The Common Man Speaks

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Vishal Bhardwaj

Producers: Fox Star Studios and Vishal Bhardwaj Pictures Pvt. Ltd

Writers: Vishal Bhardwaj and Abhishek Chaubey

Cast: Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Pankaj Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Aarya Babbar

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Release Date: January 11, 2013

Analysis:

Star Value: Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma are not big superstars but they are popular enough to pull a good section of the audience to the theaters, especially youngsters. Plus, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola also has legends of Indian cinema in the form of Pankaj Kapoor and Shabana Azmi.

Hype: The film has managed a decent hype before its release if not tremendous. The funny promos with unusual dialogues have made heads turn. Anushka’s ‘Dekho Magar Pyar Se’ tattoo and ‘Gulabi Bhains’  have also largely helped.

Music: Although Bhardwaj is known to be a talented music director, the songs of this movie haven’t become known. But the reason for this is that the makers haven’t used the music much to promote the movie. The title song is the only one which is famous and appreciated.

Prediction:

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola will get a decent to good opening at the box office, although not excellent. Even if it gets a decent response, it will make the producers happy as it has good two weeks to earn. Since it is a rural film, it has a chance of earning even in smaller centers, provided it doesn’t get initial negative response.

Picture Courtesy - MKBKM Facebook page

Picture Courtesy – MKBKM Facebook page

 

BP (Balak Palak) Review

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Direction: Ravi Jadhav

Producers: Ravi Jadhav Films, Viva In-En and Mumbai Film Company

Writers: Ravi Jadhav, Ambar Hadap, Ganesh Pandit and Guru Jadhav

Cast: Rohit Phalke, Bhagyashree Sankpal, Shahwati Pimplikar, Madan Deodhar, Kishore Kadam, Prathamesh Parab, Sai Tamhankar, Anand Ingle

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Genre: Drama

Rating: * * * *

Story Outline: The story takes place in the 1980s when Avya (Rohit Phalke), Bhagya (Madan Deodhar), Dolly (Shahwati Pimplikar) and Chiu (Bhagyashree Sankpal) are close teenage friends living in the same chawl. Circumstances and their school friend Vishu (Prathamesh Parab) introduce them to the world of sex through porn books and blue films (BP). But is this the right method of getting enlightened about sex? What would happen if the elders of their chawl find out about their secret activity?

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Review: In most Indian families, it is almost impossible for children to talk about sex openly with their parents since the topic is considered a taboo. Due to this, naturally, they receive half or false knowledge about it from their friends. Ravi Jadhav’s BP (BALAK PALAK) gives a bold message that instead of children or teenagers getting a wrong notion about sex from unreliable or harmful sources, it is better that the parents themselves enlighten them about the curious phenomenon. Jadhav comes out as a winner by putting forth the point without being vulgar or cheap. But what makes the film further special is the fact that he has narrated the tale like a laugh riot throughout!

Picture Courtesy - BP Twitter page

Picture Courtesy – BP Twitter page

While dealing with such a sensitive subject, it is extremely vital for the writers to achieve utmost perfection. This is exactly what Jadhav, Ambar Hadap and Ganesh Pandit have done. They have encountered the very difficult task of narrating a curious tale about sex without making it look offensive whatsoever. Even the jokes or one-liners about sex are innocent than anything else. Since they are aplenty, there is nonstop entertainment!

The narration is smooth flowing yet very fast with a smart use of flashback. The introduction of the topic of sex through the proverb Shen Khane (eating cow dung) is an intelligent idea. Talking about intelligence, it is also seen in abundance in the dialogues, both funny and serious ones. Jadhav has also highly succeeded in getting top notch performances from his young cast. This greatly helps in generating great chemistry between the four friends.

Coming to the negative points, there is a moment in the pre-climax portion where the story appears stretched, especially due to the inclusion of a song. But this doesn’t cause any problems as such due to a greatly moving climax. Apart from this, the nature of the subject doesn’t ensure much of a repeat value.

Perfection is also seen in Mahesh Limaye’s cinematography and Dilip More and Santosh Phutane’s art direction. The editing is perfect while the background music (Chinar-Mahesh) is effective. From Vishal-Shekhar’s music, ‘Karuya Danga’ is a well composed, peppy number that stays with you.

