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Category: Movies

  • Rajkummar Rao’s Newton to make world premiere at Berlin Festival

    Rajkummar Rao’s Newton to make world premiere at Berlin Festival

    MUMBAI: The New Year is beginning on a high note for Drishyam Films, the makers of much loved films such as Masaan, Dhanak and Waiting. Their latest film Amit V Masurkar’s Newton is all set to make its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals to be held from 9-19 February 2017. The film will have a red carpet premiere with its cast and crew on 10 February, during the opening weekend of the top-tier festival.

    The public programme of the Berlin International Film Festival shows about 400 films per year, mostly international or European premieres. Films of every genre, length and format find their place in the various sections: great international cinema in the Competition, independent and art house in Panorama, films for the young audience in Generation, new discoveries and promising talents from the German film scene in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, avant garde, experimental and unfamiliar cinematography in the Forum and Forum Expanded, and an exploration of cinematic possibilities in Berlinale Shorts.

    Newton, starring Rajkummar Rao in the title role is a sharp political black comedy that takes place on an election day in Central India. Rajkummar Rao, whose star is on the rise following with strong, highly appreciated performances in films like Aligarh and Queen, plays Newton, a rookie clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Chhattisgarh, who tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of an attack by Maoist rebels.

    The film also stars acclaimed actors Anjali Patil (of Mirzya fame), Pankaj Tripathi (of Gangs of Wasseypur fame) and Raghubir Yadav (veteran actor from Peepli Live).

    Newton is Amit V Masurkar’s second film after the sleeper hit Sulemani Keeda in 2014. The film produced by Manish Mundra will be screened in the ‘International Forum of New Cinema’, considered as the most daring section of the Berlinale featuring avant-garde, experimental works, political reportage and yet-to-be-discovered cinematic landscapes.

    Newton was part of the Co-Production Market (CPM) at Film Bazaar 2015 and also one of the Film Bazaar Recommends titles at Film Bazaar 2016.

    Interestingly, all of Drishyam Films’ films starting from Ankhon Dekhi, Masaan, Waiting, Dhanak and Umrika have made their world premieres at top-billed international film festivals. Masaan (2015), directed by Neeraj Ghaywan premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2015 and won two awards — FIPRESCI, International Jury of Film Critics prize and Promising Future prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Umrika won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival, in 2015. Newton is Drishyam Films’ second venture to make its world premiere at Berlinale after Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak (Rainbow) which made its world premiere at Berlinale 2015 and also received a special mention from the jury.

    Amit V Masurkar, who has co-written and directed Newton, says, “We’re all excited to have a grand premiere of Newton in Berlin which is a very prestigious festival and has launched some of the most interesting films from across the world. Newton is a political film with a generous helping of quirky, dark humour which reflects the absurdity of the world we live in. We’re sure it will resonate with audiences at home and abroad.”

    Starting 2017 with such great news, Founder of Drishyam Films and the producer of Newton, Manish Mundra says “Newton stands true to our vision of telling powerful stories that are rooted in our culture yet universal in their appeal. We are thrilled to be back at Berlin with this special film, and plan to bring it to our audiences at home soon after.”

    Drishyam Films aims to build a platform for unique voices of Indian independent cinema and create global content with rich Indian flavours. Their filmmaking journey started with the award-winning film Ankhon Dekhi directed by Rajat Kapoor. Its success was followed by Umrika directed by Prashant Nair which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015 and bagged the Audience Choice Award.

  • xXx India blitz cost Viacom 18 over Rs 10 crore

    xXx India blitz cost Viacom 18 over Rs 10 crore

    MUMBAI: Have you wondered if a Hollywood movie could have its maiden release in India? It’s rare and exceptional. What it takes to be that big? Is it a large-scale promotion or a marketing stunt? It’s a not a stunt but the right marketing strategy that can make a film as big as a grand award ceremony.  

    The recent release of XXX: Return of Xander Cage in India before its global release has said it all.

    Viacom 18 gave the audience a first-hand experience of the film acclaimed for its extreme action in a grand event which was organised in Mumbai. The visit of megastar Vin Diesel to India along with the co-star Deepika Padukone and the director DJ Caruso has made the premiere more ravishing.  

    Five years ago, Viacom18 had undertaken a massive marketing campaign for ‘Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol’ for which Tom Cruise flew down to India.

