This entry was posted on August 2, 2018 at 4:54 PM 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.
277 Responses to “Fanney Khan, Karwaan, the rest of the box office”
Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, director of the film, The Accidental Prime Minister, and son of sugar baron Ratnakar Gutte, has been arrested by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI) in Mumbai for alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud of at least Rs 34 crore, according to court documents seen by The Indian Express.
Vijay Gutte’s firm, VRG Digital Corp Pvt Ltd, has been accused of taking “fake invoices” involving GST of Rs 34 crore for animation and manpower services received from Horizon Outsource Solutions Pvt Ltd, a company that has come under the scanner of the government agency for GST fraud of over Rs 170 crore.
New week, new thread and the weekly box office round-up.
Sanju has comfortably crossed 340 cr in 5 weeks. Both soorma (30 cr) and antman2 (35 cr) completed their average run in india. Dhadak is at 68 cr after 2 weeks and losing screens this week. Will cross 70 cr but 75 cr cume may be difficult. But still a debut hit for the newcomers. MI6 has held well over weekdays and 10 days total will be around 75 cr when the numbers come in.
Internationally, incredibles 2 has crossed 1B usd worldwide (crossed 575m domestically). JW2 crossed 400m domestically. Antman2 crossed 400m worldwide (will end with 200+m domestically).
Too many small releases this weekend (fanne khan, karwan, mulk) along with holdover MI6, which can still come on top.
The indian ‘trade’ is at it again. They are floating figures of 53-54 cr for week one. It seems to be an under-reported figure, v much like what happened during JW2. Looks like bw systematically wants to deny that hw is inceasingly eating away bw business. We will know for sure when comscore figures come out.
As of yesterday, Walt Disney and Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp has crossed the $400 million mark at the global box office. That includes $188m in domestic earnings and $213m overseas as of this moment. The film still has a handful of major territories in which to play, and it opens tomorrow in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland. It’ll play in Portugal on Aug. 15, China on Aug. 24 and finally Japan in Aug. 31. So while it’s not exactly setting the box office on fire, it’s race is not yet run.
Doctor Strange earned $165 million total in those six territories including $109m in China, $16m in Japan and $28min the UK. Thor: The Dark World earned a total of $107m in those territories, including $31.8m in the UK, $11m in Poland, $6m in Japan and $55m in China. Finally, the first Ant-Man earned around $172m in those six territories, including $25.2m in the UK, $9.6m in Japan and $105m in China. So save for Thor 2’s (comparative) underperformance in China, by today’s relative MCU standards, the three MCU flicks earned a relatively similar amount in the territories.
So we can gather, at a glance, that Ant-Man and the Wasp has another $165m left in the can within its six final territories. Coupled with what it has already earned, that would be $562m worldwide. That would be bigger than the first Ant-Man’s $519m global gross in the summer of 2015 but the lowest-earning MCU sequel yet. No, even though it’s not an origin story, I am not counting The Incredible Hulk ($135m domestic and $263m worldwide on a $150m budget in 2008, and still Marvel’s only outright flop) as a sequel.
Now in terms of the territories (including North America) in which it has opened but not yet finished its run, we’re probably/possibly looking at around $435m worldwide in total, including just over/under $200m domestic. So, and this is all spitball math (I don’t know to what extent Christopher Robin will hurt Ant-Man and the Wasp here and abroad), we could be looking at a theoretical global total of just over/under $600m worldwide. And if this all comes to pass, or frankly anything close to it, that should still count as a win.
No mainstream review of Fanney Khan so far.
Rishi, Anil and Irrfan. Let us see who wins.
Tapsee, Ash and Palker. Ditto.
Tapsee is doing a Pink. Manoj Pahwa has got a role for which he is getting applause.
I think tapsee will end up with 3 average grossers this year with soorma, mulk and manmarziyan. Maybe a small hit out of these is also possible. Next year can be better with Badla. What she needs is Baby sequel with Akshay directed by Pandey. With Naam Shabana doing average business (not a flop with a female action lead in bw), a Baby sequel can work well.
Lol … so cgi wins over star value. Much like human brain cant match computing power of ai. But you cant have dinosaurs acting in drama genre or ai to drive your car (at least not yet).
Your comments on Gulami, about how it’s the most commercial film you’ve seen since 85. What does “commercial” mean to you? Same as “masala”?
When I think of masala films, I’m thinking Desai, Nasir Hussain, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand films (of course there are many others too). Would add all of Salim-Javed films too except Shakti. I would add some of Raj Kumar Kohlis films too. I also think masala films as easy on audience. Fun, colorful, songs/dance, drama, action, happy ending, etc…
I loved Gulami and it had a lot of masala ingredients but feel it’s very heavy and the ending isn’t a happy ending.
Since 85, good masala films for me were saudagar, karma, ram-lakhan, tridev, tezab, main hoon na, maine pyar kiya, Dil, and many many more. In past 10 years, I can’t think of many decent masala film except Rowdy Rathor and Dabaang.
For me one of the major ingredient of masala film is you walk out of the theatre wanting to act like the hero of the film. Films of today are making heros be more like feminine (in this regards I like what I see from south films. the heros are mardana). Sorry girls, I’m not, and am not trying to make any backward comments. Just stating what I see in films today.
No I didn’t mean masala, just commercial. Masala is just one commercial genre but of course there are commercial films in every age. But it’s true that masala itself has been misused as a label. You’re right with most of the examples you’re using. but for instance Deewar isn’t a masala film. The masala film literally had ‘a bit of everything’, hence the name. And so exactly as you’ve defined it here. Yes Shakti too isn’t a masala film. On Ghulami again it’s to my mind at least a visionary film. I wish I could have seen this one in the theater. The existing DVDs don’t do justice to its widescreen format.
I should add by the way that masala in the more escapist sense you mean has never been my absolute favorite. So even with Desai my very favorite film is Suhaag, which also happens to be his darkest. AAA on the other hand I have never loved in the same personal sense (a great fan of Naseeb though!). Similarly I like Parvarish a lot, again a darker work. Similarly the best Prakash Mehra masala is not ‘light’ (at least not until you get to Namak Halal or Sharaabi, neither one a favorite of mine). So on and so forth. Not that I mind the other stuff, it just isn’t the kind I value most.On Ghulami once more I said it’s the best commercial film in the last 35 years or so, maybe a bit more. Didn’t say ‘most’.
okay so you’re on same thought process as I am. Hence I didn’t have Prakash Mehra name or Yash Chopra because their films were not lite.
I wish they would show some old films here in theatre, I wouldn’t mind paying at all to see them for the first time or again in theatre. Beats watching the garbage that comes out every week.
Most of these Internet age kids have not seen Naseeb, I bet if someone remakes it today, don’t change a single second of the film, make it same frame for frame. Use same songs, don’t remix or anything, just play the same soundtrack, etc… It would be a huge blockbuster, easily…
Perhaps if one wants to be rigorous about it there’s a quintessential masala genre which has all the ‘lost and found’ tricks, and is essentially a picaresque mode, where things somehow end up alright. The more purely escapist stuff. But then there are other genres from love stories (bobby) to social dramas (koala Patthar) that incorporate masala elements but are not really the best examples of the genre otherwise. On Ghulami once again Dutta is not a masala director. This isn’t a film that really has those masala elements to any appreciable degree. It always maintains a certain mood and never has elements that violate that mood. Differently still masala in that first sense is essential a comic genre (again I rely on a somewhat ancient Greek distinction here where comedy has happy endings and tragedy doesn’t… so not just comedic sequences or whatever but the fact that things end well) while those other dramas, even those that end well, are usually not comedies (again as being the opposite of tragedies). The reason a purer masala film can have all those seemingly contradictory elements in the same film (from the lowest kind of comedy to the highest kind of drama, all kinds of song stations et al) is because the narrative is essentially an episodic one. On the other hand you can’t do things in Mukaddar ka sikandar that are not true to that world, let alone Deewar. Whereas in AAA anything goes (I don’t mean this reductively of course, this is a different kind of art at its best, one just has to see the mediocre or poor masala films of that era)! I think these distinctions are often confused.
In AAA universe everything goes where not everything has to make sense but it never gets silly like lets say golmal series.
Finished LRM last night, nice movie but again, this is not a masala movie. it’s more of comedy film with some masala elements. Same with Golmal (of course not at level of hirani films cause hirani does have a message in his film). I’m curious how this movie would have done today cause seems the India of today is narrow minded (religiously and politically), lot more than what it was I would say even 40 years ago.
LRM was a nice film but every 10 minutes it’s like watching same stuff over and over again. Every 10 minutes there is a Khusi Ke Aansoo moment (tense moment that ends with smile on every ones face)
These kind of comments and discussions add value to the blog and also enriches the reader’s mind with regard to the subject in question than the hackneyed and inane stuff being repeated ad nauseam which goes round in circles giving or adding nothing new or fresh (me too)!! Not pointing fingers at anybody, just airing my view as the whys and hows add more layers and depths to the discussion than the plain and insipid whos which most often lead to heated discussions as each one has a different who as the No. 1 or the best in his or her view. Why has a mystery and halo around it which not only provides a new perspective to look at in the new light but works as an stimulator and an instigator to the reader. I hope I’m not offending anyone with this point of view, just offering my little suggestion.
On the contrary, discussions about ‘masala’ is a pointless topic. Whether one likes that or not, obsession of indian cinema with masala has lead to the current state of affairs where specially bollywood is a joke when compared to other film industries across the world.
actually masala is written about quite seriously in many Western sources/studies on cinema. I’d go so far as to say that it is as a genre Indian cinema’s most authentic contribution to the commercial medium. Of course one must know what masala is in the first place and be able to figure out the distinctions. There are people who think the best of Manmohan Desai is like Salman Khan’s films. For them there is no hope!
The other thing I’d say is that a certain prejudice against masala, as old as the hills, continues in certain ways. People are often unable to understand that which is meaningful (in the richest sense) in this genre. But this is an Indian problem, not at all a Western (or global) one.
I am a snob when it comes to masala, specially indian ones. Not a fan of those bloated OTT musicals that HW made for ages either.
The indian masala genre is a typical example of ‘jugaad’ mentality. In technical terms it is the ideal example of ‘jack of all, master of none’ syndrome.
Genre film-making is all about honing specialized skillsets. In pure academic terms, the difference is as vast as between a BE graduate (be it from IIT or Ivy League) and a PhD trained by a master in his field of work. The latter is equipped to pursue cutting edge research and development in that particular field. The former is just a disposable IT ‘professional’ in a contemporary industry.
Ultimately what matters is a good film irrespective of genre. Every good film is a masala one but every masala film is not necessarily a good film. What is masala? Tasty, spicy and sometimes junk. There is junk masala and good masala. There is pretentious arty stuff. A well made film gets some audience or atleast critical appreciation. Nothing to do with boxoffice success.
Also being a jack of all trades is an important occupation in itself. The top guy in a company like a CEO has to deliver across all functional domains just like a department head. Everyone plays a role.
Being able to navigate through different disciplines is a fantastic enough skill just as useful as zeroing in one specific skill.
Just like a genuine all-rounder in cricket or a player of Messi’s calibre who can play in multiple positions or a tennis player equipped across any surface – it shows incredible skill and options.
On the contrary, masala is a no-man’s land; khichdi of many genres. Its a different matter that there are good and bad masala films. But that was not my point.
The main reason for Bollywood current state is exactly because it got away from Masala films and started trying to manufacture a film instead of making a films (late 80s to early 90s), then it started making films with a mindset of every Indian is an NRI (late 90s to current).
To Sanjanas point, than there is good masala and bad masala. Just cause it has masala ingredients doesn’t mean the movie is good.
“The indian masala genre is a typical example of ‘jugaad’ mentality. In technical terms it is the ideal example of ‘jack of all, master of none’ syndrome. Genre film-making is all about honing specialized skillsets.” I don’t agree with this at all. Ask Satyjit Ray to make Amar Akbar Anthony and see what he ends up making.
Masala movie making is also an art and requires special skill set. Not everyone can make one.
Oh and by the way, in past there were plenty of genre film maker who made awesome films which are still remembered and talked about today.
Even musically, why does every other film currently has to have a song from yesteryear?
Bollywood is currently bankrupt at many levels. Of course there are many doing great work keeping current trends in mind but as a whole, Bollywood of today is nothing compared to yesteryears…
With time so many things change. We evolve for good or for bad. Tastes change or changes are brought about by some and people slowly accept them or just bear them. Cinema has also changed. Many people with different ideas have entered the field and they are experimenting. And there are hollywood, european, korean influences. We are getting refined masala films. The definition itself has changed. Single screens still patronise such films. But those multistarrers cant be made as stars wont like to play second fiddle to another star.
How many allrounders has any game produced % wise? Can u build a world class cricket team with some allrounders who can throw a ball or touch bat on ball? At best you get a NZ team who can get to a semi in WC at their v best. Federer is made to look small when he plays nadal in clay. I like fed cause the way he plays on grass. A ceo is always disposable. You think google or microsoft will end if pichai or nadella gets killed tomorrow? The world does not work that way.
Every cricket team practically has an all-rounder now. Adam Gilchrist will testify to that. It’s not about %, it’s about the value a good one can have. A good one will give options – if you had 11 Tendulkar’s or Warne’s it’s more useless than 11 Kallis’ (that’s reality)…
Despite not beating Nadal, Federer is probably still a great clay court tennis player. He’s reached 5 French Open finals. And he’s still got 20 GS’s.
A CEO is disposable of course but some of the most successful CEO’s/entrepreneurs today are college/university drop outs without PhDs! An education or specific skill is not a necessity! In any case what % of people who go to university end up with PhDs? It’s not the be all or end all.
PhD was just an example. The point was that you need to ‘master’ a skill to make veal contributions and add value. Those dropouts you cite are more ‘specialized’ than guys with institutional phd degrees or whatever. They are not ‘jacks’ out there!
Yes, SA had many all-rounders too, but how many tournaments do they win? Federer will never be remembered for clay court game, but the GOAT who luckily won one single Garros. Gilchrist was not an allrounder, he was a gamechanging maverick. Does cricket have a second gilchrist? Also, can you compete at world level with a couple of dhonis opening your batting, specially in tests?
I am not saying it’s all-rounder Vs specialist. I’m saying a team is better with both. Even cricket has evolved to the degree that specialists are a lower % to bygone years. Dhoni, McMullen, Sangakharra just to name 3 wicket keeper batsman. The debate from my side is not about whether they need to be at Gilchrist level to make a viable debate, the point is that the people who pick teams now value a wicket keeper who can bat more than 50years ago. That is a change itself. Even the tail wags ‘more’ today than 50 years ago. This is a form of evolution in cricket.
Federer is not remembered for luckily winning one French Open. That’s quite a remarkable position to take. The better position is he is not better than Nadal on clay and practically no one else is – period. The grass courts of Wimbledon have evolved to help baseliners too, if it didn’t happen maybe Nadal might not have won his 2 Wimbledon’s too.
SA also revolutionised fielding. Now fielding is a huge component of the game.
A test team use to be very specialist. 5 batsmen, wicket keeper and 5 bowlers. Whatever split…now you have players like Ashwin, Jadeja etc who need to bat a bit too. Don’t forget the most technical of batsman like Dravid was also a fantastic slip fielder! So there is a mix. You need specialists, all-rounder’s, leaders, workers, experience, youth – the idea that ‘one’ specific skill is great but not necessary. In fact the world still exists despite everyone not having a PhD!
Take an example closer home. Aamir has ‘mastered’ the script selection and doctoring skill. He is not a ‘jack’ out there like other superstars or gigastars in the industry. He did not attend any film schools to get there.
Degrees are there to prove you went through a process, completed a syllabus and passed some exams. They dont mean you have mastered any skill. No institution can guarantee that, be it IIT or Oxford/Cambridge or MIT.
What is your point? If you are concerned about ‘existing’, then BW is existing with its masala (good or bad). But how does the world view it? How does UK view BW as a film industry outside the indian community?
You said Fed appeared in 5 or 6 garros final. Who cares? He is nowhere in clay when compared to Nadal. You think genre films dont mix cross-elements? But that ‘everything goes’ theory of indian masala will obviously lead to the current state of commercial films, which is pretty sad. Dont get hung up on an example i used for the difference between masala and genre films (all within the commercial domain). No point in bringing in art films into it either. No point in debating just for the heck of it either.
UK thinks chicken tikka masala originated from UK.
UK has welcomed Indian culture including films to its TV for decades now. Forget Indian films I hardly see Japanese, Chinese, Italian or French films on mainstream UK TV. Sure vast majority will have a snobbish view to Indian films but no single person will change that. The whole series of Mahabharata was on BBC on Saturday mornings in early 90’s.
This is a good point. Things have changed at certain levels but of course the vast majority of people don’t watch films other than in their own language. Most people don’t even like to watch subtitled stuff, even if it’s world class cinema they might avoid it for this reason. Leaving this aside at a certain critical level things have changed quite a bit at the critical level where people are a lot more aware of popular traditions from around the world and the reception of these same films is much better as well. Because critics have also adjusted their own assumptions when it comes to analyzing these things. Of course a tradition isn’t only valuable because the ‘West’ accepts it. In general I think a certain kind of subcontinental class is far more colonized in these matters and far less open to possibilities that it imagines has not been approved of by the West than is actually the case for folks in the West, at least today.
Incidentally and in a parallel move a lot of B movie traditions (from classic horror/sci-fi in the 50s horror to action in the 70s) from Hollywood have also gained more respect within the same critical circles.
Finally Butter chicken is now considered Britain’s national dish! The colonized strike back!
By the way the British claim is not the craziest one in a sense. A lot of the curries were indeed a modification of the British. In fact it’s not clear that curries in the modern sense (or consistency) were ever made in India before the British arrived. The traditional North Indian styles generally favored more concentrated preparations (far less gravy) the the British then ‘diluted’ into curries. Similarly in the South for example there were traditionally more broth-like preparations (when they made dishes with gravy). The same is true for Bengal. The in-between thing that is now curry (a word that is itself a British corruption of a local word) in all probability has a British copyright!
In a similar sense tea as a national obsession really postdates the British. There are many such examples. All of this goes to show once again that national purity is a myth. The ‘foreign’ is always mixed in and in every sense imaginable.
Sholay & Deewar, arguably 2 of Hindi cinema’s greatest blockbusters & acclaimed films are outright masala films which require exceptional amount of skill, writing, cinematography & performance to come up with the final product. Says it all.
‘Good News’ not going to deliver any social message: Akshay Kumar
—
Akshay Kumar, who has signed Dharma Productions ‘Good News’, said the coming film has nothing to do with any social cause. Akshay was replying to question whether it was his conscious decision to do content-driven films late in his career. “No… I am doing all kinds of movies. Now, I am shooting for ‘Housefull 4’ and that film is not going to deliver any social message. “The only message it’s going to give is that you should laugh more often. Similarly, I am doing ‘Good News’ and there are many other things which I am doing which does not have anything to do with social cause…”
Asked whether he will ever feature in a movie or a web series broadcasted by online streaming giants like Amazon or Netflix, he said: “At the moment, I am just seeing myself on the Imax format, which is huge. But you never know… I may say if I get something good to do, I may, but I don’t know as of now.”
