The Common Man Speaks

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!

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The ghazal genre was alien to me until I heard Jagjit Singh sing ‘Hoshwalo Ko Khabar Kya’ in 1998. This was just the starting point of my life-long admiration for the King Of Ghazal. I fondly remember two years later I bought the cassette (CDs were hardly there during those times) of his album Seher on the day I completed my SSC Boards. Thus, my love for his singing grew further.

To say that I was aghast at the news of his death is an understatement. What else can you say when someone who introduced you to the wonderful genre of music leaves forever?

But no, he hasn’t left forever. He was a messiah for he single-handedly revived the dying genre of ghazal in India and introduced the common man to it. Such messiahs never leave forever. They continue to live through their art…forever!

Let’s reminisce some of the divine ghazals by Jagjitji: –

Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho – (Movie – Arth)

Hothon Se Chhu Lo Tum – (Movie – Prem Geet)

Hoshwalo Ko Khabar Kya – (Movie – Sarfarosh)

Tere Bare Mein Jab – (Album – Seher)

Tumko Dekha To Yeh – (Movie – Saath Saath)

Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo – (Album – Jazbah)

Kya Khoya Kya Paya – (Album – Samvedna)

Shaam Se Aankh Mein – (Album – Khamoshi)

Haath Chhoote Bhi To – (Album – Marasim)

Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar – (Movie – Arth)

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.

Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap Review

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Review: Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap

Direction: Puri Jagannath

Production: A B Corp, Viacom 18

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Hema Malini, Charmy, Sonal Chauhan, Makarand Deshpande

Rating: * * ½

Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap has the biggest superstar Amitabh Bachchan displaying his greatness through his witty humour, heroic dialogues, energetic dance moves and most importantly, some mind-blowing fight scenes at the age of 67. However, these factors fail to amuse you much if the film suffers from a shoddy script. Just not done!

A gangster-cum-terrorist Kabir (Prakash Raj) hires an ex-gangster Viju (Amitabh Bachchan) to eliminate ACP Karan Malhotra (Sonu Sood) as he is been finishing off his gang members one by one.

No matter how bigger star you have, it doesn’t help much if your story is unconvincing and your screenplay haywire. Right from the start, there is just no focus in the proceedings with scenes jumping from one sub-plot to the other without any link. Few characters keep appearing who have no place in the plot whatsoever. Some scenes don’t even have a proper conclusion. In between, Bachchan’s heroic antics, which surely are a treat to watch, are just forcefully included especially the song ‘Go Meera Go’.

In this way, the paper thin story is narrated throughout. Thankfully, Big B’s heroic act in the penultimate moments manages to produce smiles. But again, what was the need to conclude a fun-filled film in an emotional/romantic manner?

Director Puri Jagannath’s has handled the subject in the same way he handled Pokkiri. There’s a typical south Indian touch in almost every scene. A tribute for a Bollywood legend made in a south manner doesn’t look appealing although Puri should be appreciated for some stylish scenes and seeti bajao moments.

It is the legend Amitabh Bachchan who makes this a watchable affair. The way he portrays an energetic and youthful character act at such an age forces one to stand up and applaud this actor. He is even terrific with his singing which makes an ordinary effort by Shankar Ehsan Loy come alive.  But the overuse of the colorful glasses could have been reduced. After all, Bachchan is one of the few actors who even acts through his eyes.

Sonu Sood continues to impress film after film with his bravura acts. Here is one actor who deserves many more films simply because he has a class of a character actor and also the ingredients of a ‘hero’ material. Negative act by Prakash Raj is another plus point and so is Makarand Deshpande’s.

Sonal Chauhan and Charmy fit well in their roles but their characters were not needed at all. The same can be said for Raveena Tondon who also hams her way mostly. Hema Malini is somewhat likable.

Overall, Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap can only be seen for Big B’s heroism. That’s it! Due to the content and the fact that it is released with Delhi Belly and Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, will limit it chances at the box-office.

Something for the majority of youth please?

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Youth-based films or films about Generation Y are regularly hitting the screens in Bollywood these days. It is said that these films are specially manufactured for today’s youngsters. But in my personal opinion, all these films don’t relate to the majority of India’s youth.

