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Tag: Sujoy Ghosh

  • Graphic novel on Bob Biswas in offing

    Graphic novel on Bob Biswas in offing

    MUMBAI: A bunch of young entrepreneurs and film buffs in Kolkata and Mumbai are planning a graphic novel on Bob Biswas, the LIC agent turned hired assassin in the Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani.

    Confirming the same, director Sujoy Ghosh said, “They had spoken to me about it and I want to help them out.”

    He is flattered by the fan frenzy that the character has generated and admits that unlike other pre-release graphic novels, this is not a franchise spinoff or publicity stunt.
    According to the director, this kind of frenzy is generally reserved for superheroes or iconic characters. “It‘s amazing that people are paying attention to second-rung characters,” he averred.

    Saswata Chatterjee, who played Biswas, added, “I hadn‘t expected that a cold-blooded killer could become so popular. I have played negative characters earlier too but none have brought me this sort of recognition. Bob did not have too many dialogues. It was all about the body language.”

    Chatterjee has worked in films like Aborto, Abar Bomkesh, Nobel Chor and Bhalobasha Off Route-A.

  • Kahaani maker Sujoy Ghosh rubbishes talks of plagirism

    Kahaani maker Sujoy Ghosh rubbishes talks of plagirism

    MUMBAI: Sujoy Ghosh has trashed stories about his film Kahaani’s climax bearing a striking resemblance with that of the Angelina Jolie-starrer Taking Lives.

    The ending of Taking Lives shows a heavily pregnant Jolie sitting alone in her house when she discovers a serial killer. She tries to escape but is overpowered by him and is punched and thrown to the ground. During the altercation, the serial killer begins to choke her and eventually stabs her in her pregnant belly with a pair of scissors.

    Jolie, seemingly unharmed by the stabbing, shocks him by quickly stabbing him with the same pair of scissors. As the killer lies dying, Jolie removes a prosthetic pregnant belly, and says the past seven months have been a planned trap.

    In Kahaani, the protagonist Vidya Bagchi too is heavily pregnant and in search of a man who looks like her husband Arnab Bagchi. The lady also gets into a similar act by killing the person, not with a pair of scissors, but with her hairpin.

    Said Ghosh, “Since I started making Kahaani, people spoke about so many sources that it has been copied from. In this country, where people don‘t know about Satyajit Ray, Yash Chopra and Manmohan Desai, it‘s amazing to note people are aware of films made in distant land seven years ago in 2004,” adding, “ does this mean two lookalike people from different parts of the world have the same root.”

    According to Ghosh, his portrayal of Vidya Bagchi was to get to the fore the prowess of Maa Durga killing the evil. “Did Jolie also play Maa Durga or was she possessed by the goddess?” Ghosh questions.

    While the Jolie film received mostly poor reviews, Ghosh’s Kahaani has turned out to be a runaway hit.

  • Sujoy Ghosh mulls Kahaani franchise

    Sujoy Ghosh mulls Kahaani franchise

    MUMBAI: Stung by the climax of the film after which Vidya Bagchi dissolves herself among the sindoor and aabir-clad women, returning after their Dashami day rituals, one never had the time to give a thought to the lady. But, the clever director that he is, Sujoy Ghosh kept room for taking the film forward by keeping the lady alive.

    Now after the heartening response that Ghosh‘s Kahaani has been getting, he has decided to make the Kolkata-based mystery-drama and its protagonist Vidya Bagchi a part of an ongoing series.

    Confirmed Ghosh, “Yes, turning Kahaani into a franchise is something that was in my mind from the time I wrote the film. I knew I had stumbled on a unique idea that I didn‘t want to let go of. What Vidya Bagchi does with her life after my Kahaani, haunts me. I want to take the idea forward.”

    According to Ghosh, the idea was with him for a very long, he having written the script of Kahaani four years ago. And, knowing well that the protagonist had the potential to be a part of a series, the director has now begun to seriously consider carrying the story forward.

    Hence, if all goes well, Kahaani 2 would be Ghosh‘s next project. He has already cracked the idea for a sequel.

  • Kahaani: All thrills, no frills

    Kahaani: All thrills, no frills

    MUMBAI: It is not often that a film based on Kolkata background is made and when one is made, Pujo and Rabindra sangeet are mandatory as are visuals of the Victoria Memorial and the Howrah Bridge; however, what is not mandatory is having an all local supporting cast when you plan to appeal to an all India audience. That leaves little option for a viewer, not much used to heroine oriented films in the first place, but to be content with Vidya Balan.

