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Tag: Prakash Jha

  • Box Office: Gangaajal disappoints, Neerja holds ground in second week

    Box Office: Gangaajal disappoints, Neerja holds ground in second week

    MUMBAI: Prakash Jha trying to cash in on his 2003 film Gangaajal comes a cropper. The film relates in no way to the earlier film, nor does it refer to any jal in its tedious 148 minute narration. Using the face and popularity of Priyanka Chopra as a front, surprisingly, producer-director Prakash Jhahas launched himself as an actor at a rather late stage of his life. So much so that Priyanka is relegated to play second fiddle to Jha’s character. Jha also does not care too much for known faces of the supporting cast, mainly the villains, in his outdated local bahubalistory of Bihar. 

    Expectantly, the film opened to a poor response and unfavourable word of mouth kept its collections restricted on Saturday and Sunday with little improvement. Despite facing no major film in opposition, Gangaajalended its opening weekend collecting a mere Rs15.5 crore.

    Zubaan, another release of the week, just passed unnoticed.

    Aligarhfellprey to its negative theme which amounts to torture at the multiplex admission rates. Acceptance of a film by the audience depends solely on the identification the audience finds with the story. In the case of Aligarh, there is none. The film collected just Rs 2.1 crore for its first week.

    Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive is still born. A total let down compared to its first version, the film managed just Rs2.85 crore in its first week.

    Bollywood Diarieswas poor at just about Rs40 lakh in its first week. 

    Neerja held its ground in its second week. Entertainment Tax exemption in various states along with total positive word of mouth has helped. It is rare for such a heroine oriented biopic to collect about 67 per cent of its opening week figures. The film has added a handsome Rs 20.85 crore in its second week thus taking its two week total to Rs 55.05 crore. This recovery from just the film’s domestic theatrical market is remarkable considering its all-inclusive cost of Rs 21 crore. 

    Sanam Re collected Rs 20 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs28.3 crore.

    Airlift added Rs35 lakh in its fourth week to take its total to Rs 126.05 crore.

  • Jai Gangaajal….Drab and routine

    Jai Gangaajal….Drab and routine

    Jai Gangaajal, as the title suggests is the sequel to Prakash Jha’s 2003 film, Gangaajal. Unlike its precursor, this film has a female protagonist playing the crusading cop. As is Jha’s wont, the film has a Bihar background and pits an honest police person with a corrupt local politician and his goons.

    The police force in the town of Lakhisarai is corrupt and at the beck and call of the politicians, especially the local MLA, ManavKaul. Manav has been winning elections for the last four terms as no one daresstand against him. His strategy is simple, fear. Anyone who dares to raise his voice against him is killed. The police is by his side with Prakash Jha, who takes to acting with this film, is his eyes and ears in the force.

    Manav is into land grabbing, having already presold plots which belong to farmers and local bazaar traders. The land is needed for an ambitious power plant which is the dream project of the chief minister and Manav. Both stand to make crores through the deal.The victims, led by Rahul Bhat, are agitating but not with much success. The police frame whoever protests in some or the other case. 

    To help his cause and control dissentin the region, the chief minister appoints Priyanka Chopra to take control of the Lakhisarai police force. The chief minister has obliged Priyanka’s family a lot, andas such, he expects her to toe his line. He does not want controversies as the elections are due soon.

    As Priyanka takes charge, she realizes that she has to contend not only with Manav and his goons led by his maniacal brother NinadKamat, but also remove the rot which has set into her police force. Almost all officers seem to be working for Manav instead of for the state.

    Priyanka arrests one of Manav’s goons for molesting a girl in broad daylight in a crowded street. When the goon is presented in court, bomb explosions in the court house help the goon escape. As Priyanka chases the goon, Jha shoots him as if to show that he is trying to save Priyanka. Priyanka understands that not only Jha and others work for Manav, but are also working against her. 

