Hindi

Crook: A lost cause

Published

15 years ago

October 8, 2010

Director: Mohit Suri
Producer: Mukesh Bhatt
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Neha Sharma, Arjan Bajwa, Kavin Dave

MUMBAI: Crook: It Is Good To Be Bad is a typical Mukesh Bhatt film where the hero has no scruples and would exploit anybody or any situation to his advantage.

The hero, Emraan Hashmi, is an ordinary liar whose father was a smuggler who unwittingly imported the RDX used in Mumbai serial blasts. While he is confessing his crime like a petty pickpocket (who he looks like, anyway) to Police Commissioner, he is shot by the latter; this is Emraan’s justification for being what he is, a petty and selfish man. To call him crook is glorifying this character.

Emraan lands in Australia on false papers and passport (why?) as a student. While he is seen indulging in everything, from wooing a desi girl to charming an Australian pole dancer, he is never seen on a campus! He wants PR, Permanent Residence, status in Australia and for that he needs to marry an Australian citizen! He is sheltered by a Punjabi group headed by one Goldie who runs taxis and soon it looks as if Emraan had sheltered Goldie and his boys! The group also believes in keeping out of racist attacks on Indians in the country. It even goes on to show the local police hands in glove with the attackers!

Thirty minutes into the film and you know it is a lost cause! Nearer end, you don’t even know if this was a love story or a racist issue based film you were watching!

If Emraan Hashmi has been counting on luck to be in films, he is smart because acting is not his forte; and talking of luck that too seems to be running out on him fast. Neha Sharma is okay. Arjan Bajwa is effective. Gulshan Grover, playing a sub-inspector in a hawaldar uniform, has but two scenes. Rest of the crowd is passable. Dialogue is pedestrian. Music is below par. Direction is average.

Crook: It Is Good To Be Bad is a confessional title; it is a bad film!

Do Dooni Chaar has a paper thin theme

Director: Habib Faisal
Producer: Arindam Chaudhury
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Aditi Vasudev, Archit Krishna

Do Dooni Chaar is about a middle class Punjabi family of four; Mr Duggal (Rishi
Kapoor), Mrs Duggal (Neetu Kapoor) and their two teenage children which have to try all the tricks in the book to juggle their monthly budget to make ends meet.

Rishi Kapoor is a school teacher who also teaches at a coaching class to add to his take home. Just when the Duggals feel they have a surplus of few thousands, there is sure to be an unexpected expense. This being a Punjabi family and Delhi, the culture is to show more than one possessed.

Rishi Kapoor owns a run down rickety scooter which is a subject of ridicule for his students and own kids alike. For the Duggals, things and their meagre finances go out of control when they borrow a neighbour’s car to go to a family wedding to nearby Meerut. The car is dented, the Duggals are insulted and humiliated by the neighbour and, in the heat of the moment, Rishi Kapoor declares to his neighbourhood that he will have a car outside his doors too within 15 days!

What follows are various ploys employed by the family to work out monthly instalments and, when that done, only to realize that they still needed to raise the 60,000 for down payment. From buying cartons of detergent promising a car as first prize to money for marks in exam paper are the various options.

While Do Dooni Chaar brings back the romantic pair of 70s, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, to screen as middle class parents, the problem with the film is that it has a paper thin theme and revolves mainly around four characters. It has very ordinary gags and fillers to generate interest of the viewer at any point of time throughout its length. While the family chemistry almost works, the kids’ tracks don’t and resorting to imagination every so often and narration of the story from the daughter’s point of view shows lack of penmanship.

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor excel with the young actors, Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna, matching the veterans with natural flair. Director uses his observations well. Music is no help.

Do Dooni Chaar is too slow and a family in pursuit of realising a dream to buy a car looks too unrealistic and a 60s middle class idea to jell with today‘s audience.

Lava Kusa has a limited appeal

Director: Dhavala Satyam
Producer: Rayudu V Sashank
Studio: Kanipakam Creations RVML Animation

Lava Kusa (2D-Animation) is a colourful animation film about the growing up years of Lava and Kusa at the ashram of Sage Valmiki.

The twins, oblivious of the status of their mother, are trained in all aspects of warfare. Sage Valmiki has penned Ramayana and the twins are also taught to hero worship Rama. On the occasion of the Ashwamedh Yagna, the twins accompany Sage Valmiki to Ayodhya where they sing in praise of Lord Rama.

However, they soon learn that Lord Rama had treated his spouse Sita unfairly and evicted her from the palace as well as Ayodhya in a pregnant state on the basis of insinuation of a local washer-man. Raged at this injustice, they march out of Ayodhya and stop singing praises of Lord Rama.

Lord Rama proceeds with his Ashwamedh Yagna as the white stallion bearing the banner of Ayodhya marches through the country claming allegiance from various kings whose kingdom the Ashwa passes. It is when the Yagna stallion enters the sanctity of the Valmiki ashram that it faces resistance; it is stopped by Lava and Kusa and its escort, Shatrughan, the brother of Lord Rama, is neutralised. Laxman, who comes to check the situation, is also not successful. Eventually Lord Rama himself decides to defeat Lava and Kusa, unaware that they are his sons.

The film, looking at its treatment, is aimed mainly at kids with its song picturisations and war scene with the army of squirrels, monkeys, rabbits, tortoises, a giant falcon and magic fruits and magical arrows shot at each other.

Lava Kusa as a film story has a limited appeal since except for the confrontation with their father, there is little drama in their life. Script also has some contradictions and though the music may have cost 10 per cent of the film’s reported total budget of Rs 250 million, there is not a single song that may help prop up the film or become a favourite with children.