     

    Producers: Kaushal Kantilal Gada, Sujoy Ghosh.
    Director: Sujoy Ghosh.
    Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

    A heavily pregnant Vidya Balan ascends on Kolkata in search for her missing husband and makes a police station her first halt and seeks help to trace her husband. Next she checks into a guest house where her husband was supposed to have stayed and used to call her from. She has a young police inspector, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, at all times and takes her around in her search. At the data centre, she is told that though there is no record of her husband having worked there, they did have an ex-employee named Damji resembling the husband‘s picture she carried. Vidya Balan‘s search is not easy for wherever she checks; the traces of her husband as well as his lookalike have been deleted, from files as well as the computers. What is more, whoever helps her or is willing to help her is killed while she herself has some close shaves from the killer.

    It is when she finds the picture and address of Damji from old records from the data centre‘s old, unused office that she stirs things up and soon a senior intelligence office from Delhi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, joins the action. This results in some twists and turns and thrilling moments as the climax is played out during a Pujo procession and Vidya Balan springs a surprise on all those involved on the wrong as well as the right side of the law.

    Director Sujoy Ghosh chooses the inner, drab and crowded parts of Kolkata which add to the atmosphere and create anxiety. His handling of the subject is deft with ample help from a tight script without distraction in the form of songs except for “Ekla chalo” number in the background in pre-climax.

    The film is an out and out Vidya Balan show in a role that offers her no frills; she is a desperate pregnant woman on a mission and she goes around it credibly. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is impressive balancing his act between negative and positive shades adding to the suspense. Parambrata Chattopadhyay is natural.

    Kahaani a fair thriller and due for much acclaim; however its business will be limited to few metro multiplexes.
     

    An inconsistent film with limited prospects

     

    Producer: Samir Karnik.
    Director: Samir Karnik.
    Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Kulraj Randhawa, Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Mukul Dev, Johny Lever, Anita Raaj, Sushant Singh, Chandrachur Singh, Rahul Singh, Farida Jalal.

     

    A vibrant, bubbly girl lands up in a stubborn family of erstwhile Rajasthan royals who still live in the same delusions of being royal Rajputs. The family is full of oddballs all taking a fancy to her in their own way. A romantic comedy needs ample gags and characters; Chaar Din Ki Chandni has some of the latter. In an attempt to add a bit of everything from royalty to status barrier and the Indian wedding with romance and comedy, the film is a farce made of a series of situations.

    Tusshar Kapoor arrives in Rajasthan to attend his sister‘s wedding with his girlfriend, Kulraj Randhawa, whom he plans to introduce to his family and obtain their approval to marry her. However Anupam Kher, his father, has these notions of Rajput superiority and none of his children can marry anybody else but a Rajput and he always keeps a gun handy if the case is otherwise. Besides this trait he is a jovial person. Given this situation, Tusshar Kapoor fumbles at the last moment and introduces Kulraj Randhawa as a journalist from UK here to cover an Indian royal wedding. Tusshar Kapoor has four brothers, all with their own peculiarities – one is a drunkard, other is headstrong and violent while yet another is a womaniser; only one of them is sober and okay with Tusshar‘s romance since he himself is heartbroken. Soon, Kulraj Randhawa has won the hearts of all members of the household; while Anupam Kher treats her as a daughter of the house and even promises to get her married to a suitable Punjabi boy, the three wayward brothers each try to score with her in their own clumsy ways while Tusshar Kapoor and Kulraj Randhawa keep romancing on the sly. To add to the tricky situation come Om Puri and Farida Jalal on the scene enthused that their daughter is planning to get engaged; but they are soon passed off as decorator and his chief assistant by Tusshar Kapoor as revealing their true identity would not work with Anupam Kher. With so many characters involved, there is a series of gags, some good some flat. In an old-fashioned way, the climax is a free for all with Johny Lever as one of the parties.

    The story idea for Chaar Din Ki Chandni is the second half of the director‘s earlier film, Yamla Pagla Deewana which had a huge Punjabi family and false identities; with many characters to share the screen, Samir Karnik keeps the pace moving. Using old film songs is a good ploy. Dialogue is not much help. Tusshar Kapoor is okay. Kulraj Randhawa is fairly good. Anupam Kher‘s versatility is obvious. Om Puri Plays his loud Punjabi guy very well. Mukul Dev, Sushant Singh, Chandrachur Singh and Harrish as brothers along with Rahul Singh, Farida Jalal and Anita Raj are good in support. Johny Lever is wasted.

