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159 Responses to “Mastizaade, Airlift (ongoing), the rest of the box office”
Mastizaade had a fair opening of around 30% which is similar to last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 which was of a similar genre. The collections are slightly higher than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 at some places and slightly lower at some places,.
Last week Airlift grew strongly at multiplexes whereas this week Mastizaade has no such competition so it should really come out with a better first day than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3. The problem maybe that it is lower at some key mass centres where this genre works best.
Saala Khadoos opened poorly at around 10% but that is expected as its a word of mouth and depends on the evening crowd. The film probably has better chances in Mumbai and South if the content is there. The opening in Mumbai city was better than other places though still poor.
Saala Khadoos will compete with Mastizaade at multiplexes of big cities as the 20% gap in occupancy in morning shows is not huge gap and should be at worst matching it by the evening.
Airlift still has the best occupancy as far as big multiplexes are concerned though the screenings are down and if Mastizaade was to drop in later shows then Airlift could have the best collections than all the new releases despite it being the eighth day.
Airlift had a strong first week of around 79.75 crore nett as the weekdays contributed a huge chunk of the business as ticket rates were held at weekend rates on Monday and Tuesday. There was a drop on Wednesday but still collections were at a high level meaning the film goes into week two with strong collections.
The film had a pretty good start on Friday but it was the growth on Saturday which put it on the road of success. The film has recorded the third highest first week collections for Republic Day week behind Jai Ho (83.48 crore) and Agneepath (81.37 crore). Airlift has almost touched the lifetime business of last years Republic Day week release Baby (81.83 crore)
The film will be the highest Akshay Kumar grosser ever in East Punjab, West Bengal and Mysore and maybe Delhi / UP. It has outside chance of being Akshay Kumar’s highest all India grosser ever (Rowdy Rathore – 131.21 crore) but even if it somehow gets there the share will be much less as that was a huge success in single screens also.
Mastizaade is set to suffer a worse fate than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 as collections dropped in the second show where the opening had been better. It was a similar case for Kyaa Kol Hain Hum 3 last week but the opening for Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 was at a higher level in these centres.
The first day collections of the film are likely to be much lower than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 because of the difference in business outside the metros. Its looking likely that Saala Khadoos will probably go ahead of Mastizaade at some point over the weekend.
This leaves Airlift to dominate the box office and they way things are going it is set to collect more than the first day of Mastizaade and Saala Khadoos on its eighth day
Kader Khan: Looking at Padma awardees, it’s good I didn’t get it
Considering the Bollywood celebrities who have made it to the Padma awardees’ list this year, “it’s good that I did not get one”, says veteran actor-writer Kader Khan.
He believes “an award is a no big thing, but its importance lies in the people it has been conferred upon”. “Earlier, there was a certain honesty in these awards but it’s not the same case now. People have now forgotten to respect others and have become way too selfish.” “I would think that I was not as capable as those who were chosen for the Padma awards this year. I, however, thank all those who proposed my name for it,” Khan added.
Khan, who it seemed was finding it difficult to speak due to his old age-related illness, sounded especially upset with actor Anupam Kher, who has been named for a Padma Bhushan. “What has he done except singing praises for (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” he asked. “I am not contesting the government’s decision of conferring him with the award but the only thing I want to know is the credentials that I lacked for it (the award),” Khan, who termed audiences’ love for him the biggest honour, said.
Anupem Kher has been dead as an actor for decade and half now (except some recent roles with Neeraj Pandey) getting Padma Bhushan is a big joke when folks like Kader Khan are getting rejected for even Padma Shri as well. I mean, even purely on actor level, he deserved a Padma Shri but when you think of dialogue/screenplay writer for over 250 films and not even getting base recognition is astonishing. Besides that half the films he acted, he was always un-credited dialogue writer mouthing his own dialogues.
The majority of 70’s and Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra and Bachchan films had all his contributions and those are nothing but phenomenal. Some of those films are… Amar Akbar Anthony, Sharaabi, Coolie, Desh Premee, Lawaaris, Suhaag, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Parvarish , Mr. Natwarlal, Dharam Veer, Khoon Pasina,Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, Do Aur Do Paanch, Satte Pe Satta, Inquilab, Giraftaar, Hum and Agneepath.
ha ha ha….
Tamacha kee gooonj abhee tak goonj rahee hai lagta hai !!
Kader Khan should definitely be recognized but why diss Kher for that…AAP ka agenda kuch aur lagta hai bhai !!
of course Kher himself became a laughing stock on twitter for praising the very same award that he had constantly dissed in the most comprehensive sense when the UPA was in power and he wasn’t getting it. People juxtaposed the tweets and I must say there’s really no way to call it anything other than a total U-turn. I personally don’t have an issue with his getting it because these awards have been politicized for so long that it would take forever to settle the question of who deserved it and who didn’t. But again this is yet another example of where the present is simply a continuation of the past!
He may have become the laughing stock and agree that he did do a U-Turn.
But it does not take away the fact that he deserved the award just like Kader Khan did.
that is the point I was trying to make.
and the followers of the biggest U-Turn artist who swore on his children making fun of Kher for U-turn is a bit ironic, IMO.
Satyam Sir aapko AAP kee tarah troll karna shobha nahee deta !! LOL
I actually have a higher bar for ‘deserving’ things in these matters. Again I don’t have issues with Kher getting it because many other unworthy folks have as well. But otherwise not sure what his body of work really is! Sure he worked on stage and he’s worked in films forever. So have many others. Certainly in cinema Kher’s career barring a few Bhatt films in the 80s is utterly inconsequential.
“But it does not take away the fact that he deserved the award just like Kader Khan did.”
As usual you don’t understand the difference between awards. Once Kader Khan was in the final list of nominees, how can they even think to reject for even Padma Shri?
Okay, here’s the list of ALL Padma Bhushan ACTORs of whole of Indian history. Tell me if you still think he deserved…I don’t think Anupam comes in the list of top 20 contributors to Indian cinema at this stage of his life.
Ashok Kumar
Raj Kapoor
Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil)
Pran
Naseeruddin Shah
Dev Anand
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Telugu)
Shashi Kapoor
Chranjeevi
Dharmendra
Rajesh Khanna
Aamir Khan
Kamal Hassan
Rajnikanth
Amitabh Bachchan
Dilip Kumar
Sharmila Tagore(another controversy like Kher)
Anupam Kher
Anupam is not even a leading actor or of some prominence like the other actors in the list. To imagine a supporting actor getting it, think the volume of contribution by Ashok Kumar and Pran and even then both got at their fag end of their lives. Anupam is not even on the same contribution at this stage and would not even put 10% of the folks on the list.
This is as silly as gets, don’t know what folks are smoking to support this clear bias. Anyways, my point is done and it has nothing to with politics, am not a political person at all like folks here, more interested in movies.
Ashok Kumar
Raj Kapoor
Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil)
Pran
Naseeruddin Shah
Dev Anand
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Telugu)
Shashi Kapoor
Chranjeevi
Dharmendra
Rajesh Khanna
Aamir Khan
Kamal Hassan
Rajnikanth
Amitabh Bachchan
Dilip Kumar
Sharmila Tagore(another controversy like Kher)
Anupam Kher
WHAT? Only ONE woman? Seems like they are all not sturdy enough to climb 13 flights of steps. HA!
IMO filmstars shouldn’t get any padma-shadma awards. Awards from govt. should only given when people have done self-less work (not donating of money but actual work) for the betterment of society/social ills etc. IT could be given to ‘common’ man also. Why just movie stars?
Don’t agree at all and no different agenda. Kher getting Padma Bhushan is a little surprising and actors don’t even get that often. Aamir got it pretty early but its understandable but in last 5 years.. we have folks like Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Kamal Hassan getting and then you have Anupam Kher getting it on that list.
We are talking about ‘Padma Shri’ for Kader Khan and not the 2nd stage award. Anupam also deservers Padma Shri and he rightly got it in 2004 itself but he didn’t add much to his portfolio to get Padma Bhushan so soon. Next stage is Padma Vibushan and as far I think only 2 Bollywood actors got it – Amitabh and Dilip Kumar and I don’t think Anupam is just below them for the contribution to cinema.
Even Kamal Hassan just got Padma Bhushan just last year or so and I would not even put Anupam even at 25% of his contribution to Indian cinema.
“Again I don’t have issues with Kher getting it because many other unworthy folks have as well.”
Satyam, you are mixing all Padma awards as same. Many actors get Padma Shri (1st stage) but very few got Padma Bhushan and just 2-3 folks got Padma Vibhushan and then none got Bharat Ratna.
Anupam Kher getting Padma Shri is not an issue at which he got in 2004 but him getting Padma Bhushan doesn’t look right.
Director Pawan Kumar’s LUCIA was perhaps the first crowdfunded Indian film till date The film was made at a budget of Rs 51 lakhs (raised entirely through crowdfunding) was a box office The film was remade in Tamil as Ennakul Oruvan, The Hindi remake rights were sold to Fox Star Studios.
Pawan Kumar returns with U Turn, again crowdfunded.. The film stars Shraddha Srinath, Roger Narayan, Radhika Chetan, Pavan, Naveen and Sudha Belwadi.
Ha Ha…… I can at least see where Satyam is coming from..but baaki sab toh Aap ka kya hoga Janab e’ aali hai !! LOL !!
BTW I really liked the RDB video where Aamir had made his stand clear and also the way Prasoon defended Aamir.
To question his patriotism is not only childish but foolish.- Now Kiran (his wife) is another matter..lol
LOL, was fun…..but the joke about Abhishek has a history, the creep Bollywood Gandu was thrashed by Abhishek on twitter, tab sey bechara apnee doom daba kar baitha hua hai….
Airlift has continued to dominate the box office this week as it beat the two new releases by grossing around 3.75 crore nett on its eighth day. The drop is around 25-30% from Thursday which is good. The collections have come down from the lofty levels of Monday and Tuesday but that is expected as its performing in city multiplexes mainly. the growth will be huge on Saturday as these multiplexes go to high levels again.
Mastizaade is a poor fare as it has grossed around 3 crore nett on day one. The collections are 50% of last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 which itself did not do well. The film managed a decent opening at some mass centres but fell in the next show itself.
Saala Khadoos is also poor with collections set to be 1.25 crore nett but this film has potential for some growth especially in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore..
Was it a mere coincidence that Salman rammed his Toyota Land Cruiser onto the pavement in suburban Bandra (Mumbai) just a day after Aishwarya made her break-up public in The Times Of India interview?
A person lost his life in the accident and later Salman had to go to jail for his crime. Many of Salman’s friends and colleagues visited the jail to show solidarity with him, but not Aishwarya. This sealed the fate of their relationship.
Several media reports claimed that Aishwarya declined Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Bajirao Mastani because it would also feature Salman. In a press release, Aishwarya said, ‘For my well-being and for the self-respect of my family, I will not work with Mr Salman Khan. The chapter of Salman Khan was a nightmare in my life. I am thankful that it is over now.’
It was a tragic epitaph on what some say was the most intense love affair of Salman Khan’s life.
And what about physical abuse by Salman and negative media campaign by Salman sympathizers Aishwarya had to go through ?
Then, same people talk about rights of women.
His behavior was ugly, not just to her but her family also. Her career suffered due to salman’s ugly act on sets of Chalte chalte in a way that no other actor in history lost her prime overnight. Salman is nautanki, no sane girl in this world would ever stay with salman for so long. Katrina was selfish, salman used her to hide his impotency and in return, she used salman to make her career in industry. And salman sympathizers as usual made dumb talent-less Katrina superstar overnight with unprecedented success for a female actor.
Ultimately, Katrina had to go along Ranbir to satisfy her phyical needs. Salman and katrina kept this secret hidden for over an year as they knew this way both can benefit, salman can hide his impotency and katrina’s fan following(read salman’s fan following who became fan of another dumb actor to show their loyalty to bhai) will remain intact, but how long can you keep secrets away from media.
Now, salman uses Lulia to hide his impotency and Katrina’s career took nose dive after her linkup with ranbir became public.
Finally, katrina doesnt want to go along ranbir as she realize her career is badly damaged, but it is too late for her to breakup with ranbir. She can never achieve that prime again, cant get same fan following back. Moreover, she is not even an actress to do some meaningful roles. Her career is practically over, she is totally banking on yrk movies and once no more offers from yrf she can pack her bags and fly back to london.
Airlift grossed 3.50-3.75 crore nett on its eighth day. The film grossed 30-40 lakhs nett more than the main new release Mastizaaade as it performed much better in the city multiplexes across India. The collections were better than Mastizaade in Mumbai, Delhi / UP, East Punjab, West Bengal and Mysore.
The drops are coming in mass circuits which have not taken to the film much. In Bihar it was just 7.5 lakhs on the eighth day. Still the good business in multiplexes is more than enough for the film and it is a rare hit film for January.
The growth should be huge on Saturday as Mastizaade has failed at the box office and the places where Airlift is strong tend to register huge Saturday growth..
Mastizaade had a poor first day grossing around 3,25-3,50 crore. The collections were poor across the board with even mass centres not performing, The collections are around 40% less than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 in most circuits. The Central India markets of Rajasthan CP Berar and Ci had business of 70 lakhs while Kyaa Kool Hain Jum grossed 1.05 crore from tha ame markets. Delhi / UP was 70 lakhs while Kyaa Kool Hain Hum was 1.15 crore.
The film is unlikely to show much growth and by chance if multiplexes do better on Saturday it will ne minimal growth..
Saala Khadoos grossed around 1.25 crore nett on day one and should see growth but it is a very low starting point. The film was also released in Tamil and grossed around 80 lakhs plus in that version giving it 2 crore nett across India..
The month of January is generally poor for the box office with very few major grossers. Airlift is a rare major hit in the month of January. The biggest January hit since 2000 is Kaho Naa… Pyaar. It may well be the one of the biggest hits ever released in the first month of the year. The 90’s also saw a few big hits released in January like Tirangaa, Karan Arjun, Raja Babu and Bandit Queen but again there are not too many.
The top grossers since 2000 released in January are as follows. All figures are adjusted to 2016 levels.
1. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai (2000) – 288 crore
2. Agneepath (2012) – 159 crore
3. Jai Ho (2014) – 133 crore
4. Airlift (2016) – 120-125 crore (expected)
5. Rang De Basanti (2006) – 122 crore
6. Mela (2000)- 104 crore
7. Khakee (2003)- 94 crore
8. Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011)- 85 crore
9. Baby (2015) – 84 crore
10. Phir Bhi Dil Hai hindustani (2000) – 74 crore
Even many of the films above were not hits due to high budgets. Only Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Agneepath, Airlift, Rang De Basanti and Yamla Pagla Deewana were hits
Updated: January 30, 2016 19:22 IST
Censor board often misused by party in power: Mani Ratnam
The party in power often misuses the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as a tool to push its political agenda, which results in extra-Constitutional authorities dictating terms, said renowned film-maker Mani Ratnam.
Speaking at the eighth edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Saturday, he welcomed the appointment of a panel headed by film maker Shyam Benegal to revamp the censor board. “CBFC is not independent as desired. It is towing the line of ruling party in power,” he said, recounting how he faced issues with his films Bombay and Iruvar.
Pahlaj Nihalani, the controversial head of CBFC, is expected to attend BIFFes on Sunday.
When asked whether Indian society was ready to do away with censorship, Mr. Ratnam said that people often underestimatee the intelligence of the audience. “The audience is dynamic. They expect something more, as they are exposed to a wonderful visual world of late,” he said.
Credits seniors
He credited the reality in his style of film making to Shyam Benegal and K. Balachander. “They are the ones who taught me to make a serious and intense drama realistic,” he said. When one from the audience complimented him saying his films made three decades ago, still felt modern and contemporary, he was all praise for the films of Guru Dutt, saying most of Guru Dutt’s films still seemed contemporary and have stood the test of time.
Speaking on changes sweeping cinema, he said: “Though I am still enamoured by the depth of celluloid, there is no other way, except accepting the change.”
Next film in Kannada?
Mani Ratnam, who made his debut with Kannada film Pallavi Anupallavi in 1983, will be returning to Kannada cinema after a gap of three decades if all goes well.
When film maker S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu offered to produce the film if he made a film in Kannada, Mani readily agreed. “I got my first break in Kannada. It got Karnataka State award for the Best Screen Play,” Mani Ratnam recalled. He said he was sure he can always return to Kannada anyday as a comfort zone.
Mani Ratnam who even spoke in Kannada, even asked the audience to ask questions in Kannada rather than Tamil or English.
A filmi moment for a fan
For 25-year-old student Nirmal R. of St Joseph’s College, it was a now or never moment at BIFFes to speak to his idol – filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
The first year student of the bachelors in filmmaking course at the College, and a volunteer at the festival, went very filmi and as Abhishek Bachchan asks in Ratnam’s film Guru, in the climactic court scene for his “five minutes”, he asked Mani Sir to give him five minutes back stage to make his pitch, to great applause from the audience.
And he got his chance after the seminar. “I asked if I could become his assistant director. He said ‘Why do you want to be an assistant?’ He advised me I should make my own films. The route people take now is to make short films, so he advised me to shoot my own shorts and put it up on YouTube,” said Nirmal.
