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Tag: Mary Kom

  • ‘Finding Fanny’ wins at the BO

    ‘Finding Fanny’ wins at the BO

    MUMBAI: Creature 3-D has not been appreciated. At 135 minutes, the film is found to be rather too long and taxing for a horror film with repetitive sequences. The makers have got carried away with their newfound creature.

     

    The film opened to poor response and failed to improve on Saturday and Sunday. While its main face, Bipasha Basu, is out of favour with the audience, the Pakistani actor, Imran Abbas Naqvi, failed to make an impression. Also, 3-D is no more a novelty. It ended its opening weekend with Rs 10.7 crore. Not very encouraging.

     

    Finding Fanny (English with dubbed Hindi version) did well at select multiplexes at major metros. In fact, it has done better than the other releases of the week, Creature 3-D. Deepika Padukone has proved to be the main attraction as well as the sustaining star in this film. The film has collected Rs 16.8 crore for its first weekend.

     

    Mary Kom has remained below par despite much hype and gone the way most sports biopics do: mostly ignored. The film managed to collect Rs 42.2 crore in its first week, the drop having started after the opening weekend.

     

    Raja Natwarlal proves to be a nonperformer at the box office with the audience rejecting the routine, run of the mill Emraan Hashmi fare dished out on regular basis. The film, which opened to poor response continued to be so through first week and, then, adding a mere Rs 2.75 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 23.75 crore.

  • After Priyanka, Sonam roped in for a biopic

    After Priyanka, Sonam roped in for a biopic

    MUMBAI: After the success of Farhan Akhtar’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom, and Irrfan Khan’s Paan Singh Tomar, Sonam Kapoor seems to be the next in line.

     

    As biopics seem to be trending in bollywood, buzz is that the fiery actress is going to play the legendry Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil on big screen. The film would revolve around Amrita’s life, love, friends and mentors.

     

    Born in 1913 to a Punjabi-Sikh father and a Hungarian-Jewish mother, Amrita Sher-Gil was a pre-independence painter and one of the most prolific female painters of the pre-Independence era. Referred to as the ‘Frida Kahlo of India’, the legendary painter lived in France and India and died in 1941. The actress is in talk with the painter’s family for the same.

     

    Sonam Kapoor is currently busy promoting her latest project Khoobsurat with co-star Fawad Khan. The movie also stars veteran actresses Ratna Pathak Shah and Kirron Kher in lead.

     

    Set in Rajasthan, Khoobsurat is the story of Dr. Mili Chakravarty (Sonam Kapoor)- a middle class physiotherapist from Delhi. Mili is sent to Rajasthan to treat the paraplegic Shekhar Rathore, Raja of Sambalgarh. Over the course of her stay in the mahal, Mili charms the Rathore family, especially young Vikram Singh Rathore- with her free spirit and funny antics.

     

    The film, which is a remake of Hrishikesh Mukerjee’s 1980 hit film of similar name starring Rekha is directed by Shashanka Ghosh and is slated to hit the silver screens on 19 September.

  • Mary Kom earns Rs 27.3 crore at BO

    Mary Kom earns Rs 27.3 crore at BO

    MUMBAI: Mary Kom opened with a weak response despite being a solo release for the week with much hype. Media critics did not quite favour the film as was expected and panned it liberally. The film has been granted tax exemption in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh so far and collected Rs 27.3 crore in the opening week. The film improved on Saturday and Sunday but has not been able to sustain as well on Monday as most of Western India will be busy with the last day of Ganesh Utsav while in Delhi schools, terminal exams start today.

     

    Raja Natwarlal is poor at the end of its first week managing to collect barely Rs 21 crore.  Emraan Hashmi pays the price for keeping on doing same kind of roles film after film not to mention this time the content as well as treatment were mediocre  and taking your audience for granted never works. Music was poor too to add to the woes.

     

    Trip To Bhangarh, Last Benchers and Identity Card have proved to be disasters.

     

    Mardaani held on well in its second week to collect Rs 8.19 crore taking its two week tally to Rs 31. 16 crore. With its limited budget and YRF advantage of distribution network, the film will make it to earning status.

     

    Singham Returns collects Rs 4.6 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 136.4 yet still short of target.

     

    Entertainment has collected Rs 30 lakh in its fourth week to take its four week tally to Rs 63.4 crore.