On what drives him to do patriotic movies as people called him “modern-day Bharat Kumar”, he said: “There are so many things which I do… they all are very close to my heart. That is why I am doing so. There is no one particular genre or reason why I am doing a certain kind of film. They are very close… whether it’s ‘Toilet – Ek Prem Katha’, ‘Pad Man’ or ‘Airlift’ or ‘Gold’…”
Good News’ is laugh riot, family drama in which Akshay and Kareena Kapoor Khan are playing a married couple and trying for a baby. Producer Karan Johar is yet to make an official announcement about the film. It is expected to go on the floor by the end of this year.
What makes Akshay Kumar, highest-paid Indian entertainer, a saleable brand
Kumar has moved up four places from 2017 list (80) and ousted Salman Khan from the pedestal
For an actor who famously started his working life as a waiter and a cook and whose early days in Bollywood were spent leaping mid-air, Akshay Kumar has come a long way. With $40.5 million (Rs 2.78 billion) to his name and ranked 76 in the global Forbes Top Earning 100 Celebrities 2018 list, he is the biggest celebrity brand that India has today, leaving the industry’s three Khans (Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir) who have held sway for years, way behind.
Kumar has moved up four places from 2017 list (80) and ousted Salman Khan from the pedestal. Salman, who ranks 82 on the 2018 Forbes list, is down 11 places from 2017 (71) and Shahrukh Khan who was ranked 65 in the 2017 list is not on it this year.
Kumar made his debut in 1991, as an ‘action’ star in movies that looked for athletic prowess over acting chops. Soon however he donned a new mask, that of a comedy star and then recently, he has changed his colours yet again. Today Kumar is known for the nationalistic-patriotic roles he does, a persona he often carries into his off-screen engagements with brands.
Many see this as Kumar’s final coming, his progression from the sidelines of Bollywood and brand endorsements right to the centre of the stage. But what is it about the actor; opportunism or consummate acting skills or an ability to keep his nose to the grind that makes him a saleable brand today?
Hero with many faces
Listen to some of the old interviews of Akshay Kumar on YouTube and if there is one thing that strikes you is that he rarely (if ever) talks about an acting bug. Stunts, dancing, money, martial arts—these are the big attractions that Bollywood held out for him right from the start. In one interview he even spoke about how he was bowled over by the huge jump in his monthly pay packet that came about by doing just one movie.
An actor evolves and so has Akshay, says an industry expert. Now how much of this is to please people or the powers that be or simply mercenery instincts and how much, a reflection of his evolution as an artist is difficult to say he adds.
“It’s not possible to say what part of his evolution has been by accident and what part is deliberate. The fact remains that he has always been a good actor and managed to move from the role of an inane action hero, to becoming an actor’s actor,” says Harish Bijoor, CEO Harish Bijoor Consults.
Akshay’s entry into the Rs 100-crore club is fairly recent, around 5-6 years. Around the same time, Kumar began working on scripts that dealt with social problems or espoused a nationalistic cause. Special 26 (2013) is seen as the turning point, a movie about fighting corruption, it was followed by a host of similar movies until 2016 when Airlift, Jolly LLB 2, Rustom saw him fixing the mould quite firmly around patriotic themes. And then came Toilet–Ek Prem Katha (2017) and most recently Padman (2018) that are all about national pride and common man heroism tales.
His next release Gold (August 2018) also fits the trend.
“With his choice of films, especially in the past few years, he has carved a niche, and that’s given him an edge over his peers like Salman Khan. Also, the evolution of his roles has come as he ages, which is even better,” Bijoor says.
Actor Akshay has gained from the different roles that he has assayed. Sandeep Goyal, founder, Mogae Media believes that his choice of films has not only helped project him as the ‘nice guy’, but has also helped the actor prove his mettle as a versatile artist. “His work, from his Khiladi days, to comedy to his more recent projects, Akshay has proven his versatility.”
The actor as a brand
Not only has Akshay Kumar chosen his roles around a particular theme, he has also been careful about how he cultivates a nice-guy, controversy-free image. Goyal says, “In recent years, his films have allowed him to show his talent as an actor and they also invariably hail him as a hero of the public. This, coupled with the fact that he has been fairly controversy free, has helped mould his image as an honest, socially conscious celebrity.” Kumar has also been in the news for being among the highest advance tax payers from Bollywood, which adds to the image of being an honest citizen.
All the work that has been put into cultivating the persona of Kumar has helped him attract brand endorsement deals. He currently endorses close to 20 brands across categories. Industry estimates put his endorsement fee in the range of that charged by Ranbir Kapoor—Rs 35-40 million per day per brand. He usually dedicates three to four days a year per brand, though the details may vary from deal to deal. With Twinkle Khanna also becoming active on the endorsement front, the couple as a brand has gained popularity. The two have signed on with PC Jewellers and real estate developer Lodha.
However there is a chance that Akshay’s dalliance with nationalistic and patriotism-themed movies could limit endorsement choices. “After a point, it may not make sense for Akshay to endorse a brand like Thums Up or other mass brands. Instead, brands which resonate his personality which may be a bit more niche, but meaningful, would be a better fit,” Bijoor adds. Another hurdle Goyal sees in brand Akshay’s journey to the top is the absence of a significant television presence. “TV gives you a different kind of reach. It got Amitabh Bachchan into people’s homes with KBC and it did wonders for his popularity,” he says.
Brand list
Dollar (vest)
Tata Motors (heavy vehicles)
Honda (motorcycles )
Eveready (batteries)
PC Jewellers
LivGuard (inverters)
Harpic
HUL Ayush
Policybazar.com
Anmol biscuits
Layer’R Shot deo
Fortune oil , Adani Wilmar
Lodha developers
Revital
Prince pipes
Streax hair colour
Relaxo Sparx (footwear)
Svarn Saathi (anti tobacco nutraceutical)
All the three films today have mostly received positive reviews and yet the collections are dismal. Maybe people are unable to decide which film to watch! After good bo records for the first half of the year, the bad bo seems to have started for the second half.
zero is likely to be a sub-par product, SRK has lost it at the BO already…..at the most 100 cr – Salman is facing the heat now, Bharath may sail through though
The Tom Cruise/Rebecca Ferguson/Henry Cavill action sequel has earned $142 million overseas (22% ahead of Rogue Nation thus far) for a $231m global total as it expands into 20 new markets this week. Offhand, it debuted in France on Wednesday, Germany and Australia yesterday and will open in Japan today. After this weekend, the biggies are Italy on Aug. 29 and (of course) China on Aug. 31. Barring an overseas collapse this weekend, it should be past $300m worldwide by Sunday (and possibly over $350m). However, the big question (at least in North America) will be how it holds up as the last big movie of the summer. If it legs it like Rogue Nation (or The Conjuring), it’ll top $200m domestic by the end.
We meet @aamir_khan the day after shooting has wrapped up on his biggest film yet, ‘Thugs Of Hindostan’. In an unguarded exchange, he looks back at 30 yrs in the movies and how an early promise he made to himself guides him even today. This and more in our latest issue. Out soon. pic.twitter.com/rRzsadYg6L
SS character was a mix of some industry personalities like saifi. It was not a serious role nor was it a biopic. But they have not locked the script for Mogul yet, so not sure where this is heading. In the meantime, he is letting the paparazzi click him carrying mahabharata while traveling.
Today there will be slight increase. Fanney Khan looks like family entertainer and so it may grow better. Ash is not criticised which itself is a sort of backhand compliment. Mulk got good critical acclaim among all the three. Only Karwaan hangs somewhere in between. Even Irrfan is not appreciated by some critics. Manoj Pahwa stole the thunder in Mulk and Tapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor are just appreciated. Once again Anil walks away with applause in Fanney Khan.
Bhushan Kumar, in an interview to Mid Day recently revealed that actor Aamir Khan, also the co-producer of Mogul has been an important part of the film’s scripting. Divulging details about the biopic on his father, Bhushan said, “The story is almost ready. Aamir Khan is immersed in the entire scripting process. Subhash Kapoor (director) has spent the past one-and-a-half years researching every detail about my father’s life. The film will start right from when he was a college student to how he sold juice in Daryaganj, Delhi, to how he became a game changer in the music industry.”
Gulshan Kumar changed the face of Hindi film music and also produced quite a lot of successful Hindi films including Aashiqui (1990), Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, among others. He was shot to death outside a temple in Mumbai in 1997. Gulshan Kumar’s death signaled the growing control that the underworld had on the Hindi film industry. Speaking about if the death of his father will also be documented in the biopic, Bhushan said, “The film is a tell-all, so it will obviously be there. At the same time, one must remember that in a runtime of two-and-a-half hours, we can’t possibly fit everything. We might have to omit a few things too.”
Mogul is expected to go on the floors by next year.
Dhoom 3 was the first Hindi film that released in the IMAX format. Being a larger than life action entertainer, Aamir Khan and the team at YRF decided to provide a different experience to the audience for which they digitally remastered the film in IMAX. Action is a genre which people usually prefer to watch on biggest possible film, and according to the trade sources, Dhoom 3 did phenomenal biz at the IMAX properties. It was after Dhoom 3 that Bollywood realised the potential of this format and on the other hand, IMAX realised the potential of such properties in the Indian market.
There are 17 IMAX cinema halls in India, and the same would contribute approximately Rs 55 Lakh to 65 Lakh towards the single day biz of a film.
The last two months of 2019 has many movies worth looking forward. Wonder Woman sequel, Bond 25 and Star Wars episode IX. Now we may get both Aamir and Salman competing directly with each other.
Talking about his daughter, he added, “She is very hard working and has already achieved so much in her life. A lot of people in Hollywood know me because of her and that is a matter of pride of our family.” During the show, she also dedicated a video to her father.
Shannon made her debut with pop single, A Long Time, written and produced by singer Justin Bieber’s frequent collaborator, Jason “Poo Bea” Boyd.
I’m not sure I understand the argument Marcus is making on “masala” genre. sounds like he is saying directors should make genre specific films, but even with that point, 50s thru 70s produced some of the best genre specific film. Ganga Jumana, Sangam, Madhumati, Waqt, Naya Saur, Bobby, Zanjeer, AAA, Jewel Thief, Golmal, and many more from many directors. films which being remade today. my whole point was the state of bollywood today. it’s not at par with bollywood of yesteryears in any department, except technology.
Once you hand the key over to manufacturing and marketing blockbusters and forget about writing and scripts this is bound to happen. Technology improvements aside the budget of a film seems to be heavily geared towards the leads (their pay cheque, their upteen wardrobe changes, where they shoot, snow or dessert etc) rather than other aspects.
Genre is always a problem if it leads to lazy repetition. This is of course always an issue in any industry. The dominant genres are xeroxed endlessly and the results are poor in most cases. But still you have the best representatives of the same which balances things out. But it’s also a question of how the ‘mediocre’ or ‘bad’ of one age compares with the same in another. In any case I agree, there are always dominant genres. Commercial cinema is ultimately about a set of genres one way or the other or ‘themes’ that transcend genres (as someone famously said the entire Hollywood system is devoted to fashioning the perfect couple.. this across the ages.. so irrespective of genre there is always some sort of love interest or potential love interest in the script.. even when you’re running away from dinosaurs!). You can make great genre films and/or push the boundaries of the same in certain ways.
Satyam, please dont twist my words. I said obsession with masala is the problem with bw; have no probs with good masala films as such. I personally like quite a few.
I was provoking you a bit! At the same time your initial comment was a bit too general. Obsession with any genre can be problematic beyond a point. There’s nothing special about masala in this sense. To the degree that I argue for masala I do so in the best sense of the term. I don’t expect clones of good masala films nor do I think that the genre shouldn’t be updated or something. All I mean is that one can learn from the best examples of this tradition and make films that are ‘Indian’ rather than simply being Hollywood or foreign genres in Hindi. Even with the latter many of the films might be worthwhile but in general I’m not interested in this sort of cinema because I’d rather watch the originals. Telugu masala (to some extent Tamil as well) and its best Bollywood representative, Salman’s films, are for me horrible debasements of masala. I am not hostile to other genres of course if they’re done right and if they are Indian enough.
I think there are two things. Aamir wants to try different than repeating the same act. Or JMM could not afford a big star. JA is quite accommodative in that respect. I have heard good things about his recent Parmanu.
I hope this is a stance for all his films. The only franchise he should consider is Mahabharata. Sarfarosh can never be repeated. That the best the director can get is John Abraham says a lot. I mean why not Akshaye Khanna or someone who isn’t as wooden & dull as Abraham.
Akshaye Khanna would have been a very good replacement.
One good thing is that with JA it will not take years to complete the film. And we can compare the two. And Sonali Bendre will also be not there for obvious reasons.
Akshaye Khanna is not a producer, also he is a guy whose career has ended as a main lead. JA is atleast getting main roles, plus he is from Kerala, same as JMM
JMM is himself producing it with JA as co-producer. This will be at Parmanu level story, script and execution. The topic is on naxals from what i remember from old news.
If aamir can do a Ghajini remake, Sarfarosh sequel his own franchise…and he has been waiting for it….Mathan is a fluke guy…his second film Shikhar had bombed big time then…..so Sarfarosh was all the way aamir’s show…and now this news proves it…..instead sell the rights to aamir and let him produce with AR Murugadass or Shankar or someone who understands this genre….
I will not blame Mathan. He waited long enough. And Sarfarosh is his baby. Let him do anything with it. Aamir is like Hamlet. Indecisive and takes years to decide.
what waited long? he has never been ready with script…..and now suddenly he thinks that he can make a quickie and on the brand name itself he will make a cool 30-40 cr profit – so why wait for aamir….ha…it is a business decision
Yes but that doesn’t explain why he had to cast John Abraham! He could have taken a more serious actor. If the script is anything like the first one it even demands such an actor. The great strength of that earlier film among other things was the fact that there were by and large good actors for all the parts.
oh that comment is for Drashyam, landed here! anyway – on Mathan – if he had that rational thinking – he would have made better choices! it is clear that the smell of some quick money has made him go nuts…..money he will surely make here just on that brand name….
“Aamir is in a league of his own,” says Baradwaj Rangan, a film critic at online platform Film Companion. “If you’re a big star and you make an entertaining movie with broad reach like the kind, say, Salman Khan does, there’s a good chance a lot of people will turn up. But to make blockbusters out of unusual subjects like PK (2014) and Dangal, that’s really something. One of the toughest things to do is get a mainstream audience to watch something different. The success of such films indicates a greater degree of acceptance by the audience. They’re saying, we’ll follow and like you even if you don’t give us the traditional things we expect from a commercial film.” https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8I5PYf6QV2GsC6SXp729zH/The-Aamir-method.html
On a different note I saw Drishyam recently. Sadly the Devgan version. I had avoided this as I wanted to see Mohanlal’s version but I was somewhere recently where they started playing this on Netflix. Saw half of it and then decided to complete it. I must say it’s a pretty worthwhile film. Keeps one’s interest throughout. I didn’t have access to the Mohanlal otherwise I might just have seen that as opposed to completing this. But for anyone who cannot watch the Malayalam original in the same way I’d recommend the Hindi.
I saw Mohanlal’s Drishyam on Hotstar (which I subscribed for IPL..You can get first month for Free and cancel anytime..They have South Indian movies – Telugu, Kannada).
I must say Hindi one is not bad but when you see Malayalam one you could see how organic were the characters.
Also saw Three billboards outside ebbing missouri (HBO go)….What a brilliant movie..filled with black humor, great performances, good drama…social messages..Loved main lead unloading her anger on Priest..and Letter by Police chief to lead.
Even the Tamil Papanasam is quite decent although Kamal seems to ham it up in the final reveal all sequence whereas Devgn came across a lot more naturally stubborn, just like the character was meant to be. None match up to the authenticity of the original of course.
I saw Parmanu on netflix and was wondering this would be worth it. Thanks for your comment. I’ll now skip this and check Ghazi attack. I too like submarine movies!
I think he is waiting to see how big TOH can be. The mint article says TOH budget is 250 cr. If it ends up doing 500 cr, he will get breathing space to take some time-off to make MB happen. If TOH ends up as another 300-350 cr movie, he will probably do Mogul (or maybe Osho next). In any case, I doubt he will announce his next before end of this year.
I am not surprised about JA doing Sarfarosh2. JMM has been supposedly holding on to a sequel script for years, which Aamir had not liked. Wont be surprised if JMM is going ahead with that script.
Aamir wont do a sequel to one of his better movies without a good script and JMM is probably bankrupt of new ideas.
Following the first edition of the Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest, actor Aamir Khan has announced the second edition of the contest. Khan, director Raju Hirani and screenwriters Juhi Chaturvedi and Anjum Rajabali were on the jury of this contest and will continue to be on the jury for the second edition. Launched by Cinestaan Digital Pvt Ltd (Cinestaan.com) on October 15 last year, the first edition saw close to 4,000 entries from across the country. The scripts are currently being evaluated by the jury and the results will be announced in October. For the second edition, participants can enter the contest from October 2018. The contest has prize money of `50 lakh for the winners, the prize for the best script being `25 lakh.
****
Christopher Robin banned in China, in ongoing war on Winnie-the-Pooh
A new film inspired by AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books has reportedly been denied a cinema release in China, where the cuddly bear is seen as a symbol of political dissent.
Since last year, references to the character have been banned on the Chinese social media site Weibo, after a spate of posts comparing the “bear of very little brain” to the country’s president Xi Jinping.
Sanju has collected 341.50 crore so far and in the process has gone past PK collections of 340.80 crore The record set by Tiger Zinda Hai [339.25 crore] had already been surpassed a few days back and now with PK been history as well, the film is next only to Dangal [387.38 crore]. That record would stay intact too by quite some distance.
That said, the fact that Sanju has covered this kind of distance as well is commendable since it is a non-holiday release. Had there been a festival holiday over the weekend or anywhere in the first week, the collections would have been better by at least 15 crore and that would have elevated the overall lifetime total to around 360 crore. For now though, the film would have to settle in the vicinity of 343-344 crore.
With this, Rajkumar Hirani has now given five major successes in a row. His Munnabhai MBBS was a Hit, Lagey Raho Munnabhai was a Superhit, 3 Idiots was a Blockbuster, PK was an All Time Blockbuster and now Sanju is yet another All Time Blockbuster. One just hopes that the filmmaker doesn’t take a big break again between Sanju and his next film and puts together something on floor in 2019 at the least.
As for Ranbir Kapoor, he should now have some fantastic times ahead, right till 2020 with films like Brahmastra, Shamshera and Luv Ranjan’s untitled film with Ajay Devgn.
Tend to agree that a holiday release (along with 2 open weeks) may have boosted collections by 15 cr or so. Similarly Padmaavat may have done 25 cr or so more if it had a clean simultaneous release all over india.
JW2 has done 19m usd gross as of july 29. USD value on jul 29 was 68.6, it translates to 130 cr gross and 102 cr nett. Amazingly, indian media is ignoring a ‘100 cr’ club movie?
