ITV

Category: Movies

  • Anjaana Anjaani- Uninspiring, non-entertainer







    Producers: Sajid Nadiadwala
    Director: Siddharth Anand
    Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan


    MUMBAI: Anjaana Anjaani is a love story about losers; Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra meet on a bridge in New York, ready to take a plunge and end their lives. For the Hindi film audience who love their heroes to be larger than life, the tone set is wrong. Failing in the attempt, they join forces and help each other commit suicide; still no luck. They conclude that they probably have some incomplete tasks and this is the divine message to finish those. A 20-day deadline is set by both to jointly commit suicide from the same bridge.


    Since they can’t think of any tasks they need to complete, they decide to have fun and see places. Here onwards, nobody seems to keep track of what happens and why, and after a while it does not matter to the viewer either; he just gives up, resigned to whatever is heaped onto him. Inevitably, the girl and boy do fall in love but, again, are not very sure! Finally, what has convinced a thousand screen lovers before convinces these two that they do love each other and that is a montage of flashbacks!


    In Anjaana Anjaani there is nothing identifiable to an Indian moviegoer. While
    the concept is hackneyed, the influence on the makers is purely their exposure to American films and music videos. Most of the film looks like it is selling the American dream (as dreamt by the makers) when it is not looking like US Tourism show reel!


    The casting does not quite work. While Ranbir looks too young next to Priyanka Chopra, his character, that of an unexposed and inexperienced to the ways of the world as against Priyanka’s ‘Ms Know It All’, only makes the pairing odder. To the film’s disadvantage, the two lead characters are expected to carry all of its nearly 4,200 meter length between the two of them; sadly neither are they capable nor does the script afford them the scope.


    Ranbir Kapoor has been carrying his limited expressions and ‘I am at sea’ look since his debut; he will need a lot of variety if he plans to stay around. Priyanka Chopra looks too mature for the role and gesticulating and making faces is what she does in the name of acting. Her perky, cute at times, bubbly at others is not convincing. Other actors who fleet in and out of the film are incidental and only add to the tedium.


    While the cinematography is pleasant, this is about as much America as you would want to see in one film. Music falls much, much short of the kind a love story requires; what is a song like ‘Aas paas Khuda….’ doing in this film? It blends with neither the characters nor the ambience… anything at all!! Since the love story has no story, the film plods along on gags and funny moments and some of them are enjoyable.


    Uninspiring as a love story or as an entertainer, Anjaana Anjaani will pass unnoticed!


     


    Khichdi- better off on TV








    Producers: J D Majethia
    Director: Aatish Kapadia
    Cast: Anang Desai, J D Majethia, Supriya Pathak, Rajeev Mehta, Nimisha Vakharia
    Khichdi-The Movie starts off on a promising note. Satish Shah, the God incarnate, is visiting the Parekh family to offer them laddoos of wisdom. Exasperated by them he gives up and walks out. Khichdi was very popular as a television serial and to cash in on its brand equity, the makers have made its movie version.


    Like in the serial, the antics of the Parekh family continue with some gags and misadventures. The race is to excel in foolishness with each member vying to out do each other. To give the film a storyline, the family is on the lookout for a bride for JD and there is an equally duh girl in the neighbouring Sikh family, where peculiarly, everyone in the family of about 40 to 50 is named Parminder. A match is fixed between JD and Parminder girl (Kirti Kulhari). However, there is a hitch: JD wants his love story to be memorable hence wants hurdles in his love for Parminder before it finds its happy ending!
    The film has some interesting gags in the first half and is fun to watch. But, in the second half, it starts sagging; things get repetitive and monotonous.
    In this farce, performances are more like buffoonery.


    Khichdi- The Movie would have been better off being a TV serial; at least the remote control is available!


