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Tag: Piyush Mishra

  • SonyLiv to present Piyush Mishra starrer ‘Kathakaar’

    SonyLiv to present Piyush Mishra starrer ‘Kathakaar’

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks’ (SPN) digital entertainment platform SonyLiv, is known to stay at the forefront with its rich and exclusive content offering to its viewers. The platform is now presenting the movie- Kathakaar to its audiences on 19 December.

    The film is in line with SonyLiv’s association with the film division of Whistling Woods International (WWI), Connect1. Renowned actor and lyricist Piyush Mishra plays the lead in the short film.

    “We are delighted to showcase Kathakaar exclusively on our platform. The narrative is powerfully evocative and we hope our viewers will enjoy watching it.Through our association with the film division of Whistling Woods International, we aim to present more exclusive and riveting entertainment to our viewers in the near future,” said SPN EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi.

    Conceptualised by the students from WWI, the movie was also one of the semi-finalists in the Foreign Narrative Category at 43rd Annual Student Academy Awards. The film is directed by Abhimanyu Kanodia, produced by Shraddha Singh and Naveed M, captured by Mitesh Parvatneni, edited by Pavi Trehan and sound designed by Kunal Lolsure.

    Kathakaar is the story of Prakash, an old theatre projectionist who loses his job owing to changing technology and goes back to his native village. Depressed with this sudden loss of job, he struggles to figure out what to do with his life. After he succeeds in making a crying child laugh with his storytelling skills, he gathers his confidence, takes a chance to become a storyteller for the entire village, thereby rediscovering his passion. The narrative of Kathakaar, welcomes this new beginning in the life of Prakash.

    Mishra added, “With Kathakaar, I went purely with my gut feeling. I reject a lot of scripts, but there was an X Factor about this one. I also had a question in mind as to how so much could be projected in such a short time span of 10 minutes. As an actor, the character I play grabbed my interest. Having said that, I had no clue that the film would be so well made, and would go on to do so well.”

    The film has so far won 13 awards, including 3 international awards and has been officially selected at 26 film festivals across the globe. Amongst international honours, the film has bagged awards at renowned film festivals such as the 5th Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, 5th Washington D.C. South Asian Film Festival, Washington D.C., II International Motivational Film Festival, Russia and 6th Jagran Film Festival, Mumbai.

  • SonyLiv to present Piyush Mishra starrer ‘Kathakaar’

    SonyLiv to present Piyush Mishra starrer ‘Kathakaar’

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks’ (SPN) digital entertainment platform SonyLiv, is known to stay at the forefront with its rich and exclusive content offering to its viewers. The platform is now presenting the movie- Kathakaar to its audiences on 19 December.

    The film is in line with SonyLiv’s association with the film division of Whistling Woods International (WWI), Connect1. Renowned actor and lyricist Piyush Mishra plays the lead in the short film.

    “We are delighted to showcase Kathakaar exclusively on our platform. The narrative is powerfully evocative and we hope our viewers will enjoy watching it.Through our association with the film division of Whistling Woods International, we aim to present more exclusive and riveting entertainment to our viewers in the near future,” said SPN EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi.

    Conceptualised by the students from WWI, the movie was also one of the semi-finalists in the Foreign Narrative Category at 43rd Annual Student Academy Awards. The film is directed by Abhimanyu Kanodia, produced by Shraddha Singh and Naveed M, captured by Mitesh Parvatneni, edited by Pavi Trehan and sound designed by Kunal Lolsure.

    Kathakaar is the story of Prakash, an old theatre projectionist who loses his job owing to changing technology and goes back to his native village. Depressed with this sudden loss of job, he struggles to figure out what to do with his life. After he succeeds in making a crying child laugh with his storytelling skills, he gathers his confidence, takes a chance to become a storyteller for the entire village, thereby rediscovering his passion. The narrative of Kathakaar, welcomes this new beginning in the life of Prakash.

    Mishra added, “With Kathakaar, I went purely with my gut feeling. I reject a lot of scripts, but there was an X Factor about this one. I also had a question in mind as to how so much could be projected in such a short time span of 10 minutes. As an actor, the character I play grabbed my interest. Having said that, I had no clue that the film would be so well made, and would go on to do so well.”

    The film has so far won 13 awards, including 3 international awards and has been officially selected at 26 film festivals across the globe. Amongst international honours, the film has bagged awards at renowned film festivals such as the 5th Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival, 5th Washington D.C. South Asian Film Festival, Washington D.C., II International Motivational Film Festival, Russia and 6th Jagran Film Festival, Mumbai.

  • Pink: Old wine with a new treatment

    Pink: Old wine with a new treatment

    MUMBAI: Three independent young girls, night out, boys, molestation and Delhi as the location. The leader of the molesting boys is from a political family with whom the cops don’t wish to mess. Put these factors together and you have a story to tell and the result is Pink.

