ITV

Tag: Prabhu Deva

  • Jackie Shroff, Shankar Mahadevan, and Prabhu Deva ‘seen’ like never before in MakeMyTrip’s quirky #AsliStar campaign

    Jackie Shroff, Shankar Mahadevan, and Prabhu Deva ‘seen’ like never before in MakeMyTrip’s quirky #AsliStar campaign

    Mumbai: Amidst the high-octane advertising mélange that is the IPL season, MakeMyTrip’s latest campaign truly stands out. India’s leading online travel company plays on the much-expounded benefits of ‘star power’ albeit with a twist, where the stars signed for the campaign never really show their face.

    The campaign comprises four films starring Bollywood actors – Jackie Shroff, dancer & actor Prabhu Deva, Grammy-winning singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan. Each of these personalities are so distinct in their style, voice and attitude that anyone familiar with their work will recognise them even without seeing their face. MakeMyTrip plays on this insight to showcase the platform as the ‘Asli Star’ (real hero) of the campaign, highlighting the benefits of booking hotels and homestays on the platform. Jackie dada drops Shakespeare-sque gems about maximising on life’s experiences whether on a trip or beyond; Prabhu Deva shares his love for dancing with abandon especially when your hotel room has all the amenities conducive to it; and Shankar Mahadevan sings breathlessly to cover the myriad offers available on the platform. A fourth film featuring two cricketing legends will go live later this week. Peppered into the ad films are inside jokes for the delight of true fans, and lovers of internet culture which audiences would love to keep their eyes peeled for.

    MakeMyTrip chief marketing officer and CBO – Corporate Raj Rishi Singh said, “When it comes to advertising, our goal is to keep upping the ante on the quirk-factor or the humour in our campaigns. Easily relatable situations, characters and people are brought into the fold of the brand’s communication but with a distinct MakeMyTrip edge. For this campaign too, we wanted to spotlight our fabulous hotels and homestays offerings with an equally fabulous star cast. It turns out that each of the personalities in our 4 films are real-life patrons of our platform. This information and their own distinct personal styles combined really brought our vision to fruition.”

    This creative campaign has been conceptualised by the creative agency Talented and directed by Suresh Triveni, Open Image and Radhika Produces Films. Talented creative Pearl Alex said “How bold the client, and how humble the celebrity, who hears a concept like this and says yes! Credit to co-founder & CCO P.G. Aditya for not just the creative device, but also letting no one shy away from it. We wanted to work with talent who had stories & personalities bigger than their face value, and an even bigger heart to attempt this format. All the inside jokes and ‘was that really him?’ moments in each film were intentional for rewatchability. If you’re going to see an ad umpteen times, we may as well make it fun, giving you something new to spot each time!”

    The first three films are live on television and across all social platforms. 

  • HDFC Bank launches star-studded PayZapp campaign

    HDFC Bank launches star-studded PayZapp campaign

    Mumbai: HDFC Bank announced the launch of a PayZapp campaign. The campaign features actors Tiger Shroff, Prabhu Deva and Kapil Sharma utilising their immense popularity for a wide consumer connection.

    The tongue-in-cheek campaign, conceptualised by Wondrlab India, a martech network, includes three films featuring the three actors wherein each showcases a range of payment choices that PayZapp offers. The campaign came from the insight that some people live their whole lives without having choices, but now they do not have to, at least when it comes to payments.

    HDFC Bank group head, chief marketing officer and head direct to consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “With PayZapp, we have revamped the payment experience for all consumers extensively, making the journey smoother and easier – be it via UPI, cards or PayZapp wallet. It is not just a payment app; it is a lifestyle enabler. We want to reach every part of the country aiming to be the preferred choice of payment app for consumers. The three films on PayZapp have beautifully captured the essence of our brand message.”

    Wondrlab India the CCO and co-founder Amit Akali said, “We took a contrarian approach while conceptualising the campaign. We explored how we can drive the point of unlimited choices by showing the viewers what happens when they don’t have a choice in life. That is why, we cast the celebrities most known for something, tired of only being seen in those specific roles and wishing for more choices.”

  • Britannia forays into western snacking space; launches campaign featuring Prabhu Deva

    Britannia forays into western snacking space; launches campaign featuring Prabhu Deva

    Mumbai: The largest bakery food brand in India, Britannia, has forayed into the western snacking space with the launch of its brand new Treat Croissant.

