ITV

Category: Reviews

  • Sunny Deol and Harman Baweja to star in Shilpa Shetty’s production

    Sunny Deol and Harman Baweja to star in Shilpa Shetty’s production

    Bollywood actress, entrepreneur and judge, Shilpa Shetty, is ready with her new move of a producer for her upcoming film Dishkiyaaoon.

     

    The film stars our very own Sunny paaji and Love story 2050 actor Harman Baweja. The two actors will be seen sharing the screen space for the first time.

     

    Shilpa Shetty tweeted a teaser poster of the film which shows Harman Baweja pointing a gun to his head in the backdrop of a snakes and ladder game.

     

    Shetty also has recorded two songs with a new music director Palash Muchchal. Surprisingly, the newbie is just 18 years old!

     

    It seems that, Shetty wants to introduce new talents in the film industry. New entrant Ayesha Khanna has been roped in to play the female lead.

     

    The film which is slated to release on 10 January has completed its shooting schedule in Europe.

  • Naseeruddin, Irrfan in double roles for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro 2

    Naseeruddin, Irrfan in double roles for Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro 2

    The first installment of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, a satirical take on the ongoing corruption during the early 80s, still remains a cult. Attempting to recreate the impact once again is Kundan Shah, who is currently working on the sequel to the same tentatively titled Hum Honge Kamyab.

     

    Veteran star and the lead actor of the prequel, Naseeruddin Shah, who played a professional photographer, will be seen with Irrfan Khan who will play the fellow photographer just like late Ravi Biswani in the first one.

     

    The sequel too is said to be a satirical take on the latest scams within the country and director Kundan Shah promises that it will be as hard-hitting and non-sparring as his previous film. This film will also have Naseer and Irrfan in double roles and one of their characters is said to resemble the new RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.

     

    The film is slated to go on floor in March 2014.

  • Delhi High Court dismisses plea seeking ban on movie ‘Ram-Leela’

    Delhi High Court dismisses plea seeking ban on movie ‘Ram-Leela’

    Even as the Delhi High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a ban on the release of the movie Ram-Leela on the ground that it would hurt the religious sentiments of people, a review petition is coming up on this issue in the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court later this week.

     

    A division bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Manmohan of Delhi High Court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on NGO Rashtravadi Shiv Sena which filed the plea wanting a change of title of the movie starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone should be changed as it hurts the religious sentiments of people.

     

    (The Allahabad High Court had earlier rejected a similar petition by social activist Nutan Thakur on the ground that the film had not been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. However, Thakur has filed a review on the plea that the trailer has been passed by the CBFC.)

     

    Ram-Leela, which is scheduled to be released on 15 November, has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

     

    The plea in Delhi filed by the NGO’s president Jai Bhagwan Goyal said: “The title Ram-Leela which is understood by Hindus as enactment of the life and story of Lord Ram (Maryada Purshottam), is nowhere doing the same but on the contrary the film is portraying sex, violence and vulgarity, which is deeply hurting the religious sentiments and feelings of Hindus.”

     

    “The enactment, production and scheduled release of the film Ram-Leela is a gross insult to the religious feelings of Hindus,” the plea said, adding the objection is only in respect of naming such a film Ram-Leela.

  • Chhod na yaar… this is not comedy

    Chhod na yaar… this is not comedy

    War Chhod Na Yaar is an attempt at making a war comedy. We don’t make too many war films and a comedy at that; this is the first such attempt at cross-pollination. Since a comedy will need one of the two countries involved as stupid and since it can’t be India or the Indian army, it is the Pakistani army which will have to look inefficient and stupid. It also shows Pakistan as being totally dependent on Chinese arms which are not effective.

    A wire fence separates sandy terrain with the Indian army on one side, led by Sharman Joshi, and a bunch of ragtag Pakistani army soldiers on the other, led by Sanjay Mishra and Javed Jaaferi. At nights, both Sharman and Javed meet at the fencing and play cards, with Sharman always carrying a bottle of alcohol as a gift for his Pakistani counterpart. The army on both sides also play antakshari across the wires. However, the playing sessions, antakshari and bonhomie are not going to last as a Pakistani minister manipulated by the Chinese and an Indian minister under influence of an American politician (both played by Dalip Tahil) are planning a war between both the countries. The Pakistani general, Manoj Pahwa, has little interest in what his minister is indulging in and is addicted to a game on his cell phone.

