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Archives for June 2025

Sitaare Zameen Par Box Office Prediction: Will Aamir Khan avoid a hattrick of flops?

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Aamir Khan is making a comeback to the big screen with director RS Prasanna’s Sitaare Zameen Par, which is a spiritual sequel to his iconic 2007 hit Taare Zameen Par. The film is very vital for him as his last two outings Thugs Of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) didn’t succeed at the box office. He would be hoping to avoid a hattrick of flops. The film stars Genelia Deshmukh as Aamir’s wife.

Trailer and Promotional Material Reception: The trailer of Sitaare Zameen Par has met with a positive response. The idea of a flawed man being ordered to coach a team of 10 players suffering from Down’s Syndrome seems to have touched the audience. At the same time, the trailer is full of funny moments, which is a major plus point. The songs haven’t had the same effect but the response to the trailer has made up for it.

Sitaare Zameen Par poster

Buzz: Going by the promotional material, the buzz for Sitaare Zameen Par is quite high. There has been a positive word-of-mouth for the same. Plus, Aamir’s creative promotional tactics too have kept the film and him in the news. But as the film doesn’t fall in an out-and-out commercial zone, the buzz hasn’t hit the roof.

Box Office Prediction: The positive buzz will ensure that Sitaare Zameen Par will have a good opening. However, the film is not a masala entertainer. It’s sensible and caters more to the thinking audience. In other words, it doesn’t have a mass appeal that the desi audience from the heartland always looks for in the film. It suits more for the multiplex audience.

Hence, the opening for Sitaare Zameen Par will be somewhere in the range of Rs. 15 to 20 crores. There are still four days to go for the release of the film on June 20. If the buzz skyrockets by then, it can go beyond. But more importantly, it’s purely a content driven film and a lot will depend on its final product. If the film’s content receives thumbs up from the audience, it will perform very well in the rest of the weekend and the period thereafter.

But even if that happens, one can’t expect the film to end on Rs. 300 to 400 crores, like Aamir’s other successful films in the last decade and a half, purely because of its genre.

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Jarann review: Finely crafted psychological cum supernatural thriller

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Writer and director Rushikesh Gupte made his feature film debut with the Marathi film Dil Dimaag Aur Batti, which was a spoof of the formulaic commercial Hindi films of the yesteryears. But his next release titled Jarann (his second movie Hazaar Vela Sholay Pahilela Manus hasn’t released yet) falls in the diametrically opposite genre of a psychological cum supernatural thriller.

Jarann revolves around Radha (Amruta Subhash), who stays with her daughter Saie (Avanee Joshi) in a bungalow in a city in Maharashtra. Her husband Shekhar (Vikram Gaikwad) is abroad for work since a year. Radha and Saie once visit the former’s family’s wada (ancestral house) in a village in the state. The house is about to be sold, so this is Radha’s last chance to visit it and enjoy a get together with her parents and relatives.

Radha’s parents had once rented out a room in the house to a black magic practitioner Ganguti (Anita Date). The room where she lived is kept vacant as it still gives an eerie feeling. Soon after Radha visits the house, an incident happens with her and her behavior starts changing.

Jarann sucks you into the world of Radha right at the onset. The film starts off as a black magic supernatural drama but you soon realize that psychology plays a role too. The balance between supernatural elements and psychology is maintained throughout. A past incident featuring Ganguti, which is elaborated later, stands out. The twist revealed at the interval point is interesting and it makes you eager to know what happens next.

For a large duration, the film is not as much story related as it is about Radha’s journey and what all she goes through. But the main triumph of the film lies in the pre-climax and the climatic portions. Just when you think that the film is heading a certain way, the narrative throws in not one but two unpredictable twists. The twists are not just for the heck of it. They not only fit into the story but also provide a kick.

Jarann scores high in the technical department too. The film wouldn’t have been a finely crafted dramatic thriller without Milind Jog’s camerawork, Abhijit Deshpande’s editing and AV Prafullachandra’s background music.

Amruta Subhash carries the film on her shoulders exceedingly well. Playing such a complicated character with whole lot of emotions and moods deserved utmost dedication and that is exactly what she provides. Anita Date succeeds in scaring you as Ganguti. Kishore Kadam provides a mature act as Radha’s psychiatrist. Child actor Avanee Joshi does well. Rest of the supporting actors, however, don’t get too much scope to perform. They chip in with decent acts.

