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Category: Movies

  • Sundance, World Cinema award-winning Indian docu ‘Machines’ to premiere at MAMI

    Sundance, World Cinema award-winning Indian docu ‘Machines’ to premiere at MAMI

    MUMBAI: After making the World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2017 and bagging the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for excellence in Cinematography, Rahul Jain’s internationally acclaimed directorial debut documentary feature, Machines to make its India Premiere in the competition category, India Gold in Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), 2017.

    Jain says, “I am happy to bring Machines in the place where it was made. I am really looking forward to the film’s reception in India. And what better a place for that than MAMI itself.”

    The film will also be screened at Dharamshala International Film Festival, 2017. The documentary is a sensorial and kaleidoscopic meditation on the meaning of labor in an Indian textile sweatshop.

    The film was selected as one of the Work-in-Progress Lab projects at NFDC’s Film Bazaar 2015 from where it got picked by international buyers and started its film festival journey.

    Since then, the internationally acclaimed docu-feature has been screened and won awards in over 50 prestigious film festivals including Sundance Film Festival.

    The film produced by Jain (Jann Pictures) and co-produced by 
Likka Vehkalahti (IV FILMS LTD), Thanassis Karathanos (Pallas Film) has released theatrically in across the world.

    Synopsis: Our technological times enable us to reduce working hours like never before in human civilization. But, the reduction of effort by technology is a first world reality, where relatively comparable technology with lesser material infrastructure could do the same for a much higher mass of the population.

    ‘Machines’ attempts to examine the experiential reality of factory culture and labor processes through temporal observation. Rather than documenting chronology or history, it creates a portrait of the breathing rhythms of the humans who inhabit the labyrinths of the textile factory with its machines.

    Background: India has domestic migration issues. There is historical inequality in the Indian government’s push for the development of industrial infrastructure. This has led to cases of extreme poverty and wealth being generated in particular states, leading to mass migrations for employment.

    Film Festival journey and Awards: Institute of Contemporary Art – New York City. Frames of Representation – Opening Film. CPH DoX Denmark — Best Film. Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece – Best Film. Greek Hellenic Parliamentary Award — Human Rights Award. International documentary festival of Amsterdam – Netherlands – Producers Award. Documenta Madrid – Spain — Best Film. Docs Barcelona – Spain – Best Film. MakeDox – Macedonia – Best Moral Approach Award.

  • PVR watermark and trained staff help detect piracy, says Sanjeev Bijli, targets 1000 screens by ’20

    PVR watermark and trained staff help detect piracy, says Sanjeev Bijli, targets 1000 screens by ’20

    NEW DELHI: It had always been a favourite meeting place until it closed down over a decade ago, and it was sorely missed. The Chanakya cinema was the only theatre in Chanakyapuri — the capital’s diplomatic enclave — and so it exhibited either English or blockbuster films. But, an unseemly dispute with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation forced the lease-holders to shut shop.

    However, the theatre has reopened in a new avatar – and helped the PVR Cinemas touch the 600-screen mark with PVR Cinema CMD Ajay Bijli confident of touching the 1000-screen mark by 2020.

    The property was later acquired on a 15-year lease by DLF who have developed it as a shopping complex and PVR developed a part of it as a three-screen theatre.

    PVR joint managing director Sanjeev Bijli told Indiantelevision.com that around 3.5 per cent of the budget of the PVR chain has been set aside for publicity and promotion. In a brief talk on the sidelines of a press meet to unveil the new theatre, he said, answering a question relating to piracy, that every frame appearing on the screen carried the PVR watermark and so piracy could be easily detected.

    Bijli also said that the staff had been trained to keep a watch on viewers using mobiles to ensure the screen image was not copied. He said the tagline ECX meant Enhanced Cinema Experience — a greater emphasis on the latest sound technology, and silver screens which ensured a better viewing experience.