    The Indian minister takes Soha Ali Khan, a TV reporter, to the border post under Sharman’s command, where she can shoot his speech which he wants her to telecast the day war starts to make it look as if the minister braved the war and visited the soldiers on the border. The Pakistani minister chooses to send his message shot in a studio but makes it look like he is on border. It is all about the politicians creating tensions though the public may not want it. Even the soldiers don’t want war and want to coexist in peace.

     

    Producer: AOPL Entertainment P Ltd.
    Director: Faraz Haider.
    Cast: Sharman Joshi, Soha Ali Khan, Javed Jaaferi, Dalip Tahil, Sanjay Mishra, Mukul Dev, Manoj Pahwa.

    While Soha and Sharman share romantic vibes, she also thinks that as a media person, she can make the world aware of the people’s feelings on both sides which may force politicians to backtrack, bringing an end to the war. A bunch of young people also exchange notes with their friends across the border through social networks. Soha crosses the fence with the help of Javed and interviews Pakistani soldiers, she also interviews the Indian side and asks her channel to telecast live the whole story from the minister confiding in her about the war to the views of the army on both sides.

    Comedy has not been the forte of Hindi makers and War Chhod Na Yaar also falls short on being an outright comedy. There are some funny scenes but consistency is missing. There is also repetition. For example, Pahwa and the Chinese leader do the same thing throughout and can’t be expected to be entertaining every time they appear. Also, the end part becomes boring when sermonising begins. Direction is fair. The film has a hummable number in Main jagu aksar….Cinematography is good.

    War Chhod Na Yaar not only lacks in face value but its release period is also not conducive to good box office results.

  • Akshay’s Boss gets into the Guinness Book for the largest poster

    Akshay’s Boss gets into the Guinness Book for the largest poster

    Actor Akshay Kumar’s film has created another record even before its release – it has entered the Guinness of World Records for the largest film poster in the world, a record so far held by Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

     

    Akshay’s fan club, which calls itself Team Akshay, decided to swing into action. Logistics were put into place and work had begun to make a special poster of Boss that would be the largest poster in the world which was completed in four months.

     

    The largest poster in the world was achieved and unveiled at Little Gransden Airfield, Little Gransden, UK, on 3 October. Macro Arts (UK) did the manufacturing of the poster. Incidentally, Macro Arts is the same company that had made Michael Jackson’s poster.

     

    The world’s largest poster of Boss is 58.87 metres wide and 54.94 metres high. When the Guinness officials came to measure it, it was recorded that the Indian Boss film poster had beaten Michael Jackson’s record by a 15 to 20 per cent margin.

     

    The official certification for the same was done in the UK itself and the Boss poster also finds a mention on the official Guinness website.

     

    Actor Akshay Kumar said, “It’s a matter of honour. I thank everyone who made this possible.”

  • Bullett Raja trailer crosses 2.7 million views

    Bullett Raja trailer crosses 2.7 million views

    The trailer of the much awaited Bullett Raja shows Saif Ali Khan mouthing, Jab hum aaengey to garmi thodi badh jaegi. Well, it seems the mercury is already heading north!

     

    In today’s day and age of cut throat competition it is a task to get noticed without going full throttle in promotions! But Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha starrer Bullett Raja has done it! Where filmmakers can’t create much hubbub about their films without having gala launches, Bullett Raja came without any crutches of any star studded event and has conquered hearts!

     

    The trailer of Fox Star Studios’ Bullett Raja which released a week ago is spearheading with a fantastic response, making it one of the quickest films to cross the 2.7 million mark without any conventional promotional events. Under four days from the release, the movie trailer was a hit and crossed the two million views mark on YouTube. And even before the trailer release, the anticipation was really high on the digital space, where #WeWantBullettRaja was trending in India throughout a day before, by a Twitter activity, called Garmi Badi Kya Contest.

     

    With Saif’s bold, rustic and trigger-happy avatar and Sonakshi’s Bengali look packed with some slick action, romance, crisp dialogues and blazing guns, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s (maker of Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster) Bullett Raja has set the mood in B-town to gear up for action!

     

    Presented by Fox-Star Studios, the film also stars Jimmy Shergill, Gulshan Grover, Vidyut Jamwal, Chunky Pandey with Mahie Gill in an item number and is slated to release on 29 November, 2013.