    The industry has now estimated the marketing spend on xXx premiere in India to be above Rs 10 crore. “Of course, it is under Rs 15 crore,” an industry source quipped. A Paramount Pictures and Revolution Studios movie, xXx: Return of Xander Cage has been exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

    So what made Hollywood to launch the movie in India before any than other country. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom 18 Motion marketing head  Rudrarup Datta said, “For this film, India is a very important market for Paramount which is distributing the film globally. Having Deepika in the film made it more relevant for the India market. India was actually a T-1 market  in the film, hence we were pushing for the release earlier in India and, thankfully, Paramount gave a go-head.” The film thus released in India before anywhere else, not even in the US.

    “That’s a big step and an indication of the growing importance of the India market,” Datta said.

    The event was organised with a spectacular lineup of entertainment ranging from BMX stunt-bikers to skateboarders and B-Boying troupes. Nucleya further took the stage and kept the fans in a trance up until Diesel and Padukone made their entrance to greet the fans.

    Datta further explained, “It’s a mix of a global plan and India plan. So, if one plan is executed globally, a reflection of that will come to India, but, in this case especially, a special India plan was created because Padukone is a part of the film which, of course, gave us the advantage and opportunity to localise the film. And, that’s was we did. We started October last year where we actually convinced Paramount to create a specific Padukone trailer for India.”

    “Normally,” he said, “it was not done in any market.” “We created a trailer for India, and we launched the trailer on Bigg Boss and also launched a Hindi trailer then,” he added. “The whole idea on the campaign from day one was three pronged:
    A. Scale – whatever we do, we need to do it big.
    B. Penetration – we need to reach as deep as possible in India and new markets to respond to a Hollywood content and primarily Hollywood dubbed content. And,
    C. Localisation – to make it connect to the Indian audience as much as possible.”

    Viacom 18 has done multi tie-ups with brands like PVR where fans were greeted with a first-of-its-kind movie takeover of PVR cinemas with PVR ECX-Mumbai, PVR Priya- Delhi and PVR Phoenix-Bangalore, being transformed into ‘xXx – PVR’ starting 24 December  2016 and continuing till the release of the film in India on the 14 January 2017.

    Presence in the form of branding across the cinemas to virtual reality experience, from xXx meal combos to xXx selfie spots and gaming zones, Xander Cage is sure going to rule PVR Cinemas and audience’s hearts.

    “Right from large-scale outdoor branding, we embarked on innovative marketing — we had mall branding, railway station branding, and actually it was a first time that for a Hollywood film, we have covered OOH extensively across India.”

    The share of Hollywood films in India has seen a steady rise over the last couple of years, currently hitting 20 per cent plus figures. The share of theatrical business for Hollywood is growing at five per cent plus year-on-year. “In the last three years, the contribution of Hollywood to the overall business has gone up steeply,” Datta said.

    xXx released in 841 locations on 1,092 screens. This includes 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX. The 2D version released on 18 January, and the number of screens were 200, “We have the weekend figure which is Rs 30 crore, but one needs to understand that it had two days quarter kind of a weekend.”

    In comparison, Disney’s The Jungle Book, in 2016, made Rs 40.47 crore in its opening weekend. Later, Marvel’s superhero movie Captain America : Civil War touched Rs 27 crore in its initial three days. But, none of these films could break the record set by Diesel’s Fast and Furious 7 which earned over Rs 70 crore in the first weekend. 

    The next big release of 2017 will be Dwayne Johnson, Zac Effron and Priyanka Chopra starring Baywatch which is set to release in May. It will be interesting to watch that the Indian audience will get lucky again with its India release first in the world.

  • xXx India blitz cost Viacom 18 over Rs 10 crore

    xXx India blitz cost Viacom 18 over Rs 10 crore

    MUMBAI: Have you wondered if a Hollywood movie could have its maiden release in India? It’s rare and exceptional. What it takes to be that big? Is it a large-scale promotion or a marketing stunt? It’s a not a stunt but the right marketing strategy that can make a film as big as a grand award ceremony.  

    The recent release of XXX: Return of Xander Cage in India before its global release has said it all.

    Viacom 18 gave the audience a first-hand experience of the film acclaimed for its extreme action in a grand event which was organised in Mumbai. The visit of megastar Vin Diesel to India along with the co-star Deepika Padukone and the director DJ Caruso has made the premiere more ravishing.  

