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Tag: Raanjhanaa

  • Aanand L Rai’s Colour Yellow names Harini Lakshminarayan as COO

    Aanand L Rai’s Colour Yellow names Harini Lakshminarayan as COO

    MUMBAI: Colour Yellow Productions, helmed by filmmaker Aanand L Rai, has appointed Harini Lakshminarayan as chief operating officer. She brings over two decades of experience in IP development, production and strategy to the Mumbai-based production house.

    In her new role, Lakshminarayan will oversee strategic operations and business development while maintaining the studio’s focus on storytelling and IP creation. She joins the company as it plans to expand its content slate across markets.

    “Harini brings a unique combination of creative foresight and strategic expertise that aligns perfectly with our mission,” said Colour Yellow Productions founder Aanand L Rai. “Together, we will continue to raise the bar for what Indian cinema can achieve in both domestic and global markets.”

    Lakshminarayan said she was excited to join the studio known for films like Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu, and Tumbbad. “Aanand L Rai’s incredible vision for storytelling that consistently pushes boundaries is truly inspiring,” she noted.

    The appointment comes as Colour Yellow, established over a decade ago, looks to build on its legacy of creating culturally rooted content that appeals to wider audiences. The studio has previously produced critically acclaimed films like Newton, Mukkabaaz and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.

  • Eros joins hands with Aanand L Rai to co-produce ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    Eros joins hands with Aanand L Rai to co-produce ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’

    MUMBAI: Post their successful innings with Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Eros International Media has teamed up with Aanand L. Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions yet again for their next film Happy Bhaag Jayegi starring Abhay Deol and Diana Penty.

     

    The cross-border romantic comedy is written and directed by Mudassar Aziz.

     

    Happy Bhaag Jayegi keeps to Rai’s trend of unusual pairing even as a producer and will see the Deol and Penty being paired opposite each other for the first time. Happy Bhaag Jayegi also stars Ali Fazal, Jimmy Shergill, Piyush Mishra, Kanwaljit Singh and Momal Sheikh. The film is currently on floor in Amritsar.

     

    Speaking on the new venture, producer Krishika Lulla said, “With Happy Bhaag Jayegi, we want to continue backing fresh new talent, strong appealing scripts and unique stories.”

     

    Rai added, “I believe the audience always likes to see something unusual and different on screen. Other than the story, perhaps the one thing that catches everyone’s attention is the actors featuring in the project. Both Abhay and Diana are talented actors and they are apt for the roles that they will be playing in Happy Bhaag Jayegi.”

     

    A comic tale of errors, the film revolves around a young runaway bride who crosses over the border to land up in Pakistan and the following eventful series of crazy episodes.

  • ‘Raanjhanaa’ director shake hands with Dhanush for his next film

    ‘Raanjhanaa’ director shake hands with Dhanush for his next film

    MUMBAI: Director Anand L Rai, whose Raanjhanaa generated good response at the box office, is coming up with another romantic film and is currently working on the script.

    The making of script is currently under process, and if sources are to be believed by Diwali, Rai will be in a position to talk about the project.

    Raanjhanaa was a story of a Hindu Banarasi boy falling in love with a Muslim girl and giving away his life for her.

    Rai who thinks that people have lost faith in love, strongly feels that one way of keeping the romance alive is through films. He feels sad (to) see this as love is an integral part of life

    ‘Kolaveri Di’-fame south star Dhanush, who made his Bollywood debut with Raanjhanaa, will be working together with Rai again for a film, tentatively from the same genre.

    To top it all, his one more project is the sequel to 2011 romcom Tanu Weds Manu. However, Rai did not elaborate on this piece.

  • Raanjhanaa director shake hands with Dhanush for his next film

    Raanjhanaa director shake hands with Dhanush for his next film

    Director Anand L Rai, whose Raanjhanaa generated good response at the box office, is coming up with another romantic film and is currently working on the script.

     

    The making of script is currently under process, and if sources are to be believed by Diwali, Rai will be in a position to talk about the project.

     

    Raanjhanaa was a story of a Hindu Banarasi boy falling in love with a Muslim girl and giving away his life for her.

     

    Rai who thinks that people have lost faith in love, strongly feels that one way of keeping the romance alive is through films. He feels sad (to) see this as love is an integral part of life

     

    ‘Kolaveri Di’-fame south star Dhanush, who made his Bollywood debut with Raanjhanaa, will be working together with Rai again for a film, tentatively from the same genre.

     

    To top it all, his one more project is the sequel to 2011 romcom Tanu Weds Manu. However, Rai did not elaborate on this piece.

