This entry was posted on August 25, 2017 at 3:08 AM and is filed under the bad. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
269 Responses to “A Gentleman, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, the rest of the box office”
A Gentleman And Others Open To Poor Response
Friday 25 August 2017 12.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
There were five Hindi releases which opened at the box office today and all opened poorly. The five films were A Gentleman, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Muskurahatein, Qaidi Band and Sniff. On top there were two Hollywood releases with The Hitmans Bodyguard and The Dark Tower which also did not open well though the former was much better than the latter.
The main release of the week is A Gentleman which opened to 10-15% occupancy on average and this is despite it being an action film. The next best was Babumoshau Bandookbaaz which was 8-10% but on lower volume of screenings than A Gentleman.
It is a regional holiday on Friday for Ganesh Chaturthi which should help collections of all releases in places like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra but it will be a limited boost as initials are low. A Gentleman has a pretty high cost and collections could be scary as the film has not opened and the directors have an awful track record making films like Shor In The City, Go Goa Gone and Happy Ending which simply have no place in Hindi cinema. So with an opening like this and if A Gentleman has been given the same treatment as the above films then growth could be hard to come by over the weekend.
The other films like Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and Qaidi Band are your regular word of mouth films which come week in week out nowadays but with a strong holdover in Annabelle Creation and two decent ones in Toilet Ek Prem Katha and Bareilly Ki Barfi it is going to be a congested weekend and its not going to be easy to make a mark.
Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez’s A Gentleman has taken a slow start at the box office. The movie has seen an average occupancy of 15% to 20%.
The film opened at an average response because of the clash with two other films which are Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and Aadar Jain and Anya Singh’s Qaidi Band. Well, A Gentleman is expected to perform better because of the fan following of the lead actor and the buzz created by the makers with the songs and the action packed trailer. Nawazuddin’s film opened at 10% to 15% morning occupancy which is a low affair at the ticket window.
However, the afternoon and night shows might do well to show decent opening day collections because of a long weekend. The opening weekend business will be very crucial for this film since it will ultimately show its fate in the weekdays.
Jacqueline Fernandez is also seen doing some power-packed action for the first time in A Gentleman: Sundar Susheel Risky. The chemistry of Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez is the talk of the town which is one of the most interesting aspects of the film. The fresh pairing of Sid and Jackie has set the screens on fire with their sizzling chemistry.The trailer of A Gentleman: Sundar Susheel Risky has intrigued everyone to the film for the powerful action and light hearted comedy.Produced by Fox Star Studios, A Gentleman is directed by the duo Raj & D.K. The film also features Suniel Shetty.
However, The other film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is a solo starrer and it also showed a decent occupancy. It is directed by Kushan Nandy. While Aadar Jain and Anya Singh starrer Qaidi band showed a slow start.
In the wake of Dangal, they were talking glibly that 300 crore is child’s play. Now it is proving how difficult to cross even 150 crores even when wom is terrific, little opposition, critical acclaim.
I think the reviews were mixed, not overtly positive. And audience WOM is also good, but nothing great. Dont know about BOI (never care to take their commentary or numbers seriously), but TEPK’s BO is significant for quite a few reasons.
Firstly, it is a small film. Its budget is just 18 cr. One cant expect 300 cr from such a small film. The pre-release expectations were all in the range of 120-130 cr from what I have read. In that sense it has done fine by living up to expectations for a good BO hit.
Secondly, Akshay does not have any track record of delivering big grossers. In that sense this 130 odd cr of TEPK is as good as any of his other hits. The difference here is a more BO unfriendly topic like open defecation.
Lastly, Akshay has delivered a Hit in times when Salman, SRK and Ranbir’s films have suffered 40-50 cr losses each! And all these films were big productions worth 100 cr budget each. And all they did at BO was 50 cr (JJ), 60 cr (JHMS) and 120 cr (TL) business.
Forget Tepk. A bo friendly film JHMS and Salman’s TL found it an uphill task to get the numbers. What I am trying to say is it is not easy to clock up 300 and 380 crores. Not to take it for granted that every big film can reach out to those numbers. BB2 made everyone to close their eyes to reality.
Unlike the reviews, I found the second half of tepk much better than the first half. The initial love story was quite flat imo, it becomes much more interesting once it becomes topical. I think one ends up appreciating the film for taking up open defecation issue, and having its heart at the right place (or rather right intention) than anything else. Its a commendable effort overall.
I have zero tolerance for destruction of public property.
Haryana and Punjab Govt should have asked for para military forces before verdict.
India is free country but you don’t allow a convoy of 200, let alone for PM.
I pity people who have faith in such godmen. The violence is all over the place. He has follower in UP jat belt as well.
I don’t think Khattar will resign because it will give ammunition to opposition. Probably after 2-3 months he could be pushed out.
When Nirmal baba can have followers, I think anyone willing to be baba will have followers.
Hundred year down the line, all these babas will be considered God by their new followers. Even if your Baba is good, the goodness is lost in fanaticism.
Re.-But same fanaticism is shown here when commentators star is concerned.
I know I want to say to those who criticize Ajay and Akhshay for doing Singham and TEPK .. kee bhai SRK ney – ” Raees ” act/produce kee thee to help Ahmad Patel in Gujrat and Abu Azmi in Maharasthra and Owaisee in Hyderabad ..and on top of that had made a hero out of a Deshdrohee and a terrorist .
But, but but – I don’t dare say that, I just keep quiet …. merey peeche lag jaaynge yeh log !!!!
Dangal no.2 in Hong Kong yesterday.There is news today it cld be no.1.WOW.Aamir has become a pan china star.WOM there is as expected extraordinary.Huge collns awaited in Hong Kong.
Maybe Disney should look at releasing in US for the American audiences. The earlier release was for expat audience. Like Dangal found cross over in China/Taiwan/Turkey/Hong Kong, maybe it can find some takers with the goras and kalas.
A Horror Friday For Hindi Film Industry
Saturday 26 August 2017 01.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The success of Toilet Ek Prem Katha followed by the moderate success of Bareilly Ki Barfi had given the industry a lift but all that has come down with a thud today. There were five new hindi releases and the collections were a total disaster. None of these films were expected to set the box office on fire or even take an initial but the early collections coming in are a total shocker. The public has just not come for any of the films and in some parts it was a holiday but its not really an effective holiday has where it is a holiday, may people are busy with festivities. The early estimates for the new releases are as follows.
A Gentleman – 3.50 crore
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz – 1.25 crore
Muskurahatein – under 5 lakhs
Qaidi Band – under 15 lakhs
Sniff – under 15 lakhs
Basically with around 4000 screens occupied with these five films the collections are just 5 crore nett. If they come out a bit higher in the morning the number may touch 5.50 crore but even that makes it a horror Friday for the Hindi film industry.
Very apt and timely said…… In fact one is amazed how the Indian TV channels are populated with these fallacies / misbeliefs day in and out in US which supposedly houses the educated and well read….and to think one left those false beliefs for a more scientific and rationalized world !!!
India Media:
3AM to 9AM: Baba, Bhakti, Bhavishyavani, Tarot Card, Sani Shanti ke upay, Yoga se hoga.
Hailing the verdict, Bollywood actors Farhan Akhtar, Anupam Kher, Raveena Tandon, among others have praised the court’s judgement against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
Ambani’s show with top stars attending ganpati aarti.
Arpita’s Ganpati aarti somewhat with less stars.
Randhir Kapoor’s simple aarti at R.K.Studios only with his mother Krishna attending.
The last one touched my heart with its basic simplicity.
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has lashed out at self-proclaimed godmen like Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Asaram Bapu, Nityananda and godwoman Sukhwinder Kaur alias Radhe Maa and has urged the central government to take strict action against all of them.
Rishi took to social media to slam the spiritual leaders after the conviction on Friday of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.
“Attach all Dera properties and sell them to compensate the national loss by arson and vandalism. Shame Gurmeet followers. No respect for you,” Rishi tweeted.
“Frauds. Blind faith in con people. Government must punish these fraudsters. Sukhwinder Kaur (Radhe Maa), Gurmeet, Asaram, Nityananda. All criminals,” he added.
Check out your fav BOI … even as a srk fansite they have HNY at 170 odd crores, Dilwale at 130 odd crores. CE they have at 200 odd cr, whereas your fraudulent Srk/RedChillies had declared 225 cr as CE’s collections. When BOI cant defend your star’s numbers, one can guess that actual numbers are even lower than what BOI reported.
We laugh at Roshans, but we forget the Red Chillies over-reports collections by a smooth 20-30 cr, be it CE, HNY or your Dilwale.
SRK in TEPK? LOL He will spread his arms and contort his face enough to make it another flop like JHMS. He is too invested in his romantic star image to do a film like TEPK. Last time he did anything interesting was CDI, which was 10 years back.
SRK’s condition right now is such that his fans are now claiming 2.0’s Hindi business will be dictated by Rajni’s presence. Do I need to remember how much Robo1 collected in Hindi? How much was it – 15 cr?
Akshay is giving 2-3 hits for each flop that SRK is piling up. As for scale, 2.0 is the only one big production that Akshay is working in. Its collections will tell us where they stand when pitted against each other (although IMO Toilet doing twice the business of JHMS has already sealed the deal).
Wake me up when Akshay film crosses 170 crore as a leading hero by using any site you want. We won’t even get into the type superhits SRK had with DDLJ, KKHH, OSO, MHN, Chennai Express, etc because that would be way out of akshay league. So for now, let me know when akshay can pull off even something like HNY, Dilwale.
What askhay films are making which you like to call hit is considered average or flop for SRK, no?
“SRK in TEPK? LOL He will spread his arms and contort his face enough to make it another flop” Have you seen Chak De India???
Akshay is nowhere near SRK. Also, the movie business isn’t just based on indian collection, they make money overseas too. How much did JHMS and TEPK make overseas? Ask 10 producer starting a film today who would they rather have as a leading hero.
You can dwell in the past as much as you want. DDLJ, KKHH, OSO, CE or CDI are all nostalgia from the past. Smell the present, its JHMS time. As I said, wake me up when SRK does something interesting, CDI was 10 years back.
Oh yeah, the present, how much more did TEPK made then the Dilwale or Raees. Please include the world boxoffice collection too for both films. You can use any source you want.
Fact is no big producer or anybody making budget film wants akshay as a leading hero. Wake me up when somebody does 🙂
A small budget film on open defecation has done as much as SRK’s big productions like Raees and Dilwale. Haha, you really want to make this comparison? Kuch toh sharam karo!
While you are still harping about DDLJ and KKHH, why shying away from JHMS? TEPK has done twice of what SRK’s return to his strength genre has done! Just swallow it.
Marcus, there’s nothing in the numbers yet (despite all the problems SRK has had and all the obvious decline he’s been going through for years) to suggest that Akshay is ahead of him. Now if TEPK had done 175 at the very least if not more than this one could have begun that conversation. Because it would have indicated a higher ceiling for an Akshay hit. One could then have considered 200 conceivable. And so on. Those are the kinds of numbers that also bring bigger projects your way. People weren’t lining up for Salman after Wanted. They did so to an extent after Dabanng but then really a few years later when he kept putting up big numbers. Then the Yashraj productions and so on started coming in. His average production costs also went up. The subjects got a bit more ambitious too at points. But Akshay hasn’t done any of this. He was once putting up big numbers with his comedies. Not anymore. Now even the Houseful franchise or whatever doesn’t do more than what his smaller films do, even less sometimes. If SRK keeps having these kinds of failures it won’t just be Akshay who’s ahead but many others as well. At that point SRK might just not be a competitive star anymore. When Rajesh Khanna went downhill half a dozen stars were doing better than him. He just became irrelevant beyond a point even though he kept getting films steadily. That’s hardly the same debate. In any case SRK isn’t there now. To say TEPK did as much as flop films of SRK’s hardly proves anything. How much would a flop Akshay film do? TEPK did more than Tubelight as well. So what? Now it could be that two years from now Akshay has bigger grosses and SRK has had more failure or whatever. But again nothing in the numbers yet. And I’d once more say that a star who is in dangerous decline is very different from a star who’s best is still below the levels expected of a top notch star. If you just want to make it about Akshay vs SRK then you might see a time when SRK has more failures and Akshay meanwhile is still stable. But I’m not sure what this debate means. Because Akshay even in such a scenario would still be a far cry from Aamir or Salman (or whoever else is doing well at that point). Forget SRK. Despite all his failures there’s simply no way that Akshay is a bigger box office force than Hrithik at the moment. Yes Hrithik has wasted his stardom in many ways and he too might end up worse than Akshay but on most days he will get a vastly bigger initial than Akshay. I like Akshay a lot and it’s great that he reinvented himself but he also had to do this. The comedies stopped working. Not everyone can do this sort of reinvention so I give him all the credit. But most stars don’t compromise great box office numbers just to do meaningful stuff. They do that stuff in between. I’ve been talking about SRK’s decline for many years and I agree he’s reached a certain danger point now. But one can’t go crazy with this either! There must be a sense of perspective in these matters. I’m not even talking about worldwide gross or anything like that. Even in India no one would say that Akshay is bigger than SRK though his career is certainly doing better than SRK’s. It’s just that the game is not being played at the same level.
Facts are forget JHMS. Just like Tubelight. Raees (competition), Fan & Dilwale (competition) all opened much bigger than Akshay’s films. Akshay’s a hit machine but he’s not in SRK’s league (yet). Hrithik is debatable and I’m more pro the Akshay narrative; Hrithik’s gone pretty much IMHO barring drastically turning it around.
Akshay’s last run in 08 suggested more as SIK was a record opening and top grosser till RNBDJ and Ghajini topped. And he was in Tashan, a big production. Blue, Kambakht Ishq, Joker, CC2C, Action Replayy, Tees Maar Khan, Patiala House etc. He’s struggled in big projects. That is important for a star to establish in a big league. I’ll say he’s the equivalent of a guy collecting ranking points by winning ATP events but not a grand slam (yet).
great tennis analogy! Fair point on Hrithik. He’s never crossed 140 or so himself barring K3 which itself was a disappointment (most likely gross here was probably 175 or so). Would still get a bigger initial in the right film but you’re right.. he’s lost so much steam that even that proposition hasn’t been tested in a while.
Your whole argument is around JHMS. That’s like in one match Tendulkar got out for 10 runs and Afridi scored century., and you’ll claim afridi is a better batsman.
Is there a reason why no big producer or anybody making a big film wants Akshay as the leading hero? In this lies the answer.
In fact most consider akshay a non-actor with his wooden face and boring dialogue deliveries. That’s why some body making a big budget film like bajirao mastani would rather take Ranveer singh then akshay.
Salman is wooden face to but now here you have a STAR, a real STAR which akshay is not.
It is a weak argument for Akshay. It’s based on SRK being finished according to Marcus rather than Akshay overtaking him. To speculate I’m 100% sure you put either of them in D4 – SRK will open the film bigger and attain a bigger final total. I don’t think this is an upsetting result. Akshay’s getting hits and gathering success – but he’s only 2 years younger. He won’t have the time to overhaul – he’ll need an utterly ridiculous fall from SRK and a few blockbusters of his own. Right now Akshay’s a better bet but given certain projects SRK will always be more appealing box office proposition. Even if he’s obsolete he’s just not in a rat race. SRK has just fallen slowly not like Humpty Dumpty. Basically I could see SRK still getting 200 CR + in a pretty average film and for Akshay that would need to be a special film because all his recent ‘special’ films end up in 110-140 CR range. R2 won’t count as Rajnikanth will open the film and by in large without Rajnikanth I doubt Akshay’s opening the film in the North with say another hero.
People will say Thugs it’s an Aamir film and he’s opening the film – this is wrong. The Bachchan connection is paramount in opening. Again put in Anupam Kher as the Bachchan or Rajnikanth and both films mean a lot less. Just like Mohabbatein and K3G have SRK as the central character, Bachchan’s presence is equivalent for the box office.
I find it quite ridiculous that Akshay’s a bigger star than SRK. He’s got a bigger hit rate over 5 years and even next few years but give both the same film like Dhoom 4 and SRK will be the winner. It’s another thing if Akshay would ever be considered a substantial enough star to be the Dhoom villain. I guess if John Abraham was even I could. But if you make a Dhoom 4 now, to top Hrithik and Aamir you only have 2 options; SRK and Salman.
Your point on Bachchan is an excellent one for a larger reason as well and one that is not appreciated enough by people. Sometimes a star (for different reasons) can be the equivalent of an undervalued stock. The star can have enough of a history to work with given a fair enough project. In a related sense a star can have a viable future beyond what it would be for most other stars in the same position. As you’ve pointed out once Akshay started failing the big or prestige products disappeared and haven’t returned even with his very good run in recent years. The same doesn’t happen to SRK (it does relative to Salman or Aamir but not otherwise). But it’s not only about top stars. Ranbir Kapoor can survive far more with mixed or indifferent box office results than Ranveer Singh. Because the family name is an additional bit of cache for Bollywood (if not indeed the defining one for a long time). This has tangible results. Even Tiger Shroff in a first film can get an initial much better than someone with no Bollywood connections. So the genealogy has a real impact in box office terms (one reason why I find the whole nepotism argument overstated with Bollywood.. it’s definitely not a healthy system but it does depend on the audience counter-signature and hence is perversely democratic.. ultimately.. whereas if you’re Ambani’s son you inherit the business empire one way or the other.. the politics model is a bit more like the film one). Of course this doesn’t mean that Tushar Kapoor or Fardeen Kapoor can do very well. Because even here the only stars who survive for a while or who are even in the running for reinvention are those who can be taken minimally seriously as stars and/or actors. So Ranbir can be fine, even Saif, Abhishek in any case has the ultimate name (though his is also a much more complicated case for many reasons.. actually think Abhishek-Ranbir have had somewhat parallel histories.. I could even argue that Ranbir’s failures are much worse than Abhishek’s in certain ways but what separates them is the media coverage.. anyway this is a different debate.. and of course Abhishek has made some very bad calls also) but there are simply no films for Fardeen beyond a point. There still has to be something there. Leaving aside those who are huge stars whatever one might think of their acting (hrithik for example or better still Salman these days). Bachchan is of course a different deal altogether but I know some of these same silly debates have followed him online. Yeah he’s made some terrible choices or acted in too many films at times. But clearly his market isn’t adequately represented by simply his pure box office returns. And to make your point a different way why would anyone bother bringing him and Aamir together or him and SRK together earlier if he didn’t add much to the production?! Of course for everybody else (who’s not Bachchan!) the undervalued stock can remain just that. In other words a star because of bad luck or poor decisions or both can make that ‘undervalued’ bit also seem optimistic over time. Reframing all of this a bit differently all stars earn cultural currency one way or the other and then depending on the strength of that currency are viable for shorter or longer periods of time. But in a genealogy-obsessed age some people are born with the cultural currency. They then have to go out and justify it (or not) in certain ways. In some cases the cultural currency can survive despite box office failure even if it is still always a challenge to convert the former into the latter. In other cases it doesn’t because the star doesn’t really have any deep reserves in this sense. Akshay has never been a star with strong cultural currency. SRK has.
Totally undervalued stock. And when combined with a current high value stock the results can be exponential as the undervalued stock can grow faster.
Also everyone likes to play these games – what happens if Tyson fights Ali, what happens if a lion fights a tiger etc. I doubt many follow wrestling LOL, but in 2002 an aged Hulk Hogan into his 50’s fought The Rock – in realistic terms it’s a stupid fight. Much like the Dangal fight between daughter and father. But it is theatre and intriguing. Just like a UFC fighter fighting Mayweather.
If Bachchan gets a Khakee moment where he knocks out Aamir or even a slap – the audience even Aamir fans will lap it up. It’s the fantasy moment. Just like Mohabbatein – the duels between SRK and Bachchan, KANK the stone cold look of Bachchan at the dinner table etc. Thugs will need to value the stock otherwise it’ll be a waste of time.
I’ve said it loads Abhishek has been hung out to dry as the genealogy debate is most potent for him. His standard was always going to Big B, not the current. Even if he succeeded in the current, the past would always hover over him. The expectations and demands were far bigger than say a Hrithik. Hrithik is a Tiger Shroff deal – if it works then great. Abhishek whatever kind of success his judgement was Vs Big B. No star would have entered the industry with greater expectations than him. He’s not succeeded but he’s handled it with grace.
Akshay is definitely stuck in a certain range. Irrespective of genre or WOW. Whatever troubke srk might be in akshay’s not ahead by any stretch. Of course Akshay is now very stable and has surprised many with his consistency. But then his not being able to get outside his range becomes even more surprising. Now a top star can decline to the point where there are many ahead of him. But that’s a different debate. In any case Akshay hasn’t done it so far as a factual matter. But also he’s not getting the top commercial films or the most prestigious ones either. Hard to create that kind of a bang without these advantages. Add it all up and he’s a very solid star who looks good for a number of years. He’s maintained himself very well too. Better than anyone else in his generation. But he’s just not an elite star. He was still biggest as a star during his peak comedy phase when he was putting up some strong initials. That phase ran out and he could never put up those sorts of numbers again. Of course I’d take his present day career over the older phase but that’s a different discussion. The idea that he’s somehow bigger than Aamir or someone right now is the sort of idea livewire peddles when he’s sore about dangal and when his favorite doesn’t catch up with Aamir even on the 45th attempt!
Agree with your points. Akshay has done very well for himself but let’s not start talking like he is up there. The fact is no producer making a big budget film is thinking about taking Akshay as the lead hero.
I had also heard some dumb comment that Vinod Khanna was about to take over Amitabh or that he was parallel at some point.
Aamir is way above everybody else right now. not even close or worth debating. Then Salman. After that it’s a huge gap. Many will still take SRK as 3rd cause his underperformer is still at the same level as hits of most other stars.