On the flipside, Radha’s work life is shown in one scene. But the audience is not made aware about how her terrible psychological condition affects her profession as that is bound to happen. Also, a lot of the mystery is revealed through dialogue instead of visuals. This stops the film from achieving greater heights. But, as mentioned above, the ending twists, clearly satisfy you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Rushikesh Gupte

Producers: Amol J Bhagat and Nitin Bhalchandra Kulkarni

Cast: Amruta Subhash, Anita Date, Kishore Kadam, Avanee Joshi, Vikram Gaikwad

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Housefull 5 Review: The film falls in the same league as Sikandar

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Producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull series is going a step lower with each film. The first two films were quite good. The third one was average but watchable while the fourth one turned out to be bad and offensive. However, if you felt the franchise couldn’t stoop any lower, the makers throw in a rude surprise in the form of Housefull 5.

This one is not just the worst film of the franchise but also one of the most ridiculous films of the decade. So much so that it falls into the same league as the producer’s last film Sikandar.

Housefull 5 takes place entirely on a cruise in the UK. The seventh richest person of the country Ranjeet Dobriyal (Ranjeet) has thrown a party on the cruise to celebrate his 100th birthday. His staff includes the board of directors of his company, Maya (Chitrangda Singh), Bedi (Dino Morea) and Shiraz (Shreyas Talpade), along with cruise officer Batuk Patel (Johnny Lever) and Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Pandey). Dev, Ranjeet’s son from his second wife, is also present on the cruise.

However, just before the birthday party, Ranjeet passes away. As per his will, his 69-million-dollar fortune is to be handed over to his son from his previous marriage called Jolly. The next day three people – Jalabuddin (Riteish Deshmukh), Jalbhushan (Abhishek A Bachchan) and Julius (Akshay Kumar) – arrive at the cruise with their respective partners claiming to be Jolly. Just then, a murder takes place and the suspicion falls on one of the three Jollys.

Housefull 5 still

Housefull 5 has an interesting premise of a murder mystery where it is believed that one of the three people claiming to be Ranjeet’s son is the culprit. But the story is narrated in a way that makes you give cringe reactions throughout its huge duration of 165 minutes.

The film touted to be a ‘family comedy’ has cheap and crass situations and dialogues thrown in as humour on a regular basis. The whole parrot sequence is enough to put you off. But even if you somehow keep that incident aside (which is difficult), the narrative still doesn’t stop at regularly coming up with some of the most juvenile ways to make the you laugh.

Housefull 5 also has a murder investigation angle. Even by the standards of mainstream Hindi cinema’s most mindless films, it is shocking to see the absolute absurdity of it.

The music is as absurd as the content with ‘Laal Pari’ adding onto the irritation. The technical aspects like cinematography and editing are difficult to describe when your entire concern is to survive through the film.  

A few performances are the only plus points (just about). Akshay Kumar once again succeeds in a comic role. Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt display good chemistry. Nana Patekar also chips in with a mature act (but you wonder what is he doing here). The rest of the actors, which are plenty, are nothing worth mentioning. The female cast is only used for objectification.

The makers have released two versions of the film with two different killers and named them Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B (I saw the former). But frankly, even before the interval, I lost all interest in knowing the identity of the culprit. So, there is no question of me watching the other version to know who the other killer is because that would result in my murder and there will be no mystery around it.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Director: Tarun Mansukhani

Producers: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment

Writers: Sajid Nadiadwala, Tarun Mansukhani and Farhad Samji

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Chitrangda Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Johnny Lever

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/

Housefull 5 Box Office Prediction

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Filmmaker Tushar Hiranandani’s multi-starrer comic caper Housefull 5 is all set to release in theatres on June 6. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the movie stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueliene Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and many others. The film is expected to be the first big box office grosser of the year.

Housefull 5 is a franchise film, which is an advantage. This also makes it a brand name. That will work in favour of the film. Plus, all four previous movies in the franchise have been successful.

Trailer Reception: The trailer of Housefull 5 has spread far and wide. It is full of entertaining moments for the masses. The makers have given more than a hint that this one will have something happening all the time. But at the same time, a section of the audience hasn’t liked it. The adult aspects about wife-swapping and some sexual humour might not go well with the family audience.

Buzz: Going by the trailer reception, the buzz for Housefull 5 is strong. Despite the fact that the promo hasn’t received unanimously positive response, the fact remains that the film has been noticed clearly. What has also added onto the buzz is the out-of-the-box strategy of having two different climaxes with two different killers. Plus, the film with one version will be released in some theatres while other cinema halls will see a different version. This is something never heard before in any cinema.

Box Office Prediction: Going by all these factors, Housefull 5’s opening number at the box office will be around Rs. 20 crores. The first weekend will be healthy for the film. If the content gets a positive or even a decent response, its lifetime box office collections will be around Rs. 200 crores to 250 crores. If the response is bad, it might wind up around Rs. 150 crores or below.

Also Read: Criminal Justice (Season 4): A Family Matter review: Interesting murder mystery plus courtroom drama

This blog is one of the Top 30 Indian movie blogs in the world as per FeedSpot. See the full list here – https://bloggers.feedspot.com/indian_movie_blogs/