ITV

Tag: Aditya Roy Kapoor

  • Amazon Fashion announces new campaign ‘Fashion on Amazon, Har Pal Fashionable’

    Amazon Fashion announces new campaign ‘Fashion on Amazon, Har Pal Fashionable’

    Mumbai:  Amazon Fashion announces the launch of its latest campaign, “Fashion on Amazon, Har Pal Fashionable,” featuring Bollywood stars, Ananya Panday and Aditya Roy Kapur for the first time together. The campaign highlights Amazon as a one-stop online destination across clothes, shoes, watches, accessories etc. that enables customers to put their looks together, with features like ‘wear it with’ suggestions from top brands and convenience features like ‘easy returns’, ‘fast delivery’, ‘no convenience fees’ etc. With this campaign, Amazon Fashion reaffirms its commitment to fashion enthusiasts, aiming to make fashion effortless, redefine fashion and elevate their shopping experience. Conceptualized by Media Monks,  the campaign went live recently across TV, Outdoor, Digital Video & Social Media.

    The campaign centers around the insights of assembling a stylish outfit and finding the right combinations for a complete look such as such as sunglasses, watches, shoes, etc. Women often find it more challenging to accessorize and coordinate everyday outfits, while men encounter similar difficulties, particularly when dressing for outings or leaving the house for work. In the first ad film, Ananya Panday effortlessly assembles a head-to-toe fashionable look while Aditya Roy Kapoor perceives it as a time-consuming task. While in the second ad film, Aditya Roy Kapoor is seen ready to head out but Ananya points out that he’s only halfway there and helps him find complementary accessories such as watches and loafers through the ‘Wear it with’ feature to elevate his ensemble into a fashionable look. Both the films, highlight Amazon Fashion’s delivery on time, easy returns and no convenience fee, and wide selection which makes it completely effortless for her to be ‘Har Pal Fashionable’.

    “We are excited to introduce our new campaign, ‘Fashion on Amazon, Har Pal Fashionable.’ This campaign aims to establish Amazon Fashion as the one-stop online destination for fashion enthusiasts. Offering a diverse selection of clothes, shoes, watches, accessories and more, Amazon enables customers to effortlessly curate their looks with features like ‘Wear it with’ suggestions from top brands. With added convenience features such as easy returns, fast delivery at no additional fee, we strive to continuously improve the fashion shopping experience.” said Amazon India Director-Consumer Marketing Pragya Sharma.

    “As a big fashion enthusiast, I constantly strive for effortless style,” said Kapoor. I’m excited to be part of Amazon Fashion’s new campaign. The ease of online ordering from an extensive selection across sunglasses, watches, shoes etc. on Amazon Fashion, to always getting your delivery on time, takes the guesswork out of shopping and makes building a stylish wardrobe a breeze.”

    Panday said, “I love styling that makes me feel comfortable yet confident and with Amazon Fashion’s wide selection across accessories, shoes, bags etc. I can mix and match effortlessly. I’m very thrilled to be a part of Amazon Fashion’s ‘Fashion on Amazon, Har Pal Fashionable’ campaign, that enables customers to put their looks together, with features like ‘wear it with’ suggestions, from top brands and convenience features like ‘easy returns’, ‘fast delivery’, ‘no  convenience fees’ etc.

    “In our campaign, Ananya, who is known for her fashion quotient and has been the face of the brand, introduces Aditya to the world of Amazon Fashion. Aditya gets wowed by how effortless fashion can be on Amazon with our wide selection & top brands that let you create all kinds of different looks,” said Media.Monks India chief content officer Azazul Haque.

  • Aditya Roy Kapoor new brand ambassador of GIO eye-wear

    MUMBAI: Bollywood star Aditya Roy Kapoor has been signed by Brandzstorm India as the new brand ambassador for Gio Eyewear, and will feature in a new multimedia brand campaign.

