Tag: Shekhar Kapur

  • ABP News unveils new season of ‘Pradhanmantri’

    ABP News unveils new season of ‘Pradhanmantri’

    MUMBAI: India’s leading Hindi news channel, ABP News, has unveiled the second season of its highly-acclaimed show, Pradhanmantri. A show that promises to delve into the stories and intricacies of contemporary India is slated to premiere on 25 January, 2020.

    With the fresh season, Pradhanmantri is all set to create television history with never-told-before reality-based stories in the news genre. Pradhanmantri Season II will be hosted by the internationally acclaimed director, producer, and actor, Mr. Shekhar Kapur. Mr. Kapur is
    a visionary who works at the intersection of art, myth, and activism and will effectively bring in the same qualities to the new season of Pradhanmantri.

    Talking about this new offering, ABP News Network CEO Avinash Pandey said, “We are extremely excited to present this show to the audience owing to its highly unique concept. Pradhanmantri Season II is sure to transcend all expectations of the viewers through comprehensive and compelling storytelling, backed by long, painstaking research. We at ABP want to go beyond the common perception of TV news as a speed news churner and create content that connects to the audience on a much more deeper and profound level. Pradhanmantri Season II is the epitome of such viewer-driven content.”

    The show host Shekhar Kapur, said, “Ever since its inception, Pradhanmantri has held a special place in the heart of the viewers. The new season has been brought to the fore after identifying the pulse of the audience, with newer concepts and intriguing topics. Through the fresh season, we want to take the viewer through an entrancing journey of the Indian history and share with them– the old, the new and the
    unexplored.”

    The first season of Pradhanmantri, in 2013, was praised by the former Deputy Prime Minister of India, L.K. Advani. Mr. Advani mentioned the show in one of his speeches saying, it made him happy to see that the show delved into those ‘unexplored aspects of history that the common people were oblivious about.’

    Furthermore, the show was also recommended by the leading online learning platform, Byju’s as a ‘tremendous source of knowledge.’ The show also amassed tremendous traction on YouTube with more than 32 million views.

    The first season of Pradhanmantri depicted some of the most important incidents and developments that have shaped the destiny of independent India. The second season, on the other hand, will discuss the ideas which will give India its due place in the comity of great nations.

  • Endemol Shine Group, DoveTail Media and  Shekhar Kapur to bring best-selling novels The Ibis Trilogy to worldwide market

    Endemol Shine Group, DoveTail Media and Shekhar Kapur to bring best-selling novels The Ibis Trilogy to worldwide market

    MUMBAI: Global content creator, producer and distributor Endemol Shine Group today announces the development of a major high-end production for the international market.

    Shekhar Kapur, the award-winning film director behind ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’ as well as Bollywood smash hits ‘Mr. India’, ‘Masoom’ and ‘Bandit Queen’ has signed a deal with Endemol Shine Group to bring to life the trilogy of best-selling novels by acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh.

    Ghosh’s masterpiece, which begins with ‘Sea of Poppies’, continues with ‘River of Smoke’ and concludes with ‘Flood of Fire’, has already achieved classic status and is seen as a landmark of twenty-first century literature.

    The agreement also brings together Endemol Shine Group companies, Artists Studio (‘The Fall’) and Endemol Shine India (‘Test Case’) who will produce the drama in partnership with TV packaging consultancy service DoveTale Media who initially acquired the rights to the books.

    Justin Pollard, whose credits include the blockbuster ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise as well as hit television series ‘Vikings’ and ‘The Tudors’, is on board as Historical Consultant and Story Editor. Set in mid-nineteenth century Asia, the series will interweave the lives of vividly drawn characters against the backdrop of the opium wars between Britain, India and China.  The team is in the process of lining up a lead writer.

    Abhishek Rege CEO, Endemol shine India said “We at Endemol Shine India have been focused developing quality content not just the Indian market but something that would elicit curiosity from a global audience. This is the first step in that direction. The Ibis Trilogy project will be an amalgamation of the best global creative and production talent, including Endemol Shine India, Artists Studio, Dove Tale Media, Amitav Gosh, Lars Blomgren and Shekhar Kapur!"

