Hindi

Love Games….Viewers wont play!

Published

10 years ago

April 8, 2016

In Indian cinema, films with sex based themes have been made for a long time now but were initially branded as C grade. Initially, they made their inroads into Hindi cinema as dubbed films with Malayalam films having explicit sex themes dubbed in Hindi. And since their main audience was in the small towns in the interiors, interpolation of footage from porn films was a much used practice. Such films found their target audience mainly during night shows.

But with the interior theatres mostly demolished and the multiplex culture having taken over, sex oriented films are made in the guise of high society comedies or life behind the scenes. Some finesse and glamour quotient is added and Bhatt camp has a knack for making such themes.

Films have grown from swapping car keys or room keys to swapping wives. ‘Love Games’ has a similar theme. Except that the protagonists are not spouses.

Patralekha is young and recently widowed. But she is a nymphomaniac and needs sex regularly. This she finds in her bedmate Gaurav Arora, the son of a wealthy tycoon with a shaky life. Things appear fine but Patralekha is arrogant and lusty. So for her, Gaurav is useful only to fulfill her sexual urge. However, the two decide to seek some adventure.

They decide to play a game which they call Love Games. The idea is to target married couples with the aim of scoring with both of them: Patralekha with the husband and Gaurav with the wife. Whoever scores first will be the winner while the loser will source the supply of drugs for a week.

In the process of playing this game, Gaurav finds love in Tara Alish Berry, a doctor married to criminal lawyer HitenTejwani. The feelings are mutual between the two as Gaurav is a lonely introvert soul while Tara suffers from an abusive husband. Gaurav does not need to play love games now. This is something Patralekha is not ready to accept. But she is not giving up yet and decides to plan one last love game involving all four of them.

Expectedly, the film has enough lovemaking scenes. However, the story does not deliver a surprise though that would be expected from the filmmakers. The direction has nothing to write home about. Editing needed to be slicker. Dialogue is mundane. Cinematography is good. Musically, a couple of songs sound good. As for acting, all the four main actors seem enthusiastic but the only one who manages to do perform well is Tara.

Love Games lacks face value and poor opening response. Bad reports will only add to its box office prospects.

Producers: Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt.

Director: Vikram Bhatt.

Cast: Gaurav Arora, Patralekha, Tara Alish Berry, HitenTejwani.

Club Dancer…Poor fare.

Club Dancer, the film, involves the name from a name from the renowned film industry family, the Mukherji clan. However, the film looks like an exercise to launch the female lead Nisha Mavani since right from the title to the extensive footage, everything is focused on her. As far as the story goes, the film offers nothing that has not been seen before in films like Satte Pe Satta (1982), Jhutha Sach (1984) et al.

Nisha is a night club dancer in Mumbai whose parents Shakti Kapoor and Zarina Wahab live in Punjab. Not wanting to shock her parents by telling them what she does, she has lied to them that she is happily married and working. But her lie lands her in trouble as Kapoor has a heart attack and plans to arrive in Mumbai for further treatment.

Not wanting her neighbours to talk, she borrows her boss’ bungalow to present it to her parents as her own house. There is a bit of another film here – B R Chopra’s Ittefaq (1969) – as dangerous contract killer Rajbeer Singh walks into her house after killing the local chief minister with the police chasing him. He forces her to provide him shelter at gunpoint. She has no alternative as Singh is a gangster with a violent temper.

When Singh seeks shelter for a period till things cool down, she makes a deal with him: he would act as her husband while her parents are around. That done, the film’s pace slows and it meanders till interval when Singh is seen being shot by the ACP, something Nisha does not know.
NIsha is now a worried woman – with Kapoor’s bypass surgery on the anvil and his ‘son in law’ absent. However, she need not have worried at all since the scriptwriters can always visit the archives, borrow some characters from the past. So, another Singh lookalike emerges from nowhere. While the earlier one sported a beard and an uncouth long hair, this one has none of that and is rather suave.
Nisha fallsin love with the new Singh but he is indifferent. He goes back to Goa where he came from: but most such films have a happy ending.

Borrowing from ideas from films of the 1980s is fine but slaughter their value instead of improving upon them is sacrilege. Scripting is unimaginative. Direction is purely amateurish. Dialogues are pedestrian and the musical score is out of sync. Nisha’s acting is copybook and tutored, Singh has presence but no acting and, what is worse, he tries to be a Sunjay Dutt clone. Zarina is okay but casting Kapoor is a joke.

The others overact in an effort to be noticed.

Club Dancer has been released at limited screens but offers no hope.

Producer: Shubir Mukerji.
Director: B Prasad.
Cast: Nisha Mavani, Rajbeer Singh, Shakti Kapoor, Zarina Wahab.

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Hindi

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

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

Published

22 hours 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 days 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

2 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.