    There may be comparisons with No One Killed Jessica and many such stories from real life cases based TV programmes on Crime Patrol and Savdhaan India.

    So, what is new about Pink? Nothing much really except that it stars Amitabh Bachchan and that it has been vigorously promoted.

    TaapseePannu from Delhi, KIrtiKulhari from Lucknow and Andrea Tariang from Meghalaya share a rented apartment in a typical Delhi raw house colony. They are independence loving working women who, like all other such girls, like a night out on occasions. On one such night out, the girls are enjoying among themselves at a joint at Surajkund (near Delhi in Haryana) when they are invited to join a group of boys because one of them happens to be known to Taapsee since her school days.

    The group moneybag is AngadBedi, hailing from a family of a politician and used to getting away with his evil ways. The boys do what Delhi boys are known to do. They invite the girls to rooms where the boys make their move and expect the girls to be chalu and, hence, reciprocate. While Andrea breaks loose and runs away from the room, Angad tries to be more aggressive with Taapsee who breaks a bottle on his head. Angad who is almost blinded in one eye and ends up with stitches on his forehead is livid with one of his sidekicks adding fuel to fire.

    The boys have decided to make the girls’ life miserable. The girls start receiving threat calls and their landlord is asked to evict them from the premises.

    Amitabh Bachchan is a keen observer of these girls’ movements. A retired lawyer, he occupies a house right opposite theirs. He watches Taapsee on her morning jog in a park he also visits and, otherwise, places himself behind a curtain and watching on girls go about their lives!He notices the sudden change in the girls’ behavior. They look scared. That is when he witnesses a car full of boys come into the colony and kidnap Taapsee.

    Bachchan is a renowned lawyer even if retired and he does what he can: call up the police commissioner informing of the kidnap to no avail. Nobody seems interested in the plight of these girls except Bachchan. Next, a Surajkund lady police comes and arrests Taapsee on charges of attempted murder of Angad. That sums up the first half of the film.

    Time for retired lawyer Bachchan to step in. He is back to donning his lawyer’s garb and neck piece. The second half is about the court case as Bachchan fights for justice for Taapsee while PiyushMishra, who is a public prosecutor, seems to fight for the boys instead. He is more interested in proving that the girls are professional escorts and of loose character while the case is about establishing the case of attempted murder!

    It is a court case like no other as Piyushgoes berserk shouting, stripping the girls of all their dignity, resorts to name-calling and making them look like culprits by design. Bachchan asks equally shaming questions to the girls; his purpose is to prove just that whatever the girls may be doing in their personal life and may have had other boyfriends but, when a girl says NO to a man, it means NO and a man has no right to force himself on her. While Piyush indulges in histrionics, Bachchan is matter of fact.

    As for molestation and putting up a fight go, Pink would be compared to No One Killed Jessica (2011) while, as a court drama for a woman’s honour, it would be with Damini (1993), both of which had more powerful content.

    The script is simple, tell the story with references to things that appear in news like how girls dress, plight of North Eastern girls in Delhi, reluctant police, et al besides the girls’ safety. It turns out to be a court drama sans drama. Director lets viewer assume a lot of things; like who is the bedridden woman in Bachchan’s life. Why should a public prosecutor behave like a mad man in court? Why Bachhcan who does not react to the prosecutor’s provocation be shouting at his own client. If that is supposed to add excitement to the proceedings, it does not. The judgment delivered also goes beyond the scope of the case! The direction is passable;the incidentthat leads to the case, is finally shown in the end title! Cinematography is fair. Editing is weak. Background score is apt. As for the dialogue, only Bachchan gets some good lines.

    As for the performances, TaapseePannu shines with her restrained act. KirtiKulhari uses the dramatic moments given to her ably. Andrea Tarinag has little to do except represent aggrieved North East. Amitabh Bachchan plays the moody lawyer with ease. Piyush Mishra is over the top.AngadBedi suits the role.Dhritiman Chatterjee as the judge lands some credibility to the proceedings.

    Pink is a court room drama with which the female audience may identify more and help the film score at select multiplexes, especially during the weekend.However, the range at the box office remains limited as it happens with such films.

    Producers: Rashmi Sharma, ShoojitSircar.

    Director:Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

    Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, TaapseePannu, KirtiKulhari, Andrea Tariang, AngadBedi, Piyush Mishra, Dhritiman Chatterjee.

    Raaz: Reboot

    Raaz: Reboot is the fourth instalment in the Raaz series from Vishesh Films, the earlier ones being Raaz(2002), Raaz:The Mystery Continues (2009) and Raaz 3D (2012). Raaz: Reboot is directed by Vikram Bhatt, who also directed the first and third instalments (the second one was directed by MohitSuri). Raaz: Reboot, like its predecessors, is also a horror thriller.

