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Tag: Akshay Kumar

  • Housefull 2 is a fair entertainer

    Housefull 2 is a fair entertainer

    MUMBAI: Housefull 2 can be called a crowded comedy in a sense that the screen is filled with multiple characters of various hues. Towards the end, the film creates a mini India on screen with twelve actors in the main roles portraying Marathi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Punjabi etc roles catering to all parts.

    Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor are brothers who don‘t see eye-to-eye but both have one common aim – to find the son of some renowned and wealthy man for their respective daughters.

    Mithun Chakraborty is a childhood friend of Boman Irani, an ex-police boss, on whose advice Mithun gives up his dark past, spends time in jail and travels to England to not only make his fortune but also be counted among one of the most respected names there. On the occasion of Chakraborty turning a new leaf, Boman Irani had sought a promise from him that they would turn their friendship into family relationship when their children grow up.

    Both Randhir and Rishi Kapoor are both told by match maker Chunkey Pandey that Chakraborty‘s son, Reitesh Deshmukh would be an apt suitor for their daughters, Asin and Jacqueline Fernandez. The brothers vie for Deshmukh while making sure the other does not get the whiff on his intent.

    Deshmukh loves Zarine Khan, a model, and is not in a position to tell Mithun Chakraborty. He also has to ward off Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor‘s daughters. As a result, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Shreyash Talpde each end up posing as Reitesh Deshmukh.

    Meanwhile Talpade, Deshmukh‘s friend, is in love with Shahzan Khan. He is humiliated by her father Rishi Kapoor and plans revenge. What follows are the comic situations, romance, songs and dances.

    Housefull 2 may not have much by way of a story but it does manage to create some really funny situations.

    The film often loses pace in the first half, but manages to hold its own in the later part, which is also shorter. There is not much help from songs but the item number Anarkali…. is well choreographed.

    The scenes between Chakraborty, Irani and Malaika Arora are stretched.
    What works for the film is its multifaceted cast and the fact that yesteryear stars have been cast as fathers. Economic considerations can be seen in the casting of heroines with all four lacking mass following.

    The film has been shot extensively on indoor locations, which helps keep the budget down. The film has just one real action scene with all four heroes involved; it is well executed.

    While performances by all male artistes is good, if rated the order it would be Mithun Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Reitesh Deshmukh and Shreyash Talpade.

    Johny Lever is good but having seen the film with the audience in Uttar Pradesh, it looked like his native Marathi lingo was not going down well with the audience. All four female actors are passable.

    Housefull 2 is a fair entertainer and due to its star cast and reasonable opening at multiplexes (the single screens opening is not the same) should be able to sail safe.

  • Special sound system for Housefull 2 to be installed

    Special sound system for Housefull 2 to be installed

    MUMBAI: Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is making arrangements for special sound systems to be installed in select theatre chains where his forthcoming film Housefull 2 will release.

    Housefull 2 is being co-produced with Eros International.

    Said Nadiadwala, “Yes, we are in talks to use an upgraded sound system in a few theatre halls which will augment a viewer’s movie-watching experience.”

    It is believed that the makers are working on installing a 7.1-channel sound system in select theatres instead of the 5.1-channel that are normally used.

    Director Sajid Khan averred, “With the new technology, we hope to live up to the expectations.”

    The film, Starring Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Zarine Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Shazahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty, will release on 5 April.

  • Talaash release delay affects other films

    Talaash release delay affects other films

    MUMBAI: The delay in the release of Aamir Khan‘s Talaash from June to November has affected other films and filmmakers.

    The first film to cash in on the postponement of Aamir Khan‘s Talaash was Akshay Kumar‘s Rowdy Rathore. The film, earlier scheduled to release on 15 June as it wanted to maintain a decent two-week gap from Talaash, has now seized the opportunity to come two weeks ahead on 1 June, the date when Talaash was supposed to release.

    Another film, the release of which has been subsequently preponed, is Kunal Kohli‘s Teri Meri Kahaani. Starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, the film was earlier scheduled to release on 22 June. But seeing Talaash off the release list, the makers thought it made sense to release Teri Meri Kahaani on 1 June.

