Hindi

It is time divorce managers take centre stage

Published

14 years ago

February 24, 2012

MUMBAI: There have been films on matchmakers and there have been films on wedding planners. In keeping with times, now there is one on divorce engineers, who facilitate a no-mess divorce.

Producer: Prasar Vision P Ltd.
Director: Ashwini Chaudhary.
Cast: R Madhavan, Bipasha Basu, Milind Soman, Dipanita Sharma, Omi Vaidya, Mrinalini Sharma, Helen.

Since even in remotest villages of India, matchmakers have taken a back seat, it is time divorce managers took centre stage. A timely idea, but how do you script rest of the film? Jodi Breakers uses this contemporary malady as the theme but moves ahead and turns it into a traditional love story with set values.

Madhavan has just got through his divorce and celebrates the event with his friends. He has lost all he had: his house, cash and car. The car is the one he misses most. From this day on, he decides that his only aim in life is to get his beloved car, nicknamed Horny, back.

Despite his messy divorce, he is unscathed, cared for and sheltered by his friends. He soon realises that many marriages are not working and need to be resolved in the interest of either both sides or the aggrieved side. He starts a business, which is thriving since so are the separations. Bipasha Basu comes onto the scene; her qualification to join Madhvan‘s enterprise is that she handled her long squabbling parents‘ divorce proceedings successfully.

They team up and business starts booming until they decide that one couple they have been sent to part was not worth parting but, rather, reuniting.

In the process, the two also fall in love but for the sake of drama and to take the film further, their love is put on pause. They realise that they have been set up by Madhavan‘s ex-wife and have created a rift between a perfectly loving and happy couple, Milind Soman and Dipanita Sharma. Their priority is to reunite them. This requires the help of Milind Soman‘s grandma, Helen, staying in Goa. Madhavan, Bipasha and Helen combine to use various ploys to this end, resorting to some old-fashioned mush and emotions. While the film‘s theme affords some side characters like Omi Vaidya with a couple of others for some much-needed distraction, further help comes in the form of pleasant Greece and Goa locales.

Director Ashwini Chaudhary seems to have a balanced sense of the pulse of the audience and, within provided resources, has handled the film deftly. The film has a few good numbers in Jab main tumhare saath…, Darmiyaan… and Mujhko teri zaroorat hai.

Photography is eye pleasing. Madhavan gives one of his usual natural performances. Bipasha Basu looks suitably glamorous and does well. Omi Vaidya needs to come out of his 3 Idiots mould pretty soon. Milind Soman and Dipanita give a convincing account of their characters. A cameo by Helen makes for a pleasant watch.

Jodi Breakers is a watchable fare; the opening is low with some hopes for pick up during the weekend but the exam season is a hurdle.

A feel-good romantic comedy

Producer: Kumar Taurani.
Director: Mandeep Kumar.
Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Om Puri, Tinu Anand, Smita Jaykar.

A feel-good romantic comedy with a controlled budget limits one‘s options to second- or third-rung cast, no foreign locations (which are a waste in most cases anyway), no sets or crowds and just an economically planned outdoor shoot.

The question, however, is that with your lead pair already linked romantically (now married) does their on screen romance work or does it just add to the make-believe? Or is introducing a fresh new pair more sensible?

Riteish is a rickshaw driver on Tinu Anand‘s fleet of rickshaws, working from dawn to dusk to save money so that he can someday buy a car and run his own private cab company. Tinu Anand steals the idea and overnight converts his fleet of rickshaws into cabs, in the process pocketing the Rs 60,000 cash that Riteish had saved up and stashed under rickshaw seat. Having gathered enough courage after a bout of heavy drinking with his roommates, Riteish crashes in to Tinu Anand‘s house as the roka ceremony of Genelia, his boss‘s daughter, is in progress. Unwilling to tie the knot with the boy her father chose, she uses the opportunity to stage manage her kidnapping by Riteish. Genelia suggests that Riteish demand a ransom of Rs 1 million from her father.

For the next few reels the couple is on the run, having fun, singing and dancing and, inevitably, falling in love. Just when Tinu Anand and his rowdy son-in-law-to-be catch up with the duo, both are kidnapped and whisked away to Haryana and presented in front of kidnap king Chowdhary, Om Puri. His business is to kidnap affluent people for ransom, so much so that even his palatial house is called Agva House by the locals. It turns out that Riteish Deshmukh is the scion of Agva House and he would rather make a decent living than join his father‘s illegal business. But now Genelia is in the custody of Om Puri and every time she has some bright idea, Om Puri finds her more valuable and his demand for her ransom goes up by another Rs 500,000. Genelia soon wins the hearts of everyone around, including Om Puri, who wants her as his daughter-in-law since he thinks that his son is incapable of taking over his business which Genelia can take over eventually.

While this part of Agva House and its activities is funny in most parts, it comes out more as a spoof on an idiotic kidnapper. The end is predictable.

Director Mandeep Kumar keeps the pace steady, avoids melodrama and does a reasonable job. Music is good: no melodies but does not jar either. Photography does justice to this mostly outdoor film. Performance by Riteish Deshmukh is fair; having to just be him without any dramatics. Genelia Deshmukh has to generally look cute and make her trademark faces. Om Puri is very good with fair support from Tinu Anand and Smita Jaykar.

Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, as mentioned earlier, is not expected to cast the spell a romance does due to real life lovers in the cast. The board exams period also works against it.

Hindi

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

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

Published

3 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

3 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.