(From our issue dated 18th June, 1994)
DO YOU KNOW?
* Meenakshi Enterprises, the Rajasthan distributors of AATISH, have paid Rs. 1 lakh towards advance overflow to producer G.P. Sippy.
* Asha Bhosle, who dubbed the title song of Major Ashok Kaul’s PARAM VIR CHAKRA on 15th June at Sunny Super Sounds, felt that the song was fantastic and would be an immortal one. Incidentally, a total of 10 top singers have lent their voices to the eight songs in the film.
* Anupam Kher and his secretary-brother, Raju, are acting together in a film for the first time. But they are not brothers in the film. They play enemies. The film in question is Avtar Bhogal and Zee’s Dil KA DOCTOR.
* TEJASVINI (tax-free) has created a district record by collecting 41,014/- (against a capacity of 42,827/-) in 1st week (29 shows) at Prabhat, Gondia. 28 shows were full.
* JURASSIC PARK has created a theatre record by collecting a total of 1,38,586/- in 9 weeks (60 shows) at Galaxy, Jamnagar.
* JURASSIC PARK (tax-free) has created a city record by collecting 32,608/- in 2nd week at Shree Mamaji, Bhusawal.
* HUM HAIN RAHI PYAR KE has created a city record for repeat-run films by collecting 10,010/- on the opening day at Talreja Chitra Mandir, Parbhani. Better than JURASSIC PARK and YEH DILLAGI.
YOU ASKED IT
Why are trial reports of so many films “fantastic” even though they bomb when released?
– Trial reports are often reports of the connected people.
Why are top South stars paid so heavily for South language films while Hindi film artistes don’t command such prices in spite of the fact that Hindi films have a much wider market?
– Top South stars do a limited number of films at any given time unlike many of the Hindi film stars. Secondly, in the South, the top actors/actresses are almost worshipped (and so are some directors) and they have immense fan following. Besides, the business of South hits often crosses 2 crore, a figure not many Hindi films touch.
If big industrial houses like Tata, Birla etc., were to enter Hindi film production, what changes could be expected in the filmworld?
– Maybe, Tatas and Birlas would change – they’d become indisciplined, filmy and what not!
DISCUSSION ON ENT. TAX ON 24TH
A meeting of the film industry with information ministers of all the states will be held in Delhi on 24th June. The question of entertainment tax will be discussed at the meeting.
Before this, the industry leaders will meet under the aegis of the FFI in Madras on June 20 and 21.
I & B SECRETARY CRITICAL OF
VULGARITY IN FILMS
Film censorship is likely to become stricter. I & B ministry secretary Bhaskar Ghose is reported to have told members of the CFBC at a meeting addressed by him in Madras on 9th June to follow the censorship guidelines strictly and if they were not able to do so, to quit. He also said that he would hold the members of the Board responsible in the event of complaints regarding violence and sex in films.
Filmmakers and prominent film personalities also participated in the meeting and revealed that Mr. Ghose was critical of members of the CBFC and some money-minded film producers whom he held responsible for depiction of sex and violence in films. He made specific reference to obscene songs and dances.
BOMBAY LAB STOPS PROCESSING WORK
Bombay Laboratories has stopped its processing department. Editing and recording facilities are on and will continue to remain so.
‘LAADLA’ CELEBRATES 50 DAYS AT HANUMANGARH
Laadla completed 50 days of its run at Shiv Mandir cinema, Hanumangarh Junction (Rajasthan) on 10th June. Sweets were distributed among all the patrons who saw the film on the 50th day. A lucky draw was also held on that day.
SUBHASH GHAI DEFIES FMC
DIRECTIVE SHOOTS WITH SANJAY
Sanjay Dutt has participated in the shooting of Subhash Ghai’s Trimurti in direct violation of the FMC directive that Ghai cannot shoot with Sanjay as, according to it, films of other producers are in the queue for clearance before Trimurti.
A meeting of the FMC was held this week where Ghai’s representative confirmed that they had started shooting with Dutt as their set couldn’t wait any longer and Sanjay’s non-participation was entailing them heavy losses.
