ITV

Tag: Bhootnath Returns

  • Ajay Kapoor’s experience will benefit our film venture: Wadhawan Group

    Ajay Kapoor’s experience will benefit our film venture: Wadhawan Group

    MUMBAI: The Rajesh Wadhawan Group, with interest in finance, real estate, hospitality, and sports, is now entering Bollywood with their foray into film production. The Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan-led group’s new venture will take shape under the able leadership of T- series’ former director Ajay Kapoor.

    Rajesh Wadhawan Group vice chairman Dheeraj Wadhawan said, “His wealth of experience and the body of work till date makes him a major force to reckon with in the industry. We hope Ajay’s vision and leadership skills will create strong foundation for our production house.”

    Starting a new chapter of his career, Kapoor felt it was time he took up new challenges. “Over the years, T-Series has given me a lot of love, strength and recognition in the market. It was time I took the experience I have gained and make use of it for exploring newer and bigger opportunities. I share the vision of this group’s foray into film production business and hope to make a difference together as envisioned.”

    At T-Series, Ajay was famous for having produced box-office hits like Ready, Tum Bin, Bhool Bhulaiya, Roy, Bhootnath Returns, Baby, Airlift and Hate Story among other. He worked with T Series Group for over 15 years.

  • Ajay Kapoor’s experience will benefit our film venture: Wadhawan Group

    Ajay Kapoor’s experience will benefit our film venture: Wadhawan Group

    MUMBAI: The Rajesh Wadhawan Group, with interest in finance, real estate, hospitality, and sports, is now entering Bollywood with their foray into film production. The Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan-led group’s new venture will take shape under the able leadership of T- series’ former director Ajay Kapoor.

    Rajesh Wadhawan Group vice chairman Dheeraj Wadhawan said, “His wealth of experience and the body of work till date makes him a major force to reckon with in the industry. We hope Ajay’s vision and leadership skills will create strong foundation for our production house.”

    Starting a new chapter of his career, Kapoor felt it was time he took up new challenges. “Over the years, T-Series has given me a lot of love, strength and recognition in the market. It was time I took the experience I have gained and make use of it for exploring newer and bigger opportunities. I share the vision of this group’s foray into film production business and hope to make a difference together as envisioned.”

    At T-Series, Ajay was famous for having produced box-office hits like Ready, Tum Bin, Bhool Bhulaiya, Roy, Bhootnath Returns, Baby, Airlift and Hate Story among other. He worked with T Series Group for over 15 years.

  • Kangana Ranaut wins National Award for Best Actress; ‘Queen’ is Best Film

    Kangana Ranaut wins National Award for Best Actress; ‘Queen’ is Best Film

    MUMBAI: Kangana Ranaut, whose performance was applauded by one and all in the film Queen has won the National Film Award for best actress for essaying the role of ‘Rani’ in the movie.

     

    This is Ranaut’s second National Award. In 2008, the actress won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion.

     

    Additionally, Vikas Bahl-directed Queen has won the Best Film Award.

     

    The National Awards will be handed out by President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 May, 2015 in New Delhi. As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, veteran actor – producer Shashi Kapoor will receive his Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony.

     

    On the other hand, Kannada actor Vijay bagged Best Actor for the Kannada film Nanu Avanalla Avalu.

     

    The Priyanka Chopra starrer Mary Kom, which is directed by Omung Kumar, has won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Whereas Haider bagged awards in various categories like Best Choreography (Bismil), Music Direction, Costume Design and Male Playback Singer (Sukhwinder Singh for Bismil).

     

    Director Srijit Mukherji won Best Director for his Bengali film Chotushkone. Killa was named as the Best Marathi Film, Harivu won in the Best Kannada Film category, Nirbashito won Best Bengali Film, whereas Othello won Best Assamese Film.

     

    The Amitabh Bachchan starrer Bhootnath Returns received a special mention at the National Awards. The movie was produced by T-Series and B R Films.

     

    T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar said, “I am extremely delighted and honoured by this special mention given to Bhoothnath Returns by the National Awards Committee and on behalf of my entire team at T-Series, would like to thank them for this honor. We have always upheld cinematic values and this has further justified our faith in unique and meaningful movies.”