  • Ram Charan to work alongside Salman Khan

    Ram Charan to work alongside Salman Khan

    After making his foray into Bollywood with the remake of Zanjeer, the actor from down south is making some bigger moves… albeit the failure of his debut film, Ram Charan has been roped in for Salman Khan’s home production.

     

    Earlier, speculations were rife that Ram Charan was offered a film under Salman Khan’s home production. If latest reports are to be believed, the film will soon be launched. Apparently, Ram Charan was in Mumbai last week to discuss about the project that will be produced by Salman.

     

    Besides his Hindi project, Ram Charan is also working on a couple of Telugu films. The actor’s upcoming film Yevadu, directed by Vamsi Paidipally, is getting ready for a grand release. The film was scheduled to hit the screens on 10 October, but the release date was pushed further to pave way for Jr NTR’s Ramayya Vastavayya. Yevadu producer Dil Raju, who also happens to be the producer of Ramayya Vastavayya, had revealed that the Ram Charan-starrer might hit theatres during Diwali or Christmas.

     

    Ram Charan is also set to begin working in a new film, directed by Krishna Vamsi. The film, deemed as a family entertainer, will have Venkatesh teaming up with the Magadheera hero for the first time. The director is said to have completed the script and the film’s shooting is expected to begin soon.

  • Allahabad High Court declines to act on Bhansalis Ramleela as it has not been certified

    Allahabad High Court declines to act on Bhansalis Ramleela as it has not been certified

    The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has said it is not appropriate to pass any directions to the Central Board of Film Certification at this stage because the Board has not taken any decision on the matter so far.

     

    The Bench of Justice Imtiyaz Murtaza and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said the film has not yet been certified for public exhibition as required under Section 4 of the Cinematograph Act 1952 and hence the process of certification has not yet concluded.

     

    It said that at the time when CBFC examines the film for issuing certificate for public exhibition, it is expected that the Board will act in accordance with the provision of Cinematograph Act and other related laws.

     

    The Court order came on a writ petition against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Ramleela on allegations that the title has religious connotations and hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.

     

    Social activist Nutan Thakur said in the petition that the film slated for release on 15 November calls itself Ramleela of bullets. The official trailer of the film “shows abusive language and intimate scenes between Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone which are far away from the religious connotation the word ‘Ramleela’ carries”.

     

    The petitioner had prayed for immediate change of the name of the film and banning of Promos or non-grant of a certificate by the CBFC if the producer does not do so.

     

    Directed by Bhansali and produced by him and Kishore Lulla (Eros International), the film is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ but set in violent times. It stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadha, and Priyanka Chopra as guest artiste in an item number.
    Bhansali has said he is paying an ode to his mother’s name with this film.

  • Besharam: Wasting Ranbir Kapoor… and family

    Besharam: Wasting Ranbir Kapoor… and family

    Totally bankrupt of imagination or ideas, Besharam takes refuge in past formulas. The film has a dream cast and all the resources necessary at the makers’ disposal except, of course, talent on the part of the writers as well as the director. The film takes one back to certain forgettable films Shammi Kapoor did during 1960 which had titles which promised mediocre fare to start with: Janwar, Laat Saheb, Bluff Master, Budtameez etc. The hero in such a film had no character, no family background to boast of, lived a totally wayward life and yet dreamt of romancing a rich and khaandani ‘iklauti waris’ belle. So the story, if one may call it that, is sourced from that era and with a hangover from the director’s recent film Dabangg, the hero, Ranbir Kapoor, is expected to deliver a Shammi Kapoor-like vehicle in Salman Khan style!

    Ranbir Kapoor is a car thief and the justification is that he is an orphan brought up in an orphanage and such a lad (at least in the films) is never expected to grow into a normal, law abiding citizen. So he steals cars in Delhi and sells them to a Sikh wheeler dealer in Chandigarh who, in turn, has a ready buyer for all such cars in Javed Jaffrey. Jaffrey is a bad man who needs a new car every day because he is into the hawala business; he collects crores in India and delivers the same in Switzerland after duly deducting his cut. Now, the hawala business is much older than cars and all it needs is a telephone and resources on both side, but never mind!

