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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Shahrukh Shirish Patch up


Even as filmmaker Farah Khan told in the morning that she plans to snap all ties with actor Shah Rukh Khan after the latter physically assaulted her husband Shirish Kunder on Sunday, she did a U-turn by evening.

In a meeting arranged by Farah's brother and filmmaker Sajid Khan at ShahRukh's residence Mannat on Tuesday evening, Shirish and Shah Rukh patched up.

"Fights happen in every family. Shah Rukh signed as a witness when Farah got married to Shirish. He's like a brother to her," said Sajid Khan.

"When I asked Gauri (Shah Rukh Khan's wife) if I could bring Farah and Shirish to their home to sort things out, Gauri replies it's Farah's own house and she doesn't need permission. That's how close we are. Yes, a fight happened but it's all over now. They have hugged and patched up," he added.

Movie Release Dates - February 2012

Feb 2012

1. Life's Good
2. Login

3 Feb 2012

1. Staying Alive
2. Love You To Death
3. Gali Gali Chor Hai

10 Feb 2012

1. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
2. Valentine's Night

17 Feb 2012

1. Say Yes To Love
2. Ekk Deewana Tha
3. Married 2 America

24 Feb 2012

1. Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya
2. Jodi Breakers
3. 5 Ghante Mien 5 Crore

29 Feb 2012

1. Kuch Spice To Make It Meetha?

Weekly Bollywood Boxoffice Report (20/01/12 - 26/01/12)

Players

Rank 1
Cinemas 450
Week 3
Weekly Nett 2,35,00,000
% Change -60.30
Total Nett 29,64,00,000

Verdict Disaster
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Ghost

Rank 2
Cinemas 500
Week 2
Weekly Nett 1,23,00,000
% Change -77.01
Total Nett 6,58,00,000

Verdict Below Average
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Don 2(Hindi)

Rank 3
Cinemas 300
Week 5
Weekly Nett 99,00,000
% Change -44.39
Total Nett 105,89,00,000

Verdict Hit
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The Dirty Picture(Hindi)

Rank 4
Cinemas 150
Week 8
Weekly Nett 61,00,000
% Change +27.08
Total Nett 79,57,00,000

Verdict Blockbuster
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Chaalis Chauraasi

Rank 5
Cinemas 200
Week 2
Weekly Nett 32,00,000
% Change -85.52
Total Nett 2,53,00,000

Verdict Flop

Monday, January 30, 2012

Agneepath holds up on Monday

Agneepath had a strong Monday as it collected around 7.50 crore nett as per early estimates and taking its first five day business to 69.50 crore nett. The drop is just a 30% from Friday which is excellent but the Friday collections were not that good.

The film collected well at most places with the biggest drops coming at high end multiplexes of of urban centres. Single screens held up strongly especially Maharashtra. The extended eight day first week should close around the 85 crore nett mark.

There is not much competition in its second week as none of the films hold much interest so Agneepath is likely to remain first choice until the release of another Dharma Productions film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu.

Frustrated Shahrukh Slaped Shirish Kunder


Shah Rukh Khan allegedly assaulted Farah Khan's husband and filmmaker Shirish Kunder at Sanjay Dutt's bash on Sunday.

The argument apparently started when SRK confronted Shirish about his nasty remarks on RA.One. During RA.One's release, Kunder had tweeted: "I just heard a 150 Cr firework fizzle."

Farah Khan confirmed the incident. "Shirish, my husband, was beaten up by Shah Rukh and his three bodyguards in Sanjay Dutt's party. Shah Rukh asked Shirish why he had tweeted against him... There was no provocation from our side. He had screamed at Shirish telling him that he would destroy me as well," the choreographer-director told Headlines Today.

Farah Khan also SMSed reporters: "Shahrukh has always told me that physical abuse is the worst way 2 sort out a problem, n that its means the person who's hitting has either a personal or professional crisis going on, n it saddens me 2 see him doing the same (sic)."

When things got out of hand, Sanjay Dutt had to intervene to stop the brawl. Later, Dutt and Sameer Arya (brother-in-law of filmmaker Goldie Behl) reportedly escorted SRK out.

Rumours of a fallout between Farah and Shah Rukh Khan have been doing the rounds for a while now. But has assaulting Shirish Kunder put a nail in the coffin of this duo's friendship?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Agneepath Weekend Business

Agneepath had a very good Sunday as it collected around 16.75 crore nett on Sunday as per early estimates taking its four day extended weekend to around 62 crore nett. The film added more than four crore on Sunday as compared to its Saturday business. The weekend has seen best collections in Mumbai, CP Berar and Nizam while East Punjab and CI are under performers.

Agneepath has performed supremely well on the two non working days of Thursday and Sunday while collections on the working days Friday and Saturday have not been that good and now it remains to be seen how it fares on Monday.


The business on Sunday does ensure that the film will cross the 100 crore nett mark though weekdays will determine how much further it can go than 100 crore nett.

Agneepath shows pickup on Saturday

Agneepath showed growth on Saturday after a huge drop on Friday. The early estimate for business on Saturday is around 12.75-13 crore nett which will take the first three day business to 45.50-46 crore nett and the four day weekend should cross 60 crore nett. The film was helped by a holiday in West Bengal on Saturday and that circuit showed huge growth.

The first three day trending suggests that the film will find it tough from Monday onwards outside the Maharashtra area where the film may sustain well.

The 100 crore nett figure is still not a certainty even after a huge record breaking first day. A 16 crore nett plus Sunday would probably make sure that the 100 crore nett mark in definitely crossed.

Vikram Bhatt directing Bipasha Basu for first shot of Raaz 3

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Why Agneepath dropped so heavily on Friday ?

Note: The analysis in this post is based on data that has been estimated using a variety of techniques. Some of these estimates are also based on qualitative research. Such estimates are valid in context of the non-statistical purpose of this post. Also, all revenue figures mentioned in post are from the domestic box office only.

Breaking News: Agneepath Day 1 – Rs. 22 cr nett.