    KritiKharbanda and Gaurav Arora are married and decide to move to Romania. Gaurav needs better prospects which he seeks in Romania of all places. However, the shift is despite Gaurav’s reluctance who has agreed only on the wishes of Kriti, who thinks his job here was not up to the mark and he deserved better.

    Things seem to take a turn for worse once they move to Romania. Kriti feels that the things are not the same between her and Gaurav and no explanation is forthcoming from him. Saddened and disillusioned Kriti has more troubles in store for her; she starts getting that eerie feeling about the house they occupy. Also, Gaurav is no help when she tries to tell him about her discomfiture.

    Kriti then comes across Emraan, her ex and a fashion photographer who is also in Romania. Having found an ear to unload her problems, Kriti tells her fears to Emraan who is quite forthcoming unlike Gaurav. He also has some secrets to share with her. What follows is the usual mumbo-jumbo for exorcism while what some of the public may have expected from Raaz franchise, sex, is missing. Of course, Emraan’s forte, kisses, are not compromised.

    It has been a long time since Raaz (almost 15 years) and the franchise has only deteriorated in content and treatment. What is more, a lot has been happening in this genre on various television channels and there is no novelty left. Sadly, the film offers nothing better than such television shows.

    The script being predictable and routine, director Vikram Bhatt too goes about dealing with it as just another chore. The music, which usually is the scoring point in Bhatt-T Series ventures is not up the mark here. Dialogue is routine, considering that the film aims to find its target audience in masses, the use of English dialogue is a deterrent. The length, at 127 minutes sans substance, needed to be curtailed. The cinematography is good with Romania backdrop coming as a bonus.

    Emraan Hashmi sails through in the role he has played often before but the negative trait in his character may not be appreciated. KritiKharbanda passes muster. Gaurav Arora is okay.

    Raaz: Reboot has little to expect from multiplexes but will find its audience at single screens, especially away from metros.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vishesh Films.

    Director: Vikram Bhatt.

    Cast: Emraan Hashmi, KritiKharbanda, Gaurav Arora.

  • Pink: Old wine with a new treatment

    Pink: Old wine with a new treatment

    MUMBAI: Three independent young girls, night out, boys, molestation and Delhi as the location. The leader of the molesting boys is from a political family with whom the cops don’t wish to mess. Put these factors together and you have a story to tell and the result is Pink.

    There may be comparisons with No One Killed Jessica and many such stories from real life cases based TV programmes on Crime Patrol and Savdhaan India.

    So, what is new about Pink? Nothing much really except that it stars Amitabh Bachchan and that it has been vigorously promoted.

    TaapseePannu from Delhi, KIrtiKulhari from Lucknow and Andrea Tariang from Meghalaya share a rented apartment in a typical Delhi raw house colony. They are independence loving working women who, like all other such girls, like a night out on occasions. On one such night out, the girls are enjoying among themselves at a joint at Surajkund (near Delhi in Haryana) when they are invited to join a group of boys because one of them happens to be known to Taapsee since her school days.

    The group moneybag is AngadBedi, hailing from a family of a politician and used to getting away with his evil ways. The boys do what Delhi boys are known to do. They invite the girls to rooms where the boys make their move and expect the girls to be chalu and, hence, reciprocate. While Andrea breaks loose and runs away from the room, Angad tries to be more aggressive with Taapsee who breaks a bottle on his head. Angad who is almost blinded in one eye and ends up with stitches on his forehead is livid with one of his sidekicks adding fuel to fire.

    The boys have decided to make the girls’ life miserable. The girls start receiving threat calls and their landlord is asked to evict them from the premises.

    Amitabh Bachchan is a keen observer of these girls’ movements. A retired lawyer, he occupies a house right opposite theirs. He watches Taapsee on her morning jog in a park he also visits and, otherwise, places himself behind a curtain and watching on girls go about their lives!He notices the sudden change in the girls’ behavior. They look scared. That is when he witnesses a car full of boys come into the colony and kidnap Taapsee.

    Bachchan is a renowned lawyer even if retired and he does what he can: call up the police commissioner informing of the kidnap to no avail. Nobody seems interested in the plight of these girls except Bachchan. Next, a Surajkund lady police comes and arrests Taapsee on charges of attempted murder of Angad. That sums up the first half of the film.

    Time for retired lawyer Bachchan to step in. He is back to donning his lawyer’s garb and neck piece. The second half is about the court case as Bachchan fights for justice for Taapsee while PiyushMishra, who is a public prosecutor, seems to fight for the boys instead. He is more interested in proving that the girls are professional escorts and of loose character while the case is about establishing the case of attempted murder!

    It is a court case like no other as Piyushgoes berserk shouting, stripping the girls of all their dignity, resorts to name-calling and making them look like culprits by design. Bachchan asks equally shaming questions to the girls; his purpose is to prove just that whatever the girls may be doing in their personal life and may have had other boyfriends but, when a girl says NO to a man, it means NO and a man has no right to force himself on her. While Piyush indulges in histrionics, Bachchan is matter of fact.