  • Now Ravi Teja to foray into Bollywood

    Now Ravi Teja to foray into Bollywood

    MUMBAI: The South influx into Bollywood has gathered momentum. After Dhanush’s successful Hindi debut in Aanand Rai’s Raanjhanaa and Ramcharan’s Zanjeer that opens in September, it would be the turn of Ramcharan’s nearest rival in Hyderabad, Ravi Teja.

    Ravi Teja would debut in a double role in Samir Karnik’s Kaur & Singh. The film would be an action-comedy (Ravi Teja’s forte) in Hindi and Telugu. The Telugu version of the film would be entitled Laxmi Reddy.

    After doing successful double role in films like Vikramarkudu, the Telugu version of Rowdy Rathore. Director Samir Karnik confirms these developments and wanted to take his image to another level.

    Ravi Teja plays two brothers in Kaur & Singh. One of them is a con-man who constantly gets the good brother into trouble.

     

     

     

  • Lootera does fairly well, even as Policegiri struggles

    Lootera does fairly well, even as Policegiri struggles

    MUMBAI: The Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha love story Lootera has had a fair weekend thanks to Mumbai and Delhi multiplex collections. The film has collected Rs 15.55 crore for the opening weekend. This is Vikramaditya Motwane‘s second directorial venture, following the critically acclaimed Udaan (2010).

    Policegiri which stars Sanjay Dutt hasn‘t found much favour either at single screens, where it was expected to do better, or at multiplexes. The film has managed to collect about Rs 8.5 crore for its first weekend. Dutt‘s next release this year would be the Zanjeer remake where he would be reprising the memorable role of Sher Khan previously essayed by Pran in the 1973 original.

    The Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan starrer Ghanchakkar has crashed further after its average opening weekend, with a poor script and execution, the film has not added much over its next four days and ended its first week with figures of Rs 27.3 crore.

    Raanjhanaa, which marked the debut of the south superstar Dhanush of Kolavari Di fame, and met with mixed response due to its second half remained steady in its second week and has collected Rs 17.1 crore, thereby taking its two week total to Rs 49.3 crore. The distributors‘ smaller circuits were the first to earn profits on the film.

    Fukrey has managed to add another Rs 4.5 crore in its third week taking its three week tally to Rs 32.7 crore.

    Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani has collected Rs 1.8 crore in its fifth week. The film‘s five week total now stands at Rs 182.05 crore. The Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer has done exceedingly well and now entering its sixth week will slowly phase out with some big releases lined up in the coming weeks.

  • Raanjhanaa banned by Pakistan Censor Board

    Raanjhanaa banned by Pakistan Censor Board

    NEW DELHI: The Dhanush-Sonam Kapoor starrer Raanjhanaa has been banned by the Pakistan Film Censor Board because of its alleged “controversial theme”.

    The Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan banned the film shortly before its scheduled release, according to IMGC Global Entertainment CEO Amjad Rasheed, the importer of the film said.

    Pakistani singer Shiraz Uppal has also lent his voice for the title track of the film, composed by music maestro AR Rahman.

    The Anand L Rai-directed film was scheduled to release during the last week of June.
    Earlier, the Censor Board had also banned films like Ek Tha Tiger, GI Joe, Agent Vinod for their controversial themes and “anti-Pakistan” sentiments.

    Rasheed said that he received a letter from CBFC with directives to shelve the film‘s release.

    “The letter from CBFC states that the film portrays an inapt image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with a Hindu man and having an affair with him.”

  • Raanjhanaa collects Rs 18.75 crore for the weekend, YJHD still going strong at Rs 172.95 crore

    Raanjhanaa collects Rs 18.75 crore for the weekend, YJHD still going strong at Rs 172.95 crore

    MUMBAI: Raanjhanaa, starring Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol which opened with weak collections, did well to gather momentum over the weekend. However, a disappointing second half plot being a major drawback, generating bad word of mouth, the film is not expected to carry on the momentum it generated over the weekend. Also, with its hero‘s mass appeal riding on the ‘Kolaveri Di‘ fame, the film was expected to do well in single screen theatres but that has not happened. The film has gone on to end its opening weekend with Rs 18.75 crore.

    Enemmy, Mithun Chakraborty‘s home production starring Mithun, Mahakshay, Suniel Shetty, Kay Kay Menon and Johnny Lever is doing poor business, barely collecting about a crore for its opening weekend.

    Shortcut Romeo the remake of Susi Ganeshan‘s own Tamil film Thiruttu Payale, starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ameesha Patel and Puja Gupta is a disaster, finding no takers.

    Fukrey, a north-centric youth comedy, has sustained reasonably well in its first week with major boost coming from North. The film has collected Rs 17.5 crore in first seven days, with as much as 50 per cent coming from Delhi/NCR/Punjab. The film is reported to have done very well in its second weekend too, assuring the film will emerge a moderate earner.

    Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 from the Deol clan has dropped to less than 10 per cent of its first week figures collecting Rs 2.55 crore in its second week and taking its two week total to Rs 30.1 crore.

    Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani continues to be strong in its third week. The film has collected Rs 19.65 crore in third week to take its three week total to Rs 172.95 crore. This is certainly Ranbir Kapoor‘s biggest hit so far in a career spanning just six years from his debut withSaawariya (2007) till his last release in 2012 with Barfi! The Kapoor scion has certainly come off age in a big way.

    Aashiqui 2, the Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor starrer has added Rs 20 lakh in its eighth week, taking its eight week tally to Rs 78.5 crore. This film has certainly exceeded everyone‘s expectations. The music of the movie has been much appreciated by audiences across the country.

  • Raanjhanaa: A love triangle with a twist

    Raanjhanaa: A love triangle with a twist

    MUMBAI: If you remember Ranjha, the legendary romantic of the Heer Ranjha story, you are expected to know the meaning of Raanjhanaa, burdened heavily with extra As, thanks to more faith in numerology than its content. Raanjhanaa means one who is madly in love with all the attributes of Ranjha. The film crams in four stories and puts too mach baggage on the fragile shoulders of Sonam Kapoor and Dhanush.

    Dhanush‘s family was brought to Banaras by the king 200 years back and appointed as temple priests. The tradition continues as Dhanush‘s father holds the post while he does his schooling and generally loafs around town. That is till he sets eyes on Kapoor, a Muslim girl. The puppy love matures into real love but, obviously, is not approved by the girl‘s parents. She is soon dispatched to her aunt‘s house in Meerut to complete her schooling. While away, as Kapoor outgrows her infatuation, but for Dhanush, pining for her every moment, it has only turned into deep-rooted love.

    From Meerut, Sonam proceeds to Delhi to do her graduation and returns to Banaras after eight long years. Dhanush‘s dream of picking up their romance from where they left off eight years back is shattered. Not only has Kapoor forgotten him and also overcome her childhood romance, she has found her true love in college in Abhay Deol. Left with no alternative and being the only one kapoor considers close, Dhanush agrees to make her marriage with Deol possible after convincing her father. But, come the wedding day, Dhanush who has made the marriage possible is the one who becomes instrumental in breaking it when he reveals that Deol is not a Muslim but is posing as one only to marry Kapoor. Deol is beaten up mercilessly, to fatal consequences, while Sonam comes to hate Dhanush.

    Sonam decides to go back to Delhi and take up Deol‘s incomplete task of leading the college youth through the political outfit built by Deol. Their approach is radical with plans to foil authorities‘ attempts at exploiting the poor in the guise of various schemes. Dhanush follows to win back her love or to atone may be. While he can‘t win over Sonam, he sure gets all the party members to follow his ideas. From accompanying the outfit to serve tea and wait on them, he turns into its leader thanks to his native instinct and negotiation skills on various occasions.

    A time comes when the party can be headed by only one leader and either Kapoor or Dhanush has to go. The seed of this idea is planted in Sonam‘s mind by the local Chief Minister who foresees this youth party starting off with a seat or two in the ensuing elections. Sonam has many reasons for Dhanush to go: him replacing her as the rightful heir to Deol‘s party is one and the death of Deol is the other, more important one.

    Raanjhanaa has quite a few stories told in one film: the childhood love of Sonam and Dhanush, college romance of Sonam and Deol, the return to Banaras, wedding day murder of Deol and, finally, the second half which has little connect with the first half and goes totally on politics and youth movement. So much so the second part comes across as the sequel to the Raanjhanaa of the first part! The initial parts of childhood romance between Dhanush and Sonam are fun to watch followed by sequences with Deol. Post these parts, the film goes off track; neither romantic nor entertaining, running away from itself.

    While Dhanush is a natural, at ease with all kinds of situations, Sonam does well as girl in love, which is until she is projected as a leader. Deol emits a pleasant feel while he is there. Swara Bhaskar supports very well. Direction is smooth during initial parts and during college phase but loses control thereafter. Musically, the film has three good numbers in Tum tak…, Banarasiya…. and Tu mun shudi… Dialogue is effective. Editing is slack while the photography is good.

    Raanjhanaa has taken an average opening and may find a bit of improvement over the weekend but not enough to justify its cost.

    Shortcut Romeo: A story of love, greed and deceit

    Shortcut Romeo is the remake of maker Susi Ganeshan‘s own Tamil film Thiruttu Payale (2006). The film explores the age-old theme of vice and greed. The film is about the straying of a woman with a doting husband and about a ruffian who wants a shortcut to wealth and worldly pleasures by exploiting the situation.

