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Tag: Aashiqui 2

  • Shraddha Kapoor replaces Priyanka Chopra in Milan Talkies

    Shraddha Kapoor replaces Priyanka Chopra in Milan Talkies

    Aashiqui 2 star Shraddha Kapoor is on cloud nine these days. Now in a position to pick and choose, Shraddha has just given the nod to Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Milan Talkies, thereby replacing Priyanka Chopra who was until recently, very excited about working with Tigmanshu.

     

    A source close to the project revealed, “After Bullett Raja where he has cast Saif and Sonakshi together for the first time, Tigmanshu and his producer Ekta Kapoor were keen to cast another untried pair in Milan Talkies. Imran and Priyanka made a lot of box-office sense together. But when Imran opted out and was replaced by Shahid Kapoor, Tigmanshu had no choice but to replace Priyanka since Shahid and Priyanka together after Teri Meri Kahaani spelt doom.”

     

    Shraddha, on the other hand, is felt to be the new rising female actor after Aashiqui 2. Both the male and female protagonist in Milan Talkies has equally powerful parts.

     

    A closed source says that after Aashiqui 2, Tigmanshu feels Shraddha can carry off the complex dramatic moments as well as the light-hearted interludes in Milan Talkies.

     

    As for Priyanka she seems to be gravitating towards the lighter fun parts after a series of heavyweight dramatic roles. A source close to Priyanka reveals that at present, Mary Kom is her only emotionally challenging role. Apart from that, Priyanka is looking for a change of mood after 7 Khoon Maaf, Barfi and Teri Meri Kahaani.

  • Max goes maxi on its campaign

    Max goes maxi on its campaign

    MUMBAI: Have you ever, in the middle of some important discussion got up and said something completely out of context and people thought it was too filmy. If it happens often, well you can easily blame the movies for it. Cinema has become a part of our lives which easily influences our thoughts and also adds drama, but in a cute little way. And this is what Sony Max, is trying to cash on through its newly launched three TV campaigns.

     

    “We wanted to take a step forward and discover the cuteness of this deewanapan that people have within themselves,” says   Sony Max senior VP and business head Neeraj Vyas. “All the three creatives are cute and whacky, but at the same time they are not over the top and not overtly dressed up to sound funny.”

    The campaign is Max’s tribute to the effect cinema has on people

     

    The three campaigns have tried to keep pace with the current trend of cinema. “The TVCs capture the deewanapan that remains as a residue of movie viewing,” he adds.

     

    The first of the three TVC’s which went on air on 15 August features a police officer who while describing the action of a criminal in a photograph, promptly says, “Shayad who poochh raha hai agar usne Aashiqui 2 dekhi”. The second TVC is about a girl who confesses to his parents that she is in love with a guy from a different religion, though the girl expected some drama around this revelation, she is upset that her parents are cool with her relationship and goes on to say, ‘Toh kya humare pyaar mein ek bhi kaanta nahi.’ The third TVC shows a boy who questions his mother on the death of his father and is disappointed to know that he died of a heart attack and says, ‘Ab main kiske khoon ka badla loonga’.  All the three ads conclude with ‘Deewana deewana deewana, jahan dekho wahan deewana.’

     

    “We use filmy tones and dialogues in real life situations to say something funny or nice. And that’s all the campaign is saying,” comments Vyas.

     

    Eyebrows do go up with the timing of the campaign. One may smell some competition coming in from the launch of Zee TVs new movie channel &pictures. So is it this which forced Max to connect with audiences through new campaigns? Promptly answers Vyas, “Well! This is mere co-incidence, that the launch of Max’s new TVC and &pictures happens at almost the same time. In fact we hurried the campaign because of the October deadline for implementation of ad cap.”

     

    Explaining further he adds, “We had campaigns even the last year, around the same time which was called Shuruwat Yahin Se, this was more of a sub tribute to deewanapan .  We have at least three creatives per campaign every year.”
    The campaign is Max’s tribute to the effect cinema has on people

     

    The key insight for this year’s campaign was to demonstrate the latent deewanapan in everyone’s life. “It is communication from the point of view of people. None of the TVC’s asks the audiences to watch Max, they are all talking of their personal issues which is a derivative from the residue of movies.”