    As for molestation and putting up a fight go, Pink would be compared to No One Killed Jessica (2011) while, as a court drama for a woman’s honour, it would be with Damini (1993), both of which had more powerful content.

    The script is simple, tell the story with references to things that appear in news like how girls dress, plight of North Eastern girls in Delhi, reluctant police, et al besides the girls’ safety. It turns out to be a court drama sans drama. Director lets viewer assume a lot of things; like who is the bedridden woman in Bachchan’s life. Why should a public prosecutor behave like a mad man in court? Why Bachhcan who does not react to the prosecutor’s provocation be shouting at his own client. If that is supposed to add excitement to the proceedings, it does not. The judgment delivered also goes beyond the scope of the case! The direction is passable;the incidentthat leads to the case, is finally shown in the end title! Cinematography is fair. Editing is weak. Background score is apt. As for the dialogue, only Bachchan gets some good lines.

    As for the performances, TaapseePannu shines with her restrained act. KirtiKulhari uses the dramatic moments given to her ably. Andrea Tarinag has little to do except represent aggrieved North East. Amitabh Bachchan plays the moody lawyer with ease. Piyush Mishra is over the top.AngadBedi suits the role.Dhritiman Chatterjee as the judge lands some credibility to the proceedings.

    Pink is a court room drama with which the female audience may identify more and help the film score at select multiplexes, especially during the weekend.However, the range at the box office remains limited as it happens with such films.

    Producers: Rashmi Sharma, ShoojitSircar.

    Director:Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

    Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, TaapseePannu, KirtiKulhari, Andrea Tariang, AngadBedi, Piyush Mishra, Dhritiman Chatterjee.

    Raaz: Reboot

    Raaz: Reboot is the fourth instalment in the Raaz series from Vishesh Films, the earlier ones being Raaz(2002), Raaz:The Mystery Continues (2009) and Raaz 3D (2012). Raaz: Reboot is directed by Vikram Bhatt, who also directed the first and third instalments (the second one was directed by MohitSuri). Raaz: Reboot, like its predecessors, is also a horror thriller.

    KritiKharbanda and Gaurav Arora are married and decide to move to Romania. Gaurav needs better prospects which he seeks in Romania of all places. However, the shift is despite Gaurav’s reluctance who has agreed only on the wishes of Kriti, who thinks his job here was not up to the mark and he deserved better.

    Things seem to take a turn for worse once they move to Romania. Kriti feels that the things are not the same between her and Gaurav and no explanation is forthcoming from him. Saddened and disillusioned Kriti has more troubles in store for her; she starts getting that eerie feeling about the house they occupy. Also, Gaurav is no help when she tries to tell him about her discomfiture.

    Kriti then comes across Emraan, her ex and a fashion photographer who is also in Romania. Having found an ear to unload her problems, Kriti tells her fears to Emraan who is quite forthcoming unlike Gaurav. He also has some secrets to share with her. What follows is the usual mumbo-jumbo for exorcism while what some of the public may have expected from Raaz franchise, sex, is missing. Of course, Emraan’s forte, kisses, are not compromised.

    It has been a long time since Raaz (almost 15 years) and the franchise has only deteriorated in content and treatment. What is more, a lot has been happening in this genre on various television channels and there is no novelty left. Sadly, the film offers nothing better than such television shows.

    The script being predictable and routine, director Vikram Bhatt too goes about dealing with it as just another chore. The music, which usually is the scoring point in Bhatt-T Series ventures is not up the mark here. Dialogue is routine, considering that the film aims to find its target audience in masses, the use of English dialogue is a deterrent. The length, at 127 minutes sans substance, needed to be curtailed. The cinematography is good with Romania backdrop coming as a bonus.

    Emraan Hashmi sails through in the role he has played often before but the negative trait in his character may not be appreciated. KritiKharbanda passes muster. Gaurav Arora is okay.

    Raaz: Reboot has little to expect from multiplexes but will find its audience at single screens, especially away from metros.

    Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vishesh Films.

    Director: Vikram Bhatt.

    Cast: Emraan Hashmi, KritiKharbanda, Gaurav Arora.

  • ‘Aligarh:’ Odd one out

    ‘Aligarh:’ Odd one out

    There are a few makers who make films out of newspaper headlines and TV reports of real life events (usually negative or tragic ones); all that matters is that they have to be controversial. For a film, what matters the most is that a paying moviegoer has to identify with what is unwinding on screen. But, what some makers don’t follow that rule because they seek medal and awards more than rewards. Yet, when they make such a film, why do they insert a disclaimer at the start of the movie that the film is a work of fiction? 

