PRODUCTION NEWS

Hrithik, Amisha Shoot For ‘Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage’

Emkay Enterprises and Mohan Kumar’s Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage is currently being shot in a 6-day stint on a terrace set at Film City. Director Vikram Bhatt is picturising scenes on Hrithik Roshan and Amisha Patel. The film is being produced by Rohit Kumar and presented by Gautam Kumar. It is based on a story-screenplay by Robin Bhatt and Sanjeev Duggal. Dialogues: Girish Dhamija. Lyrics: Ibrahim Ashq. Music: Rajesh Roshan. Cinematographer: Pravin Bhatt. Dances: Raju Khan. Art: Gappa Chakravorty. Sound: Murari Krishna. Editor: Amit Saxena.

LATEST POSITION

Last week’s KAROBAAR has fared miserably and is a total loss.

Karobaar 1st week Bombay 16,88,960 (28.72%) from 10 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 4,24,344 from 4 cinemas, Jamnagar 56,022 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 3,17,032 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 66,138; Delhi 3,49,377 (17.40%) from 3 cinemas; Kanpur 77,342, Varanasi 43,932; Calcutta 2,39,940 (other cinemas unrecd.); Nagpur 1,64,136 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 29,673, Akola 58,486, Raipur (6 days) 35,771; Jaipur 1,03,532 (19.44%), Bikaner 80,000.

Kaali Topi Laal Rumaal is also poor. 1st week Bombay 9,77,315 (35.31%) from 6 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Pune 3,23,974 from 4 cinemas, Solapur 71,467; Delhi 4,67,189 (26.36%) from 4 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Agra 60,500, Bareilly 43,946; Nagpur 1,03,181 from 2 cinemas, Wardha 40,132; Jaipur 2,07,538 (26.32%) from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 4,24,135 from 6 cinemas (2 in noon).

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Fiza crashed further in most of the places, but is better in parts of Maharashtra. 2nd week Bombay 55,14,232 (79%) from 12 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 7,88,094 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot 1,36,000, Jamnagar 60,312; Pune 12,60,066 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,74,970 (1st 2,51,860), Satara 1,45,004 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Bijapur 71,674 (1st 1,58,485); Delhi 53,69,420 from 13 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,44,996 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 5,63,136 from 2 cinemas, Agra 2,03,000 from 2 cinemas, Varanasi 1,61,488, Bareilly 83,734, Saharanpur 65,000 (1st 1,42,000); Calcutta 11,52,327 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 4,72,967 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,25,399, Akola 88,932, total 3,00,415, Raipur (6 days) 1,10,627, Durg 61,906, Jalgaon 1,00,000 (1st 2,26,805), Wardha 40,628 (1st 1,11,981), Chandrapur 1,25,576, total 3,79,202, Yavatmal 62,233 (1st 1,41,086), Bilaspur 86,362 (1st 2,03,700); Indore 1,41,000 (3 on F.H.), Bhopal 1,22,206 (1st 2,10,250, 1 unrecd.); Jaipur 3,65,866 (32.75%) from 2 cinemas, Bikaner 82,145; Hyderabad (gross) 9,28,266 from 4 cinemas (1 in noon).

Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai is steady at places. 4th week Bombay 15,31,955 (48.67%) from 6 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 6,83,432 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot 1,35,790, Jamnagar 55,457; Pune 5,43,798 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,37,736 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara 67,063; 3rd week Hubli 1,23,856, Belgaum 79,483, Dharwad 45,649; 4th week Delhi 11,19,486 from 5 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,54,941 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,70,811 (3rd 3,08,392), Agra 2,25,000 (3rd 2,45,000), Varanasi 85,876, Bareilly 1,39,048, Dehradun 96,000 (3rd 1,24,000), Saharanpur 48,000, total 2,94,956; Calcutta 3,82,503 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 86,000, Jabalpur (6 days) 69,227, Amravati 1,40,000 (3rd 1,29,733), very good, Akola 94,689 (3rd 84,677), total 4,56,167, Raipur (6 days) 76,727, Jalgaon 1,03,182 (3rd 1,12,512), Wardha 33,821, Chandrapur 83,699, total 4,41,848, 2nd week Yavatmal (6 days) 65,820; 4th week Indore 1,62,000 from 2 cinemas, Bhopal 80,975; Jaipur 6,13,738 (78.24%); Hyderabad (gross) 3,50,764 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon).

Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa has touched 2.5 in Bombay. 5th week Bombay 2,45,358 from 2 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad (mg. shows) 13,000; Pune 1,22,550 from 3 cinemas, Solapur 49,000; Delhi 1,82,195 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Lucknow 1,52,819, Agra 45,000, Bareilly 21,535; Calcutta 78,046; Jaipur 98,185 (14.18%).

WRITER C.L. KAVISH DEAD

Well-known film writer C.L. Kavish breathed his last on September 17. He died of old age. He was 82 and had written more than 70 films, three novels and over 150 short stories. He is survived by his wife, four sons and two daughters. Kavish was a founder-member of the Film Writers Association (FWA). He was closely associated with Ramanand Sagar and the story department of Sagar Arts for more than 30 years during the making of super-hit films like Arzoo, Ankhen, Baghawat etc. Some of Kavish’s films include Badal, Nanabhai Bhatt’s Poornima and Khyber, Wadia’s Son Of Sindbad, S.U. Sunny’s Palki as well as Meri Soorat Teri Ankhen, Deewana, Sapnon Ka Saudagar and Batwara.

Kavish had also acted in many films including as a villain in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.

‘AASHIQUI’ BASH

Super Cassettes Industries Ltd. hosted a party on 14th September at King’s International, Bombay to celebrate the success of its private album, ‘Aashiqui’. Singer Abhijeet, music directors Nikhil Vinay and the album’s lyricist, Faaiz Anwaar, were present on the occasion. The videos of two songs of the album were screened on the occasion.

Ramesh Rao Of Gemini Lab Arrested

Ramesh Rao, the Bombay representative of Gemini Lab, Madras, was arrested by the Bombay police on 22nd September and remanded to police custody by the 3rd court of the metropolitan magistrate, Esplanade. He will be produced in the 1st Class judicial magistrate’s court at Mungher (Bihar) on 26th September. Ramesh Rao’s bail application was moved on the night of 22nd in the sessions court but his plea for bail was rejected.

Shyam Bahadur Singh of Mungher was to receive an amount of Rs. 3.12 lakh from Gemini Industries & Imaging Ltd. but when the latter refused to fulfil its obligation for a year, Singh took the ultimate step of having a non-bailable warrant issued and executed against Ramesh Rao of Gemini.

The story relates to Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya, released on 2nd July, 1999. Jackie Shroff had a lab letter of Gemini towards part remuneration of his. Shyam Bahadur Singh paid of Jackie partly, for which Gemini agreed to repay Shyam Bahadur Singh. Towards this, a letter of Gemini Industries & Imaging Ltd., dated 4th September, 1999, confirmed that the company owed Shyam Bahadur Singh Rs. 3,00,000 as well as “a compensation of Rs. 12,000”, to be paid totally “on or before 12th of September, 1999 without fail”.

Shyam Bahadur Singh sent several reminders to Gemini for his payment but they all fell on deaf ears for months together. In sheer exasperation, he knocked the doors of court for justice. A wind-up petition was filed in the Madras high court. The matter is still pending in the court.

In Mungher, Singh filed a criminal case under sections 406 and 420 IPC against Gemini’s directors and officers around six months back. Summons in the case were served on Gemini directors Manohar Prasad, A. Ravi Shankar Prasad, manager Ram Mohan Rao and Bombay branch manager Ramesh Rao. But all the four, ignoring the summons, refused to attend court. Bailable warrants were then issued in their names but still, they continued to avoid attending court. On 19th June, 2000, non-bailable warrants were issued by Shri Murlidhar, 1st Class judicial magistrate, Mungher. When even that warrant, sent to the Bombay police for execution, was not executed, non-bailable warrants were issued for the second time on 4th August, 2000. On 20th July, 2000, in the meantime, Singh, thru his advocate Nagesh S. Joshi, wrote a letter to the Bombay commissioner of police, drawing the latter’s attention to the earlier arrest warrant. Finally, on 22nd September, the Bandra police arrested Ramesh Rao from his residence at 5.30 a.m. He was produced before Justice Usha Iyer of the 3rd court of the metropolitan magistrate, Esplanade, Bombay the same day.