    The new western snack is launched with a campaign “Don’t Dare Compare” featuring Prabhu Deva.

    The newly launched campaign, conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, emphasises the elevated snacking experience that the product delivers.

    The ad film begins with two girls sitting on college steps, one of them having a regular snack, and the other girl is seen relishing a Britannia Treat Croissant. The girl having the regular snack claims that all snacks are the same. To which, the croissant girl replies with an analogy that the Britannia Croissant is a much more drool-worthy snack and is beyond any comparison.

    The campaign features a celebrity choreographer, actor, and director – Prabhu Deva, known for his slick dance moves and warm personality. The TVC closes with a voice over saying, “The brand-new Britannia Treat Croissant—fluff, baked, and filled with rich liquid cream. Don’t dare compare!”

    Speaking about the launch of Britannia Treat Croissant, Britannia Industries chief business officer – new categories Badri Beriwal said, “We believe young Indians today are way more experimental and are adapting towards a global palate. Britannia as a brand has always focused on introducing new snacking formats to India. Today, we strengthen this narrative and take pride in making this world-class product accessible to our vast audience across the country via our robust distribution network. The new Britannia Treat Croissant has an apt mix of taste and convenience for consumers. This will be yet another international standard product that will be locally produced in our mega food tech park at Ranjangaon.”

    Talking about the campaign, Lowe Lintas chief creative officer Sagar Kapoor said, “We wanted to establish the superiority of the Britannia Treat Croissant as a snack. Since we also wanted a strong youth connection, we decided to draw a parallel between this snack and dancing. And who better to talk about superiority in that field than the inimitable and evergreen Prabhu Deva? With him on board, we’re confident of landing our brand promise in a strong, entertaining manner that’s sure to get people to try out the product.”

    The all-new Britannia Treat Croissant is also available to purchase on all ecommerce platforms – Instamart, Blinkit, Bigbasket, and Dunz.

  • ZEE TV to hold world TV premiere of ‘Radhe’ on 15 August

    ZEE TV to hold world TV premiere of ‘Radhe’ on 15 August

    Mumbai: ZEE TV has announced the world television premiere of ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’ on 15 August at 12 noon. Directed by Prabhu Deva and starring Salman Khan, Disha Patani and Randeep Hooda in lead roles, the film was released on 13 May via multiple platforms.

    During its release, theatres remained shut because of lockdown restrictions, so the film was made available for viewing on the OTT platform ZEE5 via its pay-per-view service ZEEPlex as well as DTH operators such as Tata Sky, Dish, D2H, and Airtel Digital TV. The film was also distributed in theatres worldwide while adhering to Covid protocols issued by governments.  

    To create anticipation for the film’s TV premiere on Independence Day, ZEE TV will create the biggest fan-sourced mosaic depicting the actor Salman Khan as ‘Radhe’ that encompasses 6,500 images sourced from across the country. “All one needs to do is upload their picture on their social media page tagging @ZeeTV and using the #BhaiKoSalaam in their post. The lofty 32 ft x 20 ft recreation of Salman Khan’s Radhe is being installed at the Carter Blue Promenade in Bandra, Mumbai and is open for all Salman Khan’s fans till 14th August,” said the channel in a statement.

    “For millions of fans across the nation, Salman Khan has been this larger-than-life hero they worship, a symbol of incomparable charisma and effortless swagger,” said ZEE TV business head, Aparna Bhosle. “It is with the intent of enabling every Salman fan to express their love for him in an extremely personal way that we are inviting them to contribute their selfies, which in turn will be assembled and curated into an almost God-like avatar – a gigantic mosaic of their idol at the busy Carter Road promenade in Mumbai. We hope this celebration of Salman’s fandom mirrors the euphoria surrounding the world television premiere of his film Radhe we’re bringing our viewers on Independence Day.”

    The film is produced by Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Atul Agnihotri, and Zee Studios.

  • Amid Covid fears & theatre slump, what Radhe’s simultaneous release portends

    Amid Covid fears & theatre slump, what Radhe’s simultaneous release portends

    NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: After a number of filmmakers sought the direct-to-digital route to cope with the shock of the Covid2019 pandemic, it was expected that movies will return to theatres once lockdown restrictions eased. But the second wave of the novel Coronavirus has walloped the hopes of the comeback of cinemas. It seemed likely that many of the pending big releases would again be postponed. However, in a first for the Indian film industry, a movie is going to have a hybrid release. Radhe, which features Salman Khan in the lead role, will hit theatres on 13 May, while also simultaneously premiering on Zee5 and Zee Plex under pay-per-view plans. 

