Category: Hindi

  • Great Grand Masti….Greater disappointment!

    Great Grand Masti….Greater disappointment!

    MUMBAI: Indra Kumar acted in and made a few Gujarati films in the era of tax exemption and subsidy offered by the Gujarat government to promote Gujarati films. Indra’s forte in those days was to thrive on vulgar gestures and double meaning dialogue. It worked because Gujarati films catered mainly to a certain level of audience. He also came to be called the Dada Kondke (the legendary Marathi filmmaker) of Gujarati films. Indra directed some notable films in Hindi with top stars.

    With corporate studios calling shots and stakes gone sky-high, survival for independent filmmakers became impossible. Indra decided to go back to his Kondke style of film making starting with Masti (2004), followed by Grand Masti (2013) to now come up with the third part of his Masti series with Great Grand Masti.

    The Great Grand Masti has the same agenda as its earlier versions which is to weave a comedy around vulgarity. The male and female anatomy is the theme around which the makers plan to play. To this end, Indra lets loose his three generally out of work male characters from his earlier films, Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani and Vivek Oberoi. All that these three have in mind is sex 24×7. It oozes from all their actions.

    All three are married to very revealing and willing girls but all three girls carry excess baggage which keeps the trio from getting anywhere close to their spouses. Since the lads are desperate for sex and their own women are not available to them, they need to look elsewhere. They decide to embark on a village where Riteish has a palatial property to sell.

    The makers think it is time to make this film hattke from the earlier two. So the angle of paranormal is added to consolidate the comedy. This is rare because paranormal on its own has few takers in Hindi films, let alone with a blend of comedy. Last one in memory is late producer-actor Deven Verma’s Bhaago Boot Aaya, inspired from a James Hadley Chase novel, Miss Shumway Waves A Wand. But, to a disastrous results.

    In absence of a script or good gags, Indra lets his three non-actors loose on the screen as they start with trying to seduce the sexy maid, Urvashi Rautela, at the palatial house and, later, to save their lives when they realize that the maid is a ghost waiting to be seduced for the last 50 years! The hide n seek between the guys and ghost is meant to be funny but it is not and falls flat. In its 127 minute duration, the only funny scene the film has is of Viagra aftereffect which, again, has been lifted from Mel Brook’s comedy, History Of The World (1981). And, that too has been killed by stretching it too far.

    The film is a poor specimen of comedy, entertainment or whatever it may be called. Nothing works here. The performers keep to their reputation and don’t act; over two hours of buffoonery is what they resort to.

    The film is poor on all counts and has no hopes at the box office.

    Producers: Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair, Aman Gill, Ashok Thakeria, Sri Adhikari Brothers, Anand Pandit.

    Director: Indra Kumar.

    Cast: Ritesh Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani, Urvashi Rautela, Pooja Bose, Amar Saxena, Sanjay Mishra, Shreyas Talpade.

  • Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic boasts of an outstanding library of Indian cinematic classics and it has recently associated with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). Starting July 16, every Saturday at 10 pm, Zee Classic will premiere ‘India’s Finest Films’, a distinguished property showcasing masterpieces like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Ek Doctor ki Maut’, ’27 Down’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’ amongst many other such gems from the NFDC library. These movies mark the debut of icons like Irrfan Khan, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah and many more. This festival kickstarts with ‘Salaam Bombay!’ directed by Mira Nair on this Saturday.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Chief Business Officer Sunil Buch said, “A Hindi movie channel as distinct as Zee Classic has seen growing viewership with every property that we have showcased. In line with its brand positioning ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, we have enriched the channel’s library to present our viewers with some never-seen-before timeless classics. Zee Classic will soon telecast the crème de la crème of landmark cinema under its latest property – ‘India’s Finest Films’. It offers a mix of critically acclaimed independent and award winning films that are treasures of Indian cinema. We have associated with NFDC to create this property and today, with new age films setting new benchmarks in parallel cinema, the films that are a part of ‘India’s Finest Films’ represent the semantics of Indian culture over the years and have carved the way for realism in films. With films such Gandhi, Mirch Masala, 27 Down, it is for the discerning cinema lover who likes to be challenged. This property will present films that brings life to so many iconic characters and thought provoking narratives.”