  • Priyanka Chopra gets applauded for her performance in ‘Mary Kom’

    Priyanka Chopra gets applauded for her performance in ‘Mary Kom’

    MUMBAI: Mary Kom, which features Priyanka Chopra in the lead, is on its way to become the highest grosser women oriented film in Indian Film Industry. On its opening day the film has made 8 Cr, 9.25 Cr on Saturday and will cross 10 Cr on Sunday as per the ongoing trade buzz. Mary Kom, a biopic on the five-time boxing champion M C MaryKom’s life, is directed by first time director Omung Kumar and co-produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. 

     

    The film has been shot for the better part in Imphal, Manipur, where the sportswoman was bred. Born in a humble home in Kangathei, Mary was only a teenager when she decided to pursue boxing, despite inviting her father’s ire.

     

    A story of a strong willed Manipur-based girl, who faced all odds to pursue her passion and who continued to follow her love for boxing even after becoming a wife and a mother of two, Mary Kom released in 1,800 plus screens in the country.  

     

    The movie is perched comfortable on its way to profitability. The movie has earned the distinction of breaking even in record time. Trade analysts and distributors reveal the movie is set to maintain collections over the weekend and should hit the Rs 30 Cr mark by Monday quoted a leading business daily. 

     

    “Priyanka Chopra has outdone herself. She has played Mary Kom to the hilt. She definitely deserves a National Award for this performance. Also with this Mary Kom is on its way to become the highest grosser of the year in the league of out and out woman oriented cinema. Just like Mary Kom, this film is a sure-shot winner”, says Vajir Singh, Trade Analyst and Editor of Box Office India. 

     

    Another Trade analyst and Editor of Film Information Komal Nahta says, “First day collections were 8 Cr, second day 9.25 Cr and I am sure that it will pick-up on Sunday also.Priyanka lives the character of Mary Kom and proves that she was born to play the role. She has put in tremendous effort to essay the role and all the hard work seems to be worthwhile because she shines with a mind-blowing performance which is absolutely award-worthy. It’s her most memorable performances. Mary Kom is a box office champion.”

     

    A leading distributor of Delhi, Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts says, “First weekend collection will be 32-33 Cr and it will made 55 Cr in its first week of release. I think that it will become tax free all over India in coming few days. Priyanka does a good job of getting into the part. She has brought the boxer to life convincingly enough. Priyanka will win most of the awards this year for her outstanding performance in Mary Kom. It leaves you rooting for our sportsmen who have put India on the world map. We should make such kind of commercially viable real life stories more often.”

     

    Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines, a leading distributor from Mumbai says, “Mary Kom didn’t disappoint as it opened decently and minted about Rs. 8.5 crore net at India box office, as per early trade estimates. Its PriyankaChopra’s best act to date. Mary Kom has shown fantastic growth of 20% on Saturday from Friday. Mary Kom is doing very well in multiplexes. This is however much bigger opening than what Mardaani and Queen got so that in itself is commendable. Mary Kom also had a benefit of no tax inMaharshtra and other states which helped boost its collection. MaryKom will also likely to have good Sunday and will have one of the top 10 opening weekends of 2014.”

     

    Mary Kom is on its way to being a part of the slew of medium budget movies which have reaped rich dividends for its makers after box office collections, satellite rights and music rights. 

  • Mary Kom:..for…. awards.Kom

    Mary Kom:..for…. awards.Kom

    MUMBAI: Sports films are not the best bets on the Indian screen, least of all biopics. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag worked thanks to its climax where Milkha outruns a Pakistani champ in Pakistan. Indians may lose to all of world but winning against Pakistan matters the most.  Mary Kom offers no such satisfaction. It remains a sports biopic drama.

    Mary Kom was in news in 2012 when she won an Olympic bronze, which was not much when one thinks about her six world amateur wins; five gold and one silver medals. She would, hence, be expected to win a Gold at the Olympics.

    However, it is a story of grit and determination of a young woman from Manipur, who finds a boxing glove one curfew-imposed night in the trouble-torn Manipur state, far removed from rest of India and the comforts and facilities the rest of India enjoys. Mary’s and other Manipuri’s valid grouse is that they are proud of India but most of the Indians don’t even consider ‘us’ as Indians.

    Priyanka Chopra plays Chungneijang, as she was christened at birth and rechristened M C Mary Kom by M Narjit Singh (played by Sunil Thapa), the state boxing coach. Mary Kom has been fascinated by the sport of boxing since finding that glove in her childhood. Since then, boxing becomes her aim and ambition in life. She is a rebel, the eldest of three children in her family, and she always does what she wants to do for herself.