Lol did you read the articles u posted? They are talking about 100 cr ‘gross’ and reported in june. What i commented was it has done 100 cr ‘nett’ by july end!!!
The futility of IMDB lists is best explained by this:
Best Actors of All Time has Saif Ali Khan amongst such luminaries as Brando, Pacino, DeNiro, DDL etc.!! And DDL is ranked last in the list, which is, no surprises, populated by host of GoT characters, and other lesser beings.
When browsing through user Reviews of some movies, some Westerners are literally frustrated that avg to below avg Bwood offerings are being ranked high (ie over 8.0) just because there are numerically more Indians ranking these movies. Non Indians try to sample such movies with disastrous results.
Outstanding write up on Hey Ram with detaling of its subtle & nuanced aspects and its textured theme. Satyam, if you could give your own take on Kamal Hasan’s debut directorial as well as on this very piece of writing on it!
can’t say this is my favorite piece on the film. It’s definitely a worthwhile read but it’s overwritten in certain ways and the writer is just plain silly at points (“Every shot is so dense in detail and layers that even a European art film will pale in comparison.”). But I should also say I’m generally not a fan of such overly schematic readings of films.
Atlast watched Sairat. What a movie! The hero reminded me of Dev Anand. Rinku Rajguru is the find of the decade. Such a natural actress. The film was like poetry. I wished for a happy ending. The hero could have fought the villains with his wife who is no less. And all those could have been behind bars with politicians supporting the couple publicly.
In QSQT the tragic ending did not pain me that much because there was no toddler crying for the dead parents. In Sairat the director should have gone for a happy ending to give hope to youngsters who opt for such marriages instead of making it a tragedy just for the sake of it.
I liked the Hyderabad portions much more than the first half.
The caste factor did not touch me much. The poverty and the slums touched me more. A rich dalit’s life is much more preferable than a poor uppercaste person’s life in such dreary conditions.
It is class that matters more than caste atleast in big cities.
Watch it if you have not done so far.
Hope this film releases in China.
Second half has soul..first half is fluff..nothing different from belted in past.
I disagree with you on ending comment, in the sense that it is present reality..With happier ending it would have been no different than other movies of past. It doesn’t hope that conservative people to change after seeing the movie but hope progressive people to come out of their comfort zone and voice their opinion.
As for caste; I recently went to my village after 15-16 years and I could see it is changing in terms of caste that it is still used but not with so much rigidity.
Agree with Munna that the motive behind the tragic end is to showcase the reality of the society in its bare form and that is what differentiates it from the regular rom-coms. As for seeking solace through happy ending for the youth involved in such cases is tantamount to white washing and escapism which would have diluted the impact!! It wouldn’t have been “the Sairat” we are talking about had any compromises been made keeping the commercial viability in mind!!
Also I’d beg to differ on caste given less prominence than the past as that might be true for metropolitans where migration factor facilitates it but in the heartland of India, caste still is the determinator of ranks and status in society. And elections are won or lost on the basis of caste and religion so to undermine the importance of caste in India is kind of utopian dream which is great in its spirit yet unreal and untenable in the foreseeable future.
It would have been whitewashing if Archi’s father accepted her marriage. If the couple lived happily or unhappily without that consent, it would have given hope to couples like them. It is too filmy even when the couple were murdered by the goons sent by the father of the girl. As for message, people just tut tut and move on. As munna said that those who are conservative will not change.
As for caste, the evil will continue as caste politics have come to stay. But there are always youngsters who defy them. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose.
What worries me more is poverty which is increasing silently as poor people are losing their voice in the din created by both liberals and conservatives who focus on caste and religion than on poverty. If only poverty is eradicated to some extent. The poorest are of course from the lower castes. This is visible poverty. There is invisible poverty among upper castes too though not on a large scale. I feel the very rich from all castes, religions of society prefers caste and religious politics to flourish so that the focus and anger will not be against them.
How can you reduce poverty when you have a constantly exploding population? Any country’s resources are finite and limited (with or without corruption). If you cant check population, poverty will also exponentially rise.
The population is being controlled by poor medical facilities, natural calamities and silent starvation deaths. It is the poor who build those towers, those roads and offer menial services for a pittance. Unequal distribution of wealth is not only due to corruption but also due to lack of willingness. The same population also provides the cheapest labour and greatest profit to the rich and the entitled. The vested interests will like more poor people to serve them.
What you are saying is wishful and what Sairat depicted is reality!! Directors don’t make movies for the sole purpose of instilling hope in people as that would be too boring and limiting on the their creativity. Giving hope to the people must be government’s priority and responsibility not of filmmakers. Honour killings are the sad and grim reality of India, so Manjule just depicted it in its raw form, albeit unnerving and dreary yet true.
The prosperity of the rich is derived from the poverty of the poor. The poor who become rich also practise the same thing. Ultiately it is the exploitation oriented society at fault. The poor is not free from this human greed. They prey on others by crime and following the same practices. Nirbhaya killers are not rich.
Rich and poor indulge in these things and the weakest will be defeated if there are no stringent measures to check this exploitation.
If the film maker wanted to show rawness, why did he stop himself? He could have depicted even the child as killed by the goons because those will not allow anyone to survive! Because he wanted a climax which will shock the nation. A child walking away crying, leaving footprints soaked in blood! One can call it creativity or crude manipulation.
This is how you see it as being manipulative and I see it as the prerogative of the director to make the movie he wanted to leave the audience feel the pain and trauma to drive his point home. Let’s end it here as it’s getting extremely banal as you seem more interested in what could have been done than what’s there which is never ending debate which could go on forever.
Overpopulation is the root cause of every single calamity, active one’s like poverty & illiteracy & unemployment as well as passive one’s like corruption.
Overpopulation is only one part of the problem. Why overpopulation happens among poorer sections? Ignorance and lack of education. Is education accessible to them? Why there are so many dropouts? The level of education is same for a poor labourer’s son and for a well of person’s daughter. No tuition, no parents’ help to do the homework in the case of poorer one. There are exceptions when the determined poor parents make their children study. For 10 such parents, there are hundreds who just dont have that determination and stamina. Why the poor have more children? To get a male child who they think will take care of them. It is a sort of insurance for them. If they have 6 children, some of them may die due to sickness, accidents or simply disappear or run away. They will be then left with fewer children.
And the numbers give the urban poor some bargaining power to get some benefits of development. The rural poor migrate and consittute the bulk of urban poor. Thus a sort of balance is achieved.
And this urban poor also provide cheap services so that working women can work in offices without the burden of doing household chores. The rich also get their share of cheap labour force doing the dirty work for them.
Thus the economics work out in a slipshod way in a developing economy.
He’s definitely done a lot more meaningful films in the last 5 years while other so called mega stars have been busy doing HNY, CE, Dilwale, Race 3, Kick and Bodyguard.
Ha ha – now that Punjabi families are so overdone in our films, they have turned to Gujarat!!!! but the pair looks fresh and have good screen presence – baaki kahaani poori filmi he 🙂
#Sultan releases in China on 31 Aug 2018… Some info… * Will release in over 11,000 screens. * Targeting around 40,000 shows every day. * The film will release with the same title: #Sultan. Here are three new posters for the local audiences in China: pic.twitter.com/AucUL41chq
To follow up on Sanjana post above on Sairat. I too had watched it about 3 weeks ago. Very nice film. Very rooted and believable. The ending had to be that to have an effect on the audience. Glad that they muted the voice, and I think there was no music either. Created a huge impact. For my wife, it had same effect that Red Wedding did in Games of Thrones.
The best about the movie is the music. This was old fashioned music with live orchestra.
There is such a strong influence of Ilaya Raja here. Have been listening to this on the loop. Doesn’t sound that good in the Hindi versions though, don’t know why
I liked the music. For romantic films good music is a must to enhance its appeal. Maybe the impact in a theatre will be different from viewing it at home. Like Padmaavat.
Chinese film industry is having a great year. Dying To Survive did 450m $ and now Hello Mr. Billionaire has crossed 300m $ in 11 days. This is on top of 3 high grossers in the first half of the year.
Had posted a couple of articles on this in previous threads. You guys seem v irregular here.
As 2.0 comes closer, we have a chance of this repeating in india – the most expensive native production flopping badly. Hope it does better. Shankar had to stall Indian 2 for a while now due to vfx delays of 2.0.
With an estimated $35 million, Mission: Impossible – Fallout finished atop the weekend box office for a second weekend in a row as the film’s domestic cume now stands just shy of $125 million after ten days in release. The film’s 42.8% second weekend drop is the second best sophomore effort in the franchise behind Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which isn’t quite an apples-to-apples comparison considering it kicked things off with a limited debut over the holiday season in 2011.
Internationally, Fallout brought in an estimated $76 million from 56 markets, including 20 new openings. The film’s international cume is now $205 million, 21% ahead of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation for the same group of markets. Rogue Nation went on to deliver $487.6 million internationally and $682.7 million globally. Fallout’s worldwide cume currently stands at $329.5 million with releases in Italy (8/29) and China (8/31) still on the horizon.
Finally, Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther joins Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.6m) and Avatar ($760.5m) as the third film to ever top $700 million at the domestic box office. The film did so as it entered its 25th weekend in release. Black Panther is the first 2018 release to remain in theaters that long as theatrical windows continue to shrink. In both 2017 and 2016 five films remained in theaters for 25 weeks or longer whereas in 2014 and 2013, 11 and 13 films reached that milestone or longer respectively.
just a stunning number for Black Panther. Considering the number of superhero franchises that haven’t reached this total or for that matter a film like Jurassic World (650m or so). Quite a few have crossed 600m in recent years but 700m is still hard to breach. And consider how even in absolute terms Avatar is safe at second.
Think this is about ‘trending’.. still an alien concept for many!
BP has trended well, no doubt. But it had touched 698m in its 14th week of release. disney forced it to stay in theaters for 11 weeks after that just to cross the 700m mark!
it probably had enough of an audience in a few theaters. Doubt Disney would have held on to screens just for this. But in any case 698 or 700 the point remains the same.
It is pretty remarkable, whichever you “cut” the Black Panther gross. All the more remarkable when you consider that there are nowadays so many superhero films that you have to believe the bar is a bit higher for one to make a splash, let alone THIS sort of a splash (who is going to be excited about the upcoming Aquaman film?!)
that’s also true in certain ways (because the trump-kind of politics is also working these days in places where there hasn’t been an Obama). Of course not every response is ‘equal’!
The most important thing for me about trending isn’t the absolute number one arrives at, but the glimpse the “trending” offers of what is or might be possible — this is not a way that (e.g., in Bombay) the industry watchers tend to analyze these things; the idea is to use a gross instrumentally, as one element in a marketing strategy; but it isn’t to THINK about what the gross might mean. The IPL auctions offer a great analogy, where every year we see breathless reporting on the size of the deals, as itself a spectacle and a parallel entertainment track to the sport itself…
HW studios also use ‘gross’ as marketing strategy. That is why it was essential to keep BP in theaters for weeks when it was not collecting enough to justify such strategy. It was all about reaching 700m milestone to make news splash and get people talking about the film again. Same happened with Spectre – it was also kept forever in theaters just to cross the 200m mark.
When he felt strongly about corruption in the defence sector, Rang De Basanti was the outcome and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the after-effect of the numerous stories about partition that had moved him. Rakeysh’s upcoming film, Fanney Khan, is no exception and is part of the same thread. “I had read this somewhere that 92 percent girls are subject to body shaming in the world. My daughter is 19 now and in her, I can feel the turmoil and conflict of a growing girl. It seems that every gaze is judging you as to what are you wearing and what makeup have you done. I am sorry to say this but our films are also to be blamed for such a situation,” says a candid Rakeysh.
“When you try to ride a horse which has not been trained, you are destined to fall. But if it’s a trained horse, howsoever loud music you play in front of him during a marriage procession, it will remain calm. This was told to me by Aamir Khan and when Mirzya crashed at the box office. He also said that I often try to ride horses which have not been trained. Whenever you attempt something new, it has no past reference, but it’s important that you should try something new.” Rakeysh reveals that for five years he could not gather enough money to make RDB and for BMB it was four years and during the making of both the films he had to put his house at stake.
ROM has been a disappointment after RDB, somewhere he has become a way too serious filmmaker and forgotten aamir’s fav. mantra for films “Cinema’s first job is to entertain people” – all his films are like untrained horses only and he has become too self-obsessed……needs to go back to Aamir if he agrees
I think aamir was refering to the indian audience as an untrained horse. Thats why he ensures there is enough ‘entertainment’ in his films. But that does not make all his films ‘masala’.
This is with reference to the discussion on the masala movies of yesteryears and lack of it in current scenario. I commented there that kind of discussion being done was more enriching and informative than “the nauseating numbers and our star is better than yours stuff” which has been done to death!!
I wasn’t referring to masala specifically but just using it as an instance to make my point. It could be anything but mere number crunching which does nothing but begins one-upmanship game which is a never ending debate and also does vitiate the atmosphere on the blog as nobody yields his or her ground despite knowing the obvious!! I hope I’m not being preachy or sounding like an instructor as that’s never the purpose but a sincere suggestion.
These bo threads are like indian masala films. It contains everything. Some come and degrade it to salman level (more often than not!). Satyam is ok with that, while i advocate only number crunching in bo threads.
In fact i wud prefer satyam to run 2 different threads every week. One to discuss the merit of new releases as films, member reviews and views. Another bo thread for numbers crunching. But i know the audience here wont appreciate this idea.
Bo thread is not strictly confined to number crunching and views on the films released. If many of us dont see the film how can we write about them? And those few who see trash films regularly wont have anything to discuss unless it is by their favourite stars.
Bo thread is to present the current film and in case the film is by the big stars naturally there will be more discussions about that film by those who dont even wish to watch that film along with the ones who watched the film.
I am not that interested in number crunching.
We hv trailer/poster threads for all major films. We can discuss the films in those threads rather than dumping everything in one thread that is titled as bo thread. Else call this weekly everything goes thread if we cant compartmantalize and want everything at one place at the same time.
If not for Box office, 99% of Aamir fans will disappear. They hardly discuss quality films. They mostly discuss Aamir’s films though in the name of quality.
EXCLUSIVE: Ranveer Singh, Mughal Dynasty & THESE 2 Leading Actresses Are All Set For Karan Johar’s Next Directorial
Filmmaker Karan Johar who has lately been busy with his duties as a producer is all set to pick up the director’s baton once again. One of the most powerful men in the Hindi Film industry who has his hands full with over half a dozen projects under his Dharma Productions banner will kick off his next project in May 2019.
Although Karan has already revealed about his directorial plan, not much has been known about the project besides the fact that it will not be similar to what he has explored so far. We know that Hindi moviegoers have been eagerly waiting to know more details of the film and hence, here we have come up with all major details of this much-talked-about Karan Johar directorial.
Karan’s next directorial will be a period movie set in the Mughal dynasty. It’s a two-hero and three-heroine film. The yet-untitled movie is about two brothers where the older brother is the hero while the character of the younger brother will be negative. Ranveer Singh with whom Karan is collaborating for the first time in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba has been finalized to play the older brother while the second lead actor to play younger brother’s part is yet to be locked.
“Karan earlier wanted Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh to play brothers but Ranbir turned it down later. He had said yes first but then he changed his mind. Karan doesn’t know if he changed his mind because it’s a negative role or because he doesn’t want to do a two-hero film with Ranveer,” our source told us adding that the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil helmer is not finding any actor who would like to play the villain.
“Most heroes don’t want to do a two-hero film so he is having a problem casting that role. Karan wants somebody younger than Ranveer so he can’t even approach other big actors.”
Karan Johar who is known for multi-starrers with a bunch of big stars has managed to pull off a casting cough yet again as he has got his favourites Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan on board to play the female leads. The film will have two girls as romantic interests for the boys while one will play the leading actor’s sister. Kareena plays their sister who will have a big and important role in the film. Alia will be seen playing the first romantic interest while the second love interest will be locked once the second hero is finalized.
Karan’s this directorial is being promised to be the biggest film ever made in the history of Indian cinema. The film is being planned on the similar scale of Baahubali series with an unprecedented budget. Karan is working with all new directors who have never worked with him and is presently consulting historians for research. The official announcement on this mega project is expected to be made in the next few weeks.
Baahubali has set the trend of those large scale historical/mythological epics.
It’s a good, for a change. Since around 2 decades, there has been an excess of rom-coms or smalls films targeted at select audiences at select multi-plexes.
There has been very few large, epic grand scale spectacles. Even Johar is now going going for it.
But, it’s a sad thing when you read most actors of today’s times would not want to be in a 2 heroes-project. Gone are the days when one could easily cast stars like Bachan/Vinod Khanna/ Rishi Kapoor in a single project.
He said at the press conference, “I am really happy for her. Uss waqt hum ko ye pata chalta ke unhone wahan par koi bahut badi film sign ki hai aur hume thoda pehla pata chalta to hum waise bhi usko kabhi rokte nahi (If we had known then that she has signed a big Hollywood film, we wouldn’t have stopped her from leaving our film anyway). End moment pe pata chala, shooting ke 10 din pehle pata chala. Shooting shuru ho gayi thi meri, par unke schedule se 10 din pehle pata chala ki woh picture chhodna chahti hai. (We go to know at the end moment, 10 days before her shooting that she wants to leave the film). We said of course, if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Uss waqt kuchh alag reason diye gaye the hume (We were given another reason then..). Jo bhi reason hai, shaadi ka reason ho, ya picture ka reason ho, ya unko India main nahi kaam karna, ya mere saath nahi kaam karna, sirf Hollywood film aur TV show karna hai, woh unka reason hai. (Whatever it is, her wedding, Hollywood film or the fact that she does not want to work with me, it’s her reason.) We are really happy and supportive about her doing good work.”
Salman Khan added, “Agar yahan pe kaam nahi kare to kya hua, waha pe to who Hindustan ka naam roshan kar rahi hai. Agar Salman Khan ke saath kaam nahi karna, waha ke kisi bade hero ke saath kaam kar rahi hai to Hindustan ka naam to roshan hota hai na (If she doesn’t want to work here, there in Hollywood she is making our country proud. If she doesn’t want to work with Salman Khan, she’ll work with a top actor in Hollywood and make our country proud).”
Sallu has a firm head on his shoulder as par his professional ethic is concerned, whatever his personal life, I have rarely seen him bad-mouthing him reg. film fraternity – here clearly PC is at fault, still he is not spitting venom…..
An actor quitting a movie due to date issues at eleventh hour is not new. Salman has also done this before and so has many other stars.
Salman should have remained silent. Now he made Priyanka bigger.
BTW, i really adore Priyanka for what she is doing. Had never imagined she would become India’s leading international star among the mainstream actors.
It’s Priyanka Chopra’s Dream To Be Able To Play A Man!
And she doesn’t care about ‘image woes’ that a lot of actors talk about if they are to play a parent on-screen.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 7, 2018
In a film career spanning over 15 years, Priyanka Chopra has essayed diverse roles and paved her way into Hollywood like no other Indian actress has. Now she says it’s her dream to play a man and she is eyeing Broadway too.
At an interactive session for Ficci FLO here on Monday, Priyanka spoke strongly about how her Quantico character Alex Parrish was unapologetic for choices — something that all women need to be.
