Hindi

Bittoo Boss lacks in content and imagination

Published

14 years ago

April 13, 2012

MUMBAI: Bittoo Boss is an attempt at making one of those cute movies that work once in a while. It is about an innocent and hard working but confident boy and a rich, with-it girl.

Pulkit Samrat is a videographer covering weddings. He has made a reputation for having a special knack for capturing the spirit and happiness around wedding events. So much so that muhurat would be overlooked if he was late to arrive at the venue.

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak.
Director: Supavitra Babul.
Pulkit Samrat, Amita Pathak.

But Pulkit Samrat is a hero right out of 1960s films, a simpleton and clean of heart. At one such wedding he sees Amita Pathak and is besotted by her.

Soon, he is chasing her instead of chasing work. But the taming of the shrew is not easy; she will have none of his charming ways until, finally, she sees a video shot by him and as a result reciprocates his love! Coming from a rich, high society family, however, she wants him to do something more worthy and attain monetary success. With intent to help him out, she uses her own clout at a local TV channel to get him work but only manages to get him humiliated.

Samrat, now determined to make it big, agrees to shoot porn films of honeymoon couples on the sly but the good soul that he is, he ends up doing something good for his targeted victims. Like in old fashioned films, in a couple of short sequences at the end, not only does the hero paint those who Amita Pathak called high society black but he also ends up with a lucrative contract and a fat cheque from Mohan Kapoor, whose daughter‘s honour he had protected.

Bittoo Boss is a low budget film but that does not justify its low in content and imagination story and treatment. Using a lot of local Punjabi flavour and accent, its standard of narration is cheap.

The idea of comedy in the film is half a dozen girls vying with each other to tell the hero, ‘meri kab lega!‘ Musically ‘Kaun kenda ..‘ is a hummable number. Photography is passable. Editing is slack. Dialogue is routine. In performance, Pukit Samrat is impressive this being his first film. Amita Pathak is not heroine material. Rest are okay.

Bittoo Boss is not the cute movie it thinks it is and will find it tough to sustain come day two after release.

Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein has limited appeal

Producers: Balasaheb Bhapkar, Shashank Bhapkar.
Director: Pramod Joshi.
Stars: Anupam Kher, Sachin Khedeekar, Mrinalini Kulkarni, Atul Parchure, Anajan Shrivastav, Suresh Menon, Vijay Parkar, Rajesh Vivek.

Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein is a film on a contemporary businessman‘s life whose quest for success is never ending. So much so that he has no sense of priorities and neglects his family, his neighbours, and all social contact. There comes a time when his family revolts and he is left to fight the ghosts of his past acts.

The film is based on the Hollywood film Groundhog Day.

Sachin Khedekar is an IT professional who, having seen success, has got addicted to it and keeps on setting higher targets for him with every new success. For him the success is measured only in terms of the billions he can make. In the process, he has ignored his wife and a teenage daughter completely. His neighbours and their activities hardly exist for him except as a nuisance with their laughter club and cricket playing kids.

Giving priority to his business meet over his daughter‘s arangetram is the last straw as his wife and daughter walk out on him leaving him alone for the weekend; Sachin Khedekar starts the weekend with his friend, Atul Parchure, visiting bars but come night, he finds himself in a trap where every morning he wakes up to see the same newspaper and same sequence of events repeating while he is anxious to see Monday when he will sign a new Rs 1 billion deal. As his ordeal continues, Khedekar sets out to find a solution and meets Anupam Kher. With Anupam Kher, Khedekar learns to find happiness in life through various small things that he overlooked all the time.

The story is more personal and hence of limited appeal. Direction as well as the ambience is more Marathi-oriented since the film has also been made in Marathi. Performance wise, Sachin Khedekar is good while Anupam Kher excels.

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Hindi

Boney Kapoor acquires remake rights of Tamil political satire Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil

Strong word-of-mouth turns Pongal satire into remake pick

Published

1 week ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A Pongal release, a village satire and a theatre visit in Coimbatore have turned into Boney Kapoor’s latest acquisition. The producer has secured the remake rights to the Tamil political satire Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil (TTT), a film that has been enjoying a strong theatrical run powered by word-of-mouth and praise for its sharp, rooted writing.

Set in a rural milieu, the story follows a panchayat leader thrown into disarray when a wedding and a funeral land on the same day. What unfolds is a swirl of satire and humour that skewers local politics, power games, bruised egos and family tensions, all anchored in the textures of everyday village life.

Kapoor first encountered the film earlier this year while in Coimbatore for the Celebrity Cricket League. With time to spare, he caught a screening at a local theatre. That viewing proved decisive. According to sources, the narrative style, performances and the film’s balance of political commentary and comedy caught his attention.