    The sunglasses that have vibrant colours aimed at appealing to the young reflect an eccentric à la mode fashion .They use a combination of high-performance sustainable materials and have a range from oversized frames with a touch of 3D to the unusual squares and rectangular designs with wood and matte framing, cat-eyes, aviators and wayfarers.

    Kapoor said, “I am very sensitive to light and cannot keep my eyes open in the sun without a pair of sunglasses. Gio sunglasses are perfect for Indian summers, look very stylish and their wide range is impressive.”

    Brandzstorm India Marketing Pvt Ltd Directors Ujjval Saraf and Neha Saraf said, “We are sure that the youngsters will connect with Aditya Roy Kapoor. What better way than launching our new line during the scorching heat”.

    Neha Saraf added: “Aditya fits perfectly into our brand space. He looks fab in every pair, and we had a tough time deciding which one complimented his persona better“.

  • Tabu replaces Rekha in UTV’s ‘Fitoor’ directed by Abhishek Kapoor

    Tabu replaces Rekha in UTV’s ‘Fitoor’ directed by Abhishek Kapoor

    MUMBAI: Director Abhishek Kapoor has put an end to all speculation and confirmed that actress Tabu has replaced Rekha in his upcoming movie titled Fitoor, which is being produced under the UTV Motion Pictures banner.

     

    Kapoor said, “Tabu’s wonderful performances in Indian and international shores are too many to be named. She is an actress who fearlessly goes against the tide and isn’t afraid to break stereotypes. I am honoured to have her in my film.”

     

    UTV Motion Pictures senior vice president Amrita Pandey added, “Tabu has been a part of the UTV family since The Namesake, and most recently in Haider. In both movies, her performance has been the emotional fulcrum of the narrative, and we are very happy to have a chance to work with her again in Fitoor.”

     

    The movie, which also stars Katrina Kaif, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari, is based on Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations.

     

  • ‘Khoobsurat’….. Not really!

    ‘Khoobsurat’….. Not really!

    MUMBAI: Khoobsurat borrows its basic plot from the 1980 Hrishikesh Mukherjee film of the same name. Hrishikesh Mukherjee films were known for their simplicity and yet they appealed to all classes. His film was about a middleclass joint family where the matriarch of the house, Dina Pathak, runs her household with an iron fist and total domination. In the latest Khubsoorat, writer-director Shashanka Ghosh decides to give the simple Mukherjee film a ‘royal touch’ and massacres it royally.

     

    Sonam Kapoor is a physiotherapist working with the Indian Premiere League helping the likes of Dhoni and Shehwag and some alien entity called Kapoor who is so much in pain, he refuses to go out to bat until this physiotherapist gives his leg an almost fatal jerk! Something that could have handicapped someone else has cured Mr Kapoor! He is fit enough to go out and hit the last winning six. One thought, each IPL team had its own physio, here, the ‘poor’ IPL has only one for all the teams.

     

    Her credentials having been established and her reputation having travelled far and wide, she is invited to be an in-house physio to some ex-royal in Rajasthan. This ex-royal, Aamir Raza Hussain, has been wheelchair-bound since his accident ten years ago. He has so far dismissed about 40 physios trying to cure him. The fact is he doesn’t want to be cured. He holds himself responsible for the death of his 20-year-old-son, who died in a sports car crash that he had gifted him.

     

    Sonam enters the house and falls in love with the palace, its opulence and the luxury of the room assigned to her. This is just the beginning as more falling in love is yet to happen; which is, falling in love with the prince, Fawad Afzal Khan. Towards this end, her mother, Kirron Kher, encourages her every day on their regular Skype chats; this film may have turned Mukherjee’s idea of Khoobsurat from middle-class to royal while, at the same time, trying to make it contemporary.

     

    Sonam’s idea of physiotherapy for the reluctant royal is to take him around his gardens in a whirlwind wheelchair ride. The queen, Ratna Pathak, disapproves of her from day one and keeps making faces day after day. The prince Fawad keeps hovering around her despite being a very busy businessman. Earlier, it is established that he is engaged to be married to another royal, Aditi Rao Hydari.