    Five years ago, Viacom18 had undertaken a massive marketing campaign for ‘Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol’ for which Tom Cruise flew down to India.

    The industry has now estimated the marketing spend on xXx premiere in India to be above Rs 10 crore. “Of course, it is under Rs 15 crore,” an industry source quipped. A Paramount Pictures and Revolution Studios movie, xXx: Return of Xander Cage has been exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

    So what made Hollywood to launch the movie in India before any than other country. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Viacom 18 Motion marketing head  Rudrarup Datta said, “For this film, India is a very important market for Paramount which is distributing the film globally. Having Deepika in the film made it more relevant for the India market. India was actually a T-1 market  in the film, hence we were pushing for the release earlier in India and, thankfully, Paramount gave a go-head.” The film thus released in India before anywhere else, not even in the US.

    “That’s a big step and an indication of the growing importance of the India market,” Datta said.

    The event was organised with a spectacular lineup of entertainment ranging from BMX stunt-bikers to skateboarders and B-Boying troupes. Nucleya further took the stage and kept the fans in a trance up until Diesel and Padukone made their entrance to greet the fans.

    Datta further explained, “It’s a mix of a global plan and India plan. So, if one plan is executed globally, a reflection of that will come to India, but, in this case especially, a special India plan was created because Padukone is a part of the film which, of course, gave us the advantage and opportunity to localise the film. And, that’s was we did. We started October last year where we actually convinced Paramount to create a specific Padukone trailer for India.”

    “Normally,” he said, “it was not done in any market.” “We created a trailer for India, and we launched the trailer on Bigg Boss and also launched a Hindi trailer then,” he added. “The whole idea on the campaign from day one was three pronged:
    A. Scale – whatever we do, we need to do it big.
    B. Penetration – we need to reach as deep as possible in India and new markets to respond to a Hollywood content and primarily Hollywood dubbed content. And,
    C. Localisation – to make it connect to the Indian audience as much as possible.”

    Viacom 18 has done multi tie-ups with brands like PVR where fans were greeted with a first-of-its-kind movie takeover of PVR cinemas with PVR ECX-Mumbai, PVR Priya- Delhi and PVR Phoenix-Bangalore, being transformed into ‘xXx – PVR’ starting 24 December  2016 and continuing till the release of the film in India on the 14 January 2017.

    Presence in the form of branding across the cinemas to virtual reality experience, from xXx meal combos to xXx selfie spots and gaming zones, Xander Cage is sure going to rule PVR Cinemas and audience’s hearts.

    “Right from large-scale outdoor branding, we embarked on innovative marketing — we had mall branding, railway station branding, and actually it was a first time that for a Hollywood film, we have covered OOH extensively across India.”

    The share of Hollywood films in India has seen a steady rise over the last couple of years, currently hitting 20 per cent plus figures. The share of theatrical business for Hollywood is growing at five per cent plus year-on-year. “In the last three years, the contribution of Hollywood to the overall business has gone up steeply,” Datta said.

    xXx released in 841 locations on 1,092 screens. This includes 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX. The 2D version released on 18 January, and the number of screens were 200, “We have the weekend figure which is Rs 30 crore, but one needs to understand that it had two days quarter kind of a weekend.”

    In comparison, Disney’s The Jungle Book, in 2016, made Rs 40.47 crore in its opening weekend. Later, Marvel’s superhero movie Captain America : Civil War touched Rs 27 crore in its initial three days. But, none of these films could break the record set by Diesel’s Fast and Furious 7 which earned over Rs 70 crore in the first weekend. 

    The next big release of 2017 will be Dwayne Johnson, Zac Effron and Priyanka Chopra starring Baywatch which is set to release in May. It will be interesting to watch that the Indian audience will get lucky again with its India release first in the world.

  • Bleeding Pak theatres may become ‘Raees’ again

    Bleeding Pak theatres may become ‘Raees’ again

    MUMBAI: Four months after Pakistan stopped screening Hindi films in its cinemas responding to Bollywood’s unofficial ban on Pakistani artistes following the Uri attack, Pakistan is again attempting to allow screening as theatre-owners are bleeding financially.

    PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) had then banned Indian TV channels and entertainment programmes and cinema hall owners decided not to screen Bollywood films, the Times of India reported.

    Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif has constituted a panel to consider a request by distributors and theatre-owners to resume the import of Bollywood films. Distributors are hoping to get the permission before SRK’s ‘Raees’ releases on 25 January.

    The Sharif committee is headed by minister of state for information Maryum Aurangzeb and includes the secretary of commerce, advisor to the PM on national history and literary heritage and a representative of ISI.

    Films from India are in the list of items banned in Pakistan. But, the commerce ministry, under the import policy order, had issued NOCs (no-objection certificates) at per information ministry request thus allowing the import of 2-3 Indian films each month.

    Sources told the Hindu that business in cinema halls in Pakistan was down after the unofficial ban on Indian movies and revenues had fallen up to 75 per cent in some theatres. Around 50 per cent of workers in halls lost their jobs. Bollywood films are also widely available through pirated DVDs in Pakistan.

    Atrium Cinema owner in Karachi Nadeem Mandviwalla had earlier said that 70 per cent of their business comes from Bollywood and Hollywood. He said that they could only survive a temporary suspension, and not a continued one.

    Also Read :

    Pak theatres showing Indian films again

    States may decide Pak artistes films fate

    Pakistan gets tough on Indian DTH & content

  • Bleeding Pak theatres may become ‘Raees’ again

    Bleeding Pak theatres may become ‘Raees’ again

    MUMBAI: Four months after Pakistan stopped screening Hindi films in its cinemas responding to Bollywood’s unofficial ban on Pakistani artistes following the Uri attack, Pakistan is again attempting to allow screening as theatre-owners are bleeding financially.

    PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) had then banned Indian TV channels and entertainment programmes and cinema hall owners decided not to screen Bollywood films, the Times of India reported.

    Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif has constituted a panel to consider a request by distributors and theatre-owners to resume the import of Bollywood films. Distributors are hoping to get the permission before SRK’s ‘Raees’ releases on 25 January.

    The Sharif committee is headed by minister of state for information Maryum Aurangzeb and includes the secretary of commerce, advisor to the PM on national history and literary heritage and a representative of ISI.

    Films from India are in the list of items banned in Pakistan. But, the commerce ministry, under the import policy order, had issued NOCs (no-objection certificates) at per information ministry request thus allowing the import of 2-3 Indian films each month.

    Sources told the Hindu that business in cinema halls in Pakistan was down after the unofficial ban on Indian movies and revenues had fallen up to 75 per cent in some theatres. Around 50 per cent of workers in halls lost their jobs. Bollywood films are also widely available through pirated DVDs in Pakistan.

    Atrium Cinema owner in Karachi Nadeem Mandviwalla had earlier said that 70 per cent of their business comes from Bollywood and Hollywood. He said that they could only survive a temporary suspension, and not a continued one.

    Also Read :

    Pak theatres showing Indian films again

    States may decide Pak artistes films fate

    Pakistan gets tough on Indian DTH & content

  • Weak films fall by Dangal-side

    Weak films fall by Dangal-side

    The exhibition sector felt some relief with a blockbuster in Dangal after a long gap to help them sustain the cinemas, the vacuum faces them again as the two new movies, OK Jaanu and Haraamkhor, failed to bring in even the initial audience or, for that matter, even the compulsive first day or first weekend viewers.

    With the forthcoming week offering no solace in the form of a major release, the cinemas face another dull week of ‘No audience, No show’ till two major films, Kaabil and Raees, fight it out for the playtime at the multiplexes on the eve of the Republic Day. Both release on 25 January.

    *OK Jaanu, a remake of the Tamil film, O KadhalKanmani, in Hindi failed to arouse the curiosity depriving it of an initial draw. The film suffered due to its length sans face value, its South flavour and lack of a decent musical score, a mandatory ingredient in any romantic movie.

    The film managed an average opening day figures of a little over Rs 3 crore. Friday, 13 January, and Saturday, 14 January, collections remained below par, too, as the film vied for attention on both days when the nation celebrated various festivals in different parts of India.

    As these two days managed to pull in just about Rs 7.5 crore. The film managed to collect Rs 11.9 crore for its first weekend, which is on a low side.

    *Haraamkhor is another film to go down as ‘No audience No show’ category film.