The film is blessed with excellent performances. Rohit Phalke, Madan Deodhar, Shahwati Pimplikar, Bhagyashree Sankpal and Prathamesh Parab are flawless and mature in their respective acts. It’s a pleasure to see them perform! Kishore Kadam is wonderful in a difficult role. Sai Tamhankar provides perfect support while Anand Ingle, Avinash Narkar, Vishaka Subedar and Supriya Pathare play their parts well. Subodh Bhave and Amruta Subhash shine in their cameos.

Overall, BP (Balak Palak) succeeds in dealing with a sensitive issue in a non-offensive and entertaining manner. The film is sure to earn accolades at the box office due to a positive response. It has a good two week period to earn before Pune 52 and Hou De Jarasa Ushir release on January 18.

S Vivekananda 150th Birth Anniversary Events

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(From the website –  Road to Divinity)

The keenly awaited 150th Birth Anniversary of the greatest sage Swami Vivekananda will be celebrated in a grand manner throughout India through a number of events organized by the Ramakrishna Mission. In fact, they have planned a year long program to celebrate the occasion and spread Swamiji’s message starting from January 12.

The celebrations will be kicked off on January 12 with the inaugural ceremony of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swamiji and National Youth Day at Shanmukhananda Hall, King’s Circle, Mumbai from 2:00 pm onwards. The passes of the same are available at Ramakrishna Mission Math office in Khar, Mumbai.

The rest of the events planned to celebrate Swamiji’s Birth Anniversary are as follows:-

Picture Courtesy - sainathreddy.com

January 27, 2013 (Sunday)
Bengali Drama BILAY by Lokkrishti, Kolkata at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Mumbai at 7:00 pm
Tickets available for Rs 300, 200 and 100 at Ramakrishna Mission Math office, Khar, Mumbai

March 16, 2013 (Saturday)
Musical tribute to Swami Vivekananda by renowned artists from Kolkata. (More info shall up updated soon)

August 24, 2013
Youth Convention on Philosophies and Teachings of Swami Vivekananda. (More info shall up updated soon)

November 29 to December 1, 2013
Parliament of Religions and Spiritual Retreat (More info shall up updated soon)

December 21, 2013
Classical Musical Tribute to Swami Vivekananda by Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Debashis Bhattacharya, Pandit Bikram Ghosh, Pandit Uday Bhawalkar and others. (More info shall up updated soon)

There are many more such events. Please BOOKMARK this page for further updates.

Traffic cops say, Hou De Jarasa Ushir

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Picture Courtesy - HDJU Facebook page

Picture Courtesy – HDJU Facebook page

If you are in Pune, don’t be surprised if you witness traffic cops instructing – Hou De Jarasa Ushir. Confused? Well, the city’s traffic police department has started an awareness program from January 1 to 15 to highlight the importance of traffic safety. And to do this, they are using the title of Biroba Films’Hou De Jarasa Ushir as they feel it suits the campaign.

“I had approached DCP (Traffic) Vishwas Pandhare and he liked the title Hou De Jarasa Ushir and the tagline Thamba Paha Jha. He said he will adopt our concept and title graphics for the traffic awareness campaign which will encourage motorists for ensuring safety and following traffic rules. We are very happy that our title is being put to good use and will help towards making the roads of the city a little bit safer,” said Tahir Maner, producer of the movie.

As per the campaign activity, various hoardings are put up across Pune displaying the message of traffic safety along with the film’s title. The same was visible in the New Year greeting cards which were distributed to the public not just by the traffic police but also the producer, director Wasim Maner and important members from the film’s crew. In order to show their concern, they also distributed flowers.

With Marathi films in dire need for promotions, we might well see makers of a number of upcoming films adopting such creative measures to achieve visibility.

Hou-De-Jarasa-Ushir           Hou-De-Jarasa-Ushir-traffic-campaign

Hou-De-Jarasa-Ushir-Pune-traffic                         Vahatuk-Suraksha-Abhiyan-Pune

Make 2013 a Happy New Year in real sense!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all! However, it will be a ‘happy’ new year for INDIA only if its people stay awake and continue to fight against various evil forces. Wild parties, dancing and drinking won’t ensure a ‘happy’ new year. Only raising your voice and doing every bit for the betterment of the nation will!
“INDIA is to be raised. The poor are to be fed. Education is to be provided. The evil is to be removed.”
– SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Picture courtesy – http://swamivivekananda.jnanajyoti.com/

Picture courtesy – http://swamivivekananda.jnanajyoti.com/

Vijay Aso (Marathi Movie) Review

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Direction: Rahul Jadhav

Production: Artha Motion Pictures and Nirmit Nirmitee

Writer: Chinmay Mandlekar

Cast: Chinmay Mandlekar, Murli Sharma, Namarata Gaikwad, Ganesh Yadav, Kedar Shinde

Music: Amit Raj Sawant

Genre: Political Drama

Rating: * * *

Story Outline: Shankar Gawde (Chinmay Mandlekar) is not just a karyakarta (party worker) for Forest Minister Prakash Jadhav (Murli Sharma). He considers the politician as his demigod. He helps fulfill Jadhav’s political motives by staging fake protests, gatherings, etc.

