The Common Man Speaks

Ganeshotsav, a national festival!

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By: Keyur Seta

A number of festivals are celebrated in India. When asked about the most prominent ones, the answer of a large majority of people would be Diwali, Eid or Christmas. This is quite logical since these three festivals are the most famous ones, been celebrated all over the country. However, if someone throws the question on me, my answer would be Ganeshotsav or Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from my admiration towards Lord Ganesha, this is simply because of the history attached with the festival.

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Lokmanya Tilak (Picture courtesy – IloveIndia.com)

According to Indian history, the festival is been celebrated in Maharashtra since the time of Shivaji (after 1600). But it was freedom fighter and social worker Lokmanya Tilak who transformed the festival into a national event since 1893.

Tilak’s idea was to unite Indians under this festival to fight against the British, who had discouraged all social and political gatherings. Apart from this, the festival also intended to do the much needed task to bridging the gap between the so-called upper and lower castes. Due to Tilak’s encouragement, people from all communities started participating in the festival. Hence, these are reasons enough to believe that Ganeshotsav is a national festival instead of just a Hindu festival.

This is also evident from the fact that the festival is celebrated with much aplomb by even non-Hindus as well (see picture). The most prominent among these is actor Salman Khan.

This Ganeshotsav, let us pray to Lord Ganesha for such brotherhood and unity among Indians throughout the year.

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(Picture courtesy – timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Heroine Box Office Prediction

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Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Producers: UTV Motion Pictures and Bhandarkar Entertainment

Writers: Madhur Bhandarkar, Anuradha Tiwari, Manoj Tyagi and Niranjan Iyengar

Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Randeep Hooda

Music: Salim-Sulaiman

Genre: Drama

Release Date: September 21, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Kareena Kapoor alone adds star value to the film. Plus, there are also some known names like Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda.

Hype: The film has been in the headlines even before the shoot commenced because of the controversy surrounding Aishwarya Rai, who was supposed to do the film initially. The promos of Heroine certainly created buzz and excitement for the movie. However, a section of the audience were not so impressed as the film bears similarity with Bhandarkar’s earlier films and also The Dirty Picture.

Music: Music doesn’t have much scope in such films but the track ‘Halkat Jawani’ has managed to grab eyeballs. The title song too is becoming popular. It should become widely famous if the film succeeds.

Prediction:

Heroine will get a descent to good opening at the box office. Like Barfi!, UTV’s last film which released last Friday, even the Kareena starrer will do well in the multiplexes of the metros due to the subject. It should earn something around Rs 25-30 crore or more in the first weekend. The collections thereafter will depend on whether the film managed to impress with its content.

Barfi! Movie Review

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Director: Anurag Basu

Producers: UTV Motion Pictures, Ishana Movies

Writers: Anurag Basu and Sanjeev Dutta

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D’Cruz, Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Akash Khurana, Roopa Ganguly, Haradhan Bandhopadhyay

Music: Pritam

Rating: * * ½

Plot: Barfi! is the story of a deaf and mute young man called Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) and his relationship with Shruti (Ileana D’Cruz) and an autistic Jhilmil (Priyanka Chopra).

Review: Barfi! starts with an unusual yet interesting song called ‘Picture Shuru’ which creatively asks the audience to behave in a non-distracting manner. As some part of the movie passes by, you realize the song was just the tip of the iceberg as far as the creativity in the film is concerned. In fact, the film can easily be called an artistic brilliance. But what’s unfortunate is that the think tank of Barfi! try to be too creative in the second half in terms of the script and narration. This is enough to include the film in the ‘strictly one-time watch’ category.

Talking about the positive points, it can be said that Anurag Basu has narrated the tale in a manner that no other Indian filmmaker has managed before, at least in mainstream Bollywood. The creativity shown in the simplest of scenes just makes one speechless. Even before the first 30 minutes, one might lose count of the number of the intelligently crafted scenes! The use of flashback is also super witty!

Since the central character is deaf and mute, it would have been challenging for most writers and directors to narrate the story while using the visual medium. Barfi! passes that test easily!

But how one would have loved to have the positive points shining throughout the film! As mentioned before, that isn’t the case here. After few moments of the second half, one realizes that the simple heartwarming tale is being told in a complicated manner. The screenplay and some of the events also give rise to confusion which coupled with the dwindling pace and abuse of flashback, make matters worse. In addition, the helplessness of physically and mentally challenged characters and a number of emotional moments make the proceedings too depressing and disturbing.