    Zee Studio CBO Shariq Patel said that the studio sensed the need to release the film on OTT, as it will give audiences the flexibility and convenience to watch the film online from the comfort of their home. 

    Simultaneous release of a film in theatres and OTT is a completely new trend in India. A few weeks back, Godzilla vs Kong distributed by Warner Bros was released in a similar manner in the United States. This unexpected move turned beneficial for the movie, as it enjoyed decent box-office collections in both domestic and international markets. 

    However, in India, the scenario could be different as most of the single screens and multiplexes are shuttered due to the second wave of the Covid2019 pandemic. A minority of single screens are currently functioning with just 30 per cent occupancy. As Radhe will be released only on a limited number of screens, industry experts are not expecting a box-office storm from this Salman Khan-starrer. 

    "It is completely about OTT. As more than 80 per cent of the theatres are closed, I am not expecting a decent collection from the big screens,” said Elara Capital vice president & research analyst (media & consumer discretionary) Karan Taurani. “I consider the premier of Radhe as a complete OTT release. If the situation persists like this, makers of movies like Sooryavanshi may also seriously consider an OTT or hybrid release. Moreover, the content is also getting old." 

    Despite creating high hopes, direct-to-digital releases have not performed well. But as more people are again being compelled to stay at home, Zee5 might gain from its latest movie rights.

    "It is early to say since we don't know how wide would the film release theatrically, which depends on the pandemic situation in May. In case the situation improves and the film releases wide like any other Salman Khan film, the impact may not be that much as audiences would want to watch the film in theatres,” Ormax Media partner Gautam Jain noted.

    However, in case of a restricted release, it will have a positive impact on the platform, he added. Since this is one of the big tentpole and awaited movies, he said the industry can expect a few announcements of a similar nature from other films.

    “I would imagine that Zee Studios has obviously realised that theatre revenue is going to be subdued for the rest of the year. It is very unlikely that theatre revenue will pick up for the next few months, the situation will remain like this maybe till the end of this year. Therefore, the only alternative left for them is to look at revenue coming from OTT or TV or any other partnership in terms of monetisation,” Kurate Digital’s Uday Sodhi surmised.

    On the other hand, Taurani felt that the pay-per-view model will not work in a country like India, where the concept of the TVoD model is still taking baby steps. 

    "We believe that the TVoD model is still too nascent for a market like India and one cannot expect any big positive surprises. We had already anticipated that certain large films may go direct OTT or TVoD route given the current rush for content coming into cinemas whenever they open up; expect some more small/medium budget films too to hit the direct OTT route as all may not wait for cinemas to open up," he explained. 

    Taurani also noted that one big film that fares well at the box office could lead to shifting of bargaining power in favour of exhibitors. However, theatres in India should start functioning properly to expect such a scenario. 

    Talking about the expected normalcy timeline, Taurani said, "The unlock time with 100 per cent occupancy this time around may be much faster – three months (June) as compared to six months last time when cinemas opened only in October and got 100 per cent occupancy towards February.'' 

    In the meantime, Zee5 will attempt to maximise and exploit whatever opportunity is available. A movie like Radhe will be great for its subscription side as more people are sitting at home and will like to consume more OTT content; and top of that, the film’s star Salman Khan has a loyal and extremely massive fanbase.  Therefore, any big movie release will boost subscription to some extent. While ZeeL’s Zee Plex is available on DTH platforms, it is going to be more interesting for the television side as TV content is in short supply, Sodhi added.

    However, it is the overarching belief among experts that multi-release format will not work in India like other global markets. "It would be difficult to continue a multi format release in future as exhibitors would want a clean theatrical release window for films, especially the big tentpole event films," Jain noted. Sodhi is also of the same view that these models are born out of crisis but will not continue once the situation stabilises.

  • No trick in the book worked on screen

    No trick in the book worked on screen

    MUMBAI: *The week’s major release, Mirzya, seems to have started on a wrong note in that, the posters designs as well as promos of the film did not quite manage to raise curiosity. If at all, they gave out a sort of negative vibes about the film. That the Navratri festival and the pre-Diwali period are never known to draw crowds to cinemas. Owing to these factors, the film had a very poor opening response. The reports from the early watchers only added to the problem as these went against every aspect of the film. The new romantic pair, both from the pedigree stock, failed to create the magic needed for a launch vehicle.