Interest quickly turned into intent. Kapoor reached out to the producers soon after to explore a remake. Talks gathered pace over the following weeks and came to a head last Friday at the film’s success party in Chennai, where Kapoor joined the celebrations and continued negotiations with the makers.

By the end of the evening, the deal was sealed, with Kapoor formally acquiring the remake rights.

For an industry constantly mining regional cinema for the next crossover story, the move is telling. A small-town satire with local flavour has found a national backer. And if Kapoor’s instincts hold, a tale born in one village may soon echo far beyond it.

Hindi

Fans take centre stage as Zee Cine awards turns the spotlight around

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the applause gets louder than the dialogue, you know the fans have taken over. That was the unmistakable mood as Zee formally announced the Zee Cine Awards 2026, flipping the script to celebrate not just cinema’s stars, but the people who cheer them on the loudest.

The 24th edition of the awards marks a fresh chapter in Zee’s long-standing relationship with Hindi cinema, anchored in its fan-first philosophy, Fantertainment. This year’s theme, ‘Yeh Pal Hai Fans Ka’, reinforces a simple idea: cinema’s most powerful moments are shaped as much by audiences as by actors on screen. Presented by Maruti Suzuki, the awards aim to turn fandom into the main event.

The announcement, held in Mumbai, was anything but a routine press conference. Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Aparshakti Khurana, composer Mithoon and singer Palak Muchhal joined fans to kick off the celebrations, turning the launch into a high-voltage, participative spectacle.

Staying true to the theme, fans didn’t just watch the announcement, they drove it. Akshay Kumar took the lead, pulling fellow stars on stage and energising the room, before the unveiling of a live LED Fan Meter. Powered purely by audience cheers, the rising meter culminated in the reveal of the Zee Cine Awards 2026 ground event date, announced in unison with fans, blurring the line between performer and spectator.

The momentum continued as Tamannaah Bhatia, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa and Aparshakti Khurana recreated iconic hook steps, joined by Mithoon and Palak Muchhal for music-led interactions. Games, spontaneous performances and playful banter kept the focus firmly on shared moments, underscoring the evolving bond between cinema and its audience.

Beyond the launch, the awards will roll out as a multi-platform journey across television, digital, print and fan-led experiences. The aim is sustained engagement from the first announcement to awards night cementing fandom as a cultural force rather than a footnote.

Commenting on the milestone edition Zee head of advertisement revenue, broadcast & digital Laxmi Shetty said the 24th Zee Cine Awards continue to draw strength from the network’s omni-channel ecosystem, reflecting how audiences consume content today across TV, digital and social platforms. She noted that long-standing brand associations, including Maruti Suzuki’s three-year partnership and support from brands such as Hell Energy, underline the platform’s scale, trust and cultural relevance.

As Zee Cine Awards 2026 gathers pace, one thing is clear: this year, the loudest cheers won’t just echo in the auditorium, they’ll shape the show itself.

Hindi

Prime Video to stream Don’t Be Shy, produced by Alia Bhatt

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Prime Video has found its next feel-good original, and it comes with a healthy dose of heart, humour and youthful chaos. The streaming platform has announced Don’t Be Shy, a coming-of-age romantic comedy produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt under their banner, Eternal Sunshine Productions.

Written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji, the film follows Shyamili ‘Shy’ Das, a 20-year-old who believes her life is neatly mapped out until it suddenly is not. What follows is a relatable tumble through friendship, love and the awkward art of growing up, when plans unravel and certainty gives way to self-discovery.

The project is co-produced by Grishma Shah and Vikesh Bhutani, with music composed by Ram Sampath, adding to the film’s promise of warmth and energy. Prime Video describes the story as light-hearted yet emotionally grounded, with a strong female-led narrative at its core.

Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the platform was delighted to collaborate with Eternal Sunshine on a story that blends sincerity with humour. He noted that the film’s fresh writing, earnest characters and infectious music make it an easy, engaging watch for audiences well beyond its young adult setting.

For Alia Bhatt, Don’t Be Shy reflects the kind of storytelling Eternal Sunshine set out to champion. She said the film stood out for its honesty, its coming-of-age perspective and Mukerji’s passion, which she felt was deeply woven into the narrative. Bhatt also praised Prime Video for supporting distinctive voices and bold creative choices.

With its breezy tone and familiar emotional beats, Don’t Be Shy aims to charm viewers whether they are rom-com regulars or simply in the mood for a warm, unpretentious story about life refusing to stick to the plan.