    There is, however, one farmer who refuses to sell his land leading to Manav’s deal being stuck. The farmer is lynched, his daughter is raped and found hanging from a tree. The incident changes Jha. He is no more willing to help Manav and proceeds to arrest Kamat. Encouraged, the mob also gets involved.

    The rest of the film is about Priyanka helping her officers regain their confidence and the end of Manav’s empire. In the process,the best scenes are hogged by Jha himself, leaving Priyanka in the shadows. 

    The film offers nothing new when compared to other such UP-Bihar Bahubali films. While the first half is fairly gripping, the script loses steam in the second half. Jha’s direction is passable with no sparks of genius anywhere. The film lacks music and romance and is lengthy at 148 minutes (after deleting 10 minutes) with no major stars to pull it through except Priyanka. Priyanka is good as a determined cop. Jha impresses as a corrupt cop turned kosher. Manav is okay while Kamat andMurli Sharma are good.
    Jai Ganaajal is a dry film with no entertainment value as such. The opening has been discouraging and so are the reports.

    Producer: Prakash Jha.
    Director: Prakash Jha.
    Cast: Priyanka Chopra, ManavKaul, Prakash Jha, NinadKamat.

  • Jai Gangaajal….Drab and routine

    Jai Gangaajal….Drab and routine

    Jai Gangaajal, as the title suggests is the sequel to Prakash Jha’s 2003 film, Gangaajal. Unlike its precursor, this film has a female protagonist playing the crusading cop. As is Jha’s wont, the film has a Bihar background and pits an honest police person with a corrupt local politician and his goons.

    The police force in the town of Lakhisarai is corrupt and at the beck and call of the politicians, especially the local MLA, ManavKaul. Manav has been winning elections for the last four terms as no one daresstand against him. His strategy is simple, fear. Anyone who dares to raise his voice against him is killed. The police is by his side with Prakash Jha, who takes to acting with this film, is his eyes and ears in the force.

    Manav is into land grabbing, having already presold plots which belong to farmers and local bazaar traders. The land is needed for an ambitious power plant which is the dream project of the chief minister and Manav. Both stand to make crores through the deal.The victims, led by Rahul Bhat, are agitating but not with much success. The police frame whoever protests in some or the other case. 

    To help his cause and control dissentin the region, the chief minister appoints Priyanka Chopra to take control of the Lakhisarai police force. The chief minister has obliged Priyanka’s family a lot, andas such, he expects her to toe his line. He does not want controversies as the elections are due soon.

    As Priyanka takes charge, she realizes that she has to contend not only with Manav and his goons led by his maniacal brother NinadKamat, but also remove the rot which has set into her police force. Almost all officers seem to be working for Manav instead of for the state.

    Priyanka arrests one of Manav’s goons for molesting a girl in broad daylight in a crowded street. When the goon is presented in court, bomb explosions in the court house help the goon escape. As Priyanka chases the goon, Jha shoots him as if to show that he is trying to save Priyanka. Priyanka understands that not only Jha and others work for Manav, but are also working against her. 

    There is, however, one farmer who refuses to sell his land leading to Manav’s deal being stuck. The farmer is lynched, his daughter is raped and found hanging from a tree. The incident changes Jha. He is no more willing to help Manav and proceeds to arrest Kamat. Encouraged, the mob also gets involved.

    The rest of the film is about Priyanka helping her officers regain their confidence and the end of Manav’s empire. In the process,the best scenes are hogged by Jha himself, leaving Priyanka in the shadows. 

    The film offers nothing new when compared to other such UP-Bihar Bahubali films. While the first half is fairly gripping, the script loses steam in the second half. Jha’s direction is passable with no sparks of genius anywhere. The film lacks music and romance and is lengthy at 148 minutes (after deleting 10 minutes) with no major stars to pull it through except Priyanka. Priyanka is good as a determined cop. Jha impresses as a corrupt cop turned kosher. Manav is okay while Kamat andMurli Sharma are good.
    Jai Ganaajal is a dry film with no entertainment value as such. The opening has been discouraging and so are the reports.