     

    Max has bought space on 22 channels from other networks to promote the new campaign. These include news, music, kids and regional language genres. “It is a part of our massive media plan. It is a media need to reach out to ‘x’ number of people in ‘x’ number of times, which is what we are aiming at by tying up with these networks,” informs Vyas.

     

    The campaign has been created by JWT, the production house is Kerosene Films and the director for the film is Rajesh Sathi. While currently the campaign involves only on-air promotions, the channel will soon use the digital space as well. No print ads will be used. “How can you translate the TVC into print?” he questions.

     

    According to the chief creative officer of a Delhi based creative ad agency the commercials are reasonably well made and are likeable. “If the attempt was to establish that the channel is associated with Bollywood, this set of commercials delivers. However, they do evoke a sense of déj? vu as such filmy things have been done before. Also the ad may not be path breaking but certainly makes one smile.”

     

    A commercial is an attempt to create propensity among viewers to like the channel. “In my opinion, these commercials have achieved that,” adds the CCO. When asked if a channel needs to rope in big names for promotions he says, “Max is an established channel and so can afford to cast real people. But for a new movie channel like &pictures, to announce its arrival, it needs to shout louder, both creative- and media-wise. Therefore, it’s understandable why they have roped big names.”

     

    When asked if the commercial was an attempt to pre-empt &pictures promotions, he says, “Well I haven’t seen &pictures promos, so can’t comment on that.” Resonating the same another creative head said, “Well, I haven’t heard or seen &pictures on-air promotions.”

     

    The launch of the campaign at a time of the launch of &pictures is a mere coincidence or no, is something which we can only speculate. But, what comes as good news for Max is that while its campaign is being watched and appreciated, &pictures even with big stars seems to have gone wrong with the marketing. Which of the two make a mark in this campaign driven industry, is yet to be seen.

  • Aashiqui 3 in the pipeline along with other sequels

    Aashiqui 3 in the pipeline along with other sequels

    MUMBAI: With the trend of sequels getting popular in Bollywood, producer Bhushan Kumar has expressed his desire to turn Aashiqui and Bhootnath into franchise.

    Kumar wants to take ahead three projects as a franchise, including Aashiqui, a romantic saga which recently had a hit sequel Aashiqui 2, ghost comedy Bhootnath and the yet to be released 3D horror movie Creature.

    Provided the audience is ready to accept it, Kumar plans to turn these three films into a brand and make their third and fourth installment. This pattern is followed in Hollywood.

    Kumar further reasons that he does not want to make sequel after sequel just for the sake of it, but if Bhootnath 2 and Creature receives good responses from the audiences, then he definitely has no plans to look behind.

    In 2008 Ravi Chopra produced film Bhootnath, where megastar Amitabh Bachchan played a friendly ghost. The sequel will be produced by BR Films and Bhushan Kumar of T-Series.

    The basic premise of the film will remain same, the ups and downs and the hilarious moments between Bachchan and the kid. The original film starred Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Shahrukh Khan, Aman Siddiqui as Banku, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Rajpal Yadav.

    The second installment, to be directed by Chillar Party (2011) co-director Nitesh Tiwari, will again have Bachchan reprising his role. The addition will be Boman Irani and a new child, who is yet to be cast.

    The film will go on floors in October and will release in April next year. It is learnt that this time, the budget is going to be over Rs 30 crore. The first part was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 20 crore.

    Meanwhile, Aashiqui 2, directed by Mohit Suri and co-produced by Bhatts’ Vishesh Films and Bhushan Kumar, has reportedly earned over Rs 100 crore at the box office since its release on April 26.

    With the hit of Aashiqui 2, Kumar plans to take the brand ahead and make Aashiqui 3 after two-three years.

    Kumar also wants to take ahead Vikram Bhatt horror thriller Creature, starring Bipasha Basu in the lead. The film is said to be on the lines of Jurassic Park, the landmark Hollywood film on dinosaurs.

    Creature is set in a menacing forest that will house certain humongous and dangerous creatures. However, Kumar refused to divulge any further details about the project.