Breaking News: Agneepath Day 2 – Rs. 11 cr nett., i.e., 50% drop vis-a-vis Day 1.

The film released on a national holiday and broke the record for the highest opening day ever at the box office. Its Day 2 doesn’t even feature in the top 10 second days. Under normal circumstances, a film would drop about 25-30% from a Day 1 holiday to a Day 2 non-holiday. However, Agneepath dropped a staggering 50%.

The most common explanation doing the rounds is that the film is poor on Word of Mouth (WOM). But there is enough evidence from our past work to prove that this explanation is fallacious. Agneepath WOM is definitely higher than Ra.One’s, which sustained for at least three days before showing any unusual drop. No matter how positive or negative, WOM begins to kick in only from Day 3 & 4 onwards, and certainly not from Day 2.

I’m not suggesting that Agneepath has good WOM. Our preliminary data suggests it is somewhat mixed. However, regardless of how high or low the WOM is, Day 2 can’t be explained by it.

What else, then, explains the unprecedented fall the film encountered? To understand this, we need to look at our film audiences in a somewhat technical, mathematical way.

The chart below captures the different kind of audiences a “big” film gets. If 100 people visit the theatres to watch a particular film, some will be repeat visitors, who watch the film again because they liked it the first time. Sometimes, they watch it more than twice. Once we remove the repeat visits, we are left with the unique visits.

These unique visits come from two kind of audiences – Regulars and Irregulars. Regulars are those who visit the theatre at least four times a year. Many of them are diehards, and visit the theatre more than 15 times a year. But most Regulars watch 4-8 film a year in theatres. To film fans, these numbers may come across as absurdly low. Only 8 films in a year, you may wonder. But then, real life has its own facts!

Irregulars are those who watch only 1-3 films in a theatre in the entire year. What kind of people are these, you may ask. These are people who essentially watch films on the small screen. They need to be really motivated to visit a theatre. They would do that only when someone in their family forces or convinces them to come along. A very common example will be a child forcing his parents to watch Ra.One with him, or a youngster taking his parents to watch 3 Idiots, after he watched it with his friends and realized it is a film his parents will enjoy too.



The table below captures data for four big films from the recent past. The total theatre visits (gross revenue divided by average ticket price) have been first divided into unique and repeats. The unique visits have then been divided into Regulars and Irregulars. The last row estimates the % Irregulars for each film, i.e., out of all the people who watched the film in a theatre (unique visits), how many were Irregulars.

3 Idiots Bodyguard Ra.One ZNMD

Nett Revenue 203 cr 141 cr 115 cr 90 cr

Gross Revenue 270 cr 188 cr 153 cr 120 cr

Avg. Ticket Price Rs. 85 Rs. 90 Rs. 100 Rs. 110

Theatre Visits 32 M 21 M 15 M 11 M

Repeat Visits 6 M 1 M - 1 M

Unique Visits 26 M 20 M 15 M 10 M

Regulars 17 M 15 M 11 M 7 M

Irregulars 9 M 5 M 4 M 3 M

% Irregulars 35 25 27 30

M = Million

The last row tells its own story. For a film to maximize its potential, it needs to recruit Irregulars. Upto 25-35% of the unique visits of these films came from Irregulars. Why would Irregulars be convinced to watch these four films?

1. 3 Idiots because of the immensely positive WOM and the high pre-release buzz.

2. Bodyguard because of Salman Khan’s superstardom.

3. Ra.One because of an extraordinary marketing blitzkrieg and the festive Diwali timing.

4. ZNMD because of very strong WOM in the corporate and upper-class youth segments.

Now imagine a situation where a big film does not get a significant percentage of Irregulars. What would tend to happen? It will have to rely purely on the Regulars. As a result, it will lose about 25-30% of its potential revenue. Also, the film will tend to have a disproportionately good first day, as the first day crowd is essentially of the Regulars. What we call in common parlance, the ‘first day first show crowd.’

Yes, you know what I’m getting at. Agneepath, with all its marketing buzz and hype, does not seem to have managed to recruit Irregulars in high numbers. As a result, its Day 2 shows a huge drop. Also, the film will tend to dry up faster than most films of its scale and similar WOM. The Irregulars ratio for the film is likely to be less than 10%.

Why could Agneepath not manage to recruit the Irregulars? Five key reasons:

1. Hrithik Roshan is one of the biggest star in India. But he is not as big as Salman Khan, who can recruit Irregular audiences purely on his star power.

2. The Irregular audience base is heavily family skewed. It is also female skewed. Both these segments – family & females – don’t prefer the genre to which Agneepath belongs – Action.

3. The Agneepath campaign was content focused, but did not have an element of controversy or sensationalism that could get the Irregulars interested. Even The Dirty Picture would have got more than 20% Irregulars, because of the hype around its bold theme.

4. The campaign and the PR did not position the film as an “event film”. The promos were fairly appetizing, which is enough for many Regulars. But the campaign did not underline the “must watch” element in the film, that would get the Irregulars to the theatre.

5. While the film is a remake, the original itself is not a very popular film today. It doesn’t have the enduring charm of films like Deewaar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Don, Satte Pe Satta and Hum, just to name a few. The hype around the remake itself was force-created by the media. In a dipstick conducted by us in the week before the new Agneepath released, as high as 31% Regulars had not even seen the original. You can imagine that the number would be much higher, probably even double, among the Irregulars.

Yes, the Agneepath campaign had enough meat in the form of the starcast, an ace producer, a hit item song and media visibility. Unfortunately, none of these are drivers for the Irregulars.

Next time if you are working on a “big” film’s marketing, remember to address the Irregulars as well. They can make upto 25-30% difference to your revenues!

Agneepath will still cross Rs. 100cr nett at the box office over its lifetime. It may even end up doing substantially more than that. Now only if it had the Irregulars on its side too (at least a few more of them), we could have been talking 150 cr for exactly the same content.

