happening now is just the last rites..
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May 16, 2015 at 3:31 AM
It’s a tragedy, in fact. For all the people who have invested money and effort in it. It’s the kind of disaster we’ve rarely seen. I can think of Ra1, Kites, maybe Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja earlier before. But even these movies’ business look epic compared to BV.
This looks like the Bollywood equivalent of Heaven’s Gate.
It barely has an initial. Ranbir wasn’t able to ensure an opening. Maybe his last couple of movies (Besharam and Roy) have had some kind of effect.
He will come back surely. He’s probably going through his weakest phase. Besharam, Roy and BV never really looked promising. But Tamasha, Rajkumar Hirani’s next and Jagga Jasoos are most probably going to be better. The KJo project looks the less promising there.
But you never know, Abhishek was riding high after Guru and he had a Mehra, a Gowatrikar, a Rohan Sippy and another Ratnam lined up and suddenly nothing worked.
Ranbir looked like a world beater right after YJHD. Since then he has lost ground and by the time his next releases, it will have been 2 and a half years of under-performance. It’s the problem associated with lack of required volume. Aamir gets away with it because he almost always delivers. Hrithik also doesn’t usually deliver 3 consecutive disasters.
Ranbir is surely going to be under more pressure to deliver something big next time around.
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May 16, 2015 at 3:42 AM
Not great for Ranbir but he will be back. This is an epic disaster for Anurag though. Very unlikely any time soon he will get an opportunity like this where he has a huge budget to play with. Most the blame will go to him.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:22 AM
Roy though is hardly a Ranbir film, he had a supporting role here (ranbir didn’t even promote the film).
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May 16, 2015 at 4:46 AM
“It’s the kind of disaster we’ve rarely seen. I can think of Ra1, Kites, maybe Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja earlier before. ”
You gotta be kidding by including Ra.One with those. There was negative feedback but you can’t rule out that it collected at least 115cr in that era(2011) when just 3 films had crossed 100 crs. It was in TOP 5 grosser of all time at its end run. Not being a hit with budget being very high is different than not even getting an opening and flopping.
Whereas Kites and Besharam didn’t touch even 50 crores lifetime even releasing after Ra.One.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:53 AM
Yes, but Ra. One was promoted CRAZILY, was hyped to death and that is also one of the reasons why it got that huge initial. That has hardly happened in case of Bombay Velvet. Also just because Bombay Velvet is a more mainstream film from Kashyap, it does not automatically mean that it’s subject also become as mainstream as Ra. One (so it’s plain wrong to club Ra. One and Bombay Velvet together just because they are big budget films). Ra. One, Kites and Besharam belong to one club, Raavan and Bombay Velvet however are very different kinds of films (and box-office failures).
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May 16, 2015 at 4:56 AM
So, if you promote CRAZILY as you put, people will shell out their money and run to cinemas? Man, if it was that easy…
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May 16, 2015 at 5:16 AM
But then why do we have SRK having these insane promotions for most of his films (especially the ones he produces). Considering he is such a huge star, why does he need to go berserk with promotions (No one, and I mean NO ONE, tries to generate hype for his films as SRK does). No one is denying the fact that Aamir, SRK and Salman are far bigger box-office forces than Ranbir. But here is the thing- even after DDLJ, SRK’s films didn’t always open very well. In other words, even when SRK, Aamir and Salman had become stars (and had established their box-office standing), all their films weren’t getting very good initials. It’s only after 2000 (I think) that Aamir and SRK got a minimally good initial on pretty much every film.
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May 16, 2015 at 6:27 AM
I think SRK had been quoted as saying back then that Ra1 had cost 125cr in the making and then 50cr in addition for marketing and promotion. So, the final BO figures don’t look good at all, do they? However, there is no denying that BV looks like a disaster in a league of it’s own, as I said. Most of the big budget under-performers look like blockbusters in comparison.
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May 16, 2015 at 6:25 AM
agree with master here: Ra One had a fantastic initial and crossed 100 cr easily…even ashoka was flop but recovered the money on long run..I cannot see any srk disaster apart from paheli which whimped on first weekend..
,
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May 16, 2015 at 7:00 AM
And right when we are talking about it, BOI has put up a post mentioning Ra1 as among the top 5 most expensive Indian movies of all time alongside D3, HNY, Bang Bang and Kick. It released way earlier than all these, so it’s budget must have been colossal compared to other films of that year or the years just before. And at the end of the day, it probably doesn’t even rank in the top 20 grossers of the last 5 years. So, it is a big under-performer, taking all things into account.
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May 16, 2015 at 10:47 AM
I think people here don’t understand moving flopping without anyone turning up 1st day is very different than opening well and then flopping coz of the content. This kind of d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r usually doesn’t happen with top stars. If it happens, he’s is not worthy to be called ‘top’ star (if he can’t even bring some % of die hard fans on the 1st day).
Flopping coz of the budget is completely different but for SRK, Ra.One did beat his highest grossing film in his lifetime by additional 25 crores. I don’t think you would call that disaster when he surpassed his own best by a huge margin. It is under-performing coz of the budget but he at least lot of people come to watch his movie and making his biggest grosser in his career at that time. If guys still don’t get it and comparing it to BV, I don’t have anything to add.
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May 17, 2015 at 4:20 PM
Rahul , I think most of SRK movies have a huge international / overseas market, so a lot of it gets recouped / recompense there and his accounting on most of his projects including Ra1 may be unflawed / absolute.
But BV has turned out to be a very noticeable case and one cannot stave off a 17-20 cr weekend in today’s market.
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May 17, 2015 at 3:12 AM
Naah… Kites was released in 2010 summer, whereas Ra.1 was a 2011 diwali release.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:22 AM
When a big film sinks, it is really sad. I thought multiplex audience will give this movie a chance. The long smooches in the trailers must have kept family audience away. The music is unappealing. The film does not go with Ranbir’s image as today’s icon.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:26 AM
Oh, the music is superlative though certainly not of the chartbuster variety. But really, it’s a very strong album.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:29 AM
Thats what I meant. It is not for those who enjoyed YJHD kind of music.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:38 AM
@taran_adarsh: #Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr. Grand total: ₹ 44.52 cr. India biz. FABULOUS!
So, weekend 2 will be in the range of 16 to 18 Cr. Today’s trending suggests that film will cross 6 Cr (credit goes to BV), means piku will earn nearly 60 Cr in 10 days. Sure to cross 75 Cr and has an outside chance to reach 85 to 90 Cr. As a Bachchan Fan, always wanted to witness one 100 Cr movie from him, Happy to see Piku coming close to 100 cr. PIku is a Class movie, Imagine a typical Bachchan masala movie with A list actress like Deepika trending like Piku, released in a right time, will surely do 150 to 200 Cr business. Bachchan has agreed five scripts apart from Wazir, one is with Sujoy Ghosh and Nawazuddin, others wait for AB’s confirmation (AB’s hardwork at Gym suggests Sarkar sequel is on cards, 102 not out is confirmed. not sure about other 3 projects, may be one with Russel Pookutty, where he will be playing pakistani and one each from balki and Abbas Mustan…)
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May 16, 2015 at 5:17 AM
It was a Friday night 10pm show, after a work day and 90 minutes’ drive from my workplace on Sarjapur Road. But I did sit through the film without my attention wandering. (My wife next to me was even snoring gently for a good part of the film. But I must add she stole a few winks during Piku too in a similar late night show. But here she slept through the almost entire second half. ) But there was not a single scene that perked me up, except maybe the song sequences with Amit Trivedi’s gorgeous jazz-laced ,melodies. ) But there was not a single scene that I could say was badly written, performed or staged (unlike say in films like Sawariya or Raavan.) Did I lie the film? Not at all. Did I dislike the film? Not one bit. ( One lady from my wife’s Kitty Party group Whatsapped her, “ The Times Of India review of Bombay Velvet is pretty bad.’ My wife replied, ‘Don’t go to see films after reading reviews. Go see the film and give your views! ( So we have another writer in the family, I see!). And as you can see Even my wife won’t tell anyone to not to go and see the film.
A strange creature this film must be!
Strange indeed it is.
There are so many departments in which the film excels. Vintage Bombay has never been so been beautifully recreated. The performances are all good. The plot has enough twists and turns, quite intelligently weaved. The music as I have mentioned is gorgeous. ( Muhabbat buri bimari, Naak pe gussa, Sylvia, Dhadaam Dhadaam,Bahuripiya and Darban are exquisite. I am mad at Amazon for telling me that they will deliver my CD only after 23rd.). Yet, why didn’t a care for any of the characters while I was watching the film? Why wasn’t there a smidgen of feeling welling within me at any of the scenes (except perhaps towards the end during the Dhadam Dhadam song) ? Why the whole thing left me so cold (Until much later, when I was running the film in my head during my morning walk) ?
In fact during this walk a strange but simple image wafted into my head: It was god creating a beautiful woman, perfect in all respect…but for one small omission. He forgot to breathe life into his creation. The next image that floated in was that He did not really forget, more like the devil stole the cruet containing the film’s life breath. Now who could the devil be? The Fox Studio executives? Or Anurag Kashyap’s own inner devil inhibiting his natural creative impulses in order to shoehorn the film into a commercial format? Or the film’s Hollywood benefactors including Scorsese’s editor, Thelma Schoonmaker who seems to have chipped ( chopped) in at the last moment? I think it’s all of them.
I think the problem started at the start when Kashyap conceived the film in Hollywood clothing…literally in jackets, bowler hats and swanky gowns. That could never be the reality of the Bombay in the 60’s. But such an island of Western sophistication and cultural influence, where a street urchin fantasizes about a James Cagney character, could have existed. Or at least we could be made to believe for the length of the film that it could be so…only if many other creative mis-steps wouldn’t have compounded the alienation.
Next I will pick on Schoonmaker. Yes the film is tightly edited, but so tightly that it can hardly breathe. Things happen. Shots glissade into shots without a pause for the scene to sink in or the emotion to register. The film has so many strands running in parallel – the creation of a swanky Bombay on the back of crime and backroom deals; the tragic love story of a small time gangster and a talented but vulnerable jazz club singer; the birth of a capitalist Bombay against the backdrop of a violent labour movement; a power-hungry tabloid baron and corrupt politicians. But each of them are touched upon, never fully explored. The potential in each of these narrative kernels is evident in many scenes and strands begging to be elaborated upon.
I have a feeling the film would have worked so much better if it had unfolded at a lumbering pace, spread over two parts like in Gangs Of Wasseypur, or stretching over a running time of over 3 hours if needed. What so many scenes now lack is any kind of context or continuity. Johny’s boxing scenes, his relationship with his friend Chiman, and his intimate moments with Rosie … all these lack detailing that could make them real for us. Raveena Tandon Thadani is so resplendent in her two singing breaks. But she is just dropped from the sky. We surely would have loved to know a little more about her. The scene where Rosy pulls Johny into the bath tub, is where the scene should have begun, not ended. We would have liked to see What Johny does next as hat would reveala bit of his inner self to us.
Take similar scenes in Gangs of Wasseypur. There is a scene where Manoj Bajpai wants to make love to his pregnant wife ( Richa Chadda). She tells him, ‘ Hamar pet mein jo hai use gnada karige kya?’. Mext we see Bajpai talking with the maulavi, planning his marriage to Durga, his paramour. Earlier, there was also the scene where Durga is washing a bundle of clothes by squashing them rhythmically on a slab as Bajapai is all lust and desire, salivating to the strains of ‘ Oh Womaniya.’ Then there is the scene of “ Haan touch kar sakte hain, leking pehle permission to lena chahiye na” between Nwazuddin and Huma. Or take the elaborate explanation of the naming of ‘ Tangent’ and compare the perfunctory manner in which Kaizad asked Balram to change his name to Johny…no rhyme, no reason proffered.
Actually it is the eschewing of the detailing and the quirky that emasculates the film , turning it into a neuter incapable of arousing any passion. Much of the writing so flat. The public speaker who was speaking against the land reclamation was so colourful, but his stints are cut short and there is nothing else that is remotely as interesting or witty. The verbal and theatrical inventiveness of Kashyap is totally missing in the film…letting us glimpse only a lifeless narrative skeleton. There is this song ‘Dhdaam Dhdaam’, which comes after Johny accuses Rosie of spying on him on behalf of Jimmy. She is heartbroken and finds the ground beneath her feet slipping. But it is not a conventional song; the dhdaam dhadaam reprise has an element of the bizarre. Anushka should have played it accordingly and nor straight sad as she has done. She could have alternated between straight emotions and the burlesque. There is similar straightjacketing in staging of most scenes, robbing them of Anurag’s signature with which you can have a love-or-hate relationship. Right now you feel neither.
Similarly the birth of modern Bombay built on reclaimed land is quite fascinating. The animated graphic showing the sea between the seven islands whets our appetite. But a coherent commentary completing the narrative goes missing. The voice-over at the start of and all through Gangs of Wasseypur bridged the gaps so well.
When I got up in the morning and spooled out the film in my head again there was much that seemed to have stick. The tragic love story of Johny and Rosy bothered me a lot. The false bravado of Johny, basically a small-time henchman trying to punch above his weight is the tragic flaw in his character. For Rosie it is her frailty and vulnerability. It is this strand which should have been central if it was to be shirt and tight film. And it could have been more imaginatively narrated for better emotional cohesion. For example, it could have started with us meeting the 80-year-old Rosie, singing in a Goan bar ( as she is supposed to be doing as per the end notes of the film) and hearing about Johny through her flashback. That would have made the canvas smaller, leading to many superfluous scenes being thrown out and making the narrative flow smoother and easier to follow.
