Category Archives: Bollywood

Ladies VS Ricky Bahl Box-Office Prediction

Star Value: Anushka Sharma has become a famous actor courtesy films like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Badmaash Company, Band Baaja Baaraat, etc. Ranveer Singh is just one film old but despite that has become a known face. This is due to his performance in BBB, chemistry and off-screen link-up with Anushka. And since their jodi is returning in Ladies VS Ricky Bahl, the film has gained star value.

Hype: The usual hype which is associated with a Yash Raj Film is missing this time. The promotion of the movie was overshadowed by Vidya Balan who went all out promoting The Dirty Picture. But then, even BBB hadn’t created a great hype yet the film picked up slowly after its release.

Music: Songs ‘Aadat Se Majboor’ is being liked by youngsters. Even ‘Thug Le’ is slowly becoming popular. Since two popular songs are enough these days, we can say the music of the movie is a hit.

Prediction: Ladies VS Ricky Bahl won’t take the box-office by storm, that’s for sure. It will rely heavily on the initial positive reports and positive word-of-mouth, else it will suffer.

He passed away at a young age!

The Dirty Picture Movie Review

The Dirty Picture Box-Office Prediction

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Star Value: Although the film doesn’t boast of any superstars, actors like Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Emraan Hashmi are well popular amongst the masses so as to pull the audiences in the first weekend.

Hype: The Dirty Picture is in the news ever since its first poster was released in June. And when the first promo was out, it created a rage. This was largely because of Vidya’s bold moves and exposure. Even when a section of the audience weren’t happy to see Vidya in such an avatar, it helped the film be in the news.

Since the film is based on the life of the late sex symbol Silk Smitha, it created further interest amongst the audience. Adding the fact that Silk’s brother lodged a case against the makers for reportedly portraying her sister in a negative manner, helped the film indirectly.

Music: The unusual and bold number ‘Ooh La La’ is being liked by the audience and the words of the song have also become highly popular. Even the mesmerizing romantic song ‘Ishq Sufiana’ is well received.

Prediction: Judging by the above factors, the film is sure to take a very positive box-office opening in the first weekend. Even if the movie fails to impress majority of its viewers, the producers will have nothing to worry as they will earn enough dough in the first week, since that is the period these days which determines a film’s fate. And if the word of mouth is positive for the movie, the film will find a place in the list of most successful movies of 2011.

Aish delivers baby girl! Time to stay away from news channels!

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So finally, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivers and it’s a baby girl. Amitabh Bachchan broke the news on Twitter saying, “I AM DADA to the cutest baby girl !!” Abhishek soon followed with a Tweet, “IT’S A GIRL!!!!!! :-)))))”. Congratulations to Abhishek, Aishwarya and the Bachchan family!

But I fear the media and the people of India will blow things out of proportions. The news might give rise to some national celebration as if India achieved something. So for the next few days (or weeks) we will hear about the baby, which had become world famous even before entering the world!

When Aishwarya and Abhishek got married, the hype generated by the news channels gave a feeling as if it is the first couple in India to get married! Now that the couple has given birth to their first child, I fear it will be reported in a way as if it is the first child to be born in India!

The fact that Aishwarya’s delivery generated Rs 150 crore betting speaks volumes about the craziness surrounding the incident. Sorry to say but such idiocies can take place only in our country.

Now that the news if out, people will do some extra-aish with Aish! News channels (specially the Hindi ones) and Bollywood websites can go crazy now. So, it’s time for me to stay away from them for few days… or, as I said earlier, maybe weeks!

P.S : – Let the Bachchan pariwar live the moment in privacy!

What’s the new definition of ‘Blockbuster’?

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The definition of ‘Blockbuster’ has changed over the years. Earlier, blockbuster was a movie which succeeded in satisfying a large majority of its viewers. But in recent times, definition of superhit or blockbuster is reduced to a movie which makes huge profits in its initial weekend regardless whether it managed to impress a good part of the audience.

In other words, when a film gets a tremendous opening, it only means that a large section of audience went to see the film. Nothing more than this. It doesn’t necessarily mean that majority of audience had a good time.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One is the latest example of such a blockbuster. The movie has garnered a mammoth Rs 22 crore and Rs 25 crore on its opening and second day respectively. It has defeated Salman Khan’s Bodyguard (which earned Rs 21 crore on opening day) and has thus achieved the record of highest opening ever in Bollywood! Hence, one shouldn’t be surprised if the collections continue to be high till the end of the weekend.

But the big question is – Did it succeed in making most of the viewers happy? Judging by the numerous comments I have heard and read on social media (Facebook and Twitter), the answer is surely in the negative. The same happened with Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and various other films in recent times. So, what is the use of a blockbuster which only satisfies its producers monetarily?

Well, our big producers aren’t concerned about this. They seem to be following this formula – get a big star on board, spend huge amount in production, throw in mind-blowing visuals or clap-worthy scenes, create a super-impressive promo, promote your movie as if your life depends on it, book almost every theatre or multiplex and enjoy the returns in the first weekend.

