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Tag: Sajid Nadiadwala

  • Two States, Three Stages

    Two States, Three Stages

    MUMBAI: Romance is between two individuals but marriage is between two families. For many, this is the moment of realisation and the word ‘adjustment’ replaces ‘romance’. This is true even when just about everything matches in the form of caste, community and status but harder when these matters differ and hardest when a romance is between North and South for that chasm is too deep rooted going back to the Aryan-Dravidian era.

    In able hands, Chetan Bhagat stories provide good themes to work on to develop into a film script.  And Two States, based on Bhagat’s novel, Two States: The Story Of My Marriage, aspires to the same feat earlier achieved by the 3 Idiots team. To some degree, it succeeds.

    Arjun Kapoor is Krish Malhotra, a typical Punjabi young man from Delhi pursuing his management programme at IIM Ahmedabad where Alia Bhatt, playing one Ananya  Swaminathan, a fellow student, seeks his help with her studies. Romance is inevitable, and it gets more intense by the day. Arjun dreads the day Alia will call hers a sisterly love and offer to tie a rakhi, which is quite a norm in schools and colleges. He wastes no time in confessing his love for her.

    Arjun has a reason for his deep love; there is no love at home. The atmosphere there is negative with his father, Ronit Roy, being drunk and violent and easily raising his hand on his mother, Amrita Singh. Arjun avoids interacting with his father and makes sure he gives all his attention to Amrita which she does not get from Ronit. The romance of Arjun and Alia has survived the two years of IIM and grown only stronger but it is time to part as the course is over and they must find jobs. Alia finds one in her hometown, Chennai. Arjun too finds a Chennai posting but Amrita, his mother, wants him to be in Delhi with her. Her plans are to flaunt her IIM graduate son to the parents of all the suitable girls. She dreams of dowries better than all others. But, eventually she relents.

    Producers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Karan Johar.

    Director: Abhishek Varman.

    Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amrita Singh, Ronit Roy, Revathi, Shiv Subramaniam.

    Amrita and Alia’s parents, father Shiv Subramaniam and mother Revathi, are introduced at the convocation function and the chance was not worth taking looking at the outcome of that meeting. Now Two States has to go through three stages: Arjun has to win over Alia’s traditional Tamil Brahmin parents. Next, Alia has to come to Delhi and conquer the hearts of Arjun’s family. And, lastly, since marriages are between families, to work on bringing both the families together with positive vibes. Though Ronit is not a party to the events, the third stage, bringing Amrita to like Alia’s parents is the mission impossible because for Amrita there is no girl worthy of her son, least of all a ‘Madrasi’ girl.

    The film breezes through while Arjun and Alia romance stage. It is all light moments and humour. Winning over of respective families is fun as both treat it as their respective challenges. The last part has an element of surprise and rounds up the film aptly. While the aversion of North and South parents for each other is amplified and nearly comes to insulting communities, it is justified in the script as both live in their own small worlds. The script provides a sense of feel-good, music is in measured levels, emotions without melodrama, and intense romance that makes other aspects acceptable.

    The credit goes to director Abhishek  Varman, who has also worked on adapting the Bhagat novel. Varman has done a marvellous job. Music is in keeping with the mood of situations as well as the film’s youth appeal with lyrics contributing in equal measure. Cinematography is pleasing. However, what makes Two States an endearing watch is the chemistry between Arjun and Alia who come up with amazing performances. Alia is suitably apt in all the shades of her character. Arjun gets his first chance to perform in a solo, more serious role and he does full justice. He has finally arrived. While the credit goes for perfect casting, the artistes, Amrita, Ronit, Revathi and Shiv (he should be seen on screen more often) live up to expectations.

    Two States is a youth-oriented entertainer with all the necessary ingredients perfectly balanced to make it a success.

  • Shaadi.com ties knot for ‘2 States’

    Shaadi.com ties knot for ‘2 States’

    MUMBAI: Shaadi.com is all set to be associated with 2 States, the forthcoming movie co-produced by Dharma Productions and Sajid Nadiadwala. The matrimonial site has become the official matrimonial partner for the movie. The movie is based on the book ‘2 States’ authored by Chetan Bhagat.

     

    Commenting on the association, Shaadi.com COO Gourav Rakshit said, “For over 17 years, we at Shaadi.com have been helping people create their own love story, so it is only natural for us to be associated with a beautiful love story like 2 States. We are delighted about this relationship with Dharma Productions and we wish them great success with this movie.”