    Chaar Din Ki Chandni is a passable entertainer with limited prospects.

  • Relief for Ghosh as Metro officials clear scene of Kahaani

    Relief for Ghosh as Metro officials clear scene of Kahaani

    MUMBAI: The makers of the Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani have heaved a sigh of relief with the Kolkata Metro Railway authorities clearing the scene where the actress is shown being pushed before a speeding metro train.

    “They have promised us that there is nothing in the film that will tarnish the image of the metro railway or prompt people to commit suicide on the tracks. We are happy with their explanation and have removed objections,” Kolkata Metro‘s general manager P B Murti said.

    Glad to have been able to convince the railway officials, director Sujoy Ghosh said, “I have spent my childhood in Kolkata and will never do anything that will harm the city. The film is meant to increase the curiosity about the wonderful city that Kolkata is.”

    The trailer of Kahaani shows a pregnant Vidya waiting on the platform to board a metro train at the Kalighat station. As soon as the train arrives, she is pushed onto the tracks by a man standing behind her.

    Worried that the scene would remind people of the frequent acts of suicides on the tracks that has been tarnishing the image of India‘s first tube railway, the Metro officials had written to Ghosh asking him to remove the scene from the trailers as well as the film theatres this Friday.

  • Kahaani runs into controversy as Kolkata Metro wants sensitive scene removed

    Kahaani runs into controversy as Kolkata Metro wants sensitive scene removed

    MUMBAI: With the Kolkata Metro railway authorities objecting to a scene in Sujoy Ghosh‘s Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani where the actress is shown as being pushed perilously before a speeding train, the film has run into a controversy.

    The Metro authorities have asked producers of the film to remove the particular clip from their trailers as well as from the film. The film‘s trailer shows a pregnant Vidya Bagchi waiting on the platform to board a train at the Kalighat station. As soon as the train arrives, she is dangerously pushed onto the tracks by a man standing close to her.

    “We are opposed to the scene as we are very concerned about the rate of suicides on the Metro tracks. We know how people get ideas for committing suicide and for other criminal activities,” said Kolkata Metro‘s General Manager P B Murti.

    The Railway authorities wrote to the film‘s producer claiming that the scene would not only harm the image of the Metro but also leave a negative impact on the audience.

    Rubbishing the same, Ghosh said: “The scene in the film is not meant to remind people of suicides. Anyways, if anybody has to commit suicide, he will not do it because of my film. As a filmmaker I need to show all sides of a city, including the darker aspects.”

    A source close to the film said the shot was part of a dream sequence and had been shot using CGI (computer-generated imagery) technique.

    It may be noted that the Metro authorities had allowed the film unit to shoot for four days last year at the busy Tollygunje and Kalighat metro stations.

    Kahaani releases on 9 March.

  • Sujoy Ghosh mulls sequel of Jhankaar Beats

    Sujoy Ghosh mulls sequel of Jhankaar Beats

    MUMBAI: Sujoy Ghosh has revealed that he was toying with the idea of making a sequel to his 2003 film Jhankaar Beats that he had made for Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC).

    Said Ghosh, “We were thinking of making a sequel from quite some time. Now I have a story, which I would be comfortable turning into a sequel. Jhankaar Beats was made ten years ago and in these 10 years I have gained some experience, having seen enough of life. Now I can share it with all.”

    Ghosh will start with the sequel once he sees the release of his upcoming Vidya-Balan-starrer Kahaani. “I will then focus on the sequel of Jhankaar Beats,” he added.

    Ghosh plans to repeat the same cast for the sequel. “It has to be the same star cast for the sequel. However, for the sequel I want to stick to more of life and less music. You can‘t escape life,” he added. In the original, the focus was on music as it was a tribute to legendary composer Rahul Dev Burman.

    In the 2003-made film, Ghosh had paid a tribute to the late R D Burman by way of him featuring some of the maestro’s good songs in the film. The film starred Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna, Riya Sen and Shayan Munshi among others.