And maybe it would have need only half of its rumoured 90-crore budget. If Gangs of Wasseypur could be made for 30 crores, this should have been too , not including the fees of the lead pair. And frankly who cares if Bombay has been recreated faithfully or not – when the historical accuracy has any way been sacrificed at the altar of visual styling. All we want to see on screen is good story, well told. I suspect the good story is very much there, only it has been obscured by too much cleansing. I suspect I might be able to see the rough edges and the quirky detailing snipped off during the Hollywood-style editing or the director’s self-censorship, if I give the film a second viewing, through my own imagining – or in reality if there is later director’s cut of 4 hours.
( Ps: While I have been hammering this out the film apparently has opened to a disastrous opening. As always, when such a thing happens I never blame the audience but try to look for what did the film not do right. Sometimes the punishment that the audience metes out is grossly disproportionate to the film’s crime, but certainly there is something amiss. It is not a bad film. Far from it. But I can understand the audience’s disappointment. But my recommendation to anyone who sees cinema as an art form: Do go and see it. There is much that is beautiful even though the film in its totality will disappoint you.)
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May 16, 2015 at 5:59 AM
Brilliant stuff, Sir. The best “review/take” on the film so far.
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May 16, 2015 at 6:52 AM
I may watch it because of Ranbir Kapoor. The casting of RK saved this film to some extent. Hope the DVD version will include the uncut footage to connect the dots. Watching on big screen with full audience is a different experience altogether.
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May 16, 2015 at 12:15 PM
” Watching on big screen with full audience is a different experience altogether.”
Yes, but where you gonna find full audience? Its like watching on big screen with hardly any audience 🙂
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May 16, 2015 at 1:32 PM
lol, you seem to be enjoying Ranbir’s failure a lot…looks like you would rather watch an aging talenless ham king than the younger generation taking risks
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May 16, 2015 at 2:07 PM
Who are u dude? I’m responding to Santana that she wanted to check out BV in cinema with full audience but if there’s not much audience how can we enjoy the same experience? People come with weird names and comment on here without any sense.
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May 16, 2015 at 12:07 PM
Think this can be a post, no? Aside, which theater on Sarjapur Road?
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May 16, 2015 at 3:28 PM
Director’s Cut? Hahaha……
Anurag should do a Dandvat Pranam to Thelma for somehow rescuing the mess of a movie he made. There is going to be no Director’s Cut to this shit pile.
Why can’t we simply accept that the magic is gone from the craft of Anurag? It happens all the time. If you read “Midnight’s Children” and then read “Shalimar The Clown” both by the same writer (Rushdie) you will see the same difference……whereas, Midnight’s glows Shalimar sucks. The same is the situation between Gangs of Wasseypur and Bombay Velvet…..
Its sloppy work.you may minutely analyze and justify it and peddle cliches like….the soul is missing in the lesser work because of editing or whatever but the honest truth is that the blame has to be taken up by the author or the director.
According to me….the magic…that crazy…diabolical inventiveness is gone….My sincere request to Anurag…..Concentrate in producing movies from now on and to rushdie write non fictions and travelogues…..age gracefully dont make a buffoon of urself.
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May 16, 2015 at 3:33 PM
this is a classic Indian problem. Getting completely carried away with one success or failure.. Kashyap has never failed like this on any of his smaller films. With a big project like this there are lots of pressures, lots of compromises that are made and the result can often be a very messy film. And part of the problem is that the director’s favored edit is never allowed. But either way though this kind of a failure might have serious practical consequences for the director this doesn’t mean that he’s forgotten to make films! I’ve never ever supported such an absurd idea. If this logic were followed half the careers in the world and in history would be over and we wouldn’t get treated to many wonderful films that then came later. Yes it’s a huge failure but there’s no reason to get hysterical about it. One of course has every right to dislike the film and completely.
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May 16, 2015 at 3:50 PM
I really liked his last 2 films – GOW and Ugly, so I wouldn’t say the magic is gone. All along, it was clear that Anurag was doing too many compromises while making BV.
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May 16, 2015 at 6:02 AM
Composed by Amit Trivedi, written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Neeti Mohan, Dhadaam Dhadaam is a masterwork, an emotionally overwrought song of operatic intensity, and it is the one song Kashyap reverentially leaves alone in Bombay Velvet. In a film made up of many a scrap of fine songs—understandably, considering it is the tale of a jazz singer—Dhadaam Dhadaam is the song Kashyap backs away from and lets blossom in the harshest and bloodiest spotlight. It plays out in full, gorgeously and film-haltingly, the absolute pièce de resistance.
http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/LQuAtDsaRxTGqnMqLEobbP/In-love-with-a-love-song.html
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May 16, 2015 at 6:27 AM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/randeep-hooda-to-star-with-amitabh-bachchan/16208186.
Sankar’s rumored next project
Wish it’s true n rajnikant too is the part of it
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May 16, 2015 at 7:03 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 4h 4 hours ago
#Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr. Grand total: ₹ 44.52 cr. India biz. FABULOUS!
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May 16, 2015 at 7:07 AM
Piku Day Eight Business Gabbar Is Back Third Friday Business
Saturday 16 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku held up very well on day eight grossing around 2.75 crore nett which is less than 50% drop from first weekend. The film is putting up very good numbers in Mumbai, West Bengal and Mysore.
The failure of Bombay Velvet will help the film in week two and it should get a bug jump on Saturday. The weekend should cross 12 crore ar least and may even become the highest second weekend of the year. .
Gabbar Is Back grossed 75 laks nett on its third Friday which us 75% drop from last Friday. This is reasonable as multiplex business was hut due to the release of Bombay Velvet and Piku going strong which meant those two films covered most of the screens at multiplexes.
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May 16, 2015 at 7:04 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 5h 5 hours ago
#BombayVelvet Fri ₹ 5.20 cr. India biz. D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 4h 4 hours ago
#Besharam had collected ₹ 21.56 cr on Day 1 [2 Oct – holiday]. #BombayVelvet has collected 1/4th of that film on Day 1 [₹ 5.20 cr].
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May 16, 2015 at 10:33 AM
First day of 5.20cr is crazy….. I don’t think anyone would have imagined in this lifetime.
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May 16, 2015 at 10:39 AM
5.2 cr by Taran adarsh, BOI may have below 5 cr when breakdown comes out.
In that regard Piku opened better on less screen space.
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May 16, 2015 at 10:57 AM
something odd about this. I am always interested as a sociological matter when something strange happens. If this film had opened with a decent initial and then tanked there would be nothing to think about. There’s nothing strange about Besharam! However the fact that this film didn’t even get an initial (to put it kindly). Why not? In absolute terms BV is probably not going to do too much better than either part of GOW. What explains this? Yes Kashyap isn’t for everyone, maybe the trailers didn’t excite anyone but still there ought to have been a minimal audience for the film on day 1. Part of the story here also is that the media exaggerates everything and people elsewhere consume this narrative and start believing it. The comparisons of Ranbir with Salman or Aamir or whoever are unfair. Why? Because Ranbir never started off like Hrithik and became a true blue elite star right away. But nor does he have the cultural memory that some of those older stars have built up over time. The media narrative has always been unrealistic on Ranbir (on both his stardom and his acting) and specially after YJHD it became more plausible. But that’s still a genre film. If Ranbir keeps doing something loosely similar (and he has some of those lined up) he’ll be fine. Over time then a certain cultural memory builds where then even away from a strength genre the star can get an initial. And when I say ‘loosely similar’ what I mean is that even a film like Rockstar which isn’t YJHD by any stretch still promises some of the same elements. Eventually the audience doesn’t like it but there’s enough here to get an initial and a decent total. When you then move to something like BV you are making certain assumptions that have never been proved. I actually never found Ranbir credible in the trailers in this part. The media says otherwise but they praise him on every occasion anyway! It’s ‘asserted’ at every turn! Ranbir is certainly a hot star at the moment, specially within the space of certain multiplex genres. But between this and the larger media narrative on him (again in terms of both star magnitude and acting ability) there is assuredly a wide gap. Which doesn’t mean that I subscribe to some of the exaggerated comments that are being made about him post BV. It also doesn’t mean he isn’t a top star. No one ever argued he was in the Salman zone or something. Again the media narrative got out of hand on this and people started believing it. That’s another matter.
I’d lastly say this and this has been an old point of mine. It is not easy to do ‘different’ even in a limited sense and keep prospering. The problem with Abhishek was that he didn’t course-correct soon enough and kept on doing films that were problematic in the box office sense. Ranbir is not doing that, he has a number of safe ventures coming up. Nonetheless it’s a tricky business. No one expected Besharam to be this kind of disaster. Alright he can be given a pass on Roy. But again BV failing wasn’t unexpected but becoming this kind of historic failure is. Now one hears Jagga Jasoos is being reshot. Still that looks to be a safe deal. But the point is that after these two films he needs a big one. Where I still think the media is with him is that they never really criticize him for any of these failures. They just attack the film. This has always been an ideological position on the media’s part much as with Abhishek it’s the opposite (if the film’s fine he’s doing a good job otherwise he’s personally responsible for the failure!). But yes it’s true that these things can turn quickly. Ranbir certainly cannot afford another significant failure at this point.
On BV once though this will probably never happen Kashyap should just put out a director’s cut on DVD. Whatever the film might or might not be this sort of ‘editing’ never helps. Lastly I’d still say that tough as this failure might be this is not the sort of film an actor with any ambition should ever refuse. Not just because such films can always be reinvented with time. Even if not this is the sort of director and this is the sort of film one should always take up unless one’s career is in dire straits and one is only looking for box office success.
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May 16, 2015 at 11:05 AM
NBOC has 4.95 crores:
http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/bombay-velvet-day-one-all-india-nboc/
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May 16, 2015 at 8:08 AM
NY Times:
Review: ‘Bombay Velvet’ Is a Bollywood Ode to American Gangster Movies
By RACHEL SALTZMAY 15, 2015
In the period world of “Bombay Velvet,” Ranbir Kapoor — with his pencil mustache, crop of flyaway hair and broad-shouldered jacket — looks more than a bit like his grandfather Raj Kapoor. And he has some of his raffish, leading-man charm.
Like the elder Kapoor in such films as “Awaara” and “Shree 420,” Ranbir plays an underdog battling the system. He’s Johnny Balraj, a petty gangster who doesn’t mind taking a pounding or doling one out. Johnny runs a nightclub and longs for a piece of the real-estate pie that is Bombay in 1969, a city on the cusp of (over)development.
The director Anurag Kashyap’s cinematic touchstones don’t end with Raj Kapoor. He also has a thing for American gangster movies. There are echoes here of “The Godfather” and “Scarface” (Brian De Palma’s). James Cagney shows up, too; Johnny watches “The Roaring Twenties,” with Cagney dying on snowy steps as a blonde intones, “He used to be a big shot.”
Which is to say that “Bombay Velvet” (great title) is more about movies than it is about gangsters. Mr. Kashyap’s restless camera likes the look of rain on windshields and tommy guns, Art Deco nightclubs and girl singers with beehive ’dos.
If Mr. Kashyap’s previous films, like “Ugly” and “That Girl in Yellow Boots,” have had an indie, sometimes arty sensibility, here, and in the ambitious “Gangs of Wasseypur,” he paints on a bigger canvas, or perhaps a bigger screen, wedding indie impulses and Bollywood storytelling. For much of its first half, “Bombay Velvet” hums with the kind of energy found in movies by the 1970s American directors Mr. Kashyap seems to admire. (Martin Scorsese is thanked in the head credits.)
Mr. Kashyap is perhaps too faithful to his Bollywood imperatives, though. In the grand tradition, his film is overlong (149 minutes) and overplotted. (It’s hard to keep track of all the dirty deals and dirty dealers carving up Bombay.) And just when you expect it to explode some of the clichés it reinvigorates, it embraces them instead.
Still, as one fast operator tells our hero, “The map of Bombay is being redrawn, Johnny.” Even with its faults, Mr. Kashyap’s film is more evidence that the map of Bollywood is, too.
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May 16, 2015 at 8:11 AM
and this has been precisely the problem here. I won’t repeat all of my older comments but why is a movie, ostensibly a love letter to Bombay’s past, actually an ‘ode’ to American gangster movies?
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May 16, 2015 at 8:16 AM
Check this out-
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May 16, 2015 at 8:20 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/abram-to-azad-rao-khan-cute-star-kids-of-bollywood/photostory/47308642.cms
Heartwarming picture of Aaradhya Bachchan.
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May 16, 2015 at 8:23 AM
Very fine piece by Tanul Thakur-
“…Or maybe, if you look closely, you will eventually find an answer. These cardboard cutouts appear so because they want to be Cool. That is their sole raison d’être. Which is perhaps why there is no real attempt to show how, and why, Johnny and Rosie fall for each other, be it via dialogues, moments of hesitancy, or silence, because that requires these characters to be real; it requires the two to be vulnerable; to risk something; to open up to each other. But Kashyap wants his leads, and possibly every character (with the exception of Johhny’s childhood friend, Chimman (expertly played by Satyadeep Misra)) in the film, to be Cool. And, frankly, there’s nothing flagrantly wrong with that. Kashyap is one filmmaker who does Cool better than any other Bollywood filmmaker (you only have to see that fascinating chase sequence in Gangs of Wasseypur II, underscored by the ingenious Chi Cha Leather song, to understand what Kashyap can achieve when he is in his elements), but for that to happen, your film and characters need to be at least consistent with their idiosyncrasies. Here they are not. Johnny and Rosie coming together—via the song Behroopiya—appears contrived, because we don’t get a fair sense of the kind of people they are (which, by extension, means we don’t know what love does or means to them). So when, in the later portions of the film, we see the two of them waxing eloquent about love and their readiness to pay its price, those lines just don’t ring true.