    *Dangal continues to create havoc as well as new records. The film’s three week total reached Rs 359.87 crore, the highest domestic box office collections so far.

    The film added another Rs 10.24 crore for its fourth weekend to take its 24-day total to Rs 370.11 crore.

  • Weak films fall by Dangal-side

    Weak films fall by Dangal-side

    The exhibition sector felt some relief with a blockbuster in Dangal after a long gap to help them sustain the cinemas, the vacuum faces them again as the two new movies, OK Jaanu and Haraamkhor, failed to bring in even the initial audience or, for that matter, even the compulsive first day or first weekend viewers.

    With the forthcoming week offering no solace in the form of a major release, the cinemas face another dull week of ‘No audience, No show’ till two major films, Kaabil and Raees, fight it out for the playtime at the multiplexes on the eve of the Republic Day. Both release on 25 January.

    *OK Jaanu, a remake of the Tamil film, O KadhalKanmani, in Hindi failed to arouse the curiosity depriving it of an initial draw. The film suffered due to its length sans face value, its South flavour and lack of a decent musical score, a mandatory ingredient in any romantic movie.

    The film managed an average opening day figures of a little over Rs 3 crore. Friday, 13 January, and Saturday, 14 January, collections remained below par, too, as the film vied for attention on both days when the nation celebrated various festivals in different parts of India.

    As these two days managed to pull in just about Rs 7.5 crore. The film managed to collect Rs 11.9 crore for its first weekend, which is on a low side.

    *Haraamkhor is another film to go down as ‘No audience No show’ category film.

    *Dangal continues to create havoc as well as new records. The film’s three week total reached Rs 359.87 crore, the highest domestic box office collections so far.

    The film added another Rs 10.24 crore for its fourth weekend to take its 24-day total to Rs 370.11 crore.

  • OK Jaanu: …Live-in romance replayed!

    OK Jaanu: …Live-in romance replayed!

    MUMBAI: OK Jaanu is a contemporary love story which eventually settles about halfway between modern-day relationships traditions while conveying the eternal belief that love always triumphs. These kinds of films are made now and again but a love story is a love story and usually has its own appeal if supported by enough emotion and music. 

    The film is a remake of Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film, O Kadhal Kanmani.

    The characters of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor have an odd first meeting. Aditya has just alighted from a train from Kanpur and watches Shraddha on the other platform threatening her boyfriend to leave her alone else she will jump on the tracks! Aditya warns her to back off. 

    They become friends soon after. Both find perfect companionship in each other. 

    Shraddha comes from a broken home and prefers to stay in a hostel despite having a wealthy mother — the character of Kittu Gidwani. Aditya stays with the character of Naseeruddin Shah and his wife, Leela Samson, both retired judges. Leela suffers from Alzheimer’s and Naseeruddin’s affection for her is exemplary and for the young lovers to emulate.

    Both have one thing in common: they don’t believe in the institution of marriage. With no commitment, the friendship flourishes as they hop restaurants, clubs and make merry. But, a relationship between a man and a woman can’t always be platonic. The inevitable happens. 

    After that, both decide to stay together. Aditya sort of stretches Naseeruddin’s hospitality and asks his permission to let Sharaddha in with him. 

    Aditya, a video game designer, who dreams of going to the US to earn millions, and Shraddha, an aspiring architect, who plans to move to Paris to study further. Finally, it is time. 

    Being a remake, it retains a lot of its south flavour. Where it affects the most is in the later parts of the second half when some unnecessary melodrama takes place. In the second half, the film also starts losing much of the fun of the first half and the proceedings start dragging which the director could have contained. 

    The music may sound alright in the film but lacks the take-home quality. With a leisurely pace of narration, the editing sags. The cinematography is good and Mumbai is well exploited.

    As for performances, Naseeruddin and Leela impress. Shraddha is a natural, inhibited. Aditya is passable.

    OK Jaanu is a feel-good love story but the stretched second half and limited face value takes it down to an average level. The film’s hopes lie in solo run and an open second week for relief.

    Producers: Mani Ratnam, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Hiroo Yash Johar.

    Direction: Shaad Ali.

    Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor, Leela Samson, Naseeruddin Shah, Karan Nath.

    Haraamkhor…an irrelevant enterprise

    There seems to be emerging a new genre of films. It can be tentatively called weird cinema. 