    Producer: Prakash Jha.
    Director: Prakash Jha.
    Cast: Priyanka Chopra, ManavKaul, Prakash Jha, NinadKamat.

  • Prakash Jha’s ‘Jai Gangaajal’ to release on 4 March, 2016

    Prakash Jha’s ‘Jai Gangaajal’ to release on 4 March, 2016

    MUMBAI: Prakash Jha’s next film Jai Gangaajal, starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead is all set to release worldwide on 4 March, 2016.

     

    Jai Gangaajal is the sequel to Gangaajal, which featured Ajay Devgn as the police officer with a conscience. The movie told the story of how a society gets the police it deserves.

     

    Thirteen years later, with Jai Gangaajal, Jha revisits the dusty heartland of North India, and examines again the society-police relationship to tell us a new story.

     

    This time, Chopra will be playing Abha Mathur, the new SP in town, who will raise wrestle with her conscience. Mathur is posted in the district, because as a woman she will perhaps be pliable, easily manipulated and thus not disturb the entrenched nexus of the town.

     

    “Much has changed in the last 13 years. When I made Gangaajal 13 years ago, the dictum was that every society gets police that it deserves. But the scenario has changed since then. Today the cops follow the dictum of inaction is virtue and efficiency is crime,” said Jha.

     

    The movie also stars Manav Kaul, Rahul Bhat, Murli Sharma and Ninand Kamath.

     

    Written and directed by Jha, Jai Gangaajal has been produced by Prakash Jha Productions and Play Entertainment.

  • Star Gold HD announces ‘Director’s Cut’

    Star Gold HD announces ‘Director’s Cut’

    MUMBAI: Star Gold HD, India’s favorite destination of movies, is all set to entice its viewers by bringing the best of director’s movies starting from 1st June to 14th June, daily at 9pm. The festival will showcase blockbuster movies by renowned directors like Karan Johar, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Prakash Jha, Imtiaz Ali, Farah Khan, Zoya Akhtar and many others.

    The festival has curated 14 best films from the library of these renowned directors. The two week-long festival will begin with ‘Rajneeti’, directed by Prakash Jha starring Ranbir Kapoor & Katrina Kaif. Followed by ‘Om Shanti Om’ directed by Farah Khan, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ & ‘Rang De Basanti’ by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, ‘Highway’ and ‘Rockstar’ by Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Doobara’. Karan Johar’s blockbuster hits like ‘My Name Is Khan’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum’, R Balki’s ‘Cheeni Kum’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Guzaarish’ are also a part of the movie festival. 

    Experience the biggest hits of your favourite directors in Director’s Cut on Gold HD from 1st June to 14th June at 9.00 pm.

  • ‘Alone’: Better left alone

    ‘Alone’: Better left alone

    MUMBAI: Alone has two selling points: First, it is directed by Bhushan Patel (Ragini MMS 2). Second, it stars Bipasha Basu, who exudes enough sex appeal for the audience of the voyeur kind, a mandatory ingredient in a contemporary horror films.

    Inspired by the 2007 Thai film of the same name, the movie is shot in Kerala to make it visually appealing. Bipasha plays a double role. She and her twin sister have promised to always stick by each other. Bipasha has to rush home to Kerala with her husband, Karan Singh Grover, when her mother meets with an accident. Her return takes her into past memories about her dead twin.

    Soon Bipasha starts experiencing a strange phenomenon. She feels the presence of her dead sister. Only she can feel this. She explains her situation to Karan but he thinks this is because she is missing her sister. However, Karan takes Bipasha to a psychiatrist friend who thinks it is beyond science. The couple then indulge in romance and songs.

    Producer: Panorama Films

    Director: Bhushan Patel

    Cast: Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover, Zakeer Hussain

    The mandatory Babas claiming to get rid of ghosts and spirits and other such mumbo jumbo included, what the film never does is scare you. This is because it has nothing new to show. All this and much better stuff has preceded Alone. What actually happens is that the supposedly scary scenes only make you laugh.