  • Linc Pen takes brand integration route

    Linc Pen takes brand integration route

    KOLKATA: Kolkata-headquartered Linc Pen & Plastics has spent 1.5 to 2 per cent of the Rs 315 crore turnover on marketing and branding in the current fiscal 2014-15.

     

    In an industry, which is marked by low level of differentiation, the company is aware that it is imperative to create brand differentiation among the potential target audience. In keeping with this, Linc Pen & Plastics has spent close to seven per cent of its marketing spent on digital campaigns and internet.

     

    Also, after integrating its brand in the movie Bhootnath Returns, the company is looking for more such brand integration opportunities.

     

    “It is essential to advertise and popularise the USP of the product and the brand on digital platforms these days. We are not only active on digital platforms, but look at how to engage with people. We spend around 78 per cent on the above-the-line (ATL) activities including advertisements and hoardings. Also, the ATL mix is going up as compared to last year,” said Linc Pen & Plastics brand manager Harshvardhen Daga.

     

    With consumers becoming more and more enthusiastic about what brand they use, Linc Pen & Plastics is always looking for engagement programmes with its consumers.

     

    Linc Pen is amongst the top three brands in the writing instruments industry, having largest market share in eastern India. Linc pens are exported to more than 50 countries presently. The brand was placed at number 282 across all brands in India last year.

     

    On the brand integration with movies, he said that brand Linc was shown for around 60 seconds in Boothnath Returns. “We are in talks with people for getting our brand good visibility,” he said.

     

    The writing instrument market is low-involvement and highly fragmented. “Linc focuses on the mass market. We have pens ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20 in the mass market segment,” he concluded.

  • No hits at the BO

    No hits at the BO

    MUMBAI: Mastram, a film about a porn writer and his inspirations, has failed to attract attention. The film collects about Rs 2 crore during its first weekend.

     

     Koyelaanchal, a violent film about coal mafia is very poor. The film manages to collect just about Rs 1.35 crore for its opening weekend.

     

    Manjunath, a biopic about a whistle blower of UP oil mafia meets with poor response.

     

    Hawaa Hawaai, a pleasant film on ambitions of the underprivileged improved to some extent over the weekend on the word of mouth.

     

    Kya Dilli Kya Lahore manages to collect just about Rs 75 lakh in its first week.

     

    Purani Jeans collects Rs 1.25 crore in its first week.

     

    Revolver Rani adds a mere Rs 75 lakh in its second week thus taking its two week total to Rs 9.55 crore.

     

    2 States is strong even its third week. The film has added Rs 10.8 crore for the week to take its three week tally to Rs 95.1 crore.

     

    Bhootnath Returns collected Rs 30 lakh in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 36.35 crore.

  • ‘Revolver Rani’ fails to grab eyeballs

    ‘Revolver Rani’ fails to grab eyeballs

    MUMBAI: The trade expected Revolver Rani to draw good houses because of Kangna Ranaut’s recent hit, Queen, but the film opened to a very weak response. The improvement over the weekend was negligible. The poor content belies any chance of sustaining today onwards. The film has managed to collect about Rs 6 crore for the first three days.

     

    Samrat & Co. has emerged a total disaster failing to manage even a crore in the first weekend. The film has collected Rs 90 lakh for the opening weekend.

     

    Kaanchi, with an old-fashioned approach with its title till its promotion and release strategy has failed miserably. The film managed to collect Rs 2.45 crore for the first weekend.

     

    2 States is already a hit and on its way to getting bigger. The film has collected Rs 60.2 crore for the first week and keeping a solid hold on the box office through its second weekend.

     

    Bhootnath Returns has done fairly well in its second week to collect Rs 6.75 crore to take its two week total to Rs 34.85 crore.

     

    Main Tera Hero is fair in its third week adding Rs 3.25 crore to take its three week total to Rs 52 crore.

     

    Queen has managed another Rs 50 lakh in its seventh week to take its seven week tally to Rs 58 crore.

  • ‘2 States’ sizzles at box office

    ‘2 States’ sizzles at box office

    MUMBAI: 2 States, a youth oriented love story with all the traditional Indian ingredients packaged to contemporary tastes, took off with flying colours, the opening day being to near full houses at the multiplexes.

     

    The film maintained well on Saturday and peaked on Sunday as expected. The film collected Rs 37.6 crore for its opening weekend.

