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Tag: Boman Irani

  • Vashu Bhagnani presents Youngistan with son Jackky in the lead

    Vashu Bhagnani presents Youngistan with son Jackky in the lead

    MUMBAI: With movies like Ajab Gazab Prem, FALTU etc, actor Jackky Bhagnani has almost become a youth icon. Now, the actor will be seen in MSM Motion Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani, Youngistan, a love story set in the backdrop of Indian politics. The film, besides Jackky stars Neha Sharma, Farooq Shaikh and Boman Irani.

     

    While the first schedule of the film has been shot overseas and Lucknow, the second schedule of the film will go on floors soon at the picturesque Taj Mahal in Agra making it the ideal locale to launch the film and its unique campaign titled “Yo Youngistan Go Youngistan”. Uttar Pradesh lends itself very nicely to this film that has a political backdrop. To add to it, Agra, a symbol of power and love supplements the entire setting. Yo Youngistan Go Youngistan is a ground rally that will travel across the country and collect youth pledges and will also see several youth icons from various walks of life join Jackky Bhagnani in getting the young Indians to pledge to vote. The campaign will also generate findings on the change Young India wishes to see in their policies and their politicians.

     

    Jackky Bhagnani said in a press release, “For me as the name suggests Youngistan stands for the youth by the youth and of the youth of India. The film is a common live story in a very uncommon premise “.

     

    The film is scheduled to release on 1 May 2014.

  • Jolly LLB nets Rs 124 mn in opening weekend

    Jolly LLB nets Rs 124 mn in opening weekend

    MUMBAI: Boman Irani and Arshad Warsi starrer Jolly LLB collected Rs 123.5 million in its opening weekend. The film has found few takers in single screens and small centres as the collections indicate that over Rs 90 million has come from Bombay, Delhi-UP NCR and Punjab circuits.

    Mere Dad Ki Maruti has not been able to draw patrons and has managed to collect just Rs 45.9 million from its first weekend run at the box office.

    Neil Nitin Mukesh 3G seems to have done better in smaller centres and collected Rs 41 million in its opening weekend.

    Tigmanshu Dhulia’s critically appreciated Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns sustained fairly well to end its first week with collections of Rs 178 million (after a weekend of Rs 111 million).

    Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga ran with collections of about Rs 8.5 million in its first week.

    I Me Aur Mein collected Rs 8.5 lakh in its second week taking its total to Rs 86.5 million.

    Ram Gopal Varma’s The Attacks Of 26/11 collected Rs 25 million in its second week. It has netted Rs 132 million so far.

    Zila Ghaziabad collected Rs 6.5 million in its third week to take its box office total to Rs 155.5 million.

    Kai Po Che sustained well in its third week and collected Rs 52 million. Its box office collections stand at Rs 457 million.

    Special 26 collected Rs 13 million in its fifth week to have a total score of Rs 698.5 million.

    Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) added Rs 4.2 million in its fifth week to take its total collections to Rs 406 million.

  • Jolly LLB: A not so jolly fare

    Jolly LLB: A not so jolly fare

    MUMBAI: Courtroom drama is a rare genre in Hindi film industry, possibly because there is little that is exemplary or inspiring coming out of legal stories. Also, a courtroom drama is a verbal battle of wits and needs good script and skill with dialogue, both of which are rather tough to find. In such an event, the inspiration has to come from a foreign film, especially to base your protagonists on. Arshad Warsi‘s character, in that case, identifies with that of Joe Pesci in the 1992 Hollywood hit, My Cousin Vinny. Only, here it is blended with the screen persona of Warsi. And so also that of the judge, played here by Saurabh Shukla. Of course, the plot is given an Indian hue having been based on the story of Delhi‘s infamous Sanjeev Nanda case about drunken driving, running over and killing six people in 1999.

    Producers: Fox Star Studios
    Director: Subhash Kapoor.
    Cast: Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla, Amrita Rao, Mohan Kapoor, Mohan Agashe, Harsh Chhaya, Manoj Pahwa, Ramesh Deo.