Conclusion: Bollywood producers may have got marketing savvy, but the marketing textbook still has some surprises to throw back at them.

source: http://shaileshkapoor.com/2012/01/28/agneepath-explaining-the-day-2-drop/

Gubbare - Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Riteish Genelia Pre Wedding Bash Stills
















Agent Vinod Trailer Analysis - Gautam Batra


Agent Vinod is an upcoming Hindi action spy film written and directed by Sriram Raghavan. The film, produced by Saif Ali Khan under his banner of Illuminati Films, features the actor in the title role alongside Kareena Kapoor.The movie is set to release on 23 March 2012.

Checkout the Trailer:




The trailer of the movie released recently with Agneepath and it is nicely made. The action sequences are excellent with good background score. Camerawork is also good. Saif Ali Khan looks awesome in his look. The way of keeping his identity secret is funny & will be loved by viewers. Kareena Kapoor is not very much shown in the trailer. The trailer will appeal to both classes & masses but classes will like it more due to its stylish look.

Overall the trailer ensures the strong return of Saif Ali Khan. Hope the music is good too. We are eagerly awaiting the movie & wish a huge opening & success to the team of Agent Vinod. Bring it on :)

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Akshay Kumar on the shoot of Joker - Still

Agneepath does half of Thursday on Friday

Agneepath has taken an unprecedented fall on its second day as it has collected around 11 crore nett as per early estimates on its second day which is a fall of 50% from day one. The two day figure of the film is around 33 crore nett and the four day weekend is looking at a 55-60 crore nett total. The Saturday figures from some circuits are below with Friday numbers in brackets.
Delhi/UP - 188 (411)

East Punjab - 76 (158)

Gujarat 100 (226)

CP Berar 63 (125)

CI - 44 (88)

Rajasthan - 60 (116)

All above figures in lakhs.

Talaash Trailer Analysis - Gautam Batra

Talaash is a forthcoming Hindi psychological thriller written and directed by Reema Kagti. Starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji in pivotal roles it is jointly produced by Excel Entertainment and Aamir Khan Productions. It is scheduled to release on June 1, 2012.

The trailer of the movie released recently was being eagerly awaited by the audience due to several reasons. The movie is comeback commercial movie of Aamir Khan after 2009 and he has taken so long time for the filming & making of the trailer. But honestly trailer doesn't leaves much impact on the viewers.

Checkout the Trailer:





Let me explain... The trailer shows the three leads Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor & Rani Mukerji in there respective characters. Aamir Khan playing the role of a cop is in the search of someone. Though he looks impressive in his ways but Kareena Kapoor & Rani Mukerji doesn't leave any impact. The trailer looks like that viewer feels just like seeing slideshow of some stills from the movie with some background score and some lines from the Aamir Khan.

Overall the trailer fails to create the curiosity and excitement. It will be rejected by the masses and will be liked by very small section of audience among classes. So with the hope of good second trailer,dialogue promos & music Wassupbollywood wishes lots of luck & success to the team.

Rating: 2 / 5

Friday, January 27, 2012

Agneepath gives shock on Friday, Ghost Below Average, Players 3 week total business

Agneepath got a huge bumper opening as it opened a day earlier on Republic Day and set a new record for first day with business close to 22 crore nett. The public reports of the film were not so good especially in the North so collections came down on day two but even so such a big fall was not expected so early in its run. The four day weekend for the film is likely to finish under 60 crore nett. The film is a success thanks to the opening but will not be a blockbuster hit and likely to fare better in the Maharashtra belt.

Ghost managed to hang around in single screens in week two and will end up with around 7 crore nett business which is okay. BELOW AVERAGE

Players added around 2 crore nett in its third week and is set for a 30 crore nett finish. DISASTER

Agneepath First Day Business Actual Figures

Agneepath had a record first day as it collected around 21.75 crore nett. The film set new circuit records in Mumbai, CP Berar, Nizam and Mysore. The first day territorial breakdown is as follows.

Mumbai - 8.13 crore (RECORD)


Delhi/UP - 4.11 crore


East Punjab - 1.58 crore


West Bengal - 92 lakhs


Bihar - 45 lakhs


Assam/Orissa - 40 lakhs


CP Berar - 1.25 crore (RECORD)


CI - 88 lakhs


Rajasthan - 1.16 crore


Nizam - 1.27 crore (RECORD)


Mysore - 1.20 crore (RECORD)


TNK - 41 lakhs (RECORD)


TOTAL - 21.76 crore


source: http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=3968&nCat

Arya Babbar playing Majnu Tangewala in Joker


Shirish Kunder's next directorial venture after JAAN-E-MANN is more or less complete, but very little is known about the content of the film. We are obviously referring to the Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer, 3D venture JOKER.

However apart from the above mentioned leads there are quite a few interesting characters in the film and amongst them is actor Arya Babbar, who has a special but madcap role in JOKER.

Shedding light on his highly interesting character Arya reveals, "I play 'Majnu Tangewala' in JOKER. It is quite a realistic character and very much like the 'tangewalas' (tanga drivers) of UP, the pan chewing, loud-'Arey Maidum' types". Going on further Arya says, "It's good to be back with Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder after TEES MAAR KHAN."

Well, Arya's character definitely sounds quite interesting and we are sure that he will surely do justice to his short but special role.

JOKER, as is known, hits the screens this August and may be the only major release as Karan Johar has clarified that his STUDENT OF THE YEAR (which was earlier supposed to release alongside JOKER) will not release on the same day as JOKER.

Agneepath First Day Business : Creates History

Agneepath has set a new first day record of around 22 crore nett as per early estimates. The film has collected phenomenal numbers in Mumbai and South easily beating the first day numbers of Bodyguard. The North India and Central India belts are coming in with slightly lower collections as compared to Bodyguard.

It is Mumbai and South where it has collected around 1.75 crore nett more than Bodyguard. It is also the second highest single day collection ever after the second day of Ra.One. The holiday factor has helped in a big way and just like Bodyguard day one and Ra.One day two.


The 20 crore nett plus days of Hindi cinema have all come with the major holidays be it Eid, Diwali and now Republic Day.