    The film had a poor run on day one at the box office managing to put together less than Rs 2 crore with the Saturday figures dropping marginally while Sunday remained stagnant. The film collected just Rs 5.2 crore for its first weekend. That spelt disaster for the film.

    *Tutak Tutak Tutiya in which Sonu Sood decided to play the hero, a super star at that, was not a very bright idea. To add to that confidence, Sonu also danced through the film instead of letting the master dancer, Prabhu Deva, do it. Also, this comic horror film provided none of the two really.

    The film met with a poor response all over with its collections remaining in lakhs. It collected Rs 2.15 lakh in its opening weekend.

    *M S Dhoni: The Untold Story, after an excellent weekend, could manage to sustain only at top-rung multiplexes. The film faced a major drop at single screens with some exhibitors at B Class single screen centres even losing the MGs paid. The rest of the four days could muster only a third of its opening weekend as the film collected Rs 82.6crore in its first week.

    *Banjo ran out of steam at the end of its first week run as it could collect a mere Rs 10 lakh in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 7.7 crore.

    *Parched collected Rs 2.5 lakh in its second week to take its two-week total to Rs 1.45 crore.
    *Days of Tafree: In Class Out Of Class collected Rs 10 lakh in its second week to take its two-week tally to Rs 1.85 crore.

    *Pink has remained steady in its third week with collection figures of Rs 6.4 crore taking its three-week tally to Rs 65.3 crore.

  • No trick in the book worked on screen

    No trick in the book worked on screen

    MUMBAI: *The week’s major release, Mirzya, seems to have started on a wrong note in that, the posters designs as well as promos of the film did not quite manage to raise curiosity. If at all, they gave out a sort of negative vibes about the film. That the Navratri festival and the pre-Diwali period are never known to draw crowds to cinemas. Owing to these factors, the film had a very poor opening response. The reports from the early watchers only added to the problem as these went against every aspect of the film. The new romantic pair, both from the pedigree stock, failed to create the magic needed for a launch vehicle.

    The film had a poor run on day one at the box office managing to put together less than Rs 2 crore with the Saturday figures dropping marginally while Sunday remained stagnant. The film collected just Rs 5.2 crore for its first weekend. That spelt disaster for the film.

    *Tutak Tutak Tutiya in which Sonu Sood decided to play the hero, a super star at that, was not a very bright idea. To add to that confidence, Sonu also danced through the film instead of letting the master dancer, Prabhu Deva, do it. Also, this comic horror film provided none of the two really.

    The film met with a poor response all over with its collections remaining in lakhs. It collected Rs 2.15 lakh in its opening weekend.

    *M S Dhoni: The Untold Story, after an excellent weekend, could manage to sustain only at top-rung multiplexes. The film faced a major drop at single screens with some exhibitors at B Class single screen centres even losing the MGs paid. The rest of the four days could muster only a third of its opening weekend as the film collected Rs 82.6crore in its first week.

    *Banjo ran out of steam at the end of its first week run as it could collect a mere Rs 10 lakh in its second week taking its two week total to Rs 7.7 crore.

    *Parched collected Rs 2.5 lakh in its second week to take its two-week total to Rs 1.45 crore.
    *Days of Tafree: In Class Out Of Class collected Rs 10 lakh in its second week to take its two-week tally to Rs 1.85 crore.

    *Pink has remained steady in its third week with collection figures of Rs 6.4 crore taking its three-week tally to Rs 65.3 crore.

  • FunOnGo releases ‘Singh Is Bliing’ mobile game

    FunOnGo releases ‘Singh Is Bliing’ mobile game

    MUMBAI: FunOnGo Entertainment has released the official mobile game of Akshay Kumar’s upcoming film – Singh is Bliing, which is directed by Prabhu Deva.

     

    The action comedy is scheduled to release on 2 October, 2015 and also stars Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta and Kay Kay Menon in lead roles.

     

    FunOnGo Entertainment is the publisher and distributor of the mobile game. The company provides customised platform and managed services to clients such as Samsung, Micromax, Karbonn, Intex, Spice and Gionee.

     

    The game is designed in a manner where gamers get a feel of being in the shoes of action hero Akshay Kumar. The run up to the castle and the fight sequences on the floor are evocative of the fast pace, taut action that Kumar is famed for.