    Warsi is a lawyer in Meerut, a town about 70kms from Delhi. Like many of his breed, he chases and solicits clients for simple court proceeding like affidavits since nobody would trust him, a fresh out-of-college lawyer, to handle a serious case. In any case, high profile cases are not happening in his town. His ambition to make it big as a legal luminary seems impossible to him in Meerut. Convinced that his only chance to make it big is to go to Delhi, he makes the move leaving his girlfriend, Amrita Rao, behind. Once in Delhi, things are no different. He is still running after anybody and everybody in the court premises seeking a client for simple court paperwork.

    Boman Irani, who ranks among the top few lawyers, is in the district court to defend one of his most controversial clients, Rahul Dewan, the scion of the big business house. The scion has driven his car into six people in a drunken stupor killing them all. Since Irani, one of the renowned practitioners is handling the case, Warsi, among others, is also in the audience to learn a thing or two and he is awed by the way Irani gets his client released in a few minutes.

    Warsi is impressed but idle as he is, decides to dig into the case thinking that this is his chance and that, in India, a PIL is the best way to get noticed and draw media attention overnight, especially, in a case is as controversial as this. The whole world and the media knows the scion killed people but Irani proved it otherwise. A novice, Warsi, who has never argued a court case, learns from his adversary, Irani, and goes along to use what he learnt from him against him as the things proceed. But Irani proves too smart for him, because Warsi‘s prime eye-witness turns out to be Irani‘s plant. Irani uses Warsi to get his dues from the Dewans.

    After that, the scriptwriter takes an easy route; there is a constable who auctions and allots prime posts in Delhi police to the highest bidder (the one with a 65-lakh bid for Delhi Sadar gets the plum post). He agrees to handover the accident videos to Warsi. This is script writing of convenience.

    Warsi is the underdog and has taken on a big fish in Irani and the media want to ride with him. However, the viewer goes along with Saurabh Shukla, the judge, for he is also with the underdog because as he says, ‘The law may be blind but the judge is not.‘ His other observation: ‘The day the case begins, I know what is right but I need to wait till somebody presents proof.‘

    The problem with the handling of Jolly LLB is that, with Warsi and Irani in the lead, it has been promoted as an outright comedy; that is the impression all its media promotion gives. However, the film is never sure about its aim. It keeps swinging between a comedy, a serious social issue and a dig at the Indian judicial system. It could simply have been a good vs. evil or a right vs. wrong story.

    The script is bereft of excitement or twists and turns that could hold a viewer‘s interest. The film has but one such, when Harsh Chhaya turns out to be Irani‘s plant. Director Subhash Kapoor does just a passable job as his characters lack consistency; Irani is a lawyer rated along with Sibal and Jethmalani but loses control at the smallest of adversity while Warsi‘s ambition is to make a name but falls for the first carrot hung at him, a cut of Rs 20 lakh. In this film pitting Warsi and Irani, it is the referee, the judge, who steals a march; Saurabh Shukla is excellent. Amrita Rao, Warsi‘s love interest has nothing much to do. Dialogue doesn‘t provide scope for the verbal duel one would wish for in a courtroom drama. Music is of little help.
    Mere Dad Ki Maruti: A flat script

    Producer: Ashisha Patil.
    Director: Ashima Chibber.
    Cast: Saqib Saleem, Rhea Chakrobarty, Ram Kapoor, Prabal Punjabi, Ravi Kissen, Benazir Shaikh, Karan Mehra, Ritu Khanna Vij.

    A Punjabi wedding becomes impressive depending on the gifts bestowed on the son-in-law and to a filmmaker it gives a chance to fill the screen with colour, dances and songs.

