ITV

Tag: Ghanchakkar

  • &Pictures gifts fans ‘Dil Se’

    &Pictures gifts fans ‘Dil Se’

    MUMBAI: For a country which loves its movies, there are many options to choose from. So when Zeel launched &pictures – Sapnon ki Udaan – in the Hindi movie space it promised to be different from the rest.

     

    Keeping the promise, the channel acquired movies, which would cater to the new mindsets, and took it to next-level through its various interactive programming. Who would have thought Chale Chalo, a documentary film, based on the making of Aamir Khan’s Oscar nominated movie Lagaan, would become a talking-point even before it was aired on the channel. The buzz created on the social media and the chance to speak to the actor through live dial-ins achieved unbelievable ratings.

     

    Now to up its ante after completing one successful year, the channel has come up with delightful surprise for its fans – ‘Dil Se.’ The new digital innovation will help bridge the gap between the Bollywood stars and their fans. Created by YouToo Technologies, first for the Zee TV viewers in North America in 2012 to help connect with each other, the creator has tweaked the video service a little for the movie buffs here.

     

    Expanding on the idea, Zee TV Americas marketing head Vibha Chopra says that in a large country like the USA, families  which couldn’t meet too often loved the idea of ‘Dil Se’ when Zee gave them an opportunity to send in small video chats. “It helped us to increase our viewership base as people loved the idea of seeing their loved ones on television. We have got more than 50,000 videos so far and a two to three minute spike in time spent.”

     

    “We are a movie channel and what would be better than to enhance the engagement level between audiences and the stars or movies they admire so much,” says Zeel chief content and creative officer Bharat Kumar Ranga while adding that through these 15 second videos the channel wants the viewers to share their message from the heart.

     

    The 15 second video will have to go through censors before being aired on the channel. Since, its TG lies in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM), the channel isn’t worried about language barriers. “It will be mostly Hindi but when a fan says something from within his/her heart, it doesn’t need a language to express his/her feeling,” says Zeel Hindi movie channels deputy business head Ruchir Tiwari.

     

    And to market the new section, the channel will take the digital route. Since it wants people who are always online and comfortable with the digital world, ample amount of the marketing spend will be on social media apart from the regular in-channel promotions.

     

    In the past one year, the movie channel has been able to distinguish between itself and its sister channel, let alone competition. Stating the example of Ghanchakkar, Ranga says that he had never allowed a Imran Hashmi film on Zee but the channel acquired the Hashmi and Vidya Balan starrer. “For a traditional masala movie, we have Zee Cinema and for the viewers with progressive attitude but still rooted there is &Pictures.”

     

    Another feather to its cap was the launch of the HD version of &Pictures which will have a completely different FTP than the SD version! The channel aims to target the very core of its target audience of &Pictures. “Even within a TG, one can see fragmentations. Through the HD channel we want to cater to the core TG and not the scattered movie buffs who surf through various channels,” says Ranga.

  • The Bollywood roundtable 2013- The Actresses

    The Bollywood roundtable 2013- The Actresses

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN’s Bollywood Roundtable hosted by Rajeev Masand brings to you the best of Bollywood. From directors to actors and music composers to writers, it gives a unique perspective on the challenges faced by the industry members and an insight into the functioning of the industry.

    As a part of this special series, this week Rajeev Masand interacts with four leading ladies of 2013, who have made a mark in their unique way. On the show, Deepika Padukonewho went from the easily likeable Naina Talwar in “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” to the wacky daughter in “Chennai Express”, and then topped off the year with a feisty performance in “Ram Leela”, Kangana Ranaut who played a shape-shifting evil mutant in “Krrish 3”, Vidya Balan, who played a loud mouth Punjabi housewife in “Ghanchakkar” and Nimrat Kaurbrought powerful poignancy to the role of a neglected housewife who begins a tentative relationship over handwritten notes in “The Lunchbox”, share their experiences on everything from botched auditions to over-caring co-stars and on rewriting the rules of Bollywood.