     


     


     


     


    Benny And Babloo – worth a watch 








    Producers: Umesh Chouhan
    Director: Yunus Sajawal
    Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Rajpal Yadav, Riya Sen, Shweta Tiwari Kishori Shahane,
    Mukesh Rawal, Hiten Paintal, Aasif Sheikh


    MUMBAI: Benny And Babloo advocates the cause of bar girls and, to give more credibility to their profession, their story is juxtaposed with that of a five star hotel neck deep in shady
    business.


    Kay Kay Menon ands Rajpal Yadav are friends working for a typically old Mumbai Irani restaurant and share accommodation in a chawl room. The restaurant makes way for a pizza joint and Kay Kay and Rajpal are out looking for a job. While Kay Kay finds one as a bell boy at a five star hotel, Rajpal lands one at a dance bar. Kay Kay is struck by the glam and glitter of his hotel and its guests, is proud of his uniform and loves to be called Benny the Bellboy! Rajpal, on the other hand, is ashamed of his surroundings, the things he sees and can’t cope with the stigma his job attaches. But soon, things are not what they seem. Under the façade of glam and glitter and high society patronage, what go on at the hotel are drugs, nudity, prostitution and wife swapping. At the same time, it is not what it seems at the bars. The girls, each of them are here because of circumstances; have more
    heart and concern for people around them.


    Benny Aur Babloo is a sincere attempt, has a fair share of humour and handles the issue with awareness; however its depiction of five star cultures is exaggerated. Yunus Sajawal has done a fair job.


    Kay Kay Menon and Rajpal Yadav both do a commendable job and make the film
    a watchable fare. The supporting cast is well chosen and make the story convincing.


    The films on social issues are not a preferred genre but Benny And Babloo is worth a watch.

  • Third Haryana Intl Film Festival begins in Yamuna Nagar

    YAMUNA NAGAR: The third Haryana International Film Festival, organised by the DAV College for Girls, has begun in Yamuna Nagar. The week-long festival was inaugurated today by Dadasaheb Phalke award winner and filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan.


    In his address, he noted that women are now in every sphere of filmmaking including the technical side such as cinematography. “Women have to come forward if society has to progress,” he said.


    The festival will be on till 7 October and it includes a Film Appreciation workshop.
     
    Gopalakrishnan said that it was unfortunate that serious cinema was viewed as something not meant for everyone, particularly since it was this genre of cinema rather than the commercial cinema which was rooted in the reality of our culture and our lives.


    But it was unfortunate that it was the commercial cinema that attracted the average audiences and was also lapped up by the television channels.


    Serious cinema has to be enjoyed at a deep level as a cultural exposure, and was not something that one had to suffer. But serious cinema has to find ways to tell stories in unique fashion, though he said the experience of the audience will vary from person to person. This kind of cinema did not compromise since it was rooted in realty. Cinema helps you to “live the lives of others” and has a deep influence, he added.


    This was not so with commercial films which evoked similar sentiments among all kinds of audiences.


    For this reason, he lauded the organisers for the Film Appreciation Workshop being held along with the Festival.


    Guest of Honour and renowned filmmaker K Bikram Singh said around 7.5 billion people went to theatres all through the year in India and this number went up manifold if one was to consider those who saw films on television. Despite this, it was regrettable that there were hardly any cinema studies or good research on meaningful and serious cinema.



    For this reason, the Film Appreciation Workshop was very relevant and he was happy that around 250 students had signed up for the course.


    He recalled his association with Gopalakrishnan which began when they traveled to the Berlin Film Festival in the late seventies.


    Festival Director Ajit Rai said this festival had successfully proved that a good festival was possible even in a small town like Yamuna Nagar and was not the preserve of the metros. Small budget festivals had a charm of their own, he added.



    He said cinema cannot change society directly, but does influence the people who then bring about changes in society. Commercial cinema was cut off from the reality of the people, and therefore the HIFF concentrated on the other cinema that was real and rooted in culture. “One has to be local to be global,” he added.