The first day will be the best day and now it remains to be seen at what levels the film sustains over the weekend.


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Players ends its run in Overseas. Hopes on Agneepath

Players will finish around $1.55 million mark. The figures from major markets till date are as follows.


United Kingdom - £220,000


North America - $340,000


UAE - $410,000


Agneepath will be hoping to do the type of business or more than Bodyguard as that film is the benchmark for mass action films in International markets. Action films like Don 2 and Dhoom 2 have done more than Bodyguard in Overseas but they are more like the slick Hollywood action films.


source:http://www.boxofficeindia.com/overdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=3959&nCat=

Salmaan Khan Shooting for Ek Tha Tiger in Cuba - Still

Bol Bachchan First Still

Talaash - Motion Poster

Agneepath opens to earth shattering response everywhere

Agneepath has taken an extraordinary opening all over India and is on course for a record first day going by the unbelievable initial. The film has taken the biggest start in recent history in Mumbai city.

Mumbai city never opens to huge occupancies at multiplexes as there are too many multiplexes in the city but Agneepath has managed a 80-85% opening which is huge for the city as Bodyguard was in the 70% region.

The rest of the country has seen a huge 95-100% opening be it North India or South India. Its the first time a Hrithik Roshan starrer has taken a bumper opening since Dhoom 2 released in 2006.

The Bodyguard first day record is 20.60 crore nett and the advantage for Bodyguard was that its second day was a holiday at places and these places showed big collections in late evening and night shows.

Talaash -Teaser

Agneepath Movie Review - Komal Nahta


Hrithik Roshan’s father is killed by drug lord Sanjay Dutt even while Hrithik is still a child. He grows up with the astute desire to seek revenge and joins the gang of another drug lord, Rishi Kapoor. Does he succeed? Or is Sanjay Dutt too mighty for him? Find out in the full review of Agneepath.

Business rating: 4 / 5 stars (Four stars)

Star cast: Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra, Rishi Kapoor.

What’s Good: The arresting screenplay; the performances of the cast; the Chikni Chameli song; the raw action; the canvas, the making and the shot takings; the direction.

What’s Bad: The excessive violence, blood and gore; the film is very heavy and a bit too lengthy.

Verdict: Agneepath is a surefire hit, no questions asked! It will shake the box-office today (Republic Day) and in the first weekend.

Loo break: Not really!

Watch or Not?: Watch it for so many reasons but be prepared for gore and violence… plenty of it!

Spoiler alert! You may want to skip directly to the ‘Script Analysis’ portion of the review.

Dharma Productions’ Agneepath (UA) is a revenge story. Vijay Dinanath Chauhan (master Arish Bhiwandiwala) is just a kid when his father, who is a principled, much-loved teacher in the village of Mandwa and who is respectfully called Masterji (Chetan Pandit), is framed in a rape case and is mercilessly hanged to death by Kancha (Sanjay Dutt), an evil drug lord who is not happy with the power he (Masterji) wields over the people because that comes in the way of the realisation of his evil plans. Little Vijay and his pregnant mother (Zarina Wahab) come to Bombay as their house is also burnt down by Surya, an evil young boy who grows up (Panjak Tripathi) to join Kancha’s gang.

In Bombay, Vijay’s mother delivers a baby girl. Vijay has the burning desire to avenge his father’s killing and to restore the family’s lost honour among the people of Mandwa. To this end, little Vijay joins the gang of Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor), another wily drug lord who operates from Bombay, dealing not just in drugs but also in the flesh trade, and who soon takes Vijay under his wings because he sees the fire in him. Little Vijay knows that Rauf Lala hates Kancha. Vijay’s mother doesn’t see eye to eye with her son because of the path he chooses in spite of the fact that his principled father had taught him other lessons of life. Vijay’s sister lives with his mother in Bombay and is, in fact, not even aware of his existence in her growing-up years.

Vijay grows up to become a smart, handsome and clever young man (Hrithik Roshan). His childhood friend, Kaali, has also grown up to become a beautiful young lady (Priyanka Chopra) who lives in the same chawl in Bombay as Vijay.

Fifteen years have elapsed. Vijay now thinks, it’s the right time to strike. In his quest to wipe out evil, he first eliminates Rauf Lala’s son, Mazhar (Rajaysh Tandon), and then Rauf Lala himself when the latter tries to sell Shiksha (newfind Kanika Tiwari), the 15-year-old sister of Vijay. Wielding a lot of power, he now goes to Mandwa to lure Kancha to sell his drugs in Bombay, having eliminated Kancha’s arch-rival, Rauf Lala. The aim is, of course, to take revenge.

Does Kancha fall prey to Vijay’s designs to trap him? Is he able to realise that Vijay is Masterji’s son? Does Vijay succeed in his dual missions – to avenge his father’s murder and to restore the family honour in Mandwa? Does Vijay’s mother forgive him? What happens to Kaali – does Vijay marry her and live happily ever after with her?

Agneepath Review: Script Analysis

The film, adapted from the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer of the same name, has more or less the same story. However, its screenplay is so engaging that it makes for compelling viewing. Screenplay writers Ila Bedi Dutta and Karan Malhotra keep the audience interest alive throughout despite occasional dull moments, because they offer so much drama and so many characters. The film, no doubt, is a bit too lengthy and heavy because there aren’t many light moments but the lack of humour is intentional so that the revenge angle is not diluted. Womenfolk may not approve of the blood, violence and gore but it is not as if they will not approve of the film which has a lot of other things to offer to them too. The best part of the screenplay is that it packs in emotions in the violent drama so beautifully that it would make the weak-hearted cry and at least emotionally move the others. Another plus point of the screenplay is that the characterisations are so well-defined that no one ever digresses.