     

    Kumar said, “I really liked the game, the fights were so good that I ended up playing the game for most of the day.”

    The interactive mobile action game requires Rafttaar Singh to go on a mission to save Sara, who has been captured and held captive in a castle. The gamer plays as Rafttaar Singh and can unlock up to three stages of game play as he succeeds from one level to another. 

     

    FunOnGo Entertainment CEO Vijay Singh said, “We see the mobile phone as a fantastic gateway for film makers to reach their potential consumer. Our team plays an active role in publishing, marketing and distribution of the games we do. Mobile games provide for an immersive experience and turn curious bystanders to engaged fans.”

     

    Reliance Big Entertainment COO Shibasish Sarkar added, “In the business of entertainment, fans create customers and this impacts box office performance. Our alliance with FunOnGo to publish the official game is with the view to provide the customer a value added cinematic experience.”

     

    The Singh Is Bliing official mobile game is available for download on Android, iOS marketplace as well as on other app stores online.

  • ‘Anybody Can Dance 2’: Can they?

    ‘Anybody Can Dance 2’: Can they?

    MUMBAI: Anybody Can Dance 2 (ABCD2) is a sequel to ABCD (2013) and is also about hip hop dancers who aspire to make it big. Wanting to cash in on the fair success and appreciation of the earlier version, the sequel seeks to be more ambitious. It features rising young stats, Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor, as against the unknown, non-glamorous faces of the original.

     

    Varun is a pizza delivery boy whose mother was a Padmashri awardee classical dancer. Dancing is in his genes but being today’s youth, his choice is hip hop. He has formed his own group along with other such boys. This group has just one girl among them, Shraddha, who works at a ladies salon nearby. This lot is from a distant Mumbai suburb working their way to break into the middleclass bracket.

     

    The group is full of enthusiasm but is rudderless. They have nobody to guide them and whatever they learn about dancing is through videos. They decide to make it big and participate in a dance competition. They dance well but are soon exposed for having copied the whole performance step by step from a foreign group. They are disqualified and jeered.

     

    This may be a small group from almost nowhere but, taking an indirect dig at the contemporary media, their ‘shame’ makes headlines all over with captions “same to shame”! So much so, even dance competition organisers all over the world know about them. The makers could have used this kind of imagination on the script.

     

    The boys are devastated and most of them opt out. Only Shraddha and a couple of others still have faith in Varun who wants to regroup or form another group and earn fame through the backdoor, which is to participate in the international hip hop competition at Las Vegas, US.

     

    The boys need guidance and soon they find a guru in Prabhu Deva, a renowned dancer whom every dancer and aspiring dancer worth his salt knows. However, the route to the Vegas hip hop competition is through all India qualifier at Bangalore. Prabhu prepares them for the qualifier. But, when they arrive at Bangalore, they are welcomed with a chant of “Cheaters, Cheaters”! One of the judges decides to disqualify the group.

     

    One thought a judge at such events was as much an outsider as the participants; they are not the organizers. The judge even wants to know who Prabhu is, so much for being a celebrity dancer who even a dance competition judge does not know!

     

    Expectedly, the boys qualify to participate at the Vegas event. Like all Indian sports and competition films, they are the underdogs. The usual routine follows, qualifier, quarter finals, semi-finals and, eventually, after much ill-conceived dramatic moments, the finals.

     

    ABCD 2 has nothing in the name of a script. Even documentaries have better ones. The director has no clue where the film is going and, in the absence of anything cogent to go on, spends over 38 minutes on songs and dance (most of it cacophonous) and rest of the time on the group rehearsing in this marathon 153-minute trial of patience.

     

    This is a musical and yet it has poor musical score and almost nil romance. All relations are cosmetic. Dialogue writing shows incompetence. Lyrics, when audible, fail to make sense or blend with the situation. Also, considering this is a film about dance, choreography leaves much to be desired except for the last two songs. The positive in the film is its visual appeal, which makes it tolerable to an extent.

     

    As for performances, considering it is a dance film, though they may be on the same side, pitting Varun against Prabhu was a bad idea. Shraddha Kapoor is just passable in dances. As for acting, nobody bothers. Bringing Lauren Gottlieb as a third angle in a romance that is not, proves a dud. Prabhu’s dancing is not much help either.