In fact, what was supposed to be a masterclass with Mani Ratnam was turned into a fan-club of sorts at BIFFes with some even having to be turned away because the hall was full. One fan stood up and said his name was “Surya Bharathi” and all he wanted was for Mani Ratnam to just say his name once.
Mani and Benne Dose
Mani Ratnam was all praise for the Benne Dose of Hotel Janardhan, in the city. He said coming from the airport his driver suggested to have lunch at Adyar Anand Bhavan. “I told him have come to Karnataka, take me to Kannada restaurant and landed up at Janardhan. The Benne Dose – I did not know what I was getting into. There was more Benne than dose in that,” he quipped.
In the age of big budget films, “Neerja”, a biopic starrer has been made in Rs.21 crore, including marketing costs. The producer of the forthcoming film is glad that things “turned out pretty well” without compromising on the quality of the content.
The Ram Madhvani-directorial features Sonam as Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am chief purser who was gunned down by terrorists when Flight 73 was hijacked to Karachi in 1986. She saved a number of lives but lost her own.
“At a cost of Rs.21 crore, inclusive of marketing and distribution, we have been able to make ‘Neerja’ as we wanted to, without compromising on the treatment of the film and covering all the facts and minute details of the historic event.
“It is good to know that things have turned out pretty well for us till now and all the content put out by us has been well received,” Atul Kasbekar, who has produced the film under his banner Bling Unplugged, said in a statement.
“Neerja”, presented by Fox Star Studios, is all set to release on February 19.
Good article. Thanks for the link. Why indeed– why should Aamir be made accountable for Muslim actions, simply because of the accident of his birth in a Muslim household? As the author asks, will Anupam Kher or Amitabh ever be held accountable for wrong Hindu acts by a third party?
Btw, i watched 21 movies in last 2 days including 5 oscar nominated live action, 5 nominated documentary short, 5 animated short packaged with other 3 acclaimed animated short,
then oscar nominated in foreign category Mastang & theeb including second watch of Airlift. 🙂
I will put My reactions shortly.
Airlift had excellent growth of 60% on its second Saturday. There were some centres which even doubled the collections of Friday. The nine day total for the film is 89.50 crore nett. The first two day business of the second week is as follows.
Friday – 3,75,00,000
Saturday – 6,00,00,000
TOTAL – 9,75,00,000
Mastizaade had similar collections to friday in most circuits but fell a little in places like Gujarat and Rajasthan. The first two day business of Mastizaade is as follows.
Visakhapatnam, Jan 30: The season three of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League today kicked off with Bollywood star Aamir Khan lending an emotional touch to the celebration through a patriotic rendition of the National Anthem. Full schedule of Pro Kabaddi 2016 The Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here wore a festive mood with the fans going berserk after Aamir, attired in a spotless white dhoti and Nehru jacket, stepped into the playing arena. Pro Kabaddi League kicks off The suave and thinking actor was seated next to Tollywood superstar Duggabatti, and both were seen involved in an animated discussion on Kabaddi. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was introduced to the U Mumba and Telugu Titans players, ahead of the opening match of season three. Aamir and Naidu then sat next to each other and enjoyed the proceedings. After the rendition of the National Anthem by Aamir, the special programme was followed by some entertainment provided by South star Rana Rana Duggabatti. V Company, a group of 30 talented dancers who won the dance reality show Dance Plus, also displayed their talent to much excitement of the fans.
BH always quotes producers figure while BOI has its own ‘sources” which we all know is undisclosed and has a large element of bias esp when it comes to projecting all India figure after getting samples.
Airlift has emerged a SUPER HIT as is now certain to do a share of 55 crore plus and nett business should go over 120 crore nett. The film had huge growth of 55-60% on Saturday and grossed around 5.75 crore nett. This takes the second weekend total to 9.50 crore nett and with Sunday to come it should be around 17 crore nett which will take its ten day total close to 97 crore nett.
Airlift had a good second weekend as it grossed 17.50 crore nett. The film continued with very strong business in Delhi NCR and East Punjab but places like CP Berar, CI and Bihar have not really taken to the film and had low collections. The total collections in ten days are 97 crore nett. The second weekend daily business is as follows.
The film is a SUPER HIT and will record record figures for an Akshay Kumar film in 3-4 circuits. In some circuits it will hardly touch the business of a big flop like Brothers but lower costs compared to most other Akshay Kumar starrers in the recent past means it does not have perform across the board and good business from the main cities is more than enough.
Suniel Shetty feels Akshay Kumar has found ‘patriotic’ niche
“Akshay is that actor who is very versatile, whether it is in ‘Baby’, ‘Airlift’, or ‘Holiday’ … he has found that niche for himself because he looks like an officer and a gentleman,” said Sunil at a cricket match for the differently abled organised by his wife’s NGO, Save The Children India.”There are few actors who have a personality like this – who you can term as ‘fauji’ (soldier) or one where you feel that this man will do something for the country – a clean image, a great personality and a brilliant actor,” he added.
Akshay’s recent film, ‘Airlift’, which has a patriotic theme, is doing brilliant business at the box-office, while his recent films based on similar themes like ‘Baby’, ‘Holiday’ and even ‘Gabbar Is Back’ to an extent, had done decent business commercially.
Great to get in action with superstar Rajinikanth: Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar, who would be teaming up with Rajinikanth as the main antagonist in the sequel of “Robot”, is elated to be exchanging some punches with the south superstar on-screen.
In the film, Rajinikanth will reprise his role of a scientist and his creation, Chitti-the robot and Akshay will play the villain.
“I feel like I am on top of the world. Its alright getting kicked and punched. I have done that all my life. It is great to be punched by a superhero like Rajinikanth,” Akshay told PTI.
“I am looking forward to play a negative role. It will be an honour,” he added.
Bajirao Mastani Business Update
Monday 01 February 2016 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bajirao Mastani will finish with collections of a little 183 crore nett. This makes it the ninth highest grossing film ever. The collections of Bajirao Mastani till date are as follows.
Week One – 84,36,00,000
Week Two – 55,19,00,000
Week Three – 28,35,00,000
Week Four – 9,43,00,000
Week Five – 4,25,00,000
Week Six – 1,04,00,000
Weekend Seven – 20,00,000
TOTAL – 182,88,00,000
The final share will be 85 crore apprx which is the 12th highest ever. Despite doing more business than films like Krrish 3, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Happy New Year, the share is much lower.
Monday 01 February 2016 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Mastizaade had a poor weekend grossing just 11 crore nett over the weekend which is musch lower than last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3. The film is low budget but still needed weekend business of 18-20 crore nett The first weekend business is as follows.
The Sunday growth was decent so can hold over weekdays at low levels but the poor weekend has sealed its fate.
Saala Khadoos grossed around 5.50 crore nett over its first weekend. It had decent growth on Saturday but was not enough as with such a low start collectiosn had to more than double.
It is impossible not to like Airlift. For one, it is the kind of film that has not been made in Bollywood so far. Second: It sports some very good writing, with a lot of detailing and a healthy respect for the audience’s intelligence. And there are the performances.
Airlift is not an actioner, it is not a thriller. One could call it a crisis management and logistics drama. There is a task and it has to be done. The film is about how it is done. The task, of course, is to evacuate the 170,000 Indians stuck in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in the 90’s.
The film engages you within the first few minutes when we see tanks in flames in a desert landscape. What makes the film stand out from previous such attempt at adventure drama attempted in Bollywood ( like say Deewar: Bringing Back Our Heroes) is how real things feel. Kuwait looks like Kuwait. The labour camp of Indians look like a labour camp, the inmates look like Indian workers and the war zone looks like a war zone.
Hi Utkal , I had assumed that like always you will again ignore Airlift (in theatre as well as in your mentions).
However i am glad that you watched the movie and more so that you liked as much as I did and did not love as much as others did.
Nicely written review and wonderful point in articulating that it is a genre film on crisis management and logistics.
Agree to your point on the scale which could have been bigger and like me finding it a pardonable offense as there were more in the platter to relish.
Also glad that you liked Akshay Kumar to the extent you mentioned that Khans could not have played this role like him.
And full credit to the director as he is the reason.
Utkal,
That’s an ace review.
My feelings are similar.
I found Akshay’s performance very effective and endearing. In one stroke he has leap frogged over all Khans. Very well made movie and one of the enjoyable Bollywood movies in a while. Very happy for the success of Airlift.
First the letters arrived: “Warning No.l: if you release Shahenshah we will set your cinema on fire.” Then, a telephone call: “You did not heed our warning, now face the consequences.” So on February 12, when Shahenshah was finally released, 250 cinema owners across the country had protected themselves against the threat with truck-loads of Sten gun-wielding policemen.
What came instead was a human tidal wave. The advance booking for Amitabh Bachchan’s controversial come-back film shattered all records and in some cases, the windows of booking counters. In Shiela cinema, in the heart of Delhi, a crowd of 20,000 people began collecting from 9 a.m. onwards for the first show. “It was larger than anything anyone can remember. Twenty, thirty times larger,” said the owner, Ajay Kaushish.
Never perhaps has there been so much anticipation before a film. On one hand, youth wings of several opposition parties had sworn they would not let the film be released as they considered Amitabh a symbol of corruption. On the other hand, the film industry itself was nervous enough. Would the film survive the threats – and the expectations? As a safety measure, director Tinnu Anand crossed his fingers and released Shahenshah simultaneously across the country. Oddly, Amitabh, at the last minute, got rid of his Bombay territory rights which he had held on to for so long.
For three and a half never-ending hours on February 12, the entire film industry held its breath. Would Amitabh be accepted back – despite everything?
Then the reports started coming in. The claps whenever Amitabh appeared on the screen, tickets spiralling to Rs 100 and more in the black market, a poor man who said: “Take my rickshaw but let me see the film.” “Normally on the first day, the audience is very unruly, they come out on every song,” said a theatre owner. “In this case, nobody moved out at all.”
Even the video cassette asserted its might, commanding a five-day advance booking. A one minute spot on the video is reported to have cost advertisers several lakhs. In Varanasi, a theatre had an extra show at 7 a.m. on a Sunday: it was house full immediately. “Anyone or anything even vaguely related to Shahenshah is making gold,” wrote Dalip Shandil in Evening News. Or as a Bombay film spokesman crudely put it: “Ladka hua hai (It’s a boy).”
Deja vu. The film is a rehash of everything Amitabh has ever done. Take a huge pot, throw in Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra, Kader Khan, Aruna Irani. Spice it up with the usual masala, slowly sizzle for three hours and the result: a long, somewhat irritating film with a familiar taste.
Whatever the merits of the film itself, the moment Amitabh comes on the screen, the ghost of Bofors whimpers away. The audience has forgotten Swiss banks, arms deals and Vinod Khanna. The Amitabh release after a year and a half proves just how far he is above everyone else in the industry…………”
Somewhat valid post by Shashi Tharoor and please don’t classify / disparage this as political push but there are Bollywood names and the context seems persuasive –
On My Twitter Dispute With Anupam Kher
“..For those who nonetheless missed it, a quick summary: a media house ran the actor’s recent remark that he is scared to say openly he is a Hindu. I responded: “Come on, Anupam. I say it all the time. I am a proud Hindu. Just not the Sangh’s kind of Hindu.”
Anupam – who, for the record, is a friend who has been to my home in Delhi more than once – didn’t take it well. “Come on Shashi. Never thought you will misinterpret my statement like trolls do. And behave like a Congi Chamcha,” he shot back. Smarting from the insult – I am an MP, after all, not a hanger-on — I returned the compliment by saying: “Abuse,@AnupamPkher, is what you use when you run out of arguments. I am a proud MP of @INCIndia &I don’t resort to insults. #CongiChamcha.” Kher’s riposte: “Sadly, you forgot that you brought in your kind of Hindu & Sanghi Hindu first.”
The excerpt below from that same article is a compulsive read and Tharoor makes his point very elegantly here –
“….. Replace “Anupam Kher” with “Aamir Khan” and “Hindu” with “Muslim”, and you can imagine the outrage the same tweet would have provoked.
So when I said, truthfully, that I openly, and without self-consciousness, say I am Hindu, I am acknowledging that it’s far easier for me to do so than it is for an Indian Muslim or Christian to wear his faith on his sleeve without being typecast for doing so. And when I added that I am not the Sangh’s kind of Hindu, I meant that I am not belligerent about my Hinduism, and I don’t use it as a football hooligan uses his team loyalty, as a club to beat non-adherents over the head with.
Instead, I am proud of my Hinduism, not merely because I was born into it, but because of its intellectual “fit”: I am more comfortable with the belief structures of Hinduism than I would be with those of the other faiths of which I know. Hinduism is, in many ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages about divinity cannot be confined to a single catechism. As a Hindu, I can claim adherence to a religion without an established church or priestly papacy, a religion whose rituals and customs I am free to reject, a religion that does not oblige me to demonstrate my faith by any visible sign, by subsuming my identity in any collectivity, not even by a specific day or time or frequency of worship. (There is no Hindu Pope, no Hindu Vatican, no Hindu catechism, not even a Hindu Sunday.) As a Hindu, I subscribe to a creed that is free of the restrictive dogmas of holy writ — that refuses to be shackled to the limitations of a single holy book.
Above all, as a Hindu I belong to the only major religion in the world that does not claim to be the only true religion. I find it immensely congenial to be able to face my fellow human beings of other faiths without being burdened by the conviction that I am embarked upon a “true path” that they have missed. Hinduism asserts that all ways of belief are equally valid, and Hindus readily venerate the saints and the sacred objects of other faiths. I am proud that I can honour the sanctity of other religions without feeling I am betraying my own.
In other words, what I am proud of about Hinduism is precisely what the Sanghis are most ashamed of, and wish to change. If one day anyone becomes afraid to say he is a Hindu, it can only be Hindus like me, intimidated by belligerent Sanghis denouncing me as a heretic. The irony is that my Hinduism does not have any notion of heresy in it, because there is no standard set of dogmas from which deviation connotes apostasy.
In saying all this, I hope the recent unedifying spectacle on Twitter will have served one useful purpose – to initiate a dialogue among Hindus about what it is that we can proudly avow about our faith. The next time you’re in Delhi, Anupam, please feel free to come over for a drink – and a chat”
“Hinduism asserts that all ways of belief are equally valid,”
Unfortuantely it is difficult to break it to you Mr Tharoor, THAT statement is wild and NOT true at all!! Hinduism is not a belief in the first place.
“Hinduism is, in many ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages about divinity cannot be confined to a single catechism. As a Hindu, I can claim adherence to a religion without an established church or priestly papacy, a religion whose rituals and customs I am free to reject, a religion that does not oblige me to demonstrate my faith by any visible sign, by subsuming my identity in any collectivity, not even by a specific day or time or frequency of worship. (There is no Hindu Pope, no Hindu Vatican, no Hindu catechism, not even a Hindu Sunday.) As a Hindu, I subscribe to a creed that is free of the restrictive dogmas of holy writ — that refuses to be shackled to the limitations of a single holy book.”
So far so good. IT is precisely this tolerance that makes Hindus the most vulnerable group. It is this huge heartedness that allows it to be attacked, abused, criticised by none other than the “mordern” hindus who are “secular” and are ashamed to be called hindu, Thraroor included.
No Hindu is ashamed to be a Hindu, or scared of announcing that he/ she is a Hindu. In Tamil Nadu, for example, a student will attend an exam after applying vibhuti or Chandan or kumkum on forehead. In North India people seem to prefer the saffron tilak. Ekta Kapoor was famous for the red streak on her forehead. In Chennai you can find some office goers dressed in smart Western clothes attending office with a small white or red blessing adorning the forehead. Through the course of the day it may get erased or be erased, but my point is people don’t shy away from identifying themselves as Hindus.
The same Hindus attend work or college in the US, forehead unadorned — because they would not like to draw attention to themselves in a more egalitarian society. Many Indian women have given up the bindi or wear a minuscule one, perhaps during a visit to a temple. They are still proud Hindus.
Kher’s statement was made for shock and awe effect. I am a secular Hindu who respects other religions and I also believe in a secular and not a theocratic state.Tharoor gave Kher what he deserved.
Hinduism can be interpreted by so many people in so many ways. Sarvepalli and Swami Vivekanand had their own versions. In my own family, we have different versions. I am not chest beating one. Aamir must be feeling the same about Islam. He is not the chest beating type.
Our society is an example of tolerance. Satyanaryan pooja is always attended by people of other faiths. It is observed on Independence day and Republic day.
Anupam Kher denied visa for Karachi literary fest
Last updated on: February 02, 2016 16:39 IST
Non-issuance of a visa by the Pakistani government has led to the cancellation of actor Anupam Kher’s participation in the Karachi literary festival starting February 5.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day festival by the organisers but he is the only one whose visa has not been cleared. The other 17 Indian participants have been given visas.
Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher on Tuesday said that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
“We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity,” he said.
As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, “I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India.”
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
When contacted, Pakistan High Commission’s head of media Manzoor Memon said, “Mr Anupum Kher has never submitted visa application to Pakistan High Commission….
“Please check out from him if he has any receipt,” he added.
Rejecting Pakistan High Commission’s contention that he had not applied for visa, Kher called it a “laughable explanation”. He said organisers had completed the formalities for the visa. “I do not know why they denied me the visa. Is it because of my patriotism, because I talk about my country. Is it because I do not go to that country and critcise my country there. I do not speak the language of terrorists. There can be millions of reasons,” said Kher.