    But while films releasing around June have breathed a sigh of relief, those film that were originally scheduled to release in November-end are at the receiving end. Films tentatively scheduled to hit the silver screen in that period are Shootout at Wadala and Race 2.

  • Sequel of Aankhen in offing

    Sequel of Aankhen in offing

    MUMBAI: Producer Gaurang Doshi is well on way to make a sequel of his 2002 film Aankhen that starred Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Sen in lead roles. But this time besides Bachchan, the entire cast is set to change.

    Talking about the fresh star cast, Doshi has said, “There will be a new cast except for Amitabh Bachchan. We are on the verge of finalising things and would make an announcement soon.”

    Though the original was directed by Vipul Shah, the second installment will be helmed by a new director. “We have been working on this idea of a sequel since quite some time. The first part of the film had two endings — one for the Indian market and the other for the overseas audience. The three protagonists in the film would remain blind,” averred Doshi, while revealing his plans.

    The sequel that will be shot in India, Canada and England would go on floors soon and is expected to release next year.

  • Viacom18 buys remaking rights of Seeta Aur Geeta

    Viacom18 buys remaking rights of Seeta Aur Geeta

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 and Sunil Bohra have teamed up and bought the remaking rights of the 1972-made film Seeta Aur Geeta that starred Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Sanjeev Kumar in pivotal roles.

    Seeta Aur Geeta is a story about identical twins who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. The twins then swap places.

    This theme has been earlier repeated in several films like Ram Aur Shyam starring Dilip Kumar in a dual role, Jeetendra-starrer Jaise Ko Taisa and the Anil Kapoor-starrer Kishen Kanhaiya.

    While Katrina Kaif will essay the role that Hema Malini played, Abhay Deol and Akshay Kumar are being considered for the roles played by Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmendra respectively.

    The film is set to go on floors soon.

  • Viacom18 to roll out thriller Special Chabbis

    Viacom18 to roll out thriller Special Chabbis

    MUMBAI: Producer Kumar Mangat Pathak, in association with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, has launched a thriller titled Special Chabbis.

    Directed by Neeraj Pandey(A Wednesday fame), the film is a take on the real-life daring heist in 1987 where an unknown man posing as CBI officer Mon Singh recruited 26 men and executed a daylight raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhuvandas Bhimji Jewellers in Mumbai and disappeared with jewellery worth lakhs.

    The film will have its first schedule in Delhi, followed by Mumbai.

    The film has Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Sheirgil, Manoj Bajpayee and Deepraj Ranat among others.

  • Mahesh Manjrekar’s Hindi version of anti-education film with Akshay Kumar

    Mahesh Manjrekar’s Hindi version of anti-education film with Akshay Kumar

    MUMBAI: Wanting to do a Hindi version of his anti-education Marathi film Shikashanachya Aaicha Gho for almost a year with Salman Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar has now decided to go ahead with the project with Akshay Kumar.

    Manjrekar is furious after he read of the gruesome incident of a 15-year old student stabbing his teacher in Chennai to death. Said Manjrekar in a statement, “After what that 15-year old boy did to his teacher in Chennai, I‘ve to do the Hindi version of the film fast. What are the pressures on a child that make him so allergic to school life and teachers? What could‘ve provoked that boy to stab his teacher in Chennai? My film is very relevant to the situation that school-going children face. I need Akshay to take the message of a child‘s right to exercise his career options and to be freed of peer pressure to the maximum number of people.”

    Kumar will to play the role of the tyrannical father who realises too late that his son‘s mind and heart are meant for cricket and not for formal education.

    It may be remembered that though Khan was interested in doing the project, he was unable to do so because of date constraints.

  • Akshay Kumar to remake Pokkiri Raja in Hindi

    Akshay Kumar to remake Pokkiri Raja in Hindi

    MUMBAI: Akshay Kumar has bought the remaking rights of Malayalam film, Pokkiri Raja.

    Titled Naam Bhai Boss, the film will have Kumar and Imraan Abbas reprise the roles that Mammootty and Raavan star Prithviraj essay in the original.

    The film revolves around Madhavan Nair who unknowingly kills a teenager and his eldest son, Raja, take the blame and is sentenced to jail for five years.

