The Common Man Speaks

Tezz Box-Office Prediction

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Direction: Priyadarshan

Production: Ratan Jain for United 7 Entertainment Ltd

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Zyed Khan, Sameera Reddy, Boman Irani, Mohanlal, Paresh Rawal

Writers: Robin Bhatt, Aditya Dhar

Music: Sajid-Wajid

Release Date: April 27, 2012

Star Value: With Ajay Devgn and Anil Kapoor playing pivotal roles, you can say Tezz is quite high on star value. Apart from these actors, there are also experienced veterans like Boman Irani, Paresh Rawal and Mohanlal, along with known names like Kangana Ranaut and Sameera Reddy.

Hype: Despite such big names and a well-known and successful director, Tezz has failed to create any hype or buzz. According to me, this could be because the promos of the movie are quite similar to the various action movies that have released in the recent past. The makers have also failed to publicize their movie.

Music: Lack of an interesting or a hit track is another reason for the film failing to create hype. The title song, the romantic number ‘Tere Bina’ and even Mallika Sherawat’s item song ‘Laila’ haven’t become popular.

Prediction: Tezz will at the most get an average opening at the box-office. This is quite surprising considering the star cast and the image of the director. It’s made at a budget of Rs 40 crore. It will be very tough for it to surpass that amount and make profit. Its only chance lies if it turns out to be a super-impressive product. If it doesn’t, it will have the same fate as Ajay-Priyadarshan’s first film together Aakrosh (2010), which was also an action flick.

Hate Story Box-Office Prediction

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Direction: Vivek Agnihotri

Production: BVG Films

Cast: Paoli Dam, Gulshan Devaiya, Nikhil Dwivedi, Mohan Kapoor

Music: Harshit Saxena

Release Date: April 20, 2012

Star Value: There aren’t big names in Hate Story although Paoli Dam is very much popular in the eastern region of India due to her bold acts in Bengali films.

Hype: The promos of Hate Story have managed to raise eyebrows due to the bold scenes and dialogues. Such high level of boldness is rarely seen before in Bollywood. However, the hype that one would associate with this film is missing despite the fact that the boldest Bengali actress is making her Hindi film debut.

Music: Songs of Hate Story have failed to become popular. There is not a single song that has managed to catch viewers’ attention from the promos and radio broadcast.

Prediction: At the most, Hate Story will get an average opening. It not only needs to impress initially, but, after that, will also require positive word-of-mouth if it has to succeed at the box-office.

Vicky Donor Box-Office Prediction

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Direction: Shoojit Sircar

Production: Rampage Motion Pictures Ltd, Rising Sun Films Pvt Ltd, JA Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Eros Entertainment

Cast: Ayushman Khurana, Annu Kapoor, Yami Gautam

Music: Akshay-Ajay

Release Date: April 20, 2012

Star Value: Two debutants – Ayushman Khurana and Yami Gautam – are been launched in Vicky Donor. Hence, there is no star value in the movie. Just like last week’s Bittoo Boss, the film relies only on content.

Hype: A very bold issue of sperm donation has never been touched before in Bollywood. Due to this, the promos of Vicky Donor have made heads turn and have also managed to create some hype for the movie.

Music: Although songs ‘Rum Whisky’ and ‘Pani Da Rang’ are quite catchy, they haven’t gained popularity. They might become popular if the film does very well.

Prediction: Vicky Donor does stand a chance in getting average opening first up. Since the film is purely based on content, it is absolutely necessary for it to impress at the onset. If it manages to do that, it will become a surprise hit of the year. If it doesn’t, no need to mention about its fate. It has a chance only in urban multiplexes.

Bittoo Boss Box-Office Prediction

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Direction: Supavitra Babul

Production: Kumar Mangat, Abhishek Pathak

Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Amita Pathak

Music: Raghav Sachar

Star Value: Bittoo Boss has debutant Pulkit Samrat in the lead while Amita Pathak plays the girl opposite him. Hence, there is no star value in the movie. The film is entirely dependent on the content, just like the makers’ first film Pyaar Ka Punchnama.

Hype: The promos of the movie have succeeded in tickling the funny bone of the audience, especially the line ‘Bittoo Sabki Lega… Photo’. Although the film appears promising judging by the promotional clips, the hype isn’t as much as the makers would have hoped for.

Music: From the songs, only ‘Bittoo Sabki Lega’ has managed to impress and become a bit famous. It looks like music is not the strength of the movie.