     

    While Aamir Raza is getting cured merely by wheeling at jet speed around his palace and Pathak keeps making same faces of disapproval for Sonam, Fawad, and Sonam keep getting attracted to each other until they graduate to their first kiss.

     

    Comparing this film in any way to Mukherjee’s Khoobsurat is a sacrilege. The film and its makers have no sense of script, little sense of direction, and none for music. To sum it up, they have scant sense of filmmaking. The dialogue is pedestrian. Being a love story, the musical score needed to be strong but turns out to be poor and just one song, Naina…, is hummable. Editing is poor.

     

    Sonam plays the lead in this, her home production. She is a let-down acting-wise, looks-wise and dressing-wise. The makeup makes her look much older. Her clumsy, loud character seems to have been built around My Fair Lady; she is uncouth, which she blames on being half Punjabi from her mother’s side! Fawad, otherwise, known to be a very natural and endearing actor from what one sees of him on TV, is wasted; he is made to carry just one-and-a-half expressions throughout the film. Fawad’s greatest asset, his smile, is at a premium here. Ratna’s casting, in a role her mother played in the 1980 original, is supposed to be the casting coup, but backfires with poor etching of her character. Aamir Raza is turned into caricatures.

     

    Producers: Rhea Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sidharth Roy Kapoor

    Director: Shashanka Ghosh.

    Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Afzal Khan, Ratna Pathak, Aamir Raza Hussain.

     

    ‘Daawat-e-Ishq’: No thanks…

     

    Yash Raj Films have been trying new subjects for some time now. With Daawat-e-Ishq, they try to bring back a Muslim background love story. But, this is a love story with an angle of dowry and getting back at dowry seekers. It also tries to juxtapose two prominent Muslim cultures, those of Hyderabad and Lucknow.

     

    Parineeti Chopra is a shoe shop sales girl in Hyderabad even as she continues to study for she is a topper who wants to specialise in shoe designing. Her father, Anupam Kher, is a clerk in the high court two years short of retirement. He is honest and hence, of limited means.

     

    It is time to look for a suitor for Parineeti. The problem for Anupam and Parineeti is that, her qualification does not count for anything to the boys’ families. The amount of dowry is what matters to them. This leads to a chain of rejections for her. Kher has a limit of 15 lakh but the gap is too much between what he can manage and what the boys’ parents demand. Since dowry is a bad word, one boy’s parents ask Kher to ‘help’ their son go to the US for further studies; all he needs is 80 lakh for that purpose.

     

    Parineeti is an aggressive girl and keeps throwing out such parents. She decides that marriage is not for her and, instead, embarks on a mission to trap such families who demand dowries and have them sent to jail. Kher takes some convincing but finally agrees to the plan. Doing this in their native Hyderabad would be too risky so their choice falls on Lucknow.

     

    The father daughter duo go for a total makeover, pose as millionaires from Dubai and check in at a five star Lucknow hotel. Next, they shortlist grooms from a marriage website and invite them for a meeting. A camera has been placed to record the proceedings of all such interviews. One of them happens to be Aditya Roy Kapur. He runs the city’s famous restaurant known for its kebabs, biryani etc with century old recipes inherited from his forefathers.

     

    Kapur is a simple hearted only son of his parents, popular with his customers as well as all around the city. For wedding, his parents’ wish list would cost Kher a cool 40 lakh. Parineeti agrees to the proposal and decides the nikaah would take place in two days’ time. However, Kapur wants three days to meet and know Parineeti better. After all her idea is to marry and then file a complaint with the police and demand a huge sum to settle the matter.

     

    The plan works, Kher and Parineetti walk off with a huge loot for Parineeti to pursue her dream of studying designing in the US. But, what she did not on count has happened. She has fallen in love with Kapur in those three days.