Playing a man, Broadway on Priyanka Chopra’s mind
It’s Priyanka Chopra’s Dream To Be Able To Play A Man!
“Alex to me is an unapologetic modern female who lives life on her terms. She is extremely flawed, she’s not perfect, she’s a loner, she doesn’t like people, she only uses people… So, she’s basically playing a man, which is awesome, because girls don’t get to play that… And I was like ‘Yes, we get to turn the tables’,” Priyanka Chopra said.
“It’s my dream to be able to play a man… That’s the next thing I want to do,” added the actress, who also expressed a desire to do Broadway as she loves watching theatrical productions when Priyanka Chopra is in New York.
You’re already playing characters which were written for men, aren’t you, asked the moderator alluding to Priyanka’s role as the villain in “Baywatch“?
“No… I am playing modern women… Alex Parrish is a modern woman. A modern woman is an empowered woman who wants to value herself.
“The only thing she asks for is ‘let me make my own decisions without being judged for it’. That’s the freedom that men have experienced for so many years… And that’s all the women want unapologetically,” Priyanka said to an applause from an audience full of women of diverse age groups.
When Priyanka landed a chance to play Alex, she broke barriers to become the first South Asian woman to headline an American network series.
“I’ve lived in America as a child, and my biggest pet peeve then was not seeing anyone on the television who looked like me. So whenever you saw Indians in global mainstream entertainment, you always saw them in a box of the nerds, the big fat Punjabi family wedding or the shopkeeper or Apu from The Simpsons…
“Why could we not go beyond that? Why did our ethnicity define the roles we played? So, the only thing I told the people was that don’t come to me with a show based on a big Punjabi wedding, I won’t do it… I don’t want to be put in a box and I don’t want my ethnicity to define the roles I take on.”
“Quantico” had her play a half Indian, and that had nothing to do with the story.
“That for me was my biggest win. I had dug my feet in and I said I will not compromise on what I see as the future of global entertainment for people like me and South Asians. I think that gave me the confidence to dig my feet further and demand the kind of parts that I want to do,” said Priyanka.
This has continued with “Baywatch” and her other new films abroad.
“I am playing characters which have nothing to do with my ethnicity and I feel it will open the door for Indian talent or South Asian talent to become mainstream… Why do we play the sidekicks? I want to play the leading lady and I am not going to compromise on it.”
Her next Hollywood release will be “Isn’t It Romantic?” and she is reportedly in talks to star with Chris Pratt in “Cowboy Ninja Viking“. For now, she is in India to shoot Shonali Bose’s “The Sky Is Pink“, in which she will be seen as a mother of an 18-year-old girl.
And she doesn’t care about ‘image woes’ that a lot of actors talk about if they are to play a parent on-screen.
“Nobody can take my glamour away,” said Priyanka confidently, reminding that she not only played a mother in “Pyaar Impossible” but also a 65-year-old in “7 Khoon Maaf“.
It’s the end of an era (in terms of 2019, makes for even more chaotic a situation with Rajni, Kamal, the post-Jayalalitha AIADMK and now the post-K DMK)… Hard not to think of Iruvar at this moment…
Filming begins today… Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim movie [not titled yet] will be filmed in Mumbai, Delhi, London and Andaman… Directed by Shonali Bose… Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala… Dialogue by Juhi Chaturvedi… Music by Pritam. pic.twitter.com/dNpqgDgtM4
‘Laila Majnu‘ is an iconic love story. When asked what made him write this film, Imtiaz said: “This film is about craziness and madness. I always wanted to make a film on it but at the same time, I never wanted to direct it because I knew how I will make ‘Laila Majnu‘. I wanted to see what new a fresh director would do.”
‘Laila Majnu‘ is set in Kashmir and the story revolves around Kais (Avinash Tiwary) and Laila (Tripti Dimri) whose journey of love is filled with insurmountable obstacles.
BREAKING! Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor in Karan Johar’s TAKHT
ByBollywood Hungama News NetworkAug 9, 2018 – 8:49 am IST
After the ensemble cast of Kalank, that brings together the iconic 90s couple Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt, here’s yet another announcement from Karan Johar that will leave you in mere surprise! We are talking about his latest film Takht which features Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor.
Undoubtedly, the casting is not only grand but it also induces curiosity. While not many details about the film have been revealed, Karan Johar has announced this multi-starrer by releasing a poster of names along with a few other details . Also, what makes it further interesting is that the film will see the Dharma Productions head honcho Karan Johar wearing the director’s hat after 2016 when he directed Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
How did the idea of an unusual film like Koi Mil Gaya came about?
After Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai released in 2000, Hrithik was appreciated a lot, more so in the second half, with his stylish looks, dance et al. So for my next film with him, I was planning on those lines where I can show him as a true Hindi film hero. Then in 2001, I attended IIFA Awards at Sun City, South Africa. Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai won a lot of awards there and the premiere of Aamir Khan’s Lagaan was held there. I was completely bowled over when I saw that movie and I realized that I can’t make a run of the mill kind of a film. I decided to also make an out of the box yet entertaining, mainstream film. That’s how I got the idea for Koi Mil Gaya. Hrithik then was shooting in Delhi for Yaadein. I called him at 8 in the morning and told him that I have thought of a story of a boy who’s not fully grown up, who is bullied as a result and how he gets powers from an alien. Hrithik was excited as soon as heard this story.
Tried to watch Dhobi Ghat. After 5 minutes gave up. Felt like watching a pretentious boring art movie. Hope Kiran Rao is not getting any more films to direct under AKP.
Kiran is pretty rare persona with her no nonsense attitude. She came into aamir’s life from lagaan days and it may not be presumptuous to say some of it has rubbed on him since then. At least the nineties star has been put on check quite a bit. Her no involvement with toh may be a concern though, specially with guyz like victor and chopra heading the show with aamir.
She was not involved with Dangal??? She plays a vital part in all AKP films. But was not involved much in Talaash which was a co-production with Excel.
Aamir’s role was better (and longer) in Talaash than in DG. But i found DG more layered and nuanced as a film. Talaash follows the claptrap of ‘watch me again!’ – a HW stereotype with a typical climactic reveal.
Liked the movie. Pleasantly surprised to have aamir from beginning to the end. I felt Kiran might have seen herself as that photographer cum Investment banker. An allusion to aamir’s divorce and second marriage. Without aamir the film would not have worked even if the others did their job nicely. He gave his starpower and presence.
I can’t find The Fall anywhere. I wanted to watch this for ages. Right now watching Power and started Sacred Games. Prefer Sacred Games, Power first 6 episodes – might as well have watched porn though people tell me it gets better.
Ghatak 2: Sunny Deol & Rajkumar Santoshi To Recreate Magic After 16 Years?
Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi have earlier teamed up for three projects – Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak: The Lethal (1996).
By Koimoi.com Team -August 8, 2018
Sunny Deol & Rajkumar Santoshi, who last worked together for super-hit film Ghatak: Lethal (1996) are gearing up for its sequel. Sunny and Rajkumar in 90’s, ended up in a feud when both wanted make movies on Bhagat Singh. While Santoshi directed The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002) while Sunny financed 23 March 1931: Shaheed the same year. Now after 16 years, the duo might be collaborate for Ghatak 2.
According to a report by leading daily DNA, Sunny is currently in talks with Santoshi to turn Ghatak into a franchise. A source close to the newspaper says, “Sunny is creatively involved with the process and has found a story that will work as the second part to the original. It’s again an action film starring him in the lead and will have the same David vs Goliath theme.” It is also known that producer Sajid Qureshi, who made Nanu Ki Jaanu starring Sunny’s cousin Abhay Deol is backing this project. “The modalities are being worked out. The director and the actor are having regular meetings to fine-tune the script. But everything is being closely guarded for now,” the source further added.
Furthermore, The Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani director has a few other scripts that he has offered Sunny. “They have been in talks to do a period drama called Fateh Singh but that will take some time to take off. Another movie that Santoshi plans to revisit with Sunny is his dream project titled Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, O Jamyai Nai based on the Indo-Pak Partition. But Ghatak 2 is likely to roll out first.”
Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi have earlier teamed up for three projects – Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak: Lethal (1996). All the three movies went on to become super-hits. Let’s see if the duo will be able to recreate the magic.
Ajay Devgn To Learn Deccani Urdu For His Next Sports Drama
The film that will be helmed by Tevar fame Amit Sharma will show Devgn playing Indian football team’s most successful coach.
By Rahul Raut -August 9, 2018
Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Joy Sengupta recently announced a sports drama starring Ajay Devgn. The film that will be helmed by Tevar fame Amit Sharma will show Devgan playing Indian football team’s most successful coach and manager, Syed Abdul Rahim. An ambitious project for all involved, this yet-untitled film tells the story of the most celebrated Football coach of 1950-1960s.
SATYAMSHOT 
August 2, 2018 at 9:15 PM
Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, director of the film, The Accidental Prime Minister, and son of sugar baron Ratnakar Gutte, has been arrested by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI) in Mumbai for alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud of at least Rs 34 crore, according to court documents seen by The Indian Express.
Vijay Gutte’s firm, VRG Digital Corp Pvt Ltd, has been accused of taking “fake invoices” involving GST of Rs 34 crore for animation and manpower services received from Horizon Outsource Solutions Pvt Ltd, a company that has come under the scanner of the government agency for GST fraud of over Rs 170 crore.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/the-accidental-prime-minister-director-held-for-gst-fraud-5289413/
LikeLike
August 2, 2018 at 9:52 PM
New week, new thread and the weekly box office round-up.
Sanju has comfortably crossed 340 cr in 5 weeks. Both soorma (30 cr) and antman2 (35 cr) completed their average run in india. Dhadak is at 68 cr after 2 weeks and losing screens this week. Will cross 70 cr but 75 cr cume may be difficult. But still a debut hit for the newcomers. MI6 has held well over weekdays and 10 days total will be around 75 cr when the numbers come in.
Internationally, incredibles 2 has crossed 1B usd worldwide (crossed 575m domestically). JW2 crossed 400m domestically. Antman2 crossed 400m worldwide (will end with 200+m domestically).
Too many small releases this weekend (fanne khan, karwan, mulk) along with holdover MI6, which can still come on top.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 7:05 AM
Taran has updated dhadak to 69 cr and sanju 241 cr.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:01 AM
The indian ‘trade’ is at it again. They are floating figures of 53-54 cr for week one. It seems to be an under-reported figure, v much like what happened during JW2. Looks like bw systematically wants to deny that hw is inceasingly eating away bw business. We will know for sure when comscore figures come out.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 12:26 AM
https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/karwaan-movie-review-irrfan-khan-weighed-down-with-misfiring-punch-lines-2-5-stars-out-of-5-1894411?pfrom=home-lateststories
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 2:20 AM
Forbes:
As of yesterday, Walt Disney and Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp has crossed the $400 million mark at the global box office. That includes $188m in domestic earnings and $213m overseas as of this moment. The film still has a handful of major territories in which to play, and it opens tomorrow in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland. It’ll play in Portugal on Aug. 15, China on Aug. 24 and finally Japan in Aug. 31. So while it’s not exactly setting the box office on fire, it’s race is not yet run.
Doctor Strange earned $165 million total in those six territories including $109m in China, $16m in Japan and $28min the UK. Thor: The Dark World earned a total of $107m in those territories, including $31.8m in the UK, $11m in Poland, $6m in Japan and $55m in China. Finally, the first Ant-Man earned around $172m in those six territories, including $25.2m in the UK, $9.6m in Japan and $105m in China. So save for Thor 2’s (comparative) underperformance in China, by today’s relative MCU standards, the three MCU flicks earned a relatively similar amount in the territories.
So we can gather, at a glance, that Ant-Man and the Wasp has another $165m left in the can within its six final territories. Coupled with what it has already earned, that would be $562m worldwide. That would be bigger than the first Ant-Man’s $519m global gross in the summer of 2015 but the lowest-earning MCU sequel yet. No, even though it’s not an origin story, I am not counting The Incredible Hulk ($135m domestic and $263m worldwide on a $150m budget in 2008, and still Marvel’s only outright flop) as a sequel.
Now in terms of the territories (including North America) in which it has opened but not yet finished its run, we’re probably/possibly looking at around $435m worldwide in total, including just over/under $200m domestic. So, and this is all spitball math (I don’t know to what extent Christopher Robin will hurt Ant-Man and the Wasp here and abroad), we could be looking at a theoretical global total of just over/under $600m worldwide. And if this all comes to pass, or frankly anything close to it, that should still count as a win.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/08/02/ant-man-and-the-wasp-exposes-marvels-biggest-post-avengers-4-weakness/#570c132b3e9f
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 3, 2018 at 2:40 AM
No mainstream review of Fanney Khan so far.
Rishi, Anil and Irrfan. Let us see who wins.
Tapsee, Ash and Palker. Ditto.
Tapsee is doing a Pink. Manoj Pahwa has got a role for which he is getting applause.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 3:04 AM
I think tapsee will end up with 3 average grossers this year with soorma, mulk and manmarziyan. Maybe a small hit out of these is also possible. Next year can be better with Badla. What she needs is Baby sequel with Akshay directed by Pandey. With Naam Shabana doing average business (not a flop with a female action lead in bw), a Baby sequel can work well.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 2:44 AM
With all his style Tom Cruise could not better Jurassic Park fallen kingdom. Dinosaur wins!
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 3:00 AM
Lol … so cgi wins over star value. Much like human brain cant match computing power of ai. But you cant have dinosaurs acting in drama genre or ai to drive your car (at least not yet).
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 2:49 AM
Shreya Dhanwantary signed up for Emran Hashmi’s Cheat India. She has starred in Amazon Prime ad and a filthy Y films web series Ladies Room.
https://www.bollywoodbubble.com/bollywood-news/emraan-cheat-india-actress/
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 3:44 AM
Bharat Song Slow Motion: BLOCKBUSTER Salman Khan, SUPER HOT Disha Patani & 500 Dancers!
koimoi.com
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 3:51 AM
https://www.livemint.com/Consumer/4iTxMeKqCURQE7taACp8oN/Film-Review-Fanney-Khan.html?utm_source=scroll&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scroll
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:58 AM
@ Satyam
Your comments on Gulami, about how it’s the most commercial film you’ve seen since 85. What does “commercial” mean to you? Same as “masala”?
When I think of masala films, I’m thinking Desai, Nasir Hussain, Raj Khosla, Vijay Anand films (of course there are many others too). Would add all of Salim-Javed films too except Shakti. I would add some of Raj Kumar Kohlis films too. I also think masala films as easy on audience. Fun, colorful, songs/dance, drama, action, happy ending, etc…
I loved Gulami and it had a lot of masala ingredients but feel it’s very heavy and the ending isn’t a happy ending.
Since 85, good masala films for me were saudagar, karma, ram-lakhan, tridev, tezab, main hoon na, maine pyar kiya, Dil, and many many more. In past 10 years, I can’t think of many decent masala film except Rowdy Rathor and Dabaang.
For me one of the major ingredient of masala film is you walk out of the theatre wanting to act like the hero of the film. Films of today are making heros be more like feminine (in this regards I like what I see from south films. the heros are mardana). Sorry girls, I’m not, and am not trying to make any backward comments. Just stating what I see in films today.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 9:11 AM
No I didn’t mean masala, just commercial. Masala is just one commercial genre but of course there are commercial films in every age. But it’s true that masala itself has been misused as a label. You’re right with most of the examples you’re using. but for instance Deewar isn’t a masala film. The masala film literally had ‘a bit of everything’, hence the name. And so exactly as you’ve defined it here. Yes Shakti too isn’t a masala film. On Ghulami again it’s to my mind at least a visionary film. I wish I could have seen this one in the theater. The existing DVDs don’t do justice to its widescreen format.
I should add by the way that masala in the more escapist sense you mean has never been my absolute favorite. So even with Desai my very favorite film is Suhaag, which also happens to be his darkest. AAA on the other hand I have never loved in the same personal sense (a great fan of Naseeb though!). Similarly I like Parvarish a lot, again a darker work. Similarly the best Prakash Mehra masala is not ‘light’ (at least not until you get to Namak Halal or Sharaabi, neither one a favorite of mine). So on and so forth. Not that I mind the other stuff, it just isn’t the kind I value most.On Ghulami once more I said it’s the best commercial film in the last 35 years or so, maybe a bit more. Didn’t say ‘most’.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 9:46 AM
okay so you’re on same thought process as I am. Hence I didn’t have Prakash Mehra name or Yash Chopra because their films were not lite.
I wish they would show some old films here in theatre, I wouldn’t mind paying at all to see them for the first time or again in theatre. Beats watching the garbage that comes out every week.
Most of these Internet age kids have not seen Naseeb, I bet if someone remakes it today, don’t change a single second of the film, make it same frame for frame. Use same songs, don’t remix or anything, just play the same soundtrack, etc… It would be a huge blockbuster, easily…
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 10:36 AM
Perhaps if one wants to be rigorous about it there’s a quintessential masala genre which has all the ‘lost and found’ tricks, and is essentially a picaresque mode, where things somehow end up alright. The more purely escapist stuff. But then there are other genres from love stories (bobby) to social dramas (koala Patthar) that incorporate masala elements but are not really the best examples of the genre otherwise. On Ghulami once again Dutta is not a masala director. This isn’t a film that really has those masala elements to any appreciable degree. It always maintains a certain mood and never has elements that violate that mood. Differently still masala in that first sense is essential a comic genre (again I rely on a somewhat ancient Greek distinction here where comedy has happy endings and tragedy doesn’t… so not just comedic sequences or whatever but the fact that things end well) while those other dramas, even those that end well, are usually not comedies (again as being the opposite of tragedies). The reason a purer masala film can have all those seemingly contradictory elements in the same film (from the lowest kind of comedy to the highest kind of drama, all kinds of song stations et al) is because the narrative is essentially an episodic one. On the other hand you can’t do things in Mukaddar ka sikandar that are not true to that world, let alone Deewar. Whereas in AAA anything goes (I don’t mean this reductively of course, this is a different kind of art at its best, one just has to see the mediocre or poor masala films of that era)! I think these distinctions are often confused.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 12:51 PM
Agree on all points.
In AAA universe everything goes where not everything has to make sense but it never gets silly like lets say golmal series.
Finished LRM last night, nice movie but again, this is not a masala movie. it’s more of comedy film with some masala elements. Same with Golmal (of course not at level of hirani films cause hirani does have a message in his film). I’m curious how this movie would have done today cause seems the India of today is narrow minded (religiously and politically), lot more than what it was I would say even 40 years ago.