One also can’t ignore few other factors. There is just too much of Charlie Chaplin-ism in the form of chasing and falling around. Filmy moments like the central character cutting lamp post to test people and hurling a shoe upwards to call Jhilmil don’t suit in a realistic film. And by the way, why is Barfi’s mother shown dying in such a humorous manner?

Apart from the title song, Pritam’s music is just average. In the song ‘Main Kya Karoon’, Nikhil Paul George’s rendition of those three words is irritating! But Pritam deserves praise for the background score, although it is very similar to Amelie. Ravi Varma’s cinematography is masterly, a pure delight!

Barfi! is also blessed with some quality performances. Ranbir Kapoor is just brilliant as Barfi! Judging by the way he realistically brings the character alive, this will be one of his most talked about performances from his filmography. Priyanka Chopra deserves similar applause. She pulls off a physically and emotionally challenging act with ease. She deserves a standing ovation! Ileana D’Cruz makes a confident debut as she shows her acting potential apart from her stunning looks.

One of the best character actors, Saurabh Shukla is wondeful. Akash Varma, Ashish Vidyarthi, Roopa Ganguly and the rest of the supporting cast do well too.

Overall, Barfi! is a stunning visual treat which could have been better . At the box office, the film will score mostly at the urban multiplexes.

Power of People: Aseem Trivedi released! (Exclusive Pictures)

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The fact that the power of people is the greatest weapon was proved once again when the Government was forced to drop the wrongful charges of sedition against cartoonist Aseem Trivedi following massive protests across India. Since he is no longer charged of sedition, Trivedi agreed to take bail today (September 12).

The scenes were unbelievable outside Arthur Road Jail. A large crowd waiting anxiously for Trivedi to come out. Finally, when he did walk out of the main gate of the jail, a little after 1pm, he received a heroic welcome.

Amit Katarnaware, who had filed the sedition charge against Trivedi, has no place to hide his face now! I am using such words against Katarnaware because he also tried to communalize the issue by giving it a religious and a castiest angle, just like our vote-hungry politicians.

Have a look at the pictures after Aseem’s release: –

People waiting for Aseem to come out of the Arthur Road Jail

Aseem’s friends and wellwishers waiting for his release

He is out now! An admirer trying to offer garland to Aseem

Aseem addressing the crowd

Mayank Gandhi addressing the crowd

Aseem speaking to his supporters and the media, highlighting the fact that the war is not over yet!

Barfi! Box Office Prediction

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Director: Anurag Basu

Producers: UTV Motion Pictures, Ishana Movies

Writers: Anurag Basu and Sanjeev Dutta

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana

Music: Pritam

Genre: Drama

Release Date: September 14, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Due to the presence of some very big names like Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, the star value for Barfi! is very high. Plus, Ileana too is a very popular name down south although this is her first Hindi film.

Hype: The promos of Barfi! have managed to impress both the masses and the classes. This was largely possible due to Ranbir’s lovable and funny acts. This fact coupled by the promotions has garnered very good hype for the movie.

Music: The song ‘Ala Barfi’ is slowly becoming a rage. The rest of the songs, which are also melodious, are expected to acquire fame as the film releases.

Prediction:

Barfi! will surely get a very good opening at the box-office. It will score more at the urban multiplexes. But having said that, it will do well at the single screen theatres as well. Of course, its collection after the first weekend and the first week will depend on the content. Overall, Barfi! is a very safe product for the producers and distributors, mostly due to the Ranbir factor. The film is expected to earn around Rs 30 crore or more in the opening weekend.

Jal Satyagraha succeeds, protest for Aseem gains momentum!

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Whenever a group of people sit on a protest in India, people start showering plenty of comments like –  Is desh ka kuchh nahin ho sakta, Voice of common man is never heard, All protests are a waste in front of power, etc. But time and again, such comments are proved wrong. It happened recently when the Jal Satyagraha movement in Khandwa succeeded after 51 villagers did the utterly painful task of protesting deep in water for 17 long days!

The Madhya Pradesh government finally agreed to their demands of lowering the water level of Omkareshwar dam to 189 meters and compensating land for land. Of course, it is a shameful situation that the common man has to go through such ordeal to achieve his rights. Nevertheless, the incident has helped in keeping hopes alive and thrashing the above mentioned negative comments.