    The kind of cinema where you give up on making sense of what is happening on screen but still wonder as to who thinks up of such ideas. And why? To what purpose? And, mainly, who backs them!?

    The opening titles of Haraamkhor declare the film to be based on a true story. But, the makers forget to tell the story. For, there is none.

    There is a small town somewhere in the Hindi belt where the character of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a teacher with a glad eye for just about every girl, mainly his students. In fact, he is married to one of his students, the character of Trimala Adhikari, while also eyeing one of his underage students, Shweta Tripathi.

    Shweta leads a lonely life as her father, a local cop, is often out on duty while her mother has left them both while she was a child. She is also attracted to Nawazuddin. Everybody in the town, including Shweta’s father, seems to be oblivious to the duo’s romance and rendezvous. 

    The only ones with in inkling to what is happening seems to Trimala and two of Shweta’s classmates, the characters of Mohd Samad and Irfan Khan, one of whom is in love with Shweta while the other one helps him devise ways to impress her. The duo is always chasing Shweta.

    Shweta and Nawazuddin’s exploits take her to a gynecologist where Shweta is surprised to find the nurse is her father’s girlfriend. In her, Shweta finds a guardian angel. After that, what happens is not quite fathomable and, hence, not possible to report.

    Haraamkhor is described as: 1. हरामकीकमाईनेवाला; आलसी; निकम्मा; मुफ़्तख़ोर 2. नमकहराम; पापकीकमाईखानेवाला। and none of the meanings apply here. In this totally irrelevant enterprise, besides miscast Nawazuddin, one sees decent efforts by Shweta Tripathi and the two young actors.

    Producers: Feroze Alameer, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain.

    Director: Shlok Sharma.

    Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shweta Tripathi, Trimala Adhikari, Mohd Samad, Irfan Khan.

  • OK Jaanu: …Live-in romance replayed!

    OK Jaanu: …Live-in romance replayed!

    MUMBAI: OK Jaanu is a contemporary love story which eventually settles about halfway between modern-day relationships traditions while conveying the eternal belief that love always triumphs. These kinds of films are made now and again but a love story is a love story and usually has its own appeal if supported by enough emotion and music. 

    The film is a remake of Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film, O Kadhal Kanmani.

    The characters of Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor have an odd first meeting. Aditya has just alighted from a train from Kanpur and watches Shraddha on the other platform threatening her boyfriend to leave her alone else she will jump on the tracks! Aditya warns her to back off. 

    They become friends soon after. Both find perfect companionship in each other. 

    Shraddha comes from a broken home and prefers to stay in a hostel despite having a wealthy mother — the character of Kittu Gidwani. Aditya stays with the character of Naseeruddin Shah and his wife, Leela Samson, both retired judges. Leela suffers from Alzheimer’s and Naseeruddin’s affection for her is exemplary and for the young lovers to emulate.

    Both have one thing in common: they don’t believe in the institution of marriage. With no commitment, the friendship flourishes as they hop restaurants, clubs and make merry. But, a relationship between a man and a woman can’t always be platonic. The inevitable happens. 

    After that, both decide to stay together. Aditya sort of stretches Naseeruddin’s hospitality and asks his permission to let Sharaddha in with him. 

    Aditya, a video game designer, who dreams of going to the US to earn millions, and Shraddha, an aspiring architect, who plans to move to Paris to study further. Finally, it is time. 

    Being a remake, it retains a lot of its south flavour. Where it affects the most is in the later parts of the second half when some unnecessary melodrama takes place. In the second half, the film also starts losing much of the fun of the first half and the proceedings start dragging which the director could have contained. 

    The music may sound alright in the film but lacks the take-home quality. With a leisurely pace of narration, the editing sags. The cinematography is good and Mumbai is well exploited.

    As for performances, Naseeruddin and Leela impress. Shraddha is a natural, inhibited. Aditya is passable.

    OK Jaanu is a feel-good love story but the stretched second half and limited face value takes it down to an average level. The film’s hopes lie in solo run and an open second week for relief.

    Producers: Mani Ratnam, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Hiroo Yash Johar.

    Direction: Shaad Ali.

    Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor, Leela Samson, Naseeruddin Shah, Karan Nath.

    Haraamkhor…an irrelevant enterprise

    There seems to be emerging a new genre of films. It can be tentatively called weird cinema. 