    In its new incarnation, PVR ECX Chanakya unveils the most opulent cinema format in India with its 4K projection system, next-generation 3D-enabled screens with ultra HD picture quality and Dolby ATMOS surround-sound system in all auditoriums. The new cinema also offers Quick Tix, PVR’s digital ticketing solution to promote cashless transactions and reduce ticket-wait times. The cinema also offers an automated F&B kiosk Quick Bites for the first time ever, wherein patrons’ can either pick up their order from the counter or get it served on their seat.

    Being a PVR ECX property, there is special emphasis on ambience manifested by a deep focus on design, colours and lighting in each cinema. Designed by the Madrid-based STUDIO GRONDA, the revamped PVR ECX has magnificent lobby spaces, custom-made chandeliers, prime marbles, dynamic auditorium lights, and unparalleled technological integrations.

    Sanjeev Bijli said the chain had started out in 1997 after an agreement between Priya from India and Village Roadshow of Australia, and begun with Anupam PVR in Saket in South Delhi and grown in 20 years to its present capacity and along the way acquired the Cinemax and DT chains.

    Earlier, at the press meet, Ajay Bijli regretted that the cinema had been treated as a luxury item despite fact that ticket prices varied between Rs 125 and Rs 550 and the blended tax under GST had been fixed at 28 per cent despite a demand for keeping it low at 18 per cent.

    PVR CEO Gautam Dutta said that the marketing and consumer support had helped the keep its rates steady. He said that adequate publicity would be given to show timings when the rate was as low as Rs 125 to ensure consumer support. He said art and technology make for good cinema and, with the tastes of the consumer changing, it was important to keep ahead of the curve.

    To a question, he said that both English and Indian blockbuster films would be screened at Chanakya, now.

    Ajay Bijli said that 21 other screens were ready for launching in other places but the clearances for the Chanakya heritage property came early, and so this was the first to touch 600 screens.

  • A chartered accountant, a wildlife film, international awards and buyers…

    A chartered accountant, a wildlife film, international awards and buyers…

    MUMBAI: You may have not heard of this chartered accountant and lawyer who transformed himself into a wildlife filmmaker. But, TV channels in Europe are beginning to take note of Sumesh Lekhi of Brave Age Film Productions and his 84-minute documentary — Bastion of the Giants which had a budget of around $100,000. This apart, it has also bagged many an award: Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York, Best Film Documentary Short International Movie Award and Indonesia, among other.

    His professional degrees don’t really qualify him to do what he is doing. But, his passion for saving the environment led him to taking up the camera and filming in danger prone areas like the jungles, amongst elephants, tigers and scorpions.

    Lekhi, who is a part of Friends of the Environment which helped save the mangroves in Mumbai’s Andheri Lokhandwala Complex Area and also resuscitate the lake there, decided to document on camera some of his activities as he went about on his conservation drive around four years ago. The idea to make a documentary on elephants sprang from this urge. Says he: “My childhood passion for nature and wildlife kept beckoning me away from urban life, taking me deep into the Indian and African forests to be with what I loved the most.”

    Lekhi became the director of photography (DOP) himself and spent six years capturing scenes of the tuskers in their natural habitat in the Kaziranga National Park in the east of India (Assam). Says he:  “We went in the dense forests of West Bengal and tall grasses of Assam to study the elephant behaviour, uncontrolled environment of the jungles, filming villages around wildlife parks, writing the script, film editing, sounds and music design. In our film, we gave the insights gained over time spent with forest departments and villagers that live alongside these large animals.”

    Lekhi says that filming in a dense forest of Kaziranga isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The crew used to begin their day at 4.00 am, wait for the elephants to come out, so that they could shoot them for their film. Before setting out to film his pet project, Lekhi had reached out to some top-notch DoPs from Bollywood but they advised him to do it himself as wildlife filming is more run and gun style, especially in the dense forests; hence he decided to don that hat himself. “Filming animals requires rapid reflexes in terms of zooming in on animals; how much distance to keep from them so you don’t upset them,” he says. Hence, I became the DOP myself.”