Protest against cartoonist Aseem Trivedi’s sedition charges and arrest seems to be the next in line to attain success. It is heartening to see the way people are wholeheartedly condemning the false charges against Trivedi by massive protests by IAC supporters and other social workers. But what is most striking is how people have kept Trivedi’s so-called controversial cartoon as their display pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Hence, the message is loud and clear by the junta!

It is due to such widespread agitation that Home Minister R R Patil has suggested to the police to drop sedition charges against Trivedi. However, one shouldn’t take his word. Even the people of Khandwa should be alert as such promises have proved a fake in the past.

Just last year Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to Team Anna promising to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill with the inclusion of the three demands. But the whole country saw how the promise turned out to be a mockery. You can’t trust anything in a country where even the written word of the Prime Minister has zero value.

Due to this, we need to ensure the promises are fulfilled. The Khandwa villagers should continue to be alert. In the case of Trivedi, Arvind Kejriwal has rightly warned of a massive protest from Saturday (September 15) onwards if all charges against the cartoonist aren’t dropped off. We are ready!

Emergency 2012: Aseem charged with sedition while coalgate scamsters roam free!

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Since last year or so, there have been numerous examples which state that our current Government is no different than the British rulers. This is not the first time I am saying this on my blog. The way they have been trying to crush anyone who raises a voice against corruption has left me with no other comparison. And now, a large section of Indian citizens are making the same comparison after cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was recently charged with sedition for just drawing a cartoon!

Anybody who is fed up with the rampant corruption in the country would relate with Aseem’s creation. His cartoon is just a satirical portrayal of the current situation where scams worth thousands of crores have taken place but nothing is been done about it! But still if our authorities are offended by his cartoon, charging him with sedition is plain ridiculous!

It is quite shocking to see Aseem’s case developing at such a fast pace! Obviously, such fast action cannot be taken due a single complaint. It is clear that the Government has put in pressure. In fact, Aseem has been facing a lot of wrath ever since he joined Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

On the other hand, no action is been taken despite the highly humiliating coalgate scam amounting to an unthinkable amount of Rs 1.86 lakh crore! Forget action, the government is not even going ahead with any probe by just rubbishing off the CAG report. So what wrong did Aseem do by depicting the true scenario of today’s India?

So is Aseem more harmful to the nation than the ones who have been looting the common man in lakhs of crores? Are his cartoons hurting the sentiments of the country more than the actions of those who physically fight in the parliament and worse, openly watch porn in assemblies?

Our Government’s answers to these questions are loud and clear! India is facing another emergency which needs to be nullified with emergency protests!

Raaz 3 Box Office Prediction

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Director: Vikram Bhatt

Producer: Vishesh Films

Writer: Shagufta Rafique

Cast: Emran Hashmi, Bipasha Basu, Esha Gupta, Mohan Kapoor

Music: Jeet Ganguly and Rashid Khan

Genre: Horror

Release Date: September 7, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Over the last few years, Emran Hashmi has steadily acquired an image of a quality performer instead of just being a serial kisser. Naturally, he has become a respected star now. Although Bipasha Basu has ceased to be one of the top actresses, she is still one of the famous names currently. Even Esha Gupta is becoming a known name. Hence, the star value for Raaz 3 is high. Plus, the Bhatt tag adds further weight to a film.

Hype: The scary promos of the movie have gone down well, at least with those who prefer horror films. The fact that Bipasha would be seen in an altogether different avatar has also helped. However, the hype for the film is not as high as the producers would expect.

Music: The songs of the movie are impressive but ‘Zindagi Se’ is the only track that has managed to become known. Unlike other Vishesh Films’ products, the music of Raaz 3 hasn’t added to the publicity of the film.

Prediction:

Raaz 3 will get a decent to good opening at the box-office. The initial rush surely won’t be extraordinary. But some of Emran Hashmi films have succeeded in getting very good numbers despite the initial hype not being high. This might happen with Raaz 3 as well if it manages to impress initially. The big worry for the film is Vikram Bhatt’s recent track record.

