MRITYUDAATA
ABCL’s Mrityudaata (A) is too routine a film to be made for the comeback of an actor who has been the superstar for years. It has absolutely no novelty, either in content or in presentation. In fact, the story gives the impression that writer-director Mehul Kumar was bankrupt of ideas and did not even make an attempt to offer something fresh to the audience. Screenplay is as pathetic as the story. Dialogue writer Jalees Sherwani seems to have got so excited about his job that he has written long and unending lines of dialogues which sermonise, preach and bore more than anything else. Quite frankly, the film is so verbose that it gets on the audience’s nerves after a while, especially because subjects of this kind have been handled umpteen times earlier.
The story is about a middle-aged surgeon whose brother is killed by an evil politician and a don. The shock is too much for the doctor’s wife to bear and she, too, dies. This puts the doctor in such a state of depression that he drowns himself in alcohol everyday. Being a very skillful surgeon, he is extremely sought-after and, therefore, performs operations in an inebriated state! How the medical profession permits such doctors to even enter the operation theatre is conveniently not touched upon. When the surgeon is pushed against the wall by the politician and the don and he learns that they were responsible for the deaths of his brother and wife, the life-saving doctor dons a new mantle. He vows to wipe out the enemies of the country and becomes a life-taker.
The first half is shockingly dull and fails to evoke any interest or participation of the viewer. The pace picks up to some extent just before interval so that the second half is relatively better. But the sermonising impact is so great that the film turns out to be devoid of any entertainment value.
Amitabh Bachchan has done a good job but he has failed on two counts: firstly, his choice of subject to stage a comeback is wrong, and secondly, he looks fat, old and tired. Dimple Kapadia has no role worth her while and she does fairly well. The scenes and song of young Amitabh and Dimple are boring. Karisma Kapoor performs very ably but she suffers on account of poor characterisation — she is almost a vamp who walks out on the hero and marries the villain’s son! Add to that, she is made to become a widow soon after her marriage. Arbaaz Ali Khan is bad and neither looks nor acts like a hero. Paresh Rawal is effective. Ashish Vidyarthi performs well but has too much to talk and so tends to bore. Mukesh Rishi has been given a role longer than he can handle. Mushtaq Khan is extremely impressive and comes up with a truly free performance. Pran leaves a mark in a guest appearance. Deepak Tijori is alright and so is Asif Sheikh. Avtar Gill, Tiku Talsania, Dinesh Hingoo and Farida Jalal (in a guest role) lend good support. Vikas Anand, Mukesh Rawal, Dharmesh Tiwari, Mulraj Rajda, Namdeo Lahute and the others provide average support. Daler Mehndi appears in a song-dance which is excellent.
Director Mehul Kumar handles a poor story even more poorly. Anand Milind’s music is fair but a film of this canvas deserved a hit score. The Daler Mehndi song is superb and has also been picturised beautifully. It comes at the appropriate time to break the tension and monotony. Other song picturisations lack imagination. Camerawork is not up to the mark. Background music is alright and sound effects (DTS) could have been better. Action should have been more exciting and stylised.
On the whole, Mrityudaata, which has been sold at a prohibitively high price, may have taken a bumper start (at most places) but it will keep Amitabh fans sorely disappointed and, therefore, its distributors are bound to incur huge losses.
Released on 25-4-’97 at Eros and 23 other cinemas of Bombay by ABCL thru Shringar Films. Publicity & opening: excellent. …….Also released all over. Opening was bumper everywhere except, surprisingly, in East Punjab where shows were not full on the first day. The film dropped conspicuously on 2nd day in C.P. and C.I.
LATEST POSITION
The drop in collections of MRITYUDAATA on the first day itself at several places has baffled the industry.
Koyla, as expected, has recorded historic collections in the first week and, as predicted, began to slide downwards at most places, soon after the festival period got over on 20th. 1st week Bombay 42,65,879 (91.44%) from 13 cinemas (10 on F.H.), Vashi 2,50,445, record, Palghar 1,02,615; Vapi 2,90,834, Ahmedabad 16,38,960 from 8 cinemas, Bharuch 3,25,682, Ankleshwar 1,79,379, Palanpur city record, Rajkot 1,89,000, Jamnagar (14 shows) 43,739; Pune 9,20,782 from 6 cinemas (2 in matinee), Kolhapur 3,21,320 from 2 cinemas, Solapur 2,86,050 from 2 cinemas; Hubli 100%, Belgaum 100%, Dharwad 89,987 (97.83%), Karwar 100%, record, Nipani 100%, record; Delhi 50,28,023 (97.53%) from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 4,97,960 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,15,982, Agra 2,35,380, Allahabad 1,90,000, Meerut 1,66,468 (100%), theatre record, Dehradun 1,69,279, theatre record, Gorakhpur 1,76,000 (82.24%); Amritsar 50,318; Calcutta 38,61,120 from 26 cinemas (14 unrecd.); Bihar extraordinary, share about 40 lakh; Nagpur 8,15,021 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 2,55,036, city record, Amravati 2,33,322 from 2 cinemas, Akola (31 shows) 1,34,504 (100%), Raipur 2,30,032 (94.99%), city record, Bhilai 2,21,395 from 2 cinemas, Durg 1,28,425; Indore 4,25,623 from 2 cinemas (3 on F.H.), Bhopal 4,28,615 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 11,72,007 from 5 cinemas, Bikaner 2,73,891, Udaipur 2,31,130 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad 50,43,395 from 22 cinemas, share 27,64,495, share from circuit 31 lakh, exceptional.