The FMC has taken a serious view of the violation by Subhash Ghai. A meeting of the governing council of the FMC was called earlier this week to decide on the action to be taken, but the meeting had to be adjourned as most of the members could not attend.
According to FMC spokesman K.D. Shorey, “The FMC had sent a telegram to Ghai on 11th May in reply to his request for permission to shoot with Sanjay Dutt, informing him that it was not possible to grant him permission and that disciplinary action would be taken against him if he flouted the FMC directive. In spite of that, Ghai has chosen to shoot with Sanjay. The real strength of any association lies in the conscience of its own members.”
‘Suhag’ 80% Complete
Shweta International’s Suhag was shot in a 40-day schedule at Khalsa College, Wilson College, Kamaal Amrohi Studios, Film City, Juhu Scheme, R.K. Studios and other locales of Bombay. The film is now 80% complete. It stars Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor, Naghma, Aroona Irani, Dalip Tahhil, Adi Irani, Tiku Talsania, Brij Gopal, Gufi Paintal, master Ateet, Sunil Dhawan and Suresh Oberoi. It is being jointly produced by Balraj Irani and Anil Sharma, and directed by Kuku Kohli. Music: Anand Milind. Lyrics: Sameer. Story advisor: Nausher Khatau. Screenplay: Honey Irani.
‘Raja’ 20-Day Spell
A 20-day marathon shooting schedule of Maruti International’s Raja will begin on sets and locations in Bombay from June 21. Sanjay Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Paresh Rawal, Mukesh Khanna, Dalip Tahhil, Reeta Bhaduri, Himani Shivpuri, Mushtaq Khan and Adi Irani will participate. The film is being directed by Indra Kumar who also produces it jointly with Ashok Thakeria. Music is scored by Nadeem Shravan. Lyrics: Sameer. Dances: Saroj Khan. Dialogues: Tanveer Khan. Cinematography: Baba Azmi. Art: Bijon Dasgupta. Action: Amin Gani.
‘Akele Hum Akele Tum’ Marathon Spell Complete
United Seven Combines’ Akele Hum Akele Tum was shot in a 35-day schedule till June 15 at Famous Studios. Director Mansoor Khan picturised two songs and scenes on Aamir Khan, Manisha Koirala, Tanvi Azmi, master Adil Baker, Neeraj Vora and a dog. Produced by Ratan Jain, the film also stars Deven Varma, Shafi Inamdar, Satish Shah, Dinesh Hingoo, Harish Patel, Yunus Parwaiz, Anjan Srivastava, Mushtaq Khan, Veeru Krishnan, Rohini Hattangady, Navnit Nishan, Suresh Bhagwat and Paresh Rawal. Music: Anu Malik. Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri. Story-screenplay: Mansoor Khan. Dialogues: Nasir Husain.
Madan Mohla Launches ‘Chhupa Rustom’
The muhurt of Seven Arts Pictures’ Prod. No. 7., titled Chhupa Rustom, was performed on June 16 at Hermes Villa. CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain performed the coconut-breaking ceremony, Mohan Segal switched on the camera, and Subhash Ghai sounded the clapper-board. Shakti Samanta directed the muhurt shot taken on Sanjay Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Mamta Kulkarni. The muhurt is being followed by a 10-day schedule. Being produced by Madan Mohla and directed by Aziz Sejawal, the film has music by Anand Milind and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. Story-screenplay: Rajiv Kaul and Praful Parekh. Cinematography: Kamlakar Rao. Choreography: Saroj Khan. Audiography: Venugopal. Other cast: Raj Babbar, Neena Gupta, Dalip Tahhil, Tinnu Anand, Johny Lever, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Satyen Kappu, Avtar Gill and Dinesh Hingoo.
The muhurt was graced by prominent film and trade personalities including Sultan Ahmed, Surinder Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, N. Chandra, Harmesh Malhotra, Pahlaj Nihalani, Satyen Pal Chaudhary, Ramesh Sippy (B.R.A. Corporation), Bharatbhai Shah, Pranlal Mehta, Dharam Pal Arora, Arjun Lulla, Naraindas Mukhija, Satish Kaushik, Indra Kumar.