The actor said he would request the government to take up the issue with Pakistan, adding he had planned to speak about India, its tolerance among other issues.
Sources in the Pakistan government said in Karachi since Kher is very much active and vocal in the social media on sensitive issues pertaining to religion and Indo-Pak relations he was not asked to submit his application.The KLF spokesperson said around 35 invitees from abroad are participating in the festival including from the US, Britain and Bangladesh besides India.
On Pakistan High Commission’s claim that he had not applied for the visa, Kher said if it was true then how 17 others got the document and that why the organisers had put his name in their posters.
“They are telling a lie. I do not have to do it. The organisers had done it,” the actor said.
Festival co-founder Ameena Saiyed said they were not given any reason behind the visa denial.
“He has not been issued a visa. Well, I haven’t been given the reasons. My own thinking is, it’s probably because of the statements he has been making in India for past couple of weeks,” Saiyed said.
While accepting that literature and politics cannot be separated, Saiyed felt the Bollywood star’s presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective. “We had organised an exclusive session of him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed,” she told a news channel.
“His coming here could have made such a difference. It might even have led to some change in his opinions or it might have changed or would have resulted in more understanding of his views, but it is only when you come face to face,” she said.
Anupam Kher: Sad to have been denied visa second time in a year
While Pakistani officials claim that Anupam Kher had not even applied for a visa, the veteran actor took to Twitter to clear his side in a series of tweets.
He wrote: ‘Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa second time in a year. While around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests.’
‘Has my visa been denied because I speak about India’s rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian Govt welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan Govt. bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue?’
‘Didn’t Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Pak High Commission shud know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities 1 month back & have my name in every poster.’
‘I feel bad for all those people who were looking forward to meet me in Pakistan and vice versa. Sorry to them. Hopefully one day,’ he added.
Rahul Roushan @rahulroushan
“You don’t have to be a gay to support gay rights!”
“Anupam Kher talks about Kashmiri Pandits, while he’s from Himanchal! lol”
#LibtardLogic
Rahul Raj @bhak_sala ·
Disgusting to joke on Syrian refugees
Inhuman to laugh on Bangladeshi migrants
Abe Anupam Kher to Kashmir se bhagaya gaya hai. LOL,#LibtardLogic
LOL..I am going first day last show for this. Can’t miss this one. Already missed Calendar girls.
Source: Rediff.com
Madhur Bhandarkar’s next titled Bollywood Wives!
National Award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is famous for showcasing real life issues through his films, will be making a film on Bollywood household.
He took to Twitter to thank Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and tweeted: ‘A big thank you to @ritesh_sid & @faroutakhtar for giving us, #BhandarkarEntertainment, the title “Bollywood Wives”.’
Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when quite a few Bollywood stars are reportedly headed for a divorce.
Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the second slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar Sunday, February 28, on ABC.
The presenters, including Oscar winners and nominees, are:
Steve Carell
Priyanka Chopra
Quincy Jones
Byung-hun Lee
Jared Leto
Julianne Moore
Olivia Munn
Margot Robbie
Jason Segel
Andy Serkis
J.K. Simmons
Kerry Washington
Reese Witherspoon
These artists have enriched the international moviegoing experience with a range of memorable work from the comic to the profound,” Hudlin and Hill said. “In the process, they have won over millions of fans, and we count ourselves among them.”
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
April: Shah Rukh Khan is the top contender to take the top spot this month. His first non-festive release since My Name Is Khan, Maneesh Sharma’s Fan, will release on April 15. It’s ‘expected’ to easily top the collections of Housefull 2. The other contenders are Ki & Ka and Baaghi.
Housefull 2 (116 cr) – Akshay Kumar and John Abraham
2 States (102 cr) – Arjun Kapoor
Aashiqui 2 (81 cr) – Aditya Roy Kapoor
Final Analysis
Jan – Hrithik Roshan
Feb – Ranveer and Arjun
Mar – Saif Ali Khan
Apr – Akshay Kumar
May – Ranbir Kapoor
Jun – Akshay Kumar
Jul – Salman Khan
Aug – Shahrukh Khan
Sep – Salman Khan
Oct – Shahrukh Khan
Nov – Hrithik Roshan
Dec – Aamir Khan
Salman, SRK, Akshay and Hrithik have two highest grossers of the month. Ranbir, Aamir, Ranveer, Arjun and Saif have one each.
Airlift grossed 2 crore nett on its second Monday and has dropped compared to the weekend business mainly because its a city film and its collections have seen drops on the working days. The four day second week business is as follows.
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who had created tremendous buzz by gaining 25kgs intially for his character in Dangal, is now in the process of shedding the same amount of weight in 25 weeks. And to achieve this, a special cook has been appointed on the sets of his upcoming film.
Aamir, who plays Mahavir Phogat, will be seen playing different ages of his character. Aamir has finished shooting as the 55-year-old and to shoot the other portions of the film, he is required to look much younger.
The physical transformation for his role of a wrestler in the film requires Aamir to maintain a particular diet. For that, Aamir and his onscreen wrestler daughters are given specially cooked food as per their individual requirements.
The actor also follows an intense one-hour workout session in the morning and is following a strict regime to lose weight.
Dangal, produced by Disney and Aamir Khan Productions is scheduled to release on December 23.
Not sure, but after debacle of Hirani’s Saala Kharoos, and Sallu’s Sultan due in Eid….Dangal is looking stale from the only poster that has come and storyline that has been splashed.
What has Salaa Khadoos doing or not doing well has to do with Dangal? By that logic even Sultan should not do well. And agsin, what has Hirani directing or not directing Dangal has to do with Dangal? And lastly, what has Sulatn releasing in Eid got to do with Dangal. OMG realeasing before and doing well did not affect PK one bit. All that will matter is how the film is. And no one can say anything about that until the film releases. Plain and simple.
Can’t help feeling that Dangal has not exactly had great luck since its planning and execution stages. The past few months of Dangal’s execution have been accompanied by bodily accidents and extreme negativity with regard to its lead.
About a year back Dangal was being prepped and talked about….and suddenly comes this announcement about Sultan, along with a teaser. Similar theme film, to be released in Eid 2016, a few months before the long planned Dangal and Christmas 2016 release. I am not surprised that Aamir seemed upset ; at least a few of his fans felt that this was a bit of a backstab. Well, all films have their own trajectory….so hopefully both will survive. But Dangal needs all the luck it can get; BJP spokesperson Kailash Vijaywhatsisname has threatened Dangal mein Mmangal; nobody has bothered to pull him up for this sort of don type talk….and Bhakts on Twitter are of course echoing such talk about Dangal mein Mangal. I hope the film survives all this created negativity against Aamir.
Kher wants to remain in the news. Or news wants Kher. Why he is so sad about not being able to go to Pakistan where his admireres want to send all the traitors en masse? The forbidden country!
Kher is needed here to make his countrymen patriots and whip them hard if they mentioned the forbidden word intolerance.
Watched NDTV Man of the year awards or Woman of the year . On this day they think of only two genders.
Bachchan looked handsome and he was as gracious as ever. Jaya Bachchan also looked dignified and relaxed.
When Snapdeal CEO came to receive the award, I could not help but think of their erstwhile brand ambassador. He looked shy and sheepish.
The reason I asked — I misunderstood your line ,’ he looked shy and sheepish’ to mean Aamir. I guess you were referring to the Snapdeal CEO. And it’s a pity the way Aamir was hounded out of his lone endorsement, thanks to lumpen social media.
What It Means To Be An Amitabh Bachchan Fan. Ranveer, Abhishek Explain
All India | Written by Gitanjali Roy | Updated: February 02, 2016 22:16 IST
NEW DELHI: Actor Ranveer Singh had a fanboy moment when senior colleague Amitabh Bachchan was honoured for Lifetime Achievement at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2015 awards. “I am a Hindi film fan first, then an actor. And if you are a Hindi film fan, you are an Amitabh Bachchan fan,” said Ranveer, who joined Big B and his family on stage.
“I told him ‘I am the seed you had sown several years ago,'” Ranveer said. He joked about making sequels to Big B’s films: “Shahenshah 2, Toofan 2, Do Aur Do Paanch Do.”
Amitabh Bachchan, 73, was awarded for defining and redefining superstardom. Industrialist Anand Mahindra, who presented him his award, said, “It is a misnomer. Lifetime achievement implies that his best work is behind him. Nothing could be further from the truth for this man.”
Mr Bachchan was joined on stage by his wife Jaya, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta and son-in-law Nikhil Nanda. Abhishek Bachchan, an actor like his parents, said, “It’s weird to be an inheritor in a room full of start ups. He never wanted us to look at him as a superstar. For us, he has been the best father.”
“He had the talent to be the best,” added Jaya Bachchan.
Ranveer wasn’t the only one who made a Big B confession on stage. Snapdeal founder Kunal Bahl said, “I am a huge fan. Each birthday, I dressed up as Shahenshah.”
agree, he has said the same stuff to Anil Kapoor, then to Akhshay and now to Bachchan…..Now it comes across as fake.
Bachchan did intervene and tried to continue with his thoughts on Bajirao..but Ranveer was well just being Ranveer !!
“he has said the same stuff to Anil Kapoor, then to Akhshay and now to Bachchan…..Now it comes across as fake.”
He is bollywood “fan”atic. So it is obvious that he would have many people he looks up to. Anil Kapoor’s wives family and Ranveer (sindhis) are related also. I was bit surprised to see “niky” there and ashwarya absent.
But the most amazing part of the evening is the presence of the family with me .. Abhishek flying in from Vizag after his Kabaddi game,Shweta and Niky, and the wife ..
Ranveer is there too, to bring in that moment of hilarity as he unselfconsciously strides up on stage to share his career , his inspiration and his presence, to inspire many other youngsters into the profession .. there is a madness about him .. but it is the sweetest madness I have ever seen ..
and the exuberance of a certain Mr Ranvir Singh .. whose claim of the ‘seed I sowed has indeed become evident : The Bachchans were never ever involved in such acts that brought discharge and allegation upon not just them but also the entire community .. yet years later the foreign investigator announces that the ‘Bachchan Name’ was indeed ‘planted’ as an after wrath nad begin at home when I need to swim ..
Yet the matter of the ‘seed that was sewn into the body of Ranveer’ did uproot a few .. well .. a few of the family who immediately decided to .. all in good fun, get funny .. when Abhishek on stage faked challenge and claimed that he was indeed the genetic seed sown and not Ranveer .. hahahaheehahahaa
I present an award to Deepika too for her tremendous contribution in films .. in the last months particularly .. the drill is when you are face to face with the idol , cover the face and disappear immediately ..
I try often but fail miserably ..
Peculiar .. you strive to join an industry, and when it is done and dusted, you strive to oust the reason in your being there ..
But that is the way of life .. or rather that is the confidentiality paper work that perhaps never sees the light of day …
What really is the motive of the joining an Industry which is looked upon as something infra dig .. what the exercise to be executed before an impression can be made ..a choice given and an offer for a role in a film .. I have no idea .. but this generation does, and I can never reconciled myself to the fact, in how they do this !!!
Lets us to better thoughts and words
A presentation to Piku the role by Deepika, and its subsequent mis appropriations ..
Vintage Satyam comment. specially like the Quinn incident and the way you recounted and related to Bachchan.
Have you not noticed that he has a pretty expressionless face with the journos but is much kinder to the filmi industry fans. Wonder how he reacts to the ordinary fans.
Aside- Sometimes TBH ,one does miss comments like these from you and others here.
When people write from their heart, instead of impressing readers with wordplay/vocab/what-not, it always hits the target (of impressiing the reader). Sometimes our Sattuji lets go of intellect and holds on to the pure emotion which unfortunately he feels only for bigb 🙂
Haan…I also felt that comment was heartfelt…good one.
I rather enjoyed it. Some of Abhishek’s humor as well! Can’t say I’m much of a fan of Ranveer’s antics though. He tends to be rather hyper everywhere. Think he was worse than that at this event. In any case congrats on another honor. I sometimes wonder.. welcome as yet another honor always is isn’t there something also absolutely boring about these events? Those who’ve been fans of yours ‘since childhood’, those who ‘love your work’, those who were ‘inspired by you’, etc etc etc. I wonder if these responses even register anymore. I’m not sure if I’ve shared this anecdote here before but I was once seated in a restaurant and at some point I realized Anthony Quinn was sitting just a table away with a group. At various points people recognizing him walked up to him and told him how much they ‘admired his work’. Quoting verbatim. And Quinn could barely bring himself to nod. He looked like someone who just wanted to be left alone to enjoy his soup. He was polite but offered the faintest responses. I remember thinking at the time that here was a public figure who’d been in the business for decades, who’d received all kinds of honors all over the world, and yet at his ripe old age in restaurants all over the world he was still inspiring people to walk up to him and say whatever they had to with all the awe they could muster up. A few times I turned around to look at him. His table was a bit behind mind and then somewhat diagonally across. So I just had to turn a bit to observe him. Of course the observer never quite likes to be caught in the act but I was caught out a couple of times by Quinn. I think his face registered muteness more than anything else. Perhaps he wondered if I was trying to recognize him, perhaps he was surprised that I did recognize him and didn’t walk up when so many others had from much further away, perhaps he was largely indifferent either way (I suspect it was the latter). But I was reminded of a moment, a rather well-known one, from his great La Strada, when Gelsomina is abandoned for a night on a street corner by Quinn’s character, Zampona, who has in the meantime gone off with.. shall we say a woman of easy virtue?…, and at one point on a very quiet street a horse plops along. No saddle, nothing to indicate ownership. The film’s most moving scene in my view (I still await the writer who will come up with a great book on cinema devoted to the animals in films.. specially these kinds that appear in ‘bit’ parts..). It seemed to me that Quinn had something in common with that mute horse. Perhaps the public figure after being a ‘collective’ (because he or she is co-produced by the audience) figure or someone who absorbs so much for years and decades, the honors and the opprobrium, the success and the anxiety, the heights and the valleys, who learns to live everyday on a tightrope wondering what day it will be when the audience stops clapping and he is left truly alone and still has to complete that walk across, and even if he is fortunate enough to overcome all adversity and survive all success (!) he has still for all this absorbed so much, seen so much, lived so much because he has had an excess of experience every day, and at the end of it all when he nonetheless gets people walking up to him saying things that they might have decades ago when he first accomplished something worthwhile.. and even when he would like to appreciate these gestures he is cursed by the richness of his life to be unable to completely engage with them.. he can respond no more than mechanically, and one day he is too tired to even do this. I might well have seen Quinn on such a day, in such a season of his life… I did like observing him. I am always interested in public figures (not all!). Not as some supercilious anthropological observer (though one is possibly always guilty of this) but as one who is fascinated by this phenomenon of public life. Almost in a novelistic sense.
And so I think that there must be responses equal to this challenge. One must precisely not say those things to you! Again I liked Abhishek’s ‘foil’ today quite a bit. It remains rather unfortunate that he does not occupy an industry that can really tap into his intelligence and persona in the right way. Except on the exceptional day.
But once again all the best for this honor. Something perverse about saying this after everything else I have just expressed! But then you probably always half-suspected that my congratulatory notes were by and large insincere! Should I confess to this? Or should I just say that gods should be offered obeisance with the right offerings?
Abhishek came across as nervour. In fact the entire Bachchan family were quite awkward on stage. Abhishek ofcourse was embarrassed by the question asked by the lady host.
2/10
Shweta hardly spoke when asked. In fact she made a fool of herself.
0/10
Jaya was witty and sharp. She handles the comment on her height really well 9/10
Ranveer was over the top but atleast he was the person speaking. In fact barring Big B and Anand Mahindra, noone spoke well. Thanks to Ranveer. He spoke from the heart and like Big B’s fan. 8/10
I actually found Abhishek subversive there at a few points. On the rest yeah he seemed to be reluctant to be there in the first place as was the entire family. Can’t blame them as it’s a bit odd to just be there with no particularly defined role. On Ranveer yeah he’s willing to do this at every turn everywhere. It might appeal to people, I find it quite classless for the most part, specially the whole ‘remark’ where I think both Abhishek and Sonia Singh embarrassed him a bit. As for being nervous not really likely for a guy who literally lives in the public eye all the time and who hosts shows and who in general is far more gregarious in many of these outings than most of his contemporaries. His remarks were fun though in a deadpan way. But getting back to Ranveer I’d go further and say that if one likes that sort of thing there’s a problem with one’s taste! Just saying something is not always better than not saying anything. And he does this quite often. The DDD interviews for example where the rest of the cast would be behaving a certain way and he’d be doing all kinds of stuff. Don’t think his remarks did much for the crowd in any case.
“Ranveer I’d go further and say that if one likes that sort of thing there’s a problem with one’s taste!”
My comment went missing. Lets see if this one goes thru’. Don’t agree/disagree with you but just some observations. It seemed to me that no one, absolutely NO one was enthusiastic on bigb getting award. His family for instance, instead of cheering, appeared uninterested. In desperation, Sonia shouted out to Ranveer (to say/save the situation). And Ranveer did what he does best (going over the top and all) but I think he was not “prepared” to be called on stage as such. In fact he showed more energy and enthusiasm than rest of bachchan family. I think a lot is going on there. With Nicy-shweta’s marraige (she even stands with her back turned towards her hubby) and aishwarya was missing too. Just looked like lot of negative energy going there. If a parent has to speak about his/her child 24/7, they will not tire and do so with pride. However I am not sure the pschological impacts of having a larger than life person as you parent and you as a child have to praise them day and night and on top of that not having same amount of acceptance or BO success from audience for yourself. awkward.
