ITV

Tag: Patralekha

  • Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha headline Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts’ new campaign

    Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha headline Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts’ new campaign

    MUMBAI: Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts is back in the spotlight with its newest campaign, ‘For the Select Ones’, starring the discerning duo Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha. Conceptualised by FCB NEO, the sleek new film champions craft, character, and the courage to chart one’s own course — echoing the brand’s core philosophy of celebrating purposeful storytelling and refined choices.

    In a market flooded with noise, ‘For the Select Ones’ whispers a quieter truth: that greatness lies not in following the crowd, but in choosing with intent. Both on-screen and off, Rajkummar and Patralekha exemplify that ideal, having carved careers defined by depth, not dazzle.

    The campaign pays homage to artists who’ve walked the talk — past collaborators on the Barrel Select Shorts platform include cinematic heavyweights like Anurag Kashyap, Sujoy Ghosh, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Tigmanshu Dhulia. Now, with this film, the brand doubles down on its commitment to creating an ecosystem for intelligent, bold narratives that refuse to pander.

    Speaking on the campaign, Pernod Ricard India CMO Kartik Mohindra said, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts has evolved into creating an ecosystem that brings world-class narratives to curious and discerning audiences, thus becoming the destination for short films in India. With our new thematic campaign, For the Select Ones, we continue this next chapter of our brand’s select storytelling journey by celebrating those who embody success through their distinct choices.”

    “This film is a quiet tribute to the art of choosing well. In a world overflowing with options, true identity is shaped by what we say no to as much as what we embrace. The process of creating this story with Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha was about capturing that subtle, internal journey, where each choice becomes a building block of a legacy. It aligns beautifully with the Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts ethos of celebrating individuals with a refined eye and fearless vision,” expressed FCB NEO CCO Mayuresh Dubhashi.

    Sharing his thoughts, Rao said: “Over the years, I’ve learned that true success lies in staying authentic and making choices that reflect who you are at your core. Whether it’s in the characters I play or the decisions I make in life, I’ve always aimed to strike a balance between substance and intention. For the Select Ones is a powerful reflection of that mindset— valuing integrity, thoughtfulness, and individuality. I’m proud to be part of Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts’ campaign that celebrates the strength of discerning choices.”

    Adding her perspective, Patralekha said: “Throughout my journey, I’ve always believed in carving my own path. I’ve long admired the short films from Royal Stag Barrel Select Shorts for their depth, craft, and storytelling. Their narrative closely aligns with my belief in making choices that reflect true artistic vision. I’m honoured to collaborate with a brand that champions discernment and excellence.”

    Backed by a high-voltage amplification plan, the campaign is set to inspire a generation that values thoughtful ambition — a salute to those who refuse to settle.

     

  • Big FM’s purpose-driven initiative Big Green Ganesha marks 17 years of sustainable festivities!

    Big FM’s purpose-driven initiative Big Green Ganesha marks 17 years of sustainable festivities!

    Mumbai: As the entire nation celebrates the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, BIG FM, one of India’s leading radio networks, marks the 17th edition of its highly acclaimed initiative – BIG Green Ganesha. Launched in 2008, this purpose-driven campaign has been continuously evolving, promoting environmental awareness and encouraging communities to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi responsibly. This year, BIG FM, in association with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and powered by Re Sustainability and Recycling Private Limited, is making eco-friendly and plastic-free celebrations even more accessible, further solidifying its role in driving sustainable festivities for a cleaner, greener tomorrow.

    The radio network will be unveiling a special BIG Green Ganesha song performed by the renowned singer Akriti Kakar, adding a festive and musical touch that inspires listeners to embrace sustainable practices. Celebrities like Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha, Sunny Leone, Esha Deol and Palak Muchhal amongst others are supporting the cause, promoting sustainable and eco-friendly celebrations nationwide.

    A key highlight of this year’s campaign has been the recognition of ‘Green Heroes,’ individuals who are taking significant steps to adopt and promote eco-friendly practices during Ganesh Chaturthi. Over 10 days, BIG FM’s RJ Rani has been spotlighting these champions by visiting them at their homes, presenting each with an eco-friendly Ganesha idol and a green certificate to honour their commitment to sustainability. These Green Heroes have also been sharing their inspiring stories on air, motivating others to follow in their footsteps.