    Seeing his passion for the subject, Canon and Panasonic lent him the cameras to experiment with and he opted for HD, though he believes he would now like to move on to 4K HDR. Lekhi said that his film was made out of passion, and it was an experiment which has garnered great success.

    His team included his wife Rashmi — a fashion designer, to coordinate and record the sounds and then help in production and outreach of the message.

    Talking about his experience in the forest, he says: “While we were shooting, the forest department used to come saying ‘jaldi aao’ (hurry up, come this side) because they knew we were from Bombay shooting for the documentary, so we used to go and capture all the animals coming to the field, and the guards driving them back.”

    Lekhi also shares his experiences with an example of his hand. He explains: “The jungle was like our hands, and the spaces between our fingers were the villages. The elephants moved from point A to point B to C, which were the spaces going through the villages.”

    He also adds that the guards knew the elephants, and the elephants knew the guards, with the former yelling at them “badmash vaapas jaa” (go back, you naughty ones) so the elephants would return but they would come out after 1km. 

    Lekhi is currently following another pet subject of his:  the Great Bengal Tiger, if anyone can call it a pet of any sort. “I have already invested around $150,000 in Bengal Tigers,” he reveals. “And then there’s Prowling Undergrowth. Both of these are being made for the US and international markets and I am looking for co-producers.”

    That should be a cinch for him as the interesting narrative and visuals of Bastion of the Giants caught the attention of Austrian natural history distributor ORF-Enterprise – a subsidiary of the ORF, Austria largest public sector broadcaster.

    ORF Enterprise has since the past year struck licensing and syndication deals with Amazon Prime, CCTV- China, EBS- Korea and Love Nature channel-Canada. Despite all the accolades and international acclaim, Bastion of the Giants has yet to find a domestic broadcast partner as

    Lekhi has been busy with his new documentaries and has yet to reach out to factual channels.

    He is clear that his passion for conservation and filming natural history is something that is going to keep him pre-occupied for a long time.

    “The business will come I know. Good work attracts it,” he says.

    Inshallah, as they say.

  • Haseena Parkar….Who!

    Haseena Parkar….Who!

    Director Apoorva Lakhia seems to be getting excited about all the wrong ideas. Last time, he watched the 2004 Hollywood film, Man On Fire, came back jet speed to India and launched a Hindi ‘remake’.

    By the time he launched his movie, Ek Ajnabee, the original had fallen flat. Instead, what Lakhia could have done was adapt the book, Man On Fire, written by AJ Quinnell in 1987. The movie had left out all the best parts of the story.

    This time, he has dug out the life of Haseena Parkar (Sharddha Kapoor), post her brother, Dawood’s (Siddhant Kapoor) departure from India. Along with an important man from Dawood’s coterie, she continues with collection and extortion business of Dawood. Her brother, Dawood, may have left Mumbai, but his enemies were still around. Soon, Haseena’s husband, Akur Bhatia, is killed.

    This is about all that the writer-director have on their hand which is not enough, and it shows her becoming woman of power to facing the law. The film ends up glorifying Parker, and one wonders how she merited a film be made on her or her story be told!

    If the makers think casting Shraddha and Siddhant, the real brother and sister, was some sort of a coup, it was no such thing.

    However, what was funny was and advertorial in newspaper supplement which claimed: Sharddha-Siddhant shed tears on the sets of Hasena Parkar! What kind of a childish promotion is this?

    There is nothing to write home about performances. Shraddha tries to justify the role of Haseena and there is nothing to compare if she is living up to the original.

    Also, whoever had played Haseena would not have made much difference as one can’t take a liking to negative character for no reason. Rest don’t matter.

    Haseena Parkar will prove to be liability.

    Producers: Nahid Khan.

    Director: Apoorva Lakhia.

    Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Siddhant Kapoor, Ankur Bhatia.