    After returning from jail, Raja moves to Madhurai where he rescues the life of the daughter of Maniannai. The village landlord hen turns his right hand. He is named as Madhurai Raja. Years later, he started being known as Pokkiri Raja.

    The film will be directed by Antony D‘souza.

    Incidentally, Kumar has also bought the rights of the super hit song ‘Appadi Podu‘ from the Tamil film Ghilli and plans to use it in Naam Bhai Boss.

    The film is expected to hit the screens by the end of this year.

  • Akshay Kumar’s Breakaway breaks records in Canada

    Akshay Kumar’s Breakaway breaks records in Canada

    MUMBAI: Though his film Speedy Singhs didn‘t do well domestically at the box office, its English version Breakaway has made producer Akshay Kumar proud by becoming the highest-grossing English film in the Canadian history.

    The film, co-produced by Kumar‘s production house Hari Om Entertainment and Paul Gross, has broken records set by earlier crossover productions including Monsoon Wedding and 3 Idiots.

    “We released the film in 51 theatres across Canada on 30 September this year and the box office returns ever since then have exceeded expectations,” Canadian distributor Mark Sloane said in a statement.

    The film, that released in some territories under the title of Speedy Singhs, centres around Toronto‘s Indo-Canadian community.

  • Desi Boyz is a feel good romcom

    Desi Boyz is a feel good romcom

    MUMBAI: Desi Boyz is the directorial debut film of a chip of the old block, Rohit Dhawan, son of David Dhawan, who regaled the audience with many an entertainer .

    Producer: Krishika Lulla,Vijay Ahuja, Jyoti Deshpande.
    Director: Rohit Dhawan.
    Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Chitrangda Singh, Omi Vaidya, Sanjay Dutt (cameo), Anupam Kher, Mohnish Bahl.

    Wisely, Rohit Dhawan chooses a romantic comedy as his launch vehicle and proceeds to add all that such a film would need, including a dash of emotions – just enough to moisten your eyes but not so much as to flood them.

    Akshay Kumar and John Abraham share a friendship going back 15 years; while John finishes his graduation in economics, landing a cushy job as an investment banker, and has Deepika Padukone as his fiancée, Akshay has done nothing worthwhile since he arrived in London except for changing his name from Jignesh Patel to Jerry. He is a college dropout, has no fixed job and mostly survives by scrounging off John Abraham. To add to that, he is the guardian of his seven-year-old nephew, who has been orphaned.

    All is hunky dory until the recession takes its toll and establishments sack staff left, right and centre. The signboards read: ‘we fire, don‘t hire‘. As Akshay Kumar loses his job as a security guard at a mall, John Abraham too loses his banking job. Their search for work is futile. John is overqualified and unaffordable while Akshay has no qualifications worthy of a job. Akshay Kumar stands to lose custody of his nephew and they are soon to lose their apartment as well. There is just one option available to them, join Sanjay Dutt‘s escort service, Desi Boyz, with the job profile being to gratify bored rich women. Reluctantly, both turn gigolos and money is no problem anymore; the bubble bursts when Deepika finds out what her fiancé is up to and walks out on him. For his part, Akshay loses custody of his nephew.

    With this debut, Rohit Dhawan sure shows a lot of promise as a writer as well as director; his handling of the film is mature and shows his flair for feel-good cinema. However, choosing a younger star cast-oriented film would have given him a better start.

    Music is on the good side with Subah hone nade…..giving a touch of melody while the title song and other numbers are foot tapping. Photography is good. Choreography is away from the routine and offers no loo breaks. Dialogues are appropriately witty.

    Akshay Kumar looks a little fresher than his recent films but is his usual self in the acting department. John Abraham is restrained and good. Deepika Padukone is so-so. Chitrangda Singh, in a brief role, does the needful – look sexy as well as perform ably. Anupam Kher, Mohnish Behl and Omi Vaidya provide good support. Sanjay Dutt fits his character.

    With the lead stars of Desi Boyz being out of favour with the audience, Desi Boyz has lost out on the required and expected opening draw; since it has appeal for both, multiplexes as well as single screens, its collections should improve over the weekend but not enough to justify its price tag.