    BIG FM COO Sunil Kumaran shared, “Even though awareness about environmental conservation has been growing, many people still overlook eco-friendly practices when selecting idols and decorations for Ganesh Chaturthi. With BIG Green Ganesha, we have consistently aimed to create sustainable changes in how this beloved festival is celebrated. Each year, we introduce new ways for listeners to engage in eco-friendly practice and we believe that by making sustainability more accessible and encouraging community participation, we can create a lasting, positive impact. This campaign is about fostering a culture of responsibility and care, ensuring that our celebrations respect both tradition and the environment.”

    In addition to Mumbai, the BIG Green Ganesha initiative is being celebrated across Hyderabad, Gujarat, Bangalore, Pune, the Rest of Maharashtra and Goa. In these markets, the campaign is highlighting and promoting sustainable Ganesha celebrations through various on-ground activities. BIG FM’s on-air promotions, RJ advocacy and digital contests are instrumental in spreading the message. Listeners are tuning in to exclusive RJ interviews with celebrities and Eco Bhakts, who are sharing their personal stories and inspiring others to join the eco-friendly movement.

  • Love Games….Viewers wont play!

    Love Games….Viewers wont play!

    In Indian cinema, films with sex based themes have been made for a long time now but were initially branded as C grade. Initially, they made their inroads into Hindi cinema as dubbed films with Malayalam films having explicit sex themes dubbed in Hindi. And since their main audience was in the small towns in the interiors, interpolation of footage from porn films was a much used practice. Such films found their target audience mainly during night shows.

    But with the interior theatres mostly demolished and the multiplex culture having taken over, sex oriented films are made in the guise of high society comedies or life behind the scenes. Some finesse and glamour quotient is added and Bhatt camp has a knack for making such themes.

    Films have grown from swapping car keys or room keys to swapping wives. ‘Love Games’ has a similar theme. Except that the protagonists are not spouses.

    Patralekha is young and recently widowed. But she is a nymphomaniac and needs sex regularly. This she finds in her bedmate Gaurav Arora, the son of a wealthy tycoon with a shaky life. Things appear fine but Patralekha is arrogant and lusty. So for her, Gaurav is useful only to fulfill her sexual urge. However, the two decide to seek some adventure.

     They decide to play a game which they call Love Games. The idea is to target married couples with the aim of scoring with both of them: Patralekha with the husband and  Gaurav with the wife. Whoever scores first will be the winner while the loser will source the supply of drugs for a week.

    In the process of playing this game, Gaurav finds love in Tara Alish Berry, a doctor married to criminal lawyer HitenTejwani. The feelings are mutual between the two as Gaurav is a lonely introvert soul while Tara suffers from an abusive husband. Gaurav does not need to play love games now. This is something Patralekha is not ready to accept. But she is not giving up yet and decides to plan one last love game involving all four of them.

    Expectedly, the film has enough lovemaking scenes. However, the story does not deliver a surprise though that would be expected from the filmmakers. The direction has nothing to write home about. Editing needed to be slicker. Dialogue is mundane. Cinematography is good. Musically, a couple of songs sound good. As for acting, all the four main actors seem enthusiastic but the only one who manages to do perform well is Tara.

    Love Games lacks face value and poor opening response. Bad reports will only add to its box office prospects.

    Producers: Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt.

    Director: Vikram Bhatt.

    Cast: Gaurav Arora, Patralekha, Tara Alish Berry, HitenTejwani.
     
    Club Dancer…Poor fare.

    Club Dancer, the film, involves the name from a name from the renowned film industry family, the Mukherji clan. However, the film looks like an exercise to launch the female lead Nisha Mavani since right from the title to the extensive footage, everything is focused on her. As far as the story goes, the film offers nothing that has not been seen before in films like Satte Pe Satta (1982), Jhutha Sach (1984) et al.  

    Nisha is a night club dancer in Mumbai whose parents Shakti Kapoor and Zarina Wahab live in Punjab. Not wanting to shock her parents by telling them what she does, she has lied to them that she is happily married and working. But her lie lands her in trouble as Kapoor has a heart attack and plans to arrive in Mumbai for further treatment.

