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Tag: Lucknow Central

  • Pre-Diwali period sees some flops

    Pre-Diwali period sees some flops

    The pre-Diwali period saw a few flops.

    Judwaa2 saved the situation to some extent for the exhibition section providing relief with a considerable number of footfalls for a couple of weeks. Besides this, Newton was in news, a small film which got some favourable box office but more media hype as it was chosen as India’s entry to the Oscars the same day it released.

    Sadly, among other failures, the wrong release plan made a yesteryear star out of Saif Ali Khan in a single Friday as his latest release, Chef, went grossly unnoticed.

    Besides this, a lot of small films get playtime at the multiplexes during such dull periods and we had films like Daddy, Lucknow Central, Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi, Bhoomi, Haseena Parkar, Tu Hai Mera Sunday, Ranchi Diaries and such.

    Though there is no hyped film releasing this Diwali, the exhibitors can take some comfort in the fact that the small film due for release during the Diwali this year is Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar which should balance things with the other release, Golmaal Returns. The advantage with Golmaal Returns is that, it is the fourth instalment of the Golmaal series and earlier, two out of three have worked well.

    What is also good about Golmaal Returns is its genre is that, it is just the film one would hope to watch during the festive period of Diwali this being a feel good comedy entertainer.

    This week: The latest release, Ranchi Diaries, does not amount to anything. The films shows are either cancelled or passed on to Judwaa 2. This is not good enough for the multiplexes, a sort of a compromise, yet, better than screening Ranchi Dairies. This was the last disaster of the wrong period, wrong release.

    In the last week release, Saif Ali Khan starrer, Chef is a disaster. Surprised that T Series, having invested more than Rs 250 million in the film, agree to such a compromised release strategy! Rather suicidal.

    * Ranchi Diaries finds no audience. Goes unnoticed.

    * Chef, the last week’s release, emerges very poor. The film collects just about Rs 51.5 million in its first week.

    * Judwaa2 sets a kind of record for the second week as it collects Rs 264 million for its second week to take its two week total to Rs 1.23 million.

    * Newton is still holding well in its third week having collected Rs 16 million in its third week and taking its three week total to Rs 175.5 million.

  • Indifference of movie-goers

    Indifference of movie-goers

    *Bhoomi was chosen to be the re-launch vehicle of Sanjay Dutt on his return from serving a jail sentence. The subject could not have been a romance considering his age and the receding hairline. And, Munnabhai scripts are not something you picked off the shelf!

    Omung Kumar earned fame with his direction of Mary Kom and, one must say, that very little of it he merited for his contribution to the film, most of it was media gifted which is to say, he has been overrated.

    Omung’s next was Sarbjit, which he also produced, which was a rank bad film. It seemed have been made with the intent of encashing Aishwarya Rai’s face forgetting most of the time about Sarbjit.

    But, for the sake of Sunjay Dutt, the idea of Bhoomi, a father daughter story worked.

    Considering all things, the director, Omung Kumar, made partly right decision, to cast Dutt according to his age, as the father of a girl of marriageable age. But, the rest of the decision was disastrous. That was to fall back on old-fashioned 1980s films churned out from South where the ‘izzat’ of wife, sister, bhabhi was compromised by the villains. The true hero was then expected to save his family honour.

    It made simple thrill seeking audience happy. Movie going has come a long way since.

    Bhoomi has turned out to be bad film with the opening response showing indifference of movie goer. The opening day was poor at about Rs 20 million with the Saturday and Sunday remaining stagnant as the film closed its opening weekend with Rs 66 million.

    *Worse choice for a maker was to opt for Haseena Parker. This shows a total lack of imagination let alone creativity. When creativity is nil, one looks for such short cuts just to stay afloat in the industry. After all, a film is made for the all India audience! And, how would they identify with a South Mumbai small lane woman who cashed in on the name of her brother, Dawood Ibrahim? Not many earlier and not now after the film.