    Ram Kapoor‘s daughter, Benazir Shaikh, is due to marry her boyfriend of many years, Karan Mehra. Kapoor is very happy at the choice as he has always liked Mehra more than he likes his son, Saqib Saleem. For his only daughter, he has decided to gift a high-end Maruti car as a bidaai gift. Saleem does not think much of his brother-in-law to be and thinks it is unfair to give away a new car to him on pretence of giving it to his sister when he himself has no car of his own. Saleem has a sidekick in Prabal Punjabi.

    Saleem likes a particular college hottie, Rhea Chakarobarty, and often tries to approach her but she is hooked to another guy. But then Chakrobarty ticks off her boyfriend and Saleem sees a chance for him to invite her out that night. Wanting to impress his date, Saleem decides to ‘borrow‘ the new Maruti delivered the same day. His plan is very simple: take the car out on the sly, impress the girl, replace it quietly and no one need be any wiser. All goes according to plan and it is time to drop off Chakrobarty back to her hostel. Having done that, Saleem decides he has not had enough of the evening yet. He goes back to the bar to enjoy some more. He is too excited at the outcome of the evening to see that he is handing over the car keys to a person dressed in black, thinking that is the valet.

    There is a girl by his side and car keys in his hand. The man in black decides to take a spin. When he stops to try some ideas with the girl, the cops spring up. The man in black vanishes, leaving the car. The car makes one more journey on its own when a few kids see the car in unlocked, they push it and it lands in some no man‘s land kind of lane.

    Saleem and his sidekick Punjabi are done at the bar and want the car keys from the real valet. His troubles start here. There is no car and Kapoor is sure to find the garage empty in the morning. All sorts of tricks are resorted to so that there is a car in the garage, with the same model and same colour for Kapoor to see until the real one is found. From here till the car is traced should have been a fun ride but it is not. The writers do not manage to give the viewer much enjoyment or thrill until about 15 minutes before the end.

    Mere Dad Ki Maruti comes from Y Films, a division of Yash Raj Films, under which the company gives opportunities to new ideas and talents. However, in the case of Mere Dad Ki Maruti, the idea has come from the Hollywood hit, Dude, Where‘s My Car? Just finding a good starting point is not enough even if it has come from a foreign film. And with newer faces in the lead, the script needed to be solid.

    With content that has little to work on and a budget that is limited; director Ashima Chibber (also one of the three writers) does not deliver. Dialogue is routine and quite a lot of it in Punjabi. Music is all Punjabi and to those who don‘t dig it, it is just a lot of sound. Fine, it is about a Punjabi wedding and based in Chandigarh but did it have to be an almost Punjabi film? Ram Kapoor, in fact, struggles to pass off as a thorough Punjabi. Saleem can loosen up a little. Rhea Chakrobarty and Prabal Paunjabi are okay. Karan Mehra is good in a brief role. Ravi Kissen in a cameo is effective.

    Mere Dad Ki Maruti may be one of the most economical films made and released only through digital platform but is a disappointment for the exhibitors since only a good word of mouth could have brought some patrons to the halls which is unlikely.

  • Kurkure to launch new leg of ‘Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Kurkure is launching a new campaign introducing its new Extra Large- Super Saver pack.

    The new product is being introduced with a ‘Kurkure twist‘ and takes forward the new creative strategy of the Kurkure ‘Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai family‘ introduced last month.

    The ad-film starring the new “quirky” and “endearing” family is shown planning a ‘small Indian family party‘ with this new pack.

    The campaign starring the family comprising of Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Farida Jalal, Boman Irani, Ramyakrishnan, and Shivansh is scheduled to go on air on 29 January.

    It will be supported by a 360-degree marketing plan including print, radio activation and digital media engagement.

    PepsiCo India executive vice president – Foods Nalin Sood said, “The key insight behind the latest campaign is that there is no such concept as a small family party in India and this makes for a good proposition for our new Extra Large pack. Taking forward our mega brand strategy, consumers will see a lot of excitement from brand Kurkure over the coming months and this campaign is a step towards it”.

    The television commercials for the brand have been conceptualised and created by JWT.