All hell breaks loose for Jadhav when television journalist Shrikant Pathak (Ganesh Yadav) exposes him for corruption in the land sector. Hence, the party chief demands Jadhav’s resignation. In order to show his power and hit back at the party chief, Jadhav orders Gawde to organize a violent protest outside the party chief’s office. An emotionally charged Gawde obeys the orders only to realize that he has been taken for a ride. Angry and heartbroken, Gawde sets out to take revenge from Jadhav for the betrayal!

Review: There have been a number of political dramas in recent years. But despite that, debutant filmmaker Rahul Jadhav’s Vijay Aso stands out for portraying the real picture on the working of a karyakarta (party worker). Although there is an absence of flawlessness, the above mentioned point, a fast narration and above all, Chinmay Mandlekar’s bravura act make sure that Vijay Aso is surely worth watching.

What works most for the movie is a fast paced narration with hardly a dull moment. After an average beginning, the writers have nicely presented a number of interesting events one after the other. But the biggest plus point has to be the inside story behind political events like rallies, gatherings, protests, etc.

This surely brings back memories of Avdhoot Gupte’s Zenda. But Vijay Aso treads on a different path by focusing more on their working style with respect to the manner in which they organize staged political events. Later on, the most defining moment and Mandlekar’s transformation take the movie to a new level.

Picture Courtesy - Vijay Aso Facebook page

Picture Courtesy – Vijay Aso Facebook page

The film, however, would have been superlative but for some negative points. The evil motto of one of the main characters is not clearly explained. The writers should have exploited Mandlekar’s transformation by including more clap-worthy moments. An important incident in the pre-climax portion and the events in the climax needed to be presented in a more impactful manner.

Jadhav shows his class in his cinematography, which is a big plus point of movie. The background score succeeds in creating the desired effect. The tune after Mandlekar’s transformation is very impactful! Music (Amit Raj Sawant) doesn’t have much scope in such films but the title rock track manages to impress and suits the subject. ‘Holicha Danka’ too is memorable but the item song ‘Ishqachi Boat’ is just average.

Chinmay Mandlekar is brilliant as the central character Santosh Gawde. He shows his acting prowess by playing two different characters with perfection. This is the first time that Murli Sharma is playing one of the main characters in a Marathi movie. He gives a terrific act as a cunning, manipulative politician. His Marathi pronunciation should be applauded except on a couple of occasions which is surely forgivable considering his background.

Ganesh Yadav is mostly famous for playing the role of a cop in Marath films. For the first time, he plays a television journalist and he is just outstanding! Namrata Gaikwad fits the bill as Gawde’s love interest, although she is more of a supporting character. Kedar Shinde, Janardan Parab, Amita Khopkar and the rest of supporting cast play their parts well.

Overall, if you enjoy realistic political dramas, Vijay Aso won’t disappoint you. The film desperately needs a strong word-of-mouth due to the average hype and the fact that it is clashing with a number of other Marathi movies.

Gang Rape Victim Death: Last wake up call!

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I have always had doubts about the concept of reincarnation. But after the terribly tragic news of the passing away of the 23 year old gang rape victim (also called Damini), I am hoping such a phenomenon does exist. Such brave-heart fighters surely deserve another chance! May her soul Rest In Peace and may God give strength to her family and the entire nation to overcome this grave tragedy.

The only way justice can be given for such unimaginably torturous crime is by giving extremely painful deaths to the offenders. Death merely by hanging is as bad as acquittal!

The number of rapes, especially in Delhi, has increased tremendously in the last few years. But what measures have the government taken to amend laws for rapes and to ensure safety of women? Absolutely none!

There is also no doubt that the Delhi Police has the dedication required to improve the situation. This was clearly seen by the way they mercilessly beat up protestors which also included women and, shockingly, senior citizens! If they had shown such fierce determination in protecting the women, such an incident wouldn’t have taken place!