    To acquaint the youth of India with parallel cinema and enhance their movie-viewing experience, Zee Classic has also curated an hour long special feature called ‘India’s Finest Films – A Parallel Journey.’ It includes views of stalwarts of Indian cinema like Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, Rohini Hattangadi amongst others. It had an extravagant digital release and premiered on the Zee Classic YouTube channel on Tuesday, 12 July at 12 noon. Audiences can also catch it on television as a prelude to ‘India’s Finest Films’. Excerpts of this feature along with additional exclusive interviews will be showcased during the telecast of movies on Zee Classic. The channel has also launched a 360 degree marketing campaign including Outdoor, Radio, Print and exclusive screenings of these titles with influencers.

    Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Business Head, Ruchir Tiwari said, “With the success of properties like ‘The Bimal Roy Festival with Boman Irani’ and ‘The Golden Years with Javed Akhtar’, we are constantly innovating with content on Zee Classic to entertain its audiences. We have acquired 49 path breaking titles produced by NFDC and some of them will be showcased for the very first time on television. The sheer brilliance and uniqueness of these films is that they have no shelf life as they are timeless genius masterpieces! The promotional campaign has already kick started across mediums. The prelude, ‘India’s Finest films – A Parallel Journey’ has luminaries from the industry share their unrivalled expertise and insights of these classics and is a content goldmine for lovers of parallel cinema. While this genre of films is not commercial, the work of many superstars and filmmakers in them has increased the popularity of these masterpieces and will surely entertain viewers across age groups.”

    NFDC spokesperson, Director (Finance) Nazhat J. Shaikh said, “Over the last few years NFDC has developed and nurtured not only Indie cinema and fresh film talent but also audiences that would be groomed to connect with the same. Our Best of Indian Cinema initiative with Zee Classic is a step further in that direction. The viewer will experience over the next few months a selection of some of our landmark films packaged with some interesting trivia. A true spread for the Cineaste ! This is also a great moment to acknowledge the contribution made by the filmmakers and the film talent who walked with us on this journey and created these endearing works of cinematic expression.”

    Talking about India’s Finest Films and Zee Classic, Shyam Benegal too added, “Rabindranath Tagore once said that every art seeks to find its own independent manner of expression within the world it creates, and no creative genius has yet arrived to deliver it from its bondage. Having said that, television has always been a very effective medium, particularly for films that may or may not have the opportunity to do well in cinema houses. This is because televisions reaches homes and you do not pay individually for movies. I personally feel Zee Classic’s initiative is a very good one. It will help to keep alive the film culture of our country and Zee Classic is in the ideal position to do this.”

  • Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    Zee Classic promotes parallel cinema with ‘India’s Finest Films’

    MUMBAI: Zee Classic boasts of an outstanding library of Indian cinematic classics and it has recently associated with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). Starting July 16, every Saturday at 10 pm, Zee Classic will premiere ‘India’s Finest Films’, a distinguished property showcasing masterpieces like ‘Mirch Masala’, ‘Ek Doctor ki Maut’, ’27 Down’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’ amongst many other such gems from the NFDC library. These movies mark the debut of icons like Irrfan Khan, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah and many more. This festival kickstarts with ‘Salaam Bombay!’ directed by Mira Nair on this Saturday.

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Chief Business Officer Sunil Buch said, “A Hindi movie channel as distinct as Zee Classic has seen growing viewership with every property that we have showcased. In line with its brand positioning ‘Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana’, we have enriched the channel’s library to present our viewers with some never-seen-before timeless classics. Zee Classic will soon telecast the crème de la crème of landmark cinema under its latest property – ‘India’s Finest Films’. It offers a mix of critically acclaimed independent and award winning films that are treasures of Indian cinema. We have associated with NFDC to create this property and today, with new age films setting new benchmarks in parallel cinema, the films that are a part of ‘India’s Finest Films’ represent the semantics of Indian culture over the years and have carved the way for realism in films. With films such Gandhi, Mirch Masala, 27 Down, it is for the discerning cinema lover who likes to be challenged. This property will present films that brings life to so many iconic characters and thought provoking narratives.”

    To acquaint the youth of India with parallel cinema and enhance their movie-viewing experience, Zee Classic has also curated an hour long special feature called ‘India’s Finest Films – A Parallel Journey.’ It includes views of stalwarts of Indian cinema like Shyam Benegal, Mahesh Bhatt, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, Rohini Hattangadi amongst others. It had an extravagant digital release and premiered on the Zee Classic YouTube channel on Tuesday, 12 July at 12 noon. Audiences can also catch it on television as a prelude to ‘India’s Finest Films’. Excerpts of this feature along with additional exclusive interviews will be showcased during the telecast of movies on Zee Classic. The channel has also launched a 360 degree marketing campaign including Outdoor, Radio, Print and exclusive screenings of these titles with influencers.