     

    The problem with this film is that it takes over half an hour to come to the real story before it sets up the background for Parineeti’s plan of taking on a dowry seeker. And when it happens, there are no twists and turns and lacks in drama of any sort. The approach to direction and storytelling is lacklustre. There are no highlights. The film has a catchy musical score with a blend of old world charm. Dialogue is routine. There is little about performances that stays with a viewer. Parineeti is her usual self. Kapur is over the top, loud being his idea of projecting simplicity. Kher is okay.

     

    Daawat-e-Ishq is a routine fare below expectations.

    Producer: Aditya Chopra.

    Director: Habib Faisal.

    Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Anupam Kher.

  • Blackberrys Men suit up on the streets of Mumbai

    Blackberrys Men suit up on the streets of Mumbai

    Blackberrys Sharp Nights, the prime property of menswear brand Blackberrys, gave a sneak preview today of their upcoming event. They unveiled the celebrities who will be walking the ramp for this edition, appropriately themed as Progressive. The unveiling saw bare chested men walk past cheering crowds on Linking Road to the brand store where they were then styled in a formal attire from the brand’s latest F/W 2013 collection. As the men lined up and walked down the Linking Road stretch, they kept unveiling the bus stops carrying the Blackberrys Sharp Nights campaign visuals and finally reached the store to unveil the store facade. From walking bare chested to the red carpet tuxedo look, it was quite a transition for these men. Thus, dressing down to dress up to the hilt was the thought behind the activity. It was quite an evening, with music, lights and crowds cheering on the men.

     

    Through the Sharp Nights concept, Blackberrys has recognized a tribe of sharp men from various spheres of life. The fourth edition of Blackberrys Sharp Nights scheduled on 4th October, 2013 promises a mix up like never before. Themed as Progressive, critically acclaimed Abhay Deol, charming Siddharth Malhotra and stellar performer Aditya Roy Kapoor will strut down the ramp for the biggest ever fashion extravaganza, as they celebrate the best of new age cinema.

     

    To get a chance to be a part of the season’s coolest event, Blackberrys is hosting various activities at their stores, Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/BlackberrysMensFashion?fref=ts and on Twitter https://twitter.com/BlackberrysMens. One can log on to their Facebook and Twitter pages and participate in the ongoing contests to win a fabulous all expense paid VIP trip for two. Blackberrys Sharp Nights (BSN) in the past three seasons, has showcased an interesting mix of celebrities like Arjun Rampal, Farhan Akhtar, Ayushmann Khurana, Karsh Kale, Anushka Manchanda, Imtiaz Ali, Rohit Shetty, Kunal Kohli and Madhur Bhandarkar.

     

    Staying true to its mantra “Go Sharp”, the brand showed the world a glimpse of what they can expect at the Blackberrys Sharp Nights event. Be it bare chested men going sharp with Blackberrys or bringing together sharp men from music and cinema, the brand is connecting to the Blackberrys man who is young, fun, edgy and of course very stylish.

     

    Blackberrys is a brand that defines ‘sharp edged clothing’ with their higher-concept feel. Their cachet of being one of the leading formal wear brands in the India is merited with their tailoring silhouettes and unique twist on style. The brand has evolved since its inception in 1991 with its own individual personality bearing strong concepts that are both perfectly executed and cohesively carried off.

  • 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.

  • Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: Fun, frolic and a bit of love

    Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: Fun, frolic and a bit of love

    MUMBAI: One of the tried and tested genres of film, acceptable to just about all kind of audience is a feel good love story with music to back it if one knows how to. This ‘how to‘ involves the romance to be plausible, clean and emotional. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is only the second outing for writer-director Ayan Mukerji. His first was a coming of age film, Wake Up Sid, which was also with Ranbir Kapoor. While Kapoor has since done almost a dozen films, Mukerji, to his credit, has not only come of age, he has matured into an accomplished writer-director.

    Producers: Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar.
    Director: Ayan Mukerji.
    Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Poorna Jagannathan.

    Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has no side characters, no comedians or villains and no distractions. To make up for all that, it has been shot extensively on pleasant outdoor locales and generally carries a positive flavour throughout. And, during these parts, the film carries that whiff and charm of those Nasir Hussain romances.