LRM was a nice film but every 10 minutes it’s like watching same stuff over and over again. Every 10 minutes there is a Khusi Ke Aansoo moment (tense moment that ends with smile on every ones face)
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 4:30 PM
My favorite Hirani film has always been the first Munnabhai.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:14 PM
These kind of comments and discussions add value to the blog and also enriches the reader’s mind with regard to the subject in question than the hackneyed and inane stuff being repeated ad nauseam which goes round in circles giving or adding nothing new or fresh (me too)!! Not pointing fingers at anybody, just airing my view as the whys and hows add more layers and depths to the discussion than the plain and insipid whos which most often lead to heated discussions as each one has a different who as the No. 1 or the best in his or her view. Why has a mystery and halo around it which not only provides a new perspective to look at in the new light but works as an stimulator and an instigator to the reader. I hope I’m not offending anyone with this point of view, just offering my little suggestion.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:19 PM
On the contrary, discussions about ‘masala’ is a pointless topic. Whether one likes that or not, obsession of indian cinema with masala has lead to the current state of affairs where specially bollywood is a joke when compared to other film industries across the world.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 9:16 PM
actually masala is written about quite seriously in many Western sources/studies on cinema. I’d go so far as to say that it is as a genre Indian cinema’s most authentic contribution to the commercial medium. Of course one must know what masala is in the first place and be able to figure out the distinctions. There are people who think the best of Manmohan Desai is like Salman Khan’s films. For them there is no hope!
The other thing I’d say is that a certain prejudice against masala, as old as the hills, continues in certain ways. People are often unable to understand that which is meaningful (in the richest sense) in this genre. But this is an Indian problem, not at all a Western (or global) one.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 9:59 PM
I am a snob when it comes to masala, specially indian ones. Not a fan of those bloated OTT musicals that HW made for ages either.
The indian masala genre is a typical example of ‘jugaad’ mentality. In technical terms it is the ideal example of ‘jack of all, master of none’ syndrome.
Genre film-making is all about honing specialized skillsets. In pure academic terms, the difference is as vast as between a BE graduate (be it from IIT or Ivy League) and a PhD trained by a master in his field of work. The latter is equipped to pursue cutting edge research and development in that particular field. The former is just a disposable IT ‘professional’ in a contemporary industry.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 11:02 PM
Ultimately what matters is a good film irrespective of genre. Every good film is a masala one but every masala film is not necessarily a good film. What is masala? Tasty, spicy and sometimes junk. There is junk masala and good masala. There is pretentious arty stuff. A well made film gets some audience or atleast critical appreciation. Nothing to do with boxoffice success.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:23 AM
Agree with Sanjana.
Also being a jack of all trades is an important occupation in itself. The top guy in a company like a CEO has to deliver across all functional domains just like a department head. Everyone plays a role.
Being able to navigate through different disciplines is a fantastic enough skill just as useful as zeroing in one specific skill.
Just like a genuine all-rounder in cricket or a player of Messi’s calibre who can play in multiple positions or a tennis player equipped across any surface – it shows incredible skill and options.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 3, 2018 at 11:37 PM
On the contrary, masala is a no-man’s land; khichdi of many genres. Its a different matter that there are good and bad masala films. But that was not my point.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:19 AM
The main reason for Bollywood current state is exactly because it got away from Masala films and started trying to manufacture a film instead of making a films (late 80s to early 90s), then it started making films with a mindset of every Indian is an NRI (late 90s to current).
To Sanjanas point, than there is good masala and bad masala. Just cause it has masala ingredients doesn’t mean the movie is good.
“The indian masala genre is a typical example of ‘jugaad’ mentality. In technical terms it is the ideal example of ‘jack of all, master of none’ syndrome. Genre film-making is all about honing specialized skillsets.” I don’t agree with this at all. Ask Satyjit Ray to make Amar Akbar Anthony and see what he ends up making.
Masala movie making is also an art and requires special skill set. Not everyone can make one.
Oh and by the way, in past there were plenty of genre film maker who made awesome films which are still remembered and talked about today.
Even musically, why does every other film currently has to have a song from yesteryear?
Bollywood is currently bankrupt at many levels. Of course there are many doing great work keeping current trends in mind but as a whole, Bollywood of today is nothing compared to yesteryears…
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:55 AM
With time so many things change. We evolve for good or for bad. Tastes change or changes are brought about by some and people slowly accept them or just bear them. Cinema has also changed. Many people with different ideas have entered the field and they are experimenting. And there are hollywood, european, korean influences. We are getting refined masala films. The definition itself has changed. Single screens still patronise such films. But those multistarrers cant be made as stars wont like to play second fiddle to another star.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:27 AM
How many allrounders has any game produced % wise? Can u build a world class cricket team with some allrounders who can throw a ball or touch bat on ball? At best you get a NZ team who can get to a semi in WC at their v best. Federer is made to look small when he plays nadal in clay. I like fed cause the way he plays on grass. A ceo is always disposable. You think google or microsoft will end if pichai or nadella gets killed tomorrow? The world does not work that way.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:43 AM
Every cricket team practically has an all-rounder now. Adam Gilchrist will testify to that. It’s not about %, it’s about the value a good one can have. A good one will give options – if you had 11 Tendulkar’s or Warne’s it’s more useless than 11 Kallis’ (that’s reality)…
Despite not beating Nadal, Federer is probably still a great clay court tennis player. He’s reached 5 French Open finals. And he’s still got 20 GS’s.
A CEO is disposable of course but some of the most successful CEO’s/entrepreneurs today are college/university drop outs without PhDs! An education or specific skill is not a necessity! In any case what % of people who go to university end up with PhDs? It’s not the be all or end all.
There are many ways to skin a cat.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:59 AM
PhD was just an example. The point was that you need to ‘master’ a skill to make veal contributions and add value. Those dropouts you cite are more ‘specialized’ than guys with institutional phd degrees or whatever. They are not ‘jacks’ out there!
Yes, SA had many all-rounders too, but how many tournaments do they win? Federer will never be remembered for clay court game, but the GOAT who luckily won one single Garros. Gilchrist was not an allrounder, he was a gamechanging maverick. Does cricket have a second gilchrist? Also, can you compete at world level with a couple of dhonis opening your batting, specially in tests?
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:23 AM
I am not saying it’s all-rounder Vs specialist. I’m saying a team is better with both. Even cricket has evolved to the degree that specialists are a lower % to bygone years. Dhoni, McMullen, Sangakharra just to name 3 wicket keeper batsman. The debate from my side is not about whether they need to be at Gilchrist level to make a viable debate, the point is that the people who pick teams now value a wicket keeper who can bat more than 50years ago. That is a change itself. Even the tail wags ‘more’ today than 50 years ago. This is a form of evolution in cricket.
Federer is not remembered for luckily winning one French Open. That’s quite a remarkable position to take. The better position is he is not better than Nadal on clay and practically no one else is – period. The grass courts of Wimbledon have evolved to help baseliners too, if it didn’t happen maybe Nadal might not have won his 2 Wimbledon’s too.
SA also revolutionised fielding. Now fielding is a huge component of the game.
A test team use to be very specialist. 5 batsmen, wicket keeper and 5 bowlers. Whatever split…now you have players like Ashwin, Jadeja etc who need to bat a bit too. Don’t forget the most technical of batsman like Dravid was also a fantastic slip fielder! So there is a mix. You need specialists, all-rounder’s, leaders, workers, experience, youth – the idea that ‘one’ specific skill is great but not necessary. In fact the world still exists despite everyone not having a PhD!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:04 AM
Take an example closer home. Aamir has ‘mastered’ the script selection and doctoring skill. He is not a ‘jack’ out there like other superstars or gigastars in the industry. He did not attend any film schools to get there.
Degrees are there to prove you went through a process, completed a syllabus and passed some exams. They dont mean you have mastered any skill. No institution can guarantee that, be it IIT or Oxford/Cambridge or MIT.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:17 AM
What is your point? If you are concerned about ‘existing’, then BW is existing with its masala (good or bad). But how does the world view it? How does UK view BW as a film industry outside the indian community?
You said Fed appeared in 5 or 6 garros final. Who cares? He is nowhere in clay when compared to Nadal. You think genre films dont mix cross-elements? But that ‘everything goes’ theory of indian masala will obviously lead to the current state of commercial films, which is pretty sad. Dont get hung up on an example i used for the difference between masala and genre films (all within the commercial domain). No point in bringing in art films into it either. No point in debating just for the heck of it either.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:01 AM
UK thinks chicken tikka masala originated from UK.
UK has welcomed Indian culture including films to its TV for decades now. Forget Indian films I hardly see Japanese, Chinese, Italian or French films on mainstream UK TV. Sure vast majority will have a snobbish view to Indian films but no single person will change that. The whole series of Mahabharata was on BBC on Saturday mornings in early 90’s.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:33 AM
This is a good point. Things have changed at certain levels but of course the vast majority of people don’t watch films other than in their own language. Most people don’t even like to watch subtitled stuff, even if it’s world class cinema they might avoid it for this reason. Leaving this aside at a certain critical level things have changed quite a bit at the critical level where people are a lot more aware of popular traditions from around the world and the reception of these same films is much better as well. Because critics have also adjusted their own assumptions when it comes to analyzing these things. Of course a tradition isn’t only valuable because the ‘West’ accepts it. In general I think a certain kind of subcontinental class is far more colonized in these matters and far less open to possibilities that it imagines has not been approved of by the West than is actually the case for folks in the West, at least today.
Incidentally and in a parallel move a lot of B movie traditions (from classic horror/sci-fi in the 50s horror to action in the 70s) from Hollywood have also gained more respect within the same critical circles.
Finally Butter chicken is now considered Britain’s national dish! The colonized strike back!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:49 AM
By the way the British claim is not the craziest one in a sense. A lot of the curries were indeed a modification of the British. In fact it’s not clear that curries in the modern sense (or consistency) were ever made in India before the British arrived. The traditional North Indian styles generally favored more concentrated preparations (far less gravy) the the British then ‘diluted’ into curries. Similarly in the South for example there were traditionally more broth-like preparations (when they made dishes with gravy). The same is true for Bengal. The in-between thing that is now curry (a word that is itself a British corruption of a local word) in all probability has a British copyright!
In a similar sense tea as a national obsession really postdates the British. There are many such examples. All of this goes to show once again that national purity is a myth. The ‘foreign’ is always mixed in and in every sense imaginable.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:58 AM
The British and US will claim anything only to find out later it was not there or theirs.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 7:56 AM
Sholay & Deewar, arguably 2 of Hindi cinema’s greatest blockbusters & acclaimed films are outright masala films which require exceptional amount of skill, writing, cinematography & performance to come up with the final product. Says it all.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 9:05 AM
‘Good News’ not going to deliver any social message: Akshay Kumar
—
Akshay Kumar, who has signed Dharma Productions ‘Good News’, said the coming film has nothing to do with any social cause. Akshay was replying to question whether it was his conscious decision to do content-driven films late in his career. “No… I am doing all kinds of movies. Now, I am shooting for ‘Housefull 4’ and that film is not going to deliver any social message. “The only message it’s going to give is that you should laugh more often. Similarly, I am doing ‘Good News’ and there are many other things which I am doing which does not have anything to do with social cause…”
Asked whether he will ever feature in a movie or a web series broadcasted by online streaming giants like Amazon or Netflix, he said: “At the moment, I am just seeing myself on the Imax format, which is huge. But you never know… I may say if I get something good to do, I may, but I don’t know as of now.”
On what drives him to do patriotic movies as people called him “modern-day Bharat Kumar”, he said: “There are so many things which I do… they all are very close to my heart. That is why I am doing so. There is no one particular genre or reason why I am doing a certain kind of film. They are very close… whether it’s ‘Toilet – Ek Prem Katha’, ‘Pad Man’ or ‘Airlift’ or ‘Gold’…”
Good News’ is laugh riot, family drama in which Akshay and Kareena Kapoor Khan are playing a married couple and trying for a baby. Producer Karan Johar is yet to make an official announcement about the film. It is expected to go on the floor by the end of this year.
http://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/good-news-not-going-to-deliver-any-social-message-akshay-kumar/1327163
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 11:59 AM
What makes Akshay Kumar, highest-paid Indian entertainer, a saleable brand
Kumar has moved up four places from 2017 list (80) and ousted Salman Khan from the pedestal
For an actor who famously started his working life as a waiter and a cook and whose early days in Bollywood were spent leaping mid-air, Akshay Kumar has come a long way. With $40.5 million (Rs 2.78 billion) to his name and ranked 76 in the global Forbes Top Earning 100 Celebrities 2018 list, he is the biggest celebrity brand that India has today, leaving the industry’s three Khans (Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir) who have held sway for years, way behind.
Kumar has moved up four places from 2017 list (80) and ousted Salman Khan from the pedestal. Salman, who ranks 82 on the 2018 Forbes list, is down 11 places from 2017 (71) and Shahrukh Khan who was ranked 65 in the 2017 list is not on it this year.
Kumar made his debut in 1991, as an ‘action’ star in movies that looked for athletic prowess over acting chops. Soon however he donned a new mask, that of a comedy star and then recently, he has changed his colours yet again. Today Kumar is known for the nationalistic-patriotic roles he does, a persona he often carries into his off-screen engagements with brands.
Many see this as Kumar’s final coming, his progression from the sidelines of Bollywood and brand endorsements right to the centre of the stage. But what is it about the actor; opportunism or consummate acting skills or an ability to keep his nose to the grind that makes him a saleable brand today?
Hero with many faces
Listen to some of the old interviews of Akshay Kumar on YouTube and if there is one thing that strikes you is that he rarely (if ever) talks about an acting bug. Stunts, dancing, money, martial arts—these are the big attractions that Bollywood held out for him right from the start. In one interview he even spoke about how he was bowled over by the huge jump in his monthly pay packet that came about by doing just one movie.
An actor evolves and so has Akshay, says an industry expert. Now how much of this is to please people or the powers that be or simply mercenery instincts and how much, a reflection of his evolution as an artist is difficult to say he adds.
“It’s not possible to say what part of his evolution has been by accident and what part is deliberate. The fact remains that he has always been a good actor and managed to move from the role of an inane action hero, to becoming an actor’s actor,” says Harish Bijoor, CEO Harish Bijoor Consults.
Akshay’s entry into the Rs 100-crore club is fairly recent, around 5-6 years. Around the same time, Kumar began working on scripts that dealt with social problems or espoused a nationalistic cause. Special 26 (2013) is seen as the turning point, a movie about fighting corruption, it was followed by a host of similar movies until 2016 when Airlift, Jolly LLB 2, Rustom saw him fixing the mould quite firmly around patriotic themes. And then came Toilet–Ek Prem Katha (2017) and most recently Padman (2018) that are all about national pride and common man heroism tales.
His next release Gold (August 2018) also fits the trend.
“With his choice of films, especially in the past few years, he has carved a niche, and that’s given him an edge over his peers like Salman Khan. Also, the evolution of his roles has come as he ages, which is even better,” Bijoor says.
Actor Akshay has gained from the different roles that he has assayed. Sandeep Goyal, founder, Mogae Media believes that his choice of films has not only helped project him as the ‘nice guy’, but has also helped the actor prove his mettle as a versatile artist. “His work, from his Khiladi days, to comedy to his more recent projects, Akshay has proven his versatility.”
The actor as a brand
Not only has Akshay Kumar chosen his roles around a particular theme, he has also been careful about how he cultivates a nice-guy, controversy-free image. Goyal says, “In recent years, his films have allowed him to show his talent as an actor and they also invariably hail him as a hero of the public. This, coupled with the fact that he has been fairly controversy free, has helped mould his image as an honest, socially conscious celebrity.” Kumar has also been in the news for being among the highest advance tax payers from Bollywood, which adds to the image of being an honest citizen.
All the work that has been put into cultivating the persona of Kumar has helped him attract brand endorsement deals. He currently endorses close to 20 brands across categories. Industry estimates put his endorsement fee in the range of that charged by Ranbir Kapoor—Rs 35-40 million per day per brand. He usually dedicates three to four days a year per brand, though the details may vary from deal to deal. With Twinkle Khanna also becoming active on the endorsement front, the couple as a brand has gained popularity. The two have signed on with PC Jewellers and real estate developer Lodha.
However there is a chance that Akshay’s dalliance with nationalistic and patriotism-themed movies could limit endorsement choices. “After a point, it may not make sense for Akshay to endorse a brand like Thums Up or other mass brands. Instead, brands which resonate his personality which may be a bit more niche, but meaningful, would be a better fit,” Bijoor adds. Another hurdle Goyal sees in brand Akshay’s journey to the top is the absence of a significant television presence. “TV gives you a different kind of reach. It got Amitabh Bachchan into people’s homes with KBC and it did wonders for his popularity,” he says.
Brand list
Dollar (vest)
Tata Motors (heavy vehicles)
Honda (motorcycles )
Eveready (batteries)
PC Jewellers
LivGuard (inverters)
Harpic
HUL Ayush
Policybazar.com
Anmol biscuits
Layer’R Shot deo
Fortune oil , Adani Wilmar
Lodha developers
Revital
Prince pipes
Streax hair colour
Relaxo Sparx (footwear)
Svarn Saathi (anti tobacco nutraceutical)
RankEarnings
2017 80$40.5mn
201876$35.5mn
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:53 AM
The author has forgotten, he is a Canadian and all patriotic acts are just acts without feelings by the Canadian actor
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 1:10 PM
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/rajeev-khandelwal-you-can-beat-any-disease-as-long-as-you-are-positive-from-inside-5290885/
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 1:28 PM
http://www.filmcompanion.in/fanney-khan-review-rahul-desai-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-anil-kapoor-rajkummar-rao
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 1:35 PM
https://www.filmcompanion.in/mulk-movie-review-court-in-session-rahul-desai
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 1:41 PM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/at-fanney-khan-screening-aaradhya-bachchan-not-aishwarya-was-a-star-see-pics/story-OVX1XydcoEJH5aboYnITPP.html
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 2:24 PM
All the three films today have mostly received positive reviews and yet the collections are dismal. Maybe people are unable to decide which film to watch! After good bo records for the first half of the year, the bad bo seems to have started for the second half.
Bad News!
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 4:03 PM
I think it’s because people are saving their money for the Independence day releases.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 7:49 PM
aamir – aish……https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/bollywood-news/article/when-aamir-khan-and-aishwarya-rai-turned-raj-simran-as-they-grooved-to-shah-rukh-khans-ddlj-song-watch/264102
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 7:53 PM
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:23 PM
YRF’s next tentpoles after toh are going to be dhoom 4 with srk and tiger 3 with salman. Adi chopra and his stunts …
https://www.filmfare.com/news/bollywood/dhoom-4-to-be-announced-post-the-release-of-thugs-of-hindostans-first-look-29639.html
If the likes of zero and bharath turns out to be big budget flops like race 3, then chopra will backtrack.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:01 AM
zero is likely to be a sub-par product, SRK has lost it at the BO already…..at the most 100 cr – Salman is facing the heat now, Bharath may sail through though
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:37 PM
Forbes:
The Tom Cruise/Rebecca Ferguson/Henry Cavill action sequel has earned $142 million overseas (22% ahead of Rogue Nation thus far) for a $231m global total as it expands into 20 new markets this week. Offhand, it debuted in France on Wednesday, Germany and Australia yesterday and will open in Japan today. After this weekend, the biggies are Italy on Aug. 29 and (of course) China on Aug. 31. Barring an overseas collapse this weekend, it should be past $300m worldwide by Sunday (and possibly over $350m). However, the big question (at least in North America) will be how it holds up as the last big movie of the summer. If it legs it like Rogue Nation (or The Conjuring), it’ll top $200m domestic by the end.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/08/03/box-office-tom-cruise-mission-impossible-fallout-leggier-than-bourne-bond-teen-titans-henry-cavill-rebecca-ferguson-meryl-streep/#4e0b69c84a45
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 8:46 PM
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 11:59 PM
Full interview:
https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8I5PYf6QV2GsC6SXp729zH/The-Aamir-method.html
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:54 AM
This is such a boring interview, same old questions and same old answers…..