Seriously?? u really wish to use this word for straight shooting here. For once honor the catch phrase of your blog ‘truth or cinema’…. Both Jolly LLB 2 and TEPK may not have ended as a perfect storm at the box-office but I doubt anyone else but Akki would be able to get the nuances so right within this brief period of time he gets in between the movies.
This just today from Salim Khan whose interview I will post here soon –
” …And yet Akshay Kumar has managed to successfully update his image.
I have to say for Akshay Kumar that the way he has improved as an actor is something that no one else has been able to. The journey that he has covered is almost impossible to imagine. Today he is an actor who can tackle every kind of subject. Other actors like Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan and Salman have also improved over the course of their careers, but none like Akshay…”
@Satyam – I dont think anyone is claiming that Akshay is now a bigger star than what SRK once was. The point is that SRK has steadily declined to a current point where Akshay is much more successful than him. And thats what is making our resident SRK fans v upset.
The point about SRK’s underpeformers doing more than Akshay’s hits is a moot one right now. It may have been true till HNY. But right now JHMS is doing half the business of TEPK. A bitter pill to swallow for srk fans.
The reason Akshay’s BO is having a threshold is mainly because he is working in small productions. As you said, he is still not getting the biggest productions despite his consistency. I think he is himself a bit upset about it and has talked about still not getting his due in the industry. That being said, next year is going to be different with 2.0 and Gold. Of course Padman will do good if it does 100 cr, but the other 2 are bigger projects.
Personally I feel Akshay is in the best phase of his career with Hits/Supehits in Airlift/TEPK/Special 26/Baby etc than his Khiladi or comedy phase. He is exactly where one would expect one’s favorite star to be in, rather than doing silly romcoms as a 50 yr old.
Livewire’s comparison of Akshay with Aamir is a bit of his usual nonsense.
One thing is certain though: Aamir’s status has grown so much over the years that he has become comparable to or even better than Bachchan in terms of box office.
While Bachchan’s peak was in the years 1973-1985 as such, Aamir has been delivering hits and classics through the 90s, through the 2000s and now into the 2010s. He is unfavourably clubbed into the Khans club whereas the reality is he is the undisputed star.
When history will write itself years from now, Aamir should easily be regarded as one star actor who was better than anyone ever seen, with remarkable consistency that only got better with time.
Filmography wise Aamir is ahead than Bachchan. Amongst all Bollywood stars ever, Aamir’s distinction will be that his films have longer shelf life than any other. Its actually degrading that he is clubbed with the likes of SRK and Salman because of a common surname.
Although, personally I like Aamir out of all the names, Big B delivered some massive hits and in volumes too…..Aamir has chosen better products (film as a whole) and thus he has shone as a good actor….Big B was a one-man-show and is in his own league…..while it is tempting to compare both but it would be unfair to both at the same time…..for eg, most of the ppl consider Dilip Kumar as a better actor….for me, personally, Big B was far better than him – an actor and a star…..so it is subjective…..so if i have to be ruthlessly honest here (despite being aamir-fan), I would say that Big B is a bigger and better actor/star than Aamir but Brand-Aamir has taken over Big B brand….of-course I am saying about Big B’s hey-days here….today, Big B can not give big BO hits….but that will apply to Aamir also maybe after 15 years…..
You’re quite wrong on the filmography. Bachchan in the 80s became the one man industry and most of the films are poor but in the 70s he has some of the finest films ever made in Bombay movie history. From multiple films with Hrishikesh Mukherjee to a number of Salim-Javed scripts. Then there’s Desai and Mehra and others. His films are absolute legends. Actually even a lot of the lesser stuff is legendary by this point. Of course even in the 80s Bachchan still has some fine films (though sometimes his lesser stuff is now more celebrated!) but nothing comparable to the riches of the 70s. You can even begin such a comparison let alone justify it. I am myself the greatest fan of Aamir’s work since Lagaan but a lot of it is also remarkable relative to the age, not in an absolute sense. Lagaan is certainly an all-time classic, Talaash and MP are both important films in my view (and will probably stand the test of time better than some of his proper hits). DCH is one of the very influential films of Bombay history. There’s TZP or RDB and so on. A very impressive list for sure but not by 70s standards. Or for that matter by 50s standards. In the very same sense a lot of the Bachchan films that have been greatly celebrated over the last 15 or so years from Black to Paa to Piku to Pink or whatever are achievements at one level or the other but I wouldn’t dream of comparing them to his best work from an older period (neither the films nor his performances). I’d place Khakee and Dev over all these films, maybe even Aks. Again to be clear Aamir dwarfs everyone else in terms of his film choices since Lagaan (barring none) but one can’t get carried away with this. In the 70s many other actors had some very fine films too. Now in terms of shelf life sometimes these things can be tricky too. One must separate critical opinion from popular favorites. For example Shammi Kapoor’s films have had more of a shelf life for a number of years than Dilip Kumar’s. Doesn’t mean they’re better films. Incidentally don’t agree that he’s ahead of all other Bollywood stars either. Don’t be so quick to celebrate the present. You’re still living in it! I do think Aamir has some unique achievements as a star-actor. His judgment is easily the best I’ve ever seen. What he has done since Lagaan across a variety of genres without really failing is equally singular. And he’s only adding to that history. But this is a different kind of claim than the one you’re making. Here’s a good analogy. DiCaprio has worked with most of the top Hollywood directors, has mostly done meaningful cinema one way or the other, he’s the top star-actor in so many ways but does he really have anything comparable to DeNiro either as an actor or in terms of the films? Probably not. Of course DeNiro at his peak was mostly doing quality stuff too but DiCaprio will probably maintain a certain quality in later years as well. Something DeNiro didn’t. I am not going to extend this comment otherwise I’d repeat some stuff from the past. About how Bachchan is Bollywood history-as-such in the present age.
I am always surprised at the omission of AKS and NISHABH as one of his finer and if not finest performances in 2000s. [AKS was in 2000 I think.]
AB owned AKS even though he had a formidable opponent in MB. Together, they were one bloody volcano engulfing the audience’s minds. That police-station scene where Bachchan and Manoj converse about soul and the goodness/evil in being present in the same human being is a bloody gem. Purists can puke, but this scene is FAR better than the scene in the restaurant in HEAT where Pacino and De Niro face-off for an almost 10-minute scene.
AB was extremely good in NISHABDH. Contrary to what RGV feels–he feels he owes AB an apology for making him act as a ‘weakling’ in NISHABH–that is one of the greatest performances ever as a septugenarian’s will to enjoy life and love being rekindled by an 18 year old. [watch from 31 to 35 and to 40 time-frame]
Wowwww , Have to watch AKS again … its been ages, and your recommended 7 minutes made me so much high ….. AKS is clearly bachchan’s one of top 3 performances post his comeback.
I am a big fan of Bachchan’s acting and most of his films in the 70s, but I dont enjoy his films from ‘one-man industry’ phase in 80s. This is actually a premature debate because Aamir is still scripting his own story as a star-actor and is work in progress. He is also interested and invested in film direction and production, so I see him active in some capacity or another for next 2 decades too. He will leave behind an unique story of his own IMO. We are still living through it, lets see where it goes. Then we can come back to this debate.
of course even in that phase he has some remarkable films like Shakti or Lawaaris or Bemisaal (some would include Silsila as well). Then there’s Shaan, one of Hindi cinema’s coolest films along with Qurbani. There’s Desai’s hugely enjoyable Naseeb (his last great film). I am myself the biggest critic of this phase not least because I find the 70s so much greater. Even Namak Halal which is a rather thin script is an extraordinary act of improvisation, even by Bachchan’s lofty standards. I’m still not a fan of his 80s but it’s always about the comparison. Just as the other day I was saying the same about Raj Kapoor. He’s a titan. No actor-director in Indian movie history is greater than him. One of the greatest stars of his age. Also one of the greatest directors ever. That’s a unique combo!
I would even take lesser stuff like Kaalia, Yaarana over 99% of the garbage being dished out today.
I don’t think Dangal is brilliant, It’s a well made film but there’s nothing in it. It has enough masala cliche moments. The problem now is just about everything else is so subpar (trashy) that when something like dangal comes across, it makes a lot of money.
Most films now, either first half or second half or the whole movie is boring.
I don’t get it, I think most makers now don’t have a full script ready or changes a lot of stuff half way thru where the film becomes uneven.
Bollywood’s single biggest weakness since the late 70s has been poor scripts. Over the last 15-20 years many things changed for the better but not scripts. Most films that are even half-interesting seem based on concepts that haven’t been followed through with scripts. No one can overcome this deficit. Even the greatest stars are just better in better scripts. Things have reached such a point that people on blogs often attack stars for getting hits out of better scripts! On dangal I agree it’s no Lagaan. However we also live in an age where every other film gets overrated or where every other performance is celebrated and so on. Till that honest conversation comes about with respect to all those other films one cannot talk about Aamir. Some of his films might be getting overrated but sone of the other stuff shouldn’t be getting any kind of rating ! Which is more or less the point you’re making. In fairness writing has suffered the world over inasmuch as commercial cinema has become much more about FX or constant action/stunts or whatever. But yeah bollywood is particularly bad with scripts. Even the basics they don’t get right.
I agree lot of crap is dished out today, but times have changed. The entertainment world is now far bigger than just movies in today’s times. And I am sue there must be crap dished out in 70s too but no one watches them today. Anyways, my point is these 2 eras are not comparable. And Aamir and Bachchan are definitely not comparable. Even as actors, forget about stardom. AB was far bigger star than Aamir in every aspect. But Aamir has today the respect of audience that no one in bollywood history had. As actors, they are so different. Aamir relies so much on homework and has built his skill with lot of deep understanding of acting and film making, he is actually unreal. AB relied on lot on his raw talent which he he had in abundance. Aamir frankly speaking isn’t the most talented actor to begin with. He had some skills to start with and lot of sincerity in his early performances but he himself has told that he isn’t the most gifted actor and I agree with him. And that is why is success as an actor (forget BO and stardom) is unbelievable. He has defied all odds.
Watched WIND RIVER. Highly recommended: It’s akin to soaking in that whiskey on a warm fall night. Slow but highly effective and involving. Nothing extraordinary about the story but a very well made movie soaking in atmospherics..
After HELL or HIGH WATER and WIND RIVER, Taylor Sheridan is slowly becoming another fav after Denis Villeneuve, though the former has to cross many a mile before catching up to the latter.
Nice read and apart from Anees Bazmee, Sajid I connect with sajid’s humor both at TV level and few of his movies of the past…. He makes a valid point on recent hindi movies – ” …The content has to be correct and it can only reach a wider audience when the songs are popular. And songs are popular when people sing it and not hear it in the background. Heroes have to do what heroes do and not what common people do…”
Aamir is all praises for Amit Trivedi for music of Secret Superstar and though I like him better than the rest but even that Main Kaun Hoon is much below par and just going through the motion kind of track…..and until he gave a song like below which touches our hearts instantly, SS has no meaning for me as a song movie. It will be hollow and fall apart the way Rockstar with Ranbir came and went unnoticed which really had potential to be a real Blockbuster of our times –
Here in the song below don’t know if its Jatin Lalit’s musical brilliance or Kavita Krishnamurthy’s voice or just plain presence of iconic Salman’s dapper look, but this song is magic in whichever era it is played –
Love Khamoshi’s songs. But even with such good music the movie was a big flop. Music plays important role in a musical, but first the movie has to be good.
The big night is finally here…..one of the most-hyped boxing match of our times and perhaps of the decade. I am wishing for Mayweather for a 50-0 record…btw raise your hands if your not buying the fight but on twitter instead.🏻 🙂 #MayweathervMcgregor
It was clear Mayweather would win. He’s simply pound for pound the best boxer strategically ever. I say it loosely as in he’s masterful in the ring. His planning and strategy is stunning. He is defensively unbreakable.
McGregor did well though. 10 rounds for a first timer against a great is an achievement and vindicated the huge hype for the fight.
I’m sure Mayweather wouldn’t last long in a UFC octagon.
Mayweather, who is generally a defensive boxer, was extra conservative this time. IMO the team didn’t want to make mistake of letting any lucky hits land knowing Mc Gregor’s punching power that could cause an upset. It was important, partly due to the fact that boxing’s reputation is at stake should the things go wrong. At the same time they know Mc Gregor(MMA fighters in general) don’t have the cardio fitness to last more than 3-5 rounds. So as per the strategy they let him be the aggressor in the first few rounds. After which he was pretty much a human punching bag.
If this was against an offensive minded boxer like Pacquiao or some of the younger boxers, the fight wouldn’t have lasted 5 rounds.
Dangal is earth shattering in Hong kong.Saturday is double of friday.Shows wld be increasing.WOM is like China/Taiwan only as expected.1M$ should be done in 1 week.It’s not a 3-4 week market but rather 20-25 weeks market plus released on only 46 screens and 1.3cr collns on saturday is nothing short of a miracle.Highest Indian grosser 3I there wld be beaten by a margin.2.95cr in only 3 days.
#Dangal – HONG KONG
Thu HK$ 668,336
Fri HK$ 791,338
Sat HK$ 1,554,860
Total [incl previews]: HK$ 3,601,431 [₹ 2.95 cr]. TERRIFIC!
@Rentrak
Satyam,plus it hit no.1 spot on it’s 3rd day in Hong Kong against Bad Genius which had 2.5 times more screen.2nd weekend is expected to be higher than Ist weekend and strong weekdays.Almost all shows today r hosefull only with advance.LT cldn’t be predicted now but should surely be 5M$+.
Pan China(Mainland+Taiwan+Hong Kong) should also hit 200M$ today.
China=193.1M$
Taiwan-6.4M$
Hong Kong-0.55-0.6M$.(Expected after today).
The other important thing about the numbers from this part of the world (especially China) is that you have non-Indian populations engaging with the film. Everywhere else in N America or the UK or Australia/NZ or sometimes elsewhere in Europe you have essentially Indian populations watching this stuff 99% of the time. This whole story has been greatly exaggerated for years. Yes Bollywood has a much greater cultural presence in all of these markets but it’s because of Indian demographics. Whether I saw a SRK film in the 90s or something more recently in the very same markets the population was still all Indian (or subcontinental). With maybe exceptions here and there. No real appreciable difference in this sense. But the East Asian numbers are truly interesting (and they’ve been so in the past at a smaller level.. Rajni became a cult in Japan, Black did well in S Korea and so on) because here there is the genuine possibility (and now reality) of non-Indians buying into the Bollywood thing. Now Dangal is still probably exceptional in this sense but it always takes an important moment like this to open the doors. Secret Superstar once more isn’t a bad followup at all. Again everyone can relate to these reality shows. Bollywood has done well in the past in some of these regions but the scale here is something else altogether.
I agree to most of the points made by u.But i believe Aamir has really crossed over in China(Pan China in fact).Even if Dangal didn’t had such WOM,it wld have still done close to 50M$ in China.Even PK with average WOM did 20M$ 2 years back and Chinese market has grown much bigger now.U can even see that in weibo following of Aamir which is more than few HW stars.It’s just that Dangal has done something beyond anything ever.Rajini in japan is exageratted,i think his movies didn’t do that much.Black in Korea is bit surprising but still total(5.5M$) is still not out of the world.3I did 3.1M$ there and Dangal should do much more even Korea and Japan are still not Aamir’s fort like Pan China(not even remotely close).Secret Superstar poster/trailer was posted on weibo and had an overwhelming response.To be honest,he has genuine following over there but that doesn’t open doors for others.Even Aamir took long time for this following with consistently great movies which resonated with Pan chinese audience.
Yes it cld do 5M$+ in Hong kong.Plus i m hearing there cld be a special release for few more countries.It cld hit 2100cr probably even 2200cr is possible.Dangal ka WW record wld be like Fevicol ka jod hai tootega nahi.
It’s administrator is China and thus a region of China. But has a high level of independence from China. Same as with Britain before. Think of it as one country but two systems. Same applies to Macau.
It’s considered a country though I suspect China doesn’t agree. It’s complex, it is not controlled by China whereas Hong Kong – certain aspects are and Hong Kong is on a year 50 year lease agreement that expires in 2047 (then in theory China can have control given integration and Hong Kong agrees). Taiwan is a country. I don’t know the history in depth but Taiwan is a country governed by the republic of China which is exiled – it’s like a rebel state. As Satyam says China would take over if not for the UN.
Anyway they all have separate box office figures for Dangal and they have different teams for the Olympics – I’d take that as indicators that China doesn’t own them (yet).
Technically Taiwan (or Republic of China) claims to be the legitimate ruler of all of mainland China as well (yeah lotsa luck with that!). It’s not as crazy as it sounds though. After the civil war in the 40s this was where Chiang Kai-Shek was forced to disappear to after constantly losing territory on the mainland to Mao. Eventually both countries came into being and both claimed they were the rightful representatives of all of China. Of course the history of Taiwan (known as Formosa once) is also a tangled one. Wasn’t always Chinese. There was colonial rule here, the Chinese came in eventually, the Japanese had it more or less for the first half of the twentieth century. But yeah China doesn’t agree it’s a separate country at all.
In HK there has always been considerable unease about this. First around the time the British lease ended. China then played it smartly with a new lease but it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t try for greater integration when it ends. Unless of course China happens to be weaker at that point (for whatever reason) and doesn’t want to push things. And of course Macau faces the same issue a couple of years later.
The way I understand China needs to grow a lot and be in a position for integrating Hong Kong and Hong Kong will need to oblige too. It’s 30 years and a lot can happen socially & economically to derail what China obviously wants.
Dangal’s Asian box office figures are stunning. There is still Japan to come. No doubt these records will only be beaten with China or US and India doing something remarkable.
@Jayshah,Leave alone China or US, even China and US may not be sufficient enough along with great nos. in India.As u can see BB2 has done an impossible no. in India and even US no(20M$) is huge plus other traditional markets r huge as well.Still BB2 is 400cr+(62M$+) short of Dangal.We have to keep in mind Non-Aamir movies wldn’t much in china,even US has a ceiling as it is basically a NRI Market.More than US,It’s China which is important for this miracle.
To sum up,u need more than a miracle to beat Dangal WW no.
This no. is probably impossible to break unless a next universal Aamir movie arrives.This no. can only be beaten by a universally accepted Aamir movie.
Great chance for Federer to win his 20th slam at US open. Most top ranked players are out due to injuries – Murray, Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nishikori, Raonic. Only Nadal is standing tall as #1 rank and seed, and there is a possible Federer-Nadal semis which might turn out to be the virtual final at Flushing Meadows.
But Fed himself is coming from a back injury. These sort of injuries reappear. Let’s see how this tourney shapes out and who will go into the second week.
He strained his back during Montreal final, and I think he skipped Cincinnati as more of a precautionary measure than being injured. Should be able to pull through next couple of weeks, but you never know. Competition could have been tougher. But lets see.
IF Federer wins it will be his fourth time winning 3 slams in a year (04, 06 and 07) – equal top for male or female. He’s top for male, only Djokovic has 2. It’s very tough. Will need to see his form to predict how deep he can go in the tournament.
He’s like Mayweather, if he’s fit his experience of a tennis court is enough to make him one of the favourites.
Salman Khan wants his films to be remade and these are the ones
ByBollywood Hungama News Network
Aug 28, 2017 – 12:12 pm IST
While many actors believe that some originals should remain untouched, we have superstar Salman Khan who has no qualms if his films are remade or even if another actor is playing his role. With the new version of his 90s comedy classic Judwaa slated to release next month, Salman also expressed his desire to see the remake of two of his other films – Love and Sooryavanshi.
The film titled Love featured Salman Khan opposite his film Phir Milenge’s director Revathy. As the name suggests, the romantic drama featured two lovers who reunite against all odds and fighting back all obstacles. Salman Khan recently stated that he can see Varun Dhawan doing a good job in a film like Love if it is to be remade in contemporary times. Interestingly, Varun Dhawan is also the leading man in Judwaa 2, which has him in a double role for the first time.
Yet another film that Salman Khan spoke about was Sooryavanshi that featured him opposite Amrita Singh [the former wife of Saif Ali Khan]. Even though the film failed miserably at the box office, Salman Khan believes it would work in today’s time. Adding that we should just tweak the story a bit, the actor mentioned that the film was way ahead of its time but now it will fly.
INTERVIEW
Salim Khan on the ‘poverty of talent’ in Bollywood, ‘Tubelight’ and the death of the reading habit
‘We don’t have writers of any calibre and that is because people have forgotten how to read.’
by Indu Mirani
Published 9 hours ago Updated 9 hours ago.
“….You just referred to Salman Khan’s image and therefore its limitations. Is this good for an actor?
All over the world, leading men of stature have had images. Actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood have done the same roles all their life. Raj Kapoor was always a simpleton. If Tarzan wore clothes or James Bond didn’t romance women, they would not be who they are.
As for Salman, it’s not as if he is a character actor so he can fit into any role. He is a star, so he has to live with his image.
Is the audience getting fed up of stars? Recently they have rejected the films of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.
The reason for this is very simply that we have been making bad films. And the cause is that we just don’t have writers of any calibre and that is because people have forgotten how to read.
In my time everyone read books, recommended them to one another. We visited bookshops, read bestsellers as well as books related to the craft. Most people don’t even read the newspapers they subscribe to. Often when I am passing Salman’s door [Salman lives on the ground floor and his family occupies the first] I knock on the door and ask his staff to take in the papers.
I had recently written a 10-page tribute to Raj Kapoor, which I was very happy with. But most of the people I gave it to didn’t read it even though it was just 10 pages. So I made an audio version of it and now everyone who listens to it is full of praise for it….”
There are many gems in that interview which ring a bell…. and frankly this grounded dad proves Salman is in good hands for future….
a must read for movie ‘enthus’ –
You have said that if a director’s worth emerges after his third film. Why is that?
Because everyone has experiences in life for material for three films. It is after that that his creativity can be recognised.