    Producers: Viacom 18, Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

    Director: Omung Kumar.

    Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Darshan Kumaar, Sunil Thapa.

    One day, Chopra discovers a boxing academy where the coach is a stickler and reluctant to accept her. She has to pass a one month test sitting on bench and watching others training before she is accepted. Eventually, her determination gets her through and the coach accepts her as his ward. This is where the legend of Mary Kom begins. Soon, she is on the national boxing scene, followed by the Asian and later international scene.

    The rest of the film is about Mary Kom’s travails through family resistance, her marriage and children that follow; balancing between her boxing life and bringing up her twin children, one of whom is seriously afflicted with a heart problem. Yet, her husband, Onler (played by Darshan Kumaar), is her mainstay, who realises that boxing is her life and goes all out to support her to continue her boxing even after marriage with a promise to look after the children.

    After her marriage and children, Mary Kom returned to boxing due to coaxing by her husband with eight years gone by. What follows is well-known and is not covered in the film except her return.

    The film also points to the poor conditions and diet of tea and bananas that the Boxing Federation provides, the high-handedness of politicians controlling the Federation and their manipulations in team selections. The film dwells deeply on the rigorous training and endurance tests that Mary Kom goes through, which one was not aware a boxer needed to do.

    Like with other recent heroine-oriented films, here too all except Chopra are new faces. This is supposed to not only balance the budget but also land a touch of reality as the co-performers have no set image. Thus, Thapa, Kumaar and others make a perfect foil to the protagonist, Chopra, trying to get under the skin of a living character, Mary Kom. Chopra, on her part, gives her best to this film and excels. Her performance is sure to be lauded by critics and rewarded with awards.

    Direction is praiseworthy this being Omung Kumar’s first film and a tough one at that being a biography. The film does sag at times but that is inevitable. The last fight, as she fights in China while her little child is undergoing a heart surgery is cliche like a 70s film where the protagonist ONLY takes punches and a miracle happens as the operation in Gurgaon is successful, fuelling Mary Kom with a newfound determination to win the fight in the third round. Dialogue is earthy and laced with humour at times. The film has too many songs for the kind of film it is; some relate the state of mind of Mary Kom while the lullaby is meant to show her balancing her career and family ties. Cinematography by Keiko Nakahara is excellent.

    Mary Kom is being released on a big scale at multiple screens wanting to cash in on the huge hype created in the media. The film will find patronage mainly at elite multiplexes while it has no appeal for the typical single screen patrons. The film has been exempted from paying entertainment tax while some other states are expected to follow but that won’t be much help.

  • ‘Mary Kom’ a hit amongst advertisers

    ‘Mary Kom’ a hit amongst advertisers

    MUMBAI:  MC Mary Kom winning the Bronze in Olympics made news everywhere and so did the announcement of her biopic starring Priyanka Chopra. The news not only excited the viewers and audiences, but it has also thrilled the advertisers.

     

    The marketing leaders found a perfect opportunity to be associated with the brand ‘Mary Kom.’

     

    The biopic has partnered with 20 brands including Havmor, Monte Carlo, Usha International, Artemis Hospitals, Edelweiss, Tokio Life Insurance and many more. Media channels like Ten Sports and India TV have also been incorporated in the movie.

     

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures marketing head Rudrarup Dutta says, “Powerful stories like Mary Kom reaches out to all sections of society. It also touches the lives of people across demographics and interests. The story lends itself to collegial propositions with brands.”

     

    “All the brands have been woven into the movie’s script,” he adds.

     

    To leverage the integration, the brands too are promoting the movie through co-branded TVC, radio and digital contests. For instance, Mother Dairy has a TV campaign which promotes its product featuring Priyanka Chopra as Mary Kom.

     

    Dutta says that the biopic became a sensation from the moment it was announced. “And due to its association with names like Viacom 18, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Priyanka Chopra and Mary Kom, the brands were interested in getting attached to the name since day one.”

     

    Even though Dutta did not comment on the cost of the movie or the revenue garnered by the brands, he mentions that the partnerships is giving the movie an impact value of Rs 20 crore – 25 crore.

     

    In the past, too, films have incorporated brands in the script by giving them prominent visibility in scenes like Coca-Cola in Taal (1999) and more recently, Nokia in Chennai Express.