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 12:18 AM
I liked Mansoor’s insight here.
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 11:44 PM
Like it or not, Aamir will probably act in this IMHO …
https://www.mid-day.com/articles/aamir-khan-immersed-in-scripting-process-of-gulshan-kumar-biopic-says-bhushan-kumar/19667170
LikeLike
August 3, 2018 at 11:53 PM
Nadeem Saifi? He played him in Secret Superstar
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 12:17 AM
SS character was a mix of some industry personalities like saifi. It was not a serious role nor was it a biopic. But they have not locked the script for Mogul yet, so not sure where this is heading. In the meantime, he is letting the paparazzi click him carrying mahabharata while traveling.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:19 AM
Akshay says that no one can play Gulshan Kumar like him.
After Aamir’s entry it looks like Akshay wants to do the film and sending indirect signals.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:15 AM
Rough figures, but combined friday business of mulk, fanne khan, karwan and dhadak is only 5 cr!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:26 AM
Today there will be slight increase. Fanney Khan looks like family entertainer and so it may grow better. Ash is not criticised which itself is a sort of backhand compliment. Mulk got good critical acclaim among all the three. Only Karwaan hangs somewhere in between. Even Irrfan is not appreciated by some critics. Manoj Pahwa stole the thunder in Mulk and Tapsee Pannu and Rishi Kapoor are just appreciated. Once again Anil walks away with applause in Fanney Khan.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:01 AM
all 3 films are failures at BO and ppl would prefer to go for MI
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:34 AM
Bhushan Kumar, in an interview to Mid Day recently revealed that actor Aamir Khan, also the co-producer of Mogul has been an important part of the film’s scripting. Divulging details about the biopic on his father, Bhushan said, “The story is almost ready. Aamir Khan is immersed in the entire scripting process. Subhash Kapoor (director) has spent the past one-and-a-half years researching every detail about my father’s life. The film will start right from when he was a college student to how he sold juice in Daryaganj, Delhi, to how he became a game changer in the music industry.”
Gulshan Kumar changed the face of Hindi film music and also produced quite a lot of successful Hindi films including Aashiqui (1990), Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, among others. He was shot to death outside a temple in Mumbai in 1997. Gulshan Kumar’s death signaled the growing control that the underworld had on the Hindi film industry. Speaking about if the death of his father will also be documented in the biopic, Bhushan said, “The film is a tell-all, so it will obviously be there. At the same time, one must remember that in a runtime of two-and-a-half hours, we can’t possibly fit everything. We might have to omit a few things too.”
Mogul is expected to go on the floors by next year.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:42 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/dhoom-3-gold-2-0-7-indian-films-explored-imax-format/
Dhoom 3 was the first Hindi film that released in the IMAX format. Being a larger than life action entertainer, Aamir Khan and the team at YRF decided to provide a different experience to the audience for which they digitally remastered the film in IMAX. Action is a genre which people usually prefer to watch on biggest possible film, and according to the trade sources, Dhoom 3 did phenomenal biz at the IMAX properties. It was after Dhoom 3 that Bollywood realised the potential of this format and on the other hand, IMAX realised the potential of such properties in the Indian market.
There are 17 IMAX cinema halls in India, and the same would contribute approximately Rs 55 Lakh to 65 Lakh towards the single day biz of a film.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:08 AM
Here is something interesting. Dabangg 3 may release with Mogul in Christmas 2019. Aamir vs Salman (assuming Aamir plays the lead in Mogul).
http://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-salman-khan-s-dabangg-3-to-have-a-christmas-2019-release-2645316
The last two months of 2019 has many movies worth looking forward. Wonder Woman sequel, Bond 25 and Star Wars episode IX. Now we may get both Aamir and Salman competing directly with each other.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:12 AM
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/muzaffarpur-shelter-abuse-case-dcw-chief-swati-maliwal-letter-to-nitish-kumar-bihar-rape-case-5291244/
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:20 AM
Back to back turkeys from Mehra …
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:05 AM
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:07 AM
Not a great release date. Antman 2 is releasing on 24th and MI6 on same day in china.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:56 AM
https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8I5PYf6QV2GsC6SXp729zH/The-Aamir-method.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 4, 2018 at 5:23 AM
good read..
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:49 AM
Masurkar did a good job with Newton and so are the actors. Quite an entertaining movie. Pankaj Tripathi and Rao made an interesting pair.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 7:20 AM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/kumar-sanu-says-he-adopted-daughter-in-2001-kept-it-a-secret-for-fear-of-society/story-674hdREsxAcpl2hNn1hGXM.html
Talking about his daughter, he added, “She is very hard working and has already achieved so much in her life. A lot of people in Hollywood know me because of her and that is a matter of pride of our family.” During the show, she also dedicated a video to her father.
Shannon made her debut with pop single, A Long Time, written and produced by singer Justin Bieber’s frequent collaborator, Jason “Poo Bea” Boyd.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 7:45 AM
This is ridiculous. Aamir has been awaiting this script since 20 years now and that fellow goes ahead with JA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only a foll can do so – with Aamir the film would have raced to 400 cr and with JA – even a 100 cr will be courtesy brand-aamir…..has that mathew guy gone nuts???? for god’s sake, take aamir on board…..what is going on here????
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/john-abraham-confirms-sarfarosh-2-he-will-step-into-aamir-khan-s-shoes/story-ylv5PetXKPn27cWef9g6yM.html
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:09 AM
that evens the score. Aamir took Dhoom sequel from JA, now JA gives it back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 4, 2018 at 9:19 AM
things could have been worse. JMM could have signed SRK, Salman, Akshay or HR undress
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:21 AM
freudian spelling correction slip by the system. i meant instead
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:32 AM
lol!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:22 AM
I’m glad Aamir has distanced himself from Sarfarosh 2 but equally laughing hard that John Abraham is considered a replacement.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:33 AM
this is one of the craziest things, even by Bollywood’s standards!
And Marcus thinks classic masala is the problem!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:16 AM
I’m not sure I understand the argument Marcus is making on “masala” genre. sounds like he is saying directors should make genre specific films, but even with that point, 50s thru 70s produced some of the best genre specific film. Ganga Jumana, Sangam, Madhumati, Waqt, Naya Saur, Bobby, Zanjeer, AAA, Jewel Thief, Golmal, and many more from many directors. films which being remade today. my whole point was the state of bollywood today. it’s not at par with bollywood of yesteryears in any department, except technology.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:33 AM
Once you hand the key over to manufacturing and marketing blockbusters and forget about writing and scripts this is bound to happen. Technology improvements aside the budget of a film seems to be heavily geared towards the leads (their pay cheque, their upteen wardrobe changes, where they shoot, snow or dessert etc) rather than other aspects.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:16 PM
agree with this. Today films in just about any industry are ‘products’. The exceptions are few and far between.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:46 AM
Masala film definitions:
For Marcus: Sarfarosh sequel with JA
For rest of us: Sarfarosh sequel with Aamir
;-))))
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:15 PM
Genre is always a problem if it leads to lazy repetition. This is of course always an issue in any industry. The dominant genres are xeroxed endlessly and the results are poor in most cases. But still you have the best representatives of the same which balances things out. But it’s also a question of how the ‘mediocre’ or ‘bad’ of one age compares with the same in another. In any case I agree, there are always dominant genres. Commercial cinema is ultimately about a set of genres one way or the other or ‘themes’ that transcend genres (as someone famously said the entire Hollywood system is devoted to fashioning the perfect couple.. this across the ages.. so irrespective of genre there is always some sort of love interest or potential love interest in the script.. even when you’re running away from dinosaurs!). You can make great genre films and/or push the boundaries of the same in certain ways.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 12:26 PM
Satyam, please dont twist my words. I said obsession with masala is the problem with bw; have no probs with good masala films as such. I personally like quite a few.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:07 PM
I was provoking you a bit! At the same time your initial comment was a bit too general. Obsession with any genre can be problematic beyond a point. There’s nothing special about masala in this sense. To the degree that I argue for masala I do so in the best sense of the term. I don’t expect clones of good masala films nor do I think that the genre shouldn’t be updated or something. All I mean is that one can learn from the best examples of this tradition and make films that are ‘Indian’ rather than simply being Hollywood or foreign genres in Hindi. Even with the latter many of the films might be worthwhile but in general I’m not interested in this sort of cinema because I’d rather watch the originals. Telugu masala (to some extent Tamil as well) and its best Bollywood representative, Salman’s films, are for me horrible debasements of masala. I am not hostile to other genres of course if they’re done right and if they are Indian enough.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:45 AM
I think there are two things. Aamir wants to try different than repeating the same act. Or JMM could not afford a big star. JA is quite accommodative in that respect. I have heard good things about his recent Parmanu.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:53 AM
I hope this is a stance for all his films. The only franchise he should consider is Mahabharata. Sarfarosh can never be repeated. That the best the director can get is John Abraham says a lot. I mean why not Akshaye Khanna or someone who isn’t as wooden & dull as Abraham.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 4, 2018 at 10:01 AM
Akshaye Khanna would have been a very good replacement.
One good thing is that with JA it will not take years to complete the film. And we can compare the two. And Sonali Bendre will also be not there for obvious reasons.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 8:58 AM
Akshaye Khanna is not a producer, also he is a guy whose career has ended as a main lead. JA is atleast getting main roles, plus he is from Kerala, same as JMM
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 5, 2018 at 11:02 AM
Is JA producing Sarfarosh 2?
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 7:57 PM
JMM is himself producing it with JA as co-producer. This will be at Parmanu level story, script and execution. The topic is on naxals from what i remember from old news.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:45 AM
If aamir can do a Ghajini remake, Sarfarosh sequel his own franchise…and he has been waiting for it….Mathan is a fluke guy…his second film Shikhar had bombed big time then…..so Sarfarosh was all the way aamir’s show…and now this news proves it…..instead sell the rights to aamir and let him produce with AR Murugadass or Shankar or someone who understands this genre….
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:51 AM
I will not blame Mathan. He waited long enough. And Sarfarosh is his baby. Let him do anything with it. Aamir is like Hamlet. Indecisive and takes years to decide.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 4, 2018 at 10:53 AM
what waited long? he has never been ready with script…..and now suddenly he thinks that he can make a quickie and on the brand name itself he will make a cool 30-40 cr profit – so why wait for aamir….ha…it is a business decision
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:18 PM
Yes but that doesn’t explain why he had to cast John Abraham! He could have taken a more serious actor. If the script is anything like the first one it even demands such an actor. The great strength of that earlier film among other things was the fact that there were by and large good actors for all the parts.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:36 PM
Hindi one was saved by Tabu….btw, pl. recommend any good South Indian movies (I watch them either with subtitles or with hindi dubbed)
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:38 PM
oh that comment is for Drashyam, landed here! anyway – on Mathan – if he had that rational thinking – he would have made better choices! it is clear that the smell of some quick money has made him go nuts…..money he will surely make here just on that brand name….
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:12 PM
Let him and JA start giving interviews. Then we will come to know the true story.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 1:40 AM
I don’t think they will ever tell Aamir did not like the idea. Or Aamir will tell that in the open.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 1:24 PM
@Idea,
Check out the Malayalam movie “Angamaly Diaries” on Netflix. It’s the real deal 😉
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 4:36 PM
There are talks of AAA sequel without Aamir, Salman. No one is questioning that. But only Sarfarosh.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:49 AM
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/salman-khan-has-to-seek-permission-for-every-foreign-trip-jodhpur-court-1895186?pfrom=home-topstories
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 11:46 AM
“Aamir is in a league of his own,” says Baradwaj Rangan, a film critic at online platform Film Companion. “If you’re a big star and you make an entertaining movie with broad reach like the kind, say, Salman Khan does, there’s a good chance a lot of people will turn up. But to make blockbusters out of unusual subjects like PK (2014) and Dangal, that’s really something. One of the toughest things to do is get a mainstream audience to watch something different. The success of such films indicates a greater degree of acceptance by the audience. They’re saying, we’ll follow and like you even if you don’t give us the traditional things we expect from a commercial film.”
https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8I5PYf6QV2GsC6SXp729zH/The-Aamir-method.html
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:10 PM
On a different note I saw Drishyam recently. Sadly the Devgan version. I had avoided this as I wanted to see Mohanlal’s version but I was somewhere recently where they started playing this on Netflix. Saw half of it and then decided to complete it. I must say it’s a pretty worthwhile film. Keeps one’s interest throughout. I didn’t have access to the Mohanlal otherwise I might just have seen that as opposed to completing this. But for anyone who cannot watch the Malayalam original in the same way I’d recommend the Hindi.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 1:14 PM
It’s good. I need to catch the ending as my recording missed it.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:34 PM
I saw Mohanlal’s Drishyam on Hotstar (which I subscribed for IPL..You can get first month for Free and cancel anytime..They have South Indian movies – Telugu, Kannada).
I must say Hindi one is not bad but when you see Malayalam one you could see how organic were the characters.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 4, 2018 at 3:07 PM
not surprised! I guess I should also check on the Eros channel on amazon. Again they give you a week free.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 6:02 AM
Also saw Three billboards outside ebbing missouri (HBO go)….What a brilliant movie..filled with black humor, great performances, good drama…social messages..Loved main lead unloading her anger on Priest..and Letter by Police chief to lead.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 7:07 AM
haven’t seen this. Will check it out. Thanks..
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 8:09 AM
Even the Tamil Papanasam is quite decent although Kamal seems to ham it up in the final reveal all sequence whereas Devgn came across a lot more naturally stubborn, just like the character was meant to be. None match up to the authenticity of the original of course.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 2:35 PM
I saw Parmanu and Ghazi attack..Parmanu was bad screenplay..too many cringy and manipulative moments..Ghazi was decent (I love submarine movies).
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 3:08 PM
I saw Parmanu on netflix and was wondering this would be worth it. Thanks for your comment. I’ll now skip this and check Ghazi attack. I too like submarine movies!
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 6:13 PM
Ghazi’s production values are low and it has it share of cringy-ness
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 9:10 PM
Cringy yes, manipulative yes.
But Parmanu is worth a watch imo. It has a proud story to say as an Indian.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 5:57 AM
Screenplay was jerky and writing was bad…John was not helping..I agree that people who are not aware should see it for knowledge..
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 8:12 AM
Its more the screenplay & direction making the difference. Shoojit Sircar made one hell of a film with the same JA.
LikeLike
August 4, 2018 at 10:34 PM
if he is not doing S2 for this, then may be forgiven 🙂 http://zeenews.india.com/bollywood/aamir-khan-spotted-reading-mahabharata-at-airport-is-rs-1000-cr-project-on-the-cards-2130417.html
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 12:26 AM
I think he is waiting to see how big TOH can be. The mint article says TOH budget is 250 cr. If it ends up doing 500 cr, he will get breathing space to take some time-off to make MB happen. If TOH ends up as another 300-350 cr movie, he will probably do Mogul (or maybe Osho next). In any case, I doubt he will announce his next before end of this year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 5, 2018 at 12:05 AM
I am not surprised about JA doing Sarfarosh2. JMM has been supposedly holding on to a sequel script for years, which Aamir had not liked. Wont be surprised if JMM is going ahead with that script.
Aamir wont do a sequel to one of his better movies without a good script and JMM is probably bankrupt of new ideas.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 12:13 AM
@Sanjana – Not much improvement on sat for new releases as per this:
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 8:06 AM
Taran has 8.16 cr for mulk, 8.1 cr for karwan and 7.15 cr for fanne khan. All 3 are flops.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 12:42 AM
And another worthwhile effort here …
*************
Following the first edition of the Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest, actor Aamir Khan has announced the second edition of the contest. Khan, director Raju Hirani and screenwriters Juhi Chaturvedi and Anjum Rajabali were on the jury of this contest and will continue to be on the jury for the second edition. Launched by Cinestaan Digital Pvt Ltd (Cinestaan.com) on October 15 last year, the first edition saw close to 4,000 entries from across the country. The scripts are currently being evaluated by the jury and the results will be announced in October. For the second edition, participants can enter the contest from October 2018. The contest has prize money of `50 lakh for the winners, the prize for the best script being `25 lakh.
https://boxofficeindia.co.in/aamir-khan-announces
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 2:24 AM
This is funny …
****
Christopher Robin banned in China, in ongoing war on Winnie-the-Pooh
A new film inspired by AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books has reportedly been denied a cinema release in China, where the cuddly bear is seen as a symbol of political dissent.
Since last year, references to the character have been banned on the Chinese social media site Weibo, after a spate of posts comparing the “bear of very little brain” to the country’s president Xi Jinping.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/08/03/christopher-robin-banned-china-ongoing-war-winnie-the-pooh/
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 2:29 AM
Koimoi:
Sanju has collected 341.50 crore so far and in the process has gone past PK collections of 340.80 crore The record set by Tiger Zinda Hai [339.25 crore] had already been surpassed a few days back and now with PK been history as well, the film is next only to Dangal [387.38 crore]. That record would stay intact too by quite some distance.
That said, the fact that Sanju has covered this kind of distance as well is commendable since it is a non-holiday release. Had there been a festival holiday over the weekend or anywhere in the first week, the collections would have been better by at least 15 crore and that would have elevated the overall lifetime total to around 360 crore. For now though, the film would have to settle in the vicinity of 343-344 crore.
With this, Rajkumar Hirani has now given five major successes in a row. His Munnabhai MBBS was a Hit, Lagey Raho Munnabhai was a Superhit, 3 Idiots was a Blockbuster, PK was an All Time Blockbuster and now Sanju is yet another All Time Blockbuster. One just hopes that the filmmaker doesn’t take a big break again between Sanju and his next film and puts together something on floor in 2019 at the least.
As for Ranbir Kapoor, he should now have some fantastic times ahead, right till 2020 with films like Brahmastra, Shamshera and Luv Ranjan’s untitled film with Ajay Devgn.
http://www.koimoi.com/box-office/sanju-box-office-update-it-is-2nd-biggest-bollywood-grosser-next-only-to-dangal/
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 2:31 AM
Tend to agree that a holiday release (along with 2 open weeks) may have boosted collections by 15 cr or so. Similarly Padmaavat may have done 25 cr or so more if it had a clean simultaneous release all over india.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 6:33 AM
do not forget gst benefits and inflation over pk. and dangal also had to deal ith demonitizations and big holidays falling on sundays
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 8:16 AM
This article talks abt quite a few things and all u get is that it crossed pk absolute number?