Excellent comment Satyam..So nice to read this here..Was missing it for quite a while..Amitji’s blog updates during his shoot at Kolkata has been exceptional in last week.
Question asked to Aishwarya Rai during the tie-breaker round at Femina Miss India 1994:
Q: If you have to look for qualities in a husband, would you look for the qualities in Ridge Forrester from Bold & Beautiful or in Mason Capwell from Santa Barbara?
A: In Mason. Though they do share a lot in common, from what we get to see, Mason does have a very caring side to him and a terrific sense of humour. And that really gels with my character.
(Aishwarya scored an average of 9.39 on this answer)
Question asked to Sushmita Sen during the tie-breaker round at Femina Miss India 1994:
Q: What do you know about the textile heritage of your country and how old has it been?
A: I think it all started with Mahatma Gandhi’s Khadi. It has gone a long way since then but the basics of Indian textile heritage has been from there.
(Sushmita scored an average of 9.41 on this answer)
Wrting about the backstage reaction of Aishwarya Rai after being announced as Miss India World, Mehroo Mistry, who was among the top 10 finalists at the pageant that year, wrote on her blog:
After that the Miss India World winner was announced. We all held our breath and were completely shocked when Aishwarya’s name was called. It took us a whole minute to realise that she was not the winner of the big crown after all. The Miss India Universe 1994 is Miss Sushmita Sen! The drama wasn’t over yet as minutes later a tearful Aishwarya came running to the dressing room and was soon surrounded by her bunch of professional friends ready to console her.
I think Dangal will be big, despite all the drawbacks. Raees will find it tough against Sultan. Fan does have a chance to spring in a good surprise from SRK.
As for the rest, maybe Mohenjodaaro will be big. Maybe Shivaay will join the big league. Airlift has done well. Not too sure we can look beyond the above named movies.
Set in the 1980s, the film has the four college-going protagonists trying to win an allIndia quiz tournament as well as lose their virginity. “We lived in a house in Mysore and did extensive workshops to get into the skin of the characters. We’d bathe by pouring buckets of water over our heads instead of taking showers, wore the Brahman thread, dhoti and the cor rect underwear too,” Tanmay revealed.
In this case the mob is allegedly from minority community as some reports said. And they attacked a a woman belonging to an african nation.
The irony is the mobs in our country to whatever religion or caste they belong to, take law into their hands to thrash the hapless and the vulnerable. And it seems police were indifferent watchers. And minister’s callous observations.
Indians should not complain of racial crimes if they happen in Australia or in some other country if they dont condemn these incidents in their own country vehemently.
Wont these incidents tarnish India’s image whether they happen in Delhi or Bangalore or Mumbai?
Airlift will be the highest Akshay Kumar grosser Worldwide and his first film to go over 200 crore Worldwide. The film has done very well in Gulf and Overseas will see the second highest business ever for an Akshay Kumar film but main difference is the higher currency value of the dollar now as compared to other big Worldwide grossers of Akshay Kumar. The top five at the moment are as follows.
1. Rowdy Rathore – 198.50 crore
2. Housefull 2 – 185.50 crore
3. Holiday – 176.50 crore
4. Airlift – 175 crore (12 days)
5. Gabbar Is Back – 136 crore
Airlift is at 175 crore after 12 days and should finish in the 205-210 crore region. It will also mean 25 films going over the 200 crore mark Worldwide.
There is one comedy serial running on Starplus called Mere angne mein. It is a one hour show telecast all the 7 days of the week. It is like Wodehouse meeting Ekta Kapoor. Whacky characters but believable ones. Not for people who consider watching hindi sitcoms downmarket. After a long time, some comic relief.
Sumit Sambhal lega was also good but it was directed at urban audience. Too sophisticated for the average Indian viewer. This one is about small town lower middleclass people living at Mughalsarai.
As we all know, Shah Rukh Khan’s much-hyped Dilwale didn’t quite live up to expectations at the domestic box office. Moreover, a few distributors too incurred heavy losses. Now, in a truly unexpected development, it seems that the 50-year-old star is set to help those who suffered losses.
According to noted trade analyst Komal Nahta, SRK has agreed to help the concerned distributors by refunding 50 percent of the losses incurred by them. Now that is what we call a generous producer. Way to go King Khan! Truly, few in the industry would have done such a thing.
Touted as an action-comedy, Dilwale was directed by Rohit Shetty. It had created quite a lot of pre-release buzz as it saw Shah Rukh Share screen space with Kajol for the first time since the release of My Name is Khan. Unfortunately, it received negative reviews upon release. This affected its box office performance in India. However, Dilwale fared pretty well in the overseas market. http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/349198/srk-refund-losses-incurred-dilwale-distributors
What a shame. Komal nahta confirmed distributor loss are more than 25 cr. 50% refund is nothing, many distributor will still bankrupt.
But srk is probably asked by Aditya chopra to take this step. Otherwise, no one is going to buy Srk’s flop fan and disaster raees.
Rewind – Ghayal The Phenomena Of The Nineties
Thursday 04 February 2016 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
This week will see the release of Ghayal Once Again which is a sequel of 1990 Ghayal which was a box office phenomena in the ninties. The film was was not the biggest grosser of the nineties as films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani and Border recorded much higher numbers as the box office went to another level in the second half of the nineties.
Ghayal set records in repeat runs. No film from the nineties was even close to it in repeat runs and only Sholay has higher business in repeat runs in the history of Hindi cinema. Ghayal was released on 22nd June 1990 and was a huge hit but after six months its billings in all circuits barring CP Berar, Nizam / Andhra and Mysore were 25-30% behind Dil which was a blockbuster released on the same day as Ghayal.
The Ghayal story did not finish in 1990 and went on and on. The film had its first repeat run in Mumbai on 27th September 1991 and the response was earth shattering as despite being one year old the film was competing with new blockbuster films. Below are the first two week figures in Mumbai of Ghayal in this repeat run compared with the first two weeks of 1992 blockbuster Beta on release.
Week One
Ghayal (Repeat Run) – 11,37,706 from 11 cinemas (99.07%)
Beta – 15,91,205 from 18 cinemas (98.24%)
Week Two
Ghayal (Repeat Run) – 13,52,924 from 16 cinemas (83.14%)
Beta – 13,41,736 from 16 cinemas (97.47%)
This repeat run eventually went to 80 lakhs nett which was a record for any one single repeat run in any circuit. The 80 lakhs nett figure in Mumbai at the time was a figure that only a dozen odd films in 1991 would do in its lifetime run but this film did in repeat run when first run alone had hit 2 crore nett.
Ghayal contiuned to have more repeat runs as the Sunny Deol action image consolidated through the nineties and eventually went to 3.25 crore nett plus in Mumbai which was an extraordinary total. Basically in terms of inflation adjusted figures Ghayal was probably a 275-300 crore nett grosser.
If Ghayal sequel had come in the 90’s or even early 2000’s it would have smashed all opening records due to the huge appreciation of the earlier film but Ghayal Once Again is coming more than 25 years later and the audience that made Ghayal such a huge blockbuster is not the theatre going audience today which probably means the film depending on its content rather than the brand value of the earlier film.
“Ghayal set records in repeat runs. No film from the nineties was even close to it in repeat runs and only Sholay has higher business in repeat runs in the history of Hindi cinema.”
BOI keep beating their own records for bull all the time..!
SATYAMSHOT 
January 29, 2016 at 5:55 AM
Sanjana:
Mastizaade had a fair opening of around 30% which is similar to last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 which was of a similar genre. The collections are slightly higher than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 at some places and slightly lower at some places,.
Last week Airlift grew strongly at multiplexes whereas this week Mastizaade has no such competition so it should really come out with a better first day than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3. The problem maybe that it is lower at some key mass centres where this genre works best.
Saala Khadoos opened poorly at around 10% but that is expected as its a word of mouth and depends on the evening crowd. The film probably has better chances in Mumbai and South if the content is there. The opening in Mumbai city was better than other places though still poor.
Saala Khadoos will compete with Mastizaade at multiplexes of big cities as the 20% gap in occupancy in morning shows is not huge gap and should be at worst matching it by the evening.
Airlift still has the best occupancy as far as big multiplexes are concerned though the screenings are down and if Mastizaade was to drop in later shows then Airlift could have the best collections than all the new releases despite it being the eighth day.
Boxofficeindia
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January 29, 2016 at 5:56 AM
Sanjana:
Airlift had a strong first week of around 79.75 crore nett as the weekdays contributed a huge chunk of the business as ticket rates were held at weekend rates on Monday and Tuesday. There was a drop on Wednesday but still collections were at a high level meaning the film goes into week two with strong collections.
The film had a pretty good start on Friday but it was the growth on Saturday which put it on the road of success. The film has recorded the third highest first week collections for Republic Day week behind Jai Ho (83.48 crore) and Agneepath (81.37 crore). Airlift has almost touched the lifetime business of last years Republic Day week release Baby (81.83 crore)
The film will be the highest Akshay Kumar grosser ever in East Punjab, West Bengal and Mysore and maybe Delhi / UP. It has outside chance of being Akshay Kumar’s highest all India grosser ever (Rowdy Rathore – 131.21 crore) but even if it somehow gets there the share will be much less as that was a huge success in single screens also.
Boxofficeindia
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January 29, 2016 at 9:13 AM
Mastizaade is set to suffer a worse fate than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 as collections dropped in the second show where the opening had been better. It was a similar case for Kyaa Kol Hain Hum 3 last week but the opening for Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 was at a higher level in these centres.
The first day collections of the film are likely to be much lower than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 because of the difference in business outside the metros. Its looking likely that Saala Khadoos will probably go ahead of Mastizaade at some point over the weekend.
This leaves Airlift to dominate the box office and they way things are going it is set to collect more than the first day of Mastizaade and Saala Khadoos on its eighth day
Boxofficeindia
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January 29, 2016 at 10:55 AM
I will be surprised if Masizade fails…with so much free publicity and hype…. Kya hua Bharat desh key vassiyo ko ????
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January 29, 2016 at 9:47 AM
Kader Khan: Looking at Padma awardees, it’s good I didn’t get it
Considering the Bollywood celebrities who have made it to the Padma awardees’ list this year, “it’s good that I did not get one”, says veteran actor-writer Kader Khan.
He believes “an award is a no big thing, but its importance lies in the people it has been conferred upon”. “Earlier, there was a certain honesty in these awards but it’s not the same case now. People have now forgotten to respect others and have become way too selfish.” “I would think that I was not as capable as those who were chosen for the Padma awards this year. I, however, thank all those who proposed my name for it,” Khan added.
Khan, who it seemed was finding it difficult to speak due to his old age-related illness, sounded especially upset with actor Anupam Kher, who has been named for a Padma Bhushan. “What has he done except singing praises for (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” he asked. “I am not contesting the government’s decision of conferring him with the award but the only thing I want to know is the credentials that I lacked for it (the award),” Khan, who termed audiences’ love for him the biggest honour, said.
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/kader-khan-looking-at-padma-awardees-its-good-i-didnt-get-it/16908189
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January 29, 2016 at 9:57 AM
Anupem Kher has been dead as an actor for decade and half now (except some recent roles with Neeraj Pandey) getting Padma Bhushan is a big joke when folks like Kader Khan are getting rejected for even Padma Shri as well. I mean, even purely on actor level, he deserved a Padma Shri but when you think of dialogue/screenplay writer for over 250 films and not even getting base recognition is astonishing. Besides that half the films he acted, he was always un-credited dialogue writer mouthing his own dialogues.
The majority of 70’s and Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra and Bachchan films had all his contributions and those are nothing but phenomenal. Some of those films are… Amar Akbar Anthony, Sharaabi, Coolie, Desh Premee, Lawaaris, Suhaag, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Parvarish , Mr. Natwarlal, Dharam Veer, Khoon Pasina,Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, Do Aur Do Paanch, Satte Pe Satta, Inquilab, Giraftaar, Hum and Agneepath.
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January 29, 2016 at 10:49 AM
ha ha ha….
Tamacha kee gooonj abhee tak goonj rahee hai lagta hai !!
Kader Khan should definitely be recognized but why diss Kher for that…AAP ka agenda kuch aur lagta hai bhai !!
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January 29, 2016 at 10:55 AM
of course Kher himself became a laughing stock on twitter for praising the very same award that he had constantly dissed in the most comprehensive sense when the UPA was in power and he wasn’t getting it. People juxtaposed the tweets and I must say there’s really no way to call it anything other than a total U-turn. I personally don’t have an issue with his getting it because these awards have been politicized for so long that it would take forever to settle the question of who deserved it and who didn’t. But again this is yet another example of where the present is simply a continuation of the past!
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January 29, 2016 at 11:12 AM
He may have become the laughing stock and agree that he did do a U-Turn.
But it does not take away the fact that he deserved the award just like Kader Khan did.
that is the point I was trying to make.
and the followers of the biggest U-Turn artist who swore on his children making fun of Kher for U-turn is a bit ironic, IMO.
Satyam Sir aapko AAP kee tarah troll karna shobha nahee deta !! LOL
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January 29, 2016 at 11:27 AM
I actually have a higher bar for ‘deserving’ things in these matters. Again I don’t have issues with Kher getting it because many other unworthy folks have as well. But otherwise not sure what his body of work really is! Sure he worked on stage and he’s worked in films forever. So have many others. Certainly in cinema Kher’s career barring a few Bhatt films in the 80s is utterly inconsequential.
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January 29, 2016 at 11:17 AM
from whatsapp- Joke hai Please don’t mind mat karna –
1. 1980s mein Gundo ney “Dada” shabd ko dooshit kiya!!
2.1990s men Mafia ney “Bhai” shabd ko dooshit kiya!!
3.2014 mein Keju gang ney “AAP” shabd ko kalankit kiya !!
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January 29, 2016 at 11:23 AM
ha!
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January 29, 2016 at 11:59 AM
“But it does not take away the fact that he deserved the award just like Kader Khan did.”
As usual you don’t understand the difference between awards. Once Kader Khan was in the final list of nominees, how can they even think to reject for even Padma Shri?
Okay, here’s the list of ALL Padma Bhushan ACTORs of whole of Indian history. Tell me if you still think he deserved…I don’t think Anupam comes in the list of top 20 contributors to Indian cinema at this stage of his life.
Ashok Kumar
Raj Kapoor
Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil)
Pran
Naseeruddin Shah
Dev Anand
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Telugu)
Shashi Kapoor
Chranjeevi
Dharmendra
Rajesh Khanna
Aamir Khan
Kamal Hassan
Rajnikanth
Amitabh Bachchan
Dilip Kumar
Sharmila Tagore(another controversy like Kher)
Anupam Kher
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January 29, 2016 at 12:04 PM
To spoon feed you more clearly.. lets breakdown just Hindi movie actors by their era.. wow, didn’t know Anupam is like TOP 10-12 of Hindi cinema
Dilip Kumar
Raj Kapoor
Dev Anand
Pran
Ashok Kumar
Amitabh Bachchan
Rajesh Khanna
Dharmendra
Shashi Kapoor
Naseeruddin Shah
Sharmila Tagore
Aamir Khan
Anupam Kher
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January 29, 2016 at 12:10 PM
ok, point conceded, this puts this in perspective..
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January 29, 2016 at 12:25 PM
Anupam is not even a leading actor or of some prominence like the other actors in the list. To imagine a supporting actor getting it, think the volume of contribution by Ashok Kumar and Pran and even then both got at their fag end of their lives. Anupam is not even on the same contribution at this stage and would not even put 10% of the folks on the list.
This is as silly as gets, don’t know what folks are smoking to support this clear bias. Anyways, my point is done and it has nothing to with politics, am not a political person at all like folks here, more interested in movies.
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January 29, 2016 at 1:22 PM
Ashok Kumar
Raj Kapoor
Sivaji Ganesan (Tamil)
Pran
Naseeruddin Shah
Dev Anand
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (Telugu)
Shashi Kapoor
Chranjeevi
Dharmendra
Rajesh Khanna
Aamir Khan
Kamal Hassan
Rajnikanth
Amitabh Bachchan
Dilip Kumar
Sharmila Tagore(another controversy like Kher)
Anupam Kher
WHAT? Only ONE woman? Seems like they are all not sturdy enough to climb 13 flights of steps. HA!
IMO filmstars shouldn’t get any padma-shadma awards. Awards from govt. should only given when people have done self-less work (not donating of money but actual work) for the betterment of society/social ills etc. IT could be given to ‘common’ man also. Why just movie stars?
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January 29, 2016 at 11:37 AM
Don’t agree at all and no different agenda. Kher getting Padma Bhushan is a little surprising and actors don’t even get that often. Aamir got it pretty early but its understandable but in last 5 years.. we have folks like Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Kamal Hassan getting and then you have Anupam Kher getting it on that list.
We are talking about ‘Padma Shri’ for Kader Khan and not the 2nd stage award. Anupam also deservers Padma Shri and he rightly got it in 2004 itself but he didn’t add much to his portfolio to get Padma Bhushan so soon. Next stage is Padma Vibushan and as far I think only 2 Bollywood actors got it – Amitabh and Dilip Kumar and I don’t think Anupam is just below them for the contribution to cinema.