    Don’t forget to tune in to this special episode of ‘The Bollywood Roundtable’ on Sat, Dec 21st @ 08:00 PM with repeats on Sun, Dec 22th @ 12 Noon & 10.00 PM, only on CNN-IBN.

  • Vidya Balan gets ready to play a sleuth

    Vidya Balan gets ready to play a sleuth

    MUMBAI: She is not considered the ‘Ms Perfectionist’ of Bollywood for no reason. There’s something about her that has added this tag to her name. We are talking about Vidya Balan, who after portraying a quirky Punjabi woman in Ghanchakkar and making headlines for her odd pairing with Farhan Akhtar in the upcoming Shaadi Ke Side Effects, is back in the news again – this time for getting in to the character of Bobby Jasoos.

     

    On Monday morning, pictures of the actress disguised as a beggar came out in the news. According to reports, the actor was so much in to the character that during the shoot a woman even gave her some money. The actor who has always pushed the boundaries to get in to the character is doing the same again.

     

    And the film’s producers know they have got an awesome performer on board. Dia Mirza, who is producing the movie along with Sahil Sangha, tweeted the picture from the shoot and wrote, “That’s our #BobbyJasoos in DISGUISE 😉 She’s one of a kind. #VidyaBalan”.

     

    The film went on the floor on November 23, 2013 in the picturesque city of Hyderabad and will be shot in one schedule, over a span of 55 days, amongst a host of never seen before real locations that stand testament to the vibrant and royal cultural history of Hyderabad, as it aims to be a summer 2014 release.

     

    Producers Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha have put together a strong supporting cast that surround Vidya Balan in a pulsating, thrilling and most importantly heartwarming tale of a woman whose solitary dream is to become the numero uno private eye of her community. The cast includes Ali Fazal, Arjan Bajwa, Anupriya, Supriya Pathak, Tanvi Azmi, Aakash Dahiya and Rajender Gupta amongst others. The film also marks the return of Kiran Kumar who has been away from the big screen for some time and the makers are more than excited to present him in a dynamic new avatar.

     

    Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire are collaborating on the music of the film.

     

    Dia said in a release, “The idea of Bobby Jasoos was born over a year and a half ago. Today, blessed with an ideal cast and fantastic crew we are ready to roll and nothing gives me more pleasure. The actors have been busy in workshops, readings, look tests and their enthusiasm and excitement is palpable. Vidya has ably led from the front and her dedication to preparing for this part is evidence to the fact that she is an actor who continues to respects the craft and is hungry for more despite achieving so much already. I can’t wait for Bobby to be unleashed.”

  • Oops! &pictures forgets Ghanchakkar or does it?

    Oops! &pictures forgets Ghanchakkar or does it?

    MUMBAI: Right from the very first phase of the channel’s launch, &pictures has pulled out all stops and taken the offbeat and innovative communication route while interacting with its target audience.

     

    For the upcoming movie premiere of Ghanchakkar at 9:00 pm on the channel’s primetime property, ‘Saturday First Show’; the channel plans on taking the storyline of the film to promote the World Television Premiere of Ghanchakkar.

     

    While initial plans and promotions a few weeks back had Ghanchakkar slated to air on 5 October, &pictures now plans to air the film on 12 October instead. In keeping with the essence of Emraan Hashmi’s character who forgets everything, the pitch being used for the world premiere of Ghanchakkar too, is that “We forgot that we were to air the film on 5 October!”

     

    Promos for the premiere of the film went on air on Saturday, 5 October, and feature a montage of Emraan Hashmi’s character from the film Sanjay Atre spouting his now familiar line “Mujhe kuch yaad nahi aa raha hai.”

     

     “As a channel that engages with new India, we always seek to take the unconventional route which appeals to and grabs the attention of our audience,” says Zeel marketing head – national channels Akash Chawla.

     

     “The initial censor certification for the film during its theatrical release was ‘U/A’. However keeping in mind the fact that TV audiences watch films in their homes, we have further edited the film to make it suitable for viewers of all ages,” says Zeel cluster programming head (Hindi movie channels) Ruchir Tiwari, about the special considerations that have been taken into consideration while premiering the film.