    The kind of cinema where you give up on making sense of what is happening on screen but still wonder as to who thinks up of such ideas. And why? To what purpose? And, mainly, who backs them!?

    The opening titles of Haraamkhor declare the film to be based on a true story. But, the makers forget to tell the story. For, there is none.

    There is a small town somewhere in the Hindi belt where the character of Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a teacher with a glad eye for just about every girl, mainly his students. In fact, he is married to one of his students, the character of Trimala Adhikari, while also eyeing one of his underage students, Shweta Tripathi.

    Shweta leads a lonely life as her father, a local cop, is often out on duty while her mother has left them both while she was a child. She is also attracted to Nawazuddin. Everybody in the town, including Shweta’s father, seems to be oblivious to the duo’s romance and rendezvous. 

    The only ones with in inkling to what is happening seems to Trimala and two of Shweta’s classmates, the characters of Mohd Samad and Irfan Khan, one of whom is in love with Shweta while the other one helps him devise ways to impress her. The duo is always chasing Shweta.

    Shweta and Nawazuddin’s exploits take her to a gynecologist where Shweta is surprised to find the nurse is her father’s girlfriend. In her, Shweta finds a guardian angel. After that, what happens is not quite fathomable and, hence, not possible to report.

    Haraamkhor is described as: 1. हरामकीकमाईनेवाला; आलसी; निकम्मा; मुफ़्तख़ोर 2. नमकहराम; पापकीकमाईखानेवाला। and none of the meanings apply here. In this totally irrelevant enterprise, besides miscast Nawazuddin, one sees decent efforts by Shweta Tripathi and the two young actors.

    Producers: Feroze Alameer, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Achin Jain.

    Director: Shlok Sharma.

    Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shweta Tripathi, Trimala Adhikari, Mohd Samad, Irfan Khan.

  • Viacom18 starts NY with ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ premiere

    Viacom18 starts NY with ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ premiere

    MUMBAI: Starting the year on a promising note Viacom18 is proud to present xXx: Return of Xander Cage to the audience in India. After wowing viewers in Mexico and London as part of the global domination tour, megastar Vin Diesel visited India for the premiere along with his co-star, Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone and director DJ Caruso. With gravity defying action sequences, a star-studded cast and a gripping storyline, this third explosive chapter of the franchise promises to please fans across the nation.

    Giving audiences a firsthand experience of the film acclaimed for its extreme sports action – a grand fan event was organized in Mumbai, with a spectacular lineup of entertainment ranging from BMX stunt-bikers to skateboarders and B- Boying troupes. Nucleya further took the stage and kept the fans in a trance up until Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone made their entrance to greet the fans. Following the incredible fan experience, Vin Diesel, Deepika Padukone and DJ Caruso walked down the red carpet, signing autographs and interacting with their fans at the premiere.

    Present at the premiere Viacom18 group CEO Sudhanshu Vats mentioned, “Viacom18 Motion Pictures, has long been associated with producing content driven movies, often with female leads. Today, we are at an event that captures the spirit of universal stories – bringing global stories to India and taking Indian stories global. The India Hollywood connection has evolved through three stages. We started the journey by taking India’s pain and evolution through movies like Gandhi and A Passage to India. That stage followed with our stars who went on to essay character roles. In the last 3-4 years we have seen the emergence of stories from here like The Life of Pi and Jungle Book. Today’s a landmark moment when a leading lady from our country is playing a lead role in a mainstream Hollywood movie. It is our privilege to start this with bringing Deepika’s first Hollywood film to India.It is inspirational to see how far we have come in influencing Hollywood productions-through actors, storylines, locations, philosophies through the years. It gives us immense pride that our studio has brought this movie to India and will soon bring Baywatch with Priyanka Chopra as well.”

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare said: “Moving beyond conventional cinema, we are constantly persevering to bring only the best of Hollywood to India with our partnership with Paramount. India has emerged as one of the priority markets globally and VMP is proud to have been a pioneer in bringing about this change; the release of xXx in India before its worldwide release is one such step in this direction. We hope Indian audiences enjoy watching the film before the world does.”

    A Paramount Pictures and Revolution Studios movie, xXx: Return of Xander Cage will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. Watch it before the world in 3D and IMAX 3D on 14 January.