    Aligarh is the story of a professor from Aligarh Muslim University with different sexual leanings. Since the makers claim it to be totally their own work of fiction, I would like to say the story ‘coincides’ with the case of Professor Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, whose real name the film does not shy from using, disclaimer notwithstanding! 
    As the legend goes, Siras, played by Manoj Bajpai, was a linguist, head of the department of modern Indian languages at Aligarh Muslim University, who specialised in Marathi. He was a poet too. A man in his 60s with a failed marriage, his leanings were towards homosexuality. 

    Having been appointed head of a department, he had managed to create some jealous enemies and, one day, when he takes his newly cultivated same sex friend, a cycle rickshaw puller, home for obvious reasons, his detractors conduct a sting on him. A couple of lathi wielding video journalists barge into his bedroom and film him in the act. 
    Next day, the video footage as well as pictures are out in the media and Siras is suspended from the university. 

    The rest of the film is about his battle to prove that his different sexual leanings did not make him an abnormal man nor take away his knowledge or expertise from him. His case is covered and advocated by a Delhi based cub journalist, Rajkumar Yadav, who is convinced that Siras is framed. As it happens, an NGO comes on the scene and fights Siras’ battle in court. The homosexuality law is in a limbo for a time as the Supreme Court declares its reservations on this law under Section 377, making Siras a non-criminal but is reversed soon thereafter to turn him to a criminal again! 

    The film is like a few other such films where a journalist follows his/her instincts on a particular case. Rather rare in India. 

    What is good about Aligarh is the excellent performance from Bajpai, aptly supported by Yadav. 

    Aligarh will earn rave reviews; it is not designed to earn at the box office. 

    Direction: Hansal Mehta
    Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Rajkumar Yadav

    ‘Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive:’ Distant second


    Tere Bin Laden, the 2010 satire was woven around 26/11 attacks on American targets including the World Trade Centre twin towers and the US of A’s war on terror that followed with prime objective being on finding Osama Bin Laden. Because of the moderate success of that film, that a sequel would follow was a forgone conclusion. The production of the sequel followed two to three years later but, surprisingly, there seemed to be no party interested to take it to the market till now.

    A small time journalist in Pakistan, Ali Zafar, desperate to migrate to the US to make a career there, spots a Bin Laden look alike, Pradhuman Singh, and thinks he has found his passport, visa and whatever it takes to travel to the US. Ali dresses up Singh to look ditto like Laden and shoots his video to announce to the world that he had been able to track down the most sought after terrorist by the US.

    In the sequel, Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive, Manish Paul, son of a North India halwai, has dreams of making movies and comes to Mumbai to pursue his dream. He sells the idea to the Shetty Sisters to back his film. The sisters agree but, just when the film was to take off, the real Laden is killed by the US marines.

    Paul’s dream is shattered. If Laden is dead, there is no sequel. But, there is an opening for him when it is reported that people are demanding proof from the US President of Laden’s death since his dead body was never on display. Paul decides to use this doubt in people’s mind as an opportunity to make his sequel. The news is all over the media. 

    Across the seven seas, there is pressure on the US President to end the controversy once and for all. He delegates the work to CIA chief, Sikander Kher, who has a sidekick in Mia Uyeda to sort this out. The idea is to find a Laden look alike, shoot him on camera and produce the pictures. And, that is when they come across media coverage of Singh, Paul and the sequel. That sets CIA after Singh.
    Somewhere in terrorist stronghold closer to India, an arms dealer, Piyush Mishra, who makes money out of supplying arms to terrorists, learns of Laden look alike too and he wants to cash in on this to promote his business. 

    Now, Paul’s priority is the make his sequel and thus his debut as a filmmaker. CIA wants Laden killing to be shot on camera and, Mishra wants Laden alive so that his business would continue.
    The greed to encash a successful film with a sequel is fair. But, trying to repeat a fluke is not kosher. The script does not exist, looks like the makers have gone along and shot scenes as they came to mind. Direction is tacky and what the film does finally is to make you realise that the original was a total fluke. Technically, the film is purely functional.

    Let loose in front of camera, Paul and Singh do well. Piyush is more convincing than the rest. 

    Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is stillborn. 

    Producers: Pooja Shetty Deora, Aarti Shetty
    Direcion: Abhishek Sharma
    Cast: Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh, Sikander Kher, Piyush Mishra, Sugandha Garg, Mia Udeya

  • ‘Aligarh:’ Odd one out

    ‘Aligarh:’ Odd one out

    There are a few makers who make films out of newspaper headlines and TV reports of real life events (usually negative or tragic ones); all that matters is that they have to be controversial. For a film, what matters the most is that a paying moviegoer has to identify with what is unwinding on screen. But, what some makers don’t follow that rule because they seek medal and awards more than rewards. Yet, when they make such a film, why do they insert a disclaimer at the start of the movie that the film is a work of fiction? 