    Those who made it to the cinema halls after watching the promos will not find in the film what they saw in promos. There are some intimate scenes and a lot of skin on display from both, Bipasha as well Karan but, again, nothing that a seasoned moviegoer has not seen before.

    In an effort to Indianise a borrowed foreign film, the length stretches to 133 minutes, which is a tad too long for a ‘scary’ movie. The film has some good numbers in Katra katra…. and Chaand aasman se lapataa.. but  they do lessen the impact of a scary film.

     Direction is average with no spark. The script can aptly be described as loose. One thing the film needed was some sharp editing. The belief that low light can make a horror film more effective, even if true, does not work here.

     With little scope, the performance by Bipasha is fair while Karan is there just for his body mass.

     Alone is mediocre fare with no drawing power as far as its stars go.

    ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’: That’s not entertainment!

    Crazy Cukkad Family is like a stage play, implausible but zany. It is more like a farce. It is about a family, which does odd things and may remind you of the 2007 film, Buddha Mar Gaya, starring Anupam Kher. The film is about a dysfunctional family of four siblings, all failures. To give a contemporary touch, one of them is gay.

    Producer: Prakash Jha

    Director: Ritesh Menon

    Cast: Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla, Kushal Punjabi, Siddharth Sharma, Kiran Karmarkar, Ninad Kamat

    Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla, Kushal Punjabi and Siddharth Sharma gather at their grand family home when their father slips into his third coma. Hoping this once he does not regain conscious, all four are keen to know what is for them in their filthy rich father’s last will. The four have their own traits; they need the money for various reasons. There is no family feeling or love for each other. Before the will can be read, a condition applies: for inheritance, all four have to be married. The siblings devise their individual ways out of this condition.

    While all four are failures in their respective lives, they try to conceal this fact from others. However, they can’t hide their real standing from each other for long as each kin’s secret is out.

    The father has no long term plan to remain in coma or to kick the bucket. He soon regains consciousness only to reveal that in the old filmy style, he has bequeathed all his wealth to the ‘wafaadar’ servant of the house. However, the servant is not selfish and asks his boss to leave his all for the children on the condition that they spend time with him every year!

    Even in this 90 minute farce, the makers needed a narrator who interrupts at regular intervals to explain to the viewer what is happening: either they think the viewer is dumb or they know their inability to let the script and the visuals do their job.  It is a passé theme further marred by bad scripting. Resultantly, the debutant director, Ritesh Menon, is totally at sea. The film boasts of an item number, Sexywala pakoda, in an otherwise mundane music score. Swanand Kirkire emerges the best while Shilpa Shukla is fair. The rest pass muster. Crazy Cukkad Family is a lost cause.

  • Prakash Jha’s ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’ gets U/A certificate

    Prakash Jha’s ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’ gets U/A certificate

    MUMBAI: The latest comedy film under the highly reputed Prakash Jha productions entitled ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’ has been granted a U/A certificate by the Film Censor Board of India without a single cut.
     

    This film which is about a dysfunctional Beri family stars an ensemble cast which includes Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla, Kushal Punjabi, Siddharth Sharma, Ninad Kamat and Nora Fatehi.

     

    The director of the upcoming comedy Ritesh Menon said, “When you try something new and your vision and voice is respected by the Censor board or any other governing body it is very reassuring. The film’s intent is to send out a positive message about modern day relationships and ultimately is to entertain. I am glad the audience will watch exactly what we have made. “

     

    This family film is slated for release on 16 January 2015.