++
Would your angry young man Vijay be relevant today? And who among today’s actors could play him?
He will always be relevant because he fights for justice. There will always be the fight between good and evil so he will always have a relevant story. As for actors, there is so much of poverty of talent in the industry today, it is impossible to name any one.
What do you mean when you say poverty?
Let’s talk about today’s filmmakers. What is their inspiration? Invariably it is Mother India, Ganga Jumna, Pyaasa, Salim Javed films, Bimal Roy and BR Chopra films. But they don’t make films of that standard. Their excuse is that they don’t want to make those types of films. But the fact is that they can’t make those films. They have made this out to be a virtue.
++
What does the industry need to do to come out of its slump?
Very simple: we need to make good films. What filmmakers seem to have forgotten is the importance of the screenplay. They focus on the story. Very frankly, if we had narrated the story of Deewaar to anyone, we would have been thrown out of the office. What made it exceptional was the screenplay.
++
Which of your films would you like your grandchildren to see?
I have written a lot of films good, bad and ugly and many have been super successful, but real creative satisfaction has come with Deewar, Zanjeer, Sholay, Shakti and Don.
While the blog endlessly haggles for the top gun, Salman completes 29 years staying within this top zone throughout this duration…a remarkable feat of resilience by any standards !
Dangal 1st Weekend Box Office Collection in Hong Kong
08/28/20179
Aamir Khan’s Dangal is rocking at the Hong Kong box office. The film has grossed HK$ 5,218,521 in its first weekend. It is the highest opening weekend grosser for an Indian film.
This is an extraordinary achievement as Hong Kong is a non-traditional market and the film was only released in 46 screens. The word of mouth is excellent so the screen count will increase. Dangal will soon beat 3 Idiots lifetime collection in Hong King to become the highest Indian grosser.
Day 1: HK$ 668k
Day 2: HK$ 811k
Day 3: HK$ 1.57 m
Day 4: HK$ 1.57 m
Total: HK$ 5.21 m (4.26 cr)
With Dangal, Aamir Khan has now emerged the biggest global superstar from India.
Ajith Kumar starrer Vivegam is earning accolades worldwide despite mixed reviews from critics.
The Tamil-language Indian spy thriller movie which collected Rs 66 crore worldwide during the first two days has broken a new record.
Its first weekend collections have surpassed SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion at the Chennai boxoffice.
While Baahubali 2 collected Rs 3.24 crore in the three-day first weekend, Vivegam collected Rs 4.28 crore in first three days of its release. Vivegam released on August 24 (Thursday) has earned Rs 5.75 crore for four days weekend in Chennai.
The movie features Ajith Kumar as primary lead, with Vivek Oberoi, Kajal Aggarwal and Akshara Haasan playing the supporting roles. The film’s background score and soundtrack were composed by Anirudh Ravichander, whose soundtrack album released on 7 August 2017. Cinematography has been handled by Vetri and editing by Anthony L. Ruben.
The film which released in over 3000 screens worldwide was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore. The movie saw massive advance bookings for the weekend. Vivegam tracks the life story of an Interpol officer (Ajith Kumar) and a set of events that in his life. The film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi and Akshara Haasan in pivotal roles.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion which was released on April 28 has Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Ramya Krishnan in lead roles.
Directed by SS Rajamouli, the movie was made at a budget of Rs 250 crore.
The film has grossed an impressive Rs 5.22 Cr in four days from CBO and is the highest ever opening weekend record. It’s mainly due to higher ticket rates following GST.
The sudden developments that happened over the past few days have raised questions whether the upcoming film Baadshaho, scheduled to release this Friday on September 1, will be postponed. On August 25, after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was pronounced guilty in a rape case by a special CBI court in Panchkula, his supporters went berserk and resorted to violence. It left many injured and spread a wave of fear in the North, especially in Punjab and Haryana. Yesterday, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. The situation is still tense and releasing a film at such a time can affect the box office prospects.
On the other hand, the Bombay High Court yesterday forced the makers of Baadshaho to drop the reworked version of the song ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ from their film after a case was filed by the makers of the 1975 film Deewaar, in which the original song was used. Trimurti Films, the producers of Deewaar, moved court last week claiming that they have the copyrights over the music and lyrics of ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’. The Baadshaho team argued that they took the rights from Universal but it was later realized that Universal had limited rights of the said track, for sound recording alone. As a result, ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ was dropped from the film and pulled out of all networks.
Removing a song from a film just four days before release can lead to delay in dispatching prints overseas and even in the country. But when contacted, Baadshaho producer Bhushan Kumar denied that the action drama would be delayed for this reason. He said, “Why would Baadshaho get postponed due to ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’? It was a promotional song and it was never a part of the film.”
And when asked about the situation up North, Bhushan Kumar said that a decision would be taken soon but until then, the film shall release as scheduled on September 1. He said, “It’s a wait and watch situation as of now. From what I have learnt, the situation is improving up North. Also, the tension is relegated to only a few towns. Major centers like Delhi aren’t affected.”
This is an unrecognisable team. Hope is having the match of his life. Joe Root made an attacking declaration but his team mates aren’t use to this. Cook would make sure a loss is impossible. But this is way more fun.
I’m not watching it but BBC are saying this is one of the greatest test matches ever!
It’s all about Hope (!) going forward. Let’s see. Apparently he’s the first guy ever to score two centuries in a match (any kind of first class) at Headingley.
Root’s intentions were right. He’s misunderstood English cricket. Strauss and Cook were defensive captains and the team & bowlers especially will be use to this. Root’s way will take time. It is aggressive and he maybe could have ensured a draw first. Now he has risked drawing or losing a series England should always win.
England should have really gone hard post tea. Moen did but someone else needed to put the foot on the gas and setup a target around 380 or so…you always want to make sure that the other side CANT win the match. Great job by WI….anytime a team gets 300+ in the 4th inning is some achievement.
I prefer the safety first approach. Test matches are played for 5 days. And it is better to ensure no loss first. With the team England has there is no excuse for losing.
This is Root’s predicament. His predecessors have been labelled as quite negative captains and he’s trying to reverse that. He maybe went to quickly – if the 2nd and 3rd innings scores were huge 400’s it was always possible for a 322 chase. If anything England were complacent and thought West Indies would choke. He’ll learn but I do think his intentions were right.
For West Indies the win only means something if they draw or win next match. Otherwise they are still a seesaw team with random moments of brilliance.
Meanwhile Bangladesh are close to beating Australia too!
Problem is they’ll probably think this was their career and go back to playing rubbish again. Blackwood took of his helmet to hit winning runs and got out. LOL!
True! Their structural problems seem so extraordinary though I’d be surprised if anything special happened for them despite this result. It’s possibly the greatest mystery of cricket. How a team could get this bad so quickly. It’s not just about being a weak team. They don’t even play like professionals most of the time. Then again perhaps this win becomes a transformational moment. I doubt it but who knows! In any case enjoying it greatly. I too didn’t see the match.
Post match interview suggests some concerns for the back. He’ll get better as long as the injury goes. A bit of match time is good now rather than a QF.
His back seems to be fine, else he would not have successfully slogged through 5 sets. However, his current form is a question mark. Hope it improves as the tourney progresses.
Though Federer appeared tentative at times, he said he “was never in pain,” although he was worried about how his back would hold up.
“I don’t think I had the preparation I was hoping to get,” Federer said. “Since Montreal, [the] focus has been more on the back, making sure I can play the tournament rather than being well-prepared. I always knew I was going to come in feeling rusty or not great. I was hoping to start better. I really struggled early on.
“I think Frances connected well. I just really kind of lost my footing sometimes. My eye wasn’t working. I was misjudging distance. I think I was also being a bit cautious with my movement. Then in the second set I think it all started to come together.”
I just think a player is vulnerable after coming back from injury. It’s different practicing and playing in a match. I’m not saying he’s in pain. It’s probably at the back of his mind. It will take a bit of time. Even the Australian open he lost a set in the first match, won a set 7-5. So it was not convincing. Wimbledon he was as fit as possible and didn’t drop a set. US open following an injury that can impact movement, shots etc its not surprising to have rust. He’s through, his form should pick up.
Massive rains in Mumbai – emergency declared by Mumbai – any kind of films running in theaters – with whatever little prospects they had – are gone – atleast for next 10 days, no chance
The third installment of Race is making more noise than any of the previous films in the franchise. This time Abbas Mustan have stepped down to make way for Remo D’Souza to take over the reigns of Race 3. And the filmmaker has managed a casting coup of sorts by getting Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan together in his film.
According to a report in BollywoodLife, Big B has been approached for the film, and if things go as planned, Khan and Bachchan will be seen together after a gap of almost 9 years.
A source was quoted as telling the website, “Amitabh Bachchan has been approached for Salman Khan’s Race 3. And it seems that Big B is pretty thrilled and has no apprehensions working with Salman.”
Twice the size? Bachchan’s in both so you’re implying Salman is twice the size of Aamir? Maybe the belly but you’re on crack again. And months of whining on Bachchan’s acting – all of a sudden your making bold statements again.
Was Yash Chopra really a great director? He made few very important films which meant something at the time the movie was released or even today such as Dharamputra, Waqt (one of first lost/found family masala film), Deewar (modern version of Ganga Jumana), Trishul, Chandni, Darr, etc… Some of his movies were driven by solid script of Salim-Javed and he always casted solid actors.
But as I think about it more, I don’t think he ever was a director that took ordinary script and made a great film out of it. Think Parampara, JTHJ, Faasle and some others.
Where as someone like Manmohan Desai took ordinary script and made a great entertaining movie out of it.
I’ve always felt he’s completely overrated. The only really great films he’s made are the salim-javed scripts and even here he doesn’t really have an individual signature (though salim-javed always gave him great credit for rewriting Trishul). His truest instincts always lay with the kabhi kabhie or silsila kind of film and those are far inferior. I do gie him credit for making some enjoyable commercial films in different decades and he also tried his hand at different genres but despite some iconic films in this sense he wasn’t a great director in the signature sense.
He was the director of fairy-tale romance……Chandani showed SriDevi’s so many talents that it is a text-book film for any actress….DTPH was a mad film and SRK was at his peak and delivered…..music again was a strong point in YRF – he had an ear for music…..all his heroines look like goddesses on the screen….but once he turned loyal to SRK only – all the sheen was gone…..then we had mediocre films from him…..that is after Darr and DTPH….but then he retired also – the last one JTHJ was ok…
but he has delivered some fantastic films as a director earlier:
– Waqt
– Ittefaq
– Daag
– Deewar
– Kabhi Kabhi
– Trishul
– Kala Patthar
– Silsila
– Mashaal
– Chandani
– Lamhe
– Darr
– DTPH
– VZ
– JTHJ
– These films in a span of 30+ years and then he has 42 titles to his credit as a producer…..
After 2000, as a producer – he had big money spinners:
– Mohabbatein
– Dhoom series (1,2,3)
– Hum Tum
– Bunty aur Bubli
– Salaam Namaste
– Fanaa
– Chak de India
– RNBDJ
– Band Bajaa Baraat
all of this is Aditya Chopra. Even on the films Yash Chopra directed beyond a point Aditya Chopra had an important hand. He reworked DTPH quite a bit at the time.
There are others too. He started his career with a hit in Dhool Ka Phool. He also did the interesting Dharmaputra. But as I’ve said earlier he was only distinctive as a director when he did romance (though his entire romance world including the obsession with women dressed in white comes from Sangam) and those films are simply not as good as the Salim-Javed scripts. He’s a significant commercial director, to be more than this you need something more. Survival itself doesn’t imply greatness otherwise we’d have to call Jeetendra one of Hindi cinema’s greatest stars. Sometimes directors who make a few fine films are way better than those who have a lot of good commercial entertainment for 30 years. In the 70s though I’d easily take Hrishikesh Mukherjee over him as well.
My absolute favorite is Trishul (actually my favorite film in the world) but yeah Kaala Pathar is up there. Again a film that is pretty good in terms of the landscape it represents but again Sippy would have been extraordinary with this setting.
Remember watching Salim Khan’s interview where he talks about watching the trial of Trishul and feeling devastated at the results. He said the semi-final product was not what they had envisioned .
He then along with Javed rented a room at the Taj and brainstormed and suggested the ambulance scene before a fight throughout the movie to redeem the movie.
speaking of his romances though I’ve always found Kabhi Kabhie completely overrated. Prefer Silsila for certain reasons (in some ways this film represents the very peak of the Yash Chopra aesthetic) but it’s ultimately a rather flawed film. Chandni still holds up well, I’ve always liked Lamhe though I wish he’d made this with Bachchan rather than Silsila at the time. DTPH is still enjoyable in that frothy sense. VZ is a bore and the less said about JTHJ the better. Within this list and relative to the director’s aims Chandni might be his most successfully realized effort. But of course it doesn’t have anything like many of the best moments from Kabhi Kabhie or Silsila. Oh by the way he also made Faasle in the 80s in roughly the same genre. Very missable film (though more respectable than his appalling Trishul redo in Vijay).
I am not a fan of any YC movie with SRK. Darr is way overrated IMO with SRK hamming in the entire movie (even when he is not doing kkkkiran). DTPH, VZ, JTHJ are all meh. His ear for the music is amazing though. I also think that YC got lucky that he had Aditya Chopra taking over YRF otherwise he would have gone the Subhash Ghai way.
Silsila would have been a classic but for the lame Climax.
The poetry in Kabhi- Kabhi is just too good though .
My Fav YC Films-
Trishul, Kala Pathhar, Waqt, Kabhi-Kabhi , Silsila and Darr.
I always liked Yash Chopra and preferred him to Manmohan Desai or a Prakash Mehra due to inadvertent classiness he brought to his projects. He may have been aided by Salim-Javed scripts but his direction was impeccable.
Maybe it was the impressionable age thingy but gosh few of the scenes in his movies left an indelible mark on our psyche esp those father– son scenes in Trishul. Thank god for SRK who undid some of the damage to those relationships in DDLJ and Barjatya via Salman. On another note what an expression / impact the term ‘Mother’ had in the Indian setting while growing up and it was mostly due to ingrained movies of those times….
yes but all those scenes you’re referring to are about great writing and great performances much more than great direction. Both Desai and Mehra had strong signatures. You couldn’t confuse them with anyone else. Ramesh Sippy was of course a class apart in the ‘auteurist’ sense (at least in Sholay). If Sippy had directed Deewar you’d have seen a much more visually interesting film. It already has a certain moody ambience. Nothing wrong with it but it’s not an auteur’s effort.
@”Didn’t know you went for the ‘classiness’ thing. With all the Salman stuff you love. Sorry.. couldn’t resist it..!”
If you ask me within my circle, during his time Bachchan was a cruder version than what Salman is at the moment…At Least Salman continues to be largely popular within the multiplex settings at this point in time….I have no idea where Bachchan movies of late 70s/early 80s would stand…. Even though he was amazingly popular the aristocracy never granted him his dues and in many ways he was considered sadak chaap with those ‘phod daalega’ dialogues. Sometime back I had posted a longish comment why it wasn’t considered cool to have watched a Bachchan movie and talk about it openly..…..
I clearly remember we were aboard (not U.S) when Bachchan movie after lull of 80s was coming…… Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Jaadugar and being a movie freak my desperation to get those video cassettes was visibly embarrassing and I walked a thin line between class and mass…
It’s only when in 90 when we returned back and suddenly I noticed the North campus of Delhi with all these upscale St Stephens, Hindu, SRCC were all excited for a Jumma Chumma
(amazing drums before the song started ) and somewhat openly embracing Bachchan…… but it was short lived and Kimi Katkar with those garish lipstick ruined the song……..rest is all history of new India where people were less pretentious and started to level up …..
Your first paragraph is pretty hilarious.. but then you’ve always displayed (at least online) only the most tangential connection with reality (of any kind)..
The above ‘sadak chaap’ comment HAS to be the MOST hilarious one of all to-date; really haven’t had a 2 minute long laugh in months like this….
And people ‘somewhat’ embraced Bachchan…in HUM!!! I still remember a line in ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA that distributors made money that they could rest their asses on for 10 years…Here’s an example..
I am happy you guys at least read my comments. I thought I just post with no one noticing.
Rocky the change in India with respect to Hindi movies and universal appreciation had begun with Shaheshah and cable TV later. This is not a comment on Bachchan’s acting / standing / popularity with those movie and he was miles ahead of what we see today….but there was always hesitancy among the ritzy lot….infact watching hindi movies itself was not a done thing in those circle they way it is today. I was replying to Satyam on his class comment wrt to Salman and I may not have been able to put it properly as such but the essence is there…..
Re. – infact watching hindi movies itself was not a done thing in those circle they way it is today.
Oh I remember changing the Cassette to play English songs as soon as we saw a girl approaching . LOL !!
Aside- Saw Blue Lagoon and Tarzan at Chankaya totally censored , they were both big hits back then.
I still remember standing in queue for a ticket for KNPH at Eros in South Mumbai and I am talking about 2000s. South Bombay is full of yanks and Sydenham and few other colleges in Churchgate area famous for hotness quotient. Q if he has lived there for a while will attest to that… 🙂
This particular dame was shameful in even naming the movie when buying the ticket. Maybe it was too embarrassing for her to say Kaho Na Pyaar Hai ki ticket de do….. she kept repeating yeh waali picture ki do ticket de do ( pointing to the poster ) …..it’s another matter she wanted to check out Hrithik who became an instant sensation / talked about and was a hot property not to be missed by even the swankiest….
Bachchan’s competitors (from those days) will be very surprised to learn that the true A center audiences or those frequenting the most prestigious theaters weren’t watching his films. The same for those who made fortunes selling his tickets for exorbitant rates in black. You say such strange things that it’s hard to keep up with you. Truly!
Now one could have a debate on the ideological impact of the angry young man and the resistance he generated in certain quarters. I’ve written tons of words on this in the past. But this is quite different from saying ‘hey people weren’t showing up’! It’s an utterly crazy claim. No star in the world can become that huge without people with the deepest pockets participating. The Salman example is fairly typical. When he became hot enough everyone started showing up. In most cases they probably don’t like the films very much (looking at the trending) but they all show up. everyone doesn’t show up for Rowdy Rathore (which is why it has a lower ceiling). Of course Bachchan’s trending was also the very best so even that bit doesn’t apply to him. But honestly you really say some crazy stuff. Just as a matter of common sense could any star become that huge or deliver those kinds of grossers just relying on people who are at much lower ends of the economic ladder? The reverse is certainly possible in certain situations. We know it as the Bollywood system for most of the last 20 years or more. Multiplexes or high end theaters driving the market and so on. The reverse just isn’t possible. It’s like saying a 500m or 600m grosser in Hollywood makes that much without some of the key demographics in major cities participating!
I’ll say this finally. Your devotion to Salman and the arguments you construct every which way around him and against others from Bachchan to Aamir to support him really makes most other star fanatics seem totally reasonable. There’s a difference between even the most devoted fan and the fanatic. The latter simply loses contact with reality.
@”There’s a difference between even the most devoted fan and the fanatic. The latter simply loses contact with reality.”
In my opinion the difference lies in the writing skills and admittedly you simply have a way with the words…. ( something which works as a magnet to bring folks likes us to read your esteemed blog )
otherwise, tbh I am the one who is more grounded as far as realism and writing on the wall is concerned 🙂
If one remembers even within a city this segregation of classy and massy movies was pretty visible and only certain cinema would play such and such movies. Heck yes, within Bachchan films itself a Yash Chopra film would take up elitist cinema halls of the city and the Coolie & Ganga Ki Saugandhs would be relegated to say a ‘Nishaat’ type theaters. All this ‘gentry’ and ‘commoners’ was deeply imbedded in our psyche when it came to movies and it’s only the 90s which made the lines go blurr…..and that is why I say in 90s a new unpretentious India emerged which started to embrace hindi movies which coincided with the aspirational aspect of our nation.
Sadly now with all these multiplexes and demolition of single screen cinema, the same thing is in reverse and footfall due to ticket pricing has kept commoners out of this movie going equation and only few like Salman connecting at both levels.
Livewire – Sallu Bhai Dil mein aata hai , Samajh mein nahee !!
He is well liked in general by the Dil of Hindustan. However for him to even dream of being in the same league as Bachchan in terms of both masses as well as classes – well let’s just say -keep dreaming !!
Of course not Rocky. Totally unfair if not blasphemous. Just yesterday I was watched Kaalia song on TV – Jahaan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai and his personality, hairdo, dance, voice in hey days of his superstardom way beyond anything seen on Indian screen.
But times and settings change and though we can revere his memory but cannot live by that genius alone.
No one is asking you to be so alone in any sense! But I’d pick better company than Salman! On that note here’s the ultimate test of loyalty for a Salman fan:
1)Would you sit in the car with Salman driving? (you’d have to own up to whatever he did)
2)Would you walk on the street with Salman driving nearby? (well I don’t need to spell this one out)
I went to SRCC and have seen his fan following…
The only thing good about Stephens was their Canteen’s , No sorry – “The Cafeteria’s ” Minced meat cutlets and scrambled eggs !!
The girls were there only …LOL
Aside- A young white guy recently joined our office , was talking to him and said he found his wife at Match.com, he goes – he got tired of visiting bars to pick up girls…
I thought to myself- how is match.com different from arranged marriages …lol
In my defense of Yash Chopra I should add the money making part may have overtaken some of the sheen……JTHJ / RNBJ etc were all designed to cash in….only VZ had substance and very well written…..in fact the last Bachchan movie I connected and felt sad when he were told he and hema were no more….excellent movie by any standards !
Tuesday>Monday for Dangal in Hong Kong as i conveyed yesterday.It wld cross 1M$ in HK today.HK is having population of mere 70Lacs.Today it is again topping the BO chart there.3I (3.02M$ LT) collected 1M$ in HK in 7 weeks,Dangal in less than 1 week.HISTORIC.