Even Kamal Hassan just got Padma Bhushan just last year or so and I would not even put Anupam even at 25% of his contribution to Indian cinema.
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January 29, 2016 at 11:46 AM
“Again I don’t have issues with Kher getting it because many other unworthy folks have as well.”
Satyam, you are mixing all Padma awards as same. Many actors get Padma Shri (1st stage) but very few got Padma Bhushan and just 2-3 folks got Padma Vibhushan and then none got Bharat Ratna.
Anupam Kher getting Padma Shri is not an issue at which he got in 2004 but him getting Padma Bhushan doesn’t look right.
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January 29, 2016 at 11:48 AM
fair enough.. I haven’t really kept track of who got which one..
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January 29, 2016 at 10:54 AM
BC jao aur Satyan Kappoo, Ram Sethi, Pinchoo Kapoor, Shobhe Khotey, Nirupa Roy (RIP), Rajendra Naath (RIP), Asrani, Deadlani, Javed Jafri sey pooch lo jaa kar …bloody Presstitutes !!!
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January 29, 2016 at 11:31 AM
Director Pawan Kumar’s LUCIA was perhaps the first crowdfunded Indian film till date The film was made at a budget of Rs 51 lakhs (raised entirely through crowdfunding) was a box office The film was remade in Tamil as Ennakul Oruvan, The Hindi remake rights were sold to Fox Star Studios.
Pawan Kumar returns with U Turn, again crowdfunded.. The film stars Shraddha Srinath, Roger Narayan, Radhika Chetan, Pavan, Naveen and Sudha Belwadi.
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January 29, 2016 at 11:38 AM
Satyam I have changed my login and email to wordpress. My comment is in moderation. I am the same person [An Jo] and still of the same sex.
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January 29, 2016 at 11:38 AM
ha.. cleared it..
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January 29, 2016 at 1:06 PM
Sonam and Beyoncé-
Coldplay – Hymn For The Weekend (Official video)
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January 29, 2016 at 1:09 PM
I think Kader Khan need not have expressed his disappointment so openly. Just like Asha Parekh whose alleged lobbying made some news.
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January 29, 2016 at 1:17 PM
Award ho toh selective outrage ke samay, vapas karne mai easy padta hai. Aur vapas lene mai bhi.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/several-writers-including-nayantara-sahgal-have-agreed-to-take-back-awards-sahitya-akademi/
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January 29, 2016 at 1:24 PM
Ha Ha…… I can at least see where Satyam is coming from..but baaki sab toh Aap ka kya hoga Janab e’ aali hai !! LOL !!
BTW I really liked the RDB video where Aamir had made his stand clear and also the way Prasoon defended Aamir.
To question his patriotism is not only childish but foolish.- Now Kiran (his wife) is another matter..lol
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January 29, 2016 at 1:24 PM
They should have a clause that if the awards are returned, they have to pay a fine of 5 lakh rupees!
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January 29, 2016 at 1:26 PM
BTW- # Just curious yeh Kalamoorkh kaun hai ???
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January 29, 2016 at 1:55 PM
roflol. Sirji ‘aap’ ko best lines award, jald se jald milna chahiye.
Aur Iss link mai, best son award…lmao…please don’t get offended.
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-are-bollywood-awards-given-watch-spoof-38316
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January 29, 2016 at 2:29 PM
LOL, was fun…..but the joke about Abhishek has a history, the creep Bollywood Gandu was thrashed by Abhishek on twitter, tab sey bechara apnee doom daba kar baitha hua hai….
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January 29, 2016 at 1:41 PM
Rangan on Saala Khadoos.
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January 29, 2016 at 1:50 PM
Airlift has continued to dominate the box office this week as it beat the two new releases by grossing around 3.75 crore nett on its eighth day. The drop is around 25-30% from Thursday which is good. The collections have come down from the lofty levels of Monday and Tuesday but that is expected as its performing in city multiplexes mainly. the growth will be huge on Saturday as these multiplexes go to high levels again.
Mastizaade is a poor fare as it has grossed around 3 crore nett on day one. The collections are 50% of last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 which itself did not do well. The film managed a decent opening at some mass centres but fell in the next show itself.
Saala Khadoos is also poor with collections set to be 1.25 crore nett but this film has potential for some growth especially in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore..
Boxofficeindia
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January 29, 2016 at 3:41 PM
Bachchan’s Yudh now available on netflix.
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January 29, 2016 at 5:57 PM
Was it a mere coincidence that Salman rammed his Toyota Land Cruiser onto the pavement in suburban Bandra (Mumbai) just a day after Aishwarya made her break-up public in The Times Of India interview?
A person lost his life in the accident and later Salman had to go to jail for his crime. Many of Salman’s friends and colleagues visited the jail to show solidarity with him, but not Aishwarya. This sealed the fate of their relationship.
Several media reports claimed that Aishwarya declined Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Bajirao Mastani because it would also feature Salman. In a press release, Aishwarya said, ‘For my well-being and for the self-respect of my family, I will not work with Mr Salman Khan. The chapter of Salman Khan was a nightmare in my life. I am thankful that it is over now.’
It was a tragic epitaph on what some say was the most intense love affair of Salman Khan’s life.
http://www.rediff.com/movies/special/i-have-never-beaten-aishwarya/20160129.htm
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January 30, 2016 at 7:42 PM
Wait…so it’s Aishwarya’s fault now? You can’t make this stuff up.
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January 30, 2016 at 8:58 PM
And what about physical abuse by Salman and negative media campaign by Salman sympathizers Aishwarya had to go through ?
Then, same people talk about rights of women.
His behavior was ugly, not just to her but her family also. Her career suffered due to salman’s ugly act on sets of Chalte chalte in a way that no other actor in history lost her prime overnight. Salman is nautanki, no sane girl in this world would ever stay with salman for so long. Katrina was selfish, salman used her to hide his impotency and in return, she used salman to make her career in industry. And salman sympathizers as usual made dumb talent-less Katrina superstar overnight with unprecedented success for a female actor.
Ultimately, Katrina had to go along Ranbir to satisfy her phyical needs. Salman and katrina kept this secret hidden for over an year as they knew this way both can benefit, salman can hide his impotency and katrina’s fan following(read salman’s fan following who became fan of another dumb actor to show their loyalty to bhai) will remain intact, but how long can you keep secrets away from media.
Now, salman uses Lulia to hide his impotency and Katrina’s career took nose dive after her linkup with ranbir became public.
Finally, katrina doesnt want to go along ranbir as she realize her career is badly damaged, but it is too late for her to breakup with ranbir. She can never achieve that prime again, cant get same fan following back. Moreover, she is not even an actress to do some meaningful roles. Her career is practically over, she is totally banking on yrk movies and once no more offers from yrf she can pack her bags and fly back to london.
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January 30, 2016 at 2:04 AM
Airlift grossed 3.50-3.75 crore nett on its eighth day. The film grossed 30-40 lakhs nett more than the main new release Mastizaaade as it performed much better in the city multiplexes across India. The collections were better than Mastizaade in Mumbai, Delhi / UP, East Punjab, West Bengal and Mysore.
The drops are coming in mass circuits which have not taken to the film much. In Bihar it was just 7.5 lakhs on the eighth day. Still the good business in multiplexes is more than enough for the film and it is a rare hit film for January.
The growth should be huge on Saturday as Mastizaade has failed at the box office and the places where Airlift is strong tend to register huge Saturday growth..
Boxofficeindia
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January 30, 2016 at 2:05 AM
Mastizaade had a poor first day grossing around 3,25-3,50 crore. The collections were poor across the board with even mass centres not performing, The collections are around 40% less than Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 in most circuits. The Central India markets of Rajasthan CP Berar and Ci had business of 70 lakhs while Kyaa Kool Hain Jum grossed 1.05 crore from tha ame markets. Delhi / UP was 70 lakhs while Kyaa Kool Hain Hum was 1.15 crore.
The film is unlikely to show much growth and by chance if multiplexes do better on Saturday it will ne minimal growth..
Saala Khadoos grossed around 1.25 crore nett on day one and should see growth but it is a very low starting point. The film was also released in Tamil and grossed around 80 lakhs plus in that version giving it 2 crore nett across India..
Boxofficeindia
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January 30, 2016 at 5:07 AM
The month of January is generally poor for the box office with very few major grossers. Airlift is a rare major hit in the month of January. The biggest January hit since 2000 is Kaho Naa… Pyaar. It may well be the one of the biggest hits ever released in the first month of the year. The 90’s also saw a few big hits released in January like Tirangaa, Karan Arjun, Raja Babu and Bandit Queen but again there are not too many.
The top grossers since 2000 released in January are as follows. All figures are adjusted to 2016 levels.
1. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai (2000) – 288 crore
2. Agneepath (2012) – 159 crore
3. Jai Ho (2014) – 133 crore
4. Airlift (2016) – 120-125 crore (expected)
5. Rang De Basanti (2006) – 122 crore
6. Mela (2000)- 104 crore
7. Khakee (2003)- 94 crore
8. Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011)- 85 crore
9. Baby (2015) – 84 crore
10. Phir Bhi Dil Hai hindustani (2000) – 74 crore
Even many of the films above were not hits due to high budgets. Only Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, Agneepath, Airlift, Rang De Basanti and Yamla Pagla Deewana were hits
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/art_detail.php?articalid=1781#.VqyKwE-n5LM
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January 30, 2016 at 8:38 AM
Aamir Khan to sing the National Anthem at Pro Kabaddi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Aamir-Khan-to-sing-the-National-Anthem-at-Pro-Kabaddi/articleshow/50774404.cms
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January 30, 2016 at 1:59 PM
Aamir khan at Pro Kabaddi Season 3 http://www.hotstar.com/sports/kabaddi/aamir-khan-wants-to-play-kabaddi/2001474172
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January 30, 2016 at 2:07 PM
Amir Khan singing the National Anthem
http://linkis.com/www.youtube.com/ntAse
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January 30, 2016 at 3:31 PM
Updated: January 30, 2016 19:22 IST
Censor board often misused by party in power: Mani Ratnam
The party in power often misuses the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as a tool to push its political agenda, which results in extra-Constitutional authorities dictating terms, said renowned film-maker Mani Ratnam.
Speaking at the eighth edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Saturday, he welcomed the appointment of a panel headed by film maker Shyam Benegal to revamp the censor board. “CBFC is not independent as desired. It is towing the line of ruling party in power,” he said, recounting how he faced issues with his films Bombay and Iruvar.
Pahlaj Nihalani, the controversial head of CBFC, is expected to attend BIFFes on Sunday.
When asked whether Indian society was ready to do away with censorship, Mr. Ratnam said that people often underestimatee the intelligence of the audience. “The audience is dynamic. They expect something more, as they are exposed to a wonderful visual world of late,” he said.
Credits seniors
He credited the reality in his style of film making to Shyam Benegal and K. Balachander. “They are the ones who taught me to make a serious and intense drama realistic,” he said. When one from the audience complimented him saying his films made three decades ago, still felt modern and contemporary, he was all praise for the films of Guru Dutt, saying most of Guru Dutt’s films still seemed contemporary and have stood the test of time.
Speaking on changes sweeping cinema, he said: “Though I am still enamoured by the depth of celluloid, there is no other way, except accepting the change.”
Next film in Kannada?
Mani Ratnam, who made his debut with Kannada film Pallavi Anupallavi in 1983, will be returning to Kannada cinema after a gap of three decades if all goes well.
When film maker S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu offered to produce the film if he made a film in Kannada, Mani readily agreed. “I got my first break in Kannada. It got Karnataka State award for the Best Screen Play,” Mani Ratnam recalled. He said he was sure he can always return to Kannada anyday as a comfort zone.
Mani Ratnam who even spoke in Kannada, even asked the audience to ask questions in Kannada rather than Tamil or English.
A filmi moment for a fan
For 25-year-old student Nirmal R. of St Joseph’s College, it was a now or never moment at BIFFes to speak to his idol – filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
The first year student of the bachelors in filmmaking course at the College, and a volunteer at the festival, went very filmi and as Abhishek Bachchan asks in Ratnam’s film Guru, in the climactic court scene for his “five minutes”, he asked Mani Sir to give him five minutes back stage to make his pitch, to great applause from the audience.
And he got his chance after the seminar. “I asked if I could become his assistant director. He said ‘Why do you want to be an assistant?’ He advised me I should make my own films. The route people take now is to make short films, so he advised me to shoot my own shorts and put it up on YouTube,” said Nirmal.
In fact, what was supposed to be a masterclass with Mani Ratnam was turned into a fan-club of sorts at BIFFes with some even having to be turned away because the hall was full. One fan stood up and said his name was “Surya Bharathi” and all he wanted was for Mani Ratnam to just say his name once.
Mani and Benne Dose
Mani Ratnam was all praise for the Benne Dose of Hotel Janardhan, in the city. He said coming from the airport his driver suggested to have lunch at Adyar Anand Bhavan. “I told him have come to Karnataka, take me to Kannada restaurant and landed up at Janardhan. The Benne Dose – I did not know what I was getting into. There was more Benne than dose in that,” he quipped.
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January 30, 2016 at 9:42 PM
In the age of big budget films, “Neerja”, a biopic starrer has been made in Rs.21 crore, including marketing costs. The producer of the forthcoming film is glad that things “turned out pretty well” without compromising on the quality of the content.
The Ram Madhvani-directorial features Sonam as Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am chief purser who was gunned down by terrorists when Flight 73 was hijacked to Karachi in 1986. She saved a number of lives but lost her own.
“At a cost of Rs.21 crore, inclusive of marketing and distribution, we have been able to make ‘Neerja’ as we wanted to, without compromising on the treatment of the film and covering all the facts and minute details of the historic event.
“It is good to know that things have turned out pretty well for us till now and all the content put out by us has been well received,” Atul Kasbekar, who has produced the film under his banner Bling Unplugged, said in a statement.
“Neerja”, presented by Fox Star Studios, is all set to release on February 19.
http://www.india-forums.com/bollywood/hot-n-happening/61071-neerja-made-in-rs-21-crore-budget.htm
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January 30, 2016 at 10:10 PM
Neerja will be hit, mark my words. Ghayal, fitoor are flop.
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January 31, 2016 at 11:20 AM
Neerja will be Sonam’s Airlift/CDI/TZP .. She is lucky to get so many heroine oriented stuff in last 3-4 years.
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January 30, 2016 at 10:06 PM
http://www.outlookindia.com/article/why-should-aamir-speak-for-muslims/296558
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January 31, 2016 at 11:06 PM
Good article. Thanks for the link. Why indeed– why should Aamir be made accountable for Muslim actions, simply because of the accident of his birth in a Muslim household? As the author asks, will Anupam Kher or Amitabh ever be held accountable for wrong Hindu acts by a third party?
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January 30, 2016 at 10:15 PM
Btw, i watched 21 movies in last 2 days including 5 oscar nominated live action, 5 nominated documentary short, 5 animated short packaged with other 3 acclaimed animated short,
then oscar nominated in foreign category Mastang & theeb including second watch of Airlift. 🙂
I will put My reactions shortly.
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January 31, 2016 at 1:55 AM
Just like Salim thread, we can also have Raghav thread.
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January 31, 2016 at 1:54 AM
Airlift had excellent growth of 60% on its second Saturday. There were some centres which even doubled the collections of Friday. The nine day total for the film is 89.50 crore nett. The first two day business of the second week is as follows.
Friday – 3,75,00,000
Saturday – 6,00,00,000
TOTAL – 9,75,00,000
Mastizaade had similar collections to friday in most circuits but fell a little in places like Gujarat and Rajasthan. The first two day business of Mastizaade is as follows.
Friday – 3,50,00,000
Saturday – 3,25,00,000
Total – 6,75,00,000
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/art_detail.php?articalid=1783#.Vq2vXk-n5LM
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January 31, 2016 at 1:58 AM
Visakhapatnam, Jan 30: The season three of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League today kicked off with Bollywood star Aamir Khan lending an emotional touch to the celebration through a patriotic rendition of the National Anthem. Full schedule of Pro Kabaddi 2016 The Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here wore a festive mood with the fans going berserk after Aamir, attired in a spotless white dhoti and Nehru jacket, stepped into the playing arena. Pro Kabaddi League kicks off The suave and thinking actor was seated next to Tollywood superstar Duggabatti, and both were seen involved in an animated discussion on Kabaddi. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was introduced to the U Mumba and Telugu Titans players, ahead of the opening match of season three. Aamir and Naidu then sat next to each other and enjoyed the proceedings. After the rendition of the National Anthem by Aamir, the special programme was followed by some entertainment provided by South star Rana Rana Duggabatti. V Company, a group of 30 talented dancers who won the dance reality show Dance Plus, also displayed their talent to much excitement of the fans.
Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/sports/aamir-khan-gives-emotional-touch-as-pro-kabaddi-league-kicks-off-1998517.html
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January 31, 2016 at 2:01 AM
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/i-would-like-to-be-directed-by-aamir-khan-vikrant-massey/
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January 31, 2016 at 7:39 AM
Raghav:
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January 31, 2016 at 7:53 AM
After recent outburst by Jada Pinkett smith and some followed up actors, blacks fetched huge share among SAG awards.