  • Disney UTV to make screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’

    Disney UTV to make screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’

    MUMBAI: Disney UTV is all set to direct the screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’. The studio has roped in Raj Kumar Gupta of Aamir, No One Killed Jessica and Ghanchakkar fame to direct a movie based on Bhagat’s novel ‘Revolution 2020’.

    This will be studios second adaptation of Bhagat’s novel, the first being Kai Po Che!, an adaptation of Bhagat’s ‘The 3 Mistakes of My Life’.

    It was during the pre-production of Kai Po Che! that Bhagat shared the draft of his latest book with the creative team at Disney UTV. The Studio saw the cinematic potential in the novel, which is high on drama and entertainment and at the same time hugely relevant to the youth of today.

    Disney UTV had snapped up the rights to the book, a few months before it was launched. The novel will be made into an epic drama with strong roles for the three main leads, who will play the characters of Gopal, Raghav and Aarti, whose destinies are intertwined.

    “We are really excited about working again with two incredibly talented individuals, with whom we’ve made some great movies. In the past, Raj Kumar Gupta directed powerful films like Aamir and No One Killed Jessica for us. And there’s Chetan Bhagat who we’ve had a great time working with on the immensely successful Kai Po Che! So we’re looking forward to bringing both of them together on ‘Revolution 2020’. Raj Kumar Gupta bringing his cinematic vision to Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ is something to look forward to,” Disney UTV senior creative director – Studios Rucha Pathak.

    “I am delighted to work with UTV again after Kai Po Che!, that not only did extremely well at the box office but also was considered one of the best films of the year. Raj Kumar Gupta is brilliant director, especially for a story like ‘Revolution 2020’, steeped in contemporary Indian realism with a strong emotional content. ‘Revolution 2020’ is an intense love story, in the backdrop of corruption in the education sector, which exists and affects millions of youth across the country. Set in Kota and Varanasi, the book has sold a million and half copies, and has held pan-Indian appeal, including in the smaller cities. I expect the film to do the same. I can’t wait for Gopal, Aarti and Raghav to be cast and come to life,” added author Chetan Bhagat.

    “I read Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ and was quite moved by it. It is a very simple and heartfelt story about being young, being confused, being in love, getting corrupt. I am looking forward to writing and directing this book for the screen,” said Raj Kumar Gupta
    The screenplay of the film is currently underway and it is expected to go on the floors mid 2014.

  • Vidya Balan sheds extra kilos for her next movie

    Vidya Balan sheds extra kilos for her next movie

    Vidya Balan who started her Bollywood career with Parineeta, has been simultaneously lauded and criticised for her full-figure.

     

    The talented actress is undergoing a transformation for her upcoming film opposite Emraan Hashmi. Directed by Mohit Suri, the Vishesh Films production will see Vidya play a florist working with a posh hotel. The role demanded Vidya to shed a few kilos to fit the mould, and Vidya readily complied.

     

    The filmmakers did not ask Vidya to lose weight, but she knew that the role demanded so. She is an intelligent artiste who puts in a lot of effort to portray characters convincingly, so she is on a strict diet and exercise regime.

     

    This has not happened for the first time, many actors have actually shaped up as and when the role demands for. Best example would be Kareena Kapoor for her film Tashan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for Dhoom 2 and many more.

    Vidya Balan was last seen opposite Emraan in Ghanchakkar. Prior to that, the two worked together in Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture.

  • Ghanchakkar misses the mark even as YJHD crosses Rs 180 Cr at the

    Ghanchakkar misses the mark even as YJHD crosses Rs 180 Cr at the

    MUMBAI: The Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan starrer Ghanchakkar fails to please the audience, with a poor script and execution. The film opened to indifferent response on Friday, it could not cash in on Saturday and did only marginally better on Sunday to end its opening weekend with figures of Rs 19.35 crore.