‘Raja Hindustani’ In Mysore, Ooty
Cineyug’s Raja Hindustani is being shot in a month-long schedule in Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty. Director and story-writer Dharmesh Darshan is picturising four songs and scenes. Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Johny Lever, Navnit Nishan, Farida Jalal, Tiku Talsania, Pramod Moutho, Archna Pooran Singh, Veeru Krishnan, master Kunal Kemmu, Mohnish Bahl, fighters, junior artistes and dancers are participating. The film is being produced by Karim Morani, Bunty Soorma and Aly Morani. Music: Nadeem Shravan. Lyrics: Sameer. Screenplay-dialogues: Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddique. Action: Tinnu Verma. Dances: Raju Khan. Art: R. Verman. Tips presents the film.
15-day Schedule For ‘Karan Arjun’
Film Kraft’s Karan Arjun will be shot in a 15-day schedule from June 22 at Mehboob Studios. All the artistes will participate. It stars Raakhee, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Mamta Kulkarni, Kajol, Ranjeet, Arjun, Asif Sheikh, Jack Gaud, Ashok Saraf, Johny Lever, Dinesh Hingoo, Suresh Chatwal and Amrish Puri. It is being produced and directed by Rakesh Roshan. Music is scored by Rajesh Roshan. Lyrics: Indivar. Dialogues: Anwar Khan. Photography: Kaka Thakur. Editing: Sanjay Verma. Art: R. Verman. Dances: Chinni Prakash. Action: Bhiku Verma.
Naseer, Anupam, Ramya In Robin Bhatt’s Film
Ramya Krishnan, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher have been signed for Bhatt Production’s Prod. No. 1. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Pooja Bhatt in the lead. Producers: Robin Bhatt and Viral Lakhia. Director: Mahesh Bhatt. Music: Anu Malik. Lyrics: Neeraj and Nida Fazli. The film’s second shooting schedule will commence in the first week of July.
‘Tu Chor Main Sipahi’ Launched
Producer Namrata Dehal launched her maiden venture, Tu Chor Main Sipahi, to be directed by Guddu Dhanoa, on June 15 with a song recording at Sahara. The song, penned by Anand Bakshi and tuned by Dilip Sen Sameer Sen, was rendered by Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik and chorus. Starring Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and one more heroine, the film has story-screenplay by Henry Robin and dialogues by Rumi Jaffrey. Cinematography: Sripad Natu. Editing: V.N. Mayekar. Action: Raam Shetty. Audiography: Venugopal.
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher has been signed to play an important role in the film being made under the banner of Pooja Arts.
‘Krantiveer’ Copy Out
The first copy of Mehul Movies P. Ltd.’s Krantiveer came out on June 15 at Adlabs. A Dinesh Gandhi presentation, it is produced and directed by Mehul Kumar and stars Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Atul Agnihotri, Mamta Kulkarni, Paresh Rawal and Danny. The film is scheduled for release on July 15 all over.
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Englightenment
Raamlaxman, Tera Song Deewana
In Maine Pyar Kiya, it was the ‘Dil deewana’ and ‘Kabutar ja ja ja’ songs which made the audience deewanee. And now, in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, the ‘Didi tera devar deewana’ song has begun to drive the listeners deewana. The song is fast gaining in popularity and is a favourite of the young and old alike. Besides this song, there are several others (‘Samdhi-samdhan’, ‘Dhik tana dhik tana’ and ‘Wah wah Ramji’) which are very tuneful (Raamlaxman).
Confidence…. Barjatya Style
It may sound unbelievable but it’s true. The Barjatyas are so very confident of the super-success of their Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! that they’ve made provisions for its run for not weeks but years! Their contract with Liberty, the main cinema of Bombay where HAHK..! is booked, provides for an increase of 8% in theatre rental every year. That is to say, according to the relevant clause, the cinemas will charge 8% extra rental in the second year of screening of HAHK..!, 16% extra in the third year…… What do you call that? Super-confidence!