    Shraddha Kapoor mouthing Urdu dialogue with a stuffed mouth comes across as a comedy! The film opened with poor collections of Rs 11 million, failing to improve much over the weekend and collecting Rs 41 million.

    Newton, an odd film about an honest officer wanting to conduct free and fair elections in a Naxal affected area, as expected, has an indifferent opening, but the release of the film coincided with the film’s selection as India’s choice for entry at the Oscars. And, that boosts the footfall for the film over the weekend with big leaps. The film, which opened at Rs 9 billion on Friday, had a huge jump in collections on Saturday of Rs 25 million and Rs 32 million on Sunday giving it a decent weekend of Rs 66 million.

    *Lucknow Central, a poor idea poorly executed, fails miserably. With a poor opening weekend of Rs 72.5 million, the film could manage to add just three crore for the next four days to end its first week with a total of Rs 103 million.

    *Simran, counting on yet another one-woman show from Kangana Ranaut, like Queen, had just about everything going wrong for it. From the script, to the characterisation of Kangana, to direction, just about everything.

    The film let the Kangana fans down as it ended its first week with a tally of Rs 145 million. It is another thing that had the film succeeded, it would have given some standing and credibility to the director Hansal Mahta, too.

    *Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi has collected Rs 13 million for its one week. (The film’s weekend collection was Rs 7 million, and not 700 million.)

    *Poster Boys collects Rs 15 million for week two taking its two week total to Rs 122.5 million.

    *Daddy added Rs 11 million in its week two to take its two week total to Rs 75 million.

  • It’s a dull period for films

    It’s a dull period for films

    No happy news for either the exhibitors or the trade in general, so far. The poor run of films continues and, releasing new films in this dull period, adds to the woes.

    The week saw the release of four films in Simran, Lucknow Central, Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi and BA Pass 2. While there were no hopes from Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi and BA Paas 2, whatever little was expected was from Simran while Lucknow Central had lost its novelty value to Qaidi Band, a recent film on a similar theme.

    Lucknow Central, the film about jail inmates forming a music band needed strong musical score where it was found lacking. Also, for drab film that it is, the length of almost 2 and half hours made it unbearable. And, that too watching no presentable face on the screen except the sole glam face of Diana Penty.

    Simran held some promise on the fan following Kangana Ranaut created due to her brave stand she has taken against the mighty ones in the industry if not for the film’s content. Hansal Mehta, the director, who usually makes films from real life events, tried fiction this time and ended up choosing a story about a negative protagonist. Kangana’s character in the film lacks in logic that a woman can be nasty who revolts against everybody for no reason.

    Last week’s releases, Poster Boys and Daddy remained poor failing to get enough footfalls. The collections remained hopelessly low.

    *Lucknow Central had a poor opening of about Rs 18 million on its opening day. The film showed a negligible rise on Saturday and Sunday to end its opening weekend with a total of Rs 72.5 million. The film’s prospects Monday onwards look dim.

    *Simran had an average opening day of Rs 25 million, showed a decent raise on Saturday but remained stagnant on Sunday to take its opening weekend total to Rs 93 million.

    *BA Pass 2 sinks without a trace. Mostly, no audience, no show status.

    *Patel KI Punjabi Shaadi, in the making since 2014, is a damp squib. The film was released sans due promotion and the result is utter waste of two very talented actors, Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. The opening day collections were very poor remaining in lakhs: 25 lakh for the opening day and will end its opening weekend with about Rs 700 million.

    *Poster Boys, a remake of the Marathi film, Poshter Boyz, fails to match up to the original. Despite the Deol brothers in the cast, the film remains below par even in their strong areas, Delhi and Punjab. Having opened to poor houses, the film could manage barely Rs 107.5 million in its first week.

    *Daddy, another Don biopic on the life of Arun Gawli, fails. The films on underworld, even the Mumbai dons, don’t work and Daddy joins the list. The film collects Rs 64 million in its first week.

    *Badshaho adds Rs 105 million in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs 649 million. The film needs to do the business of about Rs 1 billion to recover.