    Zee Hindi Movies Cluster, Business Head, Ruchir Tiwari said, “With the success of properties like ‘The Bimal Roy Festival with Boman Irani’ and ‘The Golden Years with Javed Akhtar’, we are constantly innovating with content on Zee Classic to entertain its audiences. We have acquired 49 path breaking titles produced by NFDC and some of them will be showcased for the very first time on television. The sheer brilliance and uniqueness of these films is that they have no shelf life as they are timeless genius masterpieces! The promotional campaign has already kick started across mediums. The prelude, ‘India’s Finest films – A Parallel Journey’ has luminaries from the industry share their unrivalled expertise and insights of these classics and is a content goldmine for lovers of parallel cinema. While this genre of films is not commercial, the work of many superstars and filmmakers in them has increased the popularity of these masterpieces and will surely entertain viewers across age groups.”

    NFDC spokesperson, Director (Finance) Nazhat J. Shaikh said, “Over the last few years NFDC has developed and nurtured not only Indie cinema and fresh film talent but also audiences that would be groomed to connect with the same. Our Best of Indian Cinema initiative with Zee Classic is a step further in that direction. The viewer will experience over the next few months a selection of some of our landmark films packaged with some interesting trivia. A true spread for the Cineaste ! This is also a great moment to acknowledge the contribution made by the filmmakers and the film talent who walked with us on this journey and created these endearing works of cinematic expression.”

    Talking about India’s Finest Films and Zee Classic, Shyam Benegal too added, “Rabindranath Tagore once said that every art seeks to find its own independent manner of expression within the world it creates, and no creative genius has yet arrived to deliver it from its bondage. Having said that, television has always been a very effective medium, particularly for films that may or may not have the opportunity to do well in cinema houses. This is because televisions reaches homes and you do not pay individually for movies. I personally feel Zee Classic’s initiative is a very good one. It will help to keep alive the film culture of our country and Zee Classic is in the ideal position to do this.”

  • Sultan grosses Rs 180.36 crore in Opening weekend

    Sultan grosses Rs 180.36 crore in Opening weekend

    MUMBAI: A solo Eid release registered an unprecedented advance booking – a rarity since the advent of multiscreen, multiplex release of films. Set to hit the screens on 6 July, which was the earlier date for Eid al Fitr, the Salman Khan starrer Sultan, remained unaffected by the delay of the festival by a day.

    The Haryana wrestler turned Van Damme, however had limited appreciation mainly due to its mediocre second half and unfamiliar supporting cast. But, the presence of Salman Khan seemed to override all that.

    The film crossed the media favourite Rs100 crore mark by day three and then went on to have a strong Saturday and a stronger stillSunday to end its extended five day opening weekend with Rs 180.36 crore. The day wise collections being: Wednesday (Rs 36.54 crore); Thursday (Rs 37.32 crore); Friday (Rs 31.67 crore); Saturday (Rs 36.62 crore) and Sunday (Rs 38.21 crore).

    *Shorgul, a film reflecting the dirty politics in Uttar Pradesh state, despite talented names in its cast, had a disastrous first week. The film managed to gross just a humble Rs 1 crore.
    *Kerry On Kutton is an also ran.

    *Junooniyat added Rs 40 lakh in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 4.15 crore.
    *Raman Raghav 2.0 added Rs 90 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.4 crore.

    *Udta Punjab collected Rs 1.75 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 58.1 crore.

    *Te3n has added Rs 5 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 17.55 crore.
    *Houseful 3 added Rs 30 lakh in its fifth week to take its five week total to Rs 108.1 crore.

  • Sultan grosses Rs 180.36 crore in Opening weekend

    Sultan grosses Rs 180.36 crore in Opening weekend

    MUMBAI: A solo Eid release registered an unprecedented advance booking – a rarity since the advent of multiscreen, multiplex release of films. Set to hit the screens on 6 July, which was the earlier date for Eid al Fitr, the Salman Khan starrer Sultan, remained unaffected by the delay of the festival by a day.

    The Haryana wrestler turned Van Damme, however had limited appreciation mainly due to its mediocre second half and unfamiliar supporting cast. But, the presence of Salman Khan seemed to override all that.

    The film crossed the media favourite Rs100 crore mark by day three and then went on to have a strong Saturday and a stronger stillSunday to end its extended five day opening weekend with Rs 180.36 crore. The day wise collections being: Wednesday (Rs 36.54 crore); Thursday (Rs 37.32 crore); Friday (Rs 31.67 crore); Saturday (Rs 36.62 crore) and Sunday (Rs 38.21 crore).