The first half is heavier than the second half and also seems a bit too long. But it does have its riveting moments. There may be people who object to the late entry of Hrithik Roshan but grammatically, the childhood of Vijay had to be established very well for the revenge drama to appeal as much as it does. So the writers have done the right thing by concentrating on Vijay’s childhood portions in the first few reels. The second half may be more violent but it moves at a much faster pace. The climax is very mass-appealing and satisfying. Dialogues, penned by Piyush Mishra, are well-suited to the drama but a section of the audience will miss the high-voltage and filmi dialogues which could’ve evoked claps.

Agneepath Review: Star Performances

Hrithik Roshan does an absolutely mind-blowing job. He plays Vijay so wonderfully that this could go down in Bollywood history as one of his best performances to-date. Note, for instance, how he uses his eyes and body language to convey the emotions, whether of anger, hurt, love or joy. He is terrific indeed and his performance is award-winning! His physique is to die for. Priyanka Chopra shines in a comparatively short role. She makes the character of Kaali very endearing. Her dances are extremely graceful and she shines in emotional scenes. Sanjay Dutt looks supremely menacing as Kancha. His get-up is well thought of and his acting only adds to his terror and his eccentric character. Sanjay Dutt’s performance will be loved by the masses and the single-screen audience. Rishi Kapoor plays Rauf Lala to such perfection that he deserves distinction marks for it. Again, his get-up makes him look the evil character he plays and his performance is remarkable, to say the least. Rishi Kapoor could indeed pick up awards for his villainy. Om Puri is good in the role of the understanding police officer, Eknath Gaitonde. Zarina Wahab has her moments in which she gets the right emotions to the fore. Chetan Pandit lives his character of a contented, concerned and principled school teacher. Kanika Tiwari makes an impressive debut as Vijay’s 15-year-old sister, Shiksha. Rajaysh Tandon is effective as Rauf Lala’s elder son, Mazhar. Deven Bhojani leaves a mark as Azhar, the younger son of Rauf Lala. Sachin Khedekar plays the home secretary with conviction. Brijendra Kala is a fine actor and this comes across even in the tiny role he has as the munim. Pankaj Tripathi (as Surya) and Ravi Jhankal (as Shantaram) add their bits. Madhurjeet Sarghi (in the role of Kaali’s mother), Sunil Chauhan (as the police officer who is killed by little Vijay), Rajesh Vivek (as police officer Bakshi) and Banvari Taneja (as Kancha’s father) lend the desired support. Master Arish Bhiwandiwala is first-rate as little Vijay. His expressions and acting are superb. Katrina Kaif adds loads of glamour, sex and oomph in a special appearance in the super-hit Chikni Chameli song.

Agneepath Review: Direction & Music

Director Karan Malhotra has handled the revenge drama with authority and he makes a fantastic first impression in his debut directorial venture. He is in total command of the subject and his cast and not only extracts great work from out of the actors but also keeps the audience engaged in the drama which unfolds on the screen. The man knows his art and craft and also seems to understand the commercial side of filmmaking. He is producer Karan Johar’s New Year gift to the industry just as this film is Johar’s Republic Day gift to the audience.

Ajay-Atul’s music score needs special mention. Firstly, it is difficult to integrate songs in a tension-ridden revenge drama like this film but the music composers and director have done that quite smoothly. The Chikni Chameli song is already a rage and it will prove to be the repeat-value item song of the film. Its picturisation on Katrina Kaif (by Ganesh Acharya) is terrific. Kudos to Katrina, Acharya and the music duo team for a delightful song-dance number which will make the front-benchers salivate. Katrina has done the difficult, energetic and vigorous dance steps with the ease of a seasoned dancer. The Gun gun guna and Deva shree Ganesha songs are also quite tuneful. Priyanka Chopra’s dance (choreographed by Saroj Khan) on the Gun gun guna song is fascinating. The picturisation of the Ganesha song (Chinni Prakash and Rekha Chinni Prakash) is grand. Shah ka rutba stands out for Rishi Kapoor’s dance (choreography: Brinda) on it. The Abhi mujh mein kahin song has tremendous lyrical value (Amitabh Bhattacharya). Ajay-Atul deserve the highest praise for a mesmerising background scroe which greatly elevates the drama. Stephen Gomes’ sound designing also needs to be lauded. Cinematography (Kiran Deohans and Ravi K. Chandran) is top class. The crowd scenes, the action sequences, the scenes picturised in the rains, the dance picturisations are all just too wonderful. Sabu Cyril’s sets are fantastic. Action and stunts, by Abbas Ali Moghul, are raw and they may be too violent but they are brilliant, nevertheless. Although the action scenes are very gory and may put off the ladies audience, they will be adored and applauded by the masses. Akiv Ali’s editing is crisp. Production values are grand. Other technical aspects are of a high order.

Agneepath Review: Komal Nahta’s Verdict

On the whole, Agneepath is a surefire hit. It has taken a bumper initial and its four-day weekend would be stupendous. Given that it has already recovered more than half its investment of around Rs. 75 crore from sale of satellite and audio rights and another around 15% from sale of Overseas and home video rights, recovery of the balance 35% (from the point of view of the producers) should be a cakewalk. In fact, the share of the first weekend alone – yes, first weekend alone – should be more than enough – yes, more than enough – to cover the balance part of the investment. The share accruing in the remaining four days of the 8-day week and in the weeks to follow will all go towards the profits. Anil Thadani, who has acquired the distribution rights of part of the territories of India and is distributing the film in the balance Indian circuits alongwith the producers, will also make handsome profits.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Agent Vinod - Teaser Trailer

Weekly Bollywood Boxoffice Report (13/01/12 -19/01/12)

Players

Rank 1
Cinemas 800
Week 2
Weekly nett 5,92,00,000
% change -72.30
Total nett 27,29,00,000

Verdict Disaster
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Ghost

Rank 2
Cinemas 875
Week 1
Weekly nett 5,35,00,000
% change -
Total nett 5,35,00,000

Verdict Pending
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Chaalis Chauraasi

Rank 3
Cinemas 500
Week 1
Weekly nett 2,21,00,000
% change -
Total nett 2,21,00,000

Verdict Flop
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Don 2 (Hindi)

Rank 4
Cinemas 500
Week 3
Weekly nett 1,78,00,000
% change -65.37
Total nett 104,90,00,000

Verdict Hit
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The Dirty Picture (Hindi)

Rank 5
Cinemas 125
Week 7
Weekly nett 48,00,000
% change -53.26
Total nett 78,96,00,000

Verdict Blockbuster


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Agneepath Dialogue Promos

Promo 1



Promo 2



Promo 3

Agent Vinod First Look Poster

Agneepath has strong Advance Booking in Single Screens

Agneepath had a strong advance at single screens which opened bookings on Monday and multiplexes which opened bookings on Monday were also very good.