    JWT India chief creative officer Bobby Pawar added, “Indians love to get together for fun-filled family moments, which is what our latest campaign aims to bring alive. The concept is stemming from the thought that we all have large social circles and can‘t escape from leaving extended family/ friends out of a ‘small‘ gathering”.

    In the TVC, the family is seen discussing the guest list for a small party that keeps increasing as each family member wishes to invite his/her close family and friends. Towards the end a ‘small gathering‘ becomes a ‘large party‘. However, the family has no worries as they have the new Kurkure Extra Large – Super Saver pack that is the perfect snacking option for such large family occasions.

    The TVC 40 seconder TVC is producer by Love & Faith‘s Varun Shah.

    For the record, the media planning agency for the account is Mindshare.

  • Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi: Another failed attempt at being ‘different’

    Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi: Another failed attempt at being ‘different’

    Mumbai: The quest for something different, something that can be made in a limited budget and without big stars continues. As such, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi is an experiment to that end.

     

    Producers: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sunil Lulla.
    Direction: Bela Bhansali Sehgal.
    Cast: Boman Irani, Farha Khan, Kavin Dave, Daisy Irani, Shammi, Kurush Deboo.

    The casting of Boman Irani and Farah Khan, as well as Bela Bhansali Sehgal directing a film for her brother’s banner, gets the film ample media attention. Parsis are known for marrying late or not marrying at all and that forms the basis of this film.

    Farhad (played by Boman Irani) is a 45-year-old bachelor with a dominating mother and loving grandmother. He makes his living working as a salesman at a local lingerie shop. Shirin (Farah Khan) is a single Parsi woman of 40 years. One fine day she walks into the shop where Boman works to buy a bra. She is specific about what she wants and Boman tries to convince her on a different size putting his years of experience to use. The sparks fly and both are drawn to each other. Boman, a pure heart simpleton, and Farah, an aggressive kind, want to meet again and again.

    Unknown to both of them, Farah is already enemy of the state as far as Boman’s mother, Daisy Irani, is concerned. As the secretary of the Parsi Trust, she has been responsible for destroying an illegal water storage tank which Daisy Irani’s late husband had lovingly built! Her late husband had done only two worthy things in his life: build that water tank and gave her a son like Boman. So there is no way Farah Khan can be her daughter-in-law. This apart, Boman and Farah keep having their own lovers’ tiffs and misunderstandings too.

    As the film makes it to its post interval part, it shreds any notion of being the love story of a middle-aged couple; it tries to incorporate everything that a regular teenage love story would have. The film’s backdrop is the famous Khushrow Baug in South Mumbai and almost all Parsis are made out to be nutty characters and their trust meetings are usually a free for all. What is more, the film concentrates only on the Parsi community with no non-Parsi character around.

    There are few characters in the film except when there is a meeting that turns into a free for all, which is made to look inevitable at each gathering. The film rests on the shoulders of Boman, Farha, Daisy Irani and Shammi. Shammi and Daisy Irani still make their presence felt. Boman Irani is his usual self, very natural. Farah carries a smirk all the time as if she was enjoying the experience.

    Directorially, Bela Bhansali Sehgal makes her debut but looks like she has a long way to go; the script is patchy and there is little she can do to rise above it. Dialogue is routine. Music wise, songs are well tuned but are out of place in most cases.

    Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi promises no box office prospects.

  • Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a rocky ride

    Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a rocky ride

    MUMBAI: When it comes to a sports film in India, the theme has to be ‘against all odds‘ and ‘the triumph of the underdog‘; people are always with the underdog. But Ferrari Ki Sawaari lingers somewhere between a children‘s film and a charade.

     

    Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
    Director: Rajesh Mapuskar.
    Cast: Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Ritwik Sahore, Deepak Shirke, Satyadeep Mishra, Seema Bhargava,
    Aakash Dhabade, Nilesh Divekar, Vijay Nikam, Paresh Rawal, Vidya Balan (Friendly appearance).