    *Shorgul, a film reflecting the dirty politics in Uttar Pradesh state, despite talented names in its cast, had a disastrous first week. The film managed to gross just a humble Rs 1 crore.
    *Kerry On Kutton is an also ran.

    *Junooniyat added Rs 40 lakh in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 4.15 crore.
    *Raman Raghav 2.0 added Rs 90 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.4 crore.

    *Udta Punjab collected Rs 1.75 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 58.1 crore.

    *Te3n has added Rs 5 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 17.55 crore.
    *Houseful 3 added Rs 30 lakh in its fifth week to take its five week total to Rs 108.1 crore.

  • Nine arrested in latest raids on pirates of popular Hindi films in Delhi markets

    Nine arrested in latest raids on pirates of popular Hindi films in Delhi markets

    NEW DELHI: Despite frantic efforts by filmmakers and producers of software, piracy continues unabated and those who enforce the law – police – only act when complaints are filed instead of keeping a regular tab on law breakers.

    In raids at various locations in the capital, Delhi Police has found pirated copies of films like Great Grand Masti, Sultan, and Udta Punjab and arrested nine persons found guilty of not only selling pirated versions of these films but also pornographic contents.

    The action followed a complaint by Balaji Telefilms about its forthcoming Great Grand Masti directed by Indra Kumar.

    When police officers acting as potential customers approached some of the shops known to carry such films, they were offered up to fifty films for just Rs fifty for downloading on pendrives.

    One report recently said over 1,50,000 people had downloaded the pirated version of Sultan.

    A majority of those arrested are from Lajpat Rai Market, Old Lajpat Nagar market, Kotla Mubarakpur, Tughlakabad Extension, Old Seempuri, Malviya Nagar and Chandni Chowk areas.

    Following complaints, around 20 teams of Crime Branch posing as potential buyers reached six different locations. The sellers agreed to copy the films on their pendrives for only Rs 50. .

    During the raids, police also found pornographic content being sold by the sellers. All of the accused have been booked under IPC section 292 for selling pornographic material and Section 63 of Copy Right Act.

  • Nine arrested in latest raids on pirates of popular Hindi films in Delhi markets

    Nine arrested in latest raids on pirates of popular Hindi films in Delhi markets

    NEW DELHI: Despite frantic efforts by filmmakers and producers of software, piracy continues unabated and those who enforce the law – police – only act when complaints are filed instead of keeping a regular tab on law breakers.

    In raids at various locations in the capital, Delhi Police has found pirated copies of films like Great Grand Masti, Sultan, and Udta Punjab and arrested nine persons found guilty of not only selling pirated versions of these films but also pornographic contents.

    The action followed a complaint by Balaji Telefilms about its forthcoming Great Grand Masti directed by Indra Kumar.

    When police officers acting as potential customers approached some of the shops known to carry such films, they were offered up to fifty films for just Rs fifty for downloading on pendrives.

    One report recently said over 1,50,000 people had downloaded the pirated version of Sultan.

    A majority of those arrested are from Lajpat Rai Market, Old Lajpat Nagar market, Kotla Mubarakpur, Tughlakabad Extension, Old Seempuri, Malviya Nagar and Chandni Chowk areas.

    Following complaints, around 20 teams of Crime Branch posing as potential buyers reached six different locations. The sellers agreed to copy the films on their pendrives for only Rs 50. .

    During the raids, police also found pornographic content being sold by the sellers. All of the accused have been booked under IPC section 292 for selling pornographic material and Section 63 of Copy Right Act.

  • Box Office: Shorgul poor collection

    Box Office: Shorgul poor collection

    MUMBAI: Shorgul, a film based on contemporary politics in the state of UP, is not the kind of subject that would interest or provide entertainment in any form. The film is a waste of some talented actors as well as the money and efforts.

    In this case, it is not surprising that there were hardly any takers for the film and, in the era of crores, the film managed a poor opening on day one in the range of Rs30- 40 lakh. The film collected a meagreRs1.3 crore for its opening weekend. The film was not released in some centres of UP fearing protests, not that the film would have done much better otherwise.
    The other release of the week, Kerry OnKutton, as expected, spelled disaster.

    Raman Raghav 2.0, a purposeless film depicting gore and mindless violence, gets its undue publicity thanks to the makers’ tendency to generate it, in this case because of Censor cuts. Only, in this case the controversy generated publicity backfires. After an opening weekend of Rs 3.6 crore, the film added less thanRs two crore in the remaining four days of the week to show just Rs5.5 crore for its first week.

