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Tag: Anupam Kher

  • Anupam and Lisa get drunk: Behind the scenes of ‘The Shaukeens’

    Anupam and Lisa get drunk: Behind the scenes of ‘The Shaukeens’

    MUMBAI: To give a scene reality touch while shooting, actor Anupam Kher and Lisa Haydon downed a little too much red wine on the sets of The Shaukeens.

    Tired after a hard day at work, where the lead actors Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon were scheduled to travel to three different locations to shoot three different scenes in one day, with each location about two hours away from the next. Haydon and Kher decided to break away from the tradition of using mock drinks for shooting the last scene for the day where they were to be filmed while drinking wine by having actual red wine.

    By the time the final shot was taken, the two had downed three to four glasses each, a source from the sets revealed. “Luckily, it was the last scene for the day. So, no one noticed that the actors were actually in high spirits.”

    The Shaukeens is a remake of 1982 comedy movie Shaukeen directed by Basu Chatterjee. It stars Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon along with Akshay Kumar in a special appearance. Produced by Cine1 Studios, Cape Of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions and directed by Abhishek Sharma, the film is set to release on 7 November 2014.

     

  • ‘Sonali Cable’… Stuck in time

    ‘Sonali Cable’… Stuck in time

    Sonali Cable must have been an idea in the mind of its writer-director, Charudutt Acharya, for a long time. Finally, he gets to realize it. Why is it an old thought? Because, cable turf wars are a story of the late 20th century. Providing cable connections was a totally money-and-muscle-wielding business when it started. There was nothing legal about it because there was no control. It just flourished.

    Cable was a way to watch various TV channels and infringing on other cable operators’ turf was the norm. It led to gang wars, murders and all such things that happen in other turf wars; after all, it was all about taking over a territory. But, Sonali Cable talks of a later stage. The stage when cable service was not limited to TV channels but also started providing internet connectivity.

    The story of Sonali Cable is a two-way fight between a multinational powerful company, Shining, owned by Anupam Kher, who wants to control all of Mumbai’s net connectivity which, according to him, will make whole of Mumbai vulnerable to him!! (There have been weirder ideas!) He has bought over all small time operators catering to few thousand connections and Mumbai is all his except for this one small time network provider, Sonali  (Rhea Chakraborty); her 3,000 connections stop him from controlling the entire city. For the convenience of the script, the national service provider, MTNL, is done away with, and so are other poor contenders owned by private companies. It is all about Kher, who walks in like East India Company, and takes over the net connectivity in the business capital of India.

    Then there are the emotional angles. Kher’s mother brought him up supplying khakhras in some Saurashtra village. Today, he swears by a khakhra but has no scruples otherwise. The film waits a long while for Sonali to get her own back. Which, by the way, totally ruins the latter half of the film. The shortcomings and liberties notwithstanding, the film loses the plot post-interval.

    Kher takes over Mumbai: just about every product is his, and just about every politician is owned by him. But this is the computer era as well as spy camera era. So, like all recent films where the villain ends up blabbering in front of a hidden camera, Kher complies too!

    The problem with this film is that the makers, and especially the writer, take the audience for granted. Can anybody monopolise Mumbai? Especially its net connectivity? While some ideas are good, some are farfetched. Also, the film has a Mumbai-Marathi flavour and a generous use of local slang words, which will not be understood by everyone. The film has some good songs. Direction shows promise given a better script (which is also by the director here).

    The story revolves around Rhea, a slum bred independent girl running her cable network with an opportunist politician, Smita Jaykar, whose son, Ali Fazal, is Rhea’s childhood love. Rhea does well except when using Marathi slang. Ali Fazal is getting better with each film. Raghav Juyal is a natural. Anupam Kher does one of his quirky characters with élan. Jaykar does well.

    Sonali Cable is out of tune with time and, otherwise too, goes haywire in the second half. Faces poor prospects.

     

    Producers: Ramesh Sippy, Rohan Sippy.

     

    Director: Charudutt Acharya.

     

    Cast: Rhea Chakraborty, Ali Fazal, Raghav Juyal, Anupam Kher, Smita Jaykar, Swanand Kirkire.

  • Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami…20 guns too many

    Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami…20 guns too many

    Selling honesty as a theme is a tough proposal. It is considered boring and not as readily acceptable as corruption is. Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami juxtaposes one honest man who never wavered despite temptations and desperations, against a totally sold-out system including the local CM. How that honest man, in whom even his sons don’t have faith, finally gets his way is an interesting idea.

     

    Anupam Kher works for the Mumbai municipal department’s malaria control wing, setting out every day with his fogging machine diligently to do his job. His two sons, Divyendu Sharma and Manu Rishi, are totally wayward. Sharma, the dominant of the two, does hatchet jobs for the local CM and is the star of the local political branch (shakha).

     

    Divyendu holds a degree of influence over the CM, Rajesh Sharma. When he gets hurt at a pro-CM rally, the CM foots his five-star hospital bill. Divyendu’s hotline in the CM’s house is his girlfriend, Aditi Sharma. She is the trustworthy aide of the CM.

     

    There is a scandal breaking out against the CM; he is reported to have gifted a Rs 12 crore worth bungalow on sea-facing, government land to his concubine, Neha Dhupia. The news is all over and Neha has no scruples using it to gain mileage for herself. While she is busy telling the media the inside story, the CM is ashamed that he is in news for a meagre Rs 12 crore scam when anything below Rs 1000 crore is considered petty cash!

     

    Meanwhile, it is D day for Kher. He is due for retirement and goes to the office beaming for a golden handshake, a certificate and a box of sweets. Instead, what he gets is a humiliating discharge sans retirement benefits. His fault, the day before, the last day of his duty, was that he did not surrender his fog machine officially. He is accused of stealing it and selling it to cheat the municipality.

     

    Kher is humiliated and devastated, and on his deathbed as a result of the shame, but his son’s only care to scavenge on whatever little his dead bones have to offer. They want his pension and they want to inherit the municipality-allotted room. They want him to sign a letter asking for a pardon for stealing the fogging machine so his benefits are restored. Kher would sign that pardon letter on one condition; his sons should send him off with a 21-canon salute.

     

    Divyendu has sworn to fulfil his father’s last wish not knowing how!

     

    However, he sees a ray of hope. The CM’s sexual excitement with Neha has given him his third, final fatal heart attack. He is declared dead. Having died in office, he will get a state funeral along with a 21 canon salute.

     

    By this time, the sons have realised that if anybody deserved a 21 canon salute, it is Kher and not the CM. Since there is no way Kher can get that honour, things will have to be managed to make Kher take the CM’s place.

     

    This was a good idea, but, it consumes a lengthy second half and goes into too much detailing and emotional overload. By the time it happens the viewer is not emotionally connected, just relieved.

     

    The film has spoilt its bright idea by taking too long over it. The director has an eye for detail but no control over content and needed a better editor. Dialogue is funny at times and bland at others. Divyendu is impressive. Manu Rishi is a natural. Aditi is very good. Rajesh Sharma is good as always, a seasoned actor that he is. Neha is effective in a brief role. Kher plays the signature role he started off with in Saaranash. Uttara Baokar and Sudhir Pandey are fine.

     

    Ekkees Topon Ki Salaami would have been watchable had the approach had been on a lighter note towards its goal.

     

    Producers: Anurradha Prasad and Abhinav Shukla.

     

    Director: Ravindra Gautam.

     

    Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Neha Dhupia, Anupam Kher, Manu Rishi, Aditi Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Uttara Baokar, Sudhit Pandey, Aashif Sheikh.

     

    Spark Is missing

     

    They just don’t work, these films about UP-Bihar local feudal gang lords-cum-politicians. After all, UP has one such gang lord in each village. It is the same old story: The more gun-wielding goons you have on your muster, the bigger your don-ness. Focusing on just one such gang makes things extra monotonous so Spark has some ex-loyalists from the same gang rising to form their own. Nothing you have not seen before; nothing that you have approved either.

     

    It starts like a 1970s film as some shotgun brandishing guys barge in to a haveli and shoot down two women and a man. However, because of an alert victim, a small child is hidden in a closet. He survives and makes this story into an unending saga.

     

    Rajneesh Duggal, like all other heroes, is a popular member of his college excelling at everything from dramatics to debates. During rehearsal, with the college lacking female talent, the college invites Shubhashree Ganguly. Both get acquainted but Duggal’s time in India has ended.