     

    The film production house organised ‘Cineshorts,’ a short-film contest, which allowed aspiring filmmakers and documentary makers to submit five-minute long films on the theme ‘Against All Odds’. According to the marketing head, this was purely a Viacom 18 initiative and the associated brands did not sponsor the contest.

     

    On 5 September, Mary Kom will hit 1800-2000 screens in India and around 300 screens internationally. While Zee has the music rights, Colors has the satellite rights for the movie.

     

    Viacom 18 earlier hit gold with a biopic on Milkha Singh and now hopes that it will be able to punch its way in box-office with Mary Kom.

  • ‘Mary Kom’ is the most awaited film of 2014!

    ‘Mary Kom’ is the most awaited film of 2014!

    MUMBAI: With the release date just three days away, Priyanka Chopra starrer Mary Kom is already being received with raging enthusiasm across the country. The movie has been listed by various media firms as a film to look out for.

     

    Mary Kom has received immense support from every corner of the Indian film industry. Actors like Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh hailed Priyanka as the ‘#RagingBulbul’ and veteran filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar, Kunal Kohli have also expressed their eagerness to watch the film. With elements of intense ferocity intertwined with heart-warming romance, ‘Mary Kom’ is definitely the most awaited movie of 2014.

     

    Talking about the movie, Priyanka Chopra said that Mary Kom has been the “hardest movie of her life.” She trained for hours in the gym despite 18 hours of shooting for other projects over two years to achieve the body and body language of a boxer. All her hard work is paying off as every aspect of the film has been lapped up by fans and media alike.

     

    The movie has also taken social media by storm. Social media is alive with appreciation for the film; the first trailer having received over 45 lakh views on YouTube so far. Every music video has been widely shared and talked about, and #MaryKomFirstLook was the top trend on Twitter as early as 14 July 2014.

     

    ‘Mary Kom’, the film is about the Indian Boxer and Olympic Bronze medallist MC Mary Kom. Depicting her life, struggles, family and her perseverance to be the best – Priyanka Chopra stars as Mary Kom along with Darshan Kumaar, Sunil Thapa, Shishir Sharma and American actor Zachary Coffin. Directed by Omung Kumar, ‘Mary Kom’ is produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures & Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film is scheduled for release on 5 September 2014.

  • ‘Mary Kom’ declared tax-free in Maharashtra

    ‘Mary Kom’ declared tax-free in Maharashtra

    MUMBAI: National Award winning actress Priyanka Chopra’s much-awaited movie Mary Kom has been declared tax free in Maharashtra a week before its scheduled release date.

     

    “Yay! #MaryKom declared tax free in Maharashtra a week before release! Amazing!! #Sept5,” Priyanka posted on Twitter.

     

    The movie is a biopic on the five-time World Champion boxer Mary Kom and is slated to release on Teacher’s Day 5 September. It has been produced by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and directed by Omung Kumar.

     

    The biopic on Mary Kom has been in the limelight ever since the first look was launched. The trailer received an overwhelming response and has recently received ‘U’ certificate from the censor board.

     

    The biopic narrates the journey of Mary Kom who gave up her sporting career when it was at its peak to enjoy the pleasures of motherhood. But after giving birth to two children, she made her comeback in the ring and went on to make history.

     

    Feeling ecstatic about the news, Chopra said, “It is wonderful news. We have a compelling story to tell of a strong, determined woman who has made the nation proud. It is our tribute to all the unsung sports people who give so much to see the Indian flag flying high. If this can act as a catalyst of hope for them, then it’s something we can all be proud of.”

     

    “We are grateful to Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and government of Maharashtra for lending their support to the film. This exemption right from release day will allow large segments of society to experience the spirit of magnificent Mary,” said Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare.

     

    While Bhansali’s spokesperson said that the tax free status will encourage audience to recognise and support the spirit of the film.

     

    Recently, various state governments granted tax exemption to Rani Mukherji starrer Mardaani based on the issue of child trafficking in India.

  • Movies use social media to gain traction

    Movies use social media to gain traction

    NEW DELHI: At a time when feature films are lucky if they last one week at the theatres, the social media has made it possible for them to reach more people through mediums like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and just plain e-mail.

     

    Two forthcoming movies have already broken records as far the popularity of their trailers on social media goes: Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Mary Kom, and Red Chillies Entertainments and Farah Khan directed Happy New Year.  