    Shekhar Kapur adds; “I have always been fascinated that the drug trade was the engine for the Industrial Revolution. Amitav Gosh's books brilliantly bring out the vast epic and emotional tale of opium, from its beginnings in India where it is grown and onto China where it is pushed by drug lords. The story also follows the journeys of indentured labour from India to colonies around the world and tells the intriguing tales of people from India, America and China at a time when modern history was being formed. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with Endemol Shine in this gripping series that could run into many seasons.”

    Lars Blomgren, Head of Scripted for EMEA at Endemol Shine Group says; “Our ambition is to create a major high-end franchise for the international market, matching the scale and epic sweep of the Ibis novels. This deal represents our Group collaborating at its best, creating an exotic, never before seen tale with wide audience appeal. Shekhar Kapur completes the exclusive package and we’re expecting great interest in bringing this to the global audience.”

    Lars Blomgren was appointed Head of Scripted EMEA in 2018 and is charged with enhancing Endemol Shine Group’s premium offering through increased collaboration, shared investment and opportunities across the Group.

    Last year Endemol Shine Group’s unparalleled network of award-winning scripted producers and companies across markets in Europe, Middle East and Asia were responsible for 50 non-English language productions.

    Recent and forthcoming series include Norway’s Beforeigners (HBO Europe), Sweden’s Beartown (HBO Europe), The Idhun Memories (Netflix), Cathedral of the Sea (Antena 3/ TV3/ Netflix) and Matadero (Antena 3) from Spain, The Oldenheim Twelve (RTL4) and Lois (NPO1) from the Netherlands, Germany’s Dark (Netflix) and Pagan Peak (Sky Deutschland), France’s Insoupconnable (TF1) and Guyanne (Canal+), Italy’s While I Was Away (Rai Uno) and Queens (Hot) and Just for Today (Yes) from Israel.

  • Star India’s ambitious foray into content with Hotstar Specials

    Star India’s ambitious foray into content with Hotstar Specials

    MUMBAI: Star India, the nation’s storyteller and its most innovative content company across TV, Films & Sports, is ready with its next big leap in content on the back of its OTT, Hotstar. The company today announced the launch of Hotstar Specials, a bold and ambitious content foray featuring shows from India’s most acclaimed storytellers. 

    “Star has always challenged conventions and been at the forefront of content reinvention in India" said Sanjay Gupta, MD, Star India. “With the mobile phone leading an explosion in the number of screens in the country, we feel that our content also needs to reinvent and boldly move forward. With Hotstar Specials we hope to create the biggest Indian stories delivered to a billion screens. To bring this vision alive, we are proud to partner with a stellar line up of talent who are headlining our first set of Hotstar Specials"

    For its first set ofHotstar Specials, Star India has partnered with the best storytellers of India including Shekhar Kapur, Neeraj Pandey, Kabir Khan, NikkhilAdvani, Ram Madhvani, Venkat Prabhu, Sudhir Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, NageshKukunoor, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vishal Furia, Rohan Sippy, Debbie Rao, Sharad Devarajan and Salman Khan!

    Hotstar Specials will feature an extensive variety of Indian stories, mounted on a big scale, unconstrained by format. The company's ambition is not to make this a narrow or niche play but to explode into the consciousness of the country in an unprecedented way.  

    Hotstar Specials will enable makers to tell their most passionate stories and provide them unmatched reach. The stories will provide a burst of variety across genres and formats and will be available in seven languages for viewers to consume them in a language of their choice. They will leverage the unprecedented reach of Hotstar to reach the length and breadth of the country and also reach global audiences.  With 350 million downloads and over 150mn monthly active users,  Hotstar is the country’s biggest OTT, significantly bigger than its closest competitors. The launch of Hotstar Specials is yet another moment of disruption for Hotstar, which has been at the forefront of change in the space of digital content in India.

  • Qyuki raises awareness about human trafficking

    MUMBAI: Qyuki Digital has always endeavored to provide a platform for creators and digital influencers to be the voice of change. This time they have collaborated with UnErase Poetry, a community producing spoken word poetry for a campaign called #Sold Bodies. The video featuring actor Kunal Kapoor raises awareness about Forced Sex Slavery & Human Trafficking in India and raise funds for the same.