If the same attitude is continued by our authorities, I am sorry to say such incidents will keep taking place, unless some weird creatures, who call themselves men, start behaving humanly!

Hou De Jarasa Ushir is about lemon and spoon race: Producer (Exclusive)

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Producer Tahir Maner of Biroba Films was once leading a stable career as a mechanical engineer. But a successful professional life and inner satisfaction don’t always go hand in hand. In such a situation, a person is inclined to follow his heart. That is exactly what Tahir did and entered the film production arena with the Marathi film Hou De Jarasa Ushir. The movie has already made heads turn after being selected in the top 282 films for the race towards the most prestigious Oscar Award.

Apart from getting candid about the movie, the producer shares his thoughts on the survival of new production houses in an exclusive chat with Halti Chitre.

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What is your movie Hou De Jarasa Ushir about?

You might remember the lemon and spoon race which we used to play during our childhood. In that race, one needs to come first but at the same time make sure the lemon doesn’t fall. What we are saying through the movie is that if the lemon falls from your spoon, there is no point in coming first. This is the theme of Hou De Jarasa Ushir. The lemon indicates your family life, as in how much time you are giving to your close ones, and your health. So we have tried to describe this in our title which says that it is okay if there is a delay but you shouldn’t lose the lemon.

How did you decide the cast? Did you deliberately didn’t pick big stars?

We had auditions for the cast. Of course, for the role of Fakir we had few people in mind. When we narrated the role to Sadashiv (Amrapurkar) sir, he was very much interested. To have such a senior artist in our film is an honor for newcomers like us. For the rest of the cast, it wasn’t pre-decided to have newcomers. Things just happened eventually.

Your film is selected in the top 282 films in the Oscars.

It is still like a dream for us. This is our first feature film. I joined the industry just in early 2010. So when your first project is selected in the top 282 films in Oscars, you can imagine what I must be feeling considering there are people who spend a lot of time of their live to achieve this.

Picture courtesy – HDJU Facebook page

You are a mechanical engineer. How did you land up in filmmaking?

This question is very common for me (laughs). When I was in Mumbai earlier, I used to work in the field of mechanical engineering. I was happy with the job but not with the lifestyle. I had to work for ten hours and spend almost four hours travelling. Obviously, it wasn’t satisfying for me. I thought there are various other things I could do. I was always interested in writing but I wasn’t able to do that because of my job. Hence, I thought I should take out some time for myself.

At the same time, Wasim (Maner, director) had started his production house in 2005. I was also working with him side by side. So I left my job and moved to my hometown in Phaltan, where one could get lots of time to write. In this way, I became involved with the production house. Later on, we started building our team for Hou De Jarasa Ushir. I started writing screenplay with Wasim and we started shooting in late 2010.

Tell us about your association with Devisha Films, who is distributing the movie.

I personally feel such associations should happen in Marathi film industry frequently. Devisha Films is a big name while we are newcomers. If we have someone like them as our associates, their experience and expertise will help our movie gain better collections. I personally feel it is about co-operation and not competition. Such associations will help Marathi film industry survive. This would ensure that we would go on making more films.

You are aware that only three to five films attain success every year. Due to this, a lot of first timers are not seen again because of the losses incurred! Recently, I read that 95% of Marathi industry is surviving because of first time producers, which means they are nowhere to be seen after their first film. In Bollywood, there are hardly ten big production houses but they have a large share in the profits of the industry. Such a thing should happen in Marathi industry as well but right now we don’t have more than three big production houses.

Do you agree that internet is becoming an important tool in promoting Marathi films?

It is becoming. Internet has entered our society very deeply! These days, everybody is on Facebook. If a person is interested in Marathi films, he will check about the upcoming movies. Even we are getting a very good response from our Facebook page.

You are releasing your film alongside the much awaited Pune 52. Don’t you think this can be a disadvantage for both films?

Yes, it can be. Right now, talks are going on between both the films to see if there can be a way out. We had decided to release our film on January 18, 2013 at the start of November while the makers of Pune 52 had scheduled their films release on December 12, 2012. Even we don’t want to divert Marathi audience as that will affect both the films. Let’s see what happens. Hope for the best.

What are your forthcoming projects?