    The clique of school backbenchers, Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapoor, decide to go on a track with a group of 25 others when a top ranker, scholarly, bespectacled Deepika Padukone, bored of her bookworm life, decides to join in. She has none of the traits of the three and is an odd one out in the group. They believe in enjoying each moment, something she has never had the inclination or the time to do in pursuit of her studies, earlier for school and now medical. But everybody is enjoying and it does not take her long to join in. The trek outing is all about having fun, drinking, games and bonhomie. There are two one-sided romances happening: Padukone is gradually drawn to the charm and youthfulness of Kapoor while Koechlin loves Aditya; why the latter is indifferent is not known while Kapoor does not agree with the concept of love, marriage and being tied down to one girl or one place.

    The outing is over. Kapoor proceeds to the US with the scholarship he has been offered and takes to travel photography. Just the dream he nourished, roaming places and meeting people. He has no intentions of returning to India, having lost his father, Farooq Shaikh, while having no communication, and has no ties with stepmother, Tanve Azmi. His contact with his friends is almost negligible. He has been busy filling his scrapbook with notes on places he visits. Now, he has been offered a dream posting, an assignment in Paris. That is when he receives a message from Koechlin asking him to attend her wedding, a five day affair in Udaipur.

    The four friends come together again. Koechlin is marrying Kunal Roy Kapoor, Aditya runs a bar which he is about to lose having incurred heavy losses (It seems he is never without alcohol in his hand, and he probably drank up his bar!). Padukone is a doctor running her own clinic and Kapoor, of course, is a TV host of international repute now. Elaborate weddings being a favourite with filmmakers, this part is all about fun and dances and every Indian identifies with it. There is no melodrama but, yes, the buried romance is rekindled in Deepika‘s heart and, unwittingly though, this time Kapoor too succumbs. It is time for the film to head for its happy ending.

    The feeling is that the film stretches its length at least by 15 minutes; this becomes more evident as there are just two able artistes to carry it through its 161 minutes marathon duration in Kapoor and Padukone. As the film begins, for some time the proceedings are dull, the Madhur Dixit item number is unnecessary and is not even good. Otherwise, the first half of the film passes smoothly. The second half becomes slow towards the latter portions, as one expects some drama towards the end.

    For positives, the film has a well written script and competent direction from Mukerji. Pritam‘s music is a definite plus with almost all songs having appeal, while Amitabh Bhattacharya has provided perfect lyrics to blend with the theme of the film. Filmed mostly outdoors, between snow-capped mountains and picturesque Udaipur, it makes for a pleasant viewing. Kapoor is getting better with each film; he is a natural. Padukone is a perfect foil and justifies her lovelorn look throughout. Aditya carries on with the glass he picked up in his earlier film; no idea what he would have done with his hands otherwise. Koechlin has a limited range. Kunaal is okay.

    Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has opened reasonably well, especially at multiplexes and, with its positive reports, is sure to get better over the weekend.

  • Morbid love story strikes cord with movie goers

    Morbid love story strikes cord with movie goers

    MUMBAI: Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer Aashiqui 2 did very well through its first weekend to collect Rs 177.5 million.

    Hussain Kuwajerwala‘s Bollywood debut Shree turned out to be a non-starter.

    Balaji Telefilm‘s horror flick Ek Thi Daayan collected Rs 231 million in its first week. The general feeling from public is that the film needed at least one popular female face out of the three featured in the film.

    Action flick Commando – A One Man Army had a reasonably decent second week with collections of Rs 35 million, taking its two week total to Rs 208.5 million.

    ‘Dramdey‘ Nautanki Saala collected Rs 36.5 million in its second week; with this, the film‘s two week total stands at Rs 205.5 million.

    Chashme Baddoor was good in its third week. The film added Rs 25 million for the third week to take its three week tally to Rs 419.5 million.

    Himmatwala added Rs two million for the fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 432.5 million.

    Jolly LLB added Rs two million in its sixth week to take its six week total to Rs 314.2 million.

  • 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.