    Junooniyat, a grossly underpublicized film, released unceremoniously, still managed an opening week of Rs3.75 crore.

    7 Hours To Go is poor, collected about Rs50 lakh in its first week.

    Rough Book remains very poor.

    A Scandall fails badly.

    Udta Punjab added Rs 8.55 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs56.35 crore.

    *Dhanak added Rs 20 lakh in its second week taking its two week tally to Rs1.45 crore.

    *Te3n added Rs 30 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs17.5 crore.

    *Houseful 3 still has some life left in it. The film has collected Rs1.2 crore in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs107.8 crore.

  • Box Office: Shorgul poor collection

    Box Office: Shorgul poor collection

    MUMBAI: Shorgul, a film based on contemporary politics in the state of UP, is not the kind of subject that would interest or provide entertainment in any form. The film is a waste of some talented actors as well as the money and efforts.

    In this case, it is not surprising that there were hardly any takers for the film and, in the era of crores, the film managed a poor opening on day one in the range of Rs30- 40 lakh. The film collected a meagreRs1.3 crore for its opening weekend. The film was not released in some centres of UP fearing protests, not that the film would have done much better otherwise.
    The other release of the week, Kerry OnKutton, as expected, spelled disaster.

    Raman Raghav 2.0, a purposeless film depicting gore and mindless violence, gets its undue publicity thanks to the makers’ tendency to generate it, in this case because of Censor cuts. Only, in this case the controversy generated publicity backfires. After an opening weekend of Rs 3.6 crore, the film added less thanRs two crore in the remaining four days of the week to show just Rs5.5 crore for its first week.

    Junooniyat, a grossly underpublicized film, released unceremoniously, still managed an opening week of Rs3.75 crore.

    7 Hours To Go is poor, collected about Rs50 lakh in its first week.

    Rough Book remains very poor.

    A Scandall fails badly.

    Udta Punjab added Rs 8.55 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs56.35 crore.

    *Dhanak added Rs 20 lakh in its second week taking its two week tally to Rs1.45 crore.

    *Te3n added Rs 30 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs17.5 crore.

    *Houseful 3 still has some life left in it. The film has collected Rs1.2 crore in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs107.8 crore.

  • Shorgul……About nothing….

    Shorgul……About nothing….

    MUMBAI: Providing entertainment to the high priced admission rates paying audience seems to be no more the reason why many producers/ directors make films. That too in a country where each state charges entertainment tax at whim, and, which consists of a major portion of the admission rates.

    Shorgul is another film that decides to coincide its content with the incidents that happened in a particular state, UP in this case, driven by communal politics. So the content is the routine say, a piece of local news from any vernacular media like a Hindu- Muslim boy girl romance, statue of a deity found in Muslim’s farm, just about anything that can tilt the balance of harmony between communities. In the process, the film also touches some of the more controversial events of the state.

    A Hindu boy Anirudh Dave and a Muslim girl, SuhaGezen, are neighbours growing together. As they mature, Anirudh has fallen in love with Suha but it is one-sided and Suha treats this just as a friendship and she is soon to be engaged to be married to a Muslim boy, HitenTejwani.
    The town has a gallery of politicians named so as to bear close resemblance to real life active politicians of UP. Jimmy Sherrill is a Hindu politician (modelled after SangeetSom) and member of the assembly. He is the kind armed with fuel and always on a lookout for fire to add to it. On the other side is Narendra Jha (representing Azam Khan). While, there is also a caricature of Amar Singh, Sanjay Suri plays the UP CM MIthilesh Yadav kind of role. While Jimmy and Jha ferment trouble using community card, there is also a saner, balancing factor in town in Ashutosh Rana, father of the lovelorn Hindu boy, Anirudh, who is respected by both the communities.

    This is about as original as the makers get for rest of the events loosely woven together in the name of a political drama.The end is, as is the norm in such a film, about sermonizing, blaming mainly the politicians for muddying up the peace between the two communities. The film has a horde of talented actors in the cast and even as all of them do well, Ashutosh and Hiten stand out.

    As for the commercial for Shorgul, the film promises none.

    Producers: Swatantra Vijay Singh, Vyas Verma.
    Directors: Pranav Kumar Singh, Jitentra Tiwari.
    Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Ashutosh Rana, Narendra Jha, Anirudh Dave, HitenTejwani, Sanjay Suri, Eijaz Khan, SuhaGezen, Neetu Pandey, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Jay Shanker Pandey.