    Dr Sushma Arya, principal of the DAV College for Girls, said organising a festival in a college was a real challenge without much assistance from the state, but she had found a lot of support from both the director and the various dignitaries who had agreed to come. The festival had broken the monopoly of the big cities and brought films to the place where ‘real India breathes’.


    Earlier, the inauguration got off with the lighting of the auspicious lamp by the dignitaries. Also present on the occasion were filmmakers Sanjay Jha and Sharmila Maity.


    Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s film Shadow Kill (Nizhalkuthu) was screened after the inaugural function.

  • Christopher Nolan to direct next Batman

    MUMBAI: Christopher Nolan, who gave us films like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and the recent widely acclaimed Inception will direct the third edition of the Batman series.


    “I think you can at this point say, yes I am,” the filmmaker answered when asked if people can assume that he is directing the next Batman film.


    Actor Michael Caine has confirmed that filming will start in May next year.


    Meanwhile the director‘‘s brother, Jonathan Nolan is working on the script of ‘Batman 3. “We came up with a story that we are very excited about. We particularly like where we are taking the characters and what the ending is,” Jonathan has said.


    The film will be released by Pictures Eyes on 20 July 20, 2012 in the US.

  • Tony Curtis no more

    MUMBAI: Tony Curtis, who entertained us in his films like Some Like It Hot and The Sweet Smell of Success expired Wednesday night in Nevada of cardiac arrest. He was 85.


    Cutis, leading man of more than 140 films including Spartacus had received an Academy Award nomination for The Defiant Ones released in 1958.


    Born Bernard Schwartz in New York, Curtis got off to a rocky professional start. In one of his first major roles, playing an Arabian in Son of Ali Baba released in 1952.


    Two of his most enduring performances came in Some Like It Hot in which he teamed up with Jack Lemmon, playing cross-dressers opposite Marilyn Monroe and The Sweet Smell of Success in which which he played a fawning press agent.


    In his Oscar nomination film The Defiant Ones Curtis played a racist prison escapee chained to a black man played by Sidney Poitier.Some of his other notable films include Houdini, Trapeze, Operation Petticoat, The Boston Strangler, The Vikings and The Great Imposter.


    When leading roles in film dried up, Curtis struggled with cocaine and alcohol abuse. He eventually overcame those problems and transformed from leading man to character actor, taking roles on TV.
     

  • Robot, Anjaana Anjaani and Khichdi to fight on BO this week

    MUMBAI: Post a three week lull after the release of Dabangg on 10 September, three films are releasing on 1 October. These include Sun Pictures‘ highly awaited Rajinikanth starrer- Robot; Nadiadwala Grandsons‘ Anjaana Anjaani; and Fox Star Studios India‘s Khichdi.


    While Robot has been made on a whopping budget of Rs 1.6 billion, Anjaana Anjaani is said to be made at a cost of between Rs 340 to Rs 350 million. Khichdi, of course, is a low budget film comprising TV artistes of the TV serial by the same name – Khichdi.


    The release dates of Anjaana Anjaani and Robot were pushed back. “It seems for the Ranbir Kapoor – Priyanka Chopra starrer, the new launch date could work as a dampener. The interest levels for this much-hyped movie seems to be waning. For Robot, the fan-following of “superstar Rajini” is bound to rake in moolah,” says a trade analyst.


    Interestingly, in Tamil Nadu, the tickets of the Robot (Enthiran) pre-view show were sold in a record 30 minutes.


    As per cinema promotion tracking tool Cinematrix, Anjaana Anjaani would make an opening weekend collection of between Rs 280 to 300 million net.

  • London film fest: Shekhar Kapur to be jury member

    MUMBAI: Shekhar Kapur, who gave us films like Bandit Queen and Elizabeth, will be one of the jury members for the upcoming London film festival that begins on 13 October.


    Headed by Patricia Clarkson, the jury also includes Gabriel Byrne and Sandy Powell.


    Kapur, who was also on jury for the Cannes Film Festival, will judge films including Danny Boyle‘s 127 Hours, Mike Leigh‘s Another Year, Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan and Tom Hooper‘s The King‘s Speech.