    The trailer of Mary Kom has had a current viewership of over 4.3 million. The trailer of the biopic based on the life of the five-time World Championship and Olympic medalist is one of the most successful trailers of all time.

     

    Overwhelmed with the response, Omung Kumar who makes his directorial debut with the film said, “First we were overwhelmed with the response to the first look of the film. The trailer touched people and many people called to tell me that they cried after seeing it. The most touching response for me was from a lady from the north east, who had somehow found out my mobile number and called to say how seeing the trailer, she felt so proud and felt grateful for what it was attempting to do for women, sports and most importantly, people from the region.” 

    Priyanka Chopra who has enacted the title role said, “I was in shock after the response to the first look of the poster itself! I remember we were shooting in Turkey and I tweeted it and went back to shooting. By the time I came back, my phone was flooded with SMSs and over 3,500 Twitter messages loving it. I thought my phone would explode. The nicest response I got post the trailer was when Mary called me and said, `My kids saw you and thought it is me.’ For me, if I could convince a mother’s children despite not looking like her, it made me proud.” The biggest compliment that came the actress’ way however was from Farhan Akhtar when he said, `Mary ko Milkha ka salaam.”

    Producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “Mary Kom’s story is an inspiring one that touched my heart. Not many films are based on biopics of living people, so this is a rare experiment. I am extremely proud of it.”

     
    Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mary Kom stars Priyanka Chopra and Darshan Kumar in the lead. The movie will be released on 5 September.

     

    Red Chillies Entertainments claimed that the views of the trailer of its Happy New Year from all platforms crossed a record breaking number of four million in 24 hours.

     

    The first trailer to be launched on Facebook, became the most viewed movie trailer on Facebook Native Player across the globe with 1.5 million trailer views, 2.8 million post interaction and over 18 million FB users reached, and over 360,000 likes for the trailer which is the highest ever.

     

    On Twitter, it had 1.5 billion impressions only on 14 August and five hashtags trending of Happy New Year.

     

    It had over two million views across various YouTube partner channels. It became the first film to send a trailer via WhatsApp.

     

    The trailer on the DTH platform Tata Sky reached over 13 million subscribers and each one had to watch the channel 100 when they switched on their TV sets before they could go to any other channel of their choice.

     

    Airtel WAP had over 15 million visitors every day while over 300,000 fans received it via SMS service (missed call facility). Over 25,000 fans received the trailer via email.

    While most of the films opt for the conventional YouTube platform, the trailer of Happy New Year slated to release around Diwali was first launched on Facebook’s native video player using an application wherein the trailer was not only launched on the Facebook page of the film but also the timelines of all the users who subscribed to the app. 

     

    “In keeping with the tradition of innovation established by Red Chillies, we were delighted to launch the trailer of HNY for the first time across multiple platforms. This was also done to meet the demands of fans who are consuming talent in ways that suit them. This has given the trailer an unprecedented footprint and delighted the fans,” said RCE CEO Venky Mysore.

     

    The trailer was launched on the native video player of Twitter with personalised messages from the cast of the film. “Red Chillies and the cast of Happy New Year understand the value of developing live, personal and interactive connections with their audience, which is only possible on Twitter. From the entire cast and crew sharing every moment of film production on Twitter via their personal handles to their launching personalised trailers and posters on Twitter, Happy New Year has set a new national and global standard in the movie business,” said Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitley.

     

    The trailer was also launched on the conventional platform of YouTube on all channels of the partners (Music distributors T-Series and film distributors Yash Raj Films) of the film along with Red Chillies’ official channel.

  • New stills from ‘Mary Kom’ revealed!

    New stills from ‘Mary Kom’ revealed!

    MUMBAI: Priyanka Chopra’s portrayal of India’s boxing champion MC Mary Kom in her upcoming sports biopic titled ‘Mary Kom’ has attracted widespread praise for the actress. Building a boxer’s physique in the short span of 90 days is no easy task, but Priyanka Chopra has left no stone unturned to perfect the look.

     

    A series of new stills from the film reveal moments in the film where Priyanka, as Mary Kom, is seen pushing herself beyond her limits while working out. The unyielding determination is clearly visible in Priyanka’s eyes as she performs incredibly taxing exercises. She is seen flexing rock-solid shoulders and biceps like never before. Trained by MC Mary Kom’s real-life boxing coaches and fighting real-life boxers, Priyanka Chopra has really gone the extra mile to make the film as authentic as it can get!