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Tag: Irada

  • Tax concessions would have boosted ‘Attack On Ghazi’

    The past week saw a variety of new releases. `The Attack On Ghazi’, was a rare war film for the Indian audiences and an underwater film about war between an Indian and Pakistani submarine, Ghazi. The film, based on the 1971 war, was painstakingly made.

    The other film, `Irada’ — film’s title did not reveal much about the product — was on an ecological problem faced by the State of Punjab as some vested interests involved in reverse boring draining water and causing ground water to turn poisonous for farm lands as well as for drinking purposes.

    The third was the usual run of the mill romantic comedy about a couple on the run.

    Though ‘The Attack On Ghazi’ emerged as the best of the three releases at the box office, it was not enough as the film registered just over Rs. 1 crore or Rs 10 million on its opening day. The film deserved much better and the initiative to attract more footfalls should have rested with multiplexes, which could consider reducing the admission rates for this kind of film that is made with sincere intentions.

    The film narrates a chapter from Indian history, not very far long, though. If multiplexes increase admission rates at will with big star cast films, reducing the rates for a film like `The Attack On Ghazi’ is the least they can do to promote honest cinema.

    The film deserved entertainment exemption but many States did not do so under election’s model code of conduct and the film stayed deprived of this advantage. The film showed a decent rise on Saturday in collections doing better on Sunday to end its opening weekend with Rs. 6.6 crore or Rs. 66 million (excluding Telugu and Tamil versions).

    `Irada’, a film with a message on environment, takes the thriller route to present and make interesting the issue of how ecology of the bread basket of India, Punjab, was compromised. The problem with the thriller part, that is the investigations, is that you just witness conclusions and not told how they were arrived at. Also, if the film really wanted to take the message across the States, the use of heavy Punjabi language could have been avoided.
    The opening day collections as well as the weekend remained very poor. The film collected approximately Rs. 60 lakh or Rs. 60, 00000 for its opening weekend.

    `Running Shaadi’, a routine love story about a couple in love on the run, fails to convince on counts of comedy as well as romance. Launched a couple of years back, the film did take its own time hitting the screens. Another drawback is that the film is almost entirely in Punjabi language. To what purpose one can’t fathom?
    The film is poor all over from one day one. The film fell far short of even Rs. 1 crore or Rs 10 million mark and collected Rs. 70 lakh or Rs. 70, 00000 for its first weekend.

    `Jolly LLB 2’ that had a tepid opening response picked up on Saturday and Sunday. Though the film dropped on Monday, it had a healthy Tuesday, thanks to Valentine’s Day. Being a solo release in the comedy genre, it maintained Rs. 10 crore or Rs. 100 million per day average to end its first week with Rs. 72. 1 crore or Rs. 721 million. It will get some benefit in its second week in the absence of any strong film releases.
    `Raees’ added Rs. 2.1 crore or Rs 21 million for its third week, taking its three-week tally to Rs. 130.4 crore or Rs. 134 million.

    `Kaabil’ collected Rs. 3.8 crore or Rs. 38 million in its third week taking its three week total to Rs. 92.2 crore (Rs. 922 million).

    `Dangal’ comes at the end of its glorious run. The film added about Rs. 50 lakh (Rs. 50, 00000) in its eighth week, taking its eight-week total to Rs. 387.9 crore or Rs. 3879 million.

  • Irada….Docu-thriller?

    MUMBAI: The title Irada comes across as B-grade 1970s and it has little relevance to the theme of the film, which is honourable. The film is about an ecological problem, almost a disaster. The issue dealt with here, though, is not as infamous or as well known as the Bhopal gas tragedy.

    Punjab has recently been facing an ecological calamity thanks to overuse of chemicals and pesticides in its farming processes. And this is supposed to have penetrated deep enough into the earth to pollute the land, the food grown here as well the underground water resources.

    Naseeruddin Shah’s character is a retired but much decorated army man who is training his daughter, Rumana Molla, to qualify as an army cadet. The famous Punjab canals where he trains his daughter to set swim time records, happens to be full of cancer-causing chemicals and she develops the disease.

    The reason is the reverse bore-welling process owned by a tycoon, played by Sharad Kelkar, whose company packs all the destructive chemical back into deep earth. The process affects not only all the land in the area but also its farming and waters deep down as well as those flowing through its canals.

    Sharad and the devilish chief minister of the state, played by Divya Dutta, are in cahoots and there is little the local NGOs or the police can do about this equation. The situation is so bad that every family is said to have a cancer patient and a point is reached when the state runs a Cancer Express, on which the afflicted travel for treatment.

    Suddenly, the cancer causing poisonous factories of Sharad are blown up one fine day. Sharad is wild and so is his bankrolled CM, Divya.