Prediction: Bittoo Boss will fail to get a positive opening. Its chances rely entirely on the film’s initial response. Even if it does succeed at impressing initially, it will depend heavily on word-of-mouth publicity. No prizes for guessing the fate of the film if the content fails to impress at the onset.

Housefull 2 Review

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Direction: Sajid Khan

Production: Sajid Nadiadwala for Nadiadwala Grandson

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Asin, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, John Abraham, Ritesh Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Boman Irani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Shazahn Padamsee and Zarine Khan, Johnny Lever, Chunkey Pandey

Music: Sajid-Wajid

Rating: * * *

Plot: There is fierce animosity between the families of Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) and his illegitimate brother Daboo (Randhir Kapoor). Both challenge each other of finding the richest groom for their respective daughters Heena (Asin) and Bobby (Jacqueline Fernandez).

This gives rise to a number of unusual situations and mistaken identities involving a large bunch of characters like Sunny (Akshay Kumar), Max (John Abraham), Jolly (Riteish Deshmukh) Jai (Shreyas Talpade), J D (Mithun Chakraborty), Parul (Shazahn Padamsee), J Lo (Zarine Khan) and Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Pandey).

Review: It was evident from the promos of Housefull 2 that it has no scope for things like logic and reasoning. So, if you keep those two elements at bay, chances are you would enjoy the comic caper by Sajid Khan. Although it goes overboard on few occasions, it won’t matter much if entertainment is the only thing that you are looking for.

Writers (Farhad-Sajid, Sajid Khan, Tushar Hiranandani and Sajid Nadiadwala) succeed in the daunting task of merging the sub-plots and mannerisms related to the large number of characters and at the same time continuously providing some rib-tickling moments. The foursome deserves praise since handling a complicated plot with such huge star cast can be a headache for anyone. The fact that they created every character different from the other also deserves mention.

(Review continued after picture.)

As the film isn’t a flawless product, it has its share of flipsides too. Some incidents go a bit too overboard. Examples – The snake and alligator scene, Malaika Arora’s track and a fight scene involving Vindu Dara Singh. Even the climax could have been plotted in a better way but since you have already had your share of humorous moments, it doesn’t act as a dampener.

Director Sajid Khan’s passion for entertaining cinema is noticeable in this flick. He has nicely repeated the humour from his successful television shows. An example of this is actor Ranjeet’s ‘Aye’ effect which will surely stay etched in your memory for long.

Composer duo Sajid-Wajid has been successful in such commercial films. They don’t disappoint here too. The track ‘Papa Toh Band Bajaye’ turns out to be the best of the lot. However, the use of other songs does make the proceedings lengthy. Technical departments like cinematography (Manoj Soni) and background score positive marks too.

It is extremely difficult to pick the best from such a mammoth star cast. Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty prove why they are considered respected veterans. Although Akshay Kumar has played a comical character umpteen number of times, it’s a pleasure to see him perform. The above mentioned ‘Aye’ effect suits him perfectly. Riteish Deshmukh and Shreyas Talpade do well too. John Abraham succeeds in showing his comic side.

From the girls, Asin manages well. Shazahn Padamsee is average while Jacqueline Fernandez and Zarine Khan need acting lessons. From the supporting cast, Johnny Lever is likable, Boman Irani is strictly average. Chunkey Pandey is once again outstanding as Aakhri Pasta.

Overall, Housefull 2 is for those who prefer non-stop entertainment without giving any trouble to their topmost organ. Others should stay miles away. The positive opening coupled with the type of product it is, will make sure it will earn big bucks at the box-office. Hence, one can say Sajid Khan has scored a hat-trick.

Housefull 2 Box-Office Prediction

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Star Value: Housefull 2 has a long list of actors including Akshay Kumar, Asin, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, John Abraham, Boman Irani, Ritesh Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Jacqueline Fernandez and Zarine Khan. It also has few other stars in special appearances. Naturally, one can say it has a very high star value.

Hype: The two crazy promos of Housefull 2 have created a good hype for the movie. The film is in the news due to its ensemble star cast, which has young faces as well as the veterans of Bollywood.

Music: The peppy fun number ‘Papa Toh Band Bajaye’ has been liked by the masses. Apart from the witty lyrics, ‘Anarkali Disco Chali’ has become popular as it is Malaika Arora’s first item number after ‘Munni Badnaam’. Hence, the music has also helped popularize the movie.

Prediction: Mostly due to the huge star cast, Housefull 2 will surely get a positive opening. Whether Sajid Khan will score a hattrick of successful films will depend on its initial response.