     

    Duggal gets into an altercation with the nephew of the biggest bahubali of the region, Ashutosh Rana, who, like in all such films and like all such bahubali types, literally runs the local governments, granting of contracts and so on. Duggal is bashed up by Rana. Ranjeet has brought up the orphan Duggal and loves him like his son. He decides to dispatch Duggal off to Germany to keep him away from trouble.

     

    As things would have it, Duggal spots Shubsharee in Germany; it is time to resume the romance because there won’t be time for that once the film moves into action mode.

     

    Back home, the villains have realised that the family they set out to kill 20 years back has one survivor, Duggal. However, they don’t know who he is, what he looks like and where is he. Only Ranjeet can reveal that.

     

    Govind Namdeo, an ex-henchman of Rana has branched out with his own ambition to be the next leader. He knows he can use Duggal against Rana by revealing to him that he is the one who ordered his family killed 20 years back.

     

    What follows are a lot of revelations you don’t really care to know, followed by too many back-stabbings. Finally it is time for the showdown where the hero deals with hundreds of gun-toting and sword-swishing goons, leaving him and Rana to fight it out alone.

     

    A very poor concept which is out of sync with any era, with direction to match. Duggal is okay while Shubshashree has a pleasant demeanour. Ranjeet supports well. Rana, Namdeo, Manoj Joshi are the loud villains performing more through decibels than acting. The musical score offers a few pleasant numbers. Some parts have been shot in Germany but it is no help.

     

    Spark is a poor film.

     

    Producer: Naresh Gupta.

     

    Director: V K Singh.

     

    Cast: Rajnees Duggal, Shubhashree Ganguly, Ashutosh Rana, Govind Namdeo, Manoj Joshi, Rati Agnihotri, Ranjeet.

  • ‘Super Nani’ release date postponed to 31 October

    ‘Super Nani’ release date postponed to 31 October

    MUMBAI: After Hollywood flick Fury starring Brad Pitt changed its India release date, Rekha’s next film Super Nani is next in line.

     

    Previously scheduled to release on Diwali, the film has postponed its release date by a week to avoid getting eclipsed by Shah Rukh Khan starrer Happy New Year. The movie which was slated to release on 24 October will now be in theatres on 31 October.

     

    The biggest highlight of the film is that it marks the comeback of veteran actress Rekha to the silver screen after a long gap. Directed by Indra Kumar, the small budget movie also stars Sharman Joshi, Anupam Kher, Indra Kumar’s daughter Shweta Kumar in lead.

     

    “We have postponed our film and there are several reason behind this. One of the major reasons to push the film was that we want to avoid the clash with Shah Rukh Khan,” Kumar told IANS.

     

    The promo of Super Nani was recently released along with Sonam Kapoor starrer Khoobsurat, which was the remake of Rekha’s 80s hit film by the same name.

     

    Director Farah Khan’s big-budget multi-starrer Happy New Year will hit the screens during the Diwali week.

  • ‘24’ to premiere on Rishtey

    ‘24’ to premiere on Rishtey

    MUMBAI: It’s been a little over a year since COLORS changed the face of Indian television with its path-breaking show, 24. And now, the riveting 24 hours in the life of Jai Singh Rathod which set the country pulsating in its first season is all set to make a comeback on popular demand on Viacom18’s second general entertainment channel Rishtey. The viewers will once again be a  part of ATU Chief Jai Singh aka Anil Kapoor’s  journey  as he  races against time to save Prime Ministerial candidate Aditya Singhania (Neil Bhoopalam) from assassination in this enthralling espionage drama, that redefined  Indian television through its slick narrative. The show will air every Monday to Saturday at 9.00 PM on Rishtey.

     

    Speaking about bringing back 24 on Rishtey, Raj Nayak, CEO – COLORS and Rishtey, said, “Ever since the first season of 24 drew to a close in December 2013, audiences have been reaching out to us via different mediums requesting for a re-run of the show. We are now happy to announce that the show will air on Rishtey during the week and give viewers an opportunity to relive the action-packed moments that made the show truly exceptional.”

     

    Adding to this ATU Chief Jai Singh Rathod aka Anil Kapoor said, “24 is very special to me. As an actor and a producer very rarely have I experienced such immense creative satisfaction as I have from this show. We were very fortunate that some of the nicest people in show business came together on this show and made the entire journey truly memorable. Everyone, right from the actors to the technicians put in 200% and that shows on screen. The feedback I have received, from viewers across all strata of society and across all age groups, has been very heartening and truly encouraging.”