    Aligarh is the story of a professor from Aligarh Muslim University with different sexual leanings. Since the makers claim it to be totally their own work of fiction, I would like to say the story ‘coincides’ with the case of Professor Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, whose real name the film does not shy from using, disclaimer notwithstanding! 
    As the legend goes, Siras, played by Manoj Bajpai, was a linguist, head of the department of modern Indian languages at Aligarh Muslim University, who specialised in Marathi. He was a poet too. A man in his 60s with a failed marriage, his leanings were towards homosexuality. 

    Having been appointed head of a department, he had managed to create some jealous enemies and, one day, when he takes his newly cultivated same sex friend, a cycle rickshaw puller, home for obvious reasons, his detractors conduct a sting on him. A couple of lathi wielding video journalists barge into his bedroom and film him in the act. 
    Next day, the video footage as well as pictures are out in the media and Siras is suspended from the university. 

    The rest of the film is about his battle to prove that his different sexual leanings did not make him an abnormal man nor take away his knowledge or expertise from him. His case is covered and advocated by a Delhi based cub journalist, Rajkumar Yadav, who is convinced that Siras is framed. As it happens, an NGO comes on the scene and fights Siras’ battle in court. The homosexuality law is in a limbo for a time as the Supreme Court declares its reservations on this law under Section 377, making Siras a non-criminal but is reversed soon thereafter to turn him to a criminal again! 

    The film is like a few other such films where a journalist follows his/her instincts on a particular case. Rather rare in India. 

    What is good about Aligarh is the excellent performance from Bajpai, aptly supported by Yadav. 

    Aligarh will earn rave reviews; it is not designed to earn at the box office. 

    Direction: Hansal Mehta
    Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Rajkumar Yadav

    ‘Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive:’ Distant second


    Tere Bin Laden, the 2010 satire was woven around 26/11 attacks on American targets including the World Trade Centre twin towers and the US of A’s war on terror that followed with prime objective being on finding Osama Bin Laden. Because of the moderate success of that film, that a sequel would follow was a forgone conclusion. The production of the sequel followed two to three years later but, surprisingly, there seemed to be no party interested to take it to the market till now.

    A small time journalist in Pakistan, Ali Zafar, desperate to migrate to the US to make a career there, spots a Bin Laden look alike, Pradhuman Singh, and thinks he has found his passport, visa and whatever it takes to travel to the US. Ali dresses up Singh to look ditto like Laden and shoots his video to announce to the world that he had been able to track down the most sought after terrorist by the US.

    In the sequel, Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive, Manish Paul, son of a North India halwai, has dreams of making movies and comes to Mumbai to pursue his dream. He sells the idea to the Shetty Sisters to back his film. The sisters agree but, just when the film was to take off, the real Laden is killed by the US marines.

    Paul’s dream is shattered. If Laden is dead, there is no sequel. But, there is an opening for him when it is reported that people are demanding proof from the US President of Laden’s death since his dead body was never on display. Paul decides to use this doubt in people’s mind as an opportunity to make his sequel. The news is all over the media. 

    Across the seven seas, there is pressure on the US President to end the controversy once and for all. He delegates the work to CIA chief, Sikander Kher, who has a sidekick in Mia Uyeda to sort this out. The idea is to find a Laden look alike, shoot him on camera and produce the pictures. And, that is when they come across media coverage of Singh, Paul and the sequel. That sets CIA after Singh.
    Somewhere in terrorist stronghold closer to India, an arms dealer, Piyush Mishra, who makes money out of supplying arms to terrorists, learns of Laden look alike too and he wants to cash in on this to promote his business. 

    Now, Paul’s priority is the make his sequel and thus his debut as a filmmaker. CIA wants Laden killing to be shot on camera and, Mishra wants Laden alive so that his business would continue.
    The greed to encash a successful film with a sequel is fair. But, trying to repeat a fluke is not kosher. The script does not exist, looks like the makers have gone along and shot scenes as they came to mind. Direction is tacky and what the film does finally is to make you realise that the original was a total fluke. Technically, the film is purely functional.

    Let loose in front of camera, Paul and Singh do well. Piyush is more convincing than the rest. 

    Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is stillborn. 

    Producers: Pooja Shetty Deora, Aarti Shetty
    Direcion: Abhishek Sharma
    Cast: Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh, Sikander Kher, Piyush Mishra, Sugandha Garg, Mia Udeya

  • Urban Ladder aims to touch emotional chords with ad film

    Urban Ladder aims to touch emotional chords with ad film

    NEW DELHI: Furniture and home décor company Urban Ladder has made a unique film, which brings the essence of unified Indian families while publicising its own products.

     

    The short film titled ‘The Homecoming’ captures the journey of a couple’s decision to move into their son’s home, when the son and his wife make them feel at home with thoughtful changes in the house. The film is conceptualised and filmed by Boring Brands.

     

    The 7.16 minute long film opens with the son (Amit Sadh) talking to his mother (Pyumori Mehta) on the phone to plan their Diwali visit, and also insists that his parents should move in with his family. When the couple arrives, the father (Piyush Mishra) looks hesitant and uncomfortable in the son’s house since it’s very different from his home. The son and daughter-in-law (Tapsee Pannu) understand his discomfort and do a complete makeover of the room with thoughtful changes.