    Ranbir may be the best in his business but the first car he is shown stealing is such a shoddy job he has half the police force, lead by Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, chasing him. At least that provides the film with its one customary chase sequence (with a futile attempt to make it funny). And since it is a Delhi film, there has to be one colourful shaadi sequence which can also bring the hero and the girl in contact. So Ranbir meets Pallavi Sharda landing up at a wedding in her brand new red Mercedes and, since she does not fall for Ranbir trying to act fresh, he decides to join the wedding celebrations as well and dance into her heart. But as soon as the naach-ganaa is over she gives Ranbir the cold shoulder again. Dejected he decides to take a car instead since he failed to take the girl with him.

    Ranbir soon learns that the Mercedes he stole belongs to Pallavi, the very girl he is trying to woo, with a lot of encouragement from her mother, Himani Shivpuri. Now he embarks on a mission to get her car back, the fact that he has sold it to the maniacal killer Jaffrey notwithstanding. It is the least he can do for the girl he loves. Of course, Pallavi has to accompany him to Chandigarh so that she discovers the nobler side of him and the process of love can become a two-sided affair. It is time for action, this time of the jumping-from-rooftops kind. The car is recovered; the girl has fallen in love with the boy more than he ever loved her. And, just when they return to Delhi and think all is well, Jaffrey happens to miss a few crore hawala money stashed in the boot of the car. Jaffrey descends on Delhi with his army of goons armed with rocket launchers, machine guns and handguns.

     

    Producer: Sanjeev Gupta, Himanshu Kishan Mehra.
    Director: Abhinav Singh Kashyap.
    Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Pallavi Sharda, Javed Jaffrey, Himani Shivpuri.

    The climax has to be a crowded affair, so gathered on screen are all the kids from the orphanage (which has only male occupants, it seems), Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, who were forgotten after the initial chase and bunch of policemen.

    While the lack of creativity is glaringly obvious in scripting and direction, even when it comes to being crude, it is poor in taste and unnecessary! Who needs a watchman in the background in a scene picking his nose very consciously till he is told ‘Cut, very good’ or Rishi Kapoor sitting on the toilet and passing loud farts? It is unnecessary. The making is very crude. Choreography is all crowds and no grace. Dialogue needed some sharp one-liners. Musically, only one song is hummable though on familiar lines and that is Dilka jo haal hai… Performance wise, Ranbir is good in patches; he tries to be too loud which is unlike him (and, isn’t that a wig he is sporting!?). Rishi Kapoor is good. Neetu Singh is okay. Pallavi Sharda does not quite charm the viewer.

    Besharam may have no worries commercially having recovered most of its investment even before its theatrical release backed by a national holiday (2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti) multiple screen release strategy, but the film does not do credit to its hero, Ranbir, or to Rishi and Neetu’s stature.

  • Stars rally to promote Mickey Virus

    Stars rally to promote Mickey Virus

    An established television anchor and actor Manish Paul’s debut film – Mickey Virus is ready to grab a larger eyeball before its release. Manish Paul and director Saurabh Varma have launched a unique kind of celebrity promo of the movie which has never been seen in Bollywood.

     

    In the promo, many Bollywood celebrities who are friends of Manish Paul like Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Remo D’souza, Kapil Sharma were seen talking about Mickey Virus film.

     

    Dabangg Salman Khan was seen asking ‘Who is Mickey Virus…?’, and gave his advice to people to be aware of this virus. Ranbir Kapoor also shares his views on Mickey Ideas. Bollywood’s Lakhan, Anil Kapoor also featuring in the promo, was seen telling Mickey Vela Kahi Ka Dekhte hai..? Choreographer Farah Khan was seen shouting Mickey and said, “Mickey Arora internet par koi Qutub Minar bejata hai?”

     

    Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit blushed and said whatever he is but he is the cutest guy I have seen. Bollywood director Karan Johar praises Mickey for his ideas. Kapil Sharma describes the names and said, “Naam hota hai Chaddha, Khurana, Sharma ye koi Naam hai Mickey Virus”. Choreographer Remo can’t stop explaining Mickey’s nature, he said, “Din me aate Bejata hai aur raat me logo ko aate me leta hai”.

     

    Mickey Virus is set against the backdrop of hacking where Manish Paul is playing a character of Mickey Arora. He is a smart guy who runs a grocery store in the day time and creates viruses for antivirus companies in the night. Mickey Virus also marks the debut of Elli Avram, now a contestant in Bigg Boss 7 house, who is half Greek and half Swedish.Mickey Virus is all set to hack people’s brain and will soon enter in everyone’s heart. The movie is stated to release on 25 October.