Also, it’s confounding that a film like Bombay Velvet, which centers around an everyman being sucked into the murky world of the rich and depraved, doesn’t feel it’s important enough to comment on the moral compass of its leads. So Johnny kills a tabloid photographer, in front of Rosie, in the course of altercation, and both of them move on as if nothing happened. Rosie does look appalled for a moment, but in the very next scene all’s good between the two. It’s difficult to believe that a crime as horrific as that goes unquestioned by her—someone who is neither a criminal nor shows signs of being one—that it doesn’t change the dynamics of their relationship even one bit. Does love turn ordinary people into callous robots? I am not so sure. (It can be argued that since Rosie might have herself killed a man in Goa, so she’s become inured to violence, but the fact is, Rosie’s was an act of self-defence, while Johnny’s is an act of cowardice. Rosie’s indifference to Johnny’s crime seems weird.) Films, of course, shouldn’t be moral science lectures, and their characters can do whatever they feel like, but we need to know how Bombay Velvet’s characters, especially Johnny and Rosie, react to these crimes, because they don’t belong to this world. They used to be perfectly ordinary folks who got embroiled in situations they couldn’t wrap their head around. When you are willing to show the depravity of your world in unhesitating strokes, why shy away from showing what bearing it has on its perpetrators and bystanders?
So the important question is not what Bombay Velvet is, but what it is trying to be. I am not even sure if the word “Bombay” in the title befits the film, because nearly nothing in it evokes Bombay. (And no, shoehorning a plot point about the city being made out of land reclaimed from the sea doesn’t quite cut it.) The gentleman’s club in the film looks like a thinly veiled imitation of one of the clubs in Las Vegas and, really, what’s up with its characters wearing suits all the time? You can still understand Johnny wearing a suit, because, well, he’s the manager of the club, but what explains journalists, cops, gangsters—practically everyone—in the film suited up? Is the answer to that question, too, just like the answer to nearly every other question in the film, this: Because wearing suit spells … Cool? And it’s this bit about the film that is most upsetting and jarring, even infuriating. Bombay Velvet is not, as its unending promotions led us to believe, a film about the changing fortunes of Bombay. It is a clichéd, formulaic film that doesn’t know where it belongs, or is too sheepish to acknowledge where it wants to belong….”
“…But, finally, what’s even more off-putting about the film is the way it ends: by telling us what happened to Rosie (as if she’s a character in a documentary), and the transformation of Bombay (which appears pointless because, as argued above, this is not a Bombay Film—it simply uses the complex history of the city to sell a generic plot). These lines intend to send us home with the feeling that we saw something “real” and, hence by that account, valuable. Curiously, Johar’s Khambata, unlike Rosie, based on a real life figure, Russi Karanjia, the editor of the famous Bombay tabloid Blitz (Khambata’s tabloid is called Glitz), doesn’t find a mention. But, of course, none of that matters. What really matters is pleasing the God of Cool. And Bombay Velvet has at least got that sorted.”
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May 16, 2015 at 1:30 PM
All I can say at this point is AB has shown again with deeds and not words that Baap akhir Baap hota hai . This despicable idiot Kashyap had been mouthing trash about AB but AB has shown what he is made of by giving a critical and commercial success at this age while this moron with a 100 plus budget and hot young star comes up with a critical and commercial disaster.
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May 16, 2015 at 2:17 PM
ok..ok. Got the message…down boy, down.
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May 16, 2015 at 2:49 PM
Where do these idiots crop up from??
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May 16, 2015 at 3:04 PM
they’re often folks we know in disguise..
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May 16, 2015 at 10:47 PM
it is not a class act to ridicule someone when they are down and under. Otherwise there is no difference bet RGV and you.
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May 16, 2015 at 11:16 PM
Thats how this world works. When someone is at peak, they try to pull that person down or not acknowledge the fact. When that person falls, there is glee all around. One cant please everyone.
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May 17, 2015 at 12:18 AM
I thought your acerbic tongue/keyboard is reserved for SRK fans 😉
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May 16, 2015 at 11:51 PM
I think rajen1 is living in past. Anurag and Amitabh get along fine now and just recently Anurag directed Amitabh in Yudh TV series, which although great, didn’t do well.
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May 17, 2015 at 1:06 PM
Bollywood me one sleeps with enemies. There are no real friends or foes. Based on time, kota sikka becomes kara. Bigb and SmallB hung out with even salman khan, so AK kya cheez hai.
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May 16, 2015 at 2:44 PM
Finally saw Bombay Velvet. What a huge disappointment. But I already knew after watching Ugly that Kashyap is becoming sloppy and senile. The characters and plot lines in Ugly were clearly half baked and some of the humor was delusional. However, Bombay Velvet has simply brought all those lapses out in glorious detail. BV is simply the worst film Kashyap has made, much worse than No Smoking.
To be honest I have a deep feeling that Kashyap has simply lost it and he wont be able to make another good movie. He is the new Ram Gopal Varma. Kashyap chapter is finally over in Bollywood. Wonder who will be the next poster boy of indie cinema?
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May 16, 2015 at 3:30 PM
Anurag Kashyap–The end of an era ???
Haven’t seen BV yet. I’m not surprised at the poor bo- infact I would’ve been v surprised if a kashyap film worked on the indian box office!
What’s a bigger surprise is the poor first day initial which a tepid flaccid ranbir couldn’t lift, it seems!
Ranbir stands exposed here.
But I still CANNOT believe the film is bad as is made out by people here. Will check it out soon (if it stays onscreen)
But the BIGGEST disappointment is the likely demise and of the Bollywood innings of perhaps one of the best film mind on contemporary Asian screens
I still remember one of the best films I’ve ever seen
GoW
It’s disappointing to see VIRTUAL MONKEYS jumping over each other to celebrate the demise of an icon..
To be frank (I can’t comment on bv) but most of these people aren’t competent on opining on his films
It’s a bigger disappointment to see kashyap thinking of moving to Paris
A familiar story …repeats
The end of an era ?
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May 16, 2015 at 3:42 PM
A kick to all detractors
My salute to anurag kashyap &
one of my favorite screen entities
Sardaar Khan
Can’t understand most of these words
But very much get the crux — the theme struck a chord
tere purkhe jiye andhera
aur tune jana ujala
tere god pakhare ganga
tej se hai aag jhulasta
tere kandhe chadh ke sooraj
aakash mein roj pahunchta
At a time when everyone is baying for his blood
At a time when he is at his absolute nadir
My standing ovation to one of the best films I’ve ever seen
And one of the best film makers I’ve come across
Ps: may catch bv soon
(only for anurag kashyap)…
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May 16, 2015 at 3:55 PM
Just look at his arrogance. Calling everyone a mediocre but what about his Bombay Velvet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX29DBCqFrY
To those who haven’t seen BV and are thinking it must be some kind of a glorious convoluted hyper intelligent mess like No Smoking that the mediocre Indian Audience could not respond to…I would say they are simply wrong. BV is a very conventional cliched movie (as many reviewers of repute have pointed out.) It has simply been done without any plot or characterization or creativity…..sloppy work.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:06 PM
One can say whatever to Anurag Kashyap but I don’t think anyone in right mind would associate the word ‘mediocre’ with him. Even his flop No Smoking is not mediocre, haven’t seen BV yet.
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May 17, 2015 at 1:19 PM
AK is too sweet. He bends backwards for people when they approach him with scripts. In this case the writer of (gyam prakash-prof at princeton) was on his case to make BV. At times AK should listen to his gut then please people.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:22 PM
“And just when you expect it to explode some of the clichés it reinvigorates, it embraces them instead.
Still, as one fast operator tells our hero, “The map of Bombay is being redrawn, Johnny.” Even with its faults, Mr. Kashyap’s film is more evidence that the map of Bollywood is, too.”
Even WITHouT having seen BV yet, can gauge that —
Just when uve made up your mind about the Bollywood illiteracy of Rachel saltz, she delivers a killer blow and gives a lesson to all these self styled ‘critics’ trashing kashyap…
“Even his flop No Smoking is not mediocre”— hmm well, Domt wanna start on ‘no smoking’–in short, it wasn’t a ‘film’–it was art on celluloid , anyhow need to stop there !
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May 16, 2015 at 4:27 PM
I won’t mind if BV is an utter flop
I won’t mind if anu gets a flop —
I will be relieved if ranbir Kaif gets a flop–it’s good to get his mind in order
But IF I don’t like kashyaps work im BV, I will be v surprised, infact gutted
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May 16, 2015 at 4:37 PM
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/suprateek-chatterjee/yes-bombay-velvet-is-pret_b_7291322.html
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May 16, 2015 at 9:41 PM
Where is Geoff Marsh? Both used to be nightmare for Indian bowlers.
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May 16, 2015 at 4:47 PM
Vivek Agnihotri @vivekagnihotri
We will still destroy a film even before it releases. We will make fun of stars. We will hurt commercial makers. Because we know better
Because they don’t know how to make films, only we know. Irrespective of how much audience has hated our film. We are the messiah of B’wood.
Ok, let’s stand as a united industry and support a film that audience has rejected. And then ridicule all the films of Salman, Akshay, SRK
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May 16, 2015 at 4:50 PM
Kashyap is totally Mediocre a.## hole promoted by non virtual donkeys , there I said it !!!!
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May 16, 2015 at 10:48 PM
kahe ke lee
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May 16, 2015 at 5:53 PM
Bombay Velvet Is Flat On Day Two
Saturday 16 May 2015 23.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet showed no growth on day two with collections again set to be around 5.25 crore nett. If some growth does come it will be to the tune of 25 lakhs nett at best. Even a 100% jump would not have altered its fate.
The collections of Piku edged part it at some multiplexes on Saturday while Gabbar Is Back had better collections at single screens in some cities despite being in third week. Infact collections of Gabbar Is Back at single screens were better even on the first day. The only circuit where any decent growth has come in is Mysore where collections look set to be 15% plus higher.
The film will have around 10.50 crore nett with a weekend having no chance of the first day collections of films like Besharam and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which collected in the 19.50 crore nett range on day one.
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May 16, 2015 at 10:02 PM
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May 16, 2015 at 10:58 PM
Baradwaj’s review is out.
“Bombay Velvet looks horribly shrunk. I’d like to see all the footage that was edited out. Maybe that will make the film more of a piece. The second half, especially, goes all over the place, a grab bag of desperate invention. There’s a bomb blast. There’s gonorrhoea. There’s a Tommy gun. There’s a line of dialogue that tells us it’s a Tommy gun. I threw my hands up. I kept thinking about Mahesh Bhatt’s Kabzaa, which was also about a young man with criminal tendencies caught between two powerful men and their fight over a piece of land. Call it unfashionable melodrama, but at least that movie moved, physically and emotionally.”
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May 17, 2015 at 1:17 AM
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May 17, 2015 at 6:46 AM
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May 17, 2015 at 6:49 AM
Piku Second Saturday Business
Sunday 17 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku showed good growth on Saturday as it grossed around 4.5 crore nett. The failure of Bombay Velvet aided business. The second week first two day business of Piku is as follows.
Friday – 2,75,00,000
Saturday – 4,50,00,000
TOTAL – 7,25,00,000
The film is now looking at the best second weekend of the year if it can manage to add least 5.50 crore nett on Sunday..
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May 17, 2015 at 6:49 AM
Bombay Velvet Second Day Business
Sunday 17 May 2015 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The fate of Bombay Velvet was sealed on day one and the second day was no better. The business in the metros improved around 10% while other places were down or flat. The first two day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
Friday – 5,25,00,000
Saturday – 5,35,00,000
TOTAL – 10,60,00,000
Sunday will be it’s best day but it looks the best it can do for the weekend is 17 crore nett.
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May 17, 2015 at 6:50 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 3h 3 hours ago
#BombayVelvet Fri 5.20 cr, Sat 5.10 cr. Total: ₹ 10.30 cr. India biz.
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May 17, 2015 at 6:50 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 3h 3 hours ago
#Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr, Sat 5.10 cr. Grand total: ₹ 49.62 cr. India biz. Will cross ₹ 50 cr mark today [Sun]. SUPERB!
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May 17, 2015 at 9:39 AM
Mad Max is getting stoned without having Cocaine. If one wants to experience of getting stoned go watch Mad Max 2.
Pure unadulterated adrenaline experience
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June 8, 2015 at 10:40 AM
Saw Mad Max on Friday. After the first few minutes I was just wondering – this is quite weird. After 2 hours I still felt that was weird. But a pretty good weird.
Definitely worth a watch, hardly any moments to breathe and incredibly imaginative. Can’t get past the red guitarist goon. Hilarious.
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May 17, 2015 at 9:51 AM
Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet didn’t live up to the expectations at the box-office and the director has opened up on the same on his Facebook account. In a post, wherein Anurag thanked numerous people associated with the film, he clarified that he is not depressed and will be back. Anurag wrote, “Its time to close the book and move on. its been a journey, as if one life is over with Bombay Velvet. a lot of people do not connect with it and a small number of people did. Maybe when the shock of the narrative wears down , you will revisit it in the calm of your homes and will get into it. Maybe our experimenting with the narrative didn’t work for most but i firmly believe in the film. This is the film i wanted to make and i am glad i got to make it. I am very happy that all those who have been part of this journey firmly stand with it. No i am not depressed or hiding, this has taught us a lot and is my absolute personal favourite, there have been no regrets whatsoever.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Bombay-Velvet-All-you-need-to-know-about-the-film/photostory/47318770.cms
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May 17, 2015 at 9:56 AM
Post the film’s release, many thought that Kashyap would quit making films because of the debacle but Kashyap, in his post, also clarifies that he has no such plans. ” Films is what I breathe, what I live for, does not matter where I go and where I stay , I will only make films , and no I am not done with making films in and about my country, rest is just a little detour. none of you need to worry about me.”