  • Set Max goes big on marketing for Aashiqui 2

    Set Max goes big on marketing for Aashiqui 2

    MUMBAI: It is the world television premier of one of the biggest blockbusters and Set Max is doing it in style. Sony Entertainment Television network that had recently added a horde of movies to its library has been going gung-ho with its marketing for the world television premier of Aashiqui 2. The musical blockbuster premieres for the first time on the movie channel on 28 July.
    Aashiqui 2‘s lead actors have been roped in to promote the premiere on various platforms including a few channels and the digital space

    “We have retained the essence of the movie, which is romance and music, while marketing it to our audiences. Through the marketing initiatives undertaken, we are trying to recreate and refresh the blockbuster movie amongst the viewers,” informs Multi Screen Media head of marketing Vaishali Sharma.

    The marketing plan which spans over 15 days prior to the telecast and covers Mumbai and Delhi captures the mood of the movie, using different mediums. The lead actors of the movie Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor have been roped in to shoot promos for on-air contests, digital contests, YouTube promos, on-air-main-day date-time-and-coming-soon promos as well as three contest questions and winner announcement bytes that will play during the movie. The actors have also posed for Facebook love top stills.

    “The actors are personally inviting people to see the movie on Max and also to take part in the digital contests. We have also used them to motivate people to send their Aashiqui photos and moments,” adds Sharma. The best photo amongst the lot will feature on the channel on the movie‘s telecast date.

    The musical blockbuster raked in the moolah (Rs 78.3 crore) at the box office in the domestic market. The channel has built its marketing campaign around the hype and response the movie had received during its release. Set Max has created one promo each for broadcast channels, YouTube channel, Facebook and the on-air contest. Special promos of the movie were also shot and screened during the screening of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Ramaiya Vastavaiya in both multiplexes and single screen theatres across Mumbai.
    To engage its 1.2 mn fanbase on Facebook, the channel has launched an Aashiqui 2LoveMeter application

    “It is a youth centric movie. Though strategically we are reaching out to the larger audience base, we have innovatively also reached out to the youth through our innovative marketing strategy,” she adds.

    Set Max has also taken television slots in various youth centric music channels. “To attract the young audiences, we will also have a contest which will run during the movie, the winner of the contest will get a chance to go on a dinner date with the lead actors,” informs Sharma.

    On the OOH platform, executed by Storyboard Brandcom , the channel has built its marketing strategy on the theme ‘romance’. “We realised that the music of the film was a big hit. With this in mind, around ten bus shelters across Mumbai are planned to be converted to musical bus stands, playing Aashiqui 2 music to attract audiences. The activity will be done three to four days prior to the telecast date,” she says.

    For on-ground promotions, the team will hold activities like ‘Give a rose to person you love’ outside National College in Bandra, Mumbai. While the dry run of the activity was held on 22 July, the final activity will be organised a day before the telecast of the movie. “A big poster of the movie, all covered with roses will be set up outside the college. Youngsters will be asked to stand next to the poster and pluck a rose from the poster and give it to their loved ones. There will be few secret roses which will have dinner vouchers for those participating in the activity,” reveals Sharma.
    In an effort to promote the premiere, a 360 degree campaign is being carried out in Mumbai and Delhi

    The channel wants to re-create the buzz around the movie and with this in mind it will also have models posing as mannequins on Saturday at Bandstand, in Mumbai. “Models will hold placards about the movie and depict the signature pose of the lead pair from Aashiqui 2. This is being done a day prior to the telecast to attract more people to Set Max on Sunday,” she adds.

    The Facebook page of Set Max which has 1.2 million followers started daily love tip for its followers, through which fans will be advised on their love life. Also a special ‘Aashiqui 2Lovemeter’ has been created that calculates the love quotient between partners.

    The lead actors of Lootera– Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha were also roped in to promoteAashiqui 2. “The theme for the movies aired this month was Ishq wala July. And Lootera, a romantic movie was also released this month.”