     

    Bhootnath Returns, which opened to weak collections on Friday, improved on Saturday and Sunday only to lose the momentum as the week progressed. After a weekend of Rs 18.2 crore, the film could add only Rs 10.1 crore over other four days to show Rs 28.1 crore at the end of its first week.

     

    Main Tera Hero sustained well in its second week to collect Rs 12.55 crore taking its two week total to Rs 48.75 crore.

     

    Ragini MMS 2 has added a symbolic Rs 20 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 47.05 crore.

     

    Queen reaches the end of its glorious run by adding another Rs 1.05 crore for its sixth week and taking its six week total to Rs 57.5 crore.

     

    The success of Queen has made the forthcoming Kangna Ranaut starrer Revolver Rani, a movie to look forward to in the film trade and also with the audience. On this count, the exhibitors expect more from this film than the other two releases slated for 25 April, Samrat & Co. and Kaanchi.

  • Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Bhootnath Returns’ rakes in Rs 18.2 cr at the BO

    Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Bhootnath Returns’ rakes in Rs 18.2 cr at the BO

    MUMBAI: Bhootnath Returns, the sequel to the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Bhootnath (2008), opened to a weak response on Friday but consolidated a bit on Saturday and very well on Sunday to collect Rs 18.2 crore for its opening weekend. The film should sustain today as well because of Ambedkar Jayanti holiday and, in parts for Baisakhi as well.

     

    Main Tera Hero starring Varun Dhawan and Ileana D’Cruz is fair in its first week. The film has managed to collect Rs 36.2 crore.

     

    Youngistan has added Rs 72 lakh in its second week to take its two tally to Rs 5.97 crore. The figure just goes onto show that it is a very poor performer.

     

    Jal has collected about Rs50 lakh in its first week.

     

    Ragini MMS2 has added Rs 1.1 crore in its third week taking its three week total to Rs 46.85 crore.

     

    Queen continues its excellent run at the box office. The film has collected Rs 2.35 crore in its fifth week taking its five week total to Rs 56.45 crore.

  • Big B to open Indian Film Festival in Melbourne next month

    Big B to open Indian Film Festival in Melbourne next month

    NEW DELHI: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bchchan, whose latest film ‘Bhootnath Returns’ was released this week, is to open the Indian Film Festival Melbourne 2014 on 1 May.

     

    The 2014 festival programme was launched in Melbourne by Louise Asher, Australian Minister for Innovation, Tourism and Major Events and Employment and Trade, and Bollywood diva and Festival Ambassador Vidya Balan. The Festival CEO Mitu Bhowmick Lange was also present.

     

    According to Asher, Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. So total was his dominance of the movie scene in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director Francois Truffaut called him a “one-man industry”.

     

    Addressing media persons, Asher said that the festival will be held from 1 to 11 May and feature over 40 films, with more than half being Australian premieres. “Films will be shown in 20 languages and we will have five free screenings at Federation Square,” Asher said. “Victorians and all visitors to Melbourne are in for a treat of Indian films this year.

     

    “It will be an honour to have Bachchan here, just a year after he opened the Cannes Film Festival with his Great Gatsby co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio,” Asher said.

     

    “In response to community feedback, the festival has also added to the programme an exciting new section called New Voices, which will feature six films from first time filmmakers,” Asher said. 

     

    Other industry guests include Konkona Sen Sharma, Vijay Krishna Acharya (director of Dhoom 3), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag), Hassan Waqas Rana and  Shaan Shahid (producer and star respectively of Waar, Pakistan’s highest-grossing box office hit of all time), and South Indian actor-producer Suhasini Maniratnam.

     

    Asher said this year’s festival would see the return of Festival favourites, such as the interactive master classes, Western Union Short Film competition and the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition, to be judged by the incredible actor/producer Malaika Arora Khan, a judge on TV show India’s Got Talent.

     

    Asher said “Balan is a great friend of Victoria, and known for her roles portraying strong female protagonists. She launched the 2012 and 2013 Festivals and it is an honour and a pleasure to have her back this year.”

     

    She added: “The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne brings prominent Indian filmmakers and screen professionals to Melbourne, helps promote Victoria as an international screen production destination, and provides opportunities todevelop Victorian and Indian screen partnerships.”