    Neil Nitin Mukesh is a footloose and fancy-free lad with a streak of violence in him due to which he is dispatched off to Mumbai to live with his maternal uncle to whom he is very attached. Neil was a studious and honest boy in Goa who goes wayward as his inspector father involves him in collecting bribes on his behalf. The boy soon learns to pilfer some money to enjoy with his friends. Now a grown man in Mumbai, Neil spies a man and woman playing golf and soon going behind the bushes and having sex. Next time, Neil is ready with a video camera and catches the couple in the act, the woman being Ameesha Patel with her husband‘s best friend.

    Neil now possesses an ATM card without limit with this video. Instead of one time settlement with Patel, he decides to milk the situation piecemeal; making demands at whim. After starting with demanding cash, next he asks for an all-expense paid trip to Africa with his friends. He poses as a millionaire businessman and happens to meet Puja Gupta, who is a daughter of a millionaire too. By the second meeting, they are in to janam janam ka love. But, Patel has decided not to take her exploitation lying down. Neil and his friends are attacked by the local tribesmen; while his friends are killed, Gupta is kidnapped. Of course, Patel is responsible.

    Back in India, Neil realises that Gupta was no millionaire‘s daughter but is the daughter of Patel‘s greedy servant who was sent after Neil to trap him in her love. But, it is too late now because that pretence of love has turned into real love.

    It is time for some new players to join the game played by patel and Neil. The former‘s husband feels something is bothering his ‘vulnerable‘ wife and adds the third angle. After all, he is the moneybags. He settles all scores, destroys any track that leads to his family and we have one James Hadley Chase kind of thriller ready.

    The film loses its grip after the African episode. Everybody is a sinister schemer and yet starts crying at the drop of a hat. Parts which are shot on scenic outdoors are worth watching but that is about all. Musically, a couple of songs have appeal, with the best being Khali salaam dua… Direction is average. Rest of the aspects are routine.

    Shortcut Romeo holds no promise at the box office.

     

     

    Enemmy is Mithun Chakraborty‘s home production where he plays a pivotal role but it projects his son Mahakshay Chakraborty in a prominent role buffered by other actors, Suniel Shetty, Kay Kay Menon and Johnny Lever. With such veterans in the cast, the film can‘t be a romance; it should be and is an action with a fair amount of suspense. It is about a triangle formed by politicians, underworld (drug dealers) and police and a search for Rs 500 crore of missing drug money.

    Gang wars have broken out across Mumbai as Zakir Hussain and Sharat Saxena‘s men are on a killing spree eliminating each others‘ members. The minister concerned gives the police a free hand to stop these killings. The media is full of reports of these crimes. The quartet of Shetty, Menon, Lever and Mahakshay get into action. The inseparable four complement each other well and usually carry out all their operations as a team.

    While Hussain is locked up in jail, the killings don‘t stop. The reason: Hussian‘s huge cache of funds goes missing from the expressway while in transit. The money was meant for financing the coming elections in the state. Akshay Kapoor, the politician in the capital, who is expected to go a long way in politics, deputes a special CBI agent, Mithun, to go to the roots of the events in Mumbai.

    Mithun narrows down on who stole the money but needs the proof. He also finds out where the money was destined to go. All rules are shelved as the only priority the politicians have is to get the money back, no care whose head rolls, cops‘ or gangsters‘. All are guilty in this game but those with courage to own up win in the end.

    The film has a decent idea but the script is developed in a very old fashioned way as it leads to a climax which could well be out of any 1970s/80s film. Also, the need for logic has been done away with. The music has no scope in the proceedings. Performances are generally good as the film boasts of all seasoned artistes. Mahakshay has shed his excess weight and developed a well toned body and has improved a great deal in acting. Akshay Kapoor in a small role makes his mark.

    Enemmy has not had an auspicious start with dearth of audience to welcome it.
  • Sonam makes Tamil debut

    Sonam makes Tamil debut

    Mumbai: Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor is making her foray into the Tamil film industry with Ambikapathy, the dubbed version of upcoming Hindi flick Raanjhanaa produced by Eros International and co-starring southern star Dhanush.

    She is very excited for her Tollywood debut to be directed by Anand L Rai, with dialogues by John Mahendran. Kapoor has been receiving several offers from Tamil film-makers but she chose this one. "Thanks are due to my director Anand L Rai. I am eagerly waiting like everybody else for the first day first show of Ambikapathy," she added excitedly.

    Sonam is a huge fan of actresses like Hema Malini, Vaijayantimala, Waheeda Rehman, Jayapradha and Sri Devi who made their debut in Tamil films before taking the Hindi film industry by storm.

    Interetsingly, Dhanush will be making his Hindi debut with Raanjhanaa and is ecstatic about it. "The reason I have reached this escalated level is because of the love from my Tamil audience; they have felt and lived every character I have portrayed, cried and laughed with me. I have implemented the role with core intensity as a performer, in Ambikapathy too," he said.