    The channel has a host of advertisers lined up for the telecast of the movie. Line (Android, iOS App) is the presenting sponsor for the movie, while Oral B is the powered by sponsor. The associate sponsors are Aquaguard, Cucumber, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Godrej No.1, Videocon, Red Chief Shoes and Relispray Nitron.

    Ask why after so many world television premiers aired earlier on the channel, Set Max is going gung-ho on the promotional activity: answers Sharma, “We saw a great potential in this film. It was a blockbuster and hence, gave us the opportunity to scale up marketing.”

    The movie will be aired twice on 28 July: first at 1 pm and then at 8 pm. The channel is looking at getting audiences in both the slots, even repeat audiences. The on-air contest will be aired in the 1pm slot, while the winners will be revealed in the 8pm slot.

    The channel has carved a new space for itself in movie marketing. It definitely has started a trend, but will this effort add on to the GRPs of the channel?The coming Sunday will reveal.

  • YPD 2 fails to make a mark at the BO; even as YJHD reaches 104 crore

    YPD 2 fails to make a mark at the BO; even as YJHD reaches 104 crore

    MUMBAI: Deol clan‘s family enterprise, Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (YDP 2), tried to cash in on the moderate success of the original Yamla Pagla Deewana; more than that, it tried to cash in on the people‘s sentiments for Dharmendra and his vulnerable ways and his family bond. However, the makers did not share the sentiments of the people and a badly worked on comedy was the outcome where content was lacking and buffoonery was the norm. The film which opened to below average collections on Friday and dropped further on Saturday, ended its opening weekend with collections of Rs 17.5 crore.

    Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (YJHD) is on its way to becoming a major blockbuster and start making profits for its investors as of today. It has been a long time since a pure romantic film hit it off with the audience in such a quick time. The film brings the Kapoor era back and establishes Ranbir Kapoor as the new generation star with a huge following (those few who have reservations about the film have none against Kapoor). The film also propels writer director Ayan Mukerji into the top rung. The film crossed the psychological Rs 100 crore barrier on day seven, ending its first week with Rs 104 crore. Still going strong in its second weekend, the film has added about Rs 27 crore for its second weekend collection.

    The multi-starrer Aurangzeb collected Rs 20 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 24.05 crore, the film has Arjun Kapoor in the lead after his debut film Ishaqzaadeplaying a double role. The film also stars Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Sharoff, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sasha Aagha and Tanvi Azmi.

    The run-away hit of the year Aashiqui 2 starring Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor managed to strike the right chord with the youth of the nation and having added Rs 1.25 crore in its sixth week is nearing the end of its dream run at the box office, the film‘s six week total stands at Rs 77.90 crore.

  • Ishkq In Paris fails to impress at the BO, Aashiqui 2 still going strong

    Ishkq In Paris fails to impress at the BO, Aashiqui 2 still going strong

    MUMBAI: Preity Zinta‘s debut production venture combined with her aspirations to make a comeback in a lead with Ishkq In Paris, which finally saw a release, had no takers. The film has barely managed to cross the one crore mark for its opening weekend.

    Zindagi 50 50 and Hum Hain Rahi Car Ke fail to find an audience, nothing surprising.

    The Arjun Kapoor starrer Aurangzeb, which completed its first week with approximately 19 crore, went on to take its tally to 22.24 crore for ten days.

    The zombie comedy starring Kunal Khemu, Vir Das and Saif Ali Khan – Go Goa Gone collects 4.65 crore in its second week taking its two week total to 23.15 crore.

    Dharma Production‘s Gippi collects 45 lakh in second week to take its two week total to 3.85 crore.

    Shootout At Wadala is just about reaching the end of its run. The film has collected about three crore in its third week, taking its total collections to 48 crore.

    Bombay Talkies has collected 45 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to 8.1 crore.

    The animation adventure Chhota Bheem And The Throne Of Bali has added 75 lakh in its third week, taking its three week total to 4.25 crore.

    Aashiqui 2 continues to hold its sway at the box office. With collections of 7.5 crore in its fourth week, the total for four now stands at 71.15 crore. Clearly consolidating its collections and commanding a super-hit status.