    In comes the character of Arshad Warsi, an investigator from the National Investigation Agency, (NIA). Things go a bit haywire here as though Arshad is a central government agent, but the local CM, Divya, treats him like a stooge as if he was the state employee. In between, people are kidnapped, killed and so on all as a matter of fact.

    Naseeruddin, and the cop, Arshad, the single-malt-sharing righteous ones join hands to fight the menace.

    Here, as in so many such public interest films, the subject is not known to the masses. This has been a local issue unlike the Bhopal incident. That notwithstanding, the process is not shown as to how our heroes, Naseeruddin and Arshad, reach certain conclusions.

    Besides this being a local issue, the makers somehow feel that the plight or the essence of the film would be better explained in the filmusing Punjabi language, which is alienates much of the audience. The thriller is treated like many others where the solutions and conclusions that the lead characters arrive at are given and the audience taken for granted. The viewer is not a part of the investigation process.

    The film is tautly executed and easy on the eye. The businessman-politician as partners in crime makes it routine subject. The dialogue writing is meaningful and deep. There is no scope for songs. The editing is effective. The direction and treatment are taut.

    With good performances all around, the two who excel are Divya Dutta and, in a brief role, Rumana Molla. Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi contribute with their seasoned act. SharadKelkar is effective in a negative role. Sagarika Ghatge is okay.

    The film has nothing really to draw entertainment seeking viewers.
    Producers: Falguni Patel, Prince Soni.
    Director: Aparnaa Singh.
    Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Rumana Molla, Divya Dutta, Sharad Kelkar, Sagarika Ghatge.

    Running Shaadi….So routine!

    Earlier titled Running Shaadi.com, Running Shaadi is supposed to be another rom com like so many before it. The rich versus poor, the city girl vs gawaar and so on has been the staple for love story writers. An attempt has been made to give it a contemporary look. And, it is not incidental that such films are based in the Hindi belt. This one adheres to the norm. It is based in sada Amritsar, the heart and soul of Punjab.

    Basing the film in Punjab was fine but, the makers seem to have got carried away. They even made almost the whole film in Punjabi! And, with no subtitles!

    Amit Sadh’s character works in a fabric shop, Singh & Singh, in Amritsar, owned by a Sikh family managed by father and son where, along with a couple of others, Amit is a help. An illiterate from Bihar, he is a hands-on help for the shop as well as the owners’ personal errands like from the shop to domestic affairs. He is the trusted one.

    Singh’s daughter, played by Taapsee Pannu, is an outgoing girl, defying norms. Along with the rest of the Singh family, she also counts on Amit whenever she is in trouble besides using him as a proxy. Just short of her 18th birthday, she has had a misadventure with a college friend leading to the need for a gynecologist.

    The only person she can trust to help her with the episode is Amit. While she gets over her unwanted pregnancy, Amit is the one who tends to her. Already nursing an infatuation for Amit, she is now in love with him what with all his caring ways.

    That is when Amit falls short of his boss, Singh’s, expectations. Insulted by his boss, he walks out on his job. Illiterate he may be but he is never short of ideas. Having seen an eloping couple being thrashed by relatives, he comes up with an idea inspired by, who else but Bill Gates. He suggests he and his cheerful Sikh friend, Arsh Bajwa aka Cyberjeet, launch a portal to help and facilitate runaway couples.

    The portal has a lawyer and a magistrate in its loop and soon becomes a big success. And, this is all in the first half of the film. The portal has had 49 successful eloping clients, all married off against various odds, thanks to the portal, running shaadi.

    But, the 50th eloping shaadi on the running shaadi portal is going to be the portal’s own host, Amit, something he never contemplated!

    The second half is all about Taapsee talking Amit into marrying her and, sadly, this half contains just about every scene and sequence seen in umpteen earlier films. For the viewer, it feels never-ending. This part takes the film down all the way.

    Writing wise, the film is just another recycled love story. It is not cute as it was aimed to be. And, what is it with the Punjabi background film telling its story in Punjabi? Direction is routine. Editing is weak. Songs are sober but incidental; they don’t aid the story or process of the film. Cinematography is fair.

    Amit Sadh, despite lack of expression, carries his limited range just about enough to suffice for the film. Taapsee Pannu is okay but her Punjabi is such a drawl, you feel like learning lip-reading. Arsh Bajwa as a comedian sidekick of the hero is not comic. Brijendra Kala is, as usual, good. Neena Singh, in a brief role, is energetic and impressive.

    Running Shaadi lacks novelty and is a routine fare with scarce entertainment value.

    Producers: Ronnie Lahiri, ShoojitSircar.

    Director: Amit Roy.

    Cast: Amit Sadh, Taapsee Pannu, Arsh Bajwa, Brijendra Kala, Neena Singh.