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 2:59 AM
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 3:08 AM
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/sonali-bendres-brave-new-bald-bold-look-lauded-bffs-sussanne-khan-hrithik-roshan-gayatri-oberoi-friendships-day/
Bendre is proving that she can face cancer with a smile and attitude.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 3:28 AM
Karwaan goes ahead of Fanney Khan and Mulk on Saturday
https://boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=4162
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 3:33 AM
JW2 has done 19m usd gross as of july 29. USD value on jul 29 was 68.6, it translates to 130 cr gross and 102 cr nett. Amazingly, indian media is ignoring a ‘100 cr’ club movie?
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&country=IN&id=jurassicworldsequel.htm
MI6 is chasing JW2 number in india.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 4:17 AM
https://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/jurassic-world-fallen-kingdom-crosses-rs-100-crore-mark-in-india/story-BpoEefvYlAI0OCOV1xWHgN.html
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 5:01 AM
No it’s covered by the media. Seems you missed it
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/jurassic-world-earns-rs-100-crore-in-india/
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 8:14 AM
Lol did you read the articles u posted? They are talking about 100 cr ‘gross’ and reported in june. What i commented was it has done 100 cr ‘nett’ by july end!!!
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 7:11 AM
Absolutely loved Mission Impossible. Might well be the best one after the first.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 5, 2018 at 8:48 AM
As a direct sequel its better than Quantum of Solace imo.
LikeLike
August 5, 2018 at 10:17 AM
The futility of IMDB lists is best explained by this:
Best Actors of All Time has Saif Ali Khan amongst such luminaries as Brando, Pacino, DeNiro, DDL etc.!! And DDL is ranked last in the list, which is, no surprises, populated by host of GoT characters, and other lesser beings.
https://www.imdb.com/list/ls027138433/?sort=list_order,asc&mode=detail&page=1
When browsing through user Reviews of some movies, some Westerners are literally frustrated that avg to below avg Bwood offerings are being ranked high (ie over 8.0) just because there are numerically more Indians ranking these movies. Non Indians try to sample such movies with disastrous results.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 5, 2018 at 7:42 PM
Outstanding write up on Hey Ram with detaling of its subtle & nuanced aspects and its textured theme. Satyam, if you could give your own take on Kamal Hasan’s debut directorial as well as on this very piece of writing on it!
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 6:16 AM
an older post:
will check out the Rangan post later.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 9:29 PM
can’t say this is my favorite piece on the film. It’s definitely a worthwhile read but it’s overwritten in certain ways and the writer is just plain silly at points (“Every shot is so dense in detail and layers that even a European art film will pale in comparison.”). But I should also say I’m generally not a fan of such overly schematic readings of films.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:11 PM
Thank for your response and the link Satyam!!
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 12:20 AM
Atlast watched Sairat. What a movie! The hero reminded me of Dev Anand. Rinku Rajguru is the find of the decade. Such a natural actress. The film was like poetry. I wished for a happy ending. The hero could have fought the villains with his wife who is no less. And all those could have been behind bars with politicians supporting the couple publicly.
In QSQT the tragic ending did not pain me that much because there was no toddler crying for the dead parents. In Sairat the director should have gone for a happy ending to give hope to youngsters who opt for such marriages instead of making it a tragedy just for the sake of it.
I liked the Hyderabad portions much more than the first half.
The caste factor did not touch me much. The poverty and the slums touched me more. A rich dalit’s life is much more preferable than a poor uppercaste person’s life in such dreary conditions.
It is class that matters more than caste atleast in big cities.
Watch it if you have not done so far.
Hope this film releases in China.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 1:07 AM
Second half has soul..first half is fluff..nothing different from belted in past.
I disagree with you on ending comment, in the sense that it is present reality..With happier ending it would have been no different than other movies of past. It doesn’t hope that conservative people to change after seeing the movie but hope progressive people to come out of their comfort zone and voice their opinion.
As for caste; I recently went to my village after 15-16 years and I could see it is changing in terms of caste that it is still used but not with so much rigidity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 5:30 AM
Agree with Munna that the motive behind the tragic end is to showcase the reality of the society in its bare form and that is what differentiates it from the regular rom-coms. As for seeking solace through happy ending for the youth involved in such cases is tantamount to white washing and escapism which would have diluted the impact!! It wouldn’t have been “the Sairat” we are talking about had any compromises been made keeping the commercial viability in mind!!
Also I’d beg to differ on caste given less prominence than the past as that might be true for metropolitans where migration factor facilitates it but in the heartland of India, caste still is the determinator of ranks and status in society. And elections are won or lost on the basis of caste and religion so to undermine the importance of caste in India is kind of utopian dream which is great in its spirit yet unreal and untenable in the foreseeable future.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:08 AM
It would have been whitewashing if Archi’s father accepted her marriage. If the couple lived happily or unhappily without that consent, it would have given hope to couples like them. It is too filmy even when the couple were murdered by the goons sent by the father of the girl. As for message, people just tut tut and move on. As munna said that those who are conservative will not change.
As for caste, the evil will continue as caste politics have come to stay. But there are always youngsters who defy them. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose.
What worries me more is poverty which is increasing silently as poor people are losing their voice in the din created by both liberals and conservatives who focus on caste and religion than on poverty. If only poverty is eradicated to some extent. The poorest are of course from the lower castes. This is visible poverty. There is invisible poverty among upper castes too though not on a large scale. I feel the very rich from all castes, religions of society prefers caste and religious politics to flourish so that the focus and anger will not be against them.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:23 AM
How can you reduce poverty when you have a constantly exploding population? Any country’s resources are finite and limited (with or without corruption). If you cant check population, poverty will also exponentially rise.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:31 AM
The population is being controlled by poor medical facilities, natural calamities and silent starvation deaths. It is the poor who build those towers, those roads and offer menial services for a pittance. Unequal distribution of wealth is not only due to corruption but also due to lack of willingness. The same population also provides the cheapest labour and greatest profit to the rich and the entitled. The vested interests will like more poor people to serve them.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:39 AM
What you are saying is wishful and what Sairat depicted is reality!! Directors don’t make movies for the sole purpose of instilling hope in people as that would be too boring and limiting on the their creativity. Giving hope to the people must be government’s priority and responsibility not of filmmakers. Honour killings are the sad and grim reality of India, so Manjule just depicted it in its raw form, albeit unnerving and dreary yet true.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:40 AM
The prosperity of the rich is derived from the poverty of the poor. The poor who become rich also practise the same thing. Ultiately it is the exploitation oriented society at fault. The poor is not free from this human greed. They prey on others by crime and following the same practices. Nirbhaya killers are not rich.
Rich and poor indulge in these things and the weakest will be defeated if there are no stringent measures to check this exploitation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 7:50 AM
If the film maker wanted to show rawness, why did he stop himself? He could have depicted even the child as killed by the goons because those will not allow anyone to survive! Because he wanted a climax which will shock the nation. A child walking away crying, leaving footprints soaked in blood! One can call it creativity or crude manipulation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 3:21 PM
This is how you see it as being manipulative and I see it as the prerogative of the director to make the movie he wanted to leave the audience feel the pain and trauma to drive his point home. Let’s end it here as it’s getting extremely banal as you seem more interested in what could have been done than what’s there which is never ending debate which could go on forever.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 3:46 PM
The child scene copied from/inspired by Sholay when Gabar’s men come to visit Thakurs house I thought they were going to leave the child alive?
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 8:21 AM
Overpopulation is the root cause of every single calamity, active one’s like poverty & illiteracy & unemployment as well as passive one’s like corruption.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 10:20 AM
Overpopulation is only one part of the problem. Why overpopulation happens among poorer sections? Ignorance and lack of education. Is education accessible to them? Why there are so many dropouts? The level of education is same for a poor labourer’s son and for a well of person’s daughter. No tuition, no parents’ help to do the homework in the case of poorer one. There are exceptions when the determined poor parents make their children study. For 10 such parents, there are hundreds who just dont have that determination and stamina. Why the poor have more children? To get a male child who they think will take care of them. It is a sort of insurance for them. If they have 6 children, some of them may die due to sickness, accidents or simply disappear or run away. They will be then left with fewer children.
And the numbers give the urban poor some bargaining power to get some benefits of development. The rural poor migrate and consittute the bulk of urban poor. Thus a sort of balance is achieved.
And this urban poor also provide cheap services so that working women can work in offices without the burden of doing household chores. The rich also get their share of cheap labour force doing the dirty work for them.
Thus the economics work out in a slipshod way in a developing economy.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 1:50 AM
Akshay Kumar: I can easily make a ‘Rowdy Rathore 2’ and earn three times the money, but I’d rather make meaningful cinema
Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/65271046.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 5:51 AM
ha ha ha ha ha ha – look who is talking here :-))))))Sau chuhe marke billi……:-)
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:09 AM
Looking forward to the definition of meaningful cinema that is Housefull 4!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 7, 2018 at 1:08 AM
Diversity is the key!
Housefull 4 will be a perfect Diwali gift.
Akshay is doing historicals, sci-fi, comedt, dramedy, social, etc
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 11:28 AM
He’s definitely done a lot more meaningful films in the last 5 years while other so called mega stars have been busy doing HNY, CE, Dilwale, Race 3, Kick and Bodyguard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 7:15 AM
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 8:29 AM
Nepotism at its worst here!
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:41 AM
Ha ha – now that Punjabi families are so overdone in our films, they have turned to Gujarat!!!! but the pair looks fresh and have good screen presence – baaki kahaani poori filmi he 🙂
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:16 AM
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/sultan-china-release-11000-screens-40000-shows-a-day-blockbuster-for-salman-khan/
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 7:56 AM
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 8:27 AM
To follow up on Sanjana post above on Sairat. I too had watched it about 3 weeks ago. Very nice film. Very rooted and believable. The ending had to be that to have an effect on the audience. Glad that they muted the voice, and I think there was no music either. Created a huge impact. For my wife, it had same effect that Red Wedding did in Games of Thrones.
The best about the movie is the music. This was old fashioned music with live orchestra.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 8:28 AM
Not sure if this was posted before.
Sairat song live recording in Los Angeles.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 8:31 AM
There is such a strong influence of Ilaya Raja here. Have been listening to this on the loop. Doesn’t sound that good in the Hindi versions though, don’t know why
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 10:33 AM
I liked the music. For romantic films good music is a must to enhance its appeal. Maybe the impact in a theatre will be different from viewing it at home. Like Padmaavat.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 9:05 AM
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-interviews/om-puris-last-interview-this-will-make-you-miss-the-legend-even-more/
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:22 AM
Chinese film industry is having a great year. Dying To Survive did 450m $ and now Hello Mr. Billionaire has crossed 300m $ in 11 days. This is on top of 3 high grossers in the first half of the year.
http://english.entgroup.cn/boxoffice/cn/daily/?date=08%20/06%20/2018
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 11:05 AM
Also apparently a high profile misfire…
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:19 PM
wow..
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 7:50 PM
Had posted a couple of articles on this in previous threads. You guys seem v irregular here.
As 2.0 comes closer, we have a chance of this repeating in india – the most expensive native production flopping badly. Hope it does better. Shankar had to stall Indian 2 for a while now due to vfx delays of 2.0.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 5:42 PM
With an estimated $35 million, Mission: Impossible – Fallout finished atop the weekend box office for a second weekend in a row as the film’s domestic cume now stands just shy of $125 million after ten days in release. The film’s 42.8% second weekend drop is the second best sophomore effort in the franchise behind Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which isn’t quite an apples-to-apples comparison considering it kicked things off with a limited debut over the holiday season in 2011.
Internationally, Fallout brought in an estimated $76 million from 56 markets, including 20 new openings. The film’s international cume is now $205 million, 21% ahead of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation for the same group of markets. Rogue Nation went on to deliver $487.6 million internationally and $682.7 million globally. Fallout’s worldwide cume currently stands at $329.5 million with releases in Italy (8/29) and China (8/31) still on the horizon.
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4423&p=.htm
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 5:42 PM
Finally, Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther joins Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.6m) and Avatar ($760.5m) as the third film to ever top $700 million at the domestic box office. The film did so as it entered its 25th weekend in release. Black Panther is the first 2018 release to remain in theaters that long as theatrical windows continue to shrink. In both 2017 and 2016 five films remained in theaters for 25 weeks or longer whereas in 2014 and 2013, 11 and 13 films reached that milestone or longer respectively.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 5:45 PM
just a stunning number for Black Panther. Considering the number of superhero franchises that haven’t reached this total or for that matter a film like Jurassic World (650m or so). Quite a few have crossed 600m in recent years but 700m is still hard to breach. And consider how even in absolute terms Avatar is safe at second.
Think this is about ‘trending’.. still an alien concept for many!
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 6:41 PM
BP has trended well, no doubt. But it had touched 698m in its 14th week of release. disney forced it to stay in theaters for 11 weeks after that just to cross the 700m mark!
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekly&id=marvel2017b.htm
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 9:25 PM
it probably had enough of an audience in a few theaters. Doubt Disney would have held on to screens just for this. But in any case 698 or 700 the point remains the same.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 10:38 AM
It is pretty remarkable, whichever you “cut” the Black Panther gross. All the more remarkable when you consider that there are nowadays so many superhero films that you have to believe the bar is a bit higher for one to make a splash, let alone THIS sort of a splash (who is going to be excited about the upcoming Aquaman film?!)
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:21 PM
For me the Black panther result is most comprehensible as a cultural response to Trump!
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 7, 2018 at 7:55 PM
And Trump was the most significant cultural response to Obama!
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 8:25 PM
that’s also true in certain ways (because the trump-kind of politics is also working these days in places where there hasn’t been an Obama). Of course not every response is ‘equal’!
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 8:33 PM
Haha, BP is better than Trump for sure.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 10:41 AM
The most important thing for me about trending isn’t the absolute number one arrives at, but the glimpse the “trending” offers of what is or might be possible — this is not a way that (e.g., in Bombay) the industry watchers tend to analyze these things; the idea is to use a gross instrumentally, as one element in a marketing strategy; but it isn’t to THINK about what the gross might mean. The IPL auctions offer a great analogy, where every year we see breathless reporting on the size of the deals, as itself a spectacle and a parallel entertainment track to the sport itself…
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:20 PM
excellent point..
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 7:54 PM
HW studios also use ‘gross’ as marketing strategy. That is why it was essential to keep BP in theaters for weeks when it was not collecting enough to justify such strategy. It was all about reaching 700m milestone to make news splash and get people talking about the film again. Same happened with Spectre – it was also kept forever in theaters just to cross the 200m mark.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 8:33 PM
When he felt strongly about corruption in the defence sector, Rang De Basanti was the outcome and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the after-effect of the numerous stories about partition that had moved him. Rakeysh’s upcoming film, Fanney Khan, is no exception and is part of the same thread. “I had read this somewhere that 92 percent girls are subject to body shaming in the world. My daughter is 19 now and in her, I can feel the turmoil and conflict of a growing girl. It seems that every gaze is judging you as to what are you wearing and what makeup have you done. I am sorry to say this but our films are also to be blamed for such a situation,” says a candid Rakeysh.
“When you try to ride a horse which has not been trained, you are destined to fall. But if it’s a trained horse, howsoever loud music you play in front of him during a marriage procession, it will remain calm. This was told to me by Aamir Khan and when Mirzya crashed at the box office. He also said that I often try to ride horses which have not been trained. Whenever you attempt something new, it has no past reference, but it’s important that you should try something new.” Rakeysh reveals that for five years he could not gather enough money to make RDB and for BMB it was four years and during the making of both the films he had to put his house at stake.
https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/rakeysh-omprakash-mehra-on-fanney-khan-got-so-attached-to-the-original-had-to-produce-hindi-version-4895211.html
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 10:35 PM
ROM has been a disappointment after RDB, somewhere he has become a way too serious filmmaker and forgotten aamir’s fav. mantra for films “Cinema’s first job is to entertain people” – all his films are like untrained horses only and he has become too self-obsessed……needs to go back to Aamir if he agrees
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 6, 2018 at 10:42 PM
I think aamir was refering to the indian audience as an untrained horse. Thats why he ensures there is enough ‘entertainment’ in his films. But that does not make all his films ‘masala’.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:02 AM
many directors disappoint after giving best with Aamir – Gowarikar, Akthar, ROM, JMM, Vikram Bhatt. Nothing new
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 9:45 PM
This is with reference to the discussion on the masala movies of yesteryears and lack of it in current scenario. I commented there that kind of discussion being done was more enriching and informative than “the nauseating numbers and our star is better than yours stuff” which has been done to death!!
I wasn’t referring to masala specifically but just using it as an instance to make my point. It could be anything but mere number crunching which does nothing but begins one-upmanship game which is a never ending debate and also does vitiate the atmosphere on the blog as nobody yields his or her ground despite knowing the obvious!! I hope I’m not being preachy or sounding like an instructor as that’s never the purpose but a sincere suggestion.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 10:37 PM
So you dont want number crunching in a box office thread?
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:16 PM
Meant over emphasis on numbers alone!!
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:16 PM
These bo threads are like indian masala films. It contains everything. Some come and degrade it to salman level (more often than not!). Satyam is ok with that, while i advocate only number crunching in bo threads.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:22 PM
In fact i wud prefer satyam to run 2 different threads every week. One to discuss the merit of new releases as films, member reviews and views. Another bo thread for numbers crunching. But i know the audience here wont appreciate this idea.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 6, 2018 at 11:32 PM
Bo thread is not strictly confined to number crunching and views on the films released. If many of us dont see the film how can we write about them? And those few who see trash films regularly wont have anything to discuss unless it is by their favourite stars.
Bo thread is to present the current film and in case the film is by the big stars naturally there will be more discussions about that film by those who dont even wish to watch that film along with the ones who watched the film.
I am not that interested in number crunching.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 7, 2018 at 12:35 AM
We hv trailer/poster threads for all major films. We can discuss the films in those threads rather than dumping everything in one thread that is titled as bo thread. Else call this weekly everything goes thread if we cant compartmantalize and want everything at one place at the same time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 7, 2018 at 1:27 AM
Bo is the main thing and everything is complementary. So Bo thread title is justified.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:23 PM
Bo thread as it is is ok for me. We can avoid going through certain members’ rant and chose what to read.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 5:18 AM
If not for Box office, 99% of Aamir fans will disappear. They hardly discuss quality films. They mostly discuss Aamir’s films though in the name of quality.
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 10:57 PM
Rahman is all praise for 2.0.
https://www.in.com/entertainment/regional/ar-rahman-2-0s-climax-segment-is-incredible-176921.htm
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 12:23 AM
One more week for #2point0Trailer
LikeLike
August 6, 2018 at 11:06 PM
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 1:32 AM
EXCLUSIVE: Ranveer Singh, Mughal Dynasty & THESE 2 Leading Actresses Are All Set For Karan Johar’s Next Directorial
Filmmaker Karan Johar who has lately been busy with his duties as a producer is all set to pick up the director’s baton once again. One of the most powerful men in the Hindi Film industry who has his hands full with over half a dozen projects under his Dharma Productions banner will kick off his next project in May 2019.
Although Karan has already revealed about his directorial plan, not much has been known about the project besides the fact that it will not be similar to what he has explored so far. We know that Hindi moviegoers have been eagerly waiting to know more details of the film and hence, here we have come up with all major details of this much-talked-about Karan Johar directorial.