    He further added, “I am very happy to know that the team at COLORS is now premiering the show on Rishtey, which will give more audiences across the country the chance to experience the show. I hope that the new audiences enjoy watching the show and appreciate our efforts at presenting something different. Also, all fans of 24 who missed out on some episodes earlier or want to relive the entire journey will now get enjoy the thrill not just on weekends but on 6 days in a week on Rishtey. I am also ever excited to share that while viewers once again relish Season 1 of the show, we are already working towards season 2 which will be as thrilling and edge-of-the-seat as the first season.”

     

    24 features the finest from the world of entertainment including Anil Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Shabana Azmi, Tisca Chopra, Anita Raj, Mandira Bedi and Neil Bhoopalam amongst others. The show is co-produced by Anil Kapoor Film Co. and Ramesh Deo Productions, directed by Abhinay Deo and adapted by Rensil D’Silva.

     

    Join ATU Chief Jai Singh Rathod in the race against time as 24 unfolds again Starting 25th August, 2014, every Monday to Saturday at 9.00 PM on Rishtey!

  • Singham Returns…Half a Singham!

    Singham Returns…Half a Singham!

    MUMBAI: Sequels are usually a means of using the brand equity of the title of a successful film. Singham Returns is one more such example. Ajay Devgn is still a cop who can fell half a dozen goons with one blow. Well, he has to, since the goons come in droves of fifty or more. But while that remains the same, the rest has changed because most Hindi filmmakers take the audience for granted while making a sequel.

    Devgn, a defiant and honest cop, who has been transferred to Mumbai from his Goa post in Singham (while in reality, such cops are transferred out of Mumbai!). Since he is Singham, he remains constant, while all including the villains as well as his wife to be too (!) have changed. Actually, the film has no space for a female lead but that would be a great risk according to Indian films’ unwritten regulations.

    Devgn is in comfortable company. His school teacher, Anupam Kher, leads a ruling political party, albeit in keeping with the recent trend of a coalition with another party. Kher’s party has Mahesh Manjrekar as the CM while his coalition partner is Zakir Hussain, whose strings are pulled by a swami, Aloke Gupte. Being Guru Kher’s disciple, Manjrekar and Devgn are both on the right side of the law while Hussain, under the auspice of the swami, is corruption personified and, obviously, possesses a criminal mind-set. It is a formula that has been working for decades; a swami and a seedy politician have always made a great combination for villainy.

    As things go, Devgn has the backing of all concerned: his school senior, the CM Manjrekar; their common school guru Kher; the police commissioner, Sharat Saxena; as well as the all of 40,000 odd cops of Mumbai!

    Everybody knows that the villains are Gupte and Hussain but the law needs proof. That is what the whole film is about. 142 minutes of finding proof against two not-so-sinister or convincing villains, Hussain and Gupte. So, finally, the film amounts to one-upmanship between the villains and Devgn. It goes on and on as the judiciary needs proof and police being what it is supposed to be, can’t protect its only witness. The villains win all the way until, finally, the law keepers become outlaws to liquidate the villains. They march in their sponsored banians to the villains den in just about the most clap trap scene in the film.

    The problem with Singham Returns is that it is an oft repeated story about a swami and a corrupt politician pitted against an honest establishment represented by a cop. What is more, it is poorly scripted. The film starts with the super cop, Devgn and a youth brigade riding fast bikes. That is rather tame. The script is so predictable, it could be any honest cop vs corrupt politician. Rohit Shetty’s direction without his blowing up cars does not amount to much really. The film has four music directors and eight lyricists on it credits but no song worth a mention!  Dialogue is okay at times. While the film needs some more trimming, the positive factor is its photography, especially aerial shots of Mumbai.

    As for performances, nobody really needs to act in this film. Devgn with his puffed up cheeks does what he does on regular basis: throw punches. Kareena Kapoor has no role really and just pouts her way through. Kher is his usual self. While Gupte overacts as the swami, Hussain is the only one who is convincing. Dayanand Shetty, the Daya of the TV serial CID does what he does in the serial; act as a mighty cop and breaks down doors; he is effective. Rest in the cast are incidental.