After hearing the arguments of the public prosecutor and Ramesh Rao’s advocate, Justice Usha Iyer ordered the arrest of Ramesh Rao and remanded him to police custody. Rao will be produced before the 1st Class judicial magistrate of Mungher on 26th September.

Ramesh Rao tried to obtain bail by appealing on the night of 22nd September but his bail application was rejected by the sessions court.

While the courts will finally decide in the matter, a pertinent question which arises is: what is the value of a lab letter these days? In Shyam Bahadur Singh’s hand, the lab letter of Gemini was like a worthless piece of paper for several months.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Kiski Hogi Murad Puri?

Amrish Puri and Raza Murad may have been pitted against many heroes in their long acting careers. They may even have played leaders of rival gangs on screen (eg. Tridev where they turned allies for a brief time). But the two screen baddies will be fighting a battle in real life soon.

Both the screen villains will contest elections to the executive committee of the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA), to be held on 2nd October at Holiday Inn, Juhu, Bombay after its 42nd annual general meeting. While elections to the committee is no big deal, both the screen meanies have their eyes on the president’s chair — and that’s going to, perhaps, result in a lot of pre-election fireworks. Raza Murad, it may be mentioned here, is currently CINTAA president and has been doing yeoman services for the Association. Amrish Puri, in 1998, was co-opted to the executive committee after elections.

This type of a direct fight between two known actors for the chief’s chair is not the norm in CINTAA elections.

Inside reports reveal that Amrish Puri’s supporters want him to head the Association this time. Towards this end, they’ve formed their group. Not to be left behind, Raza Murad’s followers have formed another group. And boy! the two groups are working tirelessly, each group waiting to see its leader lodged in the coveted chair.

If Amrish Puri gets the chair, he’ll, perhaps, say, “Mogambo khush hua!” And if Razabhai is elected president, he’ll, perhaps, have this to say, “Meri murad puri huyee.”

In the meantime, await more exciting details on Mogambo versus Mr. Murad.

High Hopes!

While the interactive meeting between ministers and the film industry, held on 16th September at the government guest house in Bombay, was a good move, it seems very unlikely that anything fruitful is going to emerge out of either this meeting or the recent amendments made to the Cable Network Regulation Rules, 1994.

Under the amended law, cable TV operators cannot telecast any film on their network unauthorisedly. Otherwise, they are liable to be punished, the minimum punishment being imprisonment upto 2 years.

But right on the day the meeting was held in Bombay, cable TV operators in the city were screening new films, perhaps, unaware of the new law. And so was the scene all over the country.

Union I & B minister Arun Jaitley informed at the said interactive meeting that the cable operators had shown eagerness to go by the law. Nobody expected cable operators to say that they would not go by the law. Then, why assume that they will do what they promise? Jaitley also informed that cable operators had confessed that they used to telecast films illegally because of competition between cable operators, and subscribers’ demands. The very act of confession is a slap on the government’s face. No reason can ever be good enough for an illegal act. So the confession should not be lauded; rather, the subject matter of the confession (act of piracy) should have been punished long back. But we Indians have got a way to make martyrs out of thieves also!

D. Sivanandan, the joint commissioner of police of Bombay, at the same meeting, asked the film industry to set up a monitoring agency for tracking down erring cable operators. Thank you! Now the industry will do what the police should be doing. Sivanandan also assured that immediate action would be taken against the culprits. Come on, haven’t we heard that one umpteen times earlier? And how immediate is ‘immediate’? Six days have elapsed since Sivanandan’s assurance but no cable operator has even been threatened, leave alone action being taken. Is the police unaware of the new films being openly telecast by cable operators all over?

But then, does the industry have a choice? We just don’t sell dreams. We also see dreams — beautiful dreams — and assume that some day, they will wipe out all our nightmares. Didn’t someone say, this industry survives on HOPE?

Hopeless!

– Komal Nahta