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Ziddi is doing well. 2nd week Bombay 23,54,631 (75.02%) from 11 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 5,11,098 from 4 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Padra 2,00,549, Jamnagar 1,12,710, total 2,70,152; Pune 4,14,538 from 2 cinemas, Solapur 1,85,321 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 32,12,256 from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,67,082 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,41,379, Agra 2,10,500, Allahabad 1,54,000, Varanasi 1,82,416, Bareilly 1,15,659 (60.15%), Dehradun 1,26,081, Gorakhpur 1,16,000; Calcutta 15,54,589 from 19 cinemas; Nagpur 3,09,384 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,44,024, total 3,69,525, Amravati 1,11,590, Raipur 1,44,221 (1st 2,23,480), theatre record, Bhilai 61,868, Jalgaon (4 days), 64,471, Chandrapur 61,412; Jaipur 3,07,024, Jodhpur 4,82,000 from 2 cinemas, Bikaner 2,05,291; Hyderabad 5,34,186 from 2 cinemas, share 2,76,954.
Judaai 8th week Bombay 9,53,740 (70.07%) from 5 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,23,120 (4 unrecd.), Baroda 1,31,075, Rajkot 67,000, Jamnagar 71,750; Pune 1,94,075 from 3 cinemas (2 in matinee), Kolhapur 70,000, Solapur 48,424; Delhi 2,57,646 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,91,382 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 86,923, Agra 53,500, Allahabad 54,000, Varanasi 79,477, Gorakhpur 36,000; Nagpur 1,05,326 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 47,647, total 5,33,437, 7th Amravati 93,367, 8th Akola 83,600, Raipur 53,383 (7th 58,622), Bhilai 34,028, 3rd Wardha (6 days) 39,182, 5th week Yavatmal 37,154 (4th 46,821), total 2,63,947; 8th Indore 96,673, Bhopal 90,492; Jaipur (last) 91,973, 5th Ajmer 50,762; 8th Hyderabad 3,91,660 from 2 cinemas, share 1,78,654.
Hero No. 1 is class A1 in many circuits. 9th week Bombay 7,12,470 (74.99%) from 4 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Baroda 38,807, 1st week Jambusar 50,526, 9th week Rajkot 47,000; Pune 2,17,216 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur (matinee) 36,309; Delhi 2,17,504; Kanpur 62,458, Lucknow 95,908, Agra 61,692, Allahabad 41,000, Varanasi 82,010, 8th Dehradun (last) 49,754 (7th 69,704), 4th week Gorakhpur 30,000; 9th week Calcutta 1,26,832; Nagpur 49,312, Jabalpur 55,503, total 9,04,060, Akola 48,663, Raipur 52,480 (8th 53,748), total 8,86,126, Bhilai 20,527, 5th Jalgaon (last) 43,415; 9th week Indore 60,483, Bhopal 67,789; Jaipur 1,47,885; Hyderabad 3,52,827 from 3 cinemas, share 1,45,161.
Raja Hindustani 20th week Bombay 1,67,602 from 2 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Pune 3,38,580 from 3 cinemas, 19th Solapur (7 shows) 56,020; 23rd week Delhi 4,78,583 from 4 cinemas (2 on F.H.); 24th Kanpur 41,992, 23rd Lucknow 84,398, Agra 55,400, 24th Allahabad 37,000, Meerut 89,198, 23rd Bareilly 30,735 (23.31%), 24th Gorakhpur 26,000; 1st week Kampti 42,336 (93.07%), 21st Jabalpur (last) 81,598, total 32,24,666, 6th week Gondia 42,158; 23rd Indore 1,21,103, 22nd Bhopal 58,016; 24th Hyderabad 2,17,980.
MURAD NO MORE
Veteran actor Murad expired on 24th April in Bombay due to old age. He was 86 and had developed complications in the lungs.
Hamid Ali Murad is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son, actor Raza Murad.
He had acted in about 500 films out of which he played a judge in half of them! Among the many films he acted in were Anmol Ghadi, Andaz, Deedar, Mirza Ghalib, Do Bigha Zameen, Mughal-E-Azam, Yahudi, Taj Mahal etc. His first film was Mehboob’s Najma, released in 1942. Murad had given up acting since the last six or seven years owing to ill-health.
CHANDU PARKHI DEAD
Actor Chandu Parkhi expired on 14th April in Bombay at K.E.M. Hospital due to a heart attack. He had been admitted to the hospital for an operation for gangrene but suffered the fatal attack before surgery.