     

    Balan said she felt at home in Melbourne and would come back again with her husband soon. She thanked the Victorian government for supporting the IFFM 2014 and she considered the festival as a personal achievement.

     

    IFFM Festival director Lange said the 2014 IFFM would be the most exciting and ambitious festival yet. “We could not have asked for a better chief guest than the patriarch of Indian cinema and one of the most iconic Indians of all times, Amitabh Bachchan, to open the festival on 1 May.”

     

    “The inaugural IFFM Awards takes the festival to a new level and we are all very excited to see who the winners will be. I hope you will all join in with your friends and family to celebrate the magic of cinema!,” Lange ended.

  • Bhootnath Returns…….Ghost Samaritan

    Bhootnath Returns…….Ghost Samaritan

    MUMBAI: It has become a trend for a film to end with a threat of a sequel. Good or bad or outright disastrous, most films leave open the possibility. That is like hoping to build a high rise on a weak foundation since most of these films promising sequels are flops. In that event, what led to the sequel to Bhootnath which was rejected in cinemas though it did better on TV and DVD circuits? Whatever the inspiration, here goes:

    Bhootnath, Amitabh Bachchan, has been referred back to ghost land like a bounced cheque since he has failed to scare people on his first outing with earthlings. Ghosts laugh at him because of his failure to scare humans. Amitabh has eons before he can return to earth as a human and he feels belittled at this treatment by fellow ghosts. He asks the boss of ghost land to give him one more chance to go back and successfully scare people. After all, scaring living beings is what ghosts are supposed to do!I know as much about ghosts as ghosts know about me but this is what the film professes.

    Back on earth, Amitabh uses his ghostly powers to scare some kids playing cricket in a deserted place. The kids are not the kind to believe in ghosts, let alone be scared of one. He comes across a kid, Parth Bhalerao, who can see him and is not scared of him since he does not believe Amitabh to be a ghost; the kid is street smart.  A street smart kid led to Amitabh’s failure on his last trip on earth but, this time, the kid and the ghost both decide to use each others’ strengths.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Chopra, Renu Ravi Chopra.

    Direction: Nitesh Tiwari.

    Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Parth Bhalerao, Boman Irani, Usha Jadhav, Sanjay Mishra, Brijendra Kala, Usha Nadkarni.

    It seems the area where Partho lives, Dharavi, is the most neglected and deprived in Mumbai. Bhootnath decides to make his return to the earth at Dharavi, his bad luck! Soon Parth teaches the ghost the game of using each other. While Parth uses Amitabh to first help scare the convent school gang of cricket players and get into their league, Amitabh, in return, earns secrecy about his being and the fact that he is not all that scary a ghost. With a little help from Parth, Amitabh becomes a good neighbourly ghost helping people get their due justice. It is all fun so far but it is also time to introduce the villain.

    Boman Irani is an ex-local goon turned politician and has been ruling the area assembly seat for the last three terms. His is a reign of terror, corruption and exploitation. His voters abhor him but also vote for him. Nobody would contest an election against him and, finally, it is left to Amitabh to do it. The law is silent on weather a dead man can contest an election and his lawyer, Sanjay Mishra, asserts as such. So, it is an electoral fight between Amitabh and Boman. This is where the film loses its purpose and direction and, mainly, its target audience: the kids it is aimed at.

    The film entertains with its witty one liners delivered by Parth but, once the election issue is introduced, it becomes another film altogether. The light moments vanish and moralising lectures take their place, which is boring. On that count, the script loses its purpose. Direction is fair with quite a few liberties taken. There is no scope for songs except for sermonising kinds. Cinematography is good. Dialogue is well penned. The film has sourced a few of its actors from Marathi films. Parth is impressive. Usha Jadhav as his mother is very good. Amitabh Bachchan is his usual self, one who does not have to act to convey his part. Boman Irani goes a bit overboard at times. Sanjay Mishra and Brijendra Kala are good as always. Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor make brief cameos to no effect.

    On the whole, the problem with Bhootnath Returns is that it turns out to be a children’s film with an adult theme coming as it does in the multiplex era where waiting for a DVD works out more economical than sending kids to cinema halls (as has been proved by the performance of Bhootnath on this count).