  • Aashiqui 2: No love lost

    Aashiqui 2: No love lost

    MUMBAI: Aashiqui the original became a legend thanks to it musical score. Aashiqui 2 has nothing to do with the original except to cash in on its title, logo and poster design. While doing this needs little extra imagination, the rest, such as putting a script together and executing the film needs quite a lot. In the original Aashiqui, the hero was a go-getter who faced all the challenges to get his girl. Aashiqui 2 is about a guy who is a loser on all counts.

    Aditya Roy Kapoor is a famous singer on the wane; he is in a self destruction mode. He guzzles alcohol non-stop and generally indulges in self pity. He has a dad in the form of a telephonic voice from the US who always promises to stand by him but never comes to the scene. Actually, the writer/director doesn‘t bother to tell you why he is such a loser. He even drops a concert halfway through in Goa. So just when he has almost destroyed his career, he sees a bar singer, Shraddha Kapoor, singing one of his own compositions! Our hero takes instant fancy to her and her voice. He knows he has stumbled across the next Lata Mangeshkar. He decides to promote her career, finding love in the process.

    Producers: Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar. 
    Director: Mohit Suri.
    Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor.

    Having found romance, one would think that the hero would now have a reason to give up alcohol and live a decent life. In fact after making Shraddha a successful singer, he sinks deeper into alcohol. Now he is a total failure while she is on top. The hero becomes the butt of all jokes and taunts. You can‘t make out whether he is angry or happy with the people‘s behaviour. After all, his expressions never change!

    The couple is deeply in love but never happy because Aditya‘s first love-or weakness-is alcohol. Sharaddha can‘t enjoy her stardom because she spends her time keeping him away from the bottle. There comes a stage when Aditya runs out of money and has nothing left. At one point he steals Shraddha‘s purse to buy alcohol. Finally realising that he is a hurdle in Shraddha‘s career, the very career he helped build, the hero gives in and jumps into Vasai Creek! That is the end of a man who made a life out of inflicting pain on himself and those around him.

    Aashiqui 2 is a total script of convenience with no care for logic or purpose. It is a forced tragedy where one can‘t empathise with the boy or the girl because there is no real plight in their lives. As the film progresses, it meanders and the scenes get repetitive. The direction is patchy. Music, mostly background songs, has a couple of good numbers. Performance wise, Aditya lacks in expressions while Shraddha is suitably vulnerable as per her character.

    With excellent promotion by T Series, Aashiqui 2 has managed to get very good opening collections which will be enough for this low priced film, lack of appreciation not withstanding.

     

    Shree: Badly scripted sci-fi fiasco

    Producer: Vikram M Shah.
    Director: Rajesh Bachchani.
    Cast: Hussain Kuwajerwala, Anjali Patil, Paresh Ganatra, Shivani Tanksale, Rio Kapadia, K C Shankar.

    One often sees money being poured into films by people with various intents but no creative sense. Finally, such money goes down the drain. Shree is one such film. The film is bankrolled by a diamond merchant firm and deals with some sort of sci-fi.

    A call centre employee, Hussain Kuwajerwala, is in the 12th day of his new job when he is asked to meet the owner of the company, Rio Kapadia. The boss is surrounded by his secretary, Shivani Tanksale, a scientist and the local police commissioner. Kuwajerwala is presented with Rs 10 lakh to be available for 12 hours two days later with a promise of 10 lakh more at the end of those 12 hours. The offer also includes a car and a four BHK apartment at a posh Mumbai location.

    For Kuwajerwala, who has been courting Anjali Patil for eight years and faces her mother‘s taunts on daily basis for not having managed to settle down and marry her daughter, the offer seems to have come just in time. The initially sceptical and reluctant Kuwajerwala accepts it.

    On the appointed day, Kuwajerwala lands up at an abandoned bungalow at a secluded sea side. He is needed to give his boss 12 hours starting at 7 am. But, five minutes into the 12 hour period and he is scared, loses confidence and tries to run only to be stopped and drugged by boss‘ henchman, KC Shankar. When Kuwajerwala emerges from his drug-induced trance, he is a fugitive. The police are looking for him for the murder of the police commissioner. There is a chase and there are two Kuwajerwala‘s and multiple conspiracies.