     

  • Big B to do Bhushan Kumar’s 102 Not Out

    Big B to do Bhushan Kumar’s 102 Not Out

    Good news for all Big B lovers. Amitabh Bachchan began the shoot for Bhoothnath Returns on 9 October, at Filmcity, Mumbai. Producer Bhushan Kumar is very excited with his very first association with Bachchan that he has showed his eagerness to work with Big B again. Even before starting Bhoothnath Returns shoot in full force, Bhushan Kumar announced his next project with Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    On the special occasion of Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday, Bhushan announced his new project with him. After listening the story, the shahensha of Bollywood has given a nod to star in T-Series’ next production being directed by Umesh Shukla.

    Titled 102 Not Out, the movie is about an old man who decides to break the world record of longevity. With Bachchan playing the lead role, the movie shows us how to live a life as opposed to merely existing. This Amitabh Bachchan starrer will also have Paresh Rawal is a pivotal role.

     

    102 Not Out will be directed by Umesh Shukla and will be his second movie under the T-Series exclusive five film deal. Big B was last seen in Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha.

  • Satyagraha ends with Rs 32.5 crore for opening weekend

    Satyagraha ends with Rs 32.5 crore for opening weekend

    Prakash Jha’s preachy socio-political film Satyagraha lost the plot as it came into its later part which refused to move and marred the film. The mass single screen cinemas were the first to reject the film. At high end multiplexes the film did well over Saturday and Sunday as its solo release status and face value propped it up and the film ended its opening weekend with Rs 32.5 crore.

     

    This is Prakash Jha’s yet another attempt at addressing the citizens of India to rise up and bring about a revolution. The film has an ensemble cast:  Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Manoj Bajpayee, Arjun Ramphal, Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Rao among others.

     

    Madras Café starring John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri has not worked with the audience as, after a weekend of Rs 18 crore, the film has settled for Rs 31.45 crore for the first week. The makers of the film are now planning to request for tax exemption considering the message being delivered by the film.

     

    Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobara the sequel to Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai starring Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha has done a little over 10 per cent of its first week collection by adding Rs 5.75 crore and taking its two week tally to Rs 54.55 crore.

     

    Chennai Express that paired Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone once again after Om Shanti Om has done fairly well in its third week by collecting Rs 16 crore to take its three week total to Rs 194.7 crore.

     

    B.A. Pass has collected Rs 35 lakh for its fourth week to take the total to Rs 7.4 crore.
    Bhaag Milkha Bhaag the biopic on the great Indian athlete Milkha Singh starring Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor has added Rs 50 lakh in its seventh week to take its seven week total to Rs 106.85 crore.

  • Prakash Jha commands an army of 24 ADs for his latest, Satyagraha

    Prakash Jha commands an army of 24 ADs for his latest, Satyagraha

    MUMBAI: Prakash Jha, known for his multi-starrers tackling grave and social issues has set a new benchmark with his upcoming political thriller Satyagraha, by roping in 24 assistant directors on the sets. In his previous take on politics, Raajneeti he helmed a team of 18 hands working as Assistant directors.

    Like his previous multi starrers, Satyagraha too has an extensive cast including stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai and Kareena Kapoor. The movie has been shot in Bengal with various outdoor locations, which apparently is why he needs not just one or two assistant directors but an entire team to aid him for not just filming but also for ensuring crowd control and the sprawling crowd of people captured in the shots.

    As per sources revealing to the Times of India, "This is the biggest team Prakash has had so far. Many of the team members are juniors, who are also part of the filmmaking process. As far as the Bhopal schedule is concerned, a lot of preparation has gone into it."

    Satyagraha is reportedly inspired by the current Indian political scenario and depicts the uprising of the the middle class against the corrupt system.

    There have also been rumors that Amitabh‘s character is a portrayal of the social activist Anna Hazare following Gandhian principles while Devgn‘s role is similar to the activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal, keeping aside all speculations, Jha has maintained that Satyagraha is a political thriller revolving around the father and son relationship and dealing with twisted democratic issues.

    Saytyagraha is co-produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Prakash Jha and Siddharth Roy Kapur. The movie is still under production and is slated to hit the theatres on 23 August 2013.