SHAHEED-E-MOHABBAT BOOTA SINGH
(Punjabi)

NFDC’s Shaheed-E-Mohabbat Boota Singh (Punjabi) is a true story of a young Sikh armyman, Boota Singh. The film depicts events that took place around 1947 when the Hindu-Muslim riots were at their peak. Boota Singh fell in love with a Muslim girl, Zainub. He married her and a girl-child was born to them. Thereafter, India and Pakistan arrived at an agreement under which Muslim and Sikh girls, who were to be evicted, could be repatriated. As a result, Zainub had to return to Pakistan, leaving behind her husband and daughter. Boota Singh had to run from pillar to post to get Zainub back but he failed. He even reached Pakistan and met Zainub’s father to convince him about their marriage. But he beat him up. Boota Singh was then falsely implicated in an immigration case. Upon hearing Boota Singh’s tale, the judge assured him that if Zainub corroborated his story, she would be restored to him. However, Zainub, when brought before the court, refused to recognise him because she had been threatened that her nod in agreement would cost her husband his life. The judge then asked Boota Singh to return to India. Heartbroken, Boota Singh jumped before a running train with his daughter. He died but the daughter had a miraculous escape. Zainub, too, died immediately thereafter. Later, a letter addressed to Zainub revealed Boota Singh’s last wish that he be cremated in Zainub’s village. Overnight, Boota Singh became a martyr in the eyes of the Pakistanis and they decided to fulfil his last wish. They also made a trust in his name to take care of his daughter.

The film, which reminds of Train To Pakistan, is excellent in all respects. The screenplay (Suraj Sanim) is brilliant and the narration, smooth. The first half is gripping and the second half abounds in emotions.

Gurdas Maan is very good as Boota Singh. Divya Dutta lives the role of Zainub and gives an award-winning performance. Her emotional scenes move the viewer to tears. Raghuvir Yadav, as the lunatic, is extraordinary and his last scene when he is killed by the Muslims is both, chilling and shocking. Aroon Bakshi is good as the faquir in the mosque. The rest of the cast is mostly new and performs ably.

Directorially, Manoj Punj deserves all the praise for handling a sensitive love story with aplomb. Cinematography (Pramod Mittal) is par excellence. Technically, it is so good that it does not look like a Punjabi film at all. Amar Haldipur gives a super-hit music score with at least two songs, especially ‘Ishq da Rabba’, being excellent. Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s renditions will be a big draw. Production and technical values are excellent.

On the whole, Shaheed-E-Mohabbat Boota Singh will prove to be a hit.

P.N. LAKHANI DEAD

P.N. Lakhani of Lokendra Talkies, Ratlam, and brother of Ramesh and Haresh of Sagar Talkies, Baroda, expired on 27th December in Baroda. The funeral was held in Ratlam. It was attended by many distributors of Indore as well as local trade people of Ratlam.

Both, Lokendra (Ratlam) and Sagar (Baroda), remained closed for four days.

PUNJAB GOVT. HONOURS FOR GURDAS MAAN, PREETI SAPRU

Gurdas Mann and Preeti Sapru will be honoured with the Punjab Ratna by the Punjab government today (2nd January). Ex-prime minister of India, I.K. Gujral will hand over the awards to the Punjabi film actor and actress. Other recipients include Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, ex-finance minister Manmohan Singh and athlete Milkha Singh.

‘FIRE’ SCREENING: CONTEMPT PETITION BEFORE SC

The Supreme Court will hear the contempt petition of Dilip Kumar and others in the matter of Fire screening, on 4th January. The group of persons who had filed a petition in the apex court last month to ensure the screening of Fire in cinemas under secure conditions, has now filed a contempt of court petition. The group has sought to launch contempt proceedings against the Maharashtra government for failing to ensure the film’s release, in violation of the apex court’s order in their earlier petition. A division bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice A.S. Anand will hear the petition.

It may be mentioned here that despite the Court’s order, cinemas in Bombay are unwilling to screen the film for fear of violence by Shiv Sena which had objected to the film’s screening in a violent manner.

‘SATYA’ SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATED

Ramgopal Varma and the team of Satya celebrated the silver jubilee of the film on 26th December, 1998 at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay. The celebratory party was attended by Rekha, Raveena Tandon and the entire cast of Satya including Urmila Matondkar and Chakravarthy who flew from Hyderabad specially for the occasion.

The party, which commenced with a song from Varma’s forthcoming project, Mast, was compered in colloquial Bambaiyya Hindi. Varma thanked his entire team for their efforts while addressing them at the party.

YOU ASKED IT

What is your new year resolution?

– To see at least fifteen hit and super-hit Hindi films in 1999. The best part of my resolution is that the industry has to try hard to make me fulfil my resolution!

When will Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai be released?

– In August this year, the month which will also see the release of Subhash Ghai’s TAAL.

Why has the C.P. Berar distributor (Narsingdas Laddha) relinquished the distribution rights of Aa Ab Laut Chalen?

– Because he is planning to close down his distribution office. He keeps very busy with his other business interests.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Even as the Ghapla hai song of Gulzar’s HU TU TU is gaining in popularity day by day, a controversy over its lyrics has arisen. When translated in English, the song amounts to saying that there is a scam in everything these days. One line of the song goes as Bank mein ghapla, LIC mein ghapla. The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has expressed its displeasure over the lyrics and objected to the song.

* Madanlal Chowdhury, the producer of SOMAWATI AMAVAS, died recently in Bombay. His film has been incomplete since 10 years and during this time, its director, K. Bharti, hero, Sheel Kumar, and music director, Hansraj Bahl, have died. The film’s heroine, Jaya Kaushalya, has since shifted to Switzerland. Another hero of the film, Shahi Kapoor (look-alike of Shashi Kapoor), is into