    On the whole, Singham Returns is a high priced routine film with only salvation being its four day weekend starting with the Independence Day holiday on Friday and ending with the Janmashtami holiday on Monday. Much appreciated earlier version, Singham, had barely managed to make it to 100 crore mark. While this film needs to do twice as much, it will fall much short of that mark.

  • The Anupam Kher Show looks to ramp up viewership further

    The Anupam Kher Show looks to ramp up viewership further

    MUMBAI: It is a format that has not been much explored but definitely experimented with by Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs). We are talking about celebrity talk shows with the latest to hit screens being The Anupam Kher Show (TAKS) on Colors.

     

    With TAKS, the genre saw a re-birth. As compared to earlier shows such as Movers and Shakers on Sab, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai on Zee TV, Issi Ka Naam Zindagi on Star Plus and Koffee With Karan season 4 on Star Plus (repeats), The Anupam Kher Show has been rated highest in terms of viewership for the launch episode. “

     

    According to data provided by the channel, TAKS opened with 2,591 TVTs whereas, Movers and Shakers recorded 2,283 TVTs, Issi Ka Naam Zindagi registered 1,089 TVTs and Koffee With Karan season 4 garnered 738 TVTs.

     

    Media planners say that ‘talk shows’ as yet haven’t been appetizing to Indian audiences. “If we compare these ratings with dailies or even any non-fiction property, they are low on numbers, but we cannot ignore that fact that talk shows are high on interest,” asserts a planner. “It’s good that Colors has taken the step of bringing a personality like Anupam Kher who has acceptability with other big screen names and talent and viewers.”

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak feels that it is people’s perception that talk shows don’t get the ratings. “I think with The Anupam Kher Show we have managed to get both perception and ratings. More than an average of 2.4 million people have been watching it week on week which is a very good number for a chat show.”

     

    Unlike on other chat shows where celebrities come to promote their movies, Nayak believes the beauty of ATKS involves no movie integrations and is completely not scripted and sans cue cards. “Most of the people coming on the show are his personal friends and that brings in a lot of intimate moments and there is a feel in the show since it is a free flowing chat where the guest is very comfortable.”

     

    However, even though ATKS gained high in terms of viewership in the launch episode, the ratings have been slipping – abeit marginally in week two and three respectively to  2,360 TVTs and 2,263 TVTs. The fourth episode which featured Kangana Ranaut reported a weak 1,575 TVTs. “That’s because of Queen which aired on Sony Entertainment Television,” says a media observer. 

     

    Nayak is not too perturbed about the drop in week four. “We need to watch how TAKS performs over a longer period,” says he. “It is a “different” show which the team and I believe will grow on audiences. In every chat show, there are ups and downs. The ratings we have got for the show are anyway higher than what we had expected. You have to go with the flow and not create sensationalism in a show otherwise it looks scripted.”

     

    He is confident that the upcoming week’s ratings will beat the launch viewership record as well. Channels sources reveal that the coming week’s episode has Kapil Sharma as a guest, and the following ones are slated to feature Varun Dhawan and his father David Dhawan, and Akshay Kumar.

     

    They reveal that the entire advertising inventory has been sold out and TAKS also has roped in  Jyothi Laboratories’ Henko as the powered by sponsor.

     

    Planners also believe that overall, talk shows rate below daily shows. Yet they attract a small yet significant set of audience which are relevant to the GECs.

     

    According to a highly placed industry source, the production cost per episode of a chat show is higher than that of the dailies. The reason: the cost of the sets, the host’s fee and other embellishments that come along with celebritydom. “But they have a glamour and buzz factor which a TV show featuring TV stars cannot bring,” says she. “Colors needs to be lauded for once again pushing ahead and working on producing differentiated programming. The show can also have a lot of syndication and distribution potential internationally to audiences which know of Anupam Kher because of his involvement with Hollywood through films like Silver Linings Playbook.“

     

    (updated on 13 August at 5:07 pm)

  • Anupam Kher gets chatty with stars

    Anupam Kher gets chatty with stars

    MUMBAI: Whoever said what’s in the name hasn’t met Shah Rukh Khan then. The baadshah of the Indian film industry is known by many names, Rahul being the most popular one.

    But would things have been the same if he was named Abdul Rehman as per his grandparents’ wish? The star’s parents went ahead with Shah Rukh Khan which means face of the king, maybe the real reason behind his success.