    Not wanting her neighbours to talk, she borrows her boss’ bungalow to present it to her parents as her own house. There is a bit of another film here – B R Chopra’s Ittefaq (1969) – as dangerous contract killer Rajbeer Singh walks into her house after killing the local chief minister with the police chasing him. He forces her to provide him shelter at gunpoint. She has no alternative as Singh is a gangster with a violent temper.

    When Singh seeks shelter for a period till things cool down, she makes a deal with him: he would act as her husband while her parents are around. That done, the film’s pace slows and it meanders till interval when Singh is seen being shot by the ACP, something Nisha does not know.
    NIsha is now a worried woman – with Kapoor’s bypass surgery on the anvil and his ‘son in law’ absent. However, she need not have worried at all since the scriptwriters can always visit the archives, borrow some characters from the past. So, another Singh lookalike emerges from nowhere. While the earlier one sported a beard and an uncouth long hair, this one has none of that and is rather suave.
    Nisha fallsin love with the new Singh but he is indifferent. He goes back to Goa where he came from: but most such films have a happy ending.

    Borrowing from ideas from films of the 1980s is fine but slaughter their value instead of improving upon them is sacrilege. Scripting is unimaginative. Direction is purely amateurish. Dialogues are pedestrian and the musical score is out of sync. Nisha’s acting is copybook and tutored, Singh has presence but no acting and, what is worse, he tries to be a Sunjay Dutt clone. Zarina is okay but casting Kapoor is a joke.

    The others overact in an effort to be noticed.

    Club Dancer has been released at limited screens but offers no hope.

    Producer: Shubir Mukerji.
    Director: B Prasad.
    Cast: Nisha Mavani, Rajbeer Singh, Shakti Kapoor, Zarina Wahab.

  • Love Games….Viewers wont play!

    Love Games….Viewers wont play!

    In Indian cinema, films with sex based themes have been made for a long time now but were initially branded as C grade. Initially, they made their inroads into Hindi cinema as dubbed films with Malayalam films having explicit sex themes dubbed in Hindi. And since their main audience was in the small towns in the interiors, interpolation of footage from porn films was a much used practice. Such films found their target audience mainly during night shows.

    But with the interior theatres mostly demolished and the multiplex culture having taken over, sex oriented films are made in the guise of high society comedies or life behind the scenes. Some finesse and glamour quotient is added and Bhatt camp has a knack for making such themes.

    Films have grown from swapping car keys or room keys to swapping wives. ‘Love Games’ has a similar theme. Except that the protagonists are not spouses.

    Patralekha is young and recently widowed. But she is a nymphomaniac and needs sex regularly. This she finds in her bedmate Gaurav Arora, the son of a wealthy tycoon with a shaky life. Things appear fine but Patralekha is arrogant and lusty. So for her, Gaurav is useful only to fulfill her sexual urge. However, the two decide to seek some adventure.

     They decide to play a game which they call Love Games. The idea is to target married couples with the aim of scoring with both of them: Patralekha with the husband and  Gaurav with the wife. Whoever scores first will be the winner while the loser will source the supply of drugs for a week.

    In the process of playing this game, Gaurav finds love in Tara Alish Berry, a doctor married to criminal lawyer HitenTejwani. The feelings are mutual between the two as Gaurav is a lonely introvert soul while Tara suffers from an abusive husband. Gaurav does not need to play love games now. This is something Patralekha is not ready to accept. But she is not giving up yet and decides to plan one last love game involving all four of them.

    Expectedly, the film has enough lovemaking scenes. However, the story does not deliver a surprise though that would be expected from the filmmakers. The direction has nothing to write home about. Editing needed to be slicker. Dialogue is mundane. Cinematography is good. Musically, a couple of songs sound good. As for acting, all the four main actors seem enthusiastic but the only one who manages to do perform well is Tara.

    Love Games lacks face value and poor opening response. Bad reports will only add to its box office prospects.

    Producers: Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt.

    Director: Vikram Bhatt.

    Cast: Gaurav Arora, Patralekha, Tara Alish Berry, HitenTejwani.
     
    Club Dancer…Poor fare.