    Qyuki, a cross-platform media network across digital, live, TV and film founded by AR Rahman, Samir Bangara and Shekhar Kapur, Company uses proprietary technology and analytics to discover and promote digital superstars and manages the end to end value chain for them across traditional and new media platforms.

    A novel initiative started by standup comedian and poet Simar Singh, UnErase Poetry creates and promotes spoken word poetry in Hindi and English. The digital creators seek to be harbingers of change by featuring a platform to speak and have their poems heard on issues of Marital Rape to Homosexuality and Patriarchy.

    Qyuki through UnErase Poetry intends to bring out the true essence of the issues. Through Qyuki’s association, UnErase Poetry collaborated with Kunal Kapoor, Ketto.org (Asia’s biggest crowd funding website) and My Choices Foundation (An NGO working towards the eradication of Human Trafficking in India) with #SoldBodies, a spoken word poem by the actor raising awareness about Forced Sex Slavery, Human Trafficking In India and to raise funds for the cause.

    UnErase Poetry founder Simar Singh commented saying, “It is important that we speak about issues like Sex Slavery and Human Trafficking. We have ignored these women and their rights since centuries and it is high time we treat them as equals“

    Qyuki network head Sagar Gokhale says “Qyuki is more than just a talent platform. It is a mic for our creators to raise their voices about society, and bring into light some grave issues. The arts are a great way to bring the world together and UnErase poetry is doing a fantastic job with their spoken word poems. It’s community is very active and with the collaboration and might of actor Kunal Kapoor, we hope this campaign wakes up the citizens of India. UnErase has been garnering huge media interest and Qyuki is humbled and proud to be associated with such a noble cause.”

  • Shekhar Kapur releases documentary on spiritual guru Amma

    Shekhar Kapur releases documentary on spiritual guru Amma

    MUMBAI: The world-renowned film director, actor and producer Shekhar Kapur today launched a new documentary titled “The Science of Compassion” on the great spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma). The nearly 50-minute film was shot at Amma’s ashram in the Kollam District of Kerala over four days, during her 60th birthday celebrations in September 2013. 

    In the brilliantly produced documentary, Shekhar Kapur investigates the source of human compassion and creativity. It includes a rare, lengthy private interview with Amma, as well as with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Leland Hartwell and many others about Amma’s unique approach to life and how her love has touched, and in many cases, transformed their lives.

    Said Shekhar Kapur: “The search for what lies beyond our own individuality has been with me since I was 15 years of age. I have been grappling with questions like, what is the true nature of love? Is there love beyond ownership? What is compassion? Is it something you do or is it a state of mind or a state of being? If you become a much more compassionate person, does it alter your physiology? Do you become a much more intuitive being? It is not only a spiritual search for me, but a scientific quest too. Meeting Amma on her 60th birthday was a huge opportunity for me to investigate these deeper truths. I ask her the same questions in the documentary.”

    “Being in the presence of Amma is a unique experience because you feel the energy radiating from her. When you ask infinite questions, you cannot expect answers in finite ways. In fact, there are no answers. There is only experiencing. When you go to Amma, you go for the experience of her,” added Shekhar Kapur. “Spirituality is not about miracles and drama, but about experiencing subtle and incremental changes through which you evolve. I have not remained unaffected by Amma’s message of love and compassion. The more I realize how incredibly loving and compassionate she is, the more it changes me subtly and incrementally.”

    Mata Amritanandamayi Math  vice chairman Swami Amritaswarupananda said: “On behalf of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, I would like to say that to have an artist as renowned and talented as Sri. Shekhar Kapur focus his insight and creative vision on our beloved Amma has filled us all with joy. He is one of India’s treasures of film, and through his artistic direction, open-heartedness and genuine questions as an interviewer, ‘The Science of Compassion’ was able to capture Amma’s unique combination of beauty, grace, humility and wisdom. We are all indebted to him for that.”

  • Shekhar Kapur releases documentary on spiritual guru Amma

    Shekhar Kapur releases documentary on spiritual guru Amma

    MUMBAI: The world-renowned film director, actor and producer Shekhar Kapur today launched a new documentary titled “The Science of Compassion” on the great spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma). The nearly 50-minute film was shot at Amma’s ashram in the Kollam District of Kerala over four days, during her 60th birthday celebrations in September 2013. 

