Entertainment
Two news films on Eid, but where is the audience? – IANS Column: B-Town
Mumbai, April 14 (IANS) The scene isn’t rosy for the film exhibition business and, resultantly, for the movies slated for release. Imagine, two major films were due for release on April 10. The release was officially announced, so were the advance bookings. But the response was so poor that even after opening the booking windows, the producers had to postpone the release by a day.
Why? Because they seemed to have realised that Eid was to be observed on April 11 and it would be more appropriate to have paid previews on the eve of the festival. The response was so poor again that the paid previews were cancelled. But what happened to Hindi film lovers? Eid, traditionally, has only added to footfalls.
Both films have a heavyweight star cast. ‘Maidaan’ features Ajay Devgn; the other release, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, has Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, along with Malayalam cinema’s pan-India star Prithviraj Sukumaran, in the lead.
It is not usual for a film to be withdrawn after the bookings are opened. There was no reason as such but there was an excuse. Oh, Eid is on the 11th, we might as well delay the release by a day! Corniest reason ever. And talking about paid previews, those were also cancelled because of audience indifference.
Anyway, paid previews have proved to be disastrous on earlier occasions. One can imagine the lack of interest in ‘Maidaan’. The film has been six years in the making and its release plans were shelved a few times before.
The other factor is that it is a film based on football, a sport that does not have a big following in the country. But what about ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’? The film saw veteran star Akshay Kumar team up with the young Tiger Shroff, with Prithiviraj added to get eyeballs in the South! At least, that should have stirred some interest!
Where does the fault lie? What happened to those Rs 500 crore+ grossers that we were promised? They were probably myths. Eid is typically a time for Salman Khan’s films, but even his last few films failed to draw the crowds despite having been released on Eid.
The Salman films did not match up to expectations, but they did manage face-saving initial collections. Now, what has emerged with these two films is that the viewers have shown total indifference. For one thing, multiplex admission rates don’t attract Eid crowds. Nor are they attractive to the others.
The exhibition trade, instead of seeing the need for rationalising admission rates, are trying to lure the viewers with temporary sops such as ‘buy one get one free’ and ‘watch four films for Rs 349’, and by observing ‘cinema day’, ‘cinema lovers day’, and so on.
Now that is not a very bright idea. The audience that was willing to pay more than Rs 349 for one ticket is being undermined by you. Instead, you should find ways to compete with OTT platforms and the only possible solution seems to be rationalising admission rates,
The same Indian movie buffs who were the kind who loved to crowd the cinemas to take in the ‘first day first show’ are now willing to wait long enough for the movie till it becomes available on OTT!
How much does a monthly subscription to one of the major OTT platforms costs? They have slabs, depending on the duration of the subscription, in the range of Rs 300-400, or
thereabouts?
It comes with the choice of watching a film in the leisurely ambience of a viewer’s home with family and friends! For the price of an annual OTT subscription, all one can buy is, at best, three or four tickets for just one film!
It is an established tradition that people love to watch a film on a big screen and, so far, that is what has kept the cinemas in business. It now looks like this old tradition is in the process of becoming a thing of the past. And then television screens are getting bigger and a cinema hall popcorn worth Rs 200 can easily be popped at home for as little as Rs 10 a packet of
kernel. And there’s no need to chew it like rubber!
Coming back to ‘Maidaan’ and ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, both the films were released on April 11, and there are reviews, memes and video reviews about them which are more entertaining than the films themselves!
Piracy Follows Digital Path
A criminal is always a step ahead of the law and this is an age-old belief borne out of experience.
There have been various kinds of piracy when it comes to the film industry. It did not start only after the video format arrived, although it became rampant and easier.
In the era of physical film prints, it was different. It was more a case of robbery than piracy. A film’s positive release prints were in transit till it completed an 18-month run through a film distribution territory. A film in those days did not do Rs 500 crore in a few days and except from those who invest in films, people at large did not care how much it collected.
They either liked a film or did not. It took around 18 months by when it recovered its investment and made profits, if any.
A film had a merry run and went around the different parts of a circuit. Soon, there came the first idea of home entertainment in the form of the video format. The scene was to change dramatically, probably never to be repaired.
The video format brought with it video piracy. Film prints were hijacked for a few hours while they were in transit or in cahoots with a cinema management. Video cassettes gave way to discs with improved quality and now piracy thrives on digital media.
There are portals that show only pirated videos, which are made available on the same day, albeit within an hour of a film’s theatrical release! Then there is piracy borne out of rivalry among filmmakers or actors. I don’t know who does it and how, but links to a new film are posted on YouTube soon after its release.
The Motion Picture of Association (MPA) is a powerful body representing the film business in the US. It has approached the US Congress to help curb digital piracy, which not only eats into box-office collections, but also affects the jobs of many. The MPA has a list of websites that engage in piracy and want the US Congress to block these sites.
I don’t know if blocking a website solves the problem. People find ways to access such websites. In our film industry, each filmmaker has to fend for himself. Neither fellow filmmakers, nor the associations help. And there are too many of the latter!
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Senior actress Neetu Kapoor on Thursday took a trip down the memory lane, as she shared a childhood picture of her daughter and fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.
Neetu took to her Instagram Stories, where she has 2.1 million followers, and re-shared a post by her daughter Riddhima.
In the throwback photo shared by Riddhima on her Instagram Stories, we can see young Neetu holding her little baby girl. She captioned it as: “Oldie but goldie”.
Neetu wrote in the caption: “My ridz at 9 months”, followed by a heart emoji.
On the personal front, Neetu was married to late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor. The duo had tied the knot in January 1980. They have two children–daughter Riddhima, and son and actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir is married to actress Alia Bhatt, and the couple have a daughter named Raha.
Neetu made her debut in the 1966 swashbuckler film ‘Suraj’. The Ruritanian romance film directed by T Prakash Rao, starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Lalita Pawar, Gajanan Jagirdar, David Abraham Cheulkar, Agha, Mukri, Mallika and Niranjan Sharma in the pivotal roles.
She played a dual role in the romantic comedy ‘Do Kaliyaan’.
Neetu’s transition to mature roles came with the vigilante film ‘Rickshawala’. She got her breakthrough with Nasir Hussain’s masala film ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, where she appeared as a dancer.
She rose to fame with roles in the crime drama film ‘Deewaar’, the thriller film ‘Khel Khel Mein’, the musical film ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, the masala film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, and the fantasy film ‘Dharam Veer’.
The 68-year-old actress has been a part of movies like — ‘Doosra Aadmi’, ‘Kasme Vaade’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Jaani Dushman’, ‘Choron Ki Baaraat’, ‘Ganga Meri Maa’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’.
She last appeared in family comedy drama ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’, directed by Raj Mehta and produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film starred Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Manish Paul, and Prajakta Koli.
Neetu next has ‘Letters to Mr Khanna’ in the kitty.
–IANS
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