    Raanjhanaa, which marked the debut of the south superstar Dhanush of Kolavari Di fame, has met with mixed response due to its second half. However, the first week collection figures are a respectable with Rs 32.2 crore; the film may benefit due to poor opposition in Ghanchakkar at places other than North where the Punjabi film, Jatt & Juliet 2, is creating a havoc.

    Shortcut Romeo the remake of Susi Ganeshan‘s own Tamil film Thiruttu Payale, starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ameesha Patel and Puja Gupta is doing poorly in its first week having collected just Rs 2.5 crore.

    Enemmy, Mithun Chakraborty‘s home production starring Mithun, Mahakshay, Suniel Shetty, Kay Kay Menon and Johnny Lever is doing poor business, barely collecting Rs 1.5 crore in its one week run.

    Fukrey, a north-centric youth comedy, has sustained reasonably well in its second week adding Rs 10.7 crore to take its tally to Rs 28.2 crore.

    Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani continues to move smoothly in its fourth straight week. The film has collected Rs 7.3 crore in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs 180.25 crore.

  • Ghanchakkar: A complete waste of talent

    Ghanchakkar: A complete waste of talent

    MUMBAI: One may steal a theme from a foreign film but when one fails to give the film even a sensible, logical title, you know you are party to a lost cause. To copy a foreign film, understanding it is mandatory. Ghanchakkar is inspired from a 2007 Hollywood film titled The Lookout, which was about a bank robbery and a character with anterograde amnesia, which means short-term memory loss. But the film‘s Hindi title suggests a comedy and means an idiot/stupid person. The last film based on memory loss was the Aamir Khan blockbuster Ghajini but that is where the comparison ends.

    Ghanchakkar is a ‘twist in the tale‘ story which, at best, can be a limited-duration TV episode. However, the maker stretches it to almost 138 minutes. According to the original film, not only does the protagonist keep losing his memory, he also keeps getting these bouts of anger whichGhanchakkar follows religiously.

    Emraan Hashmi is a safebreaker on a sabbatical. He thinks he has made enough to take life easy and enjoy with his wife, Vidya Balan, who plays a Punjabi character for some unexplained reason. That is when an unidentified voice on the phone invites Hashmi to a huge bank heist; the bank, it seems, has a vault which only Hashmi can break open. The sum is expected to be huge, about Rs 35 crore and Hashmi‘s share would be Rs 10 crore.

    Balan subscribes to Vogue and such fashion magazines but gives her wardrobe her own version of fashion, usually loud and garish outfits being her thing. Her attempts at Punjabi slang or sounding like a loud Punjaban are as real as her dressing sense. Hashmi on his part has only one dream, to own the biggest television set available in the market. For the sake of this TV set, he agrees to meet the voice on the telephone. The rendezvous is set for 12.30 at night at Andheri station.

    The voice on the phone turns out to be Rajesh Sharma aka Pandit and a gun-toting Namit Das. They try to look mean and threatening but manage to look like two comics out of a C-grade farce. For Hashmi to be threatened by Das, half his size, and fat Sharma, does not convince the viewer and this is only the forewarning of what is to follow. The bank is robbed as easily as a deserted house with the three wearing masks of Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Utpal Dutt; the only scare to the robbers coming from a beat cop coming into bank at 2 am to take a leak. That is an idea; bank loos can double as Sulabh Sauchalayas during off hours and continue to make money!

    The bank is robbed, the three part ways with Hashmi given the responsibility to keep the money for three months till the heat settles after which they can take their own share. Three months are over and Sharma and Das demand their share. But Hashmi has had an accident in this duration and now suffers from anteograde amnesia due to which he has selective memory losses. He can‘t remember who these two are or which money they are referring to. The two kidnap Balan giving Hashmi a week to recollect where the money is hidden. Later they shift into Hashmi‘s house to finish that mandatory seven-day period. These seven days seem never-ending; they are supposed to be funny but are torturous for the viewer.

    The hero also follows the anterograde amnesia to the T as now his memory loss is becoming severe and he now suspects everybody including Balan and vents his anger on people around him. That is when an angel drops in from the blue, literally. He is the real villain who drops in without a warning and ends the painful saga by killing his two stooges, Sharma and Das, as well as Balan and Hashmi and finally his own self.