     

    ABCD 2, as expected, has taken a good opening thanks to the expectations of youth but the word of mouth is not good and sustaining at the box office will be a task.

     

    Producer: Siddharth Roy Kapoor (Disney)

    Director: Remo D’Souza

    Cast: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Lauren Gottlieb, Prabhu Dheva, Dharmesh Yelande

     

  • Happy New Year: Fast forward please!

    Happy New Year: Fast forward please!

    MUMBAI: When Farah Khan makes a film, she does not carry with her the burden of logic or justification. This is a caper movie and since caper movies can’t be very different from each other, the film has to count on its ensemble cast and how the film is scripted and treated. On this count, the star cast cannot help much.

     

    Shah Rukh Khan does odd jobs,including street fights, for a living. He has an axe to grind with Jackie Shroff who is a big shot in Dubai. His desire for revenge is overwhelming. Shah Rukh’s father, Anupam Kher, was an honest man who specialised in making the world’s most secure safe vaults. He had made one such rare safe for Jackie Shroff who rents it out for safekeeping of diamonds worth crores. The safe opens with a combination of a password and thumb print.

     

    Since Kher made the safe, only his thumb impression and password worked on the safe. He wants Jackie to change it but instead Jackie drugs him and steals diamonds worth crores. Kher is framed, jailed and later commits suicide. It has been eight years since and Shah Rukh is waiting for a chance to get even.

     

    Shah Rukh soon gets a chance to reach not only Dubai but the very hotel where Jackie operates from and where his safe is located. There is a world dance competition in Dubai in the same hotel and it is scheduled during the same period as diamonds worth Rs 300 crore will be kept in the safe while in transit.

     

    Now, Shah Rukh needs to build a team. He gets two people, Sonu Sood and Boman Irani, in his own backyard. They both worked for Kher. Boman is an expert on safes. He finds world’s best hacker in Vivaan Shah and Abhishek Bachchan is the lookalike of Jackie’s son on whose thumb impression now the safe opens. Having found experts in the fields he needs, Shah Rukh now has one problem. None of these five can dance to save their lives and they have to win two local rounds before they qualify to represent India.

     

    For this, they find Deepika Padukone, a bar dancer who agrees to teach them dancing. The required glamour quotient is in. Their dancing does not improve but while VIvaan hacks the online voting for the team, the judges, Vishal Dadlani and Anurag Kashyap, are blackmailed into voting for them and they qualify. However, being chosen does not change the public opinion looking at the welcome they get in Dubai with eggs and rotten tomatoes.

     

    There are minor hitches but finally the day arrives when they commit the heist; it is also the day when the dance final is due.

     

    As mentioned, how different can one caper film be different from another? Not much. Hence one looks forward to what follows. The disappointment starts as soon as you see the censor certificate stating the running time of the film as 179 minutes 50 seconds (this is after eight minute deletion a few days before release). Then, as Shah Rukh goes about building his team, he takes almost one hour. The characters of Boman, Sonu, Vivaan and Abhishek are introduced with demonstrations of how their talents will help towards carrying out the heist. Deepika enters after one hour into the film. Almost all sequences are stretched: Sonu’s fight in the beginning and Shah Rukh’s rooftop fight for instance, feel never-ending.

     

    The film counts on comedy and humour to entertain but save for few occasions, comedy and humour both are childish. The romance is one-sided for almost entire length of the film. The film has three songs with appeal, of which ‘Indiawale…..’ has been overplayed but still liked as it comes at the end as a victory song. Photography is good. Heavy editing was needed. There is not much scope for histrionics. Shah Rukh gets the best lines and most footage and his usual self. However, he is surrounded taller and stronger guys around except Vivaan and that does not please the eye. Deepika has to dance and moisten her eyes on regular basis, which is it. Boman Irani is wasted. Vivaan has a pleasant look with a smiling face and acts well too. It is Abhishek who justifies the funny lines he gets, some good and some PJs. Jackie is fine.

     

    Happy New Year is at an advantage being a solo Diwali release while, on the other hand, it is also at disadvantage because of its length which makes only four shows a day possible. Looking at the response, it will have to make the most of the holiday weekend.

     

    Producer: Gauri Khan.

     

    Director: Farah Khan.

     

    Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood. Also in special appearances: Dino Morea, Prabhu Deva, Malaika Arora Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Dadlani, Sajid Khan, Anupam Kher.