The single screen advance is the best since Bodyguard released on Eid. In places like Rajkot, Kohlapur, Nasik etc it compares well with Bodyguard. Its likely the Maharashtra and Saurashtra belts are going to take a record or near record start.

In the North it is also good going as Liberty in Delhi which is an advance theatre and a good barometer for North India single screens is close to being sold out for first day and is sure to be sold out before release. Single screens in Lucknow, Agra, Dehradun are also strong.

The super cast, hit music and action has done the job at mass centres and multiplexes will follow as huge cast while Dharma Productions has huge brand value at high end multiplexes where mass action films tend to collect less so even these will be huge initially.

source: http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=3955&nCat=

Monday, January 23, 2012

Akshay to start OUATIM 2 in May 2012


This summer, actor Akshay Kumar will step into the shoes of a Mumbai gangster for the Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) sequel, rumoured to be inspired by the life of Dawood Ibrahim. Writer Rajat Arora and director Milan Luthria, who will be teaming up on this project after The Dirty Picture (2011), confirm the news.

Milan, who was judged Best Director at the Colors’ Screen Awards last week, admits his crew will shoot mostly in the Maximum City. “We’ve found quite a few locations that work for us. When we were filming Once Upon A Time… we didn’t really go out of town to shoot. We managed to get our locations within certain old-world pockets of Mumbai,” he recalls.

For the Ajay Devgn-Kangna Ranaut original, based loosely on the life of don Haji Mastan, both the writer and the director had undertaken massive research to make the characters look and feel authentic. Is that the case this time too?

“We researched in such great detail while working on the first film that we have enough for the second. Of course, we have added a lot more to it now,” says Rajat, adding that he always knew a sequel was on the cards. “We were really praying for the original to sail through, and it did. Milan and I have also become a strong team over the years. So there are sky-high expectations from our next. I’m keeping fingers crossed.”

The sequel to the love story set in the underworld was announced by producer Ekta Kapoor a year ago at an awards function, timed with a dance performance by Akshay. Subsequently, speculation began as to who’d play the gangster’s love interest on-screen, with names like Kareena Kapoor and Vidya Balan being thrown in the mix. Milan says with a smile, “It will be a commercially successful actor, but we haven’t finalised anyone yet.”

Agneepath Boxoffice Opening Pre Release Prediction - Gautam Batra


Agneepath is an upcoming action thriller film remake of 1990 cult film of same title. Directed by Karan Malhotra & Produced by Karan Johar the movie stars Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt & Priyanka Chopra in the lead where as Rishi Kapoor will play another negtive character. The movie is set to release on 26th Jan 2012.

Lets start with the prediction....

1. The promos of the trailer has been well recieved by audience and Chikni Chameli song being a chartbuster will help a lot.

2. The movie has huge buzz among the audience and is also the remake of 1990 cult movie.

3. The massy look of the movie & its genre will attract masses which is a big positive.

4. Characters of Hrithik Roshan & Sanjay Dutt are very well promoted. Specially Sanjay Dutt in his deadly avtar of Kancha Cheena has created much interest among the audience.

5. No big movie in past few weeks has been released except Players but that was also rejected by audience so Agneepath has huge chances of great opening.

6. Movie is releasing on holiday & on huge number of screens that will help big time.

So with all the positives in hand we can surely expect a huge & biggest opening day for Hrithik Roshan this Thursday. The movie will have great opening specially in single screens. An opening day of 14-15 crore nett can be expected.

Disclaimer: The prediction is my own idea gathered from the surveys & buzz about the movies. It is accurate to best of my knowledge but the final boxoffice figures can be sometimes different due to uncertainity in boxoffice. The figures given are the nett domestic figures.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Journey Of Priyanka Chopra In Bollywood So Far - Gautam Batra


Priyanka Chopra is among the topmost heriones of Bollywood today and from a long time in the industry. She has achieved the current status with a lot of hard work. Instead of doing commercial films everytime she has tried experimental roles, films and showed her brilliant acting skills. Here's some light on her life & journey in bollywood so far...

Priyanka Chopra was born on 18th July 1982 in the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra & Dr. Madhu Chopra. With large twinkling eyes and the most fascinating smile she was a winner. Having joined an Army family, she moved from Leh-ladakh in the north to Kerala in the south from Bombay in the west to Jamshedpur in the East . She imbibed the ethos of the multicultural Indian society. A family favorite she grew up in the warmth & love offered by her grandparents, aunts & uncles. All of this went into the making of a very warm, loving & confident personality.

She started her Education from La Martiniere Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student, A short stay at Maria Goretti College in Bareilly prepared her for further studies in the USA. Having completed class 10th from Boston USA.

After returning from Boston she received a call to participate in the Femina Miss India pageant to which her parents had sent her photographs without her knowledge. She turned out the first runner-up in the pageant. Incidentally all the three Miss India personalities of the pageant went on to win their respective titles for the year - Miss India Lara Dutta became Miss Universe 2000 and second runner-up Diya Mirza became Miss Asia-Pacific 2000. This was the first time the three titles of an year went to the same country.

After returning from Boston she received a call to participate in the Femina Miss India pageant to which her parents had sent her photographs without her knowledge. She turned out the first runner-up in the pageant. Incidentally all the three Miss India personalities of the pageant went on to win their respective titles for the year - Miss India Lara Dutta became Miss Universe 2000 and second runner-up Diya Mirza became Miss Asia-Pacific 2000. This was the first time the three titles of an year went to the same country. After that, she went on and won Miss World 2000.