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/anurag-kashyap-writes-an-honest-post-after-the-debacle-of-bombay-velvet-says-he-wont-quit-making-films/546094-8-66.html
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May 17, 2015 at 3:20 PM
So, for now surely, he’s going to Paris and making films. Anurag calls it a detour and will be back and make some films in India as well.
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May 17, 2015 at 4:31 PM
Well it seems not before dissing few more people.
“And how was it working with big names for the first time? “The younger generation have a good head on their shoulders. The Varun Dhawans, the Ranbir Kapoors. They are willing to experiment. The older lot are too busy playing ‘who’s dick is bigger’. They’re at war with each other and will self-destruct.”
http://www.gqindia.com/get-smart/personalities/power-lunch-gq-anurag-kashyap-gq-india
Self destruct ? They have already spent 25 years in the industry. Now one may sympathize with Kashyap on BV, but he is being arrogant here and he does not understand that the younger lot take refuge in indie cinema when the regular Bollywood movie do not work for them. They don’t have a audience base and they get their acting credentials back before going back to doing regular fare. Saif , Shahid, and a lot more easily come to mind…
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May 17, 2015 at 4:41 PM
I feel Kashyap is a cry baby and this anti establishment stance on most things Bollywood and ridiculing big stars is to get quick publicity. Now his taking names etc would have died its own death with time because none of the stars respond to his jibes but for a sudden support from certain kjo whose brand of cinema was suddenly getting out of vogue and deserted by srk, he took shelter under kashyap dark cinema.
The worst thing is for all the big mouth and ramblings against big stars, Kashyap was still not allowed to get his final cut to the theatre and what is shown in theatre is bits and pieces tied together
( after interference by kjo/fox/rishi kapoor ) to tighten the movie which loses the essence of his whole exercise. May be the longer version will be much coherent and we should wait for the directors cut if ever it comes out.
On BV box office adverse reactions, it’s the media narrative which pisses off most movie seeking audience. Ideally Ranbir would have to cross Hrithik, Ajay and Akki before going for a tear down of Khan trio. But with YJHD super success, he supersedes everyone and threatens to topple over the top immediately. No one talks about him being in the industry for a good 8 years and with not much to talk about and mostly saawariyas , anjana anjanis thrown around. In direct contrast SRK who entered in ’92 had some good volume by year 2000 and was treated like topmost star of that period. Same standing goes to Aamir, Salman and to even Ajay & Govinda though Akki did wait until Here Pheri to be in top bracket.
I feel the failure is going to affect Kashyap the most here since PR for Ranbir will go on a overdrive and the newly found bromance with KJO the ultimate power broker will tie over this period for him.
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May 17, 2015 at 5:26 PM
You have to be bit unemotional in the show business or in any business e.g look at Vijay Mallya or Subrata Roy or Satyam computer guy or Bill Clinton’s public embarrassment at one point etc. Don’t let success and failure at BO drive you. If AK follows that, he will be ok too. No one can take talent or your contributions away from you. Little bit of passing through fire , every now and then is good for ego to be in check.
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May 17, 2015 at 4:47 PM
“The older lot are too busy playing ‘who’s dick is bigger’.”
🙂
Hahaha well, there ARE issues with his attitude and dissing people etc but at the end of the day, when one goes and sees anybody’s movie or work, one assesses and enjoys his/her WORK & not the personality or behavioural issues
“he’s going to Paris and making films”–
Well all the best
I actually suspect that he’s not fully broken up with Kalki and after giving her the break in bw, he will get her ‘support’ in his sojourn there
And ask for his ‘pound of flesh’
& my advice will be —
even if no films made, a change in scenery will do well 🙂
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May 17, 2015 at 4:58 PM
The absurdists pleasure –‘Bombay’ Velvet
Anurag kashyaps work will never work on indian box office. This has always been my view and this has been confirmed (inspite of his efforts to ‘conform’ & roping in kjo like entities & enrolling a much bigger budget)
I won’t harp on the flaws and issues in script etc. There are many to do so esp with the box office verdict now at hand
As for me, I enjoyed it a lot and there were multiple moments and scenes that gave me pleasure
The FIRST half had AK in his elements and he was on his way to deliver another tour de force but soon the MULTIPLE INHERENT CONTRADICTIONS weighed the project down
But does it matter to me? Not beyond a point
Can we get something as Unformly smooth and brilliant like GOW —
I feel AK has it in him to deliver more brilliance but GoW is a v hard act to follow ..
This needed a TWO or THREE part SAGA (of about 4-5 hours duration) on the lines of GoW to do FULL JUSTICE to AKs vision
But with the budget and cast and canvas it wasn’t possible to accommodate that
Editing by Thelma was creditable but unfortunately she edited out much of kashyaps vision
But she also couldn’t kill all of it — moments of magic and brilliance managed to spill out
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May 17, 2015 at 10:00 PM
Another Kashyap fan boy(fortunately the species is soon going to be extinct). Kashyap is a closed chapter. No producer in his right mind will produce a kashyap film after the BV debacle…that’s a given.
Apart from the economics and the box office…..kashyap as a creative person is a spent force. I have seen unmistakable signs in his last two films of a very fundamental deterioration in his craft and creative mind-space. It’s nothing new…sudhir mishra had it after hazaron khwahisen aisi…..he continues making films…no one cares……there are many other examples….the creative world is full of such instances. It is my prediction that Kashyap is most definitely going down the same route. His plot lines and characterizations/themes and humor in movies will become more and more delusional. In his mind (like a doped up buffoon who thinks his garbled nonsense is of immense profundity) he may assume he is pushing the boundaries of cinema and story telling (RGV and his weird camera shots). In reality his movies will stink like shit pile. but I really liked Kashyap once upon a time and I sincerely hope he will not follow the example of other creative ppl who continued making garbage long after they had become creatively bankrupt. He must learn from the immensely gifted Shekhar Kapoor and quit film making and age gracefully. He owes that much to his fans and the brand of cinema he made in the past. He can be a good producer or a talent show host. I sincerely hope kashyap will show the maturity of shekhar kapoor and not follow in the footsteps of ram gopal varma.
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May 18, 2015 at 8:42 AM
“the immensely gifted Shekhar Kapoor and quit film making and age gracefully.”
Or Mahesh Bhatt who calls himself a dead non-erupting volcano but keeps supporting others and provides creative input behind camera. It was RK’s deep interest in working in ‘different’ movies and be more creative, so there he should be happy now for chasing AK down to cast him in BV. I think another hero would have worked the movie better but then they couldn’t get the 100crore budget the way ranbir could. Somehow RK looks too much choclate boy, chikna cupcake, even with makeup (which just made him look even more ridiculous) to be starring in noir film. This was EPIC miscasting. abhishek bachcan would have better suited for the dark hero role!! I think AK didn’t get as much creative freedom as he does in low budget movies to do his sh*t. Too many chefs spoiled the dish. Whereever he got creative freedom, you can see sparks of genius be it casting Karan or music and so forth. wherever he didn’t you can see khichdi confusion!
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May 17, 2015 at 5:29 PM
Salma Hayek shares her experiences of ‘sexist, ignorant’ Hollywood
“Hayek, who also works as a producer and director, appeared at a UN Women panel event about film, alongside actresses Parker Posey, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the producers of Cate Blanchett’s new film Carol.
Of why the situation did not seem to be improving over time, she added: “It’s simple, plain ignorance. They think the only value we bring to a movie is as an object.
“The only kind of film where women make more money than men is porno. It’s not funny.”
Speaking of the current situation for actresses, she said: “Our pay can never go up because we never get the opportunity to show what we can bring in revenue.”
…
Even when an A-list actress brings in audiences to a film, she added, the numbers still registered in the lead actor’s favour.
“The dude takes the credit,” she said. Speaking of her own experience in the film industry, she gave an expectedly frank insight into the problems she had faced personally, thanks in no small part to unnamed leading men.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/cannes-festival/2015-salma-hayek-un-women-panel-gender/
Salma just holds nothing back here…damn. I wonder what Ash had to say about the Hindi film industry.
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May 17, 2015 at 5:52 PM
Bachchan said that even in international markets, a women starring in a movie is considered a niche product. “It’s pretty much the same everywhere across the globe,” Bachchan said. “We keep coming back to reiterating preconceived ideas.”
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/salma-hayek-parker-posey-blast-hollywood-sexism-cannes-1201498475/
I’d like to see the entire session, hopefully it comes up online somewhere. This is an important issue that needs to be discussed. I would like to hear what the likes of Clooney and Khans have to say about this issue.
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May 17, 2015 at 6:02 PM
Bombay Velvet An Indie dream of a “goodfellas meets Gatsby” blockbuster
I’m not good at ‘reviewing’ most films least of all those by certain film makers like Anurag Kashyap (due to various reasons). Fortunately his greatest work till date GOW was well received by most critics who could get the sense of what was being tried (even if they didn’t love it as much as I did).Inspite of universal criticism, for me, BV worked in moments and scenes and I’m happy with that. The Goodfellas meets gatsby vibe is his humble tribute to his influences both Hollywood and Bollywood. Most things of beauty are flawed and have to be seen as such. But having skimmed though some BV reviews, haven’t come across a SINGLE review(er) who could tune into the wavelength here (which is not necessarily an ‘achievement’ for the filmmaker though). I will pick Vishal Menons piece below in the Hindu & I endorse his balanced view. This shows that you don’t necessarily have to be either a snob or a wordsmith or an encyclopaedia to get it right….
Early on in Bombay Velvet, there’s a scene where Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) dreams of becoming a ‘Big Shot’ after watching James Cagney in the arms of Priscilla Lane in the climax of The Roaring 20’s. Later on, Balraj enters a caged street fight against a stronger opponent. With each blow, we see Balraj’s smirk widen. He’s losing the battle but he seems to be enjoying himself. Never before have I seen a Bollywood hero revelling in cathartic bliss after being beaten to pulp. After the fight, he tells his friend that the pain helps him forget his mother (a prostitute who runs away with his loot) and, consequently, his past. Bombay Velvet is the love story of a masochist.
Set in late 60’s Bombay, this Anurag Kashyap love story is a tribute to classic film noir, which, by definition, is limited to a set of plots, props and recurring clichés. What this has done is liberate Kashyap from making a film restricted by plot, making the Bombay setting as much a protagonist as Balraj. This Bombay we talk of is in a 20-year-old India where Englishmen have been replaced by English-speaking Indians — a kind of scotch-sipping, jazz-bar-frequenting elite, whose pastimes include betting on horses at derbies.
Befittingly, it is during one of these derbies that Balraj is rechristened ‘Johny’ Balraj by Kaizad Khambatta (a chilling Karan Johar, especially in the scene where he nonchalantly offers his wife for personal gains) just a few moments after he’s mistaken for a servant. For Balraj, Kaizad is a one way ticket to becoming an insider, one of the elite, a big shot. As for Kaizad, Balraj is a priced racehorse on which he stands to gain handsomely.
Johny Balraj’s association as Kaizad’s dirty right hand leads him to riches to the point where he runs Bombay Velvet, the city’s hottest Jazz bar, drives his own Ford Falcon and dates club singer Rosie Noronha (Anushka Sharma). The moments where Johny falls for Rosie form the film’s most tender (a word used interestingly in the film) and vulnerable portions.
Ironically, Rosie too is a mere pawn in the hands of Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudary), the owner of Glitz, a left-leaning tabloid, ideologically opposite to Kambatta’s Torrent. United by their fight against those who use them, the couple decide to stay on rather than escape Bombay for normalcy. When Rosie proposes a life outside of Bombay, Johny tells her that outside Bombay is a place called India…filled with poor people, a place where he will never be big shot. Given that Johny Balraj derives pleasure from pain, even his idea of a happy ending is perhaps far from that of regular Bollywood cinema. In a way, he does get his happy ending then.
In one of the most spectacular-looking Hindi films in recent times, Kashyap transports us effortlessly to a different age and time. Scenes like the phone call between Kaizad Khambatta and Johny Balraj, where they speak nothing, is signature Anurag Kashyap, and so is the idea of a single photograph deciding the fate of a city. Despite pacing issues, the tendency to overstate the obvious and an inconsequential Tommy gun shootout, the film stands true to an indie filmmaker’s idea of a blockbuster. The film is every cinematic cliché and so much more. It is every crime movie you have already seen but so much more.
Ps: I Will add, that the performances extracted by AK from all including the lead pair & the sideys were consistently A-grade..In the second half towards the end, when the plot starts losing steam, Kashyap desperately goes back to ‘guns blazing’ mode as if to latch on to what I feel is an unrepeatable feat ( GOW). So while one may take this failure against him, this is ironically because Kashyap tries to own the very cliches he has tried to subvert all his life. This needs to be viewed in that context, classed in the very difficult to pull off ‘indie turned mainstream’ genre..
The flawed beauty of BV-
Kaise karoon yaqeen tu hai dilbar
Ya koi vaham piya, Behroopia.