    Club Dancer, the film, involves the name from a name from the renowned film industry family, the Mukherji clan. However, the film looks like an exercise to launch the female lead Nisha Mavani since right from the title to the extensive footage, everything is focused on her. As far as the story goes, the film offers nothing that has not been seen before in films like Satte Pe Satta (1982), Jhutha Sach (1984) et al.  

    Nisha is a night club dancer in Mumbai whose parents Shakti Kapoor and Zarina Wahab live in Punjab. Not wanting to shock her parents by telling them what she does, she has lied to them that she is happily married and working. But her lie lands her in trouble as Kapoor has a heart attack and plans to arrive in Mumbai for further treatment.

    Not wanting her neighbours to talk, she borrows her boss’ bungalow to present it to her parents as her own house. There is a bit of another film here – B R Chopra’s Ittefaq (1969) – as dangerous contract killer Rajbeer Singh walks into her house after killing the local chief minister with the police chasing him. He forces her to provide him shelter at gunpoint. She has no alternative as Singh is a gangster with a violent temper.

    When Singh seeks shelter for a period till things cool down, she makes a deal with him: he would act as her husband while her parents are around. That done, the film’s pace slows and it meanders till interval when Singh is seen being shot by the ACP, something Nisha does not know.
    NIsha is now a worried woman – with Kapoor’s bypass surgery on the anvil and his ‘son in law’ absent. However, she need not have worried at all since the scriptwriters can always visit the archives, borrow some characters from the past. So, another Singh lookalike emerges from nowhere. While the earlier one sported a beard and an uncouth long hair, this one has none of that and is rather suave.
    Nisha fallsin love with the new Singh but he is indifferent. He goes back to Goa where he came from: but most such films have a happy ending.

    Borrowing from ideas from films of the 1980s is fine but slaughter their value instead of improving upon them is sacrilege. Scripting is unimaginative. Direction is purely amateurish. Dialogues are pedestrian and the musical score is out of sync. Nisha’s acting is copybook and tutored, Singh has presence but no acting and, what is worse, he tries to be a Sunjay Dutt clone. Zarina is okay but casting Kapoor is a joke.

    The others overact in an effort to be noticed.

    Club Dancer has been released at limited screens but offers no hope.

    Producer: Shubir Mukerji.
    Director: B Prasad.
    Cast: Nisha Mavani, Rajbeer Singh, Shakti Kapoor, Zarina Wahab.

  • ‘Citylights’ …Dark and drab…

    ‘Citylights’ …Dark and drab…

    MUMBAI: Citylights is a pretentious film which attempts to depict the plight of a migrant family in a metropolis like Mumbai! The film is actually a crime story but is touted as a poor migrant’s travails in a major city.

    Rajkumar Rao is an ex-army man turned sari trader in Rajsthan’s Pali district. He fails to pay his liabilities and is thrown out of his shop by his creditors. After some deliberation, he decides to migrate to Mumbai with one contact number of a relative. He decides to do this with his wife and daughter, a move that you don’t see a sensible person make.

    In Mumbai, where a newcomer ceases to be so within minutes as the city takes him into its embrace, Rao’s start is not good. His contact is not traceable on the number he has, and with just a name and no address to go on, Rao doesn’t make much progress. Next, someone offers him a one-bedroom home against Rs 10,000 deposit and rent to be paid later. The house is actually in the hands of painters who are giving it a fresh coat of paint. Rao has been duped of his money. Finally he finds shelter in an under construction building for Rs 100 a night.

    From then on starts his struggle to find a job, which he lands eventually as a driver for a security company’s armoured car. These cars deliver sealed boxes to various clients and contain cash or stuff worth crores of rupees. Out of a horde of applicants, Manav Kaul, the supervisor, chooses Rao with a design in mind. Rao’s wife, Patralekha, meanwhile, finds a job with a dance bar.

    Producer: Mukesh Bhatt.

    Director: Hansal Mehta.

    Cast: Rajkumar Rao, Patralekha, Manav Kaul.