    *Shubh Mangal Savdhaan has done well in its second week by adding Rs 104 million and taking its two week total to Rs 327 million.

    *Bareilly Ki Barfi adds Rs 13.5 million in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs 332.5 million.

    *Toilet Ek Prem Katha collects Rs 50 lakh in its fifth week taking its total business to Rs 1.3 billion.

  • Lucknow Central…Script of convenience

    Lucknow Central…Script of convenience

    Lucknow Central has its inspiration from some foreign films. The titles acknowledge that it was inspired by Healing Hearts –the story is of a band promoted by a jail superintendent at a Lucknow jail with inmates. Whatever the source, the film has a similar storyline to the recently released film from Yash Raj Films, Qaidi Band, which had its inspiration from the life of Machang Lalung, a man who spent 52 years in jail without facing a trial.

    The basic plot in both the films is the same. A few inmates are asked by a politician to form a music band to showcase the good work being done by authorities to rehabilitate prisoners. But, the inmates want to use the opportunity to escape from jail.

    Farhan Akhtar is a small town UP lad who loves to sing and aspires to form his own music band someday. He cuts a CD of his music, and, during a public rally, he tries to reach out to the chief guest, Manoj Tiwari, to hand over his CD but is pushed back by a government official. His CD is stepped upon and trampled.

    On the way back, Farhan observes that the same official’s car has broken down. He offers to help but makes fun of him and drives off. Unfortunately, for Farhan, this official is found murdered at the same spot.

    Farhan is picked up the next morning and, in a speedy trial, consigned to life imprisonment which is later challenged by vested interests seeking capital punishment for him. The latter part is not necessary to carry on the story as such.

    Independence Day and the Republic Day are celebrated in jails with active participation of the inmates and a minister uses the occasion to gain some photo-ops. The Chief Minister of the state, Ravi Kissen, wants the jail in Lucknow to have its own band for the forthcoming celebrations and competition between all the jails from the state. The task to put together a band is handed to Diana Penty, a social worker.

    Farhan convinces her that only he can make a band in Lucknow Jail. He is transferred from Moradabad Jail to Lucknow Central Jail. Farhan’s plan is to use the celebrations when all jail authorities will be busy to escape from the jail.

    Of course, his entry to Lucknow Central has some usual sequences one has been seeing in jail scenes for ages. There are groups and people who call the shots and dominate other inmates. Farhan is invited to join one group, and, when he refuses, he is made to suffer. But, soon his resistance brings the other group, led by Rajesh Sharma, to his side.

    Farhan gets down to forming the band and adds Sharma, Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq and Gippy Grewal to the band. The band uses its practice sessions to plan their escape.While, the band has the blessings of the CM and the IG of Police, the one against it is Ronit Roy, the jailor who thinks that this jail is his personal fiefdom.

    The jailed inmates who don’t know M of music are singing in tune and unison when Ronit decides to test them. The IG is impressed.

    Lucknow Central is a script of convenience. Anything can happen at the will and whim of the writer. It makes everything look so simple in a heavily guarded jail, especially for those who have the jailor’s evil eyes set on them! For one thing, there are no pleasant moments in the film nor glamour even in passing. Not a presentable face either. Some sequences are unnecessary while some others are stretched. The direction is patchy and predictable. Editing, obviously, is lacking. The cinematography is okay. Production values are average. Music was supposed to be the film’s main theme but it falls short on that count also, with just a couple of its songs being good. But, is a Punjabi song necessary in Hindi films that too in the climax as a bunch of UP jail mates, led by a UPite Farhan, perform a Punjabi number for the UP CM? Choreography, however, is not up to the mark.

    Lucknow Central has nothing to lure the viewers to the cinema.

    Producers: Nikhil Advani, MonishaAdvani, Madhu G Bhojwani.
    Director: Ranjit Tiwari.
    Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Diana Penty, Gippy Grewal, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Inaamulhaq, RonitRoy, Ravi Kissen, Manoj Tiwari (sp. App).