  • Viacom18 to release Kahaani on 9 March, Kolkata premiere a day before

    Viacom18 to release Kahaani on 9 March, Kolkata premiere a day before

    MUMBAI: Viacom18 will be releasing the Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani on 9 March.

    Reports in trade papers had said that director Sujoy Ghosh, who had wanted to host a premiere of the film in Kolkata because the film has a Kolkata connection, was aggrieved that it could not be held on 8 March.

    The reason that was attributed was that some prominent Bengali directors and actors whom Ghosh wanted to invite for the premiere would be away for an award ceremony in Bangkok. Slamming such reports, Ghosh quipped,” There is no truth in the news. I will indeed hold the premiere of my film in Kolkata only and on the appointed day and time.”

    Kahaani is the story of Vidya Bagchi who arrives in Kolkata from London to find her missing husband Arnab. Seven months pregnant and alone in a festive city, she begins a relentless search for her husband. With nothing to rely on except fragments from her memories about him, all clues seem to reach a dead end when everyone tries to convince Vidya that her husband does not exist.

    She slowly realises that nothing is what it seems. In a city soaked in lies, Vidya is determined to unravel the truth about her husband – for herself and her unborn child – even at the cost of her own life. The rest forms the crux of the film.

  • Sujoy Ghosh to make Aranyer Din Ratri in Hindi

    Sujoy Ghosh to make Aranyer Din Ratri in Hindi

    MUMBAI: Director Sujoy Ghosh has firmed up plans to make a Hindi film on Sunil Gangopadhyay‘s Bengali novel Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest).


    The novel was first adapted on a film by the same name by Satayajit Ray in 1970.


    Aranyer Din Ratri revolves around four friends who take off to a forested tribal land in Bihar to escape the daily, monotonous grind and return to the city after three days a little wiser having rediscovered life and finding some startling answers to what they were seeking.


    The film is expected to roll next year with Ghosh currently working on the script. Avers Ghosh, “Knowing very well that Satyajit Ray had made a masterpiece, I will have to see how close I can go of him in terms of storytelling. My only worry is I shouldn‘t go wrong and if I do so, I will have to face the wrath of Bengalis allover.”


    Meanwhile, the post-production work of his Kahaani is going on in full speed with it slated to release on 9 March. Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan, is the tale of Vidya, who arrives from London in search of her missing husband Arnab Bagchi. Seven months pregnant and alone in a festive city, with nothing to rely upon except fragments from her memories about him, Vidya is determined to unravel the truth about her missing husband.


    Meanwhile in the days when films are being adapted from novels, a novel is to be written inspired by Kahaani. Advaita Kala, who has penned the script of the film, plans to write a novel on the same story line, but with a twist. The book might be launched towards the end of 2012.

  • Shashi Sinha made prez of Bombay Ad Club

    Shashi Sinha made prez of Bombay Ad Club

    MUMBAI: Lodestar UM CEO Shashi Sinha has taken guard as the new Bombay Ad Club president for 2011-12, replacing Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL) director Dr. Bhaskar Das who occupied the position for two consecutive terms.


    Times Television Network‘s CEO Sunil Lulla has been elected vice president.


    The other significant positions include Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services CMO Ajay Kakar as the new secretary, while BCCL director Sujoy Ghosh has been made the joint secretary. Mudra Max CEO Pratap Bose is the new treasurer.


    Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Sinha said that the priority would be to engage advertisers from across the country.


    “We are planning to hold some of our awards functions outside Mumbai. At least, take half the judging process to Delhi and then take it to Bangalore. Goafest was quite controversial, while Emvies doesn‘t really get the clients to participate. On the other hand, Effies gets active participation from clients. So, we will try to use this opportunity to engage more people from outside Mumbai,” an elated Sinha added. 
     
    Ad Club‘s new managing committee includes Percept‘s Ajay Chandwani, Brandscapes Worldwide‘s Pranesh Misra, BBH India‘s Subhash Kamath, Concept Advertising‘s Vivek Sushanti, Ogilvy India‘s Madhukar Sabnavis, Star India‘s Gayatri Yadav and JWT India‘s Tarun Chauhan.


    Non-award properties such as creative workshops suffered in the face of economic crisis and a shift can be expected in the new tenure.


    On the team appointment, Sinha said: “It‘s a good mix of old and new members. That will reflect in our work as well. We will continue with the old policies and implement some new ones as we go along.”


    Moreover, Effies Apac will be a priority as it is going to be held in India this year.