#Dangal is all set for RECORD RUN in Hong Kong… Mon HK$ 735,402 Tue HK$ 791,982 Total [incl previews]: HK$ 6,998,957 [₹ 5.71 cr]@Rentrak
Ajay Devgn’s collaboration with Rohit Shetty is no big news. The Bollywood BFFs have been in collaboration for a long time now. One of the films being the Singham franchise. Ajay has been known to masses for his acting chops in Singham and its sequel.
But now, we have been informed that it is not Ajay but Sunny Deol who will be the lead in the film’s third installment. And reportedly, Sunny even called Ajay to inform him that the film will not be called Singham 3 but S3.
“But before signing the film, Sunny called Ajay and told him he is doing it. He also told Ajay he won’t use the name Singham anywhere. Ajay was cool with it,” a source informed.
Well, we can’t wait for Sunny to take charge of the film now.
Boxofficeindia
The big release of the week is Baadshaho which has a good Hindi film look about it and rustic characters with the problem probably being its a heist film. The look and characters are a huge plus for many circuits but its in these circuits that films generally work on emotion and in a heist film it will take some very good writing to get the emotion part correct. The concept of heist has not really worked much in India, even a big star cast film like Khakee a decade or so back could not do the business despite being a very well made film. This film may not be comparable in terms of cast but it is on similar lines in terms of genre. http://bit.ly/2wkcee9
The film has another plus of a super hit song with Mere Rashke Qamar and it is Bakri Eid over Friday and Saturday which should help collections. So basically the film has many plusses but also one big negative hanging over and it remains to be seen if the plusses can overturn the negative. Baddshaho is a mass action film so the first day has to do well as an upturn for these films is tough. The business in the multiplexes of A centres like Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana etc is crucial as if the film works in these then it will work irrespective of how the metros fare. The single screens in these cities are likely to open but its the multiplexes in these cities which is the key for Baadshaho.
The other release is Shubh Mangal Saavdhan which is on the lines of Bareilly Ki Barfi but is more of a concept film than that one which was a general rom-com film. The film has no face value so the opening is not happenning but if the film is liked by the target audience then it has chances of going past Bareilly Ki Barfi as being a concept film the metro business can easily exceed Bareilly Ki Barfi.
A Technician Dies Tragically On The Sets Of Anushka Sharma’s Pari
The shooting was at Korolberia under Leather Complex police station, where this sad incident occurred.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 31, 2017
A lighting department technician passed away on the set of Anushka Sharma’s upcoming release Pari on Tuesday. Reportedly, the man named Sh. Shahabe Alam came in contact with a live wire and died of electrocution on the sets.
This unfortunate incident came to light when the police officials revealed about the same. The man who was a technician apparently came in touch with a live wire during the outdoor shoot of the movie in South 24 Parganas district and lost his life. The shooting was at Korolberia under Leather Complex police station, where this sad incident occurred.
Bollywood News
Dilip Kumar Instructed To Pay 20 Crores By Supreme Court In A Realty Case
It is said that a real estate firm entered in an agreement with Dilip Kumar way back in 2006.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 31, 2017
On Wednesday, Supreme Court instructed the veteran actor Dilip Kumar to submit 20 crores to a real estate firm to get back his land. Court restored possession of the said land which is of 2,412 square yards. It is located in Bandra in Mumbai.
It is said that a real estate firm entered in an agreement with Dilip Kumar way back in 2006 to develop the property but no construction to took place. The hearing was headed by a bench of Justices J Chelameshwar and S Abdul Nazeer. They turned down the plea of Prajita Developers Pvt Ltd for enforcement of the agreement. They appointed its former judge Justice P Venkatarama Reddy as an arbitrator to examine the situation.
Members of the bench had a conversation with TOI. They said, “We do not also see any justification for the demand of the Prajita for the specific performance of the agreement. In the circumstances of the case, we are of the opinion that permitting the continuance of the suit for specific performance of the agreement which is more than a decade old against a person from whom Prajita secured the development rights of the property in dispute which ultimately would enable Prajita to 25 per cent of the monetary value of the development potential as against the right of the appellant who is entitled for 75 per cent of the monetary value of the development potential would be unjust,”
It has been said that the firm promised to complete the construction within two years but nothing was done. After this, the actor approached the court to get his property back. He had also received of Rs 8.5 crores approximately from the company in interest. To get the back the possession of the land, the actor has to pay Rs 20 crores to the firm.
While he was last seen in Bareilly Ki Barfi, we are all set to see Rajkummar Rao playing the man opposite popular actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Fanney Khan. The National award winning actor is undoubtedly excited about sharing screen space not just with the former beauty queen but also yet another star, the evergreen actor Anil Kapoor in the film.
Earlier, there were reports about Madhavan being a part of the film. Reportedly, there was a fight that brewed between the makers owing to the choice of the man who will romance Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the film. It seems that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who is a co-producer of Fanney Khan, wanted to bring in Madhavan for the role whereas Aishwarya was keen on getting Rajkummar Rao on board. Although co-producer Prernaa Arora rubbished the same adding that no actors ever interfere in the casting process, now it seems that the sudden replacement of Madhavan has further added fuel to the speculations.
Anil Kapoor spotted in a new look for his film ‘Fanney Khan’ at BBlunt SalonFanney Khan
On the other hand, Rajkummar Rao is more than happy to be a part of the film and described it as a great story and appreciated it for being detailed and different yet entertaining. He also asserted that he will be attending a lot of workshops and readings once he returns from Poland where he is shooting for the web-series ‘Bose’.
Furthermore, Rajkummar also revealed that he is friends with the producer Prernaa Arora of KriArj Entertainment and that they have been contemplating on collaborating for a while as they have been discussing films quite often. From what we hear, Rajkummar was informed of bagging the role for the film just two days ago. However, the actor refused to talk about any further details of the character.
According to previous reports, Fanney Khan is an adaptation of the 2000 Dutch film Everybody’s Famous! and it is being said that the makers have given their own Indian twist to the story. Also, the film marks the directorial debut of Atul Manjrekar.
Blue Whale challenge: 17-year-old Russian girl, alleged mastermind, arrested
A 17-year-old Russian girl has been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind behind the deadly Blue Whale Challenge, that encouraged players to commit suicide.
The teenager, who has now been arrested, allegedly threatened her victims that she would murder them or their families if they did not complete the tasks that were set.
The Blue Whale Challenge targets those who are depressed and turns suicide into a thrilling game. After signing up, the ‘players’ are set tasks for 50 days, that include self-harm, watching horror movies alone, carving a whale on their arm. Their final task on the 50th day is to kill themselves. The twisted challenge has been linked to more than 130 suicides around the world.
Russian police released footage of a raid on the teenager’s house in far-east Russia, where they found portraits of Philipp Budeikin, a Russian psychology student who is behind bars after he confessed to inventing the challenge. Budeikin was sentenced to 3 years in a Russian prison.
According to the Russian police, the 17-year-old girl initially played the game but did not complete it by taking her own life. Instead, she turned into an administrator on the site, where she incited others to complete tasks.
Read more
“This administrator was sending particular tasks – often life-threatening – to each of several dozen members of the group,’ the Daily Mail quotes Colonel Irina Volk, of the Russian Interior Ministry. “In contrast to similar groups, teenagers in this group were blackmailed with death threats against them or their relatives for not completing the tasks.”
In July this year, Russian police had nabbed a 26-year-old man accused of being the brain behind a suicide cult resembling the Blue Whale challenge. Ilya Sidorov, arrested from Moscow, was accused of encouraging vulnerable young children harm themselves and eventually commit suicide.
As per a leading daily, Shah Rukh Khan recently spoke about the verdict of Ram Rahim’s sentencing during the shoot his upcoming talk show ‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch’. He said, “The director will perhaps not like it as it’s not part of the show, but I am happy to say Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced.”
The report further suggested that since this could lead to controversies and violence, the show might refrain from airing this particular quote said by Shah Rukh. ‘Ted Talks India: Nayi Soch’ will follow the international format wherein the speaker will present their talk for 18 minutes in front of 100 people.
Kangana Ranaut is known for fearless attitude and one who doesn’t believe in mincing her words or either being politically correct. The ‘Queen’ actress has courted a number of controversies on a personal and professional front. In a recent interview with Filmfare magazine, the star spoke on the topic of extra-marital relationships.
When questioned why strong and successful women fall for married men, Kangana said, “Well, you have to add ‘young’ to successful and strong. When you’re young, you tend to believe the sob story of a married man when he tells you ‘my wife beats me’. If a married man, who is persuading me, gets a minute alone with me, he will say, my wife is this evil bitch and I am this poor person’ and how the one who is sitting in front of him is his saviour. Women have to stop falling for this bulls**t, this crap. This is not the truth at all. Do you think I’ll buy that now? No way. I have not yet met a happy married man in my life. No matter what the age is. At some point, post 25 years of age, you don’t buy this. But when you’re between 15 and 25 the natural tendency of a young woman is to fall for someone who could be an ‘ideal husband’ forgetting that he’s already a husband.”
Not to miss, Kangana has confessed that she is not looking for love as an artiste needs to be in love forever.
Over the last decade the Indian film industry has reinvented itself.
Do film critics need to do that too, asks Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal is a funny, breezy film.
It takes you on a tour of Europe with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in an unusual story about the search for her engagement ring.
The first half grabs you and keeps you there, though the second sags a bit.
It was, however, an enjoyable watch and I walked out of the packed theatre smiling but puzzled.
Why had critics panned it so much?
Following the critics’ lead, social media has been full of negative comments even while the film crossed Rs 100 crore in gross box office collections in its first weekend.
Not surprisingly, it is doing very well in the overseas market. Khan has a huge global fan base and over half the overseas revenues Indian films made in the last 20 years have come from the ones that star him.
This, however, is not about Jab Harry Met Sejal. But about the role of a film reviewer or film critic.
Going by critics I wouldn’t have watched Jagga Jasoos, Jab Harry Met Sejal or Agent Vinod — all fun films.
And I should have liked the terribly over-rated Bajirao Mastani and Hindi Medium.
Sometimes I agree with them. Anaarkali of Aarah and Dangal are superb films.
There was never a low phase in my career: Ajay Devgn
08/31/20175
Actor Ajay Devgn is set for his multistarrer film Baadshaho. Talking about working with contemporaries, he says there was never any insecurity in his generation but that does not seem to be the case with the young stars today.
Filmmaker Rohit Shetty reportedly said his ‘Ram Lakhan’ remake fell through, because the male actors were insecure about working together. When Ajay was asked about it, he said.
“I don’t know why that’s happening. You have to ask them (young actors not doing two-hero film). But I think they are taking their career and work too seriously. You can stand in a frame with someone and shine. Why fear it? When you shine with somebody, you reach greater heights.”
Ajay says the major difference between actors today and his generation is that they never took their work as seriously as the young stars do.
“We never took our work seriously at all. Honestly speaking, for the first 15-20 years of our life, we didn’t. I was very lucky that I never had to struggle. But I did work hard. As the industry kept evolving, the audience kept changing, our mindset (towards work) also kept changing.”
Ajay Devgn also said that he has not really faced a bad phase. “There was a point when I was doing too much work. So, I cut down on my work. That’s how the whole process started and it became a system with everybody, doing one film at a time.”
“I was pushed into acting any which way. My first film started when I didn’t want to do it in a way. It was a superhit and there was no looking back after that, no struggle. When I look back… In 26 years, I think there must have been one or two years where I didn’t have a hit, otherwise if one didn’t work, the other did. There was never a low phase.”
SATYAMSHOT 
August 25, 2017 at 3:10 AM
Suprisingly QB is receiving positive reviews. BMB mixed. No review so far for AG.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:17 AM
A Gentleman And Others Open To Poor Response
Friday 25 August 2017 12.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
There were five Hindi releases which opened at the box office today and all opened poorly. The five films were A Gentleman, Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Muskurahatein, Qaidi Band and Sniff. On top there were two Hollywood releases with The Hitmans Bodyguard and The Dark Tower which also did not open well though the former was much better than the latter.
The main release of the week is A Gentleman which opened to 10-15% occupancy on average and this is despite it being an action film. The next best was Babumoshau Bandookbaaz which was 8-10% but on lower volume of screenings than A Gentleman.
It is a regional holiday on Friday for Ganesh Chaturthi which should help collections of all releases in places like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra but it will be a limited boost as initials are low. A Gentleman has a pretty high cost and collections could be scary as the film has not opened and the directors have an awful track record making films like Shor In The City, Go Goa Gone and Happy Ending which simply have no place in Hindi cinema. So with an opening like this and if A Gentleman has been given the same treatment as the above films then growth could be hard to come by over the weekend.
The other films like Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and Qaidi Band are your regular word of mouth films which come week in week out nowadays but with a strong holdover in Annabelle Creation and two decent ones in Toilet Ek Prem Katha and Bareilly Ki Barfi it is going to be a congested weekend and its not going to be easy to make a mark.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:30 AM
Koimoi
Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez’s A Gentleman has taken a slow start at the box office. The movie has seen an average occupancy of 15% to 20%.
The film opened at an average response because of the clash with two other films which are Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Babumoshai Bandookbaaz and Aadar Jain and Anya Singh’s Qaidi Band. Well, A Gentleman is expected to perform better because of the fan following of the lead actor and the buzz created by the makers with the songs and the action packed trailer. Nawazuddin’s film opened at 10% to 15% morning occupancy which is a low affair at the ticket window.
However, the afternoon and night shows might do well to show decent opening day collections because of a long weekend. The opening weekend business will be very crucial for this film since it will ultimately show its fate in the weekdays.
Jacqueline Fernandez is also seen doing some power-packed action for the first time in A Gentleman: Sundar Susheel Risky. The chemistry of Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez is the talk of the town which is one of the most interesting aspects of the film. The fresh pairing of Sid and Jackie has set the screens on fire with their sizzling chemistry.The trailer of A Gentleman: Sundar Susheel Risky has intrigued everyone to the film for the powerful action and light hearted comedy.Produced by Fox Star Studios, A Gentleman is directed by the duo Raj & D.K. The film also features Suniel Shetty.
However, The other film Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is a solo starrer and it also showed a decent occupancy. It is directed by Kushan Nandy. While Aadar Jain and Anya Singh starrer Qaidi band showed a slow start.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:31 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/baadshaho-gets-clear-censor/
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:38 AM
Toilet has done 122-124 cr in 2 weeks. It should cross 130 cr from here. This is a clean Hit at BO after a while.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:43 AM
In the wake of Dangal, they were talking glibly that 300 crore is child’s play. Now it is proving how difficult to cross even 150 crores even when wom is terrific, little opposition, critical acclaim.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 4:51 AM
I think the reviews were mixed, not overtly positive. And audience WOM is also good, but nothing great. Dont know about BOI (never care to take their commentary or numbers seriously), but TEPK’s BO is significant for quite a few reasons.
Firstly, it is a small film. Its budget is just 18 cr. One cant expect 300 cr from such a small film. The pre-release expectations were all in the range of 120-130 cr from what I have read. In that sense it has done fine by living up to expectations for a good BO hit.
Secondly, Akshay does not have any track record of delivering big grossers. In that sense this 130 odd cr of TEPK is as good as any of his other hits. The difference here is a more BO unfriendly topic like open defecation.
Lastly, Akshay has delivered a Hit in times when Salman, SRK and Ranbir’s films have suffered 40-50 cr losses each! And all these films were big productions worth 100 cr budget each. And all they did at BO was 50 cr (JJ), 60 cr (JHMS) and 120 cr (TL) business.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 5:15 AM
Forget Tepk. A bo friendly film JHMS and Salman’s TL found it an uphill task to get the numbers. What I am trying to say is it is not easy to clock up 300 and 380 crores. Not to take it for granted that every big film can reach out to those numbers. BB2 made everyone to close their eyes to reality.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 7:14 AM
Tepk is a v average film (saw it recently). Its lucky to have done this 130 cr odd imo.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:21 AM
Unlike the reviews, I found the second half of tepk much better than the first half. The initial love story was quite flat imo, it becomes much more interesting once it becomes topical. I think one ends up appreciating the film for taking up open defecation issue, and having its heart at the right place (or rather right intention) than anything else. Its a commendable effort overall.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:48 AM
Boi made fun of Dangal’s collection as chillar comparing it to BB2. Why are they not doing the same for Tepk?
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 5:35 AM
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/dera-sacha-sauda-chief-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-case-verdict/liveblog/60216499.cms
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 25, 2017 at 9:10 AM
Justice after long!
Can’t believe people like him exist. How can they even have followers?
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:46 AM
The judges are really brave. We need more of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 25, 2017 at 10:28 AM
Khattar should be forced to resign …
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 12:08 PM
I have zero tolerance for destruction of public property.
Haryana and Punjab Govt should have asked for para military forces before verdict.
India is free country but you don’t allow a convoy of 200, let alone for PM.
I pity people who have faith in such godmen. The violence is all over the place. He has follower in UP jat belt as well.
I don’t think Khattar will resign because it will give ammunition to opposition. Probably after 2-3 months he could be pushed out.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 12:39 PM
Media also regularly features these Babas which enhances their ego and stature.
Asaram has a cell mate now…
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 1:00 PM
They get patronage from Political class.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Deciphering-dera-politics/articleshow/10849962.cms
When Nirmal baba can have followers, I think anyone willing to be baba will have followers.
Hundred year down the line, all these babas will be considered God by their new followers. Even if your Baba is good, the goodness is lost in fanaticism.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 1:03 PM
But same fanaticism is shown here when commentators star is concerned.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 1:22 PM
Re.-But same fanaticism is shown here when commentators star is concerned.
I know I want to say to those who criticize Ajay and Akhshay for doing Singham and TEPK .. kee bhai SRK ney – ” Raees ” act/produce kee thee to help Ahmad Patel in Gujrat and Abu Azmi in Maharasthra and Owaisee in Hyderabad ..and on top of that had made a hero out of a Deshdrohee and a terrorist .
But, but but – I don’t dare say that, I just keep quiet …. merey peeche lag jaaynge yeh log !!!!
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:16 AM
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 25, 2017 at 9:17 AM
Waiting for this one.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:23 AM
Will be Akshay first movie to cross 150 crore, finally.
Of course not as a leading hero of the film.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:31 AM
Ya, it can do 200 cr (Hindi) also – just like SRK managed to do once with CE.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 1:14 PM
Difference is SRK was the lead hero of CE.
SRK also has happy new year which did 200 and Dilwale which did 150.
2.0 may do 300 crore I think, with/without akshay. akshay is not the lead here.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 11:49 PM
Hny did 200 cr and dilwale did 150 cr? Lol those are fraud numbers from srk and red chillies, everyone knows that.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 9:58 AM
Well, take any Boxoffice source you want, I’m sure CE, HNY, Dilwale have better collection than any of akshay film. Let me know what you find out 🙂
Just like SRK is nowhere near Salman/Aamir in BO right now, sameway, akshay is nowhere near SRK.
Put akshay in JHMS and SRK in TEPK, what do you think will happen?
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 2:56 AM
Jumbo is Akshay film.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 1:41 PM
This is a must watch in Theatre. The sets and action sequences looks to be cool just from little they’ve shown here.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 2:52 PM
I don’t like Akhshay Kumar’s looks here ..
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:43 AM
The rise and rise of Akshay Kumar
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/rise-rise-akshay-kumar/
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 25, 2017 at 10:02 AM
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 25, 2017 at 10:27 AM
Superb…..
Shaan did not live up to expectations but still was a big hit.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 10:22 AM
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 10:48 AM
Awesome, it is doing well in Turkey too. Dangal! Dangal!
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 10:42 AM
Dangal no.2 in Hong Kong yesterday.There is news today it cld be no.1.WOW.Aamir has become a pan china star.WOM there is as expected extraordinary.Huge collns awaited in Hong Kong.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 10:43 AM
I meant it cld be no.1 today.This is as historic as it gets.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 10:47 AM
https://twitter.com/DeepakBisht2014/status/900886091762413568
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 11:36 AM
Who is this women with Nawaz in the above picture ?
Has a lot of Namak !!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 25, 2017 at 12:05 PM
Bidita Baag.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 12:40 PM
Thanks Saurabh.. Behtareen bhalo Bidita Baag
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 3:24 PM
Dangal rocks at the Turkey and Hong Kong box office
https://www.bollyarena.net/dangal-rocks-at-the-turkey-and-hong-kong-box-office/
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 10:22 AM
This film has realky struck a chord everywhere.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 11:06 AM
Maybe Disney should look at releasing in US for the American audiences. The earlier release was for expat audience. Like Dangal found cross over in China/Taiwan/Turkey/Hong Kong, maybe it can find some takers with the goras and kalas.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 9:41 PM
A Horror Friday For Hindi Film Industry
Saturday 26 August 2017 01.30 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
The success of Toilet Ek Prem Katha followed by the moderate success of Bareilly Ki Barfi had given the industry a lift but all that has come down with a thud today. There were five new hindi releases and the collections were a total disaster. None of these films were expected to set the box office on fire or even take an initial but the early collections coming in are a total shocker. The public has just not come for any of the films and in some parts it was a holiday but its not really an effective holiday has where it is a holiday, may people are busy with festivities. The early estimates for the new releases are as follows.
A Gentleman – 3.50 crore
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz – 1.25 crore
Muskurahatein – under 5 lakhs
Qaidi Band – under 15 lakhs
Sniff – under 15 lakhs
Basically with around 4000 screens occupied with these five films the collections are just 5 crore nett. If they come out a bit higher in the morning the number may touch 5.50 crore but even that makes it a horror Friday for the Hindi film industry.