     

    The film revolves around a Punjabi boy (Arjun Kapoor), who falls in love with a Tamil girl (Alia Bhatt) and all the hardships they go through because of the cultural differences between the two families. The film is distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and scheduled to release on 18 April 2014.

     

    “We are glad to be associated with Shaadi.com. The movie is a love story which revolves around two people and their families who are from two different states. So this relationship with Shaadi.com is a perfect fit,” added Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta.

  • ‘Highway’…road to nowhere

    ‘Highway’…road to nowhere

    MUMBAI: A road movie is a genre with its roots in the United States (US) where it became more popular with the post World War II auto boom and peaked in the 60s when a lot of things changed in how the youth looked at life. America had the road, the spirit of adventure and the type of cars and bikes coupled with social movements which did not tie one down. In India, road movies are rare and far in-between and gained some momentum only thanks to inspiration through easy accessibility to DVDs. Despite a few attempts in the last decade or so, the only memorable Indian road movie I can think of is the 1972 Mahmood film, Bombay To Goa. (I would even call Mahmood’s Sadhu Aur Shaitaan a road movie; so what if it was shot only within Bombay limits!) Probably because it was not a DVD inspired film and if it was inspired from external forces, it was very well adapted to suit the Indian taste. A road movie formula is one where the lead characters come of age, grow or improve in the process of the journey.

    Highway, going by the definition of a road movie, is a copybook road movie as far as its characters go. The tough as tungsten male protagonist melts like a candle while the female matures enough to break all shackles of social norms and bindings. The problem with Highway is that, while the rules of road movies are already laid down for it, sadly, the content for the length of the film acceptable to Indian audience, where you can’t remain indifferent to romance and fitting in songs, does not come with the formula. Probably, that is why the percentage of Hindi road movies working at the box office is so small. (Some films I can recall: Bombay To Goa, Ginny Aur Johny, Chalo Dilli, Zindagi Na MIlegi Dobara, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi and Daud)

    Producers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Imtiaz Ali.

    Director: Imtiaz Ali.

    Cast: Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt.

    Randeep Hooda works for a gang which is for hire; they commit crimes on contract basis. On a mission to loot a petrol pump, Hooda comes across Alia Bhatt who is out to get some fresh air with her boyfriend. To make good his escape, Hooda dumps Alia’s boyfriend but takes her as a hostage till he reaches his partners and own vehicle. Kidnapping Alia was not on his agenda and why he does not dump her is a question. Alia comes from the house of a very influential man in Delhi and the gang members expect trouble. On account of this, Hooda decides to go on his own and demand ransom for Alia. This is a road movie so instead of cooling his heels in one place, he just takes his truck around the country (except Southern parts). In the era of electronic surveillance, he manages to hide from the authorities merely by changing the number plates of his truck; description of the vehicle does not matter.

    While Hooda may give Alia a slap or two, he never tries any sort of mischief with her. As expected, Alia is drawn towards him and won’t let him go. She does not want to go home where she is being molested by an uncle since she was nine. She wants to hang around with Hooda and keep travelling. They end up somewhere in the mountains, borrow a house and set up a kitchen with Maggi noodles! By now you have had enough and decide that if the police won’t find them, you yourself will call them when there is a bang. The police who did not manage to nab him while he roamed about the highways of India, passing state check posts, finally find him in this remote mountain and without warning just shoot him down.

    There is nothing such as a story in this movie. This has been shown in a number of films where the captive falls for the goon. Otherwise, this film is a kind of Bharat Darshan taking you to places you would not go to otherwise. In a weatherman’s parlance, the film is 133 minutes but feels like 300 and with just two characters to carry it off, offers no distraction except change of scenery.

    Highway is touted to be aimed at the gentry audience but one would assume even gentry go to cinema for entertainment, which this film is lacking.

     

    Darr @ the Mall

    Stolen ideas…

    Horror has not really been a favourite Indian genre and neither are there original writers for this breed of film. The preference here is mainly feel good fare or soaps or romance. Obviously, the ‘inspiration’ has to come from Hollywood films. Horror movies don’t have repeat value, in most cases does not even gain a first-time audience, provides no scope for music which is a must in Indian movies and, generally, don’t entertain. In which case, why would anybody want to make one is a mystery! As suspected, Darr @ The Mall comes from a 1989 Hollywood film called Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge.

    Contiloe Entertainment is a TV content providing company making a foray into film production and the film will be learning experience for the company.

    Producers: MSM Media Motion Pictures, Contiloe Entertainment.

    Director: Pavan Kriplani.

    Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Nushrat Bharucha, Arif Zakaria, Asif Basra.

    Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge was about one Eric Matthews who lives in a huge house which burns down; Eric is reported dead but he has been able to save his girlfriend. Soon, a mall comes up where his house was. Eric is not dead though badly burnt. He haunts the mall, killing people, especially those who set an eye on his girlfriend.

    Darr @ The Mall is about a mall, ironically called Amity Mall, that has come up at a location where an orphanage run by a kindly nun stood once. The orphanage burns down killing the nun as well as all the children save for one child who, though wounded, manages to escape. A mall has come up where the orphanage stood. Soon, the mall is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Workers and sentries get killed at random at the mall. As a result, nobody is willing to take charge of the security at this mall when Jimmy Shergill, an ex-army man, gets an offer he can’t refuse. He accepts the job at the mall.

    Even as Shergill takes charge, the killing spree continues though no harm comes to him. From the sundry staff, the killing progresses to the families of the owners. To salvage the reputation of the mall, the owners decide on an evening party at the mall paving way for an item number too! That evening, which is never-ending for the viewer in this film, lasts most of the film. There are purposeless killings and illogical incidents. Why, when the culprits are available for the picking, does the revenge seeker kill innocent sentries and others?

    Darr @ The Mall is a poorly written horror film where nothing works. While in the original, it was a private property, an orphanage is not owned by the orphans, and just by killing its inhabitants one can’t take over the premises! This is a pathetic effort by Pavan Kriplani. There is no horror, only gore to pass of as horror. Writer director Kriplani is totally at a loss with this project. While the rest are caricatures, it is sad to see Shergill being totally wasted in this whim of fancy. Excuses have been created to fit in a few songs but in vain. Editing is poor. Photography is passable. Background score is jarring.

    Darr @ The Mall stands no chance at the box office.

  • Sajid Nadiadwala’s production unit is like his “extended family”

    Sajid Nadiadwala’s production unit is like his “extended family”

    MUMBAI: Sajid Nadiadwala is busy juggling between outdoor schedules of multiple films, which are being shot all around the world. With such a choc-a-bloc schedule, one cannot help but wonder, how his crew members effortlessly manage to be away from their families for days, sometimes months, at a stretch.

     

    The producer says that the outdoor shooting schedules stretch for more than two to three months on an average. “We end up spending more time with each other than we do with our own families. This would be impossible without their dedication. They are, undoubtedly, my extended family,” says Sajid, who is also getting into direction with Salman Khan starrer Kick.

     

    The films in his bags include: Phantom, an action thriller starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif. The film recently finished its schedule in Beirut, Lebanon and has now commenced shooting in the snow-bound valley of Gulmarg in north Kashmir. Coincidentally, Heropanti, the film marking Tiger Shroff’s debut, is also being shot in Kashmir. It’s a ten-day shoot schedule for both, Phantom and Heropanti and they will be shot in different parts of Kashmir.

     

    Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor starrer 2 States was being shot in Delhi, Chennai and Pondicherry. The Salman Khan starrer Kick is being shot in Karjat and the production unit stays there, despite being only a few hours away from Mumbai. Imtiaz Ali’s directorial venture Highway is in the post-production stage. This film has been shot across maximum number of locations, planned for 60 days but finished in 52. 

     
    With extreme hard work and dedication of everyone involved, Nadiadwala Grandsons Entertainment is all set to present five movies spanning genres, this year.

  • ‘Heropanti’ shoot commences in Mumbai

    ‘Heropanti’ shoot commences in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Sajid Nadiadwala’s Heropanti, which stars Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon, has begun shooting for its Mumbai schedule. The movie which shot its first schedule in Chandigarh and Patiala extensively, finished their shoot in Delhi recently.

     

    Jackie Shroff’s son, Tiger Shroff, who is making his Bollywood debut in Heropanti, will be seen doing adrenaline-filled action scenes in the movie. The young actor is paired opposite model- Kriti Sanon- in the action-romance film. Video clips of Tiger training for the film show him doing gravity defying stunts and acrobatics for which he trained rigorously with his trainers. After Mumbai, Heropanti is expected to move on to its next schedule in Kashmir.

     

     

    Directed by Sabbir Khan, the film is an action-romance and is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandsons Entertainment Pvt Ltd. It is slated to release on 16 May, 2014.

  • Alia discovers the unseen India

    Alia discovers the unseen India

    MUMBAI: They don’t call acting the best profession for no reason. There’s something about it that fascinates many. And one of the most important is that while donning different roles, an actor gets to learn a lot of new things. Something similar happened to Alia Bhatt while shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s Highway.