     

    The couple is surprised by this effort and in this emotional moment make a decision to move in with their son and his family.

     

    “At Urban Ladder, we strongly believe that a beautiful home is not just created with good looking furniture, but with a lot of thought that make spaces comfortable and cozy for everyday living. Our everyday routine revolves around those favourite spaces in our home which complete our day – tea on the swing, newspaper on a lounge chair or the bookshelf that stacks our everyday reads. In this film, we have tried to capture how small but thoughtful changes can make a house a home and bring people together,” said Urban Ladder VP – marketing Nikhil Ramaprakash.

     

    Boring Brands co-founder and CEO Anshul Sushil said, “The festive season always sees an influx of TV commercials and content aiming to attract shoppers. The idea with this was to poignantly bring out the notion that family ties go beyond festivals. It is a celebration of human relationships and behaviour that audiences will instantly warm to. Urban Ladder as a brand resonates the sentiment that a home is built not by furniture and décor but by the family that lives in it and that is the driving message of this film.”

     

    The film has been directed by Vinay Jaiswal of Kreative Wings Studio.

     

    Mishra, who features in this film said, “The beauty of this film lies in its simplicity. It celebrates relationships set in the backdrop of Diwali festival and brings out the coming together of a family. For someone who has been in the industry for so long, it is heartening to see young brands create unique content and I feel lucky to have been a part of this effort by Urban Ladder.”

     

    Link to the film –  Urban Ladder | The Homecoming | A Short Film 

  • Akshay Kumar strives hard for the National Award, in ‘The Shaukeens’

    Akshay Kumar strives hard for the National Award, in ‘The Shaukeens’

    MUMBAI: With Akshay Kumar’s latest flick The Shaukeens ready for release, his character in the movie was recently announced. The actor will play a real life version of himself, but with a surprising twist. He will be seen playing an alcoholic superstar in the feature.

     

    Director Abhishek Sharma reveals, “In the film, Akshay desperately wants to win the National Award. There is this huge conflict between him and his business manager (Cyrus Broacha), who wants him to break box-office records instead. But Akshay is ready to do anything to bag the most respected award in the country.”

     

    This interesting spin to the character goes on to form the highlight of the movie produced by Murad Khetani and Ashwin Varde.

     

    Sharma further reveals that the manner in which the superstar achieves his goal goes on to become a crucial part of the films plot.

     

    “In the middle of all this mad conflict are a greedy secretary, an eccentric director and a commercial filmmaker — all driving Akshay crazy, who’s wasted, anyway! It is madness like never seen before,” adds Sharma.     

          

    The Shaukeens is a remake of 1982 comedy movie Shaukeen directed by Basu Chatterjee. It stars Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon along with Akshay Kumar.

     

    Produced by Cine1 Studios, Cape Of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions, the film is set to release on 7 November 2014.

  • Anupam and Lisa get drunk: Behind the scenes of ‘The Shaukeens’

    Anupam and Lisa get drunk: Behind the scenes of ‘The Shaukeens’

    MUMBAI: To give a scene reality touch while shooting, actor Anupam Kher and Lisa Haydon downed a little too much red wine on the sets of The Shaukeens.

    Tired after a hard day at work, where the lead actors Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon were scheduled to travel to three different locations to shoot three different scenes in one day, with each location about two hours away from the next. Haydon and Kher decided to break away from the tradition of using mock drinks for shooting the last scene for the day where they were to be filmed while drinking wine by having actual red wine.

    By the time the final shot was taken, the two had downed three to four glasses each, a source from the sets revealed. “Luckily, it was the last scene for the day. So, no one noticed that the actors were actually in high spirits.”

    The Shaukeens is a remake of 1982 comedy movie Shaukeen directed by Basu Chatterjee. It stars Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra and Lisa Haydon along with Akshay Kumar in a special appearance. Produced by Cine1 Studios, Cape Of Good Films and Ashwin Varde Productions and directed by Abhishek Sharma, the film is set to release on 7 November 2014.

     

  • ‘Revolver Rani’… Of Bullets and Boredom

    ‘Revolver Rani’… Of Bullets and Boredom

    MUMBAI: The title of the film, Revolver Rani, sounds like Hunterwali and various others mid 20th century woman-oriented films. These films commanded their own audience; a class of moviegoers who remained loyal to the brand.  Some makers like to find such local subjects which either fail to find buyers or, when they do, don’t work with the audience at all. Despite a couple of woman dacoit films like Putlibai and Bandit Queen, Revolver Rani seems quite outlandish as the story of a woman bahubali from the dacoit belt of Chambal.