    Kaul gradually cultivates Rao and plots to involve him in an earlier foiled robbery. Kaul had managed to save the box from that robbery and now he needs Rao’s help to get the key lying in the security company’s locker room. The boxes can’t be forced open as doing that can detonate a bomb inside killing the one who attempts. Kaul shifts Rao to the house where he has hidden the box before telling him about his plan. Rao is livid but Kaul has trapped him from all sides. While on one assignment, the robbers catch up with Kaul and kill him. Rao is suspended for not saving him. He is now jobless and broke. Patralekha has kicked her job too. Exasperated, Rao decides to make a sacrifice for his family. He decides to execute the plan Kaul had made.

    The direction is fair. Music has no place yet is forced in. The original simple script has been complicated here. Performances by Rao and Patralekha are very good. Kaul makes an impact.

    A black film with no relief, Citylights is hard to take; all it can hope for is an award or two.

    ‘Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi’…Same to you…

    This is one more film with Delhi flavour and locales. It is about a middle class locality of Delhi where two friends have grown up together. They are inseparable and the most clandestine thing they do is to indulge in fruit beer once in a while. And, lest the audience not believe it is truly a Delhi story, the inevitable statue of Bajrangbali of Jhandewalan/Karol Bagh does not fail to make its appearance like in all Delhi centric films! And, of course, the title, Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, is a local colloquial having little to do with rest of the country.

    Producers: Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Bejoy Nambiar.

    Director: Aman Sachdeva.

    Cast: Sidharth Gupta, Ashish Juneja, Simran Kaur Mundi.

    Siddharth Gupta (Kuku) is an average student who fails to get admission to a college after high school. He, like all boys of such age, has agendas they dare not open up about. Siddharth attends the English tuition class only because the girl living in the house opposite the class, Simran Kaur Mundi, has caught his fancy. He is motherless, responsible for looking after and cooking for his younger sister and father, a government servant. But cooking is something he relishes doing. His dream is to own a restaurant some day while his father wants him to become a NASA scientist.

    Kuku’s best friend, Ashish Juneja, is a little better off, hailing from a trading family. His family runs a sari shop and decides to set up a matching centre for him next to the sari shop so those who buy saris may go next door to his shop to buy matching falls and blouse pieces. While Ashish gets busy selling matching blouse pieces, Siddharth manages a job as a spot boy with a Haryanvi film unit. Here, at the shooting, just about everybody humiliates Siddharth. He snaps when his best friend too insults him.

    Siddharth is seething with anger when his cousin from Kanpur enters the scene. The cousin is as foxy as they come and, as a way of taking revenge on Ashish, suggests to Siddharth that they burn down the Sari godown owned by Ashish’s family after stealing all the goods which could be sold to another trader to finance Siddharth’s dream of starting a restaurant.

    Siddharth is now a successful eatery owner. Things change, he now has a car and, finally, also starts dating Simran who never noticed him in the seven years that he pined for her. But, the Kanpur cousin proves destructor for the family; his father gives up on his job while his sister is talked into leaking exam papers, both on the cousin’s advice.

    Siddharth’s conscience begins to bite him for his crime. He decides to meet Ashish and own up to his crime. Eventually, crime does not pay but friendship does.

    It is tough to understand the title of Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi to care enough to watch it. It was explained to me by the director as the generally used term ‘Vaat lag gayi’ in Mumbai. That is the most likely fate of this film at the box office.

  • National Award winning duo’s ‘Citylights’ to release on 30 May

    National Award winning duo’s ‘Citylights’ to release on 30 May

    MUMBAI: The successful team of Fox Star Studios and Vishesh Films is back with ‘Citylights’, this May.

    ‘Citylights’ brings back the National Award winning duo Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao, after their earlier venture ‘Shahid’ wowed the audiences and the critics alike.

    Rajkummar Rao is paired opposite actress Patralekha who will be making her debut with this film.

    ‘Citylights’ is based on the life of a trader in Rajasthan who comes to Mumbai with his wife and daughter in hope of a better life. The challenges they encounter in a big city and how they rise to meet those challenges nurtured by the power of their love is what ‘Citylights’ is all about.

    At heart ‘Citylights’ is a love story, a story about familial bonding, a thriller that explores the depths of human nature and a drama about sacrifice in the city of dreams.

     

    The film is an official remake of the international award winning film ‘Metro Manila’ that has received critical acclaim and won many awards internationally.