If it does receive thumbs up at the start, it will become the highest money-grosser of the year so far. However, if it doesn’t, it will still earn good returns for the producers in the first week (especially first weekend). The big advantage that Housefull 2 has is that it caters to single-screen as well as multiplex audiences.

(Posted under the category BOLLYWOOD.)

Agent Vinod Review

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Direction: Sriram Raghavan

Production: Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan for Illuminati Films

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Adil Hussain, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Shahbaaz Khan, Prem Chopra, Gulshan Grover, Maryam Zakaria, Ravi Kissen, Ram Kapoor

Music: Pritam

Rating: * * ½

Plot: While on a mission in Afghanistan, Raw Agent Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) gets caught. Somehow he manages to free himself. After his job forces him to travel all over the world, he gets to know about something called 242. What is 242? In his quest he comes across unusual characters. He also meets Dr Iram (Kareena Kapoor). But can he trust her?

Review: After debuting with the impressive Ek Haseena Thi (2003), Sriram Raghavan came up with Johnny Gaddar (2007), which according to me is one of the best thrillers ever in Bollywood.

The promos of his third flick Agent Vinod promised a roller-coaster experience. But all promises aren’t fulfilled. Despite having international standard resources and a super-creative director at its disposal, the Saif Ali Khan starrer is let down as the script, which is the most important element, isn’t up-to-the-mark although interesting. Therefore, the product turns out to be a one-time watch and that too only for hardcore action thriller lovers.

Your expectations are raised in the initial minutes when the credits roll while the first fight scene is carried on. The super-stylish way of presenting the opening credits produces a seeti-bajao effect. As the tale unfolds, your interest continues to be stable until Kareena’s character arrives which brings some complications in the narrative.

Although there are a good number of twists in the second half and the film continues to move at a brisk pace, the complications seem to increase. There will be a good part of the audience that will find the proceedings a lot confusing. Thankfully, some thrilling, nail-biting moments in the climax provide some satisfaction although the film shouldn’t have been dragged after that.

Sadly, the flipsides don’t end here. There a good number of logical errors which can not only be pointed out easily but are also pure laughable. And then there is the usual Hindi fillum formula of not a single bullet hitting our hero even when thousands are showered on him. One surely expected more intelligence from someone who has Johnny Gaddar under his belt.

But what makes the film a one-time watch is some Hollywood-like action and stunts, clever editing, brilliant cinematography, smart dialogues and some creatively directed scenes. The scores for these areas are definitely high. A gun-fight scene with a romantic song in the background deserves special mention.

The same can be said for Pritam’s music. Songs like ‘I’ll Do The Talking Tonight’, ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’, ‘Govind Bolo’ and the theme song suit the content perfectly. Although ‘Pyar Ki Pungi’ is an enjoyable number, it just doesn’t suit the nature of the flick. Its placement is also faulty.

This is not one of the best acts by Saif Ali Khan but it’s surely one that deserves appreciation. He manages to play a difficult character with maturity. Kareena Kapoor does well portraying a mysterious character. A very smart and impressive performance is given by Adil Hussain. Shahbaaz Khan and Prem Chopra fit their character well.

The rest of the cast including Gulshan Grover, Maryam Zakaria, Ravi Kissen, Ram Kapoor are good too, especially the last one is terrific and hilarious!

Overall, Agent Vinod is yet another Bollywood action thriller which is let down due to the writing department although it is very well directed. Due to this, the film won’t gain very good collections at the box-office.

 

Agent Vinod Box-Office Prediction

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Star Value: Saif Ali Khan’s star power isn’t as huge as that of the three biggest Khans but it is certainly big. Apart from him, there is Kareena Kapoor who is at the peak of her career. Hence, one can say the star value for Agent Vinod is high.

Hype: The makers have succeeded in creating hype for the movie by spending a huge amount on it. The very first promo of the movie generated excitement. The same can be said for the second one as well. And Saif’s slap controversy has also indirectly helped a bit in publicizing the movie.

Music: The ‘Pyaar Ki Pungi’ song has gained instant approval from the audience due to its funny and roadside flavor. ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’ is also known while ‘I’ll Do The Talking Tonight’ hasn’t grabbed that many eyeballs although it’s a fabulous club dance number.

Prediction: Agent Vinod will surely receive a positive opening at the box-office. The film is expected to be a quality thriller since it is directed by Sriram Raghavan, the man who made the super-impressive Johnny Gaddar and the well made dark thriller Ek Haseena Thi. If Raghavan scores a hattrick, Agent Vinod will be a big success at the ticket window.