    In the brilliantly produced documentary, Shekhar Kapur investigates the source of human compassion and creativity. It includes a rare, lengthy private interview with Amma, as well as with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Leland Hartwell and many others about Amma’s unique approach to life and how her love has touched, and in many cases, transformed their lives.

    Said Shekhar Kapur: “The search for what lies beyond our own individuality has been with me since I was 15 years of age. I have been grappling with questions like, what is the true nature of love? Is there love beyond ownership? What is compassion? Is it something you do or is it a state of mind or a state of being? If you become a much more compassionate person, does it alter your physiology? Do you become a much more intuitive being? It is not only a spiritual search for me, but a scientific quest too. Meeting Amma on her 60th birthday was a huge opportunity for me to investigate these deeper truths. I ask her the same questions in the documentary.”

    “Being in the presence of Amma is a unique experience because you feel the energy radiating from her. When you ask infinite questions, you cannot expect answers in finite ways. In fact, there are no answers. There is only experiencing. When you go to Amma, you go for the experience of her,” added Shekhar Kapur. “Spirituality is not about miracles and drama, but about experiencing subtle and incremental changes through which you evolve. I have not remained unaffected by Amma’s message of love and compassion. The more I realize how incredibly loving and compassionate she is, the more it changes me subtly and incrementally.”

    Mata Amritanandamayi Math  vice chairman Swami Amritaswarupananda said: “On behalf of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, I would like to say that to have an artist as renowned and talented as Sri. Shekhar Kapur focus his insight and creative vision on our beloved Amma has filled us all with joy. He is one of India’s treasures of film, and through his artistic direction, open-heartedness and genuine questions as an interviewer, ‘The Science of Compassion’ was able to capture Amma’s unique combination of beauty, grace, humility and wisdom. We are all indebted to him for that.”

  • #Qyukistars rank No.1 and 3 in Youtube’s Fastest Growing List

    #Qyukistars rank No.1 and 3 in Youtube’s Fastest Growing List

    MUMBAI: Digital Broadcast Network and Agency Qyuki, driven by a unique strategy of partnering with creators versus an aggregation or ‘owned and operated’ channel approach, recently surpassed over 5 billion views across YouTube and Facebook.

    With a creator DNA in the founding team of Shekhar Kapur and AR Rahman and digital entrepreneur Samir Bangara, the Company has created a clear leadership position in the market as a home for creators across the genres of Music, Pranks and Auto blogs while making headway in other popular genres.

    The strategy has been vindicated by YouTube’s recent list of top ten fastest growing channels in the country that ranked Qyuki partners Sanam Band (Music) and FunkYou (Pranks) No.1 and No.3 respectively. The genre based focus of the company has also helped bring on board celebrated Bollywood and indie artists like Salim-Sulaiman, Clinton Cerejo, Dhruv Ghanekar and most recently Rabbi Shergill.

    Its differentiated approach and successful track record in the space led to a recently announced partnership with YouTube to create one of the biggest digital properties in India called Jammin. Jammin will bring together some of the best Bollywood composers with the biggest YouTube stars of music. The show begins online and finishes offline with a massive live performance.

    Beyond music the Company is home to some of the biggest Prank channels, a genre that is very popular with the 13-34 millennial audiences, with FunkYou emerging as the largest prank channel in the country across Facebook and YouTube. The group of four 19 year old boys has grown 1000 times on Facebook with more than 5.6 million fans amassed over the last 10 months and a following across the world with Cairo, Metro Manila, Lahore and Karachi forming part of their top ten cities of viewership.

    While content is king, Qyuki believes that in the digital space technology can serve as a very successful ‘kingmaker’. Therefore it has built proprietary tools to spot and effectively market creators to their respective communities. The mix of technology, deep understanding in content, and marketing has helped win the confidence of several brands like Coca-Cola, Olx, VW, Moneycontrol and Mercedes, amongst others, to invest significantly with the company on branded content or as sponsors for Qyuki properties.