    It is about a young lad, Ritwik Sahore, who has the potential to become the next superstar of cricket, his determined father, Sharman Joshi, who is willing to invest his last rupee to encourage his son, and the grandfather, Boman Irani, who hates anything cricket. There is no angle provided for a female actor in the story.

    Sharman Joshi, as he proudly introduces himself, is the head clerk at the RTO in Mumbai. He is so honest he finds a cop to pay the fine when he has to break a signal and nobody has seen him do it. He often helps the traffic police clear traffic jams. His son, Ritwik Sahore, loves cricket and also shows great potential to make it big someday. Sharman spares no efforts to get what his son needs in pursuit of cricket. That is, when he watches his son checking a bat out at a sport shop and putting it back after seeing its price tag, Sharman puts together the money from all his hiding places, including breaking the piggy bank. The bat cost Rs 2800 and he manages to buy it but then comes an impossible demand. Ritwik has been chosen for a coaching camp at Lords and the fees amount to Rs 150,000.

    Boman Irani is no help as he has a past related to cricket which is not very pleasant and, as such, he does not let his son Sharman take up the game and also discourages his grandson from it. Boman Irani, it turns out, was a Mumbai Ranji level player along with Paresh Rawal. Both had merits to make it in the Indian team but there was place only for one of them. On the day of selection, Rawal plays dirty and smashes Irani‘s specs. Unable to spot a bouncer, Irani loses his sight in one eye. Since then, he has been sulking, spending his days on the sofa in front of a TV and munching peanuts. (Somehow, he has managed to marry and produce a child in Sharman in the meantime.)

    Just when Sharman is mulling over the problem of raising Rs 150,000, in walks Seema Bhargava, an as- loud-as-they-come Punjabi wedding planner. One of her clients is a municipal corporator who wants his son‘s baraat to ride in a Ferrari instead of the traditional horse. The car he wants to ride in is one piece in Mumbai and is owned by Sachin Tendulkar. If Sharman manages to borrow Tendulkar‘s Ferrari using Boman Irani‘s contacts, there is Rs 150,000 in it for him. Sharman reaches Tendulkar‘s apartment and from behind the door he is handed the car keys. It seems he has been mistaken for the car wash guy and handed the key. Tendulkar has a number of cars but it looks like Ferrari is the only he cares to wash!

    Sharman drives the car away to make his Rs 150,000 but leaves two very worried men behind, Tendulkar‘s domestic help, Aakash Dabhade, and the building watchman, Deepak Shirke. The duo has a few hours to trace the Ferrari before its owner arrives from his trip. As the two go around looking for the car on Shirke‘s moped they account for some funny moments in the mishmash that follows.

    Meanwhile, Sharman Joshi has managed to make Boman Irani come to terms with the fact that Ritwik is extremely gifted. He bowls to Ritwik and sees his talent for himself. He now joins the efforts to see his grandson through to his Lords trip. The money is lost and then found again, the corporator‘s son wants to get even with his father for always showing him a gun, and so on: such things carry on in an attempt to make Ferrari Ki Sawaari funny with little success. Eventually, the film drags. Ideally the duration should have been 90 to 100 minutes instead of the 139-minute running time it now has.

    Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a one track story about a father and son and the latter‘s ambition. Side tracks don‘t make up for the sagging script. There is no female lead in the film; Sharman is a widower tending to his son as well as father. There is no scope for romance or music that may stay with a viewer. Direction is not up the mark with too many loose ends; one can‘t make things brighter by lighting up an entire Parsi colony for Christmas if the spark is missing in the content.

    Editing is shoddy. Sharman Joshi comes up with a sincere performance though his role offers little variations. Boman Irani, made up to look a frustrated loser, is his usual self but without any funny lines. Ritwik Sahore is the best of the lot, natural all through. Satyadeep Mishra as the coach is good. Seema Bhargava as the loud Punjabi is rank bad. Aakash Dabhade and Deepak Shirke are very good. Vijay Nikam and Nilesh Divekar are good but with sectional appeal as they play typical rogue family. Paresh Rawal in a cameo is okay. Vidya Balan‘s item number lacks in both, visual as well as audio appeal.

    Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a funny film that fails to entertain; it is neither a fully children‘s film nor family fare. It faces a tough time at the box office.

  • Vivek Agnihotri to cast Bachchan and Naseer in his remake of 12 Angry Men

    Vivek Agnihotri to cast Bachchan and Naseer in his remake of 12 Angry Men

    MUMBAI: Vivek Agnihotri, who had earlier directed films like Chocolate (2005) and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, has signed Amitabh Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah for his next film Twelve, a remake of Sidney Lumet‘s 1957 American drama film 12 Angry Men.

    The filmmaker is also planning to cast Om Puri, Paresh Rawal, Boman Irani, Pankaj Kapur and Annu Kapoor for the film.

    “It‘s a brilliant story, the action of which takes place within the confines of a single room. It‘s a classic play and every time it‘s been made into a film, it has won laurels,” said Agnihotri in a statement. The filmmaker has also conceded that he‘s spoken to every single person he has in mind.

    Interestingly, the film also marks the comeback of Ashutosh Gowariker to the acting field. Having started off with Kundan Shah‘s Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa in 1993, Gowariker also played a part in the detective series CID.

  • Delhi Safari to hit the screens in February

    Delhi Safari to hit the screens in February

    MUMBAI: Nikhil Advani‘s animation film, Delhi Safari, is all set to release in February. The film was earlier to release in September.


    The 3D film traces the journey of five animals who travel to Delhi to ask the Indian Parliament as to why man is hellbent on destroying their forests.


    While the Hindi version has voice overs by Govinda, Akshaye Khanna, Suniel Shetty, Boman Irani and Urmila Matondkar, the English version has voices of international actors like Jason Alexander, Carey Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Jane Lynch, Vanessa Williams and Brad Garret.


    The film has been co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Kishore Patil.

  • Vinod Chopra Films ties up with Talenthouse

    Vinod Chopra Films ties up with Talenthouse

    MUMBAI: In its quest to find out a screenwriting talent to work with it from among the country‘s vast budding screenwriters, Vinod Chopra Films, makers of Parinda, the Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots has tied up with Talenthouse India for the same.


    Speaking on the initiative, Vinod Chopra Films‘ CEO Sameer Rao said, “Our filmography is testimony to three decades of commitment to achieving excellence in cinema. We believe that the starting point for every great film is in an outstanding story.


    “We are entering into this initiative, in collaboration with Talenthouse India, to discover new screenwriting talent who will have the potential to contribute to the creation and development of our brand of cinema.”


    It may be remembered that the production house was instrumental in bringing the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi, Boman Irani, Vidya Balan, Shantanu Moitra among many others in the limelight.


    Averred Talenthouse India CEO Arun Mehra, “The internet is buzzing with creativity and talent. Talenthouse is a platform that looks to source this talent and bring it to the right audience. Vidhu Vinod Chopra has always backed creative excellence and this collaboration with Talenthouse will help him identify that genius from the millions of aspirants.”


    The submission deadline for this hunt is 22 January. The voting for the entries will begin from 23 January while the winner will be announced on 15 February.

  • Remake of 1982 film Shaukheen in offing

    Remake of 1982 film Shaukheen in offing

    MUMBAI: Filmmaker Rohit Roy is planning a remake of Basu Chatterjee‘s Shaukheen with Rishi Kspoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Boman Irani who will play 60-plus men who not only chase girls but also have a good time in life.

    The older version had three seasoned actors Ashok Kumar, Utpal Dutt and AK Hangal playing three lecherous old men.

    Kapoor was quoted in media saying that he has agreed to do the project.

    Talking about the script, Kapoor added, “In this day and age, Shaukeen wouldn‘t work. It‘s less Shaukeen now and more Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It is the story of three senior guys out to do the things they never dared to do before.”