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January 31, 2016 at 6:08 PM
67-yr-old who didn’t get ‘fair’ using Mammootty-endorsed Indulekha soap ‘vindicated’, case settled
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/67-yr-old-who-didn’t-get-fair-using-mammootty-endorsed-indulekha-soap-‘vindicated’-case
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January 31, 2016 at 10:08 PM
Whats Mammootty’s reaction? There will be many more cases and the soap factory may go bankrupt.
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February 1, 2016 at 1:56 AM
There is a huge disparity in the latest BO reporting. Look at the respective BO figures for Mastizaade:
Friday:
BOI- 3.5cr
BH- 5.6cr
Saturday:
BOI- 3.2cr
BH-6.1cr
BH’s Saturday’s total is nearly twice that of BOI’s. Surely, someone is really way off the mark there!
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February 1, 2016 at 2:26 AM
I am not sure but I think BH is digital partner.
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February 1, 2016 at 5:30 AM
BH always quotes producers figure while BOI has its own ‘sources” which we all know is undisclosed and has a large element of bias esp when it comes to projecting all India figure after getting samples.
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February 1, 2016 at 2:05 AM
Airlift Is SUPER HIT
Airlift has emerged a SUPER HIT as is now certain to do a share of 55 crore plus and nett business should go over 120 crore nett. The film had huge growth of 55-60% on Saturday and grossed around 5.75 crore nett. This takes the second weekend total to 9.50 crore nett and with Sunday to come it should be around 17 crore nett which will take its ten day total close to 97 crore nett.
Airlift had a good second weekend as it grossed 17.50 crore nett. The film continued with very strong business in Delhi NCR and East Punjab but places like CP Berar, CI and Bihar have not really taken to the film and had low collections. The total collections in ten days are 97 crore nett. The second weekend daily business is as follows.
Friday – 3,75,00,000
Saturday – 6,00,00,000
Sunday – 7,75,00,000
TOTAL – 17,50,00,000
The film is a SUPER HIT and will record record figures for an Akshay Kumar film in 3-4 circuits. In some circuits it will hardly touch the business of a big flop like Brothers but lower costs compared to most other Akshay Kumar starrers in the recent past means it does not have perform across the board and good business from the main cities is more than enough.
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/art_detail.php?articalid=1785
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February 1, 2016 at 2:13 AM
Suniel Shetty feels Akshay Kumar has found ‘patriotic’ niche
“Akshay is that actor who is very versatile, whether it is in ‘Baby’, ‘Airlift’, or ‘Holiday’ … he has found that niche for himself because he looks like an officer and a gentleman,” said Sunil at a cricket match for the differently abled organised by his wife’s NGO, Save The Children India.”There are few actors who have a personality like this – who you can term as ‘fauji’ (soldier) or one where you feel that this man will do something for the country – a clean image, a great personality and a brilliant actor,” he added.
Akshay’s recent film, ‘Airlift’, which has a patriotic theme, is doing brilliant business at the box-office, while his recent films based on similar themes like ‘Baby’, ‘Holiday’ and even ‘Gabbar Is Back’ to an extent, had done decent business commercially.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Suniel-Shetty-feels-Akshay-Kumar-has-found-patriotic-niche/articleshow/50782943.cms
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February 1, 2016 at 2:12 AM
Great to get in action with superstar Rajinikanth: Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar, who would be teaming up with Rajinikanth as the main antagonist in the sequel of “Robot”, is elated to be exchanging some punches with the south superstar on-screen.
In the film, Rajinikanth will reprise his role of a scientist and his creation, Chitti-the robot and Akshay will play the villain.
“I feel like I am on top of the world. Its alright getting kicked and punched. I have done that all my life. It is great to be punched by a superhero like Rajinikanth,” Akshay told PTI.
“I am looking forward to play a negative role. It will be an honour,” he added.
– See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/great-to-get-in-action-with-superstar-rajinikanth-akshay-kumar/#sthash.lEp9O1EK.dpuf
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February 1, 2016 at 2:13 AM
Thanks Naveen for posting BO-related stuff here!
Bajirao Mastani Business Update
Monday 01 February 2016 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Bajirao Mastani will finish with collections of a little 183 crore nett. This makes it the ninth highest grossing film ever. The collections of Bajirao Mastani till date are as follows.
Week One – 84,36,00,000
Week Two – 55,19,00,000
Week Three – 28,35,00,000
Week Four – 9,43,00,000
Week Five – 4,25,00,000
Week Six – 1,04,00,000
Weekend Seven – 20,00,000
TOTAL – 182,88,00,000
The final share will be 85 crore apprx which is the 12th highest ever. Despite doing more business than films like Krrish 3, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Happy New Year, the share is much lower.
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February 1, 2016 at 2:15 AM
“Thanks Naveen for posting BO-related stuff here!”
LOL Rahul. I got your drift. 😀
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February 1, 2016 at 2:15 AM
Monday 01 February 2016 11.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
Mastizaade had a poor weekend grossing just 11 crore nett over the weekend which is musch lower than last weeks Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3. The film is low budget but still needed weekend business of 18-20 crore nett The first weekend business is as follows.
Friday – 3,50,00,000
Saturday – 3,25,00,000
Sunday – 4,25,00,000
TOTAL – 11,00,00,000
The Sunday growth was decent so can hold over weekdays at low levels but the poor weekend has sealed its fate.
Saala Khadoos grossed around 5.50 crore nett over its first weekend. It had decent growth on Saturday but was not enough as with such a low start collectiosn had to more than double.
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February 1, 2016 at 3:27 AM
It is impossible not to like Airlift. For one, it is the kind of film that has not been made in Bollywood so far. Second: It sports some very good writing, with a lot of detailing and a healthy respect for the audience’s intelligence. And there are the performances.
Airlift is not an actioner, it is not a thriller. One could call it a crisis management and logistics drama. There is a task and it has to be done. The film is about how it is done. The task, of course, is to evacuate the 170,000 Indians stuck in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion in the 90’s.
The film engages you within the first few minutes when we see tanks in flames in a desert landscape. What makes the film stand out from previous such attempt at adventure drama attempted in Bollywood ( like say Deewar: Bringing Back Our Heroes) is how real things feel. Kuwait looks like Kuwait. The labour camp of Indians look like a labour camp, the inmates look like Indian workers and the war zone looks like a war zone.
Read the rest at : http://utkaleidoscope.com/airlift/
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February 1, 2016 at 5:28 AM
Hi Utkal , I had assumed that like always you will again ignore Airlift (in theatre as well as in your mentions).
However i am glad that you watched the movie and more so that you liked as much as I did and did not love as much as others did.
Nicely written review and wonderful point in articulating that it is a genre film on crisis management and logistics.
Agree to your point on the scale which could have been bigger and like me finding it a pardonable offense as there were more in the platter to relish.
Also glad that you liked Akshay Kumar to the extent you mentioned that Khans could not have played this role like him.
And full credit to the director as he is the reason.
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February 1, 2016 at 7:47 PM
Utkal,
That’s an ace review.
My feelings are similar.
I found Akshay’s performance very effective and endearing. In one stroke he has leap frogged over all Khans. Very well made movie and one of the enjoyable Bollywood movies in a while. Very happy for the success of Airlift.
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February 1, 2016 at 10:48 AM
Below may place things in perspective in anticipation /contemplation of “Dangal mein Mangal” threat……….okay somewhat !
Amitabh Bachchan @SrBachchan 19h19 hours ago
Amitabh Bachchan Retweeted Vikas Agarwal
this is unique and so emotional
Vikas Agarwal @VikasAgarwalll
THE POWER OF AMITABH BACHCHAN .. MUST READ ..
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amitabh-bachchan-makes-spectacular-come-back-with-shahenshah/1/329047.html
First the letters arrived: “Warning No.l: if you release Shahenshah we will set your cinema on fire.” Then, a telephone call: “You did not heed our warning, now face the consequences.” So on February 12, when Shahenshah was finally released, 250 cinema owners across the country had protected themselves against the threat with truck-loads of Sten gun-wielding policemen.
What came instead was a human tidal wave. The advance booking for Amitabh Bachchan’s controversial come-back film shattered all records and in some cases, the windows of booking counters. In Shiela cinema, in the heart of Delhi, a crowd of 20,000 people began collecting from 9 a.m. onwards for the first show. “It was larger than anything anyone can remember. Twenty, thirty times larger,” said the owner, Ajay Kaushish.
Never perhaps has there been so much anticipation before a film. On one hand, youth wings of several opposition parties had sworn they would not let the film be released as they considered Amitabh a symbol of corruption. On the other hand, the film industry itself was nervous enough. Would the film survive the threats – and the expectations? As a safety measure, director Tinnu Anand crossed his fingers and released Shahenshah simultaneously across the country. Oddly, Amitabh, at the last minute, got rid of his Bombay territory rights which he had held on to for so long.
For three and a half never-ending hours on February 12, the entire film industry held its breath. Would Amitabh be accepted back – despite everything?
Then the reports started coming in. The claps whenever Amitabh appeared on the screen, tickets spiralling to Rs 100 and more in the black market, a poor man who said: “Take my rickshaw but let me see the film.” “Normally on the first day, the audience is very unruly, they come out on every song,” said a theatre owner. “In this case, nobody moved out at all.”
Even the video cassette asserted its might, commanding a five-day advance booking. A one minute spot on the video is reported to have cost advertisers several lakhs. In Varanasi, a theatre had an extra show at 7 a.m. on a Sunday: it was house full immediately. “Anyone or anything even vaguely related to Shahenshah is making gold,” wrote Dalip Shandil in Evening News. Or as a Bombay film spokesman crudely put it: “Ladka hua hai (It’s a boy).”
Deja vu. The film is a rehash of everything Amitabh has ever done. Take a huge pot, throw in Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra, Kader Khan, Aruna Irani. Spice it up with the usual masala, slowly sizzle for three hours and the result: a long, somewhat irritating film with a familiar taste.
Whatever the merits of the film itself, the moment Amitabh comes on the screen, the ghost of Bofors whimpers away. The audience has forgotten Swiss banks, arms deals and Vinod Khanna. The Amitabh release after a year and a half proves just how far he is above everyone else in the industry…………”
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February 1, 2016 at 11:23 AM
Somewhat valid post by Shashi Tharoor and please don’t classify / disparage this as political push but there are Bollywood names and the context seems persuasive –
On My Twitter Dispute With Anupam Kher
“..For those who nonetheless missed it, a quick summary: a media house ran the actor’s recent remark that he is scared to say openly he is a Hindu. I responded: “Come on, Anupam. I say it all the time. I am a proud Hindu. Just not the Sangh’s kind of Hindu.”
Anupam – who, for the record, is a friend who has been to my home in Delhi more than once – didn’t take it well. “Come on Shashi. Never thought you will misinterpret my statement like trolls do. And behave like a Congi Chamcha,” he shot back. Smarting from the insult – I am an MP, after all, not a hanger-on — I returned the compliment by saying: “Abuse,@AnupamPkher, is what you use when you run out of arguments. I am a proud MP of @INCIndia &I don’t resort to insults. #CongiChamcha.” Kher’s riposte: “Sadly, you forgot that you brought in your kind of Hindu & Sanghi Hindu first.”
The excerpt below from that same article is a compulsive read and Tharoor makes his point very elegantly here –
“….. Replace “Anupam Kher” with “Aamir Khan” and “Hindu” with “Muslim”, and you can imagine the outrage the same tweet would have provoked.
So when I said, truthfully, that I openly, and without self-consciousness, say I am Hindu, I am acknowledging that it’s far easier for me to do so than it is for an Indian Muslim or Christian to wear his faith on his sleeve without being typecast for doing so. And when I added that I am not the Sangh’s kind of Hindu, I meant that I am not belligerent about my Hinduism, and I don’t use it as a football hooligan uses his team loyalty, as a club to beat non-adherents over the head with.
Instead, I am proud of my Hinduism, not merely because I was born into it, but because of its intellectual “fit”: I am more comfortable with the belief structures of Hinduism than I would be with those of the other faiths of which I know. Hinduism is, in many ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages about divinity cannot be confined to a single catechism. As a Hindu, I can claim adherence to a religion without an established church or priestly papacy, a religion whose rituals and customs I am free to reject, a religion that does not oblige me to demonstrate my faith by any visible sign, by subsuming my identity in any collectivity, not even by a specific day or time or frequency of worship. (There is no Hindu Pope, no Hindu Vatican, no Hindu catechism, not even a Hindu Sunday.) As a Hindu, I subscribe to a creed that is free of the restrictive dogmas of holy writ — that refuses to be shackled to the limitations of a single holy book.
Above all, as a Hindu I belong to the only major religion in the world that does not claim to be the only true religion. I find it immensely congenial to be able to face my fellow human beings of other faiths without being burdened by the conviction that I am embarked upon a “true path” that they have missed. Hinduism asserts that all ways of belief are equally valid, and Hindus readily venerate the saints and the sacred objects of other faiths. I am proud that I can honour the sanctity of other religions without feeling I am betraying my own.
In other words, what I am proud of about Hinduism is precisely what the Sanghis are most ashamed of, and wish to change. If one day anyone becomes afraid to say he is a Hindu, it can only be Hindus like me, intimidated by belligerent Sanghis denouncing me as a heretic. The irony is that my Hinduism does not have any notion of heresy in it, because there is no standard set of dogmas from which deviation connotes apostasy.
In saying all this, I hope the recent unedifying spectacle on Twitter will have served one useful purpose – to initiate a dialogue among Hindus about what it is that we can proudly avow about our faith. The next time you’re in Delhi, Anupam, please feel free to come over for a drink – and a chat”
http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/on-my-twitter-dispute-with-anupam-kher-1272216
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February 1, 2016 at 4:03 PM
“Hinduism asserts that all ways of belief are equally valid,”
Unfortuantely it is difficult to break it to you Mr Tharoor, THAT statement is wild and NOT true at all!! Hinduism is not a belief in the first place.
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February 1, 2016 at 4:11 PM
“Hinduism is, in many ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages about divinity cannot be confined to a single catechism. As a Hindu, I can claim adherence to a religion without an established church or priestly papacy, a religion whose rituals and customs I am free to reject, a religion that does not oblige me to demonstrate my faith by any visible sign, by subsuming my identity in any collectivity, not even by a specific day or time or frequency of worship. (There is no Hindu Pope, no Hindu Vatican, no Hindu catechism, not even a Hindu Sunday.) As a Hindu, I subscribe to a creed that is free of the restrictive dogmas of holy writ — that refuses to be shackled to the limitations of a single holy book.”
So far so good. IT is precisely this tolerance that makes Hindus the most vulnerable group. It is this huge heartedness that allows it to be attacked, abused, criticised by none other than the “mordern” hindus who are “secular” and are ashamed to be called hindu, Thraroor included.
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February 1, 2016 at 6:44 PM
No Hindu is ashamed to be a Hindu, or scared of announcing that he/ she is a Hindu. In Tamil Nadu, for example, a student will attend an exam after applying vibhuti or Chandan or kumkum on forehead. In North India people seem to prefer the saffron tilak. Ekta Kapoor was famous for the red streak on her forehead. In Chennai you can find some office goers dressed in smart Western clothes attending office with a small white or red blessing adorning the forehead. Through the course of the day it may get erased or be erased, but my point is people don’t shy away from identifying themselves as Hindus.
The same Hindus attend work or college in the US, forehead unadorned — because they would not like to draw attention to themselves in a more egalitarian society. Many Indian women have given up the bindi or wear a minuscule one, perhaps during a visit to a temple. They are still proud Hindus.
Kher’s statement was made for shock and awe effect. I am a secular Hindu who respects other religions and I also believe in a secular and not a theocratic state.Tharoor gave Kher what he deserved.
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February 1, 2016 at 7:47 PM
“Kher’s statement was made for shock and awe effect.”
If you are refugee in your own country then you will also make certain “shocking” statements. 😦
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February 2, 2016 at 2:17 PM
Sach nahi bolte 🙂
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February 1, 2016 at 9:32 PM
Hinduism can be interpreted by so many people in so many ways. Sarvepalli and Swami Vivekanand had their own versions. In my own family, we have different versions. I am not chest beating one. Aamir must be feeling the same about Islam. He is not the chest beating type.
Our society is an example of tolerance. Satyanaryan pooja is always attended by people of other faiths. It is observed on Independence day and Republic day.
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February 1, 2016 at 9:56 PM
The society where I live. It is cosmopolitan and it is like mini India.
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February 1, 2016 at 10:01 PM
What is the point you are trying to making Sanjana?
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February 1, 2016 at 10:03 PM
No point. Just my take and my experience.
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February 2, 2016 at 10:49 AM
Anupam Kher denied visa for Karachi literary fest
Last updated on: February 02, 2016 16:39 IST
Non-issuance of a visa by the Pakistani government has led to the cancellation of actor Anupam Kher’s participation in the Karachi literary festival starting February 5.
Kher was one of the 18 Indians invited to the four-day festival by the organisers but he is the only one whose visa has not been cleared. The other 17 Indian participants have been given visas.
Kher, who has just been honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Indian government, was to participate in at least two sessions and his name figured prominently in the festival schedule.