    Shekhar Kapur, Co-founder Qyuki said, “Everyone is born creative, we just forget that in our daily lives. By helping creators achieve their creative ambitions, Qyuki is fulfilling a dream I had years ago.”
    AR Rahman, Co-founder Qyuki noted “In the digital world of excessive clutter Qyuki curates and offers a platform for promising artists and improves the audience experience.”

    Speaking on the occasion Samir Bangara, Co-founder and MD, Qyuki said, “We are building a new form of a media conglomerate that can power creators with technology, production and marketing across multiple platforms and genres in order to build business models that begin on digital but spread across TV, Live and Theatrical”

  • #Qyukistars rank No.1 and 3 in Youtube’s Fastest Growing List

    #Qyukistars rank No.1 and 3 in Youtube’s Fastest Growing List

    MUMBAI: Digital Broadcast Network and Agency Qyuki, driven by a unique strategy of partnering with creators versus an aggregation or ‘owned and operated’ channel approach, recently surpassed over 5 billion views across YouTube and Facebook.

    With a creator DNA in the founding team of Shekhar Kapur and AR Rahman and digital entrepreneur Samir Bangara, the Company has created a clear leadership position in the market as a home for creators across the genres of Music, Pranks and Auto blogs while making headway in other popular genres.

    The strategy has been vindicated by YouTube’s recent list of top ten fastest growing channels in the country that ranked Qyuki partners Sanam Band (Music) and FunkYou (Pranks) No.1 and No.3 respectively. The genre based focus of the company has also helped bring on board celebrated Bollywood and indie artists like Salim-Sulaiman, Clinton Cerejo, Dhruv Ghanekar and most recently Rabbi Shergill.

    Its differentiated approach and successful track record in the space led to a recently announced partnership with YouTube to create one of the biggest digital properties in India called Jammin. Jammin will bring together some of the best Bollywood composers with the biggest YouTube stars of music. The show begins online and finishes offline with a massive live performance.

    Beyond music the Company is home to some of the biggest Prank channels, a genre that is very popular with the 13-34 millennial audiences, with FunkYou emerging as the largest prank channel in the country across Facebook and YouTube. The group of four 19 year old boys has grown 1000 times on Facebook with more than 5.6 million fans amassed over the last 10 months and a following across the world with Cairo, Metro Manila, Lahore and Karachi forming part of their top ten cities of viewership.

    While content is king, Qyuki believes that in the digital space technology can serve as a very successful ‘kingmaker’. Therefore it has built proprietary tools to spot and effectively market creators to their respective communities. The mix of technology, deep understanding in content, and marketing has helped win the confidence of several brands like Coca-Cola, Olx, VW, Moneycontrol and Mercedes, amongst others, to invest significantly with the company on branded content or as sponsors for Qyuki properties.

    Shekhar Kapur, Co-founder Qyuki said, “Everyone is born creative, we just forget that in our daily lives. By helping creators achieve their creative ambitions, Qyuki is fulfilling a dream I had years ago.”
    AR Rahman, Co-founder Qyuki noted “In the digital world of excessive clutter Qyuki curates and offers a platform for promising artists and improves the audience experience.”

    Speaking on the occasion Samir Bangara, Co-founder and MD, Qyuki said, “We are building a new form of a media conglomerate that can power creators with technology, production and marketing across multiple platforms and genres in order to build business models that begin on digital but spread across TV, Live and Theatrical”

  • Teraa Surroor- One man show

    Teraa Surroor- One man show

    Himesh Reshammiya counts mostly on his musical score to make his films and attract audience. His latest, Teraa Surroor, is described as a ‘Lethal love story’, Earlier titled Guns N Roses, the film is a sequel of his 2007 movie, AapKaaSurroor.

    In the earlier film, AapKaaSurroor, Himesh, a singer, is framed for a murder and jailed in Germany where he is for a music concert. If he does not prove his innocence in a day’s time, he loses his lady love. The only way he can do that is by breaking out of jail and finding the real culprit.

    This time, in Teraa Surroor, Himesh changes roles. His girlfriend, Farah Karimaee, is arrested in Ireland and it is up to Himesh to prove her innocence.