    It has never been written or heard of. But things are going to change as actor Anupam Kher will ask intriguing questions to the people we idolize and sometimes worship on his latest show, ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai.’

    Come 6 July and the show will present viewers with unprecedented glimpse into the lives of their favourite celebrities, as they reveal stories of faith, hope, struggle, victory and success every Sunday at 8pm on Colors.

    The channel synonymous with celebrities, recently through its show, Mission Sapne, got celebrities to live the life of a common man, and with the new show, it will set new heights as celebs will talk about their journey from ‘aam’ to ‘khaas’.

    Produced by Actor Prepares Productions, season one will see prominent celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt, Vidya Balan, David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan, Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Kapil Sharma, Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapur, Sonam Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor, cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah on the show.

    The show is an extension of Kher’s popular autobiographical play ‘Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’.

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak recalls the moment when 10 years back Kher invited him and his family for the premier of ‘Kucch bhi Ho Sakta Hai’. “Those days I hardly knew anybody in Bollywood. Anupam was the first few people whom I knew. The show was exciting and it is then that I told him, why don’t we put this on television?”

    Six months back, they met and decided upon it as they thought the time was right. And from there it all started; however, Nayak wanted the show to be different from his play. He didn’t want Kher to speak about his life, his sacrifices etc like in the play but about others.

    According to Nayak the beauty of the show will be its no fixed format or structure. More so, he didn’t even want it to be scripted.  For him, the show should make one cry or laugh naturally, while giving an insight into the life of celebrities like never before.

    For Colors digital head Vivek Srivastava, Kher has a charming personality and the fact that he knows everybody in the industry proved to be an advantage. “Kher was completely clear in his mind that he is going to chat with people about aspects which are not regular, something which will show a different side of a star. The fact that he is friendly with most of them and the fact that he knows so much about their lives, people opened up automatically,” he says.

    With the set created only for 20 days at Filmcity, all the episodes have already been shot. The team consists of only five-six members including two researchers.

    The biggest challenge for the entire team was what content to keep and what to cut. “Every episode, the conversations went on for hours. So, it got difficult for us to chop it into an hour’s content,” informs Srivastava.

    The channel has got Jyothi Laboratories’ Henko on-board as the powered by sponsor.

    Colors is always known for its heavy digital marketing. Apart from the regular push, the aim is to bring the show alive on the digital platforms. Fans will get to interact with Kher, keeping the spirit of the show live. An application on Facebook called ‘Reading the true sides of the people’ has been created which will through questions try to unravel the kind of personality one is.

    “As the show progresses, one will also see a rise in the amount of engagement activities with the fan,” adds Srivastava.

    The channel expects good ratings for the show, unlike Mission Sapne which did not deliver good ratings despite having celebrities on-board. Says Nayak, “Mission Sapne was a hatke show. But, unfortunately for MS, it came right in the middle of IPL. Had we delayed the launch, maybe we would have got much better ratings. But for us, it was a huge success and profitable because none of the stars charged us to come onboard. And the same is with the upcoming property.”

    Nayak and his programming team know that talk shows do not give ratings, but he is confident that Kher’s show will work wonders for the channel. “For me it is not a talk show, it is an Anupam Kher show. We as a channel have been known for showing cutting-edge content.”

    Nayak believes that today audiences are very demanding and there is nothing like channel loyalty but viewers are more loyal towards programmes. Already expecting a successful season one, the channel has plans to get season two in the coming months. It plans to get new faces on-board every time.

    According to a highly placed media planner, considering it’s a Sunday property, it might not get the ratings it expects. “The concept is nice, something catchy, but viewers are very demanding at the end-of-the-day. Content has to be really strong to keep the audience engaged.”

  • Colors set to inspire with ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’

    Colors set to inspire with ‘The Anupam Kher Show – Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’

    MUMBAI: From Say Na Something To Anupam Uncle to Sawaal Dus Crore Ka, the versatile actor Anupam Kher as a host has shown his might. Kher is set to make his comeback to the small screen with Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai on Colors.

     

    Produced by Anupam Kher Productions, it is Kher’s first foray into television production. The show will highlight the most inspirational stories of respected Bollywood celebrities which speak about the challenges and testing times that they have experienced before winning accolades and achieving success.