Audiences’ satisfaction doesn’t matter as long as they can flaunt their opening collections! This is because they are sure the same audience will get excited and queue up to watch the next big movie of their favorite star!

By doing this, we will surely get huge money-minters but there will be dearth of movies which touch your heart, movies which are remembered for decades. Being creators of cinema, producers and directors should ask themselves whether making money is their only motto or are they also concerned about winning audience’s hearts. Their answer will determine the future of Bollywood movies.

Ra.One Movie Review

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Direction: Anubhav Sinha

Production: Red Chillies Entertainment, Eros International

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Shahana Goswami, Rajnikanth

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Rating: * ½

Plot: A video game programmer Shekhar Subramanian (Shah Rukh Khan) loves his wife Sonia (Kareena Kapoor) but struggles to keep his son Prateek (Armaan Verma) happy. One day, Prateek says he wants a video game where the villain turns victorious. Eager to make his son happy, Shekhar creates such a game called Ra.One. However, this proves to be too costly for Shekhar as Ra.One (Arjun Rampal) comes out of the game and creates havoc in the human world. The only person who can defeat him is the good guy of the video game G.One (Shah Rukh Khan).

G.One (life)-less!

No matter how bigger amount you shell out to make a film, it is of no use if you don’t have a proper story or script. The same is the case with Anubhav Sinha’s Ra.One, which is born out of a meaningless concept and on top of that, treated in a shoddy manner. At the end of the day, it’s turns out to be an exhibition of special effects which go way overboard!

The movie starts with a bang but the bang turns out to be a dream sequence. Light moments follow in the next 30-40 minutes consisting cheap humour which hardly makes you giggle. Scenes like keys falling into a girl’s bosom, butt-shaking, ass words, a homosexual getting turned on and regular mention of condoms are difficult to digest in a movie which is being promoted as a family entertainer.

Thankfully, proceedings gain momentum once Ra.One comes out of the video game. However, there is no reason or explanation given as to how he entered the real world. And more importantly, how can a video game character derive such superpowers? And despite these powers, he is shown helpless without a vehicle when he chases Kareena and Armaan!

A very strange thing that deserves mention is Kareena and Armaan’s response to a shattering tragedy (can’t reveal much) in the first half. They react as if it’s a regular thing for them!

Anyways, then comes the dhamakedar interval point which raises your expectations. Unfortunately, the pace goes downhill from here on with more uninteresting humour and songs that only act as obstacles. Although Rajnikanth’s entry garners plenty of seetis, the scene is sloppily forced and serves no purpose whatsoever! Similar can be said for Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra’s guest appearances.

Finally, the big battle between Ra.One and G.One begins which starts with a terrific train sequence. But even that goes overboard after it destroys the heritage building of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus. (As a true Mumbaikar, I was offended!)

The climax, which should be the most defining moment, is far from convincing and fails to provide the punch which was expected. It’s just laughable to see how easily the villain is defeated! And by the way, what kind of digital Azad Maidan was it? Sadly, the flaws are not limited to these!

One of the few plus points is Nicola Pecorini’s cinematography. But the high definition special effects, which are never seen before in Indian cinema, take the cake in the end.

Composer duo Vishal-Shekhar has done a fair job although there isn’t much scope for music. Songs ‘Raftare’ and ‘Chammak Challo’ stand out.

Sinha’s direction is strictly okay. We are often reminded of his last outing Cash (2007) which was a disaster.

Shah Rukh Khan plays two characters – one of an unimpressive father and the other of a superhero. In the first one, he tries too hard to be funny and convincing. As a superhero, he is just likable but one certainly expects a much better show by the King Khan. Excuse me, but his growing age is also clearly visible.

The movie is named after Arjun Rampal’s character but the length of his role is surprisingly short. As it is, he fails to impress with his expressionless acts although he says he was told to do so.

Kareena Kapoor, although not at her best, does a fair job and looks ravishing. The kid Armaan Verma is confident and adorable. But why such long hair for him, which makes him appear like a girl all the time?

Shahana Goswami shows her talent in a miniature role. One expects her to do play much meatier characters. Good performers like Dalip Tahil, Suresh Menon and Satish Shah are simply wasted. Tom Wu is a surprise package which works well.

Overall, Ra.One fails primarily due to the missing of the basic factor – meaningful story – and abuse of special effects. But thanks to SRK’s crazy promotion, it will garner huge collections at the box-office. There have been few films in recent years which have tasted enormous success at the box-office but failed to impress a large majority of viewers. Add Ra.One’s name in the list.

Messiahs of art never leave forever!

Bodyguard rules box-office. What about audience’s hearts?

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I have been making a note of people’s reactions on Salman Khan’s movie Bodyguard. From all the responses, apart from one person, almost all others have thrashed the movie. Even on the net, I have seen terribly unsatisfactory comments on the film with some even terming it as unbearable and difficult to sit through.