The biggest drawback is the language used; it is highbrow Hindi, which sounds alien even to grownups.

Prospects: Very poor.

Hindi

Boney Kapoor acquires remake rights of Tamil political satire Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil

Strong word-of-mouth turns Pongal satire into remake pick

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A Pongal release, a village satire and a theatre visit in Coimbatore have turned into Boney Kapoor’s latest acquisition. The producer has secured the remake rights to the Tamil political satire Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil (TTT), a film that has been enjoying a strong theatrical run powered by word-of-mouth and praise for its sharp, rooted writing.

Set in a rural milieu, the story follows a panchayat leader thrown into disarray when a wedding and a funeral land on the same day. What unfolds is a swirl of satire and humour that skewers local politics, power games, bruised egos and family tensions, all anchored in the textures of everyday village life.

Kapoor first encountered the film earlier this year while in Coimbatore for the Celebrity Cricket League. With time to spare, he caught a screening at a local theatre. That viewing proved decisive. According to sources, the narrative style, performances and the film’s balance of political commentary and comedy caught his attention.

Interest quickly turned into intent. Kapoor reached out to the producers soon after to explore a remake. Talks gathered pace over the following weeks and came to a head last Friday at the film’s success party in Chennai, where Kapoor joined the celebrations and continued negotiations with the makers.

By the end of the evening, the deal was sealed, with Kapoor formally acquiring the remake rights.

For an industry constantly mining regional cinema for the next crossover story, the move is telling. A small-town satire with local flavour has found a national backer. And if Kapoor’s instincts hold, a tale born in one village may soon echo far beyond it.

Hindi

Fans take centre stage as Zee Cine awards turns the spotlight around

Published

2 weeks ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the applause gets louder than the dialogue, you know the fans have taken over. That was the unmistakable mood as Zee formally announced the Zee Cine Awards 2026, flipping the script to celebrate not just cinema’s stars, but the people who cheer them on the loudest.

The 24th edition of the awards marks a fresh chapter in Zee’s long-standing relationship with Hindi cinema, anchored in its fan-first philosophy, Fantertainment. This year’s theme, ‘Yeh Pal Hai Fans Ka’, reinforces a simple idea: cinema’s most powerful moments are shaped as much by audiences as by actors on screen. Presented by Maruti Suzuki, the awards aim to turn fandom into the main event.

The announcement, held in Mumbai, was anything but a routine press conference. Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Aparshakti Khurana, composer Mithoon and singer Palak Muchhal joined fans to kick off the celebrations, turning the launch into a high-voltage, participative spectacle.

Staying true to the theme, fans didn’t just watch the announcement, they drove it. Akshay Kumar took the lead, pulling fellow stars on stage and energising the room, before the unveiling of a live LED Fan Meter. Powered purely by audience cheers, the rising meter culminated in the reveal of the Zee Cine Awards 2026 ground event date, announced in unison with fans, blurring the line between performer and spectator.

The momentum continued as Tamannaah Bhatia, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa and Aparshakti Khurana recreated iconic hook steps, joined by Mithoon and Palak Muchhal for music-led interactions. Games, spontaneous performances and playful banter kept the focus firmly on shared moments, underscoring the evolving bond between cinema and its audience.

Beyond the launch, the awards will roll out as a multi-platform journey across television, digital, print and fan-led experiences. The aim is sustained engagement from the first announcement to awards night cementing fandom as a cultural force rather than a footnote.

Commenting on the milestone edition Zee head of advertisement revenue, broadcast & digital Laxmi Shetty said the 24th Zee Cine Awards continue to draw strength from the network’s omni-channel ecosystem, reflecting how audiences consume content today across TV, digital and social platforms. She noted that long-standing brand associations, including Maruti Suzuki’s three-year partnership and support from brands such as Hell Energy, underline the platform’s scale, trust and cultural relevance.

As Zee Cine Awards 2026 gathers pace, one thing is clear: this year, the loudest cheers won’t just echo in the auditorium, they’ll shape the show itself.

Hindi

Prime Video to stream Don’t Be Shy, produced by Alia Bhatt

Published

4 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Prime Video has found its next feel-good original, and it comes with a healthy dose of heart, humour and youthful chaos. The streaming platform has announced Don’t Be Shy, a coming-of-age romantic comedy produced by Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt under their banner, Eternal Sunshine Productions.

Written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji, the film follows Shyamili ‘Shy’ Das, a 20-year-old who believes her life is neatly mapped out until it suddenly is not. What follows is a relatable tumble through friendship, love and the awkward art of growing up, when plans unravel and certainty gives way to self-discovery.

The project is co-produced by Grishma Shah and Vikesh Bhutani, with music composed by Ram Sampath, adding to the film’s promise of warmth and energy. Prime Video describes the story as light-hearted yet emotionally grounded, with a strong female-led narrative at its core.

Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the platform was delighted to collaborate with Eternal Sunshine on a story that blends sincerity with humour. He noted that the film’s fresh writing, earnest characters and infectious music make it an easy, engaging watch for audiences well beyond its young adult setting.

For Alia Bhatt, Don’t Be Shy reflects the kind of storytelling Eternal Sunshine set out to champion. She said the film stood out for its honesty, its coming-of-age perspective and Mukerji’s passion, which she felt was deeply woven into the narrative. Bhatt also praised Prime Video for supporting distinctive voices and bold creative choices.

With its breezy tone and familiar emotional beats, Don’t Be Shy aims to charm viewers whether they are rom-com regulars or simply in the mood for a warm, unpretentious story about life refusing to stick to the plan.