Confirming that he has not been issued a visa, Kher on Tuesday said that he was very saddened by the development as he was looking forward to participate in the festival and use the platform to dispel misunderstandings in the minds of people there.
“We welcome their artistes in India. If there are objections to their performance at one place in India they are welcome at other places. But there is no reciprocity,” he said.
As to why his visa has not been issued, Kher said, “I wish I knew. I am wondering if it is because I am a Kashmiri Pandit or because of my views on the tolerance debate in India.”
Kher said the visa denial has left the festival organisers embarrassed and they have apologised to him.
When contacted, Pakistan High Commission’s head of media Manzoor Memon said, “Mr Anupum Kher has never submitted visa application to Pakistan High Commission….
“Please check out from him if he has any receipt,” he added.
Rejecting Pakistan High Commission’s contention that he had not applied for visa, Kher called it a “laughable explanation”. He said organisers had completed the formalities for the visa. “I do not know why they denied me the visa. Is it because of my patriotism, because I talk about my country. Is it because I do not go to that country and critcise my country there. I do not speak the language of terrorists. There can be millions of reasons,” said Kher.
The actor said he would request the government to take up the issue with Pakistan, adding he had planned to speak about India, its tolerance among other issues.
Sources in the Pakistan government said in Karachi since Kher is very much active and vocal in the social media on sensitive issues pertaining to religion and Indo-Pak relations he was not asked to submit his application.The KLF spokesperson said around 35 invitees from abroad are participating in the festival including from the US, Britain and Bangladesh besides India.
On Pakistan High Commission’s claim that he had not applied for the visa, Kher said if it was true then how 17 others got the document and that why the organisers had put his name in their posters.
“They are telling a lie. I do not have to do it. The organisers had done it,” the actor said.
Festival co-founder Ameena Saiyed said they were not given any reason behind the visa denial.
“He has not been issued a visa. Well, I haven’t been given the reasons. My own thinking is, it’s probably because of the statements he has been making in India for past couple of weeks,” Saiyed said.
While accepting that literature and politics cannot be separated, Saiyed felt the Bollywood star’s presence would have given the Karachi audience a different perspective. “We had organised an exclusive session of him with Ashok Chopra with a very large audience. People would have asked him questions about his views. He would have had a chance to talk to them, to engage with them, to answer their questions and in the process some understanding would have developed,” she told a news channel.
“His coming here could have made such a difference. It might even have led to some change in his opinions or it might have changed or would have resulted in more understanding of his views, but it is only when you come face to face,” she said.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/pakistan-denies-visa-to-anupam-kher-for-karachi-literary-fest/20160202.htm
——————————
Anupam Kher: Sad to have been denied visa second time in a year
While Pakistani officials claim that Anupam Kher had not even applied for a visa, the veteran actor took to Twitter to clear his side in a series of tweets.
He wrote: ‘Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa second time in a year. While around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests.’
‘Has my visa been denied because I speak about India’s rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian Govt welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan Govt. bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue?’
‘Didn’t Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs red flag my name to Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi? Why hide facts deliberately? Pak High Commission shud know their own rules. #KarachiLitFest had given my name to authorities 1 month back & have my name in every poster.’
‘I feel bad for all those people who were looking forward to meet me in Pakistan and vice versa. Sorry to them. Hopefully one day,’ he added.
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February 2, 2016 at 11:07 AM
The hilarious thing is that the Aaptards and commies are celebrating the denial of visa and actually taking side of Pakistan .
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February 2, 2016 at 2:27 PM
I am actually OK with the visa rejection, sabsey pehley toh saala Fawd Khan ko nukal bahar karo…..
and after that Saba Naqvi too.
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February 2, 2016 at 2:40 PM
Rahul Roushan @rahulroushan
“You don’t have to be a gay to support gay rights!”
“Anupam Kher talks about Kashmiri Pandits, while he’s from Himanchal! lol”
#LibtardLogic
Rahul Raj @bhak_sala ·
Disgusting to joke on Syrian refugees
Inhuman to laugh on Bangladeshi migrants
Abe Anupam Kher to Kashmir se bhagaya gaya hai. LOL,#LibtardLogic
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February 1, 2016 at 11:45 AM
LOL..I am going first day last show for this. Can’t miss this one. Already missed Calendar girls.
Source: Rediff.com
Madhur Bhandarkar’s next titled Bollywood Wives!
National Award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is famous for showcasing real life issues through his films, will be making a film on Bollywood household.
He took to Twitter to thank Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and tweeted: ‘A big thank you to @ritesh_sid & @faroutakhtar for giving us, #BhandarkarEntertainment, the title “Bollywood Wives”.’
Interestingly, the announcement comes at a time when quite a few Bollywood stars are reportedly headed for a divorce.
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February 1, 2016 at 5:53 PM
Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the second slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar Sunday, February 28, on ABC.
The presenters, including Oscar winners and nominees, are:
Steve Carell
Priyanka Chopra
Quincy Jones
Byung-hun Lee
Jared Leto
Julianne Moore
Olivia Munn
Margot Robbie
Jason Segel
Andy Serkis
J.K. Simmons
Kerry Washington
Reese Witherspoon
These artists have enriched the international moviegoing experience with a range of memorable work from the comic to the profound,” Hudlin and Hill said. “In the process, they have won over millions of fans, and we count ourselves among them.”
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
http://www.oscars.org/news/academy-announces-second-slate-presenters-88th-oscarsr
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February 1, 2016 at 8:54 PM
Top 3 Grossers of the Month: Airlift beats Race 2
April: Shah Rukh Khan is the top contender to take the top spot this month. His first non-festive release since My Name Is Khan, Maneesh Sharma’s Fan, will release on April 15. It’s ‘expected’ to easily top the collections of Housefull 2. The other contenders are Ki & Ka and Baaghi.
Housefull 2 (116 cr) – Akshay Kumar and John Abraham
2 States (102 cr) – Arjun Kapoor
Aashiqui 2 (81 cr) – Aditya Roy Kapoor
Final Analysis
Jan – Hrithik Roshan
Feb – Ranveer and Arjun
Mar – Saif Ali Khan
Apr – Akshay Kumar
May – Ranbir Kapoor
Jun – Akshay Kumar
Jul – Salman Khan
Aug – Shahrukh Khan
Sep – Salman Khan
Oct – Shahrukh Khan
Nov – Hrithik Roshan
Dec – Aamir Khan
Salman, SRK, Akshay and Hrithik have two highest grossers of the month. Ranbir, Aamir, Ranveer, Arjun and Saif have one each.
http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/top-3-grossers-of-the-month-can-airlift-beat-agneepath/
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February 1, 2016 at 8:56 PM
“His first non-festive release since My Name Is Khan”
1st Non Festive Release SInce MNIK.. That Statements Says it all. Coward No. 1 SRK
MNIK wasnt no where among top grosser of the year, HNY is biggest manipulation with fake BO figures after Krissh3.
Shame on you , SRK.
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February 2, 2016 at 6:49 AM
There is still lot of anger for SRK for his extreme intolerance in India comment. Best of Luck to Fan!!!
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February 2, 2016 at 2:19 AM
http://www.india-forums.com/bollywood/hot-n-happening/61129-check-out-this-cute-picture-of-alia-bhatt-dadu.htm
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February 2, 2016 at 2:26 AM
Dont know about Alia bhatt’s Dadu, but Alia bhatt will definitely look like this after 40 yrs from now.
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February 2, 2016 at 3:45 AM
Airlift Second Monday Business
Airlift grossed 2 crore nett on its second Monday and has dropped compared to the weekend business mainly because its a city film and its collections have seen drops on the working days. The four day second week business is as follows.
Friday – 3,75,00,000
Saturday – 6,00,00,000
Sunday – 7,75,00,000
Monday – 2,00,00,000
TOTAL – 19,50,00,000
The second weekend business will be around 26.50 crore nett which will take the film to over 106 crore nett in two weeks.
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February 2, 2016 at 5:14 AM
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/aamir-khans-dangal-cast-gets-a-special-cook/
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who had created tremendous buzz by gaining 25kgs intially for his character in Dangal, is now in the process of shedding the same amount of weight in 25 weeks. And to achieve this, a special cook has been appointed on the sets of his upcoming film.
Aamir, who plays Mahavir Phogat, will be seen playing different ages of his character. Aamir has finished shooting as the 55-year-old and to shoot the other portions of the film, he is required to look much younger.
The physical transformation for his role of a wrestler in the film requires Aamir to maintain a particular diet. For that, Aamir and his onscreen wrestler daughters are given specially cooked food as per their individual requirements.
The actor also follows an intense one-hour workout session in the morning and is following a strict regime to lose weight.
Dangal, produced by Disney and Aamir Khan Productions is scheduled to release on December 23.
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February 2, 2016 at 6:47 AM
Not sure, but after debacle of Hirani’s Saala Kharoos, and Sallu’s Sultan due in Eid….Dangal is looking stale from the only poster that has come and storyline that has been splashed.
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February 2, 2016 at 7:58 AM
Saala Khadoos was produced not directed by Hirani. As a gesture I think.
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February 2, 2016 at 8:40 AM
What has Salaa Khadoos doing or not doing well has to do with Dangal? By that logic even Sultan should not do well. And agsin, what has Hirani directing or not directing Dangal has to do with Dangal? And lastly, what has Sulatn releasing in Eid got to do with Dangal. OMG realeasing before and doing well did not affect PK one bit. All that will matter is how the film is. And no one can say anything about that until the film releases. Plain and simple.
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February 2, 2016 at 7:41 PM
Can’t help feeling that Dangal has not exactly had great luck since its planning and execution stages. The past few months of Dangal’s execution have been accompanied by bodily accidents and extreme negativity with regard to its lead.
About a year back Dangal was being prepped and talked about….and suddenly comes this announcement about Sultan, along with a teaser. Similar theme film, to be released in Eid 2016, a few months before the long planned Dangal and Christmas 2016 release. I am not surprised that Aamir seemed upset ; at least a few of his fans felt that this was a bit of a backstab. Well, all films have their own trajectory….so hopefully both will survive. But Dangal needs all the luck it can get; BJP spokesperson Kailash Vijaywhatsisname has threatened Dangal mein Mmangal; nobody has bothered to pull him up for this sort of don type talk….and Bhakts on Twitter are of course echoing such talk about Dangal mein Mangal. I hope the film survives all this created negativity against Aamir.
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February 2, 2016 at 1:36 PM
Kher wants to remain in the news. Or news wants Kher. Why he is so sad about not being able to go to Pakistan where his admireres want to send all the traitors en masse? The forbidden country!
Kher is needed here to make his countrymen patriots and whip them hard if they mentioned the forbidden word intolerance.
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February 2, 2016 at 1:43 PM
Watched NDTV Man of the year awards or Woman of the year . On this day they think of only two genders.
Bachchan looked handsome and he was as gracious as ever. Jaya Bachchan also looked dignified and relaxed.
When Snapdeal CEO came to receive the award, I could not help but think of their erstwhile brand ambassador. He looked shy and sheepish.
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February 2, 2016 at 7:44 PM
Did Aamir attend this function?
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February 2, 2016 at 7:50 PM
No.
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February 2, 2016 at 8:45 PM
The reason I asked — I misunderstood your line ,’ he looked shy and sheepish’ to mean Aamir. I guess you were referring to the Snapdeal CEO. And it’s a pity the way Aamir was hounded out of his lone endorsement, thanks to lumpen social media.
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February 2, 2016 at 2:31 PM
Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan plot revealed; when admiration turns into dark obsession
http://www.catchnews.com/bollywood-news/shah-rukh-khan-fan-story-and-plot-details-revealed-srk-love-for-aryan-khannna-turns-into-dangerous-obsession-shah-rukh-khan-latest-news-fan-news-1454413663.html
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February 2, 2016 at 2:32 PM
Hrithik and Shetha : Gossip
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-has-hrithik-roshan-found-love-again-2173130
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February 2, 2016 at 3:04 PM
What It Means To Be An Amitabh Bachchan Fan. Ranveer, Abhishek Explain
All India | Written by Gitanjali Roy | Updated: February 02, 2016 22:16 IST
NEW DELHI: Actor Ranveer Singh had a fanboy moment when senior colleague Amitabh Bachchan was honoured for Lifetime Achievement at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2015 awards. “I am a Hindi film fan first, then an actor. And if you are a Hindi film fan, you are an Amitabh Bachchan fan,” said Ranveer, who joined Big B and his family on stage.
“I told him ‘I am the seed you had sown several years ago,'” Ranveer said. He joked about making sequels to Big B’s films: “Shahenshah 2, Toofan 2, Do Aur Do Paanch Do.”
Amitabh Bachchan, 73, was awarded for defining and redefining superstardom. Industrialist Anand Mahindra, who presented him his award, said, “It is a misnomer. Lifetime achievement implies that his best work is behind him. Nothing could be further from the truth for this man.”
Mr Bachchan was joined on stage by his wife Jaya, son Abhishek, daughter Shweta and son-in-law Nikhil Nanda. Abhishek Bachchan, an actor like his parents, said, “It’s weird to be an inheritor in a room full of start ups. He never wanted us to look at him as a superstar. For us, he has been the best father.”
“He had the talent to be the best,” added Jaya Bachchan.
Ranveer wasn’t the only one who made a Big B confession on stage. Snapdeal founder Kunal Bahl said, “I am a huge fan. Each birthday, I dressed up as Shahenshah.”
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/what-it-means-to-be-an-amitabh-bachchan-fan-ranveer-abhishek-explain-1272955?pfrom=home-lateststories
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February 2, 2016 at 3:16 PM
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February 2, 2016 at 3:23 PM
Ranveer’s looking foolish here..
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February 2, 2016 at 3:33 PM
agree, he has said the same stuff to Anil Kapoor, then to Akhshay and now to Bachchan…..Now it comes across as fake.
Bachchan did intervene and tried to continue with his thoughts on Bajirao..but Ranveer was well just being Ranveer !!
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February 2, 2016 at 3:46 PM
yeah and this whole hyper persona everywhere has gotten irritating. there’s a way to behave at these events.
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February 2, 2016 at 4:03 PM
I do have to say though that his performance at the Star Screen Awards was outstanding. The second best was Varun Dhawan’s.
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February 2, 2016 at 4:12 PM
haven’t seen it.
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February 2, 2016 at 9:39 PM
On star award night, the show completely totally belonged to Kapil. Kapil, kapil, kapil…all the way.
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February 2, 2016 at 8:04 PM
“he has said the same stuff to Anil Kapoor, then to Akhshay and now to Bachchan…..Now it comes across as fake.”
He is bollywood “fan”atic. So it is obvious that he would have many people he looks up to. Anil Kapoor’s wives family and Ranveer (sindhis) are related also. I was bit surprised to see “niky” there and ashwarya absent.
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February 2, 2016 at 5:17 PM
Bachchan on NDTV event-
But the most amazing part of the evening is the presence of the family with me .. Abhishek flying in from Vizag after his Kabaddi game,Shweta and Niky, and the wife ..
Ranveer is there too, to bring in that moment of hilarity as he unselfconsciously strides up on stage to share his career , his inspiration and his presence, to inspire many other youngsters into the profession .. there is a madness about him .. but it is the sweetest madness I have ever seen ..
and the exuberance of a certain Mr Ranvir Singh .. whose claim of the ‘seed I sowed has indeed become evident : The Bachchans were never ever involved in such acts that brought discharge and allegation upon not just them but also the entire community .. yet years later the foreign investigator announces that the ‘Bachchan Name’ was indeed ‘planted’ as an after wrath nad begin at home when I need to swim ..
Yet the matter of the ‘seed that was sewn into the body of Ranveer’ did uproot a few .. well .. a few of the family who immediately decided to .. all in good fun, get funny .. when Abhishek on stage faked challenge and claimed that he was indeed the genetic seed sown and not Ranveer .. hahahaheehahahaa
I present an award to Deepika too for her tremendous contribution in films .. in the last months particularly .. the drill is when you are face to face with the idol , cover the face and disappear immediately ..
I try often but fail miserably ..
Peculiar .. you strive to join an industry, and when it is done and dusted, you strive to oust the reason in your being there ..
But that is the way of life .. or rather that is the confidentiality paper work that perhaps never sees the light of day …
What really is the motive of the joining an Industry which is looked upon as something infra dig .. what the exercise to be executed before an impression can be made ..a choice given and an offer for a role in a film .. I have no idea .. but this generation does, and I can never reconciled myself to the fact, in how they do this !!!
Lets us to better thoughts and words
A presentation to Piku the role by Deepika, and its subsequent mis appropriations ..
http://srbachchan.tumblr.com/
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February 2, 2016 at 5:50 PM
left a long response to this there..
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February 2, 2016 at 6:21 PM
Vintage Satyam comment. specially like the Quinn incident and the way you recounted and related to Bachchan.
Have you not noticed that he has a pretty expressionless face with the journos but is much kinder to the filmi industry fans. Wonder how he reacts to the ordinary fans.
Aside- Sometimes TBH ,one does miss comments like these from you and others here.
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February 2, 2016 at 8:39 PM
thanks Rocky… yes I’ve found it hard to put up cinema-related comments for a long time.. at least long ones.
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February 2, 2016 at 9:38 PM
When people write from their heart, instead of impressing readers with wordplay/vocab/what-not, it always hits the target (of impressiing the reader). Sometimes our Sattuji lets go of intellect and holds on to the pure emotion which unfortunately he feels only for bigb 🙂
Haan…I also felt that comment was heartfelt…good one.