She started her acting career in 2002 with Tamil film 'Thamizhan' and then marked her debut in Bollywood with 'The Hero - Love Story Of A Spy'. With Andaaz in 2003 she got her first Hit and Best Debut (Female) Filmfare Award. After that she was flooded with movie offers and did 5 movies in 2004 out of which 'Aitraaz' got her 'Filmfare Award for Best Performance In Negative Role' and 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' another Hit. In 2005 she did 6 movies from which 3 were successes in domestic market & two were major successes in overseas.

She continued her success in 2006 with Krrish & Don which were big hits & among the top grossers of that year. 2007 was not so good with Salaam-E-Ishq only Hit and that too in Overseas. She got no domestic success in that year. But in 2008 she marked her strong comeback with movies like Fashion & Dostana which were succeses. Fashion garnered her a lot of critical acclaim & awards. She got Best Actress Award in National , Filmfare, IIFA, Star Screen, Apsara & Stardust Award Functions. She was now known the most versatile actress of bollywood. In 2009 she got another major success with Kaminey. In 2010 she had a success with Anjaana Anjaani which was also among the highest openers of that year.

In 2011 she did 7 Khoon Maaf in which she again proved her talent. The movie was failure commercialy but garnered a great response to her. She got Award for Best Performance in Negative Role Female in Colors Screen Award Function & also Memorable Performance Award in Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards. Another movie that year Don 2 was Big Hit and among the highest grossers. She also got Best Jodi Award in Colors Screen Award Function along with Shahrukh Khan and also Favorite Actor in a Leading Role (Female) Award in 18th Lions Gold Awards.

She is also a trained western classical singer. In August 2011, she signed a worldwide recording agreement with Universal Music and Desi Hits to record and release her first music album.The album will be released in North America with Desi Hits through Interscope Records and in other international markets on UK's Island Records. Her music career will be managed by Troy Carter chief executive officer of Atom Factory, who is also Lady Gaga's manager. The album, which will be produced by Universal Music Group and Desi Hits will contain about ten pop songs and will release worldwide, sometime in 2012.The UK-born singer Jay Sean who has international success with his single Down, has written three songs for the Album. She also sung playback for the song "Ullathai Killadhe" in her first Tamil film.

In December 2009, Priyanka judged the Miss World 2009 competition held in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has also judged several beauty pageants in India. She continues to do some modelling work, such as appearing for fashion designer Ritu Kumar's collection at HDIL India Couture Week.She appeared on the cover of the inaugural issue of Inda's edition of Maxim.She has a number of endorsements and is one of the top paid Bollywood actresses in this respect.She has represented brands including Lux, Ponds, Sunsilk, Hero Honda, Nokia, Tag Heuer, J. Hampsted, Virgin Comic, Asmi Jewelry, Levis, Bru, and Nikon.

She also supports various charities including NDTV's Greenathon. She became the brand ambassador of Greenathon because it seeks to encourage people to go green, and to highlight and help with the lack of electricity in rural villages. She has "adopted" multiple villages in support of the cause.She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010. She joined Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore in supporting UNICEF’s work for children in India and around the world. Chopra started her collaboration with UNICEF in 2008. Since then, she has recorded a series of public service announcements championing girls’ education and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has also participated in a media panel discussion to promote child rights.

Priyanka is one of the actresses in Bollywood who has both qualities of great acting skills & looks.
Thatswhy she has huge fan following in India as well as Overseas. She has been always accused for her affairs with co actors like Akshay Kumar, Harman Baweja, Shahid Kapoor & Shahrukh Khan but she has always taken all these things in very lightly way lightly and has always concentrated on her career.

Wassupbollywood wishes her lot of success for her forthcoming projects which include Agneepath, Barfee, Teri Meri Kahaani & Krrish 3.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu Music Review - Joginder Tuteja



EXPECTATIONS

One expects a fun score in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Since the target audience for the film is the one that roots for the likes of I Hate Luv Storys, Break Ke Baad and Anjaana Anjaani, it is expected that the soundtrack would belong to the same zone as well. Moreover, with Amit Trivedi as a composer and Amitabh Bhattacharya (who recently delved into an altogether contrasting territory in Agneepath) as the lyricist, one does look forward to a youthful vibrant score that would keep the youth engaged.

MUSIC

The album begins well with a situational yet entertaining number in the form of the title song 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'. A fun number about a young man and a woman who have just got drunk and are happy to explore the world on an uninhibited night, this new age track is sung quite well by Benny Dayal and Anushka Manchanda. In fact their vocals indeed suit Imran and Kareena, what with Benny turning on his boyish charm while the sonic effect in Anushka's voice further accentuating the overall appeal. Add to that the additional vocals of Shefali Alvaris (who recently did a superb job in 'Tu Mera Hero' [Desi Boyz]) and a popular number is pretty much on the way. The 'remix version' is a welcome addition too which should keep the upmarket clubs and discotheques happy.

The way 'Gubbare' begins, you are instantly reminded of 'Dhoop Ke Makaan' from Vishal-Shekhar's Break Ke Baad. A song that has a 'country' feel to it, 'Gubbare' is set a poetic track which does sound good but primarily in the context of the film. A kind of number that can't be expected to go beyond the film, 'Gubbare' sees the coming together of Amit Trivedi, Shilpa Rao, Nikhil D'Souza and Amitabh Bhattacharya which basically gives an impression of a jamming session in progress. It may add on to the film's narrative but that's about it.

Presumably the kind of number that was added to the film in order to help its commercial prospects, 'Auntyji' is Imran's homage to the middle aged women who are still attractive enough to catch youngster's attention. The sad part though is that despite repeated listening, this one just doesn't make you hit the dance floor. Ash King tries to recreate the 50s charm by singing in a manner that was once associated for the likes of Biswajeet and Joy Mukherjee half a century back. However, the final results don't quite enthral you.