     

    It is a show which spreads the message that nothing is impossible. A small-screen extension of Anupam Kher’s biographical theatre venture of the same name, the show furthers Anupam Kher’s core belief that life’s biggest lessons arise from failure.

     

    Speaking about the show, Colors CEO Raj Nayak says, “While people know Anupam Kher – the star, there’s much more to him as a human being. His own story is extremely inspirational and now he’s going to help others like him talk to our viewers about their life experiences. We are sure that with a host like Anupam on board, this show will make them laugh, cry, and inspire at the same time.”

     

     Commenting on the show’s concept, The Anupam Kher Production producer Anupam Kher asserts, “Television is a medium that has been close to my heart and developing and hosting this show, on Colors, is like a homecoming of sorts. Moreover, the show is my first foray into television production and it’s my belief that sharing stories of struggles, self-motivation and success of achievers from different walks of life will be the perfect onset of my journey into this unexplored territory.”

     

    The show will go on floor by the end of the month.

  • IIFA to premiere Anupam Kher’s short ‘I went shopping for Robert de Niro’

    IIFA to premiere Anupam Kher’s short ‘I went shopping for Robert de Niro’

    MUMBAI: Recognising the immense potential of Indian movies to cross boundaries and gain recognition as world class cinema, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will screen the directorial venture of renowned Indian and international actor, Anupam Kher which would be preceded by an acting workshop for the students of the University of South Florida.

     

    One of India’s biggest celebration of cinema – the 15th Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend and the Tata Motors IIFA Awards is all set to take place at Tampa Bay, Florida from 23 to 26 April, 2014.

     

    Titled I went shopping for Robert de Niro, Anupam Kher’s short film will have a World Premiere at IIFA on the second day of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend. The premiere will be open to celebrities from the Indian film fraternity, who will be seen attending the screening and lending support to the veteran actor. Through the film, Kher has paid tribute to iconic Hollywood actor Robert De Niro, his co-star from the Oscar nominated film – Silver Linings Playbook. The film’s writer and main actor, Shivangi Kshirsagar, who actually did go shopping for De Niro describes the film as wild, feminine, and brazen. She portrays the role of the girl who goes shopping for De Niro in the short-film and has tried to best represent what she has seen of De Niro’s work in the 29-minute short film.  

     

    Actor, Anupam Kher spoke of the film saying, “The film has had an exciting journey which came a sort of full circle for us on 10 November, 2013, when De Niro visited our (acting) school and met the team. It was a very special occasion and I invited some prominent actors and directors from the Indian film industry to meet him. It was fun to watch some of our biggest stars sit around him – like students who crowd around their guru – while De Niro patiently answered questions about his work, characters, scripts, co-actors, his films, his associations with filmmakers, etc. He graciously signed books, pictures and DVDs for everyone. It was such a memorable evening. He wrote a note for my students and teachers as well.” 

     

    Having contributed immensely to the world of cinema in the last 30 years, Anupam Kher is undoubtedly one of the finest actors Indian cinema has ever seen. Kher has proved his mettle time and again playing diverse roles in over 460 films and numerous theatre productions. He has been a part of many Hindi-cinema classics, including A Wednesday, Lamhe, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Special 26, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge among others. Kher has also been a part of a number of crossover and mainstream Hollywood films including Midnight’s Children, Bend It Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice, Woody Allen’s You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger and the Oscar nominated movie, Silver Linings Playbook.

     

     “Having the World Premiere at IIFA in Tampa, Florida, showcases in essence the spirit of the short film, where a group of Indian artists pay tribute to the American legend, as India celebrates the centenary of Indian Cinema this year,” added Kher, who is sharing his craft through the acting workshop at IIFA Awards 2014, Tampa Florida.

     

    The workshop will also throw light on various topics on Indian cinema and will provide guidance to those seeking a professional career within the acting fraternity. The workshop on 24 April is open to students of USF.

     

    Speaking on the acting workshop and premiere, Wizcraft International and IIFA director Andre Timmins said, “IIFA has long endeavoured to introduce the short film into the Weekend. We want to promote different films and give opportunities to students to be a part of the Indian cinema and IIFA experience. We look forward to screening ‘I went shopping for Robert De Niro’. We believe it will showcase both Indian and American aspects, making it a perfect premiere for IIFA in the United States and a catalyst for cinematic exchange.”