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February 2, 2016 at 9:23 PM
Please post that response here.
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February 3, 2016 at 6:35 AM
just did.. see below..
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February 3, 2016 at 6:34 AM
[referring to the NDTV event and video]
I rather enjoyed it. Some of Abhishek’s humor as well! Can’t say I’m much of a fan of Ranveer’s antics though. He tends to be rather hyper everywhere. Think he was worse than that at this event. In any case congrats on another honor. I sometimes wonder.. welcome as yet another honor always is isn’t there something also absolutely boring about these events? Those who’ve been fans of yours ‘since childhood’, those who ‘love your work’, those who were ‘inspired by you’, etc etc etc. I wonder if these responses even register anymore. I’m not sure if I’ve shared this anecdote here before but I was once seated in a restaurant and at some point I realized Anthony Quinn was sitting just a table away with a group. At various points people recognizing him walked up to him and told him how much they ‘admired his work’. Quoting verbatim. And Quinn could barely bring himself to nod. He looked like someone who just wanted to be left alone to enjoy his soup. He was polite but offered the faintest responses. I remember thinking at the time that here was a public figure who’d been in the business for decades, who’d received all kinds of honors all over the world, and yet at his ripe old age in restaurants all over the world he was still inspiring people to walk up to him and say whatever they had to with all the awe they could muster up. A few times I turned around to look at him. His table was a bit behind mind and then somewhat diagonally across. So I just had to turn a bit to observe him. Of course the observer never quite likes to be caught in the act but I was caught out a couple of times by Quinn. I think his face registered muteness more than anything else. Perhaps he wondered if I was trying to recognize him, perhaps he was surprised that I did recognize him and didn’t walk up when so many others had from much further away, perhaps he was largely indifferent either way (I suspect it was the latter). But I was reminded of a moment, a rather well-known one, from his great La Strada, when Gelsomina is abandoned for a night on a street corner by Quinn’s character, Zampona, who has in the meantime gone off with.. shall we say a woman of easy virtue?…, and at one point on a very quiet street a horse plops along. No saddle, nothing to indicate ownership. The film’s most moving scene in my view (I still await the writer who will come up with a great book on cinema devoted to the animals in films.. specially these kinds that appear in ‘bit’ parts..). It seemed to me that Quinn had something in common with that mute horse. Perhaps the public figure after being a ‘collective’ (because he or she is co-produced by the audience) figure or someone who absorbs so much for years and decades, the honors and the opprobrium, the success and the anxiety, the heights and the valleys, who learns to live everyday on a tightrope wondering what day it will be when the audience stops clapping and he is left truly alone and still has to complete that walk across, and even if he is fortunate enough to overcome all adversity and survive all success (!) he has still for all this absorbed so much, seen so much, lived so much because he has had an excess of experience every day, and at the end of it all when he nonetheless gets people walking up to him saying things that they might have decades ago when he first accomplished something worthwhile.. and even when he would like to appreciate these gestures he is cursed by the richness of his life to be unable to completely engage with them.. he can respond no more than mechanically, and one day he is too tired to even do this. I might well have seen Quinn on such a day, in such a season of his life… I did like observing him. I am always interested in public figures (not all!). Not as some supercilious anthropological observer (though one is possibly always guilty of this) but as one who is fascinated by this phenomenon of public life. Almost in a novelistic sense.
And so I think that there must be responses equal to this challenge. One must precisely not say those things to you! Again I liked Abhishek’s ‘foil’ today quite a bit. It remains rather unfortunate that he does not occupy an industry that can really tap into his intelligence and persona in the right way. Except on the exceptional day.
But once again all the best for this honor. Something perverse about saying this after everything else I have just expressed! But then you probably always half-suspected that my congratulatory notes were by and large insincere! Should I confess to this? Or should I just say that gods should be offered obeisance with the right offerings?
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February 3, 2016 at 8:10 AM
Heartfelt and sincere observations!
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February 3, 2016 at 9:32 AM
Abhishek came across as nervour. In fact the entire Bachchan family were quite awkward on stage. Abhishek ofcourse was embarrassed by the question asked by the lady host.
2/10
Shweta hardly spoke when asked. In fact she made a fool of herself.
0/10
Jaya was witty and sharp. She handles the comment on her height really well 9/10
Ranveer was over the top but atleast he was the person speaking. In fact barring Big B and Anand Mahindra, noone spoke well. Thanks to Ranveer. He spoke from the heart and like Big B’s fan. 8/10
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February 3, 2016 at 9:54 AM
I actually found Abhishek subversive there at a few points. On the rest yeah he seemed to be reluctant to be there in the first place as was the entire family. Can’t blame them as it’s a bit odd to just be there with no particularly defined role. On Ranveer yeah he’s willing to do this at every turn everywhere. It might appeal to people, I find it quite classless for the most part, specially the whole ‘remark’ where I think both Abhishek and Sonia Singh embarrassed him a bit. As for being nervous not really likely for a guy who literally lives in the public eye all the time and who hosts shows and who in general is far more gregarious in many of these outings than most of his contemporaries. His remarks were fun though in a deadpan way. But getting back to Ranveer I’d go further and say that if one likes that sort of thing there’s a problem with one’s taste! Just saying something is not always better than not saying anything. And he does this quite often. The DDD interviews for example where the rest of the cast would be behaving a certain way and he’d be doing all kinds of stuff. Don’t think his remarks did much for the crowd in any case.
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February 3, 2016 at 10:57 AM
“Ranveer I’d go further and say that if one likes that sort of thing there’s a problem with one’s taste!”
My comment went missing. Lets see if this one goes thru’. Don’t agree/disagree with you but just some observations. It seemed to me that no one, absolutely NO one was enthusiastic on bigb getting award. His family for instance, instead of cheering, appeared uninterested. In desperation, Sonia shouted out to Ranveer (to say/save the situation). And Ranveer did what he does best (going over the top and all) but I think he was not “prepared” to be called on stage as such. In fact he showed more energy and enthusiasm than rest of bachchan family. I think a lot is going on there. With Nicy-shweta’s marraige (she even stands with her back turned towards her hubby) and aishwarya was missing too. Just looked like lot of negative energy going there. If a parent has to speak about his/her child 24/7, they will not tire and do so with pride. However I am not sure the pschological impacts of having a larger than life person as you parent and you as a child have to praise them day and night and on top of that not having same amount of acceptance or BO success from audience for yourself. awkward.
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February 3, 2016 at 5:21 PM
Excellent comment Satyam..So nice to read this here..Was missing it for quite a while..Amitji’s blog updates during his shoot at Kolkata has been exceptional in last week.
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February 3, 2016 at 8:43 PM
thanks much Rajesh..
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February 2, 2016 at 4:07 PM
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February 2, 2016 at 4:12 PM
thanks..
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February 2, 2016 at 7:58 PM
THROWBACKTHURSDAY: HOW SUSHMITA SEN BEAT AISHWARYA RAI AT MISS INDIA 1994?
http://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/miss-universe/archives/ThrowbackThursday-How-Sushmita-Sen-beat-Aishwarya-Rai-at-Miss-India-1994/articleshow/47027244.cms
Question asked to Aishwarya Rai during the tie-breaker round at Femina Miss India 1994:
Q: If you have to look for qualities in a husband, would you look for the qualities in Ridge Forrester from Bold & Beautiful or in Mason Capwell from Santa Barbara?
A: In Mason. Though they do share a lot in common, from what we get to see, Mason does have a very caring side to him and a terrific sense of humour. And that really gels with my character.
(Aishwarya scored an average of 9.39 on this answer)
Question asked to Sushmita Sen during the tie-breaker round at Femina Miss India 1994:
Q: What do you know about the textile heritage of your country and how old has it been?
A: I think it all started with Mahatma Gandhi’s Khadi. It has gone a long way since then but the basics of Indian textile heritage has been from there.
(Sushmita scored an average of 9.41 on this answer)
Wrting about the backstage reaction of Aishwarya Rai after being announced as Miss India World, Mehroo Mistry, who was among the top 10 finalists at the pageant that year, wrote on her blog:
After that the Miss India World winner was announced. We all held our breath and were completely shocked when Aishwarya’s name was called. It took us a whole minute to realise that she was not the winner of the big crown after all. The Miss India Universe 1994 is Miss Sushmita Sen! The drama wasn’t over yet as minutes later a tearful Aishwarya came running to the dressing room and was soon surrounded by her bunch of professional friends ready to console her.
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February 2, 2016 at 8:59 PM
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/shah-rukh-khan-stays-away-from-twitter-due-to-negativity/
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February 2, 2016 at 9:21 PM
Good decision on his part.
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February 3, 2016 at 9:39 AM
He should stop making irresponsible comments. Rest will be easier.
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February 3, 2016 at 5:55 AM
http://www.financialexpress.com/photos/business-gallery/206408/box-office-collections-prediction-2016-shahrukh-khans-raees-salman-khans-sultan-and-aamir-khans-dangal-seen-at-rs-200-crore-akshay-kumars-housefull-3-at-rs-100-crore/12/
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February 3, 2016 at 9:36 AM
2016 prediction
200+ Cr – Sultan
150+ Cr – Raees, Housefull 3, Ae Dil hai Mushkil
100+ Cr – Fan, Rustam, Befikre, Airlift, 3Teen, MohenJoDaaro
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February 3, 2016 at 2:11 PM
Yeah….some little star name Aamir Khan’s Dangal wouldn’t even crack 100 CR, right?
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February 3, 2016 at 10:33 AM
I think Dangal will be big, despite all the drawbacks. Raees will find it tough against Sultan. Fan does have a chance to spring in a good surprise from SRK.
As for the rest, maybe Mohenjodaaro will be big. Maybe Shivaay will join the big league. Airlift has done well. Not too sure we can look beyond the above named movies.
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February 3, 2016 at 1:06 PM
‘Wazir’ box office collections: Amitabh Bachchan starrer’s take at Rs 62 cr ‘not disappointing’, says Chopra
so was the film slots as above average ?
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February 4, 2016 at 3:21 AM
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February 4, 2016 at 3:22 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Sex-comedy-starring-Siddhartha-Mallya-strikes-gold-abroad/articleshow/50845562.cms
Set in the 1980s, the film has the four college-going protagonists trying to win an allIndia quiz tournament as well as lose their virginity. “We lived in a house in Mysore and did extensive workshops to get into the skin of the characters. We’d bathe by pouring buckets of water over our heads instead of taking showers, wore the Brahman thread, dhoti and the cor rect underwear too,” Tanmay revealed.
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February 4, 2016 at 8:21 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cops-left-behind-Tanzanian-girl-at-mobs-mercy-Karnataka-home-minister/articleshow/50852264.cms
Very shameful. Waiting for Rahul to visit and sit in dharna.
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February 4, 2016 at 8:23 AM
The way the minister was responding is simply unbelievable!
And we elect such ministers.
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February 4, 2016 at 8:50 AM
In this case the mob is allegedly from minority community as some reports said. And they attacked a a woman belonging to an african nation.
The irony is the mobs in our country to whatever religion or caste they belong to, take law into their hands to thrash the hapless and the vulnerable. And it seems police were indifferent watchers. And minister’s callous observations.
Indians should not complain of racial crimes if they happen in Australia or in some other country if they dont condemn these incidents in their own country vehemently.
Wont these incidents tarnish India’s image whether they happen in Delhi or Bangalore or Mumbai?
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February 4, 2016 at 10:29 AM
Gonna be an eternal wait as a) It is a Congress-ruled state and b) The mob was allegedly “secular”.
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February 4, 2016 at 1:30 PM
Airlift will be the highest Akshay Kumar grosser Worldwide and his first film to go over 200 crore Worldwide. The film has done very well in Gulf and Overseas will see the second highest business ever for an Akshay Kumar film but main difference is the higher currency value of the dollar now as compared to other big Worldwide grossers of Akshay Kumar. The top five at the moment are as follows.
1. Rowdy Rathore – 198.50 crore
2. Housefull 2 – 185.50 crore
3. Holiday – 176.50 crore
4. Airlift – 175 crore (12 days)
5. Gabbar Is Back – 136 crore
Airlift is at 175 crore after 12 days and should finish in the 205-210 crore region. It will also mean 25 films going over the 200 crore mark Worldwide.
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/art_detail.php?articalid=1791#.VrOYaU-n5LM
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February 4, 2016 at 1:43 PM
There is one comedy serial running on Starplus called Mere angne mein. It is a one hour show telecast all the 7 days of the week. It is like Wodehouse meeting Ekta Kapoor. Whacky characters but believable ones. Not for people who consider watching hindi sitcoms downmarket. After a long time, some comic relief.
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February 4, 2016 at 4:23 PM
I like Sumit Sambhal lega (It is no longer airing)..I also like “Neeli Chaatri waale”…
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February 4, 2016 at 6:40 PM
Sumit Sambhal lega was also good but it was directed at urban audience. Too sophisticated for the average Indian viewer. This one is about small town lower middleclass people living at Mughalsarai.
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February 4, 2016 at 6:58 PM
living in mughalsarai a small town in UP with its own hindi diferent from hindi spoken in urban areas.
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February 4, 2016 at 10:19 PM
Well Hindi in that area is spoken with some Bhojpuri accent.
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February 4, 2016 at 9:18 PM
All my comments disappeared?
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February 4, 2016 at 10:17 PM
they were in spam. Please don’t change email. I see your last part of email has been changing.
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February 4, 2016 at 5:41 PM
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February 4, 2016 at 6:07 PM
As we all know, Shah Rukh Khan’s much-hyped Dilwale didn’t quite live up to expectations at the domestic box office. Moreover, a few distributors too incurred heavy losses. Now, in a truly unexpected development, it seems that the 50-year-old star is set to help those who suffered losses.
According to noted trade analyst Komal Nahta, SRK has agreed to help the concerned distributors by refunding 50 percent of the losses incurred by them. Now that is what we call a generous producer. Way to go King Khan! Truly, few in the industry would have done such a thing.
Touted as an action-comedy, Dilwale was directed by Rohit Shetty. It had created quite a lot of pre-release buzz as it saw Shah Rukh Share screen space with Kajol for the first time since the release of My Name is Khan. Unfortunately, it received negative reviews upon release. This affected its box office performance in India. However, Dilwale fared pretty well in the overseas market.
http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/349198/srk-refund-losses-incurred-dilwale-distributors
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February 4, 2016 at 6:32 PM
What a shame. Komal nahta confirmed distributor loss are more than 25 cr. 50% refund is nothing, many distributor will still bankrupt.
But srk is probably asked by Aditya chopra to take this step. Otherwise, no one is going to buy Srk’s flop fan and disaster raees.
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February 4, 2016 at 6:57 PM
Rewind – Ghayal The Phenomena Of The Nineties
Thursday 04 February 2016 12.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
This week will see the release of Ghayal Once Again which is a sequel of 1990 Ghayal which was a box office phenomena in the ninties. The film was was not the biggest grosser of the nineties as films like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani and Border recorded much higher numbers as the box office went to another level in the second half of the nineties.
Ghayal set records in repeat runs. No film from the nineties was even close to it in repeat runs and only Sholay has higher business in repeat runs in the history of Hindi cinema. Ghayal was released on 22nd June 1990 and was a huge hit but after six months its billings in all circuits barring CP Berar, Nizam / Andhra and Mysore were 25-30% behind Dil which was a blockbuster released on the same day as Ghayal.
The Ghayal story did not finish in 1990 and went on and on. The film had its first repeat run in Mumbai on 27th September 1991 and the response was earth shattering as despite being one year old the film was competing with new blockbuster films. Below are the first two week figures in Mumbai of Ghayal in this repeat run compared with the first two weeks of 1992 blockbuster Beta on release.
Week One
Ghayal (Repeat Run) – 11,37,706 from 11 cinemas (99.07%)
Beta – 15,91,205 from 18 cinemas (98.24%)
Week Two
Ghayal (Repeat Run) – 13,52,924 from 16 cinemas (83.14%)
Beta – 13,41,736 from 16 cinemas (97.47%)
This repeat run eventually went to 80 lakhs nett which was a record for any one single repeat run in any circuit. The 80 lakhs nett figure in Mumbai at the time was a figure that only a dozen odd films in 1991 would do in its lifetime run but this film did in repeat run when first run alone had hit 2 crore nett.
Ghayal contiuned to have more repeat runs as the Sunny Deol action image consolidated through the nineties and eventually went to 3.25 crore nett plus in Mumbai which was an extraordinary total. Basically in terms of inflation adjusted figures Ghayal was probably a 275-300 crore nett grosser.
If Ghayal sequel had come in the 90’s or even early 2000’s it would have smashed all opening records due to the huge appreciation of the earlier film but Ghayal Once Again is coming more than 25 years later and the audience that made Ghayal such a huge blockbuster is not the theatre going audience today which probably means the film depending on its content rather than the brand value of the earlier film.
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/art_detail.php?articalid=1792#.VrPlCPkrLIU
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February 4, 2016 at 10:45 PM
“Ghayal set records in repeat runs. No film from the nineties was even close to it in repeat runs and only Sholay has higher business in repeat runs in the history of Hindi cinema.”
BOI keep beating their own records for bull all the time..!
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