As the song passes by, you really look forward to something really exciting in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu that would make the album indeed worth paying attention. Well, 'ahatein' does arrive quite softly and makes you listen closely despite the fact that yet again, this one doesn't really take the massy route and stays niche in appeal. The man who comes behind the mike is Karthik who does well in a rendition that is meant to be soft and almost like a whisper, something that suits the mood of yet another poetic number by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Situational, yet reasonably effective, it has Shilpa Rao joining in who is good as always. Later in the album she is joined by Shekhar Ravjiani, who is known for picking and choosing his singing assignments quite sparsely. This 'remix version' thankfully doesn't go too ballistic.

Last to arrive is 'Kar Chalna Shuru Tu' which could well be titled as another title song of the film due to Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu being mentioned in the 'mukhda' itself. This one does bring in a certain tempo to the soundtrack, courtesy Vishal Dadlani's vocals that are high energy. With Shilpa Rao getting her second song in a row, 'Kar Chalna Shuru Tu' does turn out to be a good hear though yet again, it's appeal to a larger audience is ruled out as it is situational and basically meant for a very restricted audience.

OVERALL

All through the promotion of the film, its makers haven't shied away from admitting that as a film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu brings in a new grammar of cinematic experience. Well, one can pretty much evidence that in the soundtrack as well which is decent but with an eye for niche audience. Not that one was hunting for a 'masala' soundtrack here but even within the genre that the film is exploring here, it would be basically the likes of the title songs ('Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu', 'Kar Chalna Shuru Tu') that would make the most impression.

OUR PICK(S)

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Kar Chalna Shuru Tu

2.5

Jodi Breakers Music Review - Joginder Tuteja


EXPECTATIONS

You do expect a lively soundtrack for Jodi Breakers. The film's theme is such that it deserves a peppy soundtrack and with Salim-Sulaiman at the helm of affairs, you are reasonably confident about some catchy tunes ahead. Since the composers are in good form with at least a couple of songs each in Love Break-ups Zindagi, Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl and Aazaan working with the audience, you do hope that the trend continues with Jodi Breakers as well which has lyrics by Irshad Kamil and Shabbir Ahmad contributing with one song.

MUSIC

Of late Salim Merchant has been reserving quite a few songs for himself as a singer as well. This is evidenced yet again in Jodi Breakers as well which kick-starts with 'Kunwara'. A song that celebrates single hood, it is also a re-invention of sorts for Madhavan who has otherwise been seen and heard in relatively serious roles, case in point being his last film Tanu Weds Manu. This time around he goes all out with 'Kunwara' which makes an instant mark and helps form a connect with the listener. A dance floor number which comes across as an energetic track, it surprisingly doesn't see a 'remix version' for itself.

The album sees further elevation in graph with 'Bipasha'. After 'Bebo Main Bebo' (Kambakkth Ishq) where Kareena had earned a song on her (nick)name, 'Bipasha' is the only other instance in the recent times where a leading lady sees a song dedicated to her. Shabbir Ahmad does full justice to the job entrusted upon him with lyrics that go as 'Aaja Main Sikhadoon Tujhe Pyaar Ki Bhaasha, Rab Ne Hai Fursat Mein Taraasha; Baithe Hai Jaal Bichaye, Phas Jaaye Na Bipasha' hence making it clear that the song would have a lot to offer for those who have been die hard fans of Bipasha. With Salim-Sulaiman creating a fusion of Middle East and Western sound, Shradha Pandit also enjoys her stint behind the mike and is clearly having fun while rendering 'Bipasha'. Shadab Faridi gives her good company, hence ensuring that 'Bipasha' would be played for quite some time to come, what with the 'remix version' further adding on to the appeal.

There is a mood shift in the album with 'Darmiyaan' and one doesn't mind that since it is time for some hardcore romantic outing here. Shafqat Amanat Ali gets a certain 'thehrav' in the album and with his mature vocals doing the trick, he ends up making 'Darmiyaan' a number that haunts you for quite some time even after it has been played just once. Clinton Cerejo is the additional singer in this love song which has poetic lyrics by Irshad Kamil, the man who has been doing well quite consistently for last few years now and has yet another beautiful number to his name now. The (much slower) 'reprise' version is sung by Shreya Ghoshal and since the original by Shafqat has made such a mark, you just go by the flow when this version is played.

It is a quintessential Salim-Sulaiman outing from the word 'go' as Salim Merchant, Shadab Faridi and Shradha Pandit come together for 'Mujhko Teri Zaroorat Hai'. While Irshad Kamil weaves some lovely lyrics all over again, it is the Western treatment-meets-Indian melody which makes this love song yet another good addition in the album. A song about two hearts longing for each other, 'Mujhko Teri Zaroorat Hai' is yet another sweet-n-simple love song that doesn't take much time to catch on Later it has been played a few times. Later it is pretty much 'sone pe suhaaga' once Rahat Fateh Ali Khan steps in for the 'remix version'.

Salim-Sulaiman end the album in a style with 'Jab Main Tumhare Saath Hun' hence making it five in a row for Jodi Breakers. Shilpa Rao (who deserves to be heard much more often) opens the song with Benny Dayal, who is finding good popularity comes his way, and ensures that this romantic number earns it's well deserved place in the album. Yes, one does get an impression of the song belonging to Vishal-Shekhar territory. However one can well attribute this to the sensibilities of these composers who think around the same lines and hence can be expected to sound like each other in an outing or two.

OVERALL

Jodi Breakers has all in it to be one of the more popular albums at the very beginning of the year. Salim-Sulaiman along with Irshad Kamil and Shabbir Ahmed have done their job and now it is up to the makers to make the most out of it and promote it well enough to enhance the music's reach. So far there has been a good vigour shown in that direction but a sustained momentum coupled with good success of the film at the box office can promise the music to find farther reach for it as well. A good album that deserves an audience.

OUR PICK(S)

Bipasha, Darmiyaan, Kunwara, Mujhko Teri Zaroorat Hai

3.5