We are planning two-three films including an action comedy and a thriller. We are also planning a Hindi movie but first of all we are looking for a good cast and a tie-up with a good production house. Just like the title of our film Hou De Jarasa Ushir, we are not in a hurry. It is not that we would make only Marathi or Hindi movies. It will depend according to the demands of a particular story.

Delhi Gang Rape: Fighting the enemy within!

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So far, I have refrained myself from writing about the more than horrendous gang rape of a 23 year old girl in a moving bus in Delhi. This reason for this is not only the fact that I am profoundly disturbed by the crime but also because of my earlier assumption that the guilty would be punished soon since such a horrendous crime is never ever heard in the country before. However, after government and Delhi Police’s monstrous attitude towards the protestors of this incident, it is no longer possible for me to stay quiet anymore!

Picture courtesy – ibtimes.com

First of all, the horrifically inhuman nature of the crime should have ensured massive changes in laws pertaining to rapes. If not this, there should have been at least some steps taken for the same. The current law states that a death penalty can be given only when the victim passes away. So should we wait till the poor girl succumbs? Even if the victim passes away, death penalty is given by just hanging the convict. For this type of a crime, death by hanging is a very mild punishment! It is not only denying justice but it also doesn’t put fright in the minds of potential rapists.

The biggest proof of this is how a 20 year old Nepali girl was raped thrice in Mumbai barely five days after the Delhi incident. Need I say more?

So when the whole of Delhi comes out to express protest (which is our constitutional right) for making laws stricter for such crimes, they have to face police brutality in the form of lathi charges, tear gas and water cannons. I agree there were a percentage of miscreants from various wings of political parties who started violence and vandalism but that doesn’t give license to the authorities to become brutal with all, especially students who have nothing to do with these groups. If you can’t catch a small percentage of troublemakers how justifiable it is to assume the rest of the protestors to be antisocial?

Picture courtesy – India Against Corruption Facebook page

Later on, the percentage of troublemakers increased but once you start brutally assaulting innocents, you can’t expect them to behave peacefully, especially when you employ Rapid Action Force! In fact, what stunned the nation with disbelief was how the policemen had no qualms in even bashing up senior citizens (See picture)! Seriously, can we really expect them to protect us?

Someone needs to tell them that they are not dealing with dacoits! These people haven’t gathered to loot the city. These are the common people of their own country who are just demanding terribly strict laws for rapes to secure the future of the women of India! Is the demand so irrational that they need to be dealt like criminals?

Facts also show how Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal’s supporters have been subjected to similar treatments a number of times during their peaceful protests. On the other hand, political parties who openly engage in vandalism for their own good are never punished!

I wish the government and Delhi Police had shown such fierce dedication in protecting girls and women of the city. It’s just that the massive outrage have woken them up. But if they had woken up themselves, life of a lot of females in the city would have been much better and such a situation wouldn’t have arisen.

Picture courtesy – Associated Press

 

Dabangg 2 Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Arbaaz Khan

Production: Arbaaz Khan Productions

Writer: Dileep Shukla

Actors: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Prakash Raj, Sonu Sood, Vinod Khanna, Deepak Dobriyal

Music: Sajid-Wajid

Genre: Action/ Comedy

Release Date: December 21, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: When you have Salman Khan, the biggest superstar currently, in the lead, there are no prizes to guess that the star value for Dabangg 2 is supremely high! And with the presence of Sonakshi Sinha and Prakash Raj, it just gets bigger!

Hype: The excitement for Dabangg 2 has been high ever since it was announced since the first installment in the series was highly appreciated by audience of all age groups and in every region. As expected, the excitement just got increasingly high ever since the trailers and songs were released.

Music: The music hasn’t created as much buzz as the first movie before the release. Nevertheless, the song ‘Fevicol Se’ is known while other songs like ‘Dagabaaz Re’ will slowly go up the charts once the film releases.

Prediction:

It is easier than a child’s play to predict the box office outcome of a Salman Khan film these days. Like the superstar’s previous films, even Dabangg 2 will take the box office by storm, both in single screens and multiplexes and in big cities and small towns.

The question shouldn’t be whether it will reach Rs 100 crore. The question should be whether it will manage to break Ek Tha Tiger and 3 Idiots’ record. It also has chance to become the highest money grosser in a single day. The record is currently held by Ek Tha Tiger which earned Rs 33 crore in one day. The release of Dabangg 2 will also ensure an almost end of the journey for Talaash and Khiladi 786 at the ticket window.

Picture courtesy – Dabangg 2 Facebook page