LikeLike
August 25, 2017 at 11:41 PM
Very apt and timely said…… In fact one is amazed how the Indian TV channels are populated with these fallacies / misbeliefs day in and out in US which supposedly houses the educated and well read….and to think one left those false beliefs for a more scientific and rationalized world !!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 26, 2017 at 2:13 AM
Hailing the verdict, Bollywood actors Farhan Akhtar, Anupam Kher, Raveena Tandon, among others have praised the court’s judgement against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/gurmeet-ram-rahim-farhan-akhtar-bhumi-pednekar-and-other-celebs-hail-verdict-against-rape-accused/story-gQHUSF7TOfQQVEljXa1MDJ.html
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 4:56 AM
Dangal wave in Hong Kong.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 9:36 AM
Aamir’s’ popularity in Turkey
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 6:28 AM
Ambani’s show with top stars attending ganpati aarti.
Arpita’s Ganpati aarti somewhat with less stars.
Randhir Kapoor’s simple aarti at R.K.Studios only with his mother Krishna attending.
The last one touched my heart with its basic simplicity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 26, 2017 at 8:42 AM
TEPK has crossed 125 cr on 3rd Friday. Radhe Radhe! 🙂
https://www.bollyarena.net/toilet-ek-prem-katha-3rd-friday-box-office-collection/
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 8:55 AM
After Toilet, next two small budget films – SS and Padman – will also cross 125 cr business.
https://www.bollyarena.net/padman-will-be-as-entertaining-as-sholay-r-balki/
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 10:01 AM
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has lashed out at self-proclaimed godmen like Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Asaram Bapu, Nityananda and godwoman Sukhwinder Kaur alias Radhe Maa and has urged the central government to take strict action against all of them.
Rishi took to social media to slam the spiritual leaders after the conviction on Friday of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.
“Attach all Dera properties and sell them to compensate the national loss by arson and vandalism. Shame Gurmeet followers. No respect for you,” Rishi tweeted.
“Frauds. Blind faith in con people. Government must punish these fraudsters. Sukhwinder Kaur (Radhe Maa), Gurmeet, Asaram, Nityananda. All criminals,” he added.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 10:31 AM
Check out your fav BOI … even as a srk fansite they have HNY at 170 odd crores, Dilwale at 130 odd crores. CE they have at 200 odd cr, whereas your fraudulent Srk/RedChillies had declared 225 cr as CE’s collections. When BOI cant defend your star’s numbers, one can guess that actual numbers are even lower than what BOI reported.
We laugh at Roshans, but we forget the Red Chillies over-reports collections by a smooth 20-30 cr, be it CE, HNY or your Dilwale.
SRK in TEPK? LOL He will spread his arms and contort his face enough to make it another flop like JHMS. He is too invested in his romantic star image to do a film like TEPK. Last time he did anything interesting was CDI, which was 10 years back.
SRK’s condition right now is such that his fans are now claiming 2.0’s Hindi business will be dictated by Rajni’s presence. Do I need to remember how much Robo1 collected in Hindi? How much was it – 15 cr?
Akshay is giving 2-3 hits for each flop that SRK is piling up. As for scale, 2.0 is the only one big production that Akshay is working in. Its collections will tell us where they stand when pitted against each other (although IMO Toilet doing twice the business of JHMS has already sealed the deal).
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 10:37 AM
The above comment was in reply to Z’s comment.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 9:52 AM
Wake me up when Akshay film crosses 170 crore as a leading hero by using any site you want. We won’t even get into the type superhits SRK had with DDLJ, KKHH, OSO, MHN, Chennai Express, etc because that would be way out of akshay league. So for now, let me know when akshay can pull off even something like HNY, Dilwale.
What askhay films are making which you like to call hit is considered average or flop for SRK, no?
“SRK in TEPK? LOL He will spread his arms and contort his face enough to make it another flop” Have you seen Chak De India???
Akshay is nowhere near SRK. Also, the movie business isn’t just based on indian collection, they make money overseas too. How much did JHMS and TEPK make overseas? Ask 10 producer starting a film today who would they rather have as a leading hero.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 11:56 AM
You can dwell in the past as much as you want. DDLJ, KKHH, OSO, CE or CDI are all nostalgia from the past. Smell the present, its JHMS time. As I said, wake me up when SRK does something interesting, CDI was 10 years back.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 8:56 AM
Oh yeah, the present, how much more did TEPK made then the Dilwale or Raees. Please include the world boxoffice collection too for both films. You can use any source you want.
Fact is no big producer or anybody making budget film wants akshay as a leading hero. Wake me up when somebody does 🙂
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:50 AM
A small budget film on open defecation has done as much as SRK’s big productions like Raees and Dilwale. Haha, you really want to make this comparison? Kuch toh sharam karo!
While you are still harping about DDLJ and KKHH, why shying away from JHMS? TEPK has done twice of what SRK’s return to his strength genre has done! Just swallow it.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 10:27 AM
Marcus, there’s nothing in the numbers yet (despite all the problems SRK has had and all the obvious decline he’s been going through for years) to suggest that Akshay is ahead of him. Now if TEPK had done 175 at the very least if not more than this one could have begun that conversation. Because it would have indicated a higher ceiling for an Akshay hit. One could then have considered 200 conceivable. And so on. Those are the kinds of numbers that also bring bigger projects your way. People weren’t lining up for Salman after Wanted. They did so to an extent after Dabanng but then really a few years later when he kept putting up big numbers. Then the Yashraj productions and so on started coming in. His average production costs also went up. The subjects got a bit more ambitious too at points. But Akshay hasn’t done any of this. He was once putting up big numbers with his comedies. Not anymore. Now even the Houseful franchise or whatever doesn’t do more than what his smaller films do, even less sometimes. If SRK keeps having these kinds of failures it won’t just be Akshay who’s ahead but many others as well. At that point SRK might just not be a competitive star anymore. When Rajesh Khanna went downhill half a dozen stars were doing better than him. He just became irrelevant beyond a point even though he kept getting films steadily. That’s hardly the same debate. In any case SRK isn’t there now. To say TEPK did as much as flop films of SRK’s hardly proves anything. How much would a flop Akshay film do? TEPK did more than Tubelight as well. So what? Now it could be that two years from now Akshay has bigger grosses and SRK has had more failure or whatever. But again nothing in the numbers yet. And I’d once more say that a star who is in dangerous decline is very different from a star who’s best is still below the levels expected of a top notch star. If you just want to make it about Akshay vs SRK then you might see a time when SRK has more failures and Akshay meanwhile is still stable. But I’m not sure what this debate means. Because Akshay even in such a scenario would still be a far cry from Aamir or Salman (or whoever else is doing well at that point). Forget SRK. Despite all his failures there’s simply no way that Akshay is a bigger box office force than Hrithik at the moment. Yes Hrithik has wasted his stardom in many ways and he too might end up worse than Akshay but on most days he will get a vastly bigger initial than Akshay. I like Akshay a lot and it’s great that he reinvented himself but he also had to do this. The comedies stopped working. Not everyone can do this sort of reinvention so I give him all the credit. But most stars don’t compromise great box office numbers just to do meaningful stuff. They do that stuff in between. I’ve been talking about SRK’s decline for many years and I agree he’s reached a certain danger point now. But one can’t go crazy with this either! There must be a sense of perspective in these matters. I’m not even talking about worldwide gross or anything like that. Even in India no one would say that Akshay is bigger than SRK though his career is certainly doing better than SRK’s. It’s just that the game is not being played at the same level.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 28, 2017 at 1:00 PM
Facts are forget JHMS. Just like Tubelight. Raees (competition), Fan & Dilwale (competition) all opened much bigger than Akshay’s films. Akshay’s a hit machine but he’s not in SRK’s league (yet). Hrithik is debatable and I’m more pro the Akshay narrative; Hrithik’s gone pretty much IMHO barring drastically turning it around.
Akshay’s last run in 08 suggested more as SIK was a record opening and top grosser till RNBDJ and Ghajini topped. And he was in Tashan, a big production. Blue, Kambakht Ishq, Joker, CC2C, Action Replayy, Tees Maar Khan, Patiala House etc. He’s struggled in big projects. That is important for a star to establish in a big league. I’ll say he’s the equivalent of a guy collecting ranking points by winning ATP events but not a grand slam (yet).
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 28, 2017 at 2:08 PM
great tennis analogy! Fair point on Hrithik. He’s never crossed 140 or so himself barring K3 which itself was a disappointment (most likely gross here was probably 175 or so). Would still get a bigger initial in the right film but you’re right.. he’s lost so much steam that even that proposition hasn’t been tested in a while.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 5:34 PM
@Marcus,
Your whole argument is weak, in fact very weak.
Your whole argument is around JHMS. That’s like in one match Tendulkar got out for 10 runs and Afridi scored century., and you’ll claim afridi is a better batsman.
Is there a reason why no big producer or anybody making a big film wants Akshay as the leading hero? In this lies the answer.
In fact most consider akshay a non-actor with his wooden face and boring dialogue deliveries. That’s why some body making a big budget film like bajirao mastani would rather take Ranveer singh then akshay.
Salman is wooden face to but now here you have a STAR, a real STAR which akshay is not.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:01 AM
It is a weak argument for Akshay. It’s based on SRK being finished according to Marcus rather than Akshay overtaking him. To speculate I’m 100% sure you put either of them in D4 – SRK will open the film bigger and attain a bigger final total. I don’t think this is an upsetting result. Akshay’s getting hits and gathering success – but he’s only 2 years younger. He won’t have the time to overhaul – he’ll need an utterly ridiculous fall from SRK and a few blockbusters of his own. Right now Akshay’s a better bet but given certain projects SRK will always be more appealing box office proposition. Even if he’s obsolete he’s just not in a rat race. SRK has just fallen slowly not like Humpty Dumpty. Basically I could see SRK still getting 200 CR + in a pretty average film and for Akshay that would need to be a special film because all his recent ‘special’ films end up in 110-140 CR range. R2 won’t count as Rajnikanth will open the film and by in large without Rajnikanth I doubt Akshay’s opening the film in the North with say another hero.
People will say Thugs it’s an Aamir film and he’s opening the film – this is wrong. The Bachchan connection is paramount in opening. Again put in Anupam Kher as the Bachchan or Rajnikanth and both films mean a lot less. Just like Mohabbatein and K3G have SRK as the central character, Bachchan’s presence is equivalent for the box office.
I find it quite ridiculous that Akshay’s a bigger star than SRK. He’s got a bigger hit rate over 5 years and even next few years but give both the same film like Dhoom 4 and SRK will be the winner. It’s another thing if Akshay would ever be considered a substantial enough star to be the Dhoom villain. I guess if John Abraham was even I could. But if you make a Dhoom 4 now, to top Hrithik and Aamir you only have 2 options; SRK and Salman.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:46 AM
Your point on Bachchan is an excellent one for a larger reason as well and one that is not appreciated enough by people. Sometimes a star (for different reasons) can be the equivalent of an undervalued stock. The star can have enough of a history to work with given a fair enough project. In a related sense a star can have a viable future beyond what it would be for most other stars in the same position. As you’ve pointed out once Akshay started failing the big or prestige products disappeared and haven’t returned even with his very good run in recent years. The same doesn’t happen to SRK (it does relative to Salman or Aamir but not otherwise). But it’s not only about top stars. Ranbir Kapoor can survive far more with mixed or indifferent box office results than Ranveer Singh. Because the family name is an additional bit of cache for Bollywood (if not indeed the defining one for a long time). This has tangible results. Even Tiger Shroff in a first film can get an initial much better than someone with no Bollywood connections. So the genealogy has a real impact in box office terms (one reason why I find the whole nepotism argument overstated with Bollywood.. it’s definitely not a healthy system but it does depend on the audience counter-signature and hence is perversely democratic.. ultimately.. whereas if you’re Ambani’s son you inherit the business empire one way or the other.. the politics model is a bit more like the film one). Of course this doesn’t mean that Tushar Kapoor or Fardeen Kapoor can do very well. Because even here the only stars who survive for a while or who are even in the running for reinvention are those who can be taken minimally seriously as stars and/or actors. So Ranbir can be fine, even Saif, Abhishek in any case has the ultimate name (though his is also a much more complicated case for many reasons.. actually think Abhishek-Ranbir have had somewhat parallel histories.. I could even argue that Ranbir’s failures are much worse than Abhishek’s in certain ways but what separates them is the media coverage.. anyway this is a different debate.. and of course Abhishek has made some very bad calls also) but there are simply no films for Fardeen beyond a point. There still has to be something there. Leaving aside those who are huge stars whatever one might think of their acting (hrithik for example or better still Salman these days). Bachchan is of course a different deal altogether but I know some of these same silly debates have followed him online. Yeah he’s made some terrible choices or acted in too many films at times. But clearly his market isn’t adequately represented by simply his pure box office returns. And to make your point a different way why would anyone bother bringing him and Aamir together or him and SRK together earlier if he didn’t add much to the production?! Of course for everybody else (who’s not Bachchan!) the undervalued stock can remain just that. In other words a star because of bad luck or poor decisions or both can make that ‘undervalued’ bit also seem optimistic over time. Reframing all of this a bit differently all stars earn cultural currency one way or the other and then depending on the strength of that currency are viable for shorter or longer periods of time. But in a genealogy-obsessed age some people are born with the cultural currency. They then have to go out and justify it (or not) in certain ways. In some cases the cultural currency can survive despite box office failure even if it is still always a challenge to convert the former into the latter. In other cases it doesn’t because the star doesn’t really have any deep reserves in this sense. Akshay has never been a star with strong cultural currency. SRK has.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 12:06 PM
Totally undervalued stock. And when combined with a current high value stock the results can be exponential as the undervalued stock can grow faster.
Also everyone likes to play these games – what happens if Tyson fights Ali, what happens if a lion fights a tiger etc. I doubt many follow wrestling LOL, but in 2002 an aged Hulk Hogan into his 50’s fought The Rock – in realistic terms it’s a stupid fight. Much like the Dangal fight between daughter and father. But it is theatre and intriguing. Just like a UFC fighter fighting Mayweather.
If Bachchan gets a Khakee moment where he knocks out Aamir or even a slap – the audience even Aamir fans will lap it up. It’s the fantasy moment. Just like Mohabbatein – the duels between SRK and Bachchan, KANK the stone cold look of Bachchan at the dinner table etc. Thugs will need to value the stock otherwise it’ll be a waste of time.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 12:27 PM
I’ve said it loads Abhishek has been hung out to dry as the genealogy debate is most potent for him. His standard was always going to Big B, not the current. Even if he succeeded in the current, the past would always hover over him. The expectations and demands were far bigger than say a Hrithik. Hrithik is a Tiger Shroff deal – if it works then great. Abhishek whatever kind of success his judgement was Vs Big B. No star would have entered the industry with greater expectations than him. He’s not succeeded but he’s handled it with grace.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:14 PM
Akshay is definitely stuck in a certain range. Irrespective of genre or WOW. Whatever troubke srk might be in akshay’s not ahead by any stretch. Of course Akshay is now very stable and has surprised many with his consistency. But then his not being able to get outside his range becomes even more surprising. Now a top star can decline to the point where there are many ahead of him. But that’s a different debate. In any case Akshay hasn’t done it so far as a factual matter. But also he’s not getting the top commercial films or the most prestigious ones either. Hard to create that kind of a bang without these advantages. Add it all up and he’s a very solid star who looks good for a number of years. He’s maintained himself very well too. Better than anyone else in his generation. But he’s just not an elite star. He was still biggest as a star during his peak comedy phase when he was putting up some strong initials. That phase ran out and he could never put up those sorts of numbers again. Of course I’d take his present day career over the older phase but that’s a different discussion. The idea that he’s somehow bigger than Aamir or someone right now is the sort of idea livewire peddles when he’s sore about dangal and when his favorite doesn’t catch up with Aamir even on the 45th attempt!
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 8:51 AM
Agree with your points. Akshay has done very well for himself but let’s not start talking like he is up there. The fact is no producer making a big budget film is thinking about taking Akshay as the lead hero.
I had also heard some dumb comment that Vinod Khanna was about to take over Amitabh or that he was parallel at some point.
Aamir is way above everybody else right now. not even close or worth debating. Then Salman. After that it’s a huge gap. Many will still take SRK as 3rd cause his underperformer is still at the same level as hits of most other stars.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:02 AM
@”….is the sort of idea livewire peddles”
Seriously?? u really wish to use this word for straight shooting here. For once honor the catch phrase of your blog ‘truth or cinema’…. Both Jolly LLB 2 and TEPK may not have ended as a perfect storm at the box-office but I doubt anyone else but Akki would be able to get the nuances so right within this brief period of time he gets in between the movies.
This just today from Salim Khan whose interview I will post here soon –
” …And yet Akshay Kumar has managed to successfully update his image.
I have to say for Akshay Kumar that the way he has improved as an actor is something that no one else has been able to. The journey that he has covered is almost impossible to imagine. Today he is an actor who can tackle every kind of subject. Other actors like Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan and Salman have also improved over the course of their careers, but none like Akshay…”
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 10:14 AM
First off it should be a legal offense for Salman fans to comment on anyone’s acting!
Secondly if you read my comment carefully you would see that most of your response is set up against a straw man.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 28, 2017 at 9:27 AM
@Satyam – I dont think anyone is claiming that Akshay is now a bigger star than what SRK once was. The point is that SRK has steadily declined to a current point where Akshay is much more successful than him. And thats what is making our resident SRK fans v upset.
The point about SRK’s underpeformers doing more than Akshay’s hits is a moot one right now. It may have been true till HNY. But right now JHMS is doing half the business of TEPK. A bitter pill to swallow for srk fans.
The reason Akshay’s BO is having a threshold is mainly because he is working in small productions. As you said, he is still not getting the biggest productions despite his consistency. I think he is himself a bit upset about it and has talked about still not getting his due in the industry. That being said, next year is going to be different with 2.0 and Gold. Of course Padman will do good if it does 100 cr, but the other 2 are bigger projects.
Personally I feel Akshay is in the best phase of his career with Hits/Supehits in Airlift/TEPK/Special 26/Baby etc than his Khiladi or comedy phase. He is exactly where one would expect one’s favorite star to be in, rather than doing silly romcoms as a 50 yr old.
Livewire’s comparison of Akshay with Aamir is a bit of his usual nonsense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 26, 2017 at 11:05 AM
One thing is certain though: Aamir’s status has grown so much over the years that he has become comparable to or even better than Bachchan in terms of box office.
While Bachchan’s peak was in the years 1973-1985 as such, Aamir has been delivering hits and classics through the 90s, through the 2000s and now into the 2010s. He is unfavourably clubbed into the Khans club whereas the reality is he is the undisputed star.
When history will write itself years from now, Aamir should easily be regarded as one star actor who was better than anyone ever seen, with remarkable consistency that only got better with time.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 11:20 AM
Filmography wise Aamir is ahead than Bachchan. Amongst all Bollywood stars ever, Aamir’s distinction will be that his films have longer shelf life than any other. Its actually degrading that he is clubbed with the likes of SRK and Salman because of a common surname.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 12:42 PM
Although, personally I like Aamir out of all the names, Big B delivered some massive hits and in volumes too…..Aamir has chosen better products (film as a whole) and thus he has shone as a good actor….Big B was a one-man-show and is in his own league…..while it is tempting to compare both but it would be unfair to both at the same time…..for eg, most of the ppl consider Dilip Kumar as a better actor….for me, personally, Big B was far better than him – an actor and a star…..so it is subjective…..so if i have to be ruthlessly honest here (despite being aamir-fan), I would say that Big B is a bigger and better actor/star than Aamir but Brand-Aamir has taken over Big B brand….of-course I am saying about Big B’s hey-days here….today, Big B can not give big BO hits….but that will apply to Aamir also maybe after 15 years…..
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 26, 2017 at 1:22 PM
You’re quite wrong on the filmography. Bachchan in the 80s became the one man industry and most of the films are poor but in the 70s he has some of the finest films ever made in Bombay movie history. From multiple films with Hrishikesh Mukherjee to a number of Salim-Javed scripts. Then there’s Desai and Mehra and others. His films are absolute legends. Actually even a lot of the lesser stuff is legendary by this point. Of course even in the 80s Bachchan still has some fine films (though sometimes his lesser stuff is now more celebrated!) but nothing comparable to the riches of the 70s. You can even begin such a comparison let alone justify it. I am myself the greatest fan of Aamir’s work since Lagaan but a lot of it is also remarkable relative to the age, not in an absolute sense. Lagaan is certainly an all-time classic, Talaash and MP are both important films in my view (and will probably stand the test of time better than some of his proper hits). DCH is one of the very influential films of Bombay history. There’s TZP or RDB and so on. A very impressive list for sure but not by 70s standards. Or for that matter by 50s standards. In the very same sense a lot of the Bachchan films that have been greatly celebrated over the last 15 or so years from Black to Paa to Piku to Pink or whatever are achievements at one level or the other but I wouldn’t dream of comparing them to his best work from an older period (neither the films nor his performances). I’d place Khakee and Dev over all these films, maybe even Aks. Again to be clear Aamir dwarfs everyone else in terms of his film choices since Lagaan (barring none) but one can’t get carried away with this. In the 70s many other actors had some very fine films too. Now in terms of shelf life sometimes these things can be tricky too. One must separate critical opinion from popular favorites. For example Shammi Kapoor’s films have had more of a shelf life for a number of years than Dilip Kumar’s. Doesn’t mean they’re better films. Incidentally don’t agree that he’s ahead of all other Bollywood stars either. Don’t be so quick to celebrate the present. You’re still living in it! I do think Aamir has some unique achievements as a star-actor. His judgment is easily the best I’ve ever seen. What he has done since Lagaan across a variety of genres without really failing is equally singular. And he’s only adding to that history. But this is a different kind of claim than the one you’re making. Here’s a good analogy. DiCaprio has worked with most of the top Hollywood directors, has mostly done meaningful cinema one way or the other, he’s the top star-actor in so many ways but does he really have anything comparable to DeNiro either as an actor or in terms of the films? Probably not. Of course DeNiro at his peak was mostly doing quality stuff too but DiCaprio will probably maintain a certain quality in later years as well. Something DeNiro didn’t. I am not going to extend this comment otherwise I’d repeat some stuff from the past. About how Bachchan is Bollywood history-as-such in the present age.