Chandu Parkhi had his individualistic style of acting and shone in comedy roles. He had acted in several television serials and Hindi as well as Marathi films like Nasheebwan, Ram Rahim etc.
DO YOU KNOW?
* Coal is a strict ‘no no’ for films and film titles, it seems. At least three films with an equivalent of coal in their titles or with stories dealing with coal have failed to click at the box-office. They are: KALKA, KAALA PATTHAR and now, KOYLA.
After Playing Raja, It’s Now Time To Play ‘Ghulam’
Raja Hindustani Aamir Khan has lost weight, nine kilos to be precise. The Raja was till earlier this week shooting for Mukesh Bhatt’s Ghulam which, in all probability, will be his first release now. Aamir was almost living at Film City since the last 40 days, shooting day and night for the film.
He used to often double up as the producer because Mukesh was down with malaria. The committed and involved actor that he is, Aamir used to give the daily report of shooting to Mukesh Bhatt on telephone when the latter was laid up in bed. “I was so touched,” is all that Mukesh can say about Aamir’s involvement.
Ghulam, informs director Vikram Bhatt when we visit the huge basti set at Film City, is a film about extortion (hafta) and subservience, about the tendency of humans to submit easily, to take things lying down, to become a slave of the system. This film is Vikram’s biggest assignment so far, and with all the confidence at his command, the young director says, “If I can’t deliver the goods with such a talented actor like Aamir, I’ll have no excuse.”
Aamir’s co-star in Ghulam is Rani Mukerji whom Mukesh Bhatt describes as “superb”. The producer sees a fantastic future for Rani. Mukesh Bhatt has opted for less busy artistes from the stage for this film. So he has people like Mita Vashisht and Rajit Kapur playing key roles. “They play the characters with more conviction, and the audience would not be aware of what’s in store for them because the artistes have no image,” explains Mukesh Bhatt.
The producer recalls another gesture of Aamir which touched him deeply. Aamir contracted conjunctivitis during the 40-day schedule and even while Mukesh Bhatt and Vikram Bhatt were contemplating cancelling the shooting for a couple of days, Aamir came up with the suggestion that they shoot the action scenes which, according to the script, required his face to be battered and bleeding and his eyes red and swollen. “That way, we did not waste a single shooting day,” said Mukesh with gratitude (for Aamir) writ all over his face. “It’s Aamir’s complete involvement that made him suggest what he did,” he said, adding, “Which other actor would have done this?”
Vikram cited another incident which revealed Aamir’s love for his work. “Aamir doesn’t shoot on Sundays, but I wanted him on one Sunday,” said Vikram, adding, “At first, Aamir was hesitant, afraid that his wife wouldn’t like him to shoot on a Sunday, but finally relented and agreed to come later in the day. On the appointed Sunday morning, he telephoned me and told me, he would like to come from morning itself so that the mood of the climax wasn’t lost. Can you believe it, he was here, on the set, giving cues to the co-artistes, something which anybody else from the unit could jolly well have done in his place.”
But then, Aamir is Aamir, not anybody, right?
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Novelty In Publicity
Another film that’s been well publicised is Mrityudaata. Despite wall posters being banned in Bombay, the film’s Bombay distributors (Shringar Films) have gone all out to reach out to the masses and inform them that the film is coming/has come. The novel idea of making boys stand at strategic points in the city and suburbs, wearing Mrityudaata boards on either side of their bodies, has attracted a lot of attention. It is the brainchild of Shravan Shroff of Shringar. Incidentally, reacting to the item printed in this column in our issue last week, Shyam Shroff of Shringar has clarified that the Mrityudaata boys were not at all hurling abuses either against Koyla or Rakesh Roshan, as alleged by the latter’s son, Hrithik Roshan. According to Shyam Shroff, the five boys stationed outside Minerva cinema were hired from a professional agency only for publicising Mrityudaata and they did their job professionally and quietly.
Hello Brother
Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol together? Seems like the two brothers will indeed come together. The film, titled London, will be made by their own production banner, Vijayta Films. As the title suggests, it will be shot in London. Reportedly, a London-based lady director will direct the two brothers and Karisma Kapoor who plays the female lead. Music, one hears, will be scored by Vishal Bhardwaj. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Even more exciting is the news that it will be completed in three months at a stretch this year!
Rajasthan Business: The New Formula
Every territory has a formula for calculating the expected business of films. In Rajasthan, the accepted formula for many years was: five to six times the business of Jaipur city would, generally speaking, be the business of the entire circuit. But the scene has changed in recent times. Veteran Rajasthan distributor and exhibitor O.P. Bansal opines that no longer can one say that five or six times the share of Jaipur would roughly be equal to the total share from Rajasthan. According to him, the new formula is to calculate the shares from eight centres and multiply the figure by 2. That is to say, the total business of Rajasthan can be assessed by doubling the total business from the following eight centres: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Kota, Udaipur, Sriganganagar and Alwar.