    Kangana Ranaut has just lost an election to a creepy politician, Zakir Hussain, who had lost to her in an earlier election. Zakir, it seems, got a bribe to the tune of 200 crore from a mining giant to get them a concession on a mining belt. Wonder which corporate would invest that kind of money in a loser politician expecting him to win because they gave him 200 crore. But this is nothing compared to what follows.

    The film is actually about the plight of a woman who has never had anything work in her favour. She is unattractive to start with. She sees her mother being raped by the very man who killed her father. One day she empties all six bullets into him. After that, she is taken away by her mama, Piyush Mishra, with ambitions to turn her into a terror in his area and make her a political heavyweight. Her marriage has also been disaster with her husband branding her as a banjh and torturing her and also ending up with bullets with Kangna emptying an entire magazine in his body.

    Piyush is a master manipulator and uses Kangna’s angst for her political rise. Her opponent, Zakir, as well as the local police are  equally scared of her. She is the gun-wielding terror though it is another matter that when she and her rivals shower each other with bullets, no bullet hits anybody! While their battles continue, Kangna finds or she thinks she has found true love she always craved for in a small time actor, Vir Das. Vir actually has a girlfriend waiting in Mumbai but he decides to exploit Kangna’s weakness and talk her into financing his films. Since Kangna really loves him and is overtly possessive about him, Vir is now trapped. He is virtually a prisoner not allowed to step out without her.

    Producers: Raju Chadha, Nitin Tej Ahuja, Rahul Mittra.

    Director: Sai Kabir.

    Cast: Kangna Ranaut, Piyush Mishra, Zakir Hussain, Vir Das.

    Piyush, meanwhile, does a sting on Zakir through a TV journalist making him confess to accepting 200 crore. He loses his ministry. In the by-election, Kangna is sure to win. The enmity is now at its peak and ways are being sought to eliminate her. That is when Kangna finds out that she is pregnant. She was not a banjh after all. The woman in her comes alive and she wants to keep the child and marry Vir, collect all the party funds and move to Venice with Vir. While Vir wants nothing to do with this idea, mama Piyush sees all his plans going awry. Both Vir and Piyush, now turn into Kangna’s enemies and are ready to join her enemies and betray her.

    Kangna is ambushed at a night halt by an army of her enemies. She fights, killing many and heavily injured herself is given up for dead. But, she has survived and threatening you with a sequel!

    But before a sequel, the makers could at least have made the first version a bit tolerable. The film is shoddily written; it wavers from one thing to another and, let alone convincing episodes, they are not even plausible. If this kind of politics and political rivalries still exist in parts of India, what about the audience in general finding identification with them? If the script is bad, direction is pointless. The film has a couple of good songs, including one from Asha Bhosle, but they don’t fit in the scenario. Neither the film nor Kangna’s plight touch you. Why has the director gone out of his way to make Kangna look unattractive? As for performances, Kangna excels despite her character offering little variation. Piyush is impressive with fair support coming from Zakir. Vir refuses to change his expressions.

    Revolver Rani was expected to cash in on the recent Kangna hit, Queen. But it is a letdown on that count and otherwise too.

    Samrat & Co… Bankrupt

    A detective thriller is still a genre the big screen can share with small one even as many genres are now monopolised by the television. A decent Hindi detective whodunit has not been seen in a long time on the screen and the idea is sound enough to try one. Kavita K Barjatya of the Rajshri banner attempts one here. The inspiration comes from various original sources such as Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie novels and even Satyajit Ray’s famous Bengali character, Feluda, among others. The film pays homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his best known character, Holmes. Since the sources are from past, so is the story of Samrat & Co.

    Producer: Kavita K Barjatya.

    Director: Kaushik Ghatak.

    Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Madalsa Sharma, Gopal Datt, Girish Karnad, Priyanshu Chatterjee.

    Rajeev Khandelwal plays a private investigator that has been called in by Madalsa Sharma, daughter of a rich patriarch from Shimla, Girish Karnad, to check on a series of mysterious events taking place at his mansion. The lush green garden in the mansion is going dry, her father’s horse dies and Karnad himself suffers from indifferent health and dies soon as Rajeev arrives on the scene.

    It is a typical old-fashioned investigation as read and seen in various books and films earlier. Rajeev talks to himself as he works on various clues and red herrings. As Madalsa visits Rajeev to seek his help, he decides to impress her by telling things about her observed from her presence. Not all his explanations are convincing. He says she has had an eye correction surgery to get rid of her spectacles because she is still in the habit of adjusting her nonexistent specs but it could easily have been her migration to use of contact lenses. Much more is in the offing on this account as the film proceeds. 

    The film neither has anything new to offer nor does it present the old story in a manner worth watching. The writing is poor and so is the direction. The film lacks finesse having been made on a small budget. While Rajeev is a misfit for the role and his fuzzy hair look not going well either, Madalsa is around only to fantasise about romancing Rajeev.

    Samrat & Co has had a poor opening with ‘No audience, No show’ tags at many halls.