LikeLiked by 3 people
August 26, 2017 at 1:53 PM
Fine comment.
I am always surprised at the omission of AKS and NISHABH as one of his finer and if not finest performances in 2000s. [AKS was in 2000 I think.]
AB owned AKS even though he had a formidable opponent in MB. Together, they were one bloody volcano engulfing the audience’s minds. That police-station scene where Bachchan and Manoj converse about soul and the goodness/evil in being present in the same human being is a bloody gem. Purists can puke, but this scene is FAR better than the scene in the restaurant in HEAT where Pacino and De Niro face-off for an almost 10-minute scene.
AB was extremely good in NISHABDH. Contrary to what RGV feels–he feels he owes AB an apology for making him act as a ‘weakling’ in NISHABH–that is one of the greatest performances ever as a septugenarian’s will to enjoy life and love being rekindled by an 18 year old. [watch from 31 to 35 and to 40 time-frame]
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 2:15 PM
The AKS scene…watch from 55:00 to 1:02
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 4:16 PM
Wowwww , Have to watch AKS again … its been ages, and your recommended 7 minutes made me so much high ….. AKS is clearly bachchan’s one of top 3 performances post his comeback.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 11:39 PM
I am a big fan of Bachchan’s acting and most of his films in the 70s, but I dont enjoy his films from ‘one-man industry’ phase in 80s. This is actually a premature debate because Aamir is still scripting his own story as a star-actor and is work in progress. He is also interested and invested in film direction and production, so I see him active in some capacity or another for next 2 decades too. He will leave behind an unique story of his own IMO. We are still living through it, lets see where it goes. Then we can come back to this debate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 27, 2017 at 8:03 AM
of course even in that phase he has some remarkable films like Shakti or Lawaaris or Bemisaal (some would include Silsila as well). Then there’s Shaan, one of Hindi cinema’s coolest films along with Qurbani. There’s Desai’s hugely enjoyable Naseeb (his last great film). I am myself the biggest critic of this phase not least because I find the 70s so much greater. Even Namak Halal which is a rather thin script is an extraordinary act of improvisation, even by Bachchan’s lofty standards. I’m still not a fan of his 80s but it’s always about the comparison. Just as the other day I was saying the same about Raj Kapoor. He’s a titan. No actor-director in Indian movie history is greater than him. One of the greatest stars of his age. Also one of the greatest directors ever. That’s a unique combo!
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 10:11 AM
I would even take lesser stuff like Kaalia, Yaarana over 99% of the garbage being dished out today.
I don’t think Dangal is brilliant, It’s a well made film but there’s nothing in it. It has enough masala cliche moments. The problem now is just about everything else is so subpar (trashy) that when something like dangal comes across, it makes a lot of money.
Most films now, either first half or second half or the whole movie is boring.
I don’t get it, I think most makers now don’t have a full script ready or changes a lot of stuff half way thru where the film becomes uneven.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:03 PM
Bollywood’s single biggest weakness since the late 70s has been poor scripts. Over the last 15-20 years many things changed for the better but not scripts. Most films that are even half-interesting seem based on concepts that haven’t been followed through with scripts. No one can overcome this deficit. Even the greatest stars are just better in better scripts. Things have reached such a point that people on blogs often attack stars for getting hits out of better scripts! On dangal I agree it’s no Lagaan. However we also live in an age where every other film gets overrated or where every other performance is celebrated and so on. Till that honest conversation comes about with respect to all those other films one cannot talk about Aamir. Some of his films might be getting overrated but sone of the other stuff shouldn’t be getting any kind of rating ! Which is more or less the point you’re making. In fairness writing has suffered the world over inasmuch as commercial cinema has become much more about FX or constant action/stunts or whatever. But yeah bollywood is particularly bad with scripts. Even the basics they don’t get right.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 10:49 AM
I agree lot of crap is dished out today, but times have changed. The entertainment world is now far bigger than just movies in today’s times. And I am sue there must be crap dished out in 70s too but no one watches them today. Anyways, my point is these 2 eras are not comparable. And Aamir and Bachchan are definitely not comparable. Even as actors, forget about stardom. AB was far bigger star than Aamir in every aspect. But Aamir has today the respect of audience that no one in bollywood history had. As actors, they are so different. Aamir relies so much on homework and has built his skill with lot of deep understanding of acting and film making, he is actually unreal. AB relied on lot on his raw talent which he he had in abundance. Aamir frankly speaking isn’t the most talented actor to begin with. He had some skills to start with and lot of sincerity in his early performances but he himself has told that he isn’t the most gifted actor and I agree with him. And that is why is success as an actor (forget BO and stardom) is unbelievable. He has defied all odds.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 12:11 PM
sure* instead of sue and his* instead of is. Couple of Typos. Sorry.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 2:25 PM
Watched WIND RIVER. Highly recommended: It’s akin to soaking in that whiskey on a warm fall night. Slow but highly effective and involving. Nothing extraordinary about the story but a very well made movie soaking in atmospherics..
After HELL or HIGH WATER and WIND RIVER, Taylor Sheridan is slowly becoming another fav after Denis Villeneuve, though the former has to cross many a mile before catching up to the latter.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 6:50 PM
this wonderful Mahesh Bhatt TV film from 1985 is now available for rent:
recently someone else put this up as well but that transfer is far inferior.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 7:06 AM
Saw Presos on HBO …Costa Rican entry to 88th Oscar.
love story…discovering self….And a vague ending…Probably showing similarity with Dad’s trajectory..
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 7:56 AM
haven’t seen it.. thanks for the shootout…
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:30 PM
On surface it is a simple movie based on prison but there are layers. It also shows that you don’t need big budget to make a good movie.
You may want to read this after you have seen the movie :
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/Costa-Ricas-Imprisoned-Blends-Fiction-with-Real-Prison-Life-20151217-0033.html
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:02 PM
Thanks again. Will do.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 8:57 PM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/sajid-khan-talks-about-being-a-outsider-in-bollywood-10-years-of-film-direction-mumbai-entertainment-news/18531165
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 9:47 PM
Nice read and apart from Anees Bazmee, Sajid I connect with sajid’s humor both at TV level and few of his movies of the past…. He makes a valid point on recent hindi movies – ” …The content has to be correct and it can only reach a wider audience when the songs are popular. And songs are popular when people sing it and not hear it in the background. Heroes have to do what heroes do and not what common people do…”
Aamir is all praises for Amit Trivedi for music of Secret Superstar and though I like him better than the rest but even that Main Kaun Hoon is much below par and just going through the motion kind of track…..and until he gave a song like below which touches our hearts instantly, SS has no meaning for me as a song movie. It will be hollow and fall apart the way Rockstar with Ranbir came and went unnoticed which really had potential to be a real Blockbuster of our times –
Here in the song below don’t know if its Jatin Lalit’s musical brilliance or Kavita Krishnamurthy’s voice or just plain presence of iconic Salman’s dapper look, but this song is magic in whichever era it is played –
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 11:03 PM
Love Khamoshi’s songs. But even with such good music the movie was a big flop. Music plays important role in a musical, but first the movie has to be good.
LikeLike
August 26, 2017 at 10:26 PM
The big night is finally here…..one of the most-hyped boxing match of our times and perhaps of the decade. I am wishing for Mayweather for a 50-0 record…btw raise your hands if your not buying the fight but on twitter instead.🏻 🙂 #MayweathervMcgregor
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:22 AM
It was clear Mayweather would win. He’s simply pound for pound the best boxer strategically ever. I say it loosely as in he’s masterful in the ring. His planning and strategy is stunning. He is defensively unbreakable.
McGregor did well though. 10 rounds for a first timer against a great is an achievement and vindicated the huge hype for the fight.
I’m sure Mayweather wouldn’t last long in a UFC octagon.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 8:30 PM
Mayweather, who is generally a defensive boxer, was extra conservative this time. IMO the team didn’t want to make mistake of letting any lucky hits land knowing Mc Gregor’s punching power that could cause an upset. It was important, partly due to the fact that boxing’s reputation is at stake should the things go wrong. At the same time they know Mc Gregor(MMA fighters in general) don’t have the cardio fitness to last more than 3-5 rounds. So as per the strategy they let him be the aggressor in the first few rounds. After which he was pretty much a human punching bag.
If this was against an offensive minded boxer like Pacquiao or some of the younger boxers, the fight wouldn’t have lasted 5 rounds.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 2:13 AM
Agree but it was the best strategy. His execution of strategies is imperious, I’m no fan at all. He’s far too arrogant and unlikable in general.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 12:46 AM
Dangal is earth shattering in Hong kong.Saturday is double of friday.Shows wld be increasing.WOM is like China/Taiwan only as expected.1M$ should be done in 1 week.It’s not a 3-4 week market but rather 20-25 weeks market plus released on only 46 screens and 1.3cr collns on saturday is nothing short of a miracle.Highest Indian grosser 3I there wld be beaten by a margin.2.95cr in only 3 days.
#Dangal – HONG KONG
Thu HK$ 668,336
Fri HK$ 791,338
Sat HK$ 1,554,860
Total [incl previews]: HK$ 3,601,431 [₹ 2.95 cr]. TERRIFIC!
@Rentrak
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 7:57 AM
Incredible.. as I said yesterday it’s really struck a deep chord everywhere..
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 8:45 AM
Satyam,plus it hit no.1 spot on it’s 3rd day in Hong Kong against Bad Genius which had 2.5 times more screen.2nd weekend is expected to be higher than Ist weekend and strong weekdays.Almost all shows today r hosefull only with advance.LT cldn’t be predicted now but should surely be 5M$+.
Pan China(Mainland+Taiwan+Hong Kong) should also hit 200M$ today.
China=193.1M$
Taiwan-6.4M$
Hong Kong-0.55-0.6M$.(Expected after today).
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 9:34 AM
The other important thing about the numbers from this part of the world (especially China) is that you have non-Indian populations engaging with the film. Everywhere else in N America or the UK or Australia/NZ or sometimes elsewhere in Europe you have essentially Indian populations watching this stuff 99% of the time. This whole story has been greatly exaggerated for years. Yes Bollywood has a much greater cultural presence in all of these markets but it’s because of Indian demographics. Whether I saw a SRK film in the 90s or something more recently in the very same markets the population was still all Indian (or subcontinental). With maybe exceptions here and there. No real appreciable difference in this sense. But the East Asian numbers are truly interesting (and they’ve been so in the past at a smaller level.. Rajni became a cult in Japan, Black did well in S Korea and so on) because here there is the genuine possibility (and now reality) of non-Indians buying into the Bollywood thing. Now Dangal is still probably exceptional in this sense but it always takes an important moment like this to open the doors. Secret Superstar once more isn’t a bad followup at all. Again everyone can relate to these reality shows. Bollywood has done well in the past in some of these regions but the scale here is something else altogether.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 27, 2017 at 10:50 AM
I agree to most of the points made by u.But i believe Aamir has really crossed over in China(Pan China in fact).Even if Dangal didn’t had such WOM,it wld have still done close to 50M$ in China.Even PK with average WOM did 20M$ 2 years back and Chinese market has grown much bigger now.U can even see that in weibo following of Aamir which is more than few HW stars.It’s just that Dangal has done something beyond anything ever.Rajini in japan is exageratted,i think his movies didn’t do that much.Black in Korea is bit surprising but still total(5.5M$) is still not out of the world.3I did 3.1M$ there and Dangal should do much more even Korea and Japan are still not Aamir’s fort like Pan China(not even remotely close).Secret Superstar poster/trailer was posted on weibo and had an overwhelming response.To be honest,he has genuine following over there but that doesn’t open doors for others.Even Aamir took long time for this following with consistently great movies which resonated with Pan chinese audience.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 12:52 PM
Wasn’t comparing anything to dangal. I was just making the larger point about non-indian audiences watching these films.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 28, 2017 at 8:36 AM
Komal confirms China market has opened to Aamir only
http://m.ndtv.com/entertainment/dangal-hong-kong-box-office-collection-day-4-aamir-khans-film-gets-extraordinary-welcome-1743009
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 27, 2017 at 12:58 AM
HISTORIC Dangal is at no.1 on Saturday in Hong kong,completes hattrick of hitting no.1 spot in Pan chinese countries of Taiwan, China and now HK.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:01 AM
@Saurabh – What is the total WW gross for Danal now?
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:06 AM
1243cr-China
41cr-Taiwan
718-Phase1 WW
Turkey-Around 1cr
Hong Kong-Around 3cr
TOTAL-2006cr.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:13 AM
So it crossed 2000 cr WW and still going strong. Great!
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 1:33 AM
Yes it cld do 5M$+ in Hong kong.Plus i m hearing there cld be a special release for few more countries.It cld hit 2100cr probably even 2200cr is possible.Dangal ka WW record wld be like Fevicol ka jod hai tootega nahi.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:02 AM
Isn’t Hong Kong part of China?
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 9:19 AM
@Chennai aana i don’t know the status but Technically Hong Kong is a different country like Taiwan.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 9:45 AM
It’s administrator is China and thus a region of China. But has a high level of independence from China. Same as with Britain before. Think of it as one country but two systems. Same applies to Macau.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 9:25 AM
AamirSaurabh, I don’t think so. It was under British rule till a couple of decades back. And then handed back to China
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 9:33 AM
Read this
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hong_Kong
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 9:55 AM
@Jayshah,what abt Taiwan?
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:02 AM
Taiwan is a separate country (though without Western guarantees it would be gobbled up by China in a min).
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:06 AM
It’s considered a country though I suspect China doesn’t agree. It’s complex, it is not controlled by China whereas Hong Kong – certain aspects are and Hong Kong is on a year 50 year lease agreement that expires in 2047 (then in theory China can have control given integration and Hong Kong agrees). Taiwan is a country. I don’t know the history in depth but Taiwan is a country governed by the republic of China which is exiled – it’s like a rebel state. As Satyam says China would take over if not for the UN.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:24 AM
Anyway they all have separate box office figures for Dangal and they have different teams for the Olympics – I’d take that as indicators that China doesn’t own them (yet).
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:54 AM
Technically Taiwan (or Republic of China) claims to be the legitimate ruler of all of mainland China as well (yeah lotsa luck with that!). It’s not as crazy as it sounds though. After the civil war in the 40s this was where Chiang Kai-Shek was forced to disappear to after constantly losing territory on the mainland to Mao. Eventually both countries came into being and both claimed they were the rightful representatives of all of China. Of course the history of Taiwan (known as Formosa once) is also a tangled one. Wasn’t always Chinese. There was colonial rule here, the Chinese came in eventually, the Japanese had it more or less for the first half of the twentieth century. But yeah China doesn’t agree it’s a separate country at all.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:58 AM
In HK there has always been considerable unease about this. First around the time the British lease ended. China then played it smartly with a new lease but it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t try for greater integration when it ends. Unless of course China happens to be weaker at that point (for whatever reason) and doesn’t want to push things. And of course Macau faces the same issue a couple of years later.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:05 AM
The way I understand China needs to grow a lot and be in a position for integrating Hong Kong and Hong Kong will need to oblige too. It’s 30 years and a lot can happen socially & economically to derail what China obviously wants.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:03 AM
Is Taiwan rebelling because of China being a communist state?
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:56 AM
Dangal’s Asian box office figures are stunning. There is still Japan to come. No doubt these records will only be beaten with China or US and India doing something remarkable.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 3:02 AM
Also Korea is remaning as well.3I did 3.1M$ in Korea.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 3:31 AM
Aamir wanted to be a wrestler looking like George Clooney and not an overweight old man says Nitesh Tiwari
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=cj-T8e_mLjc
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 5:56 AM
@Jayshah,Leave alone China or US, even China and US may not be sufficient enough along with great nos. in India.As u can see BB2 has done an impossible no. in India and even US no(20M$) is huge plus other traditional markets r huge as well.Still BB2 is 400cr+(62M$+) short of Dangal.We have to keep in mind Non-Aamir movies wldn’t much in china,even US has a ceiling as it is basically a NRI Market.More than US,It’s China which is important for this miracle.
To sum up,u need more than a miracle to beat Dangal WW no.
This no. is probably impossible to break unless a next universal Aamir movie arrives.This no. can only be beaten by a universally accepted Aamir movie.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 12:59 AM
Great chance for Federer to win his 20th slam at US open. Most top ranked players are out due to injuries – Murray, Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nishikori, Raonic. Only Nadal is standing tall as #1 rank and seed, and there is a possible Federer-Nadal semis which might turn out to be the virtual final at Flushing Meadows.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:05 AM
But Fed himself is coming from a back injury. These sort of injuries reappear. Let’s see how this tourney shapes out and who will go into the second week.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:28 AM
He strained his back during Montreal final, and I think he skipped Cincinnati as more of a precautionary measure than being injured. Should be able to pull through next couple of weeks, but you never know. Competition could have been tougher. But lets see.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 2:40 AM
IF Federer wins it will be his fourth time winning 3 slams in a year (04, 06 and 07) – equal top for male or female. He’s top for male, only Djokovic has 2. It’s very tough. Will need to see his form to predict how deep he can go in the tournament.
He’s like Mayweather, if he’s fit his experience of a tennis court is enough to make him one of the favourites.
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 3:01 AM
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hospital-worker-won-powerball-her-prize-758-7-million-and-police-outside-her-house-1742487?pfrom=home-lateststories
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 4:21 AM
http://m.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/why-aamir-khan-is-not-on-forbes-list-of-world-s-highest-paid-actors/story-LVcSDQVdxWaPXVyUIuvJAM.html
LikeLike
August 27, 2017 at 4:22 AM
BWF World Championship: Sindhu Reaches Final in Style:
http://www.news18.com/amp/news/sports/bwf-world-championship-sindhu-reaches-final-in-style-1502327.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 4:00 AM
Salman Khan wants his films to be remade and these are the ones
ByBollywood Hungama News Network
Aug 28, 2017 – 12:12 pm IST
While many actors believe that some originals should remain untouched, we have superstar Salman Khan who has no qualms if his films are remade or even if another actor is playing his role. With the new version of his 90s comedy classic Judwaa slated to release next month, Salman also expressed his desire to see the remake of two of his other films – Love and Sooryavanshi.
The film titled Love featured Salman Khan opposite his film Phir Milenge’s director Revathy. As the name suggests, the romantic drama featured two lovers who reunite against all odds and fighting back all obstacles. Salman Khan recently stated that he can see Varun Dhawan doing a good job in a film like Love if it is to be remade in contemporary times. Interestingly, Varun Dhawan is also the leading man in Judwaa 2, which has him in a double role for the first time.
Yet another film that Salman Khan spoke about was Sooryavanshi that featured him opposite Amrita Singh [the former wife of Saif Ali Khan]. Even though the film failed miserably at the box office, Salman Khan believes it would work in today’s time. Adding that we should just tweak the story a bit, the actor mentioned that the film was way ahead of its time but now it will fly.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 4:02 AM
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 4:34 AM
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/i-am-not-a-product-of-nepotism/20170828.htm
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 4:43 AM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-news-bollywood-star-kids-thrash-classmate-after-playground-fight-cops-do-nothing/18536196
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 7:42 AM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/gautam-gambhir-attacks-gurmeet-ram-rahim-singh-border-per-terrorist-andar-baba-rapist/story-I8zp3AF9gImqRLKx8UcKKN.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:04 AM
INTERVIEW
Salim Khan on the ‘poverty of talent’ in Bollywood, ‘Tubelight’ and the death of the reading habit
‘We don’t have writers of any calibre and that is because people have forgotten how to read.’
by Indu Mirani
Published 9 hours ago Updated 9 hours ago.
“….You just referred to Salman Khan’s image and therefore its limitations. Is this good for an actor?
All over the world, leading men of stature have had images. Actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood have done the same roles all their life. Raj Kapoor was always a simpleton. If Tarzan wore clothes or James Bond didn’t romance women, they would not be who they are.
As for Salman, it’s not as if he is a character actor so he can fit into any role. He is a star, so he has to live with his image.
Is the audience getting fed up of stars? Recently they have rejected the films of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.
The reason for this is very simply that we have been making bad films. And the cause is that we just don’t have writers of any calibre and that is because people have forgotten how to read.
In my time everyone read books, recommended them to one another. We visited bookshops, read bestsellers as well as books related to the craft. Most people don’t even read the newspapers they subscribe to. Often when I am passing Salman’s door [Salman lives on the ground floor and his family occupies the first] I knock on the door and ask his staff to take in the papers.
I had recently written a 10-page tribute to Raj Kapoor, which I was very happy with. But most of the people I gave it to didn’t read it even though it was just 10 pages. So I made an audio version of it and now everyone who listens to it is full of praise for it….”
https://amp.scroll.in/article/848542/salim-khan-on-the-poverty-of-talent-in-bollywood-tubelight-and-the-death-of-the-reading-habit
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:13 AM
There are many gems in that interview which ring a bell…. and frankly this grounded dad proves Salman is in good hands for future….
a must read for movie ‘enthus’ –
You have said that if a director’s worth emerges after his third film. Why is that?
Because everyone has experiences in life for material for three films. It is after that that his creativity can be recognised.
++
Would your angry young man Vijay be relevant today? And who among today’s actors could play him?
He will always be relevant because he fights for justice. There will always be the fight between good and evil so he will always have a relevant story. As for actors, there is so much of poverty of talent in the industry today, it is impossible to name any one.
What do you mean when you say poverty?