    Other awards to be given out during the ceremony include a nod for best British newcomer; the Sutherland Award, presented to the director of the festival‘s most original and imaginative feature debut, and the Grierson documentary feature award.


    The best British newcomer will emerge from among writers, directors, producers and actors that include Conor McCarron for his role in Neds and Richard Ayoade, the writer-director of Submarine, while Boyle would be honoured with a fellowship by British Film Institute during the festival.


    The festival‘s best film award was introduced last year during the 15-day-long festival
     

  • We Are Family grosses over $1.2 million in the UK

    MUMBAI: UTV and Dharma Productions‘ We Are Family has become the third-highest Indian grosser in the UK this year, according to an official release.


    Starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, the film has grossed over $1.2 million in the UK and continues to perform steadily in its 4th weekend.


    The film released in the UK with 60 prints and outdid its own opening in the second week. 


    Commenting on this occasion, UTV senior VP, International Distribution and Syndication, Motion Pictures Amrita Pandey said, “It‘s great to see We Are Family perform so well in the UK. This is our third release in UK in 4 months (Raajneeti, I Hate Luv Storys and now We Are Family) to cross the GBP 500,000 mark at the UK box- office.”

  • Hollywood’s labour unions supports bill to stop online piracy

    MUMBAI: Unions representing directors, actors and technical crews have come out in support for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy and senior Republican member Sen. Orrin Hatch, who introduced a bill that would give the Justice Department more arm space to track and shut down websites that provide access to unauthorized downloads, streaming or sale of copyright content.


    The unions find themselves in the unusual position of siding with management on the bill. “We represent 300,000 creators, film talent and crafts people who create a multitude of diverse films, television programs and sound recordings that are sought by consumers around the world,‘‘ the unions said in a statement.


    The Motion Picture Assn. of America also is backing the legislation, called the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act. But the measure is facing stiff opposition from a number of consumer and interest groups, such as the Electronic Foundation, which contend that it would curb freedom of speech, hence is unnecessary.

  • Chengtian buys 3.3 % stake of Legendary Pics

    MUMBAI: Chinese entertainment company Chengtian Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Orange Sky Golden Harvest Entertainment has bought a 3.3 per cent share of Inception producers Legendary Pictures of Los Angeles.


    Chengtian and Legendary will produce and distribute films in China and around the world and also produce and distribute games. The purchase of Legendary shares for HK$194 million ($25 million) comes at a time when Hollywood‘s box-office growth has been minimised by China‘s, where ticket sales jumped an astonishing 80 per cent in the first half of this year.


    Having a way to say a film was made with a Chinese partner could help Legendary get its products into the booming market around a Chinese government-imposed import cap that limits to 20 the number of foreign films allowed to share in their box office receipts here each year.


    Founded in 2005, Chengtian invested in John Woo‘s pan-Asian co-production and box office hit Red Cliff (2008) and also made the commercially underwhelming 2009 sequel Storm Warriors II directed by Hong Kong-based fraternal duo Danny and Oxide Pang.
     

  • T P Agarwal re-elected IMPPA president again

    MUMBAI: Amid allegations that he had hired a gangster to threaten Sushma Shiromanee into withdrawing her candidature against him, film producer T P Agarwal has been re-elected president of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) for the third time.


    Agarwal won with a clear margin of 18 votes. Says Agarwal, “My election proves that the members have faith in me. All that my fellow member was doing was to tarnish my image.”


    Though Shiromanee won, her team could not achieve a majority. Others from her team who won the election are Shabnam Kapoor, Hetan Desai, Babubhai Thiba and Aruna Irani. “I am not sure if the controversy raging before the election had an effect on my team’s defeat,” sighed Shiromanee.


    New office bearers of IMPPA are K C Bokadia ( senior vice president) , Abhay Sinha (senior vice-president) and producer Kumar Mohan (treasurer).