Kutumb (Marathi Movie) Review

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Director: Sudesh Manjrekar

Producer: Great Maratha Entertainment

Writers: Mahesh Waman Manjrekar (Story and Screenplay) and Raveen Tarade (Dialogues)

Cast: Jitendra Joshi, Veena Janmkar, Gauri Ingawale, Mihir Soni, Siddharth Jadhav, Manasi Naik, Vaibhav Mangale, Bhalchandra Kadam

Music: Ajit-Sameer & Abhijeet Kawthalkar

Rating: * * ½

Plot: Even though they struggle to make ends meet, Namdeo (Jitendra Joshi) and Ganga (Veena Janmkar) live a peaceful life with their children Laxmi (Gauri Ingawale) and Subhan (Mihir Soni). Namdeo, who works as a gardener, will go any heights to fulfill the wants of his family. He even does some extra work and bears all pains with a smile. However, their simple life turns ugly when they are faced with a number of obstacles.

Namdeo receives unconditional family-like support from his friend Magic Mamu (Siddharth Jadhav) and his wife Saira (Manasi Naik).

(For more reviews and information on Marathi cinema, click here.)

Review: Parents are always expected to work hard to present a better or a comfortable life to their children. But how acceptable is when children take up the responsibility to better the lives of their parents? Such an unusual yet interesting question is explored in Sudesh Manjrekar’s Kutumb. The characters and some of the events surely succeed in moving the audience but due to the writing and execution (in some parts), the film turns out to be just a one-time watch.

During the initial moments, the writers and the director use the visual medium very intelligently. The nature of the four characters, the love between them, their problems and their everyday life is described without much use of dialogues. And once Siddharth Jadhav’s character is introduced, the proceedings get a booster. But there was no need to include two songs without any gap to prove the dancing skills of the two kids. Despite that, the first half manages to lay a decent foundation.

The events that follow are appealing alright. But now the film starts treading on predictable lines. An over-emotional scene (not possible to reveal more), involving one of the main characters, appears silly. But what hurts the most is how the audience is made to watch a dance reality show for a long duration later on. The pre-climax and the climax should have been framed in a way that it gets the audience rooting for the kids.

A very interesting fact is observed in a number of Mahesh Manjrekar’s films including Kutumb. The main protagonist receives tremendous help from a supporting character who is Muslim by religion. Apart from Kutumb (where Jadhav plays Joshi’s friend), this is seen in his earlier films Kurukshetra, Viruddh, Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi!, Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy and Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho. Co-incidentally, in three of the six films mentioned, Jadhav has played the concerned character.

Technical aspects like cinematography (Ajith Reddy) and background score can be included in the plus points. The editing is fine but it should have been tighter during the dance reality show scenes. Ajit-Sameer and Abhijit Kawthalkar’s music suits the film. Dialogues (Pravin Tarde) are effective and moving.

The performance area is the biggest plus point. Jitendra Joshi is brilliant as he pours his heart out while playing a caring father and husband. He is on a roll this year. Vena Janmkar too gets into the skin of her character with perfection and presents a realistic act. Gauri Ingawale and Mihir Soni deserve huge applause for not only giving mature performances but also showing some terrific dancing skills.

Siddharth Jadhav presents a lovable act. Manasi Naik is likable too. Vaibhav Mangale plays the bad guy well while Bhalchandra Kadam, his sidekick, is not bad either.

Overall, Kutumb can be seen once if you prefer emotional family dramas. The film will need positive word-of-mouth to succeed at the box-office. It will face opposition from next week’s awaited No Entry Pudhe Dhoka Aahey.

Joker Box Office Prediction

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Director: Shirish Kunder

Producer: Hari Om Entertainment Co., Three’s Company and UTV Motion Pictures

Writer: Shirish Kunder

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade, Minissha Lamba, Asrani

Music: Gaurav Dagaonkar and G V Prakash Kumar

Genre: Drama

Release Date: August 31, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Akshay Kumar is one of the biggest stars ever. Even Sonakshi Sinha has become a known name after her first two films attaining success. Hence, we can say the star value for Joker is very high.

Hype: There is a good amount of hype for Joker but unfortunately a major part of it is negative. Due to some reason, people had assumed the film to be bad even before the first promo released. After the promo came out, the negative publicity increased. And since Akshay and Sonakshi, due to whatever reasons, are not promoting the film, it has further hampered the movie.

Music: Despite the controversy and Chitrangada Singh’s sensuous moves, the song ‘I Want Fakht/Just You’ has not succeeded in becoming known or publicizing the movie. The rest of the songs are hardly known as well.

Prediction:

Joker will get an average or at the most good opening at the box-office. This is certainly below par for a big budget movie with big stars. Due to this, it is vital for the movie to impress at the onset. The good thing for Joker is that it caters to both single screens as well as multiplexes.