Yeh dil tune bas me kiya, Behroopia …
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May 17, 2015 at 6:23 PM
Aishwarya at Cannes:
http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/cannes-2015-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-is-a-glamour-goddess-in-emerald-green-763872
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May 17, 2015 at 6:23 PM
http://www.bollywoodmantra.com/news/cannes-2015-aishwarya-attends-discussion-on-gender-equality/17753/
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May 17, 2015 at 6:26 PM
had posted about Katrina earlier but here is Sonam:
http://errabus.com/gossips/pic-talk-sneak-peek-at-sonam-kapoor-s-cannes-look-20683
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May 17, 2015 at 8:39 PM
There was the proverbial Sheravat (sighting) too 😉
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May 17, 2015 at 9:54 PM
Shikha Joshi, a 40-year-old model-turned-actress, who appeared in critically acclaimed 2013 film BA Pass, committed suicide by slitting her throat open mysteriously at her MHADA flat in Versova on Saturday evening (May 16, 2015). According to a report, police have registered an accidental death case. The report quoted DCP Satya Narayan Chaudhry as saying, “The incident took place at around 6 pm. Joshi would stay in the flat with her friend. She went into the bathroom and slit her throat open using a sharp object. When she did not open the door for a long time, her friend knocked on the door and Joshi opened it. However, she collapsed immediately due to excessive bleeding.” A bleeding Joshi was then rushed to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri where she was pronounced dead. Later, the body was sent to Cooper Hospital for post-mortem. No suicide note has been found from the place of the incident.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/BA-Pass-actress-Shikha-Joshi-commits-suicide/photostory/47320797.cms
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May 17, 2015 at 10:34 PM
Bombay Velvet Is Flat Again On Sunday
Sunday 17 May 2015 23.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet remained pretty flat on Sunday again with growth likley to be less than 10%. The collections will be around 5.75 crore nett which will give it a weekend of around 16.25 crore nett apprx. The initial was a disaster and so is the trend as the film has not even seen the normal growth that happens with an urban film for metros..
The weekend collections will be less than films like Badlapur and Tevar and quite a bit less as these films crossed 20 crore nett. The film is a total mess and will record losses which are double of any previous Hindi film
The business in the two big circuits will be 5.50 crore nett apprx in Mumbai and 3.75 crore nett apprx in Delhi/UP.
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May 17, 2015 at 10:36 PM
16.25cr weekend? Even Badlapur and Tevar had 20 crore weekend which were not big grossers. I think the film will wrap under 30crores. This will be benchmark for biggest record loss for any film in Hindi film industry for years to come.
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May 17, 2015 at 11:05 PM
It did not fall also. That is those hardcore fans of Ranbir and AK must have checked the movie.
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May 17, 2015 at 11:31 PM
There is nothing much to fall lower. Also, it usually doesn’t fall over weekend. Friday is like half working day and Sunday is holiday. So, getting same collections as of Fri is actually shows the fate. It won’t cross 30 crores now.
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May 17, 2015 at 11:31 PM
Khaapshaptards- Ab kya bataoo mausi,, bhaley hee laakh chu##yapa pichchar banata hai mera Khapshyap, lekinn ladka heera hai Heera !! Bus usskey plot ka pata chaltey hee, aapko khabar kar dengey !!!!
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May 18, 2015 at 8:23 AM
comment of the day!
Fell off the chair laughing 🙂
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May 18, 2015 at 12:21 AM
Wish I was a part of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’: Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone, who is currently basking in the glory of her recently released film Piku, regrets not being a part of Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, reports IANS. When quizzed, if she has watched the trailer of Dil Dhadakne Do, she said, “It is simply wow. If you ask me that this year which film I would love to be a part of, then Dil Dhadakne Do is one of those films. I really wish that I was a part of that film.” Deepika further added, “Zoya is a close friend and she had given me the script to read, just for some feedback.”
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Deepika-Padukone-What-makes-
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May 18, 2015 at 3:10 AM
Piku Holds Strong – Heads For 75 Crore Nett Lifetime Total
Monday 18 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku had a very strong second weekend as it grossed 13.25 crore nett which is the best second weekend of the year beating the figures of Gabbar Is Back. The second weekend business of Piku is as follows.
Friday – 2,75,00,000
Saturday – 4,75,00,000
Sunday – 5,75,00,000
TOTAL – 13,25,00,000
The film has grossed over 53 crore nett in ten days and is heading for a 75 crore nett plus lifetime. The film has found good appreciation amongst the gentry audience with the two premium multiplex chains contributing over 50% of its all India business.
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May 18, 2015 at 3:14 AM
Bombay Velvet To Set Benchmark In Terms Of Losses
Monday 18 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet grossed around 16.25 crore nett in its first weekend. The film opened to dull collections and remained there. It even failed to jump much on Sunday. The losses on the film will be of the magnitude never seen before for a Hindi film.
The recovery of the film from all revenues will struggle to hit 25 crore with the domestic theatrical share looking to settle at 11-12 crore. Overseas is looking 4 crore and though the satellite rights are on the books on the distributors sister company at a high rate the actual revenue will hardly touch 5 crore. Its is similar case for music. Its a similar case with music which will hardly fetch revenue. All this on a 120 crore plus cost which means a near 100 crore loss between the holders of the main rights (theatrical, television and music)
There have been huge losses before be it Drona, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se and Guzaarish amongst others but nothing like this. It will be easier to beat the box office records of PK then to beat the record losses of Bombay Velvet going forward.
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May 18, 2015 at 4:51 AM
LOL 100 crore loss!! Amazing
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May 18, 2015 at 4:07 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 32m 32 minutes ago
#Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr, Sat 5.10 cr, Sun 6.40 cr. Grand total: ₹ 56.02 cr. India biz. Highest *second weekend* of 2015. SMASH HIT!
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May 18, 2015 at 4:08 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 16m 16 minutes ago
#Piku is the BIGGEST HIT of 2015 in Overseas. Total till Sun: $ 4.3 million [₹ 27.34 cr]. FANTABULOUS!
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May 18, 2015 at 4:31 AM
PIKU, 2nd Week end is 14.60 Cr. Total domestic collection is 56 Cr and looking at today’s trend Week two will finish at 67-69 Cr so heading towords 80 to 90 Cr range. (as per BOI, heading towords 75 Cr domestic business). which is a block buster collection. Overseas, till Sunday 27.34 Cr and still going strong (Note as of now, 27.34 Cr is the biggest overseas of 2015). So Piku has grossed around 110 Cr in 10 days.
Read a articles in bollywoodhungama and one more portal talking about why Amitabh movies will never able to reach 100 Cr.
Yes, article was logical and of course, he is 73, no more angry young man. I am a big fan of AB, but never claimed he is the best looking or best actor etc, for me, its simple i love him the most. One thing about AB is undeniable, he is blessed, please dont write such idiotic articles, dont try to pull him down or make him smaller. God will hear you and make him more strong with films like PIKU. Same has happened earlier, when ever media try to write him off, he will come back stronger from no where, for me its just God love towords him, i mean he is really BLESSED.
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May 18, 2015 at 6:11 AM
PIKU,
Went to see 20:40 show @ trafford center on saturday,big que at the ticket counter,few tickets available as standing in the que,said to mrs it will be ok,finally at the counter we were told its ” sold out” to our dissappointment and all the way from home about 12 miles we were tempted to see bombay velvet which was running on empty, but decided to book for sunday night same time.anyway watched last night and only half full because of next working day.
As through out the film everyone one glued in and cheering the film ,one must say that all 3 were exquisite,even Moushumi Chatterjee she was awesome,overall the film was just too good and cannot wait for HD DVD to come out..
As I said by the trailor that Amitabh did look good but someone here not naming him but might have guesses it,was laughing as if he collected the ebola…my guess was right the film will give lift not only amitabh but iirfaan and deepika…
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May 18, 2015 at 8:30 AM
India 7 overseas collection so far upto suday.
Piku…78cr.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-office/special-features/id/478
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May 18, 2015 at 8:50 AM
Overseas is a gross not net collection. So you need to add India gross with Overseas total, will sum upto 105 Cr for 10 days. (Not 78 Cr)
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May 18, 2015 at 5:30 AM
Kashyap Vs Kapoor: Have brothers Anurag and Abhinav scuttled Ranbir Kapoor’s starry status?
By Rajiv Vijayakar, May 18, 2015 – 12:37 IST
Like experts say when any man-made calamity strikes: it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Arguably the biggest cinematic cataclysm since films began, and without doubt in the last 20 years, Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet is now the catastrophe supreme to hit an industry already beleaguered by flops galore, and media-branded hits, all of which have lost money.
The sick part is that with corporate culture coming in, no one loses money from his own pocket, and so such tottering monoliths are actually green-lit, bank-rolled, made and released! Worse, the actual producer usually (but mercifully it is not true in this case) makes a fat profit, leaving the corporate entity and private distributors tearing their hair!
Why do I use the phrase “Waiting to happen”? It is simply because a director, whose highest-grossing directorial is Gangs Of Wasseypur with a lifetime collection of Rs. 25 crores, was allowed to purvey a star-studded extravaganza that would probably cost anything from Rs. 80-100 crores (never mind the final budget of Rs. 120 cr. because of re-shooting and other Anurag-ian matters!). As of now, BV might match or surpass the lifetime collection of GOW by a whisker, the monumentally vital difference being in its projected target audience and thus its production budget!
Like a seasoned filmmaker quoted from a line in one of his own films, “If a man used to a Fiat is told to drive a Mercedes, he is going to have a mishap!” Zero credentials as a commercial filmmaker (the IQ level of mainstream makers has to be far higher by definition than the brigade that purveys arty, niche cinema) and Anurag’s fatheaded script (from what we can judge now) should have set the alarms ringing at Fox Star Studios. Of course, we cannot really blame Phantom, Anurag’s banner, where his producer partners are largely his proteges.
Plus, when a director has never handled true-blue stars (Amitabh Bachchan in a short film and a disastrous television serial notwithstanding) and openly professed aversion to them as well as mainstream cinema decides to make a starry, ‘masala’ movie, it is dead certain that things will go wrong. Unless, like with the films of a Basu Chaterjee, the stars themselves take a pay cut because they and their skills are going to be shown in a new light, that too, a realistic, wholesome one. Which was not at all the case here!
And so we come to the crux: this is the second mishap Ranbir Kapoor (till now considered the biggest young star to come after Hrithik Roshan and in the top league that is placed below the six superstars) has had with the Kashyap fraternity- Anurag and his brother Abhinav Kashyap of Besharam ‘fame’. These two filmmakers have given the star his two career-biggest setbacks.
As a close observer who would remain anonymous states, “The process of sucking up to big names began for Anurag Kashyap after his professed remarks against Amitabh Bachchan and Karan Johar, and then turning a full 180 degrees, courting them and beguiling them into working with him! After that, he tried this with more top names, obvious enough to go unnamed, and then managed to sell himself as a master storyteller to Ranbir Kapoor.”
But exhibitor Akshaye Rathi points a crucial difference between the two Kashyap brothers – that Abhinav never had any malafide intentions. “His intentions in Besharam were to make a proper mainstream film. He went wrong in the execution, that’s all, and let’s face it, the biggest and best of filmmakers give flops.”
Rathi points out that the film opened to a good Rs. 21-plus crore two years ago. “It was Gandhi Jayanti, and the combo of the Dabangg director and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani hero, plus a couple of hit songs was hot!” After that, however, the demerits took over, and the film tanked.
Ranbir Kapoor himself compared the two brothers by stating that Abhinav was more mass-oriented, making films with proper heroes and entertaining elements, while Anurag “liked to tell good stories.”
However, the latter part has been clearly disproved. As Rathi points out, “After signing a big star, going to Sri Lanka to build these sets, and hiring talents like a French editor and then wasting all their collective talent and the moneys paid to them, you cannot make a niche film in 100 crore! People are not so gray or mean in real life as they are shown in Kashyap’s films, and the world is a nicer place. On the other hand, every era and time has its own set of problems in real life, and as always, people want escapism and entertainment when they go to watch a film. And Bombay Velvet lacked that.”
The Kapoor train, therefore, has been strongly derailed by the Kashyaps and the intentions barely make a difference to Ranbir’s commercial reality. In between Besharam and Bombay Velvet, Ranbir Kapoor unfortunately had another calamity in Roy (lifetime collection Rs. 44 crore for a big film riding on Ranbir, even though his was only a special appearance), and the declining graph from YJHD to BV sees Ranbir’s star status at flashpoint.
Trade analyst Vinod Mirani feels that “All stars have a series of flops. It will take Ranbir Kapoor just one hit to bounce back, as he has a strong fan following!” But others are not so sure. “It will take him a while to recover his commercial standing that had come with Barfi! and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” feels another observer.
Maybe the lesson to be learnt here is that while stars do not lose their clout after even a hat-trick of flops, their individual films are actually dependent on the directors, more than on their starry clout. This is an old maxim, but still not appreciated in a star-driven world.
Conclusion: It is a coincidence that the two Kashyaps-for completely diverse reasons- may have momentarily harmed Ranbir Kapoor’s track record, but not his star status. But the actor must carefully, if necessary cold-bloodedly, avoid such blunders in future.
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May 18, 2015 at 6:38 AM
Anurag Kashyap is an egotist and a hypocrite. Extremely happy the way RGV is taking his case. The loud mouth…narcissist deserves no less. Loss of 100 crore….wow…..he always wanted to join the elite 100 crore club……he sure did it….HIS WAY! Keh ke doonga….
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May 18, 2015 at 5:45 AM
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May 18, 2015 at 5:49 AM
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/abhishek-bachchan/abhishek-ranbir-and-arjun-kapoor-play-football#2
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May 18, 2015 at 6:01 AM
rishi kapoor @chintskap · May 14
AB feat.Saw PIKU,outstanding!AB had the youth going crazy then and now senior citizens going crazy.Most unable to walk in a house full. Wah!
rishi kapoor @chintskap · May 14
Who has written photographed edited this brilliant Piku?Director Shoojit, doff my hat! All character actors, some I don’t know fabulous.
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May 18, 2015 at 6:11 AM
Saw Piku last week. Thoroughly enjoyable film, thankfully did not have to think too much or use my brain…just enjoy it. Nice performance, funny scenes and dialogues and not a typical ending either.
Also saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes last night on tv. Really liked it, did not expect to enjoy it that much.
Absolutely no courage to watch Bombay Velvet unfortunately. The bashing is so severe that I cannot muster it. Bit of a shame really as I thought it might surprise.