Let’s talk about today’s filmmakers. What is their inspiration? Invariably it is Mother India, Ganga Jumna, Pyaasa, Salim Javed films, Bimal Roy and BR Chopra films. But they don’t make films of that standard. Their excuse is that they don’t want to make those types of films. But the fact is that they can’t make those films. They have made this out to be a virtue.
++
What does the industry need to do to come out of its slump?
Very simple: we need to make good films. What filmmakers seem to have forgotten is the importance of the screenplay. They focus on the story. Very frankly, if we had narrated the story of Deewaar to anyone, we would have been thrown out of the office. What made it exceptional was the screenplay.
++
Which of your films would you like your grandchildren to see?
I have written a lot of films good, bad and ugly and many have been super successful, but real creative satisfaction has come with Deewar, Zanjeer, Sholay, Shakti and Don.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:16 AM
While the blog endlessly haggles for the top gun, Salman completes 29 years staying within this top zone throughout this duration…a remarkable feat of resilience by any standards !
https://twitter.com/knlsalmanfans/status/901516008975814656
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 9:33 AM
Deluded if you think Salman has been in a top zone for 29 years.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 28, 2017 at 9:34 AM
29 years at the Top? LOL
He was nowhere for more than a decade, before a revival of fortunes with Wanted/Dabangg.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 28, 2017 at 10:10 AM
I thought it was 50 or more at the top.. counting from his birth…
LikeLiked by 5 people
August 28, 2017 at 9:38 AM
It seems Dangal wld cross 1M$ in HK in 1 week.
https://www.bollyarena.net/dangal-1st-weekend-box-office-collection-in-hong-kong/
Dangal 1st Weekend Box Office Collection in Hong Kong
08/28/20179
Aamir Khan’s Dangal is rocking at the Hong Kong box office. The film has grossed HK$ 5,218,521 in its first weekend. It is the highest opening weekend grosser for an Indian film.
This is an extraordinary achievement as Hong Kong is a non-traditional market and the film was only released in 46 screens. The word of mouth is excellent so the screen count will increase. Dangal will soon beat 3 Idiots lifetime collection in Hong King to become the highest Indian grosser.
Day 1: HK$ 668k
Day 2: HK$ 811k
Day 3: HK$ 1.57 m
Day 4: HK$ 1.57 m
Total: HK$ 5.21 m (4.26 cr)
With Dangal, Aamir Khan has now emerged the biggest global superstar from India.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 10:59 AM
more rumors about the Sahir film:
http://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-not-abhishek-bachchan-but-priyanka-chopra-walked-out-of-sanjay-leela-bhansali-s-gustakhiyan-2541256
I actually would have celebrated the opposite!
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:02 AM
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:07 AM
Great piece on the fight:
Fleece of the Century
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Hollywood No Match for Mayweather vs. McGregor
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:11 AM
‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Repeats at #1 During Worst Box Office Weekend in Over 15 Years
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:14 AM
next week will be even worse! nothing big coming until ‘IT’ on Sep 8.
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 11:12 AM
Every FF award for best picture..it’s amazing that Aamir has 9 movies in there despite his boycott since the mid 90s
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 12:13 PM
Ajith Kumar starrer Vivegam is earning accolades worldwide despite mixed reviews from critics.
The Tamil-language Indian spy thriller movie which collected Rs 66 crore worldwide during the first two days has broken a new record.
Its first weekend collections have surpassed SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion at the Chennai boxoffice.
While Baahubali 2 collected Rs 3.24 crore in the three-day first weekend, Vivegam collected Rs 4.28 crore in first three days of its release. Vivegam released on August 24 (Thursday) has earned Rs 5.75 crore for four days weekend in Chennai.
The movie features Ajith Kumar as primary lead, with Vivek Oberoi, Kajal Aggarwal and Akshara Haasan playing the supporting roles. The film’s background score and soundtrack were composed by Anirudh Ravichander, whose soundtrack album released on 7 August 2017. Cinematography has been handled by Vetri and editing by Anthony L. Ruben.
The film which released in over 3000 screens worldwide was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore. The movie saw massive advance bookings for the weekend. Vivegam tracks the life story of an Interpol officer (Ajith Kumar) and a set of events that in his life. The film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Vivek Oberoi and Akshara Haasan in pivotal roles.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion which was released on April 28 has Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Ramya Krishnan in lead roles.
Directed by SS Rajamouli, the movie was made at a budget of Rs 250 crore.
http://www.businesstoday.in/lifestyle/off-track/vivegam-boxoffice-collections-baahubali-2-the-conclusion/story/259144.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 12:18 PM
The film has grossed an impressive Rs 5.22 Cr in four days from CBO and is the highest ever opening weekend record. It’s mainly due to higher ticket rates following GST.
http://www.sify.com/movies/boxoffice.php?id=rgtrzSibhibbj
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 12:21 PM
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gst-impact-on-film-industry-ticket-prices-entertainment-tax/1/991178.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 12:52 PM
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 7:20 PM
https://scroll.in/article/848625/mobile-religiosity-as-old-social-structures-change-deras-offer-a-new-sense-of-community
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 7:24 PM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-without-msg-kiku-sharda-reacts-on-ram-rahim-sentencing/story-5kk7YZouGGt1MD9jaCBYgK.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 7:26 PM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/kapil-sharma-sent-a-verbal-warning-by-sony-tv-after-ajay-devgn-baadshaho-team-s-walkout/story-ZAKBR6iPW3J8NEHJopvI0L.html
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 7:52 PM
http://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ganesh-chaturthi-2017-riteish-deshmukh-genelia-dsouza-celebrate-with-eco-friendly-ganpati-1742636
LikeLike
August 28, 2017 at 10:19 PM
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/sanjay-gupta-kaante-sequel-abhishek-bachchan-john-abraham-kaante-20-bollywood-news/18536191
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 2:31 AM
The sudden developments that happened over the past few days have raised questions whether the upcoming film Baadshaho, scheduled to release this Friday on September 1, will be postponed. On August 25, after the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was pronounced guilty in a rape case by a special CBI court in Panchkula, his supporters went berserk and resorted to violence. It left many injured and spread a wave of fear in the North, especially in Punjab and Haryana. Yesterday, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. The situation is still tense and releasing a film at such a time can affect the box office prospects.
On the other hand, the Bombay High Court yesterday forced the makers of Baadshaho to drop the reworked version of the song ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ from their film after a case was filed by the makers of the 1975 film Deewaar, in which the original song was used. Trimurti Films, the producers of Deewaar, moved court last week claiming that they have the copyrights over the music and lyrics of ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’. The Baadshaho team argued that they took the rights from Universal but it was later realized that Universal had limited rights of the said track, for sound recording alone. As a result, ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’ was dropped from the film and pulled out of all networks.
Removing a song from a film just four days before release can lead to delay in dispatching prints overseas and even in the country. But when contacted, Baadshaho producer Bhushan Kumar denied that the action drama would be delayed for this reason. He said, “Why would Baadshaho get postponed due to ‘Keh Doon Tumhe’? It was a promotional song and it was never a part of the film.”
And when asked about the situation up North, Bhushan Kumar said that a decision would be taken soon but until then, the film shall release as scheduled on September 1. He said, “It’s a wait and watch situation as of now. From what I have learnt, the situation is improving up North. Also, the tension is relegated to only a few towns. Major centers like Delhi aren’t affected.”
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/baadshahos-release-deferred-producer-bhushan-kumar-clarifies/
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 4:10 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/omg-sushant-singh-rajput-walks-romeo-akbar-walter/
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 4:17 AM
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/actor-neeraj-vora-in-coma-for-last-10-months-finally-shows-signs-of-recovery/story-F0dFY7iRxrCl3LDwU9zA8L.html
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 4:45 AM
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 5:53 AM
Here the official trailer of #Newton
https://erosnow.com/movie/watch/1060652/newton/6830984/exclusive—official-trailer
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:30 AM
Dangal again ruling like a boss today in Hong Kong.It seems there wld be growth today compared to yesterday.
https://translate.google.co.in/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://wmoov.com/&prev=search
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Newton | Official Trailer | Rajkummar Rao
Thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 29, 2017 at 1:25 PM
Rajkumar Rao is soo good right now that it’s scary. And imo he seems to have more range than Nawaazudin.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:18 PM
West Indies on the verge of a stunning victory over England!
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:26 PM
Quite pleased about it !
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:37 PM
This is an unrecognisable team. Hope is having the match of his life. Joe Root made an attacking declaration but his team mates aren’t use to this. Cook would make sure a loss is impossible. But this is way more fun.
I’m not watching it but BBC are saying this is one of the greatest test matches ever!
England have dropped catches, key ones.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:57 PM
It’s all about Hope (!) going forward. Let’s see. Apparently he’s the first guy ever to score two centuries in a match (any kind of first class) at Headingley.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 2:38 PM
To take such a risk with declaration is Aussie way. Not something I appreciate of a team I am supporting.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 3:40 PM
Root’s intentions were right. He’s misunderstood English cricket. Strauss and Cook were defensive captains and the team & bowlers especially will be use to this. Root’s way will take time. It is aggressive and he maybe could have ensured a draw first. Now he has risked drawing or losing a series England should always win.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 4:16 PM
England should have really gone hard post tea. Moen did but someone else needed to put the foot on the gas and setup a target around 380 or so…you always want to make sure that the other side CANT win the match. Great job by WI….anytime a team gets 300+ in the 4th inning is some achievement.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:00 PM
I prefer the safety first approach. Test matches are played for 5 days. And it is better to ensure no loss first. With the team England has there is no excuse for losing.
Why was Roland-Jones not playing?
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:32 AM
This is Root’s predicament. His predecessors have been labelled as quite negative captains and he’s trying to reverse that. He maybe went to quickly – if the 2nd and 3rd innings scores were huge 400’s it was always possible for a 322 chase. If anything England were complacent and thought West Indies would choke. He’ll learn but I do think his intentions were right.
For West Indies the win only means something if they draw or win next match. Otherwise they are still a seesaw team with random moments of brilliance.
Meanwhile Bangladesh are close to beating Australia too!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 3:58 AM
2 thrilling days of cricket. Congratulations Bangladesh & West Indies!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 6:58 AM
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20503037/mark-nicholas-west-indies-win-headingley-test-shai-hope
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 6:59 AM
yeah the Bangladesh result was thrilling as well!
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:48 PM
Problem is they’ll probably think this was their career and go back to playing rubbish again. Blackwood took of his helmet to hit winning runs and got out. LOL!
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 1:55 PM
True! Their structural problems seem so extraordinary though I’d be surprised if anything special happened for them despite this result. It’s possibly the greatest mystery of cricket. How a team could get this bad so quickly. It’s not just about being a weak team. They don’t even play like professionals most of the time. Then again perhaps this win becomes a transformational moment. I doubt it but who knows! In any case enjoying it greatly. I too didn’t see the match.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 2:21 PM
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:04 PM
Federer lost first set of his first round match, and not looking that good. What a start to US open campaign!
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:22 PM
A fifth set decider, doesnt seem like a first round match.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 12:04 AM
Fed survives! Thanks a bunch Tiafoe for such a match, hope he goes far ahead in his career.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:18 AM
Post match interview suggests some concerns for the back. He’ll get better as long as the injury goes. A bit of match time is good now rather than a QF.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 4:50 AM
His back seems to be fine, else he would not have successfully slogged through 5 sets. However, his current form is a question mark. Hope it improves as the tourney progresses.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 5:02 AM
BBC interview on website he suggests he is not 100%. Good enough to play but not let fly.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/41092524
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 7:31 AM
Though Federer appeared tentative at times, he said he “was never in pain,” although he was worried about how his back would hold up.
“I don’t think I had the preparation I was hoping to get,” Federer said. “Since Montreal, [the] focus has been more on the back, making sure I can play the tournament rather than being well-prepared. I always knew I was going to come in feeling rusty or not great. I was hoping to start better. I really struggled early on.
“I think Frances connected well. I just really kind of lost my footing sometimes. My eye wasn’t working. I was misjudging distance. I think I was also being a bit cautious with my movement. Then in the second set I think it all started to come together.”
http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/20496060/us-open-tennis-roger-federer-weathers-slow-start-american-teen
Fed did look v rusty in the first set. And Tiafoe regrouped and played well in the last 2 sets.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 7:57 AM
I just think a player is vulnerable after coming back from injury. It’s different practicing and playing in a match. I’m not saying he’s in pain. It’s probably at the back of his mind. It will take a bit of time. Even the Australian open he lost a set in the first match, won a set 7-5. So it was not convincing. Wimbledon he was as fit as possible and didn’t drop a set. US open following an injury that can impact movement, shots etc its not surprising to have rust. He’s through, his form should pick up.
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 10:13 PM
Massive rains in Mumbai – emergency declared by Mumbai – any kind of films running in theaters – with whatever little prospects they had – are gone – atleast for next 10 days, no chance
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:40 PM
Deepika makes history, gets paid more than Ranveer, Shahid
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/deepika-makes-history-gets-paid-more-than-ranveer-shahid/20170829.htm
LikeLike
August 29, 2017 at 11:43 PM
She deserves it. Even Madhuri was paid more than Salman in HAHK.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 30, 2017 at 6:49 AM
Bachchan and Salman in Race 3?
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/amitabh-bachchan-to-join-salman-khan-in-race-3-read-exclusive-details/
sounds odd.. the whole thing..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:16 AM
The third installment of Race is making more noise than any of the previous films in the franchise. This time Abbas Mustan have stepped down to make way for Remo D’Souza to take over the reigns of Race 3. And the filmmaker has managed a casting coup of sorts by getting Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan together in his film.
According to a report in BollywoodLife, Big B has been approached for the film, and if things go as planned, Khan and Bachchan will be seen together after a gap of almost 9 years.
A source was quoted as telling the website, “Amitabh Bachchan has been approached for Salman Khan’s Race 3. And it seems that Big B is pretty thrilled and has no apprehensions working with Salman.”
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/amitabh-bachchan-race-3-salman-khan-remo-dsouza/1/1037113.html
If true this project immediately springboards to twice the size of TOH or anything in the vicinity come next year…..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 10:34 AM
Twice the size? Bachchan’s in both so you’re implying Salman is twice the size of Aamir? Maybe the belly but you’re on crack again. And months of whining on Bachchan’s acting – all of a sudden your making bold statements again.
LikeLiked by 3 people
August 30, 2017 at 5:50 PM
What Salman/Akshay cannot achieve in 3 lifetimes
https://hindi.filmibeat.com/box-office/aamir-khan-s-dangal-is-ruling-hong-kong-box-office-065873.html
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:48 PM
Senseless and stupid write-up!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 7:23 AM
Just a thought.
Was Yash Chopra really a great director? He made few very important films which meant something at the time the movie was released or even today such as Dharamputra, Waqt (one of first lost/found family masala film), Deewar (modern version of Ganga Jumana), Trishul, Chandni, Darr, etc… Some of his movies were driven by solid script of Salim-Javed and he always casted solid actors.
But as I think about it more, I don’t think he ever was a director that took ordinary script and made a great film out of it. Think Parampara, JTHJ, Faasle and some others.
Where as someone like Manmohan Desai took ordinary script and made a great entertaining movie out of it.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:21 AM
I’ve always felt he’s completely overrated. The only really great films he’s made are the salim-javed scripts and even here he doesn’t really have an individual signature (though salim-javed always gave him great credit for rewriting Trishul). His truest instincts always lay with the kabhi kabhie or silsila kind of film and those are far inferior. I do gie him credit for making some enjoyable commercial films in different decades and he also tried his hand at different genres but despite some iconic films in this sense he wasn’t a great director in the signature sense.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:46 AM
He was the director of fairy-tale romance……Chandani showed SriDevi’s so many talents that it is a text-book film for any actress….DTPH was a mad film and SRK was at his peak and delivered…..music again was a strong point in YRF – he had an ear for music…..all his heroines look like goddesses on the screen….but once he turned loyal to SRK only – all the sheen was gone…..then we had mediocre films from him…..that is after Darr and DTPH….but then he retired also – the last one JTHJ was ok…
but he has delivered some fantastic films as a director earlier:
– Waqt
– Ittefaq
– Daag
– Deewar
– Kabhi Kabhi
– Trishul
– Kala Patthar
– Silsila
– Mashaal
– Chandani
– Lamhe
– Darr
– DTPH
– VZ
– JTHJ
– These films in a span of 30+ years and then he has 42 titles to his credit as a producer…..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:49 AM
After 2000, as a producer – he had big money spinners:
– Mohabbatein
– Dhoom series (1,2,3)
– Hum Tum
– Bunty aur Bubli
– Salaam Namaste
– Fanaa
– Chak de India
– RNBDJ
– Band Bajaa Baraat
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:17 AM
all of this is Aditya Chopra. Even on the films Yash Chopra directed beyond a point Aditya Chopra had an important hand. He reworked DTPH quite a bit at the time.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:20 AM
There are others too. He started his career with a hit in Dhool Ka Phool. He also did the interesting Dharmaputra. But as I’ve said earlier he was only distinctive as a director when he did romance (though his entire romance world including the obsession with women dressed in white comes from Sangam) and those films are simply not as good as the Salim-Javed scripts. He’s a significant commercial director, to be more than this you need something more. Survival itself doesn’t imply greatness otherwise we’d have to call Jeetendra one of Hindi cinema’s greatest stars. Sometimes directors who make a few fine films are way better than those who have a lot of good commercial entertainment for 30 years. In the 70s though I’d easily take Hrishikesh Mukherjee over him as well.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:28 AM
Kala Pathar is my fav Yash Chopra movie. Bachchan’s AYM on some display here. The mine scenes at the end are shot really really well.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:32 AM
My absolute favorite is Trishul (actually my favorite film in the world) but yeah Kaala Pathar is up there. Again a film that is pretty good in terms of the landscape it represents but again Sippy would have been extraordinary with this setting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 10:20 AM
Remember watching Salim Khan’s interview where he talks about watching the trial of Trishul and feeling devastated at the results. He said the semi-final product was not what they had envisioned .
He then along with Javed rented a room at the Taj and brainstormed and suggested the ambulance scene before a fight throughout the movie to redeem the movie.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:22 AM
Watch from 32.00 mark re. Trishul-
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:30 AM
speaking of his romances though I’ve always found Kabhi Kabhie completely overrated. Prefer Silsila for certain reasons (in some ways this film represents the very peak of the Yash Chopra aesthetic) but it’s ultimately a rather flawed film. Chandni still holds up well, I’ve always liked Lamhe though I wish he’d made this with Bachchan rather than Silsila at the time. DTPH is still enjoyable in that frothy sense. VZ is a bore and the less said about JTHJ the better. Within this list and relative to the director’s aims Chandni might be his most successfully realized effort. But of course it doesn’t have anything like many of the best moments from Kabhi Kabhie or Silsila. Oh by the way he also made Faasle in the 80s in roughly the same genre. Very missable film (though more respectable than his appalling Trishul redo in Vijay).
Incidentally I’ve never been a Sridevi fan.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:38 AM
I am not a fan of any YC movie with SRK. Darr is way overrated IMO with SRK hamming in the entire movie (even when he is not doing kkkkiran). DTPH, VZ, JTHJ are all meh. His ear for the music is amazing though. I also think that YC got lucky that he had Aditya Chopra taking over YRF otherwise he would have gone the Subhash Ghai way.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 10:36 AM
Darr I liked. Tbh every film thereafter got worse. Love his ear for music but don’t rate his films with SRK except Darr.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 10:27 AM
Silsila would have been a classic but for the lame Climax.
The poetry in Kabhi- Kabhi is just too good though .
My Fav YC Films-
Trishul, Kala Pathhar, Waqt, Kabhi-Kabhi , Silsila and Darr.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:22 AM
I always liked Yash Chopra and preferred him to Manmohan Desai or a Prakash Mehra due to inadvertent classiness he brought to his projects. He may have been aided by Salim-Javed scripts but his direction was impeccable.
Maybe it was the impressionable age thingy but gosh few of the scenes in his movies left an indelible mark on our psyche esp those father– son scenes in Trishul. Thank god for SRK who undid some of the damage to those relationships in DDLJ and Barjatya via Salman. On another note what an expression / impact the term ‘Mother’ had in the Indian setting while growing up and it was mostly due to ingrained movies of those times….
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:23 AM
yes but all those scenes you’re referring to are about great writing and great performances much more than great direction. Both Desai and Mehra had strong signatures. You couldn’t confuse them with anyone else. Ramesh Sippy was of course a class apart in the ‘auteurist’ sense (at least in Sholay). If Sippy had directed Deewar you’d have seen a much more visually interesting film. It already has a certain moody ambience. Nothing wrong with it but it’s not an auteur’s effort.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 9:34 AM
“I always liked Yash Chopra and preferred him to Manmohan Desai or a Prakash Mehra due to inadvertent classiness he brought to his projects.”
Didn’t know you went for the ‘classiness’ thing. With all the Salman stuff you love. Sorry.. couldn’t resist it..!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 10:46 AM
@”Didn’t know you went for the ‘classiness’ thing. With all the Salman stuff you love. Sorry.. couldn’t resist it..!”
If you ask me within my circle, during his time Bachchan was a cruder version than what Salman is at the moment…At Least Salman continues to be largely popular within the multiplex settings at this point in time….I have no idea where Bachchan movies of late 70s/early 80s would stand…. Even though he was amazingly popular the aristocracy never granted him his dues and in many ways he was considered sadak chaap with those ‘phod daalega’ dialogues. Sometime back I had posted a longish comment why it wasn’t considered cool to have watched a Bachchan movie and talk about it openly..…..
