Hindi

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl a pretty average fare

Published

14 years ago

December 9, 2011

MUMBAI: Ladies vs Ricky Bahl is one of those products from Yash Raj Films where the process of limiting the budget starts with the casting itself. The burden of drawing the audience falls on the lead pair, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma, with the other three girls being little known: Dipannita Sharma, Parineeti Chopra and Aditi Sharma. For the main location you have Goa, much exploited in recent films but not so well exploited in this film.

Producer: Aditya Chopra.
Director: Maneesh Sharma.
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Dipannita Sharma, Aditi Sharma, Parineeti Chopra.

Ranveer Singh is a conman who picks only on women, mainly playing with their emotional vulnerability. He gains the confidence of the girl he zeroes in on as well as that of her family; to them he comes across as perfect groom material. He talks the family into some attractive moneymaking proposal only for them to realise that Ranveer Singh had vanished and so had their money. In his list of victims he adds Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Sharma and Dipannita Sharma.

Parineeti Chopra finds her gym trainer Ranveer Singh very attractive and falls for him in the blink of an eye. The only daughter, she has a moneybags of a father to whom Ranveer Singh sells a bungalow in upmarket Barakhamba Road in New Delhi. While the hero takes the first flight out of Delhi, Mr Moneybags lands in police custody for breaking and entering someone‘s property. The next target is a young widow in Lucknow, Aditi Sharma, cloth merchant. Her family is impressed by the zari work cloth material he shows them. He collects a huge order against a hefty advance before the girl and her family know they have been conned.

The third victim, Dipannita Sharma, is an ambitious corporate executive busy decorating the company premises. Ranveer Singh sells her a dud MF Hussain painting. When her case is reported on a news channel, the three victims contact each other, eventually forming a brigade to play a counter con and get their monies back from Ranveer. To lure their target, they engage the services of a salesgirl from a mall, Anushka Sharma, who never lets a visitor leave without buying something from the mall.

The film starts off on a promising note and does manage to hold interest until girls descend in Goa, where Ranveer runs his own small enterprise between conning victims. When the process of Anushka Sharma luring Ranveer into her trap starts the interest starts sagging. The three girls chasing as Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh do their thing is like kids‘ spying game! Whatever happens during this process is predictable and lacks twists and turns or exciting moments.

With a linear script, the narration is sans challenges too; direction being just usual. Music, considering the theme, is a letdown. While there are no sad scenes, there is no trace of humour either and the dialogue is routine.
Of the performers, Parineeta Chopra scores most points, playing her typical, rich, loud Delhi Punjabi girl; she fits the character to a T Aditi Sharma is mostly underplayed, that being her part. Dipannita Sharma is okay. Anushka Sharma is her natural self, not that her role offers any challenges. As for Ranveer Singh, it is very well to describe him as charming, handsome and smooth to establish his character but tough to convince the viewer.

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl a pretty average fare.

Lanka has no entertainment value

Producer: ASA Production & Enterprises P Ltd.
Director: Maqbool Khan.
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Arjan Bajwa, Tia Bajpai, Yashpal Sharma, Manish Choudhary, Yatin Karyekar.

Lanka is a film about a small town real life inspired story. The real life stories such as Lanka are one off affair and are not known to catch the fancy of all cinemagoer. Usually these stories are so bizarre, that they have no entertainment value and to make such a film and expect the urban multiplex audience to accept is foolhardy.

Tia Bajpai is a medical student having come to Bijnour where her father is posted as CMO at the local hospital; Manoj Bajpayee controls the town and his word is the law here. When he sees Tia Bajpai, he wants her to be his.

Soon he takes control of Tia Bajpai and her parents‘ lives; they are literally under house arrest, being watched 24 hours by Manoj Bajpayee‘s goons and the family is at his complete mercy, helpless as he comes at whim and fulfils his urge. The third angle is added with the entry of Arjan Bajwa, whom Bajpayee loves like kid brother and for whom Manoj Bajpayee is the ultimate idol; he does what is expected of him, generally play escort to Manoj Bajpayee and do the killings for him. Having noticed the plight of Tia Bajpyee, he can‘t stay indifferent for long; he is attracted to her and decides to go against Manoj Bajpayee and help her escape. The end is on expected lines. There are side tracks of rivalries between communities which are of little interest.

The subject is dry and can be described as a documentary genre at best, providing no scope for dramatics, music or humour. Performances are routine with Manoj Bajpayee doing what he has been doing in several films earlier, Arjan Bajwa is fair while Tia Bajpai fails to involve the viewer in her plight.

There is nothing to write about for the box office prospects of Lanka since none exist.

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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

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

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.