    With a cast of four out of which two are poorly etched, to carry through 138 minutes of pathetically scripted and directed fare, Ghanchakkar fails on all counts. Music is of the chalu kind. Dialogue is in poor taste.

    Ghanchakkar is boring and doomed to failure.

  • I always wanted to do Comedy: Vidya Balan

    I always wanted to do Comedy: Vidya Balan

    MUMBAI: Its Vidya all the way! With successive hits and boosting the girl power as the 100th year of the Indian Cinema unfolds, Vidya Balan has come a long way from her‘Susheel‘ (sophisticated) avatar in Parineeta (2005) to her spell bounding performances in The Dirty Picture, Kahaaniand Ishqiya.

    Her latest Ghanchakkar (Crazy) is a suspense comedy that hits the silver screens come 28 June and is much awaited as it‘s the first film post her marriage to the honcho Siddharth Roy Kapur.

    Balan stars as the loud-mouthed wife of a bank robber (Emraan Hashmi) who loses his memory after a heist. As per her latest interview with Reuters on Ghanchakkar, Balan speaks about her breaking the stereotypes and gladly accepting her sexuality. On being asked about her role in the movie, Balan affirms her role being a loud middle-class housewife with a stereotype middle-class woman persona.

    Commenting about Raj‘s direction, she reveals that, “He (director Raj Kumar Gupta) finds humour in situations that are so mundane and everyday. Thrillers are his genre but I knew he‘d do humour well too. When he came to me with this, I always wanted to do comedy and this was a breath of fresh air.”

    The 35-year-old actress has paved her way up through taking on versatile roles over the years. The actress‘ strong presence was appreciated in her bold The Dirty Picture (2011), the thriller flick Kahaani (2012) and also her bad-ass role in Ishqiya (2010), all winning her numerous Best Actress Awards consecutively.

    Apart from her movies‘ box office collections soaring high, her leads have been critically acclaimed as well. About her next screen bet Ghanchakkar (Crazy), which is a suspense comedy that opens in cinemas on 28 June.

    Spreading her charm beyond the borders, Balan has elevated herself to a spot in an elite nine- member Cannes festival jury headed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The charming actress sure knows how to achieve milestones in her career.

  • Vidya: Ghanchakkar is a great start to enter in comic genre

    Vidya: Ghanchakkar is a great start to enter in comic genre

    MUMBAI: Cast Away veteran star Tom Hanks is teaming up with Tom Tykwer in a film adaption of the Dave Eggers novel A Hologram for the King. Hanks will reportedly star in it with Run Lola Run director Tykwer at the helm. Tykwer has also recently worked with Hanks wherein the former co-directed Cloud Atlas starring Hanks and Hally Berry in the lead.
     
    The Dave Eggers‘ novel, A Hologram for the King was published last year by McSweeney‘s and became a National Book Award finalist.
     
    The story revolves around a struggling businessman who, after failing in America, heads to a rising Saudi Arabian city for a last ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter‘s college tuition, and do something memorable.
     
    The film will be financially backed by X Filme Creative Pool producers Stefan Arndt, Uwe Schott and Tykwer, who are also teamed with Playtone partners Hanks and Gary Goetzman. While the financing has not yet been put together, CAA, which represents Hanks, Eggers and Tykwer, is under the process of arranging the finance.
     
    Hanks and Tyker‘s previous collaboration Cloud Atlas saw Hanks taking over several roles. Hanks who is all set to fawn the audiences this October with his Paul Greengrass directed Captain Phillips wherein he plays the title role. The movie is slated to hit the theatres on October 11.
     
    Following this, Hanks would also be seen stepping into the shoes of the legendary Walt Disney character in the John Lee Hancock directed Saving Mr. Banks which is set to go on floors in the middle of the Oscar season on December 20.
     
    Hanks currently is starring on Broadway, playing an ace crime reporter Mike McAlary in the Nora Ephron play called Lucky Guy.