    Himesh is out partying and lures a dancer at the club to bed. Next, he walks into a hotel suite and shoots down a few drug dealers. Soon, like a good boy, he goes home and confesses to his girlfriend who he is slated to marry in a month’s time that he has strayed, that he slept with another woman!

    Farah sulks and does not want to have anything to do with Himesh. Despite her wedding being a month away, she decides to go on a singing assignment to Ireland to celebrate India Day on an invitation by a Facebook friend! Farah’s mother, Shernaz Patel, is fond of Himesh and wants the duo to talk over things and end their differences. But, Farah wants a break and proceeds to Ireland.

    When Farah lands in Ireland, she is asked to proceed to the hotel by her Facebook friend as he could not reach the airport to receive her. While she is on her way, her cab is surrounded by cops. She is found to be carrying contraband drugs. Arrested, she is tried and promptly sentenced to jail. When asked if she would like to inform anybody back home, she asks Himesh be informed. She also learns the hard way that the host country does not celebrate anything like India Day!

    Himesh is on mission now. He has to get his fiancée out of jail and find the culprit who planted the drugs on her. Farah’s lawyer, Monica Dogra, informs him that there is no way she can come out without completing her term. The only way to bring her out seems to be jailbreak. There are experts on just about everything and Himesh finds the expert on jailbreaks, Naseeruddin Shah, who has fled from various jails as many as 14 times!

    Meanwhile, Kabir Bedi, the police chief here, and Shekhar Kapur, the Indian Ambassador in Ireland, both old chums, are busy doing their bit.

    Shah makes up a plan to spring Farah out of jail and Himesh follows it to the T; Farah is out and the entire Irish police force is after them. Both make it safely to a port from where they would be helped to reach India. But, Himesh has a job to complete. He asks Farah to wait for him and returns to settle scores with the man who framed Farah.

    Teraa Surroor suffers from a patchy script. There are so many glitches and contradictions which are jarring. The director, Shawn Arrahna, concentrates more on scenic visuals and finesse rather than flaws in the content. Though he manages to keep the first part taut, the film meanders post interval. Not to deny that the attention to locations makes the film a visual delight. Though some of the songs are rehashed by Himesh from his earlier film, all six songs in the film are tuneful.

    Himesh has grown a six-pack and muscles and even bares given an opportunity. Otherwise, he carries a single look throughout. Guns speak louder than muscles in this film. Farah’s role is limited mainly to looking forlorn in a jail cell when not appearing in flashbacks in songs. Shekhar, Shah and Bedi just add some face value to the roaster, their roles being limited.

    Teraa Surroor has not had an expected opening response and its hope lies on the weekend.

    Producers: T Series, HR Musik.

    Director: Shawn Arranha.

    Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Farah Karimaee, Shekhar Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Kabir Bedi, Monica Dogra, Shernaz Patel.

    Global Baba…One more baba!

    As the media started exposing the misdeeds of various babas with huge following, they found a new breed of followers, the filmmakers. The reason being, the exploits of these babas offer a filmmaker a fair bit of scope for comedies.

    Abhimnayu Singh is a sharpshooter killing his targets at whim. He is the henchman of a local woman politician because of which no cop dare to touch him. Now, police, led by Ravi Kishan, has arrested Singh. Kishan is leading him towards deep woods on the pretext of wanting a leak. The purpose is to kill him and make it look like an encounter. Singh knows he is trapped and, as a sort of last wish, wants to know who dared order his kill. He learns that his death has been ordered by the same woman politician he did all the dirty work for.

    Singh uses the same ploy of wanting to relieve himself and, in the process, tries to escape. But, the full police force is after him and he is shot in the back by Kishan. Singh falls into a rapid and assumed dead by the police. But, in Hindi films, whoever is shot and falls in to a river or sea, never dies.

    Singh emerges on the other side of the river where some aghori baba removes a bullet from his back with his bare hands. He was seemingly shot thrice but removing one bullet somehow brings him back to life. He has surfaced in some holy town on the banks of a holy river.

    On the run, Singh comes across one of his own taporis, PankajTripathi, who now poses as a maunee baba. He chose to be so because he had a problem with his speech. Tripathi sells a grand plan to Singh and that is to turn into a baba. There are all kind of babas so standing across a shop, Global Hair Cutting Saloon, the name is decided. Singh will become Global Baba with a feigned global following.