Karan’s next directorial will be a period movie set in the Mughal dynasty. It’s a two-hero and three-heroine film. The yet-untitled movie is about two brothers where the older brother is the hero while the character of the younger brother will be negative. Ranveer Singh with whom Karan is collaborating for the first time in Rohit Shetty’s Simmba has been finalized to play the older brother while the second lead actor to play younger brother’s part is yet to be locked.
“Karan earlier wanted Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh to play brothers but Ranbir turned it down later. He had said yes first but then he changed his mind. Karan doesn’t know if he changed his mind because it’s a negative role or because he doesn’t want to do a two-hero film with Ranveer,” our source told us adding that the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil helmer is not finding any actor who would like to play the villain.
“Most heroes don’t want to do a two-hero film so he is having a problem casting that role. Karan wants somebody younger than Ranveer so he can’t even approach other big actors.”
Karan Johar who is known for multi-starrers with a bunch of big stars has managed to pull off a casting cough yet again as he has got his favourites Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan on board to play the female leads. The film will have two girls as romantic interests for the boys while one will play the leading actor’s sister. Kareena plays their sister who will have a big and important role in the film. Alia will be seen playing the first romantic interest while the second love interest will be locked once the second hero is finalized.
Karan’s this directorial is being promised to be the biggest film ever made in the history of Indian cinema. The film is being planned on the similar scale of Baahubali series with an unprecedented budget. Karan is working with all new directors who have never worked with him and is presently consulting historians for research. The official announcement on this mega project is expected to be made in the next few weeks.
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/exclusive-ranveer-singh-mughal-dynasty-these-2-leading-actresses-are-all-set-for-karan-johars-next-directorial/
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 1:55 AM
Baahubali has set the trend of those large scale historical/mythological epics.
It’s a good, for a change. Since around 2 decades, there has been an excess of rom-coms or smalls films targeted at select audiences at select multi-plexes.
There has been very few large, epic grand scale spectacles. Even Johar is now going going for it.
But, it’s a sad thing when you read most actors of today’s times would not want to be in a 2 heroes-project. Gone are the days when one could easily cast stars like Bachan/Vinod Khanna/ Rishi Kapoor in a single project.
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 7, 2018 at 6:06 AM
Karan doing Baahubali kind of film????? bhai war scenes will be shot in Alps 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 7, 2018 at 1:35 AM
He said at the press conference, “I am really happy for her. Uss waqt hum ko ye pata chalta ke unhone wahan par koi bahut badi film sign ki hai aur hume thoda pehla pata chalta to hum waise bhi usko kabhi rokte nahi (If we had known then that she has signed a big Hollywood film, we wouldn’t have stopped her from leaving our film anyway). End moment pe pata chala, shooting ke 10 din pehle pata chala. Shooting shuru ho gayi thi meri, par unke schedule se 10 din pehle pata chala ki woh picture chhodna chahti hai. (We go to know at the end moment, 10 days before her shooting that she wants to leave the film). We said of course, if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Uss waqt kuchh alag reason diye gaye the hume (We were given another reason then..). Jo bhi reason hai, shaadi ka reason ho, ya picture ka reason ho, ya unko India main nahi kaam karna, ya mere saath nahi kaam karna, sirf Hollywood film aur TV show karna hai, woh unka reason hai. (Whatever it is, her wedding, Hollywood film or the fact that she does not want to work with me, it’s her reason.) We are really happy and supportive about her doing good work.”
Salman Khan added, “Agar yahan pe kaam nahi kare to kya hua, waha pe to who Hindustan ka naam roshan kar rahi hai. Agar Salman Khan ke saath kaam nahi karna, waha ke kisi bade hero ke saath kaam kar rahi hai to Hindustan ka naam to roshan hota hai na (If she doesn’t want to work here, there in Hollywood she is making our country proud. If she doesn’t want to work with Salman Khan, she’ll work with a top actor in Hollywood and make our country proud).”
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/salman-khan-finally-opens-priyanka-chopra-walking-bharat-doesnt-seem-happy/
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:55 AM
Sallu has a firm head on his shoulder as par his professional ethic is concerned, whatever his personal life, I have rarely seen him bad-mouthing him reg. film fraternity – here clearly PC is at fault, still he is not spitting venom…..
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 3:08 AM
Yea instead of running down people he runs them over
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 7, 2018 at 5:58 AM
ha ha ha but not the industry ppl 😉
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 11:07 PM
http://comicbook.com/movies/2018/08/07/cowboy-ninja-viking-movie-chris-pratt-priyanka-chopra-delay-univesal/
Now this may be classic na ghar j ke na bahar ke for PC,😃
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 11:32 PM
LOL Salman and his fan brigade are having the last laugh!
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 5:17 AM
An actor quitting a movie due to date issues at eleventh hour is not new. Salman has also done this before and so has many other stars.
Salman should have remained silent. Now he made Priyanka bigger.
BTW, i really adore Priyanka for what she is doing. Had never imagined she would become India’s leading international star among the mainstream actors.
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 4:15 PM
hrithik ka naam to already roshan hain.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:35 AM
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/why-salman-was-pissed-off-with-his-brother-in-law/20180807.htm
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:42 AM
Ajay Devgn enters tamil industry with Indian 2.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/ajay-devgn-to-make-his-tamil-debut-to-play-the-villain-in-kamal-haasans-indian-sequel/articleshow/65302624.cms
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 5:12 AM
Interesting. I really liked Indian. Looking forward to it.
Ajay has now a stellar lineup of movies.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 7:57 PM
He really does.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 3:47 AM
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 3:00 PM
looks terrible!
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 7:25 AM
It’s Priyanka Chopra’s Dream To Be Able To Play A Man!
And she doesn’t care about ‘image woes’ that a lot of actors talk about if they are to play a parent on-screen.
By Koimoi.com Team -August 7, 2018
In a film career spanning over 15 years, Priyanka Chopra has essayed diverse roles and paved her way into Hollywood like no other Indian actress has. Now she says it’s her dream to play a man and she is eyeing Broadway too.
At an interactive session for Ficci FLO here on Monday, Priyanka spoke strongly about how her Quantico character Alex Parrish was unapologetic for choices — something that all women need to be.
Playing a man, Broadway on Priyanka Chopra’s mind
It’s Priyanka Chopra’s Dream To Be Able To Play A Man!
“Alex to me is an unapologetic modern female who lives life on her terms. She is extremely flawed, she’s not perfect, she’s a loner, she doesn’t like people, she only uses people… So, she’s basically playing a man, which is awesome, because girls don’t get to play that… And I was like ‘Yes, we get to turn the tables’,” Priyanka Chopra said.
“It’s my dream to be able to play a man… That’s the next thing I want to do,” added the actress, who also expressed a desire to do Broadway as she loves watching theatrical productions when Priyanka Chopra is in New York.
You’re already playing characters which were written for men, aren’t you, asked the moderator alluding to Priyanka’s role as the villain in “Baywatch“?
“No… I am playing modern women… Alex Parrish is a modern woman. A modern woman is an empowered woman who wants to value herself.
“The only thing she asks for is ‘let me make my own decisions without being judged for it’. That’s the freedom that men have experienced for so many years… And that’s all the women want unapologetically,” Priyanka said to an applause from an audience full of women of diverse age groups.
When Priyanka landed a chance to play Alex, she broke barriers to become the first South Asian woman to headline an American network series.
“I’ve lived in America as a child, and my biggest pet peeve then was not seeing anyone on the television who looked like me. So whenever you saw Indians in global mainstream entertainment, you always saw them in a box of the nerds, the big fat Punjabi family wedding or the shopkeeper or Apu from The Simpsons…
“Why could we not go beyond that? Why did our ethnicity define the roles we played? So, the only thing I told the people was that don’t come to me with a show based on a big Punjabi wedding, I won’t do it… I don’t want to be put in a box and I don’t want my ethnicity to define the roles I take on.”
“Quantico” had her play a half Indian, and that had nothing to do with the story.
“That for me was my biggest win. I had dug my feet in and I said I will not compromise on what I see as the future of global entertainment for people like me and South Asians. I think that gave me the confidence to dig my feet further and demand the kind of parts that I want to do,” said Priyanka.
This has continued with “Baywatch” and her other new films abroad.
“I am playing characters which have nothing to do with my ethnicity and I feel it will open the door for Indian talent or South Asian talent to become mainstream… Why do we play the sidekicks? I want to play the leading lady and I am not going to compromise on it.”
Her next Hollywood release will be “Isn’t It Romantic?” and she is reportedly in talks to star with Chris Pratt in “Cowboy Ninja Viking“. For now, she is in India to shoot Shonali Bose’s “The Sky Is Pink“, in which she will be seen as a mother of an 18-year-old girl.
And she doesn’t care about ‘image woes’ that a lot of actors talk about if they are to play a parent on-screen.
“Nobody can take my glamour away,” said Priyanka confidently, reminding that she not only played a mother in “Pyaar Impossible” but also a 65-year-old in “7 Khoon Maaf“.
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 11:15 AM
Huge news! Karunanidhi passes away!
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 12:20 PM
It’s the end of an era (in terms of 2019, makes for even more chaotic a situation with Rajni, Kamal, the post-Jayalalitha AIADMK and now the post-K DMK)… Hard not to think of Iruvar at this moment…
LikeLike
August 7, 2018 at 2:18 PM
yes seems to be a rather turbulent moment for sure..
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 12:51 AM
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 12:53 AM
Great! Much better film to do than a sallu one.
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 7:12 AM
Agree. Though it would not gross big.
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 2:17 AM
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/how-karunanidhi-outwitted-morarji-desai-cs-indira-gandhi/article24629313.ece?homepage=true
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 3:27 AM
‘Laila Majnu‘ is an iconic love story. When asked what made him write this film, Imtiaz said: “This film is about craziness and madness. I always wanted to make a film on it but at the same time, I never wanted to direct it because I knew how I will make ‘Laila Majnu‘. I wanted to see what new a fresh director would do.”
‘Laila Majnu‘ is set in Kashmir and the story revolves around Kais (Avinash Tiwary) and Laila (Tripti Dimri) whose journey of love is filled with insurmountable obstacles.
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/imtiaz-ali-on-laila-majnu-i-knew-i-would-need-some-mad-people-to-make-this-film/
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 3:33 AM
https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/meet-amrish-puris-grandson-vardhan-soon-to-be-a-bollywood-actor-1897028?pfrom=home-lateststories
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 4:44 AM
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/how-politicians-tried-to-break-kamal-haasan/20180808.htm
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 6:41 AM
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/karan-johar-revives-dostana/articleshow/65318695.cms
Karan Johar revives Dostana with new actors.
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 5:56 PM
LikeLiked by 1 person
August 8, 2018 at 11:37 PM
Special offer to visitors and their family members of Satyamshot. Catch the rising star early and lead a joyful life of good cinemas.
LikeLike
August 8, 2018 at 11:39 PM
can BOI be more desperate pumping SRK this way?
https://boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=4171
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 12:50 AM
BREAKING! Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor in Karan Johar’s TAKHT
ByBollywood Hungama News NetworkAug 9, 2018 – 8:49 am IST
After the ensemble cast of Kalank, that brings together the iconic 90s couple Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt, here’s yet another announcement from Karan Johar that will leave you in mere surprise! We are talking about his latest film Takht which features Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar and Anil Kapoor.
Undoubtedly, the casting is not only grand but it also induces curiosity. While not many details about the film have been revealed, Karan Johar has announced this multi-starrer by releasing a poster of names along with a few other details . Also, what makes it further interesting is that the film will see the Dharma Productions head honcho Karan Johar wearing the director’s hat after 2016 when he directed Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:00 AM
here is the poster
https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/bollywood/karan-johar-takht-ranveer-singh-alia-bhatt-kareena-kapoor-vicky-kaushal-janhvi-kapoor
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:28 AM
How did the idea of an unusual film like Koi Mil Gaya came about?
After Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai released in 2000, Hrithik was appreciated a lot, more so in the second half, with his stylish looks, dance et al. So for my next film with him, I was planning on those lines where I can show him as a true Hindi film hero. Then in 2001, I attended IIFA Awards at Sun City, South Africa. Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai won a lot of awards there and the premiere of Aamir Khan’s Lagaan was held there. I was completely bowled over when I saw that movie and I realized that I can’t make a run of the mill kind of a film. I decided to also make an out of the box yet entertaining, mainstream film. That’s how I got the idea for Koi Mil Gaya. Hrithik then was shooting in Delhi for Yaadein. I called him at 8 in the morning and told him that I have thought of a story of a boy who’s not fully grown up, who is bullied as a result and how he gets powers from an alien. Hrithik was excited as soon as heard this story.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-15th-anniversary-koi-mil-gaya-rakesh-roshan-reveals-lagaan-inspired-think-box/
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:39 AM
Gawd.
This the worst thing Lagaan has done – inspired roshans ro make KMG !!! Holy shit!
LikeLiked by 2 people
August 9, 2018 at 1:36 AM
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/reshma-shot-dead-5298747/
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:45 AM
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/why-john-abraham-still-travels-by-rickshaw/20180807.htm
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:48 AM
http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/john-abraham-who-is-safe-in-this-country/20180809.htm
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:49 AM
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 6:18 AM
http://www.koimoi.com/box-office/box-office-collections-day-6-mulk-karwaan-fanney-khan-wednesday-updates/
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Tried to watch Dhobi Ghat. After 5 minutes gave up. Felt like watching a pretentious boring art movie. Hope Kiran Rao is not getting any more films to direct under AKP.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 7:04 AM
like this film a lot!
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 7:08 AM
Will try to watch as you liked it.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 7:29 AM
I actually liked it more than talaash.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 7:45 AM
Kiran is pretty rare persona with her no nonsense attitude. She came into aamir’s life from lagaan days and it may not be presumptuous to say some of it has rubbed on him since then. At least the nineties star has been put on check quite a bit. Her no involvement with toh may be a concern though, specially with guyz like victor and chopra heading the show with aamir.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:32 AM
She was not involved with Dangal too. TOH is too big a movie for her.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:36 AM
She was not involved with Dangal??? She plays a vital part in all AKP films. But was not involved much in Talaash which was a co-production with Excel.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:43 AM
Talaash is on another level. Much more to chew on. I liked it more. More polished. I like supernatural stuff if they are not too gory.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:48 AM
Aamir’s role was better (and longer) in Talaash than in DG. But i found DG more layered and nuanced as a film. Talaash follows the claptrap of ‘watch me again!’ – a HW stereotype with a typical climactic reveal.
Kiran is a better director than Reema IMHO.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 10:44 AM
with aamir working on one movie at a time, AKP will be involved with ToH some way I guess. Don’t think Aamir will be paying staff for idling away
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:30 AM
Liked the movie. Pleasantly surprised to have aamir from beginning to the end. I felt Kiran might have seen herself as that photographer cum Investment banker. An allusion to aamir’s divorce and second marriage. Without aamir the film would not have worked even if the others did their job nicely. He gave his starpower and presence.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:40 AM
Watched Talvar. Gritty movie. Much better than Raazi.
Death in the Gunj also is quite good. Now watching A Series of Unfortunate Events for fun.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:51 AM
I liked Death in Gunj a lot. Was pleasantly taken aback at Konkona’s debut effort as director.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 9:59 AM
any fast paced detective or thriller series/movies worth watching in netflix…plz suggest a few..
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 10:04 AM
I have heard Babylon is good but that it isn’t fast-paced.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 10:23 AM
Most of what i wud recommend wont be fast paced either!
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 11:28 AM
If you watch Korean stuff, Watch ‘Sacred’ a.k.a Secret of Forests. Too good.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 11:10 AM
any watched ”happy valley” and ” the fall” .?
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 11:10 AM
anyone*
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 11:30 AM
Heard ‘the fall’ is good and also Broadchurch is good too.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 12:03 PM
I can’t find The Fall anywhere. I wanted to watch this for ages. Right now watching Power and started Sacred Games. Prefer Sacred Games, Power first 6 episodes – might as well have watched porn though people tell me it gets better.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 1:08 PM
It is streaming on netfli India
https://www.netflix.com/watch/70272726?trackId=13752289&tctx=0%2C0%2Cf35c32f3a45be74c6f0a84861e8b2c7d56437e92%3Ac865cf4b89357cf69329eab0eb14d12d1bb23a5d%2C%2C
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 3:14 PM
The Fall is on Netflix at least at my end. But since this is a British show it might be a different deal at your end.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 8:43 PM
Fall is ok. Starts well but i lost interest by the time i got to the final season.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 12:20 PM
After promoting Bajrangi on Aamir’s name , Sultan promotions have started in China https://twitter.com/irfan_Thug/status/1027575312287236097
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 12:26 PM
LOL
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 3:30 PM
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 4:07 PM
Ghatak 2: Sunny Deol & Rajkumar Santoshi To Recreate Magic After 16 Years?
Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi have earlier teamed up for three projects – Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak: The Lethal (1996).
By Koimoi.com Team -August 8, 2018
Sunny Deol & Rajkumar Santoshi, who last worked together for super-hit film Ghatak: Lethal (1996) are gearing up for its sequel. Sunny and Rajkumar in 90’s, ended up in a feud when both wanted make movies on Bhagat Singh. While Santoshi directed The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002) while Sunny financed 23 March 1931: Shaheed the same year. Now after 16 years, the duo might be collaborate for Ghatak 2.
According to a report by leading daily DNA, Sunny is currently in talks with Santoshi to turn Ghatak into a franchise. A source close to the newspaper says, “Sunny is creatively involved with the process and has found a story that will work as the second part to the original. It’s again an action film starring him in the lead and will have the same David vs Goliath theme.” It is also known that producer Sajid Qureshi, who made Nanu Ki Jaanu starring Sunny’s cousin Abhay Deol is backing this project. “The modalities are being worked out. The director and the actor are having regular meetings to fine-tune the script. But everything is being closely guarded for now,” the source further added.
Furthermore, The Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani director has a few other scripts that he has offered Sunny. “They have been in talks to do a period drama called Fateh Singh but that will take some time to take off. Another movie that Santoshi plans to revisit with Sunny is his dream project titled Jis Lahore Nai Dekhya, O Jamyai Nai based on the Indo-Pak Partition. But Ghatak 2 is likely to roll out first.”
Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi have earlier teamed up for three projects – Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993) and Ghatak: Lethal (1996). All the three movies went on to become super-hits. Let’s see if the duo will be able to recreate the magic.
LikeLike
August 9, 2018 at 4:10 PM
http://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/ajay-devgn-to-learn-deccani-urdu-for-his-next-sports-drama/
Ajay Devgn To Learn Deccani Urdu For His Next Sports Drama
The film that will be helmed by Tevar fame Amit Sharma will show Devgn playing Indian football team’s most successful coach.
By Rahul Raut -August 9, 2018
Zee Studios, Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla and Joy Sengupta recently announced a sports drama starring Ajay Devgn. The film that will be helmed by Tevar fame Amit Sharma will show Devgan playing Indian football team’s most successful coach and manager, Syed Abdul Rahim. An ambitious project for all involved, this yet-untitled film tells the story of the most celebrated Football coach of 1950-1960s.
LikeLike