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May 18, 2015 at 10:04 AM
Dawn was excellent, even better than the earlier one.
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May 18, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Think it would really be helpful if Kashyap could somehow put out a director’s cut on it. The film might be messy but it never helps to severely edit these things.
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May 18, 2015 at 11:12 AM
Have you ever had to work on a project after its ‘completion’ for a year? I had to at work. The boss wasn’t happy after I completed it. It took me a year to complete and I did everything he wanted in it and ALL the changes he wanted through the year. After its completion he wanted me to work on it even “more”. So I quit. Not just the project but the job as well. It is like asking someone to run after putting chains on their feet!! In that I empathy for AK. You can bend backward for producer, financiers and audience but only so much. Then it smothers your creativity. Then you want to quit it. Not just that film but that country too. at least for a while so you can breathe and regroup. Even if he made a “bad” film, they are going after him like a pitbull and all kinds of uncalled for namecalling that he doesn’t deserve, including our own Rajen!!
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May 18, 2015 at 1:02 PM
“Even if he made a “bad” film, they are going after him like a pitbull and all kinds of uncalled for namecalling that he doesn’t deserve”
This happens in very many cases in India. of course people tend to defend only those they want to. I have always called out this culture of hysteria. You can’t be selective about this stuff. In other cases if you’re happy to join the ‘mob’ you can’t suddenly get squeamish about it in this case.
As for Rajen he’s coming from a different space. He hasn’t said anything about the film. I’d always defend Kashyap the director and the film (even though I haven’t seen it) but that doesn’t mean I can defend him everywhere in terms of stuff he’s said.
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May 18, 2015 at 1:58 PM
well agree (on rajen and last para). However one man’s pomposity could be another man’s attitude. If I were to read and take Rishi Kapoor’s twitter comments on facevalue he would appear to be jerk/a-hole/pompous full of b.s. whatnot. But on the other hand he is just a man with attitude and opinions. It is not like AK single handedly killed abhishek’s career with his comments or something like that. He said what he saw and observed and to give him due credit he does change his opinion on people when he gets to know them, doesn’t hold lifelong panga.
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May 18, 2015 at 2:14 PM
never mentioned Abhishek or Kashyap in this context.. of course I don’t believe his career his killed to begin with but that’s a different debate! Whatever issues I have with Kashyap’s pronouncements are about larger matters.
secondly if anyone can have an attitude why are you objecting to Rajen’s?!
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May 18, 2015 at 2:19 PM
ok. You got me there. I guess Rajen can have bad attitude (and what would the world be with out “ye dosti hum nahi chodenge…”) but just not express it when someone is bloodied and down and under. Rest of the time it is ok. 😉 🙂
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May 18, 2015 at 2:21 PM
well methinks Rajen dislikes AK only because of AK’s comments on Abhi. I don’t tihnk Rajen has anyother axe to grind.
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May 18, 2015 at 3:08 PM
You shouldn’t think too often.. it’s a dangerous exercise..
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May 18, 2015 at 8:24 AM
Rangan on Bombay Velvet’s music: Yes, a pity about the music. Utterly outstanding stuff, reworking the standard Broadway (you can hear a lot of Kander-Ebb here) and jazz templates. The first time I heard Mohabbat buri beemari, I was like “Hmm… nice!” But then I realised it was an effing waltz (one-two-three, one-two-three…) and the bulb went on and I slapped my forehead 😀
I wish the people who give the Rahman albums multiple listens give the album the same courtesy too. Tons to discover.
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May 18, 2015 at 8:26 AM
So BV is one of the biggest disaster. Thank you AK, please go to Paris and make festival films and with more blood, sex and gore as the french will understand you better then Desis. Overall Fox is the culprit for putting in 100 cr + into Anurag Kashyap..this is like same Fox did with Sid Anand for Bang Bang..but BB did well to come out a hit.
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May 18, 2015 at 8:51 AM
‘Overall Fox is the culprit for putting in 100 cr + into Anurag Kashyap.”
Actually, just the opposite.
The Hollywood studios take such risks every now and then That’s why they hand out 150 million USD to some one like Nolan with only Memento and Insomnia behind him. That’s how you get excellence. Sometimes a film like Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate turn sout to bea disaster. But taht’s par for the curse. That’s how you get Aaple and Facebook, because venture capitalists invest millions in the hands of college kids.Of course for every Facebook there are hundred others that fail. But that is what risk-taking is about. In India you play safe and you settle for mediocrity.
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May 18, 2015 at 10:14 AM
Money well spent. Generated employment in Sri Lanka and India. Gave permanent, fabulous sets in Sri lanka that others can now shoot there. Put bread on lot of tables of petty artists. Good to get $$ to third world countries like this instead of charity and conversion causes!
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May 18, 2015 at 2:40 PM
“The Hollywood studios take such risks every now and then That’s why they hand out 150 million USD to some one like Nolan with only Memento and Insomnia behind him. ”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They hand out 150 USMD only because he has Memento and Insomnia behind him man! and Nolan delivers 500 USMD and more with that 150 USMD……….
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May 18, 2015 at 9:00 AM
For everyone who loved Piku’s background score – here’s the main sarod theme.
Sarod Prattyush Banerjee, guitar Rishabh Ray, organ Nabarun Bose
Composed by Anupam Roy
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May 18, 2015 at 10:33 AM
ON BOMBAY VELVET: HOW INTERNET IS KILLING THE MOVIE AND THE CURSE OF BEING ANURAG KASHYAP
great piece here..
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May 18, 2015 at 11:04 AM
lol. Lot of what he says is true. “Prove me wrong by showing me a review of Bombay Velvet that does not talk about Anurag Kashyap’s ambitions with this film, the film compared to his other work, the film with respect to other gangster film, the budget of the film, the expected box office, the negative buzz around it, etc etc etc. ”
Apart from the reasons he listed for not watching the movie, all true for me, I also didn’t watch BV in theater, because I just couldn’t bear to look at Ranbir (from the promos and otherwise) in that characterization and wasn’t sure if I could tolerate him for 2 hours. So gave it a skip.
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May 18, 2015 at 11:31 AM
I understand all internet reasons and I would also include the wrong release time with IPL knockouts happening all this week started on Friday onwards but the only prime reason which people didn’t turn up 1st day is bad and unexciting promos. I know many folks who couldn’t complete 3 minute theatrical promo as well. So, I knew that none of them would show up 1st day and only possibility was that movie had absolutely great reviews which forces them go and check it out.
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May 18, 2015 at 1:12 PM
you’re quite right in that the hysteria is misdirected in this sense. Because for whatever reason no one showed up on day 1. It can’t be said that everyone hated it because most people just weren’t interested in it. Now it’s true of course that a film that is loved can show jumps over the weekend, clearly this wasn’t liked even by those who saw it. But that’s a bit different from the Besharam scenario where a film gets a normal or strong opening and then completely tanks. These distinctions are important. A film might lose money either way but how and why it happens makes a difference.
Of course even on the advertising I’d say this. Why is it the case that people found the promos so uninteresting? I didn’t like them too much for other reasons but they were certainly better than 95% of other stuff that’s put out there. People show up for all kinds of stuff and those promos are also nothing special. Because they are more receptive to those genres. Whatever problems the film might or might not have those are not the reasons the audience doesn’t show up for this sort of thing. Because they accept the same problems in other genres. I am fairly persuaded this is a messy film but I am also fairly certain that the longer cut is going to be better. Whether it ever sees the light of day is another matter. And once again I’ll invoke some sense of history here. A debacle in the present is always tough to deal with for all concerned. However this is never the last word on a film. Specially with a director who’s otherwise talented or more the odds are at least 50-50 that such a film will be ‘rescued’ over time. It’s not just about India. I’ve had this argument many times here before but if one were to remove such debacles or less failures (commercial, critical or both) from the industries of the world (beginning with Hollywood) one would be left without a lot of movies that are considered important. Again I’m not arguing that everything that fails is somehow important. But just because it’s a debacle doesn’t mean it’s the worst thing out there. Failures often happen on the production side of things but they equally happen on the audience side as well.
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May 18, 2015 at 6:33 PM
I think the whole concept here was a little screwed up. I am sorry but Kashyap doesn’t get to pass the blame to anyone else here really. This was not commercially viable from inception and I have been consistent here.
I had actually been impressed by some of the later promos and I suspect I might like some aspects of the film.!doesnt change the fact that this was a dud from day one and is not going to have any after life, Sometimes makers making their magnum opus lose sight of reality.
On a personal level , I thoroughly despise the guy and will never forgive him for the comments he made about Abhishek and false allegations he leveled against AB at the release time of KHJJS.
Amitabh may have forgiven him but I cannot. He IS talented but I don’t really care. One way ticket to Paris sounds like a good idea.
BTW, he didn’t damage Abhishek’s career with his petty remarks because he doesn’t weild that kind of power. He is just a loudmouth and gets heard sometimes like all loudmouths do.
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May 18, 2015 at 7:42 PM
On the movie posted elsewhere : Movie needed trimming and the screenplay was not engaging.. I think Kashyap had something in mind to make around Hollywood gangster movie and he became self indulgent with style instead of writing.
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May 19, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Thanks for being so brutally honest Raj. Rare quality (the one you share with AK.)
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May 19, 2015 at 11:01 AM
LOL, …what a stupid piece…
Itna hee Dum hai then what happened to GOW – USA release, or that too was Internet’s fault ??? What happened to Ugly ? to Yudhh ?
The reverse of this logic is that had the movie been liked/ written about in kinder terms by the 2% Internet class, then even if it did the same amount if business , the perception would have been built to call it an average and move along !!
But this time the audience as well as the critics Ek ho gaye and hence the problem !!!
Na class haath aaya , Mass toh kabhee saath tha hee nahi ?
Khhapshayp must be saying the following about the Snobtaards-
Humey toh apno ney loota, Single screen par toh bharosa hee nahee tha !!
Meri Picture doobi wahan bhee Jahan sey poora ummeed tha !!!
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May 18, 2015 at 2:25 PM
Anurag Kashyap recently expressed himself on social networking site Facebook with regards to the poor results of his latest release Bombay Velvet. Filmmaker RGV and Anurag had an interesting exchange of words on micro-blogging site Twitter about the same.
RGV @RGVzoomin:
‘A director standing by his film rejected by the audience is like him telling a girl “I love myself and I don’t care if you don’t love me”’
Anurag Kashyap @anuragkashyap72:
“@RGVzoomin sir i love you too much.. now put that Vodka aside and sleep.. lots of kisses”
RGV @RGVzoomin:
“@anuragkashyap72 well sir for ur info I stopped drinking …I am not into kissing men but love you too”
Anurag Kashyap @anuragkashyap72:
“@RGVzoomin then lets have filter coffee together soon to celebrate the AAG..”
(Disclaimer: All tweets have been sourced from Twitter and written as is)
Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma reportedly had a huge fall out after Anurag co-wrote Satya with him. Post the debacle of RGV’s Aag, Anurag had reportedly commented that he felt that Ramuji had lost it all in Aag. He had said that he couldn’t see the Ramuji he used to know at all now and that he has stopped watching his films completely. However, now that Bombay Velvet failed to impress the critics and the audience alike, RGV took to Twitter to get even with Anurag. He tweeted, “Because I am 1st maker of AAG I think I have experience and right to lay them on a velvety cushion nd console the future AAGIANS…..My velvety tears for the maker of a disaster like AAG are for the tragedy,that by being the butt of it,he himself doesn’t get to fuck it….The bottom line is everyone makes an AAG and till he makes his own AAG he will bitch about others AAGS until he too burns in his own AAG.” [sic]
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May 18, 2015 at 2:45 PM
News of the day: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/477723/aamir-khan-jackie-chan-start.html
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May 18, 2015 at 3:47 PM
find it very hard to believe that Aamir’s doing all this stuff.
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May 18, 2015 at 10:30 PM
Idle man’s mind is a devil’s workshop. Now he is practically idle.
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May 18, 2015 at 11:21 PM
lol- aamir needs to do some light films – romantic genre – he has literally abandoned after Fanaa…………what a pity! QSQT star has become a socio-superstar 🙂
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May 18, 2015 at 11:20 PM
it seems an official announcement but what on earth he will do with Jackie chan in a kung-fu film?????
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May 18, 2015 at 11:24 PM
Aamir will promote Yoga while Chan will promote Kung fu. Thats the deal.
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May 18, 2015 at 8:53 PM
Anurag K’s mind may veer thru stylish offbeat noir cinema but at the heart both kashayp brothers seem like the typical Gorakhpuri bhaiyya more suited to be the face of legit masala cinema. More so as both claimed to have admired and grown up on 70s Bachchan staple. I think those anglo boarding school years spent at Scindia, Gwalior may have left them a bit twisted and confused.
They were perfectly suited to be in Salim-Javed mould and represent the new age cinema in masala undertone mixing it with their fetish for noir filmmaking laden with cynical attitudes and sexual motivations as an added twist. Abhinav had more or less nailed that with Dabangg and if that script was tweaked a bit, it would have be one for the ages. The dialogues etc were not only innovative but authoritative in masala setting and then who better in current bollywood to mouth them – swaagat nahi karoge hamara !
However unlike Salim –Javed who vouched and stuck with Bachchan to take their script to another level, the egos of Kashyap brothers got the better of them and a perfectly budding career of Abhinav was halted by suddenly pushing Ranbir do a Salman in Besharam. There are few jodis which connect like the sanju-hirani, dhawan-govinda and here salman should have been the face of their angst once they saw how well Salman connected with the masses.
It seems the guy has serious egoistic attitudes and is a top notch braggart because nothing explains why a Aamir type will not have reservations to work with a Nitesh Tiwari and ignore a talent like him.