    Soon enough, GB has earned name, fame and an unprecedented following. You don’t see any global followers but the politicians of all hue and cry line up at his ashram, built on a grabbed land. Baba has become all powerful, blackmails politicians and even swings arms deals. Politicians seek his favours because he can create a communal riot on whim, can turn public opinion against any politician.

    No baba vs. politicians film is complete without a media person involved, better still if the person happens to be a female. So there is Sandeepa Dhar, a TV reporter working for the channel owned by home minister, Akhilendra Mishra, who plants her at the Singh’s ashram. Finally, Kishan realizes that Singh survived the bullets and has become Global Baba now.

    Just about everything in this film is routine, oft seen in this kind of films which springs up time and again. Here, what keeps the film alive to an extent is the thrill angle. Sadly, that interest factor is killed in the climax when the makers decide to keep the end open. May be it is an ambition of a sequel or make an intellectual point, this is lame. No justice for the villain, no dhishoomdhishoom; you know the villain so now go home. But, villain is known to the viewer from frame one!

    There is not much to say about technical aspects of the film. However, there are a few performances worth a mention. Of the cast, Tripathi excels. Singh manages to look appropriately sinister. Tripathi is very good. Kishan has little scope. Sandeepa is fair. Sanjay Mishra is wasted.

    Global Baba lacks face value to attract the audience.

    Producers: Vijay Bansal, Priya Bansal.

    Director: ManojSidheshwari Tiwari.

    Cast: Abhimanyu Singh, PankajTripathi, Ravi Kishan, SandeepaDhar, Akhilendra Mishra, Sanjay Mishra. 

  • Teraa Surroor- One man show

    Teraa Surroor- One man show

    Himesh Reshammiya counts mostly on his musical score to make his films and attract audience. His latest, Teraa Surroor, is described as a ‘Lethal love story’, Earlier titled Guns N Roses, the film is a sequel of his 2007 movie, AapKaaSurroor.

    In the earlier film, AapKaaSurroor, Himesh, a singer, is framed for a murder and jailed in Germany where he is for a music concert. If he does not prove his innocence in a day’s time, he loses his lady love. The only way he can do that is by breaking out of jail and finding the real culprit.

    This time, in Teraa Surroor, Himesh changes roles. His girlfriend, Farah Karimaee, is arrested in Ireland and it is up to Himesh to prove her innocence.

    Himesh is out partying and lures a dancer at the club to bed. Next, he walks into a hotel suite and shoots down a few drug dealers. Soon, like a good boy, he goes home and confesses to his girlfriend who he is slated to marry in a month’s time that he has strayed, that he slept with another woman!

    Farah sulks and does not want to have anything to do with Himesh. Despite her wedding being a month away, she decides to go on a singing assignment to Ireland to celebrate India Day on an invitation by a Facebook friend! Farah’s mother, Shernaz Patel, is fond of Himesh and wants the duo to talk over things and end their differences. But, Farah wants a break and proceeds to Ireland.

    When Farah lands in Ireland, she is asked to proceed to the hotel by her Facebook friend as he could not reach the airport to receive her. While she is on her way, her cab is surrounded by cops. She is found to be carrying contraband drugs. Arrested, she is tried and promptly sentenced to jail. When asked if she would like to inform anybody back home, she asks Himesh be informed. She also learns the hard way that the host country does not celebrate anything like India Day!

    Himesh is on mission now. He has to get his fiancée out of jail and find the culprit who planted the drugs on her. Farah’s lawyer, Monica Dogra, informs him that there is no way she can come out without completing her term. The only way to bring her out seems to be jailbreak. There are experts on just about everything and Himesh finds the expert on jailbreaks, Naseeruddin Shah, who has fled from various jails as many as 14 times!

    Meanwhile, Kabir Bedi, the police chief here, and Shekhar Kapur, the Indian Ambassador in Ireland, both old chums, are busy doing their bit.

    Shah makes up a plan to spring Farah out of jail and Himesh follows it to the T; Farah is out and the entire Irish police force is after them. Both make it safely to a port from where they would be helped to reach India. But, Himesh has a job to complete. He asks Farah to wait for him and returns to settle scores with the man who framed Farah.