However, despite this, the film has created history at the box-office by earning over Rs 20 crore on the opening day itself. Just imagine – on one hand, the audience is left unsatisfactory and on the other, the film has gained the biggest box-office opening ever in the history of Bollywood! If there is one thing which is unfair, it’s this!

Like I said in one of my previous posts here, it has become an easy recipe to cook a box-office hit. Just sign a big star like Salman, make an interesting promo, include songs at regular intervals and you get your box-office hit! You have created enough hype and booked almost ever theatre in the country. Naturally audience will flock the halls to see the movie once. Hence, you earn mammoth profit. But can you call this real success if the film fails to impress the audience?

But Bodyguard isn’t the only instance. There have been numerous movies in the past which have rocked the box-office but failed to satisfy majority of viewers. As veteran filmmaker Sudhir Mishra rightly pointed out, producers are only thinking about the profit in the first weekend.

In this race to earn big monies in the initial weekend, we have stopped making movies which have superlative content, movies which bring a smile on your face even years after its release!

This is where I consider Marathi cinema much ahead than today’s Hindi films. A super-hit Marathi film will surely satisfy a large majority of its viewers. Their biggest advantage is that the story or the script is considered way bigger than the cast. If a Marathi film is rich in story, it will surely draw crowds irrespective whether it has a known face. Sadly, this hardly happens in Bollywood.

These big and rich Bollywood producers should ask themselves whether their aim is only to earn big bucks or make quality cinema. Their answer will determine the future of Bollywood!

Singham Movie Review

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Director: Rohit Shetty

Producers: Reliance Entertainment

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Prakash Raj, Kajal Agarwal, Sonali Kulkarni, Sudhanshu Pandey

Music: Ajay-Atul

Rating: * * * *

Plot: Inspector Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgan) is worshipped in the Konkan village of Shivgad because of his ruthlessness towards criminals and kindness towards the needy. Nobody messes with Singham until the day when he has an encounter with mafia cum builder cum politician Jaykant Shikre (Prakash Raj). Singham hits Bajirao’s ego so hard that he gets posted in the city of Goa, which is literally Shikre’s den. Thus, starts a battle between the good and the evil.

If you try to list down the number of movies made on the premise of an honest cop pitted against a powerful mafia/politician, the figure will go into hundreds. Rohit Shetty’s Singham is based on the same theme. But Shetty’s nature of presentation and narration makes Singham stand apart from many of the dramas based on a similar storyline. For the kind of power the movie generates, it won’t be an understatement to say that Singham is one of the most well and powerfully made masala entertainers ever in Bollywood.

Yunus Sajawal’s fast-paced screenplay is loaded with plenty of clap-worthy instances while Farhad-Sajid’s powerful yet witty dialogues produce seeti bajao moments in abundance. But Devgn’s dialogues in the penultimate moments appear to have lifted from Rajkumar Santoshi’s Khakee. Some breathtaking action and stunts (Shetty) are a huge plus point although some appear too unrealistic.

But a good amount of credit should also be given to Amar Mohile’s background score. As Devgan goes about roughing up the gundas, the background music that follows gives you goose bumps and makes you crave for more. There is also a regular does of humor.

Most of the mass-friendly action flicks produced in the last few years have lacked a proper story and narration. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen here. There is always a danger of the writers and director getting carried away by this kind of a subject but here, they have taken special care in narrating a well-intentioned story intelligently. And although you know the end of the story even before the film starts, the climax is by no means a run-of-the-mill type. The humorous situation in the ending moments is responsible for this.

To list the fallacies, you can add some scenes which appear over the top, too loud and unrealistic. Even the action in some parts looks animated. However, due to the powerful effect produced by the film, you don’t care much about these factors.

Sunny Deol is considered a specialist for such roles but Ajay Devgn proves here he is no less than the best when it comes to playing such an action oriented role. You just can’t stop admiring him every time he speaks those heroic lines, bashes up baddies, lambasts Shirke and also when he speaks Marathi in a wrong accent! Even his expressions are a killer. I repeat what I’ve said few times before – he is one of the best actors Bollywood has ever produced.

Although Prakash Raj’s character is similar to the one he played in Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap (specially his act in the end), it is enjoyable to see him perform. His ruthless acts as well as his comic antics are up to the mark though he overdoes at times.

Ashok Saraf excels in the post-interval scenes. Sachin Khedekar succeeds in tickling your funny bone but even he overacts few times. Sonali Kulkarni shows her class with a mature act. Kajal Agarwal is not bad. Thankfully, her love track with Ajay doesn’t appear a forced one. Sudhanshu Pandey impresses in a cameo.

Overall, Singham hits you but you highly enjoy the blows. Finally there comes a masala entertainer that has style as well as substance. It’s going to fetch good numbers even at the multiplexes while in the single screen theatres, the response will be terrific.