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May 19, 2015 at 1:54 PM
Nitesh Tiwari could be moulded 🙂
Dhoom3 could have been much better movie if it was not under Yashraj banner with Adi overlooking.
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May 18, 2015 at 9:28 PM
Interesting read here. I am so looking forward to Tanu Weds Manu Returns and one may add Madhvan to the list below –
“How the tables have turned for heroines in 2015. After fighting for equal pay and respect as their male counterparts for years, the Hindi film heroine has grown leaps and bounds to reach the stage she has today. While films like Queen, Mary Kom, and Piku have been huge hits; they have also received much love, critical acclaim, and awards when compared to some of the “Money Churners” that the boys have been presenting us with. This year is even more special as quite a few heroes are relying on these powerful women’s star power to resurrect their career”
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainmenttags/katrinakaif-ranbirkapoor-deepikapadukone-priyankachopra-srk-kajol-ajay-devgan-saif
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May 18, 2015 at 10:23 PM
http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/shammi-kapoor-to-bombay-velvet-what-happens-in-the-club-doesnt-always-stay-in-the-club-764005
Bombay Velvet has been mostly ignored at the box office and denounced by critics but its music is busting the charts. Remember these other club songs?
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May 18, 2015 at 10:41 PM
Ok, its a big failure. I expected that it will beat PK! It had some plus points too.
It achieved something like awakening an interest in jazz. And its music is getting lots of admirers.
It made AK leave the country!
It humbled the mighty Kapoors for a while.
And Kareena has better innings than Ranbir?
They say misfortunes come thrice over. And Ranbir’s misfortune should hopefully end with his third debacle.
And last but not least is that Raveena tandon is praised. Only one to be praised for her brief act.
And Ranbir is not blamed but AK is blamed for the debacle. And editing is blamed. And critics, internet and also the audience.
The last line. Ranbir and AK will both bounce back.
Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win !
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May 18, 2015 at 11:15 PM
Bollywood actor Sanjya Dutt had a scare recently when a deadly venomous cobra was rescued from near his cell in Pune’s Yerwada Central Jail.
The five-feet long cobra was found near the yard where Dutt is housed. The actor is being kept in a separate cell near Phashi yard while he serves out his 42-month prison term in the 1993 Bombay blasts case.
– See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/5-feet-long-cobra-rescued-from-near-sanjay-dutts-cell-in-yerwada/16220156#sthash.GC3Usura.dpuf
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May 18, 2015 at 11:17 PM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/big-ticket-bollywood-films-that-failed-to-live-up-to-the-hype/16221171
Big-ticket Bollywood films that failed to live up to the hype
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May 18, 2015 at 11:19 PM
In parallel universe, happy Anurag Kashyap at Piku success bash!
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May 19, 2015 at 12:41 AM
It is this superficiality, this lack of substance, this absence of soul, that makes Bombay Velvet an underwhelming mess, not some prejudiced hacks who say it is one. Of course, that doesn’t mean it is as bad as Gabbar; the sign of Kashyap’s talent is that even his spectacular failures are as good, if not better, than the godawful tripe we call our mainstream cinema.
http://kindlemag.in/internet-kill-bombay-velvet/
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May 19, 2015 at 9:18 AM
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May 19, 2015 at 10:10 AM
Piku May Emerge Top Worldwide Grosser Of 2015
Tuesday 19 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Piku may emerge the highest grossing film worldwide of 2015. Baby earlier this year had grossed 125 crore Worldwide and that figure has been beaten by Gabbar Is Back which is looking to settle around the 135 crore mark but the way Piku is going it may just edge past the figure of Gabbar Is Back.
It will be photo finish between Gabbar Is Back and Piku and will take another a few weeks to settle issue but by that time Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Dil Dhadakne Do may also come into the picture depending on content.
The latter is hot in Overseas even though there is no big star in the film. The promos have worked and it will probably be the top Overseas in 2015 till date film content willing. Even a market like United Kingdom may put up numbers. Still its a sign how bad things are that the top grossers are falling short of even 150 crore Worldwide when a few films have crossed that amount in three days. Last year nine films topped 150 crore Worldwide even though business was not that good.
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May 19, 2015 at 10:13 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 7h 7 hours ago
#Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr, Sat 5.10 cr, Sun 6.40 cr, Mon 2.60 cr [85% of Fri; super] Grand total: ₹ 58.62 cr. India biz. SMASH HIT!
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May 19, 2015 at 10:04 AM
Piku’s box-office is an astonishing achievement.
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May 19, 2015 at 1:14 PM
Henry, did you see it?
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May 19, 2015 at 2:27 PM
One of the best movies, that showcases the modern day India, as we know. It’s a funny movie, which is funny not because of jokes, loud scenes or shit, but the way character’s are defined, and I am sure one shall know similar traits in their loved ones or near or dear ones.
Deepika two thumbs up! After a long time I have enjoyed Big B’s performance. Irfan well what can one say about the man! He is always good imo!
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May 19, 2015 at 2:40 PM
Rooney,
Was just thinking about you yesterday for some reason and your post from couple of years ago with the kite and here you are.
Hope all is well.
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May 19, 2015 at 3:13 PM
fantastic to see you here Rooney.. after a long time!
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May 19, 2015 at 10:11 AM
Bombat Velvet Crashes Further On Monday
Tuesday 19 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet crashed further on Monday with business of 2 crore nett apprx and a 60% plus fall from Tuesday.. The first four day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
Friday – 5,25,00,000
Saturday – 5,35,00,000
Sunday – 5,70,00,000
Monday – 2,00,00,000 apprx
TOTAL – 18,30,00,000
The film will gross around 22.50 crore nett in week one and lifetime business is unlikely to even hit 25 crore nett.
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May 19, 2015 at 10:12 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 6h 6 hours ago
#BombayVelvet Fri 5.20 cr, Sat 5.10 cr, Sun 5.80 cr, Mon 2.10 cr. Total: ₹ 18.20 cr. India biz.
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May 19, 2015 at 11:11 AM
25 crores? WOW! With 100+Cr budget and 25crore Nett, this is gonna be record for lifetime, I doubt any movie can break it.
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May 19, 2015 at 12:18 PM
BV seems one of those rare films where Taran’s numbers are slightly lower than BOI’s.
Gabbar’s numbers also seems very similar when it comes to BOI, Taran and Koimoi.
In BV’s case, the producers have probably felt that it’s going to be a useless exercise to forge the numbers. It’s going to be called a disaster anyway.
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May 19, 2015 at 12:28 PM
Yup don’t think even Papa Roshan could have saved this one
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May 19, 2015 at 12:32 PM
lol, line of the day!
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May 19, 2015 at 1:19 PM
Saw Piku again on sat -70% full in second weekend
The scene I laughed hardest was when they make a stop and AB is using the urinal and Budhan is standing outside and going ‘Psssssssssssss’ and Irfan comes by and is like WTF and the expression on his face was priceless! Had tears in my eyes and am laughing uncontrollably as I am writing this.
Has to be one of the funniest scenes ever!
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May 19, 2015 at 1:24 PM
BTW, USA BO collections for PIKU a stand at about 1.87 million USD after second weekend.
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May 19, 2015 at 2:30 PM
Just back from Mad Max: Fury Road. I feel so humbled to see at what level some people can imagine….so many machines, so many landscapes, so many characters….detailed to perfection. And such an inspiring story at the core…an anti-war, anti-patriarchy, feminist action epic. Wow! Take a bow George Miller. Can remember only Matrix and V for Vendetta as close to this in visual imagination coupled to epic storytelling.
“What a day. What a lovely day it is to be a movie fan” – To paraphrase a line in the film.
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May 19, 2015 at 2:35 PM
Masaan trailer-
http://www.kino-zeit.de/filme/trailer/masaan
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May 19, 2015 at 3:04 PM
Peter Bradshaw on Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario”-
Sicario review: Emily Blunt cracks the cartel in a white-knuckle thriller
4 / 5 stars
Denis Villeneuve borrows Michael Mann’s crown to take control of a straight-ahead genre movie as Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro battle Mexican druglords
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/19/sicario-review-emily-blunt-thriller
“Did Denis Villeneuve just take Michael Mann’s crown? Or borrow it, anyway? Sicario is a brutal action thriller with screeching feedback notes of fear and paranoia. It is all about the war on terror culture of retaliate-first being transferred from the Middle East to an unending homeland security war, prosecuted by people who may not be fully briefed about the game plan, targeted against Mexico and its top suppliers of drugs to the prosperous US. Villeneuve handles conventional action sequences terrifically well, and also places this white-knuckle material within a general atmosphere of nihilist ruthlessness. There’s a persistent queasy sense that acts of violence against the enemy are accomplished in order to gain trust and find out what is going on with your own team – and that these discoveries may be late in coming. …”
“…The script from actor and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has some great moments. When Kate asks Alejandro what’s going on, he replies calmly: “You’re asking me how a watch works. Just keep an eye on the time.” The huge, macho “convoy” scenes and assault-rifle shootouts are clearly indebted to Mann and the eerie infra-red nighttime sequences, as if on an alien planet, have something of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty. Interestingly, there is not much of an auteurist signature from Villeneuve himself: I was agnostic about his more cerebral work such as Incendies (2010) and his English-language drama Prisoners (2013), though I enjoyed his doppelgänger nightmare Enemy (2013). Here, he has just taken control of a straight-ahead Hollywood genre movie, and managed it with great flair without any supercilious over-thinking – which is not to say that it isn’t smart. As an action thriller, it delivers.
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May 19, 2015 at 3:14 PM
always interested in anything from him..
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May 19, 2015 at 3:18 PM
What did you think of Enemy?! That ending was downright spooky.
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May 19, 2015 at 3:42 PM
I loved the movie, the ending too was fine as an inversion of Psycho but somehow I didn’t quite like it within this film. Almost felt a bit too regular and ‘definite’ given everything that had preceded it.
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May 19, 2015 at 3:23 PM
Like Mr. Jones’s universe, Mr. Miller’s world has its rules. Viewers raised on the more baroque, digitally enabled forms of blockbuster spectacle are likely to admire the relative simplicity of “Fury Road,” while aficionados of the traditional slam-bang methods will revel in its coherence. Even in the most chaotic fights and collisions, everything makes sense. This is not a matter of realism — come on, now — but of imaginative discipline. And Mr. Miller demonstrates that great action filmmaking is not only a matter of physics but of ethics as well. There is cause and effect; there are choices and consequences.
There is also enormous pleasure in watching those consequences play out, and in encountering surprises along the way. Not twists — the plot moves from Point A to Point B and back again, ending up pretty much where you knew it would — but kinks and swerves, tricks of perspective and playful reversals of expectation. A sweet, almost wordless romance blossoms between a hapless war boy (Nicholas Hoult) and one of Joe’s brides, as she and her comrades evolve from eye candy into a feminist guerrilla force. They are joined by a band of older women called the Vuvalini, who along with Furiosa, decide to give Immortan Joe’s patriarchy a taste of its own medicine.
It’s all great fun, and quite rousing as well — a large-scale genre movie that is at once unpretentious and unafraid to bring home a message. Way back in the “Thunderdome” days, Tina Turner sang, “We don’t need another hero.” That’s more true than ever, especially during summer movie season. And “Mad Max: Fury Road,” like its namesake both humble and indomitable, isn’t about heroism in the conventional, superpowered sense. It’s about revolution.
http://www.nytimes.com/…/review-mad-max-fury-road-still…
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May 19, 2015 at 10:20 PM
“Papa Roshan could have saved this one”
“lol, line of the day!”
Some people have so much jealousy for Hrithik Roshan that even in unrelated post they will bring his name. What is the reason ?
Refugee ( Released in 2000)
KNPH (Refugee ( Released in 2000)
One’s Father is Mega Star, Other’s Father is Struggling Actor.
But Now One Actor is in the Dustbin of Bollywood. Other is still a Top Star. So it is True Bechare ko Papa bhi nahi bacha paye.
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May 20, 2015 at 4:21 AM
Actually I only mentioned Papa and not Hrithik – its you providing all the labels now
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May 20, 2015 at 1:51 AM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/aamir-khan-is-like-a-soulmate-rakeysh-omprakash-mehra/article1-1348693.aspx
Do you have friends in the industry, and do you keep in touch with them?
I do, as and when time permits. Gulzar bhai is my neighbour, so we find a reason to be in touch. I exchange messages with Amitji (Bachchan) once in a while. On my birthdays, I get the first call from him, even if my family or even I forget about it. Aamir (Khan) is like a soulmate, so he is always there for me. (AR) Rahman is an inspiration. Although he keeps travelling across the globe, it’s amazing to see how he keeps in touch with people who he cares for. And I have just found new friends in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
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May 20, 2015 at 2:08 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/manash-bhattacharjee-/the-lumpen-and-the-songst_b_7304446.html
Bombay Velvet is Kashyap’s sleekest but most restrained film. The editing appears constricted, leaving out certain moments that would have enhanced both story and characterisation. But it is still an engaging film about a charming lumpen and his brave songstress. Only the workers with their red flags and slogans are now waiting to flood Kashyap’s camera, demanding their presence in his cinematic vision.
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May 20, 2015 at 2:37 AM
Just back from PIKU; having savored it the second time. These days, because of the onslaught of reviews, at the first view, I always wonder whether it is my aural and visual senses that I am being loyal to or that of the review glut. So I had to catch it the second time. And what a simple – not simplistic – pleasure it was!