Strict, Very Strict
Producers, take care. The CBFC is going to become strict as never before. If the rumblings in the Bombay regional office of the CBFC are any indication, censorship guidelines will now be strictly followed. Sex and violence in films will be viewed with a hawk’s eye. According to regional officer A. Ramakrishnan, although the guidelines are the same as they were earlier, their implementation will be complete. “Earlier, we used to give producers the benefit of doubt and clear many things (with alterations) on humanitarian grounds. But it won’t be the same now,” he cautioned, adding,” The censors have been given a lot of power now.” Steps have also been taken to check interpolation in foreign films imported in India. It is reported that the customs authorities are being approached so that prints of foreign films are sent straight to the CBFC instead of the importer. Laboratories are also being asked to use caution.
“NIMPA Not To Blame”: Dharam Pal Arora
With the Supreme Court having dismissed distributor Anil Kapoor’s writ petition for the registration of Jurassic Park (dubbed) in NIMPA, its release in East Punjab circuit is also uncertain as was a month ago. NIMPA president Dharam Pal Arora told Information, “You (Information) have been wrongly putting the blame on the Association’s office-bearers or so-called vested interests. The NIMPA had, as far back as in 1990, passed a resolution that it would not register dubbed films because at that time, dubbed films were usually sexy films and their distributors used to interpolate scenes and make a quick buck at the cost of Hindi films. Since it was a general resolution for all dubbed films, the Association could not, obviously, register Jurassic Park too, although it had nothing to do with sex. Rather than approaching the Association, Anil Kapoor chose to go to court directly. He may have succeeded in the high court but the Supreme Court chided him.” The NIMPA president added, “Association matters must be settled in an atmosphere of friendship and trust. Had Anil Kapoor approached NIMPA, his film would have been registered long back.” Dharam Pal Arora also clarified that no pressure had been brought on any exhibitor, whether of Ludhiana or otherwise, to refrain from screening Jurassic Park after the Punjab and Haryana high court’s order and before the Supreme Court’s order.
A Bargain
Venus has struck a very good deal with producer Mukesh Udeshi who is currently making S.P. Parshuram in Telugu. Reportedly, a song in S.P. Parshuram has a tune copied from the ‘Oh Baba kiss me’ song of Venus’ Miss 420. This enraged the Venus people who contemplated taking legal action against Udeshi. A compromise was reached at, whereby it was agreed that the music rights of Udeshi’s Prod. No. 2 (under the same banner, Sai Charan Combines) in whatever language made, would be entrusted to Venus at a price equivalent to the cost of song recordings only. That’s a bargain, indeed!
Fast-Paced!
A producer, often referred to as a factory of film production, is indeed as ‘fast’ as a machine in a factory. Recently, he approached a top young star to sign him for one of his many films. When the star asked what the story would be, the producer is said to have narrated him two subjects. And for that, he took just three minutes! Phew! even a machine would feel ashamed of itself. As for the star, don’t ask what he felt!
Unusual Subject
Rakesh Roshan has tackled quite an unusual subject (of reincarnation) in his latest project, Karan Arjun. One had an opportunity to see the rushes of almost three-fourths of the film. What strikes the attention, besides the subject, are the performances of Raakhee, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, the picturesque Rajasthan locales (and it is not the desert sand), Kaka Thakur’s camerawork, and Rajesh Roshan’s music. Rakesh Roshan has handled the subject with conviction.
Ek Duuje Ke Liye
Remember the terrible fight-in-print between Pahlaj Nihalani and Govinda? All the film glossies in town must’ve written about the tamasha dialogues and names the two called each other. After that, the two patched up their differences and became friends again. All that is old story. The latest is that Pahlaj will be making another film with Govinda. It will be directed by – yes, you’ve guessed it – David Dhawan.
Collections Versus Capacity
A cinema in a suburb (Juhu) of Bombay has a weekly capacity of over a lakh of rupees. Its average collections are Rs. 5 to 6 thousand – per week, not per day! In spite of such dismal collections, the exhibitor has hiked admission rates recently. What is the logic of the exhibitor’s action? Your guess is as good as ours.