    Teraa Surroor suffers from a patchy script. There are so many glitches and contradictions which are jarring. The director, Shawn Arrahna, concentrates more on scenic visuals and finesse rather than flaws in the content. Though he manages to keep the first part taut, the film meanders post interval. Not to deny that the attention to locations makes the film a visual delight. Though some of the songs are rehashed by Himesh from his earlier film, all six songs in the film are tuneful.

    Himesh has grown a six-pack and muscles and even bares given an opportunity. Otherwise, he carries a single look throughout. Guns speak louder than muscles in this film. Farah’s role is limited mainly to looking forlorn in a jail cell when not appearing in flashbacks in songs. Shekhar, Shah and Bedi just add some face value to the roaster, their roles being limited.

    Teraa Surroor has not had an expected opening response and its hope lies on the weekend.

    Producers: T Series, HR Musik.

    Director: Shawn Arranha.

    Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Farah Karimaee, Shekhar Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Kabir Bedi, Monica Dogra, Shernaz Patel.

    Global Baba…One more baba!

    As the media started exposing the misdeeds of various babas with huge following, they found a new breed of followers, the filmmakers. The reason being, the exploits of these babas offer a filmmaker a fair bit of scope for comedies.

    Abhimnayu Singh is a sharpshooter killing his targets at whim. He is the henchman of a local woman politician because of which no cop dare to touch him. Now, police, led by Ravi Kishan, has arrested Singh. Kishan is leading him towards deep woods on the pretext of wanting a leak. The purpose is to kill him and make it look like an encounter. Singh knows he is trapped and, as a sort of last wish, wants to know who dared order his kill. He learns that his death has been ordered by the same woman politician he did all the dirty work for.

    Singh uses the same ploy of wanting to relieve himself and, in the process, tries to escape. But, the full police force is after him and he is shot in the back by Kishan. Singh falls into a rapid and assumed dead by the police. But, in Hindi films, whoever is shot and falls in to a river or sea, never dies.

    Singh emerges on the other side of the river where some aghori baba removes a bullet from his back with his bare hands. He was seemingly shot thrice but removing one bullet somehow brings him back to life. He has surfaced in some holy town on the banks of a holy river.

    On the run, Singh comes across one of his own taporis, PankajTripathi, who now poses as a maunee baba. He chose to be so because he had a problem with his speech. Tripathi sells a grand plan to Singh and that is to turn into a baba. There are all kind of babas so standing across a shop, Global Hair Cutting Saloon, the name is decided. Singh will become Global Baba with a feigned global following.

    Soon enough, GB has earned name, fame and an unprecedented following. You don’t see any global followers but the politicians of all hue and cry line up at his ashram, built on a grabbed land. Baba has become all powerful, blackmails politicians and even swings arms deals. Politicians seek his favours because he can create a communal riot on whim, can turn public opinion against any politician.

    No baba vs. politicians film is complete without a media person involved, better still if the person happens to be a female. So there is Sandeepa Dhar, a TV reporter working for the channel owned by home minister, Akhilendra Mishra, who plants her at the Singh’s ashram. Finally, Kishan realizes that Singh survived the bullets and has become Global Baba now.

    Just about everything in this film is routine, oft seen in this kind of films which springs up time and again. Here, what keeps the film alive to an extent is the thrill angle. Sadly, that interest factor is killed in the climax when the makers decide to keep the end open. May be it is an ambition of a sequel or make an intellectual point, this is lame. No justice for the villain, no dhishoomdhishoom; you know the villain so now go home. But, villain is known to the viewer from frame one!

    There is not much to say about technical aspects of the film. However, there are a few performances worth a mention. Of the cast, Tripathi excels. Singh manages to look appropriately sinister. Tripathi is very good. Kishan has little scope. Sandeepa is fair. Sanjay Mishra is wasted.

    Global Baba lacks face value to attract the audience.

    Producers: Vijay Bansal, Priya Bansal.

    Director: ManojSidheshwari Tiwari.

    Cast: Abhimanyu Singh, PankajTripathi, Ravi Kishan, SandeepaDhar, Akhilendra Mishra, Sanjay Mishra.