There have been a century of reviews now for this one, and I do not really wish to [am actually incapable of covering more than the wonderful insights folks like Rangan or Saibal – or our very own Mr. Mohanty—provide] add more to it. But rarely do Hindi films these days ‘sieve’ out—in the context of this film— emotional residue the way Piku has managed to. That forces one who is a reluctant and a lazy keyboard-rapper to give vent to one’s thoughts. And it is difficult to feel the essence too because of the, debatably, time-mandated transport and import of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s or Basu Chatterjee’s middle-class onto multiplex-India’s– to quote an instance, Zoya Akhtar’s faux-middle-class via Farhan Akhtar’s role in the vapid ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.’[At least her brother’s ‘Dil Chahata Hain’ (DCH) had a quirky quality that led the struggling upper-middle-class folks like me and the Worli sea-face brats concurrently to identify with the three protagonists of DCH.]
A movie like Piku’s essential success lies not in the number of laughs it generates or in the ‘fact’ that it makes 120 minutes fly by keeping one’s mundane and depressing life completely at bay. It is with the reflections and the refractions of one’s own life that one finds in the script-writing, in the characters and their characteristics’’, and later, in the entire movie-making exercise.
That is the biggest success of Piku. It is that identification and connect that one finds with the characters’ characteristics generally and the situations ‘specifically’ that is its triumph. How many times has one seen one’s parents or near-and-dear-ones bicker with a domestic help that Amitabh’s Banerjee does? How many times has one seen an extremely irritating sister or brother or a cousin that is as rude – in circumstances not entirely prejudiced— as Deepika’s Piku? How many times has someone come across a disgruntled, though utterly loyal, help like Budhan? How many times has one come across an aunt – fill up the blanks with any relative you want—who is completely invested in your life—and unwelcomingly so? How many times has one been annoyed with the persistent interference of one’s distant and not-so-distant relatives’ interference in one’s personal life, trauma, and situations – without understanding ANY references to the contexts? And how many times one has EXCATLY wished that the same happen because one needs somebody to be ‘smothering’! Oh how many times life has churned one helplessly into a cesspool of contradictions! Through PIKU and BHASKOR, one finds one’s life cavorting through the snake-and-ladder game and that’s again, what under-scores its ‘connect’ with the audience. How many times one finds liberation from the claustrophobic societally-vetted life by riding a bicycle through the lanes of Calcutta? One might find it through alcohol, one might through writing, and one might find it through watching movies in ready-to-collapse single-screen theaters that one spent a significant time of movie-watching life at any given pretext, or through just sitting idle atop a mound. But almost EVERYONE battling this everyday monstrosity called life has tried his or her own remedial quick-fix salvation. Just as Amitabh’s BhaskOr tries jelabi, one might have tried – hungry or not— the city’s delicacies like Pav Bhaji or Kacchi Dhabeli or what have you!
Amitabh the actor has been such a ‘coupled’ life of my childhood and adulthood – and other avid Hindi movie-goers of India of my age—it is imperative that I speak something about this man’s role and performance in this movie. One hates to go into ‘review’ mode – talking at least in the context of PIKU – but when it comes to Amitabh, it’s kind of difficult to stay away. It’s been a long way, personally for me, from watching Amitabh being the coolest ‘man’ in ‘Shaan’ to dying FANTASTICALLY in ‘Shakti’ –what with my father and uncle successfully halting my tears and convincing my kiddie-self that Amitabh is not actually dead after SHAKTI’s rolls ends but is alive by showing me his photograph on STARDUST just after walking out of the theatre!—and now, in PIKU, to playing an irascible old man! It is a fitting tribute to the infinite talent that a man that epitomized ‘coolth’ in the ‘70s and ‘80s and unknowingly forced folks like us to stand in front of the dilapidated mirror in our homes and imitate his ‘style’ and ‘action’ to STILL be considered funny and cool going scatologically viral!
This PIKU’s success shall dominate as long as the middle-class life in ANY metro of India finds an ‘honest’ reflection in its depiction.
P.S: I, personally, am not interested in understanding or dissecting the so-called ‘honest and forward-thinking’ sexual life of PIKU because, frankly speaking, it falls ‘outside’ of the purview of the primary and honest concerns of this movie and secondarily, because, I refuse to fall prey to some ‘celebrated’ and mis-placed jingoism of ‘feminisim.’
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May 20, 2015 at 3:12 AM
Your review is as good if not better. Atleast you have not made Piku’s feminism as central point of the film as others did. The film would have been delectable even without those subtle statements. It is about father daughter or daughter father relationship.
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May 20, 2015 at 5:38 AM
Very nice, An Jo. Very nicely written and heart felt too.
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May 20, 2015 at 11:30 AM
Oye…how old were you when you watched Shakti 😉
And even though blogmaster doesn’t want me to, your post made me think as well as look up “scatologically”. Tere review ne mera dil chu liya (which most posting here don’t except maybe Omrocky). Jinda raho puttar
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May 20, 2015 at 3:16 AM
“I, personally, am not interested in understanding or dissecting the so-called ‘honest and forward-thinking’ sexual life of PIKU because, frankly speaking, it falls ‘outside’ of the purview of the primary and honest concerns of this movie and secondarily, because, I refuse to fall prey to some ‘celebrated’ and mis-placed jingoism of ‘feminisim.’ ” well said An jo. That was not a big deal in the film, and we shouldn’t make it one.
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May 20, 2015 at 11:32 AM
Haan well quoted. Ladke me dum hai. He should consider 2nd career in writing.
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May 20, 2015 at 5:23 AM
According to an IANS report, Asiya Andrabi, chief of women’s separatist group ‘Dukhtaran-e-Milat’ (Daughters of Faith) came down heavily on Salman Khan on May 19, 2015, for advocating re-opening of cinema theatres in the Kashmir Valley. “Salman Khan is acting like an Indian agent to help cultural aggression of Kashmir by India,” Asiya told reporters. The firebrand chief alleged India was planning to export whatever is “immoral” and “un-Islamic” into Kashmir through the medium of cinema and for this, agents like Salman Khan were being used. She asserted that re-opening of cinema theatres would be opposed at all costs by her group. “We will not allow cinema halls to function in Kashmir. Whatever be the cost…,” she said. Khan had advocated the re-opening of cinema theatres in the Valley asserting that everyone here watches movies on television and even through pirated CDs and this could be checked if the Valley got its cinema theatres back. Radical groups like the ‘Dukhtaran-e-Milat’ campaigned against cinema halls, beauty parlours, wine shops and video parlours in the Valley in the early 1990s and forced their closure. No cinema hall has been able to restart operations in Kashmir since then.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Bollywood-celebrities-mired-in-controversies/photostory/47354941.cms
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May 20, 2015 at 6:11 AM
Bombay Velvet Day Five – Crashes Further
Wednesday 20 May 2015 11.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bombay Velvet had another big fall on Tuesday with collections down 30% from Monday. The film has totally capatulated. The first five day business of Bombay Velvet is as follows.
Friday – 5,25,00,000
Saturday – 5,35,00,000
Sunday – 5,70,00,000
Monday – 2,00,00,000
Tuesday – 1,40,00,000 apprx
TOTAL – 19,70,00,000
The film will just have a one week run in most cinemas and is unlikely to do even 25 crore nett business..
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May 20, 2015 at 6:56 AM
I heard Anurag Kashyap was planning a trilogy on Bombay. I would like to ask, Mr. Vijay( Fox CEO), when are they planning to shoot the second part?
Satyam you have any idea when the shooting starts?
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May 20, 2015 at 6:19 AM
taran adarsh @taran_adarsh · 3h 3 hours ago
#Piku [Week 2] Fri 3.10 cr, Sat 5.10 cr, Sun 6.40 cr, Mon 2.60 cr, Tue 2.20 cr. Grand total: ₹ 60.82 cr. India biz. SMASH HIT!
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May 20, 2015 at 6:53 AM
The reviews on Masaan seem to be very positive.
‘Masaan’: Review
20 May, 2015 | By Allan Hunter
Director Neeraj Ghaywan. India/France. 2015. 103 mins
http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/masaan-review/5088466.article?blocktitle=REVIEWS&contentID=40296
India’s inexorable rise as a 21st century global power may be undeniable but it remains a country tethered to a past firmly marked by the caste system, class division and deeply ingrained religious beliefs. Neeraj Ghaywan’s very engaging debut feature Masaan confronts the tensions between ancient and modern through a Paul Haggis-style approach of intertwining tales of love, loss, grief, police corruption and crumbling moral certainties set in Benares, the holy city of the Ganges.
The involving characters and vibrant visions of Benares (Varanasi) should be a winning combination for an international audience who have embraced non-Bollywood Indian films like Udaan, The Lunchbox and The Gangs Of Wasseypur. There might even be enough charm and substance in these tales from the “ real India” to tempt elements of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel crowd.
Ghaywan worked as an assistant on The Gangs Of Wasseypur and has cited director Anurag Kashyap ( a co-producer here) as an important mentor and influence on his work. He certainly shares an interest in character-driven narratives and social issues that is closer to mainstream Hollywood than typical Bollywood fare and Masaan might hold more appeal internationally than it will in India.
Masaan begins as Devi (Richa Chadda) and fellow student Piyush check into a hotel for the afternoon. They have scarcely had any time for intimacy before the police arrive, burst through the door and arrest them. A “sex scandal” brings shame on Devi and her father Pathak (Sanjay Mishra).
In a separate story, Deepak (Vicky Kaushal) lives in a poor neighbourhood on the banks of the Ganges, working at the funeral pyres of the ghats whilst studying to become a civil engineer. There is a sweet, ready charm in the way he shyly romances his dream girl, the poetry-loving Shaalu (Sheta Tripathi), knowing that her high caste family could never possibly approve of him.
In a further story, young scamp Jhonta (Nikil Sahni) tries to win favour with Pathak in diving competitions to retrieve coins from the depths of the Ganges.
All of the characters are trying to escape lives and circumstances that oppress them and Ghaywan and co-writer Varun Grover find some clever ways to tie individuals together, almost entering Nicholas Sparks territory with one final romantic encounter but also avoiding sentimentality in one unexpected and moving death. In a compact running time, the characters are established and challenged as the film moves comfortably from romance to melodrama via some lyrical interludes and significant journeys.
Vicky Kaushal brings a gauche charm to Deepak and Richa Chadda invests the long suffering Devi with a weary, unwavering determination to move forward. Cinematographer Avinash Arun Dhaware captures some fantastic images of Benares that convey the bustling spirit of the city from the brightly lit street markets to the flurry of sparks that dot the night sky from the funeral pyres.
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May 20, 2015 at 7:05 AM
Dear Anurag Kashyap
I remember the nasty manner in which you made fun of Ram Gopal Varma. He gave you roti when you were a hungry street urchin in the by lanes of bombay and you gave him the middle finger. After the debacle of Bombay Velvet, I am waiting for Motwane, Ghayan, Vasan Bala and the likes to give you the middle finger.
RIP Anurag’s Bollywood career.
One thing I learnt from this sad story: Pride comes before a fall.
Bye Bye Anurag
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May 20, 2015 at 8:18 AM
Bajrangi Bhaijaan has just wrapped up and the stars have returned to Mumbai from Kashmir. However, it seems that Salman’s fans can’t wait any longer for the trailer of Bajrangi Bhaijaan to be released. While the trailer launch is scheduled to be on May 21, Salman’s fans started trending the hashtag, ‘CantWaitForBBFirstLook,’ on Twitter.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Salman-Khans-Bajrangi-Bhaijaan-The-making/photostory/47358417.cms
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May 20, 2015 at 9:14 AM
Shah Rukh Khan : Un-Necessarily Targeted Mega Star! – Koimoi Reader’s View
I read in an article that in western countries if a student wishes to learn Hindi language, he or she has to fill a form that why he/she wishes to learn Hindi. You will be shocked to know that in countries like Germany and France, 60% of students mention the reason that they want to learn Hindi so that they can hear and understand Shah Rukh Khan Films in its original language. Isn’t it a matter of pride for you? Don’t you feel proud when one of the world’s biggest director i.e. James Cameron says that he came to know about India because of Shah Rukh Khan only and that he wishes to visit Shah Rukh’s country!
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/shah-rukh-khan-un-necessarily-targeted-mega-star-koimoi-readers-view/
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May 20, 2015 at 9:16 AM
James Cameron has just woken up from coma,what a quote …
rubbish article…
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May 20, 2015 at 9:46 AM
Abbas Tyrewala on the BV hysteria:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/8413
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May 20, 2015 at 11:22 AM
LOL…
The very last line kind of negates his entire piece…..Bhaag saala !!!
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May 20, 2015 at 9:54 AM
The domestic and overseas gross collections of Shoojit Sircar’s Piku totales to Rs 107.34 crore. Bombay Velvet, on the other hand, could only mint Rs 16 crore over the first weekend of its release on May 15.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/piku-touches-rs-100cr-mark-scorches-bombay-velvet/article1-1349206.aspx
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May 20, 2015 at 5:48 PM
posted others recently but another one of Aishwarya at Cannes:
http://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/features/2015/cannes-2015-red-carpet-live-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-angel-on-earth-183931.html
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May 20, 2015 at 10:46 PM
‘Actually I only mentioned Papa and not Hrithik – its you providing all the labels now’
Come on..Either you nor me are so dumb. We can understand “Kahin pe Nigahen kahi pe Nishana..Leave this jhoothe bahane banana”
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May 20, 2015 at 11:45 PM
Now this is Complete bias by BOI. See the 1st sentence ie Talent
Q. Is Ranbir Kapoor going the Abhishek Bachchan way as the disaster of Bombay velvet is like Drona, Raavan and Khelein Jee Jaan Se?
Ans. There is a huge difference in talent so that should not be the case. The affect of Bombay Velvet can only be seen in the next release but he has a gained a fan following amongst the city youth and that not disappear after one film. The expectations were of super stardom by now a few years back in some quarters but mass penetration takes a long time and even longer without an action image.
A. Basra
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