Kahaani Review

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Direction: Sujoy Ghosh

Production: Boundscript Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Pen India Pvt. Ltd

Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indraneil Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Darshan Jariwala, Saswata Chatterjee

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Rating: * * * *

Plot: Arnab Bagchi arrives in Kolkata from London for a two-week work related visit. During his stay in the city, he is constantly in touch with his wife Vidya Bagchi (Vidya Balan). However, all of a sudden communication between Vidya and Arnab ceases. Left with no other choice, Vidya arrives in Kolkata, in a pregnant condition, to search for her missing husband.

Sub-inspector Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) helps Vidya as she struggles to find any trace of her missing husband. So, what exactly happened with Arnab? Is there something more than meets the eye?

Review: Let’s face it. There has been a dearth of quality edge-of-the-seat thrillers in Bollywood. In the last five years or so, only Johnny Gaddar (2007), Race (2008), A Wednesday (2008) and Maharathi (2008) have managed to impress in that genre. But finally, there comes a new addition in the list in the form of Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani, an applaud-worthy effort having all the necessary elements needed for a quality suspense thriller.

Script is the most vital department in any flick of this genre. Ghosh, Suresh Nair and Advaita seem to understand this well as their writing manages to grip the audience from start to end. You instantly become a part of Vidya’s quest in finding her missing husband. Elements like twist, thrill, amusement, humour as well as shock are peppered very intelligently throughout. Since there’s unpredictability in plenty, it becomes a kind of a roller-coaster ride for the viewer.

But that’s not all; there is also a strong emotional connect which does the important task of making sure the audience feels for the central character.

(Review continued after picture.)

In such films, it is absolutely necessary for the climax to have a satisfying effect. No matter how good your efforts are in the first 80-90% of the film, it proves to be a waste if the end suspense becomes predictable. Thankfully in the case of Kahaani, that doesn’t happen as the final twist and the truth related to Arnab Bagchi takes the audience by surprise and shock. Job well done!

Having said all this, few incidents in the later part of the second half become complicated. Therefore, a section of the audience might have trouble grasping the events in this period.

It would have been a mammoth task for any director to handle such a film as a major part of its shoot took place in real-life locations in a city like Kolkata. Sujoy Ghosh not only manages that perfectly, he also creates a large number of praiseworthy scenes. Personally, I feel Kahaani is his best effort till date.

Other critical areas like cinematography (Setu), editing (Namrata Rao), action (Sham Kaushal) and background score (Sanjay Maurya and Allwin Rego) are praiseworthy too. Only two of Vishal-Shekhar’s well composed tracks (Aami Shotti Bolchi and Ekla Chalo) are used in the background. They suit perfectly to the mood of the proceedings.

Vidya Balan is on a roll. After giving an earth-shattering act in The Dirty Picture (2011), the actor packs in a powerful punch in Kahaani. Playing such a character would have been highly challenging for any seasoned actor. Vidya fulfills the challenge by displaying different emotions with perfection. This is another performance worthy of all awards!

Parambrata Chattopadhyay turns out to be a surprise package. Despite Vidya’s continuous presence, the actor impresses with his fine acting skills. There is Saswata Chatterjee who is another surprise element. It is amusing to see him do about his ruthless activities. Nawazuddin Siddiqui deserves equal praise too as a hot-headed intelligence officer. Rest of the cast including Indraneil Sengupta, Darshan Jariwala, Dhritiman Chatterjee, etc provides ideal support.

Overall, Kahaani is an intelligently crafted new age suspense thriller which shouldn’t be missed. The movie hasn’t had a very good opening at the box-office but there is a chance for the collections to rise if the word-of-mouth spreads.

(Filed under the section BOLLYWOOD.)

Chaar Din Ki Chandni Box-Office Prediction

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Star Value: With the star cast being Tusshar Kapoor and Kulraj Randhawa, along with few supporting actors, there isn’t much star value in Chaar Din Ki Chandni.

Hype: Despite no big stars, the promos of the movie have managed to interest the viewers. The humour factor has made sure the film has become somewhat well-known.

Music: ‘Kangana’ track has impressed. It has also been a good publicity material for the movie. The ‘Chandni’ song, originally from the movie Chandni (1989), is also been associated with the movie as it has been hugely used in the promos.

Prediction: Chaar Din Ki Chandni will, at the most, get an average opening at the box-office. The film needs to super impress the viewers and the critics in the initial days if it has to succeed.