    Presented by Sajid Nadiadwala and starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, the film traverses six states of north India and captures the landscape of the different regions as it goes along. The makers have come up with Highway Diaries – short video snippets that capture the journey of the film and all the exciting experiences that the cast and crew had during its making.

    The latest episode of Highway Diaries titled Sambhar Salt Pan, Alia is seen shooting for the film in a salt factory in Sambhar (Rajasthan) along with other actors of the film. Born and brought up in a city like Mumbai, the world of Sambhar where anything and everything has more than a pinch of salt was a revelation for the young star.

    “Highway took me to all these amazing places that I probably wouldn’t have ever seen otherwise. Sambhar, the salt factory, was the most beautiful and the most weird experience for me. I celebrated my birthday there as well. In many ways, I think it was here that I truly started feeling like Veera (her character in the film),” said Alia in a release.

  • Delhi to be recreated in Karjat for Kick

    Delhi to be recreated in Karjat for Kick

    Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut Kick has recently been in the news after Salman Khan was unable to complete the shoot in UK. Hence the schedule of shooting was shifted to India which will commence soon. Despite the fact that the action scenes are required to be shot at Connaught Place, Paharganj and Karol Bagh areas and other popular areas of Delhi, the actor will not visit the city.

     

    An expensive set of a whopping Rs 15 crore is supposed to be erected in Karjat, near Mumbai, which will resemble these popular locations. Also, according to Sajid’s statements, the autos, the buses and other local elements will be brought to the set to create an authentic ambience. After this, Salman will fly to London to shoot a major chunk which still remains unfinished because of the visa controversy.

     

    Besides Salman, Kick stars Jacqueline and Randeep Hooda and is scheduled to release in Eid next year.

  • Salman’s UK visa gets rejected, Kick on hold

    Salman’s UK visa gets rejected, Kick on hold

    MUMBAI: While Sajid Nadiadwala’s new film Kick is underway in Glasgow, United Kingdom has rejected Salman Khan’s visa without giving any reason for the denial. Salman was supposed to shoot there last week but was unable to fly to UK because of the cancellation.

    Eleven years after he allegedly killed one person in a hit and run case, Khan was formally charged against homicide not amounting to murder. Khan had appeared in court on 24 July but the final verdict was not taken and the charges and adjourned the case till August 19.

    There are speculations that the reasons are the cases against Khan. Who has two cases against him and is still awaiting a verdict.

  • Dedh Ishqiya makes way for Highway

    Dedh Ishqiya makes way for Highway

    MUMBAI: Dedh Ishqiya sequel to the successful and acclaimed Ishqiya is one of the most awaited films of this year. The film was scheduled to release on 13 December, but will now release on 31 January, 2014. The plans were changed after Sajid Nadiadwala requested producer Vishal Bhardwaj to postpone the release date to avoid the clash with Imtiaz Ali’s Highway.

    Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, produced by Vishal Bhardwaj Productions and Shemaroo Entertainement, Dedh Ishqiya is about the romantic adventures of Khalujan (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) with beautiful, irresistible and dangerous women of redoubtable character.

    In Ishqiya, Vidya Balan was the femme fatale who led the two men in a merry dance while in Dedh Ishqiya, fun is doubled with Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi playing the seductresses with ‘nawabi ada’.

    Dedh Ishqiya’s music is by Vishal Bhardwaj and the lyrics are by Gulzar.
     

  • Hera Pheri team back for the third installment

    Hera Pheri team back for the third installment

    MUMBAI: Who can forget the unique combo of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal on Priyadarshan‘s Hera Pheri. Not only was the film a super hit, but the combo was well appreciated so much so that they were repeated in the film‘s second version Phir Hera Pheri, Venus‘ De Dana Dhan and Vikram Bhatt‘s Awara Pagal Deewana.

    The latest is that if things go according to plans, they will be back with the third installment of Hera Pheri. As per industry sources work is in progress for Hera Pheri 3 and also the dates of Akshay and Paresh are already in place.

    A lot of anxious enthusiasts had been anxiously awaiting Sajid Nadiadwala to announce the third installment for a long time. Now, the filmmaker is all geared to make the third part as big as or bigger than the original film. The second installment was not as big as the original. It is said that Akshay and Rawal have already given their dates and soon Sunil Shetty too is expected to be on board.

    The film is expected to go on the floors post August, 2014. Given that there is still time left, finalization of the rest of the cast is expected to go an at snail‘s pace. But one thing is clear that the female leads would be quite different than that of the first two installments.