  • Bhoomi….80s revisited

    Bhoomi….80s revisited

    Bhoomi, directed by Omung Kumar, is a throwback to the 1980s era when the villain and his cohorts would rape a hero’s sister and he would take revenge against them. Except that, in Bhoomi, it is the daughter of the character of Sanjay Dutt, played by Aditi Rao Hydari, who is raped the night before her wedding and after surviving another rape and an attempt to kill her, she first breaks down completely as does her father but eventually systematically kills all the bad men.

    The biggest plus point of Bhoomi is that this film marks the return of Sanjay Dutt and that too playing his age. Time has added a few wrinkles and gravitas to his personality but this is vintage Dutt, the larger-than-life hero. On the minus side is that the script offers nothing new in terms of action and reaction.

    Dutt and Hydari lead a peaceful existence in Agra where Dutt has a shop that specializes in mojris and Hydari is a wedding planner cum mehndi expert. She is in love with a local doctor — played by Sidhanth Gupta, and their wedding is due to take place in a few days when the film opens.

    Another boy is also in love with her and when she spurns his advances, he and two thugs (Sharad Kelkar is one) decide to rape her. She tells her to be husband about the rape and the wedding is cancelled.

    They get no justice when they file charges against the perpetrators, and are all set to try to build their lives again when their hopes come dashing down with the constant humiliation they have to face. After a point, they have no choice — but retaliate.

    Small town India is the new locale for films but, while most are quirky, Bhoomi explores its narrow-mindedness. Dutt and Hydari share a warm camaraderie and this elevates the film. But, it is needlessly violent and sometimes crude and this will make it more of a single screen film that a pan Indian one.

    Dutt underplays the grieving father while Hydari tends to ham in dramatic sequences. Kelkar is a fitting successor to earlier villains. Kumar directs ably.

    Though the film is just 135 minutes long, the incessant padding of scenes before it gets down to business, i.e. revenge, makes it seem longer and that drags down the film.

    Bhoomi may be Dutt’s comeback film but the opening response reflects no such enthusiasm on the part of moviegoer.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, KIshan Kumar, Omung Kumar.

    Direction: Omung Kumar.

    Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Aditi Rao Hydari.

  • It’s a dull period for films

    It’s a dull period for films

    No happy news for either the exhibitors or the trade in general, so far. The poor run of films continues and, releasing new films in this dull period, adds to the woes.

    The week saw the release of four films in Simran, Lucknow Central, Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi and BA Pass 2. While there were no hopes from Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi and BA Paas 2, whatever little was expected was from Simran while Lucknow Central had lost its novelty value to Qaidi Band, a recent film on a similar theme.

    Lucknow Central, the film about jail inmates forming a music band needed strong musical score where it was found lacking. Also, for drab film that it is, the length of almost 2 and half hours made it unbearable. And, that too watching no presentable face on the screen except the sole glam face of Diana Penty.

    Simran held some promise on the fan following Kangana Ranaut created due to her brave stand she has taken against the mighty ones in the industry if not for the film’s content. Hansal Mehta, the director, who usually makes films from real life events, tried fiction this time and ended up choosing a story about a negative protagonist. Kangana’s character in the film lacks in logic that a woman can be nasty who revolts against everybody for no reason.

    Last week’s releases, Poster Boys and Daddy remained poor failing to get enough footfalls. The collections remained hopelessly low.

    *Lucknow Central had a poor opening of about Rs 18 million on its opening day. The film showed a negligible rise on Saturday and Sunday to end its opening weekend with a total of Rs 72.5 million. The film’s prospects Monday onwards look dim.

    *Simran had an average opening day of Rs 25 million, showed a decent raise on Saturday but remained stagnant on Sunday to take its opening weekend total to Rs 93 million.

    *BA Pass 2 sinks without a trace. Mostly, no audience, no show status.

    *Patel KI Punjabi Shaadi, in the making since 2014, is a damp squib. The film was released sans due promotion and the result is utter waste of two very talented actors, Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. The opening day collections were very poor remaining in lakhs: 25 lakh for the opening day and will end its opening weekend with about Rs 700 million.