    It turns out that Kuwajerwala has been born under circumstances whereby he is gifted with the power to travel in future. The police commissioner thinks this will help to solve crimes which are yet to happen. Others want to use it to wield power. But, having once travelled into the future and seen the conspiracy, the hero manages to foil the dirty designs of the villain.

    The story is not at all convincing and narrated without conviction. While Kuwajerwala acts well, Patil is hysteric most of the time. Rest support well.

    Shree will go down as an also ran.

     

  • T-Series and Vishesh Films Aashiqui 2 to release 26 April

    T-Series and Vishesh Films Aashiqui 2 to release 26 April

    NEW DELHI: The Mohit Suri-directed ‘Aashiqui 2‘ musical produced by T-Series and Vishesh Films is slated for release on 26 April.

    While the musicial drama that released over two decades ago starred Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal in career changing roles, the new installment stars Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor in the lead.

    Says producer Mahesh Bhatt, "The franchise continues… the film is a completely brand new product with an extraordinary story. We will take the brand, not the story forward with an out-and-out love story."
     
    Contrary to the reports, ‘Aashiqui 2‘ is not a sequel to ‘Aashiqui‘, Suri clarified. "It‘s a new story. The only similarity is the music and the love story. There are seven to eight songs in the film. It‘s a musical."

    Talking about what can be expected from the film, producer Bhatt said, "It‘s a contemporary love story dealing with mature emotions. All three actors have extremely challenging dramatic roles. It is not a film about only looking good, singing and dancing. These are performance-oriented parts, and we are convinced that ‘Aashiqui 2‘ would do for Shraddha, Aditya and Shaad what the first ‘Aashiqui‘ did for Rahul, Anu and Deepak Taijori."

    Keeping with the brand of the film, the music will remain a highlight with the first song Tum Hi Ho already making waves. According to producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, "We have already recorded many songs for ‘Aashiqui 2‘ and we are confident that the audience will enjoy them. But people insisted we bring back at least one song from the original. Whatever the outcome, the music will not disappoint."

  • Aashiqui 2 set to release on 26 April

    Aashiqui 2 set to release on 26 April

    MUMBAI: Through a joint venture, T-Series and Vishesh Films have come together yet again to take their successful musical franchise – Aashiqui forward.

    While the musical drama that released over two decades ago starred Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal in career changing roles, the latest installment Aashiqui 2, directed by Mohit Suri stars Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor in the lead.

    Contrary to the reports, Aashiqui 2 is not a sequel to Aashiqui, clarifies director Suri, "It‘s a new story. The only similarity is the music and the love story. There are seven to eight songs in the film; it‘s a musical."

    Talking about what you can expect from the film, producer Mukesh Bhatt says, "It‘s a contemporary love story dealing with mature emotions. All three actors have extremely challenging dramatic roles. It‘s not a film about only looking good, singing and dancing.

    hese are performance-oriented parts, and we‘re convinced that Aashiqui 2 would do for Shraddha, Aditya and Shaad what the first Aashiqui did for Rahul, Anu and Deepak Tijori."
    Keeping with the brand of the film, the music yet again continues to remain a highlight with the first song Tum Hi Ho already making waves on the music front. Avers co-producer Bhushan Kumar, "We‘ve already recorded some songs for Aashiqui 2 and we‘re confident that the audience will enjoy them."

    Aashiqui 2 is scheduled to release on 26 April 2013.

  • Aashiqui 2 to release in December

    Aashiqui 2 to release in December

    MUMBAI: Even before the film has gone on the floors, Movie Mogul, T-Series and Vishesh Film’s Aashiqui 2, the sequel of the 1990 romantic musical Aashiqui, has been set for release in December this year.

    Despite having received a tremendous response from its highly publicised YouTube talent hunt contest that extended post its deadline, the creative team of the Mahesh Bhatt-Mukesh Bhatt enterprises were unable to find a perfect fit to match the demands of the unique script.

    Hence, after much deliberation, they have finally chosen the fresh onscreen pairing of Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor as the main leads of the film

    Aashiqui 2 is scheduled to go on the floors shortly.