Movies like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, I Hate Luv Storys, Aisha, Break Ke Baad, F.A.L.T.U, Luv Ka The End and Always Kabhi Kabhi do centre around young Indians but majority of youngsters aren’t like what is shown in these films.

Characters in the above mentioned films are from elite classes or millionaire’s families who spend a bomb on their dressing and looks. They wear modern branded clothes with some girls going for minimal clothing. They mostly speak in a westernized manner with words like ‘cool’, ‘guys, ‘babes’, ‘hot’, ‘sexy’, ‘dude’ ‘f***’, etc being a regular feature in their vocabulary. They regularly hangout in discos and pubs. Needles to say – one of their biggest mottos in life is to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

There is no denying that such youngsters do exist in India and there is nothing wrong in making movies on them. However, I am unable to understand why every youth-based film these days focuses only on such youngsters. Although I have nothing against such movies or such characters, I am just unable to relate myself with them.

There is a large majority of the Indian youth, who is stark opposite of these. They come from the middle-class or lower middle-class who think twice or thrice before spending even Rs 100 as they are concerned about their family budget. They wait for the day when they can free their parents from the responsibility of running the house.

These people are also much Indian or traditional in terms of their language, behavior, clothing, beliefs, values etc. They believe that life is much more than having a girl or a guy to hang around with. Most importantly, they are very much concerned about the socio-political situation in India.

Why there isn’t a single youth-based film focusing on the majority of Indian youth? Even forthcoming films like Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, Virus Diwan and Student Of The Year focus on the same set of ultra-modern youngsters. But since some untouched topics are touched these days in Bollywood, maybe the day is not far away. Till then, I am waiting. Fingers crossed!

How to ‘Cook’ a Box-Office Hit!

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Ninety percent (or more) of movies fail to taste success at the box-office. Still, Salman Khan’s recent superhits Wanted, Dabanng and Ready have proven that it is easy to ‘cook’ a box-office hit. Don’t believe? Have a look at the following recipe for a box-office hit: –

  • Salman Khan: The first and foremost thing is to get Salman Khan on board as the lead actor. Do this and half of your battle is won! If you have him, it really doesn’t matter who is directing the film. In fact, it’ also fine even if there is no director!
  • Salman’s Heroics: Add large number of scenes that will produce seetis from the audience. For instance, fight scenes where Salman should emerge victorious and make popat of the gundaas, scenes where Salman should successfully woo the ‘heroine’, a dance number preferably as Salman’s entry scene, plenty of dialogues that add fuel to the heroic image of Salman, all ‘good’ people admiring Salman in the end, etc.
  • Good Looking ‘Heroine’: A good looking heroine who should be ready to match steps with Salman during song and dance breaks. I am using the word heroine instead of actress since her acting skills would be seldom used in such a film.
  • Songs: After regular intervals, there should be a song. Few dance tracks and a romantic number should do. An overhyped item number is an added advantage.
  • Supporting Cast: You need a big gang of supporting actors who continuously need to appreciate Salman’s heroics or be at the receiving end of them. Most of them should also be ‘ready’ to get insulted or fooled by Sallu.
  • Script: I don’t mean a watertight script or a powerful script. The most important thing is to throw all kinds of logic out of the window. Oh, you need to delete the word logic from your dictionary temporarily. Get a mixture of comedy, romantic, action and mildly emotional scenes, without thinking much about continuity or reason since Salman would be the centre of attraction in all of them. Playing of the theme tune of the movie in the background which compliments Salman’s heroics is also a must to trigger seetis.
  • Marketing Strategy: It really doesn’t matter if the makers haven’t worked hard while making the film but it is absolutely vital for them to pull up their socks while publicizing the movie. TV, radio, internet, TV serials, TV reality shows, banners, contests and what not should only speak about your movie. The name of the movie or its actors should ‘hit’ the public wherever they go or whatever they listen or read.

Throw these ingredients in the frying pan and voila, you get a box-office hit which would generate plenty and plenty of moolah for the makers. So, isn’t it easy to ‘cook’ a box-office hit? Of course it is when you have Sallu at your side. But wait a minute! What about appreciation? Oh come on! Who the hell cares about that when you have money flowing into your account especially in the first two weeks?