    *Poster Boys, a remake of the Marathi film, Poshter Boyz, fails to match up to the original. Despite the Deol brothers in the cast, the film remains below par even in their strong areas, Delhi and Punjab. Having opened to poor houses, the film could manage barely Rs 107.5 million in its first week.

    *Daddy, another Don biopic on the life of Arun Gawli, fails. The films on underworld, even the Mumbai dons, don’t work and Daddy joins the list. The film collects Rs 64 million in its first week.

    *Badshaho adds Rs 105 million in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 649 million. The film needs to do the business of about Rs 1 billion to recover.

    *Shubh Mangal Savdhaan has done well in its second week by adding Rs 104 million and taking its two week total to Rs 327 million.

    *Bareilly Ki Barfi adds Rs 13.5 million in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs 332.5 million.

    *Toilet Ek Prem Katha collects Rs 50 lakh in its fifth week taking its total business to Rs 1.3 billion.

  • TV and film exporters’ council plans ‘content certification’, elects Ultra’s Agrawal and Shemaroo’s Gada

    TV and film exporters’ council plans ‘content certification’, elects Ultra’s Agrawal and Shemaroo’s Gada

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of IMPEX for Films and TV Programmers, at its Annual General Meeting, has elected Sushilkumar Agrawal, Ultra Media and Entertainment CEO, as the president.

    Film producer Gordhan Tanwani has been elected as the vice-president, Shemaroo Entertainment director Hiren Gada was elected as the honorary secretary and Ashok Jain as the honorary treasurer at the meeting held in Mumbai.

    The Indian Council of IMPEX For Films and TV Programmers – earlier known as Indian Film Exporters Association – promotes the trade of import and export of Indian and foreign films and television programmes globally. The main focus of this council is to help, safeguard and encourage general welfare, development and prosperity in India & worldwide

    One of the primary tasks before Agrawal is to create a unique platform wherein the Indian member-owners of films, TV and digital content will be able to seamlessly offer these to various countries worldwide. In this platform even the foreign content owners will be certified members of this council, which in turn will help them to offer their content to Indian members in a lucid and transparent way.

    The Council will initiate a certification process which will authenticate the content being sold, hence ensuring credibility in the entire transaction worldwide.

    The council will actively participate in a maximum number of film festivals and film markets, which will help in giving a bigger opportunity for the council members to showcase and promote their respective content globally.

  • Simran: Ill-defined

    Simran: Ill-defined

    Gujarati NRI family or a Gujarati abroad seems to be the current theme for filmmakers. We recently had Jab Harry Met Sejal and this week has seen the release of Simran. 

    Simran is about a Gujarati family settled in the US that consists of a mother, a father and a daughter. The daughter, KanganaRanaut, is a divorcee and, mainly, a rebel without a cause. She works at a hotel in the housekeeping department. Her job is the usual – making beds and cleaning room, but, she is particular about calling her job as one in housekeeping department; that probably gives it dignity according to her. Still, she does not think much of her father’s business of vending Gujarati savouries. 

    Kangana is always at loggerheads with her father except, of course, when she needs a favour, especially monetary help. While her father and mother are keen on getting her married again, her priority is to move out to a place of her own. She has been saving for a new house due to which her contribution to the household is nil.

    Asked to accompany her cousin to Vegas, she agrees. Her cousin has a rendezvous planned with her boyfriend there.Deciding to leave her cousin alone with her man, she wanders into a casino. On the bar counter she spots a handsome man and decides to hit on him. As the hunk goes to a gambling table, she follows him there where she meets another Gujarati who encourages and teaches her to gamble. 

    Kangana has that customary beginners luck, wins some money and immediately decides cater to some urges to buy a dress and other things. And, she is back to the gambling table. The beginners luck has worn out and she starts losing and, like most gamblers, wants to one more go finally also losing her savings. The casino loans her money, 32,000 dollars! 

    Kangana’s troubles have started. Since her savings are finished, her credit rating falls and her application for a loan for her new home is denied. The gun totting black collector for the casino is at her back, threatening all the time. 