I clearly remember we were aboard (not U.S) when Bachchan movie after lull of 80s was coming…… Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Jaadugar and being a movie freak my desperation to get those video cassettes was visibly embarrassing and I walked a thin line between class and mass…
It’s only when in 90 when we returned back and suddenly I noticed the North campus of Delhi with all these upscale St Stephens, Hindu, SRCC were all excited for a Jumma Chumma
(amazing drums before the song started ) and somewhat openly embracing Bachchan…… but it was short lived and Kimi Katkar with those garish lipstick ruined the song……..rest is all history of new India where people were less pretentious and started to level up …..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 10:55 AM
Your first paragraph is pretty hilarious.. but then you’ve always displayed (at least online) only the most tangential connection with reality (of any kind)..
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 30, 2017 at 11:17 AM
The above ‘sadak chaap’ comment HAS to be the MOST hilarious one of all to-date; really haven’t had a 2 minute long laugh in months like this….
And people ‘somewhat’ embraced Bachchan…in HUM!!! I still remember a line in ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA that distributors made money that they could rest their asses on for 10 years…Here’s an example..
https://tanqeed.com/blast-from-the-past-boxoffice-report-of-hum-sanam-bewafa-and-baaghi/
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 30, 2017 at 11:20 AM
I’ve said this a couple of times before but if you factor in everything I doubt any film since Hum has matched its initial.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:10 AM
Re.-freak my desperation to get those video cassettes was visibly embarrassing and I walked a thin line between class and mass…
Sure , the classics at that time were The blue Lagoon, Tarzan the ape man and The American gigolo !!
Matlab Kuch bhee !!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:32 AM
I am happy you guys at least read my comments. I thought I just post with no one noticing.
Rocky the change in India with respect to Hindi movies and universal appreciation had begun with Shaheshah and cable TV later. This is not a comment on Bachchan’s acting / standing / popularity with those movie and he was miles ahead of what we see today….but there was always hesitancy among the ritzy lot….infact watching hindi movies itself was not a done thing in those circle they way it is today. I was replying to Satyam on his class comment wrt to Salman and I may not have been able to put it properly as such but the essence is there…..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:40 AM
Re. – infact watching hindi movies itself was not a done thing in those circle they way it is today.
Oh I remember changing the Cassette to play English songs as soon as we saw a girl approaching . LOL !!
Aside- Saw Blue Lagoon and Tarzan at Chankaya totally censored , they were both big hits back then.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:52 AM
I still remember standing in queue for a ticket for KNPH at Eros in South Mumbai and I am talking about 2000s. South Bombay is full of yanks and Sydenham and few other colleges in Churchgate area famous for hotness quotient. Q if he has lived there for a while will attest to that… 🙂
This particular dame was shameful in even naming the movie when buying the ticket. Maybe it was too embarrassing for her to say Kaho Na Pyaar Hai ki ticket de do….. she kept repeating yeh waali picture ki do ticket de do ( pointing to the poster ) …..it’s another matter she wanted to check out Hrithik who became an instant sensation / talked about and was a hot property not to be missed by even the swankiest….
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 1:25 PM
Bachchan’s competitors (from those days) will be very surprised to learn that the true A center audiences or those frequenting the most prestigious theaters weren’t watching his films. The same for those who made fortunes selling his tickets for exorbitant rates in black. You say such strange things that it’s hard to keep up with you. Truly!
Now one could have a debate on the ideological impact of the angry young man and the resistance he generated in certain quarters. I’ve written tons of words on this in the past. But this is quite different from saying ‘hey people weren’t showing up’! It’s an utterly crazy claim. No star in the world can become that huge without people with the deepest pockets participating. The Salman example is fairly typical. When he became hot enough everyone started showing up. In most cases they probably don’t like the films very much (looking at the trending) but they all show up. everyone doesn’t show up for Rowdy Rathore (which is why it has a lower ceiling). Of course Bachchan’s trending was also the very best so even that bit doesn’t apply to him. But honestly you really say some crazy stuff. Just as a matter of common sense could any star become that huge or deliver those kinds of grossers just relying on people who are at much lower ends of the economic ladder? The reverse is certainly possible in certain situations. We know it as the Bollywood system for most of the last 20 years or more. Multiplexes or high end theaters driving the market and so on. The reverse just isn’t possible. It’s like saying a 500m or 600m grosser in Hollywood makes that much without some of the key demographics in major cities participating!
I’ll say this finally. Your devotion to Salman and the arguments you construct every which way around him and against others from Bachchan to Aamir to support him really makes most other star fanatics seem totally reasonable. There’s a difference between even the most devoted fan and the fanatic. The latter simply loses contact with reality.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 2:04 PM
This is beyond fanatics, it’s borderline stupidity combined with unconditional love. I’ve read crazy stuff online but livewire is #1.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 12:16 PM
Could not resist this one-
LikeLiked by 3 people
August 30, 2017 at 12:56 PM
Haha……that’s a really good one and sticks!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:07 PM
@”There’s a difference between even the most devoted fan and the fanatic. The latter simply loses contact with reality.”
In my opinion the difference lies in the writing skills and admittedly you simply have a way with the words…. ( something which works as a magnet to bring folks likes us to read your esteemed blog )
otherwise, tbh I am the one who is more grounded as far as realism and writing on the wall is concerned 🙂
If one remembers even within a city this segregation of classy and massy movies was pretty visible and only certain cinema would play such and such movies. Heck yes, within Bachchan films itself a Yash Chopra film would take up elitist cinema halls of the city and the Coolie & Ganga Ki Saugandhs would be relegated to say a ‘Nishaat’ type theaters. All this ‘gentry’ and ‘commoners’ was deeply imbedded in our psyche when it came to movies and it’s only the 90s which made the lines go blurr…..and that is why I say in 90s a new unpretentious India emerged which started to embrace hindi movies which coincided with the aspirational aspect of our nation.
Sadly now with all these multiplexes and demolition of single screen cinema, the same thing is in reverse and footfall due to ticket pricing has kept commoners out of this movie going equation and only few like Salman connecting at both levels.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:26 PM
Livewire – Sallu Bhai Dil mein aata hai , Samajh mein nahee !!
He is well liked in general by the Dil of Hindustan. However for him to even dream of being in the same league as Bachchan in terms of both masses as well as classes – well let’s just say -keep dreaming !!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 3:06 PM
Of course not Rocky. Totally unfair if not blasphemous. Just yesterday I was watched Kaalia song on TV – Jahaan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai and his personality, hairdo, dance, voice in hey days of his superstardom way beyond anything seen on Indian screen.
But times and settings change and though we can revere his memory but cannot live by that genius alone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 3:37 PM
No one is asking you to be so alone in any sense! But I’d pick better company than Salman! On that note here’s the ultimate test of loyalty for a Salman fan:
1)Would you sit in the car with Salman driving? (you’d have to own up to whatever he did)
2)Would you walk on the street with Salman driving nearby? (well I don’t need to spell this one out)
Aamir (or SRK) is safer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 4:03 PM
LOL!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:36 PM
ROFL!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:14 AM
I went to SRCC and have seen his fan following…
The only thing good about Stephens was their Canteen’s , No sorry – “The Cafeteria’s ” Minced meat cutlets and scrambled eggs !!
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:51 AM
You mean to say you use to go to other college for canteen not girls? 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 30, 2017 at 11:57 AM
The girls were there only …LOL
Aside- A young white guy recently joined our office , was talking to him and said he found his wife at Match.com, he goes – he got tired of visiting bars to pick up girls…
I thought to myself- how is match.com different from arranged marriages …lol
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 2:32 AM
It is somewhere between Love and arrange marriage..
But marriages in general, something you don’t know what you are getting into (even when it is Love marriage and you know the person very well ) 🙂
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:25 AM
In my defense of Yash Chopra I should add the money making part may have overtaken some of the sheen……JTHJ / RNBJ etc were all designed to cash in….only VZ had substance and very well written…..in fact the last Bachchan movie I connected and felt sad when he were told he and hema were no more….excellent movie by any standards !
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:30 AM
The one movie I did not like Bachchan in was BHTB…total OTT
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:28 AM
Meanwhile this will be an interesting watch –
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 30, 2017 at 8:30 AM
This seems very strong. Looking forward to Sat, Sept 2 at 10 pm @indiatvnews
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 10:09 AM
Tuesday>Monday for Dangal in Hong Kong as i conveyed yesterday.It wld cross 1M$ in HK today.HK is having population of mere 70Lacs.Today it is again topping the BO chart there.3I (3.02M$ LT) collected 1M$ in HK in 7 weeks,Dangal in less than 1 week.HISTORIC.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 12:21 AM
Telugu press seeing the writing on the wall
http://m.gulte.com/movienews/60662/Its-Unreachable-for-Baahubali-2-
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:21 PM
Wow – hope this is not true… actually won’t mind having -Sunny and Ajay together in Singham -3.
https://www.filmfare.com/news/sunny-deol-replaces-ajay-devgn-in-singham-3_-23431.html
Ajay Devgn’s collaboration with Rohit Shetty is no big news. The Bollywood BFFs have been in collaboration for a long time now. One of the films being the Singham franchise. Ajay has been known to masses for his acting chops in Singham and its sequel.
But now, we have been informed that it is not Ajay but Sunny Deol who will be the lead in the film’s third installment. And reportedly, Sunny even called Ajay to inform him that the film will not be called Singham 3 but S3.
“But before signing the film, Sunny called Ajay and told him he is doing it. He also told Ajay he won’t use the name Singham anywhere. Ajay was cool with it,” a source informed.
Well, we can’t wait for Sunny to take charge of the film now.
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 2:35 PM
a horrible idea if true..
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:32 PM
Studio model is extinct: Ronnie Screwvala
http://m.businesstoday.in/story/studio-model-is-extinct-ronnie-screwvala/1/259287.html
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 8:58 PM
Ajay Devgn style- shooting from the hip
https://www.bollyarena.net/taanaji-will-be-bigger-than-bahubali-franchise-ajay-devgn/
LikeLike
August 30, 2017 at 11:51 PM
I think he means length wise, otherwise there is no way Ajay will be able to create a franchise bigger than BB.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 12:46 AM
https://www.bollyarena.net/highest-overseas-grossers-2017-jhms-at-2-tepk-at-7-a-gentleman-at-15/
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 3:19 AM
Boxofficeindia
The big release of the week is Baadshaho which has a good Hindi film look about it and rustic characters with the problem probably being its a heist film. The look and characters are a huge plus for many circuits but its in these circuits that films generally work on emotion and in a heist film it will take some very good writing to get the emotion part correct. The concept of heist has not really worked much in India, even a big star cast film like Khakee a decade or so back could not do the business despite being a very well made film. This film may not be comparable in terms of cast but it is on similar lines in terms of genre.
http://bit.ly/2wkcee9
The film has another plus of a super hit song with Mere Rashke Qamar and it is Bakri Eid over Friday and Saturday which should help collections. So basically the film has many plusses but also one big negative hanging over and it remains to be seen if the plusses can overturn the negative. Baddshaho is a mass action film so the first day has to do well as an upturn for these films is tough. The business in the multiplexes of A centres like Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana etc is crucial as if the film works in these then it will work irrespective of how the metros fare. The single screens in these cities are likely to open but its the multiplexes in these cities which is the key for Baadshaho.
The other release is Shubh Mangal Saavdhan which is on the lines of Bareilly Ki Barfi but is more of a concept film than that one which was a general rom-com film. The film has no face value so the opening is not happenning but if the film is liked by the target audience then it has chances of going past Bareilly Ki Barfi as being a concept film the metro business can easily exceed Bareilly Ki Barfi.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 7:50 AM
SMS will be a disaster…..Baadshahoo will do 100 cr+
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 8:47 AM
Doubt if Baadshaho will do 100+. It needs 80-85 cr to be a hit. Should get there.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 3:25 AM
A Technician Dies Tragically On The Sets Of Anushka Sharma’s Pari
The shooting was at Korolberia under Leather Complex police station, where this sad incident occurred.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 31, 2017
A lighting department technician passed away on the set of Anushka Sharma’s upcoming release Pari on Tuesday. Reportedly, the man named Sh. Shahabe Alam came in contact with a live wire and died of electrocution on the sets.
This unfortunate incident came to light when the police officials revealed about the same. The man who was a technician apparently came in touch with a live wire during the outdoor shoot of the movie in South 24 Parganas district and lost his life. The shooting was at Korolberia under Leather Complex police station, where this sad incident occurred.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 3:28 AM
Bollywood News
Dilip Kumar Instructed To Pay 20 Crores By Supreme Court In A Realty Case
It is said that a real estate firm entered in an agreement with Dilip Kumar way back in 2006.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 31, 2017
On Wednesday, Supreme Court instructed the veteran actor Dilip Kumar to submit 20 crores to a real estate firm to get back his land. Court restored possession of the said land which is of 2,412 square yards. It is located in Bandra in Mumbai.
It is said that a real estate firm entered in an agreement with Dilip Kumar way back in 2006 to develop the property but no construction to took place. The hearing was headed by a bench of Justices J Chelameshwar and S Abdul Nazeer. They turned down the plea of Prajita Developers Pvt Ltd for enforcement of the agreement. They appointed its former judge Justice P Venkatarama Reddy as an arbitrator to examine the situation.
Members of the bench had a conversation with TOI. They said, “We do not also see any justification for the demand of the Prajita for the specific performance of the agreement. In the circumstances of the case, we are of the opinion that permitting the continuance of the suit for specific performance of the agreement which is more than a decade old against a person from whom Prajita secured the development rights of the property in dispute which ultimately would enable Prajita to 25 per cent of the monetary value of the development potential as against the right of the appellant who is entitled for 75 per cent of the monetary value of the development potential would be unjust,”
It has been said that the firm promised to complete the construction within two years but nothing was done. After this, the actor approached the court to get his property back. He had also received of Rs 8.5 crores approximately from the company in interest. To get the back the possession of the land, the actor has to pay Rs 20 crores to the firm.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 3:34 AM
While he was last seen in Bareilly Ki Barfi, we are all set to see Rajkummar Rao playing the man opposite popular actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Fanney Khan. The National award winning actor is undoubtedly excited about sharing screen space not just with the former beauty queen but also yet another star, the evergreen actor Anil Kapoor in the film.
Earlier, there were reports about Madhavan being a part of the film. Reportedly, there was a fight that brewed between the makers owing to the choice of the man who will romance Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the film. It seems that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who is a co-producer of Fanney Khan, wanted to bring in Madhavan for the role whereas Aishwarya was keen on getting Rajkummar Rao on board. Although co-producer Prernaa Arora rubbished the same adding that no actors ever interfere in the casting process, now it seems that the sudden replacement of Madhavan has further added fuel to the speculations.
Anil Kapoor spotted in a new look for his film ‘Fanney Khan’ at BBlunt SalonFanney Khan
On the other hand, Rajkummar Rao is more than happy to be a part of the film and described it as a great story and appreciated it for being detailed and different yet entertaining. He also asserted that he will be attending a lot of workshops and readings once he returns from Poland where he is shooting for the web-series ‘Bose’.
Furthermore, Rajkummar also revealed that he is friends with the producer Prernaa Arora of KriArj Entertainment and that they have been contemplating on collaborating for a while as they have been discussing films quite often. From what we hear, Rajkummar was informed of bagging the role for the film just two days ago. However, the actor refused to talk about any further details of the character.
According to previous reports, Fanney Khan is an adaptation of the 2000 Dutch film Everybody’s Famous! and it is being said that the makers have given their own Indian twist to the story. Also, the film marks the directorial debut of Atul Manjrekar.
BH.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:03 AM
And Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be romancing Aamir’s daughter from Dangal, Sanya Malhotra in a movie tentatively titled ‘Photograph’
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:23 AM
Blue Whale challenge: 17-year-old Russian girl, alleged mastermind, arrested
A 17-year-old Russian girl has been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind behind the deadly Blue Whale Challenge, that encouraged players to commit suicide.
The teenager, who has now been arrested, allegedly threatened her victims that she would murder them or their families if they did not complete the tasks that were set.
The Blue Whale Challenge targets those who are depressed and turns suicide into a thrilling game. After signing up, the ‘players’ are set tasks for 50 days, that include self-harm, watching horror movies alone, carving a whale on their arm. Their final task on the 50th day is to kill themselves. The twisted challenge has been linked to more than 130 suicides around the world.
Russian police released footage of a raid on the teenager’s house in far-east Russia, where they found portraits of Philipp Budeikin, a Russian psychology student who is behind bars after he confessed to inventing the challenge. Budeikin was sentenced to 3 years in a Russian prison.
According to the Russian police, the 17-year-old girl initially played the game but did not complete it by taking her own life. Instead, she turned into an administrator on the site, where she incited others to complete tasks.
Read more
“This administrator was sending particular tasks – often life-threatening – to each of several dozen members of the group,’ the Daily Mail quotes Colonel Irina Volk, of the Russian Interior Ministry. “In contrast to similar groups, teenagers in this group were blackmailed with death threats against them or their relatives for not completing the tasks.”
In July this year, Russian police had nabbed a 26-year-old man accused of being the brain behind a suicide cult resembling the Blue Whale challenge. Ilya Sidorov, arrested from Moscow, was accused of encouraging vulnerable young children harm themselves and eventually commit suicide.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:40 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/scoop-katrina-kaif-lost-race-3-jacqueline-fernandez/
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:47 AM
As per a leading daily, Shah Rukh Khan recently spoke about the verdict of Ram Rahim’s sentencing during the shoot his upcoming talk show ‘TED Talks India: Nayi Soch’. He said, “The director will perhaps not like it as it’s not part of the show, but I am happy to say Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced.”
The report further suggested that since this could lead to controversies and violence, the show might refrain from airing this particular quote said by Shah Rukh. ‘Ted Talks India: Nayi Soch’ will follow the international format wherein the speaker will present their talk for 18 minutes in front of 100 people.
http://www.bombaytimes.com/celebs/shah-rukh-khan-reacts-to-ram-rahims-sentencing-in-his-upcoming-talk-show/articleshow/60294094.cms
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:49 AM
Kangana Ranaut is known for fearless attitude and one who doesn’t believe in mincing her words or either being politically correct. The ‘Queen’ actress has courted a number of controversies on a personal and professional front. In a recent interview with Filmfare magazine, the star spoke on the topic of extra-marital relationships.
When questioned why strong and successful women fall for married men, Kangana said, “Well, you have to add ‘young’ to successful and strong. When you’re young, you tend to believe the sob story of a married man when he tells you ‘my wife beats me’. If a married man, who is persuading me, gets a minute alone with me, he will say, my wife is this evil bitch and I am this poor person’ and how the one who is sitting in front of him is his saviour. Women have to stop falling for this bulls**t, this crap. This is not the truth at all. Do you think I’ll buy that now? No way. I have not yet met a happy married man in my life. No matter what the age is. At some point, post 25 years of age, you don’t buy this. But when you’re between 15 and 25 the natural tendency of a young woman is to fall for someone who could be an ‘ideal husband’ forgetting that he’s already a husband.”
Not to miss, Kangana has confessed that she is not looking for love as an artiste needs to be in love forever.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/Kangana-Ranauts-interesting-statements/Kangana-Ranaut-opens-up-on-the-frivolous-nature-of-social-media/photostory/58591270.cms
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 5:57 AM
Over the last decade the Indian film industry has reinvented itself.
Do film critics need to do that too, asks Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal is a funny, breezy film.
It takes you on a tour of Europe with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in an unusual story about the search for her engagement ring.
The first half grabs you and keeps you there, though the second sags a bit.
It was, however, an enjoyable watch and I walked out of the packed theatre smiling but puzzled.
Why had critics panned it so much?
Following the critics’ lead, social media has been full of negative comments even while the film crossed Rs 100 crore in gross box office collections in its first weekend.
Not surprisingly, it is doing very well in the overseas market. Khan has a huge global fan base and over half the overseas revenues Indian films made in the last 20 years have come from the ones that star him.
This, however, is not about Jab Harry Met Sejal. But about the role of a film reviewer or film critic.
Going by critics I wouldn’t have watched Jagga Jasoos, Jab Harry Met Sejal or Agent Vinod — all fun films.
And I should have liked the terribly over-rated Bajirao Mastani and Hindi Medium.
Sometimes I agree with them. Anaarkali of Aarah and Dangal are superb films.
rediff.com
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 9:44 AM
There was never a low phase in my career: Ajay Devgn
08/31/20175
Actor Ajay Devgn is set for his multistarrer film Baadshaho. Talking about working with contemporaries, he says there was never any insecurity in his generation but that does not seem to be the case with the young stars today.
Filmmaker Rohit Shetty reportedly said his ‘Ram Lakhan’ remake fell through, because the male actors were insecure about working together. When Ajay was asked about it, he said.
“I don’t know why that’s happening. You have to ask them (young actors not doing two-hero film). But I think they are taking their career and work too seriously. You can stand in a frame with someone and shine. Why fear it? When you shine with somebody, you reach greater heights.”
Ajay says the major difference between actors today and his generation is that they never took their work as seriously as the young stars do.
“We never took our work seriously at all. Honestly speaking, for the first 15-20 years of our life, we didn’t. I was very lucky that I never had to struggle. But I did work hard. As the industry kept evolving, the audience kept changing, our mindset (towards work) also kept changing.”
Ajay Devgn also said that he has not really faced a bad phase. “There was a point when I was doing too much work. So, I cut down on my work. That’s how the whole process started and it became a system with everybody, doing one film at a time.”
“I was pushed into acting any which way. My first film started when I didn’t want to do it in a way. It was a superhit and there was no looking back after that, no struggle. When I look back… In 26 years, I think there must have been one or two years where I didn’t have a hit, otherwise if one didn’t work, the other did. There was never a low phase.”
Baadshaho is scheduled to release this Friday.
https://www.bollyarena.net/there-was-never-a-low-phase-in-my-career-ajay-devgn/
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 12:42 PM
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 2:37 PM
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 4:53 PM
LikeLike
August 31, 2017 at 4:54 PM
LikeLike