    To lay her hands on money, Kangana decides to rob banks. Her three attempts are successful but, strangely, no bank seems to have 50,000 dollars which she now owes to the casino including interest. Kangana loses her job when the black casino collector comes to her workplace. To add to her troubles, the stolen money which she kept in her locker in the hotel changing room is also gone.

    Kangana decides on one final robbery.

    In the meanwhile, she has come close to the guy her family has chosen, takes a liking to him as well. But, it is also the time for her troubles to climax. 
    The film’s story does not quite convince a viewer. There is no logic to the protagonist’s behaviour. Her attitude, way of life and thinking are not identifiable. The walking into a bank and scaring the teller enough to hand over all the money on a lipstick inscribed threat chit seems easier than cashing a cheque in any bank! For one who never cares for the feelings of her father or the saamaj which he often cites, it is strange that she decides to lead the police away from the population lest the samaaj sees her. The direction of the movie is passable but has taken too many liberties. The cinematography is good as the US locations provide ample scope. Using Gujarati dialogue frequently does not help the cause with other audiences as has been seen in earlier films that have resorted to a regional language. The music works well for the film.

    This is purely a KanganaRanaut vehicle with other actors being incidental. She excels. Soham Shah in a small role is sincere. 

    Simran has had a poor opening. The chances of picking up are dim during this dull period.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Shailesh R Singh, Amit Agarwal.
    Director: Hansal Mehta.
    Cast: KanganaRanaut, Soham Shah.
     

  • Lucknow Central…Script of convenience

    Lucknow Central…Script of convenience

    Lucknow Central has its inspiration from some foreign films. The titles acknowledge that it was inspired by Healing Hearts –the story is of a band promoted by a jail superintendent at a Lucknow jail with inmates. Whatever the source, the film has a similar storyline to the recently released film from Yash Raj Films, Qaidi Band, which had its inspiration from the life of Machang Lalung, a man who spent 52 years in jail without facing a trial.

    The basic plot in both the films is the same. A few inmates are asked by a politician to form a music band to showcase the good work being done by authorities to rehabilitate prisoners. But, the inmates want to use the opportunity to escape from jail.

    Farhan Akhtar is a small town UP lad who loves to sing and aspires to form his own music band someday. He cuts a CD of his music, and, during a public rally, he tries to reach out to the chief guest, Manoj Tiwari, to hand over his CD but is pushed back by a government official. His CD is stepped upon and trampled.

    On the way back, Farhan observes that the same official’s car has broken down. He offers to help but makes fun of him and drives off. Unfortunately, for Farhan, this official is found murdered at the same spot.

    Farhan is picked up the next morning and, in a speedy trial, consigned to life imprisonment which is later challenged by vested interests seeking capital punishment for him. The latter part is not necessary to carry on the story as such.

    Independence Day and the Republic Day are celebrated in jails with active participation of the inmates and a minister uses the occasion to gain some photo-ops. The Chief Minister of the state, Ravi Kissen, wants the jail in Lucknow to have its own band for the forthcoming celebrations and competition between all the jails from the state. The task to put together a band is handed to Diana Penty, a social worker.

    Farhan convinces her that only he can make a band in Lucknow Jail. He is transferred from Moradabad Jail to Lucknow Central Jail. Farhan’s plan is to use the celebrations when all jail authorities will be busy to escape from the jail.

    Of course, his entry to Lucknow Central has some usual sequences one has been seeing in jail scenes for ages. There are groups and people who call the shots and dominate other inmates. Farhan is invited to join one group, and, when he refuses, he is made to suffer. But, soon his resistance brings the other group, led by Rajesh Sharma, to his side.

    Farhan gets down to forming the band and adds Sharma, Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq and Gippy Grewal to the band. The band uses its practice sessions to plan their escape.While, the band has the blessings of the CM and the IG of Police, the one against it is Ronit Roy, the jailor who thinks that this jail is his personal fiefdom.

    The jailed inmates who don’t know M of music are singing in tune and unison when Ronit decides to test them. The IG is impressed.

    Lucknow Central is a script of convenience. Anything can happen at the will and whim of the writer. It makes everything look so simple in a heavily guarded jail, especially for those who have the jailor’s evil eyes set on them! For one thing, there are no pleasant moments in the film nor glamour even in passing. Not a presentable face either. Some sequences are unnecessary while some others are stretched. The direction is patchy and predictable. Editing, obviously, is lacking. The cinematography is okay. Production values are average. Music was supposed to be the film’s main theme but it falls short on that count also, with just a couple of its songs being good. But, is a Punjabi song necessary in Hindi films that too in the climax as a bunch of UP jail mates, led by a UPite Farhan, perform a Punjabi number for the UP CM? Choreography, however, is not up to the mark.

    Lucknow Central has nothing to lure the viewers to the cinema.

    Producers: Nikhil Advani, MonishaAdvani, Madhu G Bhojwani.
    Director: Ranjit Tiwari.
    Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Inaamulhaq, RonitRoy, Ravi Kissen, Manoj Tiwari (sp. App).

  • Film entertainment overcame many hurdles, not this time

    Film entertainment overcame many hurdles, not this time

    From the beginning of the Ganesh festival till Diwali, is generally considered a dull period. Even if one discounts the belief that the Shraddha period of 15 days post-Ganesh festival is considered inauspicious for releasing a new film as well as taking up any new venture and so, movie going is the last priority.

    Film entertainment has overcome many hurdles like the introduction of television in India, telecast of films and film based programmes, colour television, video player, CD and DVD, the cricket cups and the IPL. However, it has not been able to overcome this slot of poor run for films.

    Why this misadventure then of not waiting out a couple of weeks for an opportune period for release? Especially, in the case of Poster Boys, which happens to be the debut film for actor turned director, Shreyas Talpade. Also, in consideration was the fact that the film’s performance could have meant a breather for the brothers, Sunny and Bobby Deol, whose careers are in limbo for some time now.

    *Poster Boys, a comedy with rural background, has a kind of old-fashioned touch to it. A remake of the Marathi film, Poshter Boyz, it had gone well with the Marathi audience. But, the cast in the theme limited the film’s business prospects to mainly Hindi belt, leaving out Maharshtra and most of South.

    The film managed poor opening response with the first day figures remaining low at Rs 17 million with Saturday showing only a marginal increase. On Sunday, the film was at its best yet, not good enough at about Rs 30 million as the film managed to collect barely Rs 71 million for its opening weekend.

    *Daddy, a film about the local Mumbai don, Arun Gawli, had some curiosity value mainly because of Arjun Rampal essaying the role of the gangster.

    While, it has been proved that films on dons don’t work be they from Mumbai, UP or Bihar, the film’s drawback was that even in Mumbai, Gawli’s reign was limited to a pocket of Mumbai, this kind of dons existed in just about every area in Mumbai and they were called Dada. If anything that made Gawli come to limelight, it was his enmity with the bigger dons.

    An earlier film on Gwali, Dagdi Chwal, was made in Marathi language and had been dubbed in Hindi. While the original Marathi version did well, the dubbed version failed. Daddy has got the opening that was expected, poor, and just about managed to cross Rs 10 million figure on its day one with a negligible increase on Saturday and Sunday, which did not add up to much. The film closed its opening weekend with Rs 41 million.

    *Badshaho added about 50 per cent of its weekend collection over the next four days taking its first week total to Rs 54.4 million. The film has shown a downward trend during its second weekend.

    *Shubh Mangal Saavdhan maintained steady after its opening weekend, albeit, on the lower figures. The film collected Rs 223 million for its first week.

    *A Gentleman dropped badly in its second week by collecting 73 lakh to take its two week tally to Rs 162.5 million.

    *Bareilly Ki Barfi has added Rs 31 million in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 319 million.

    *Toilet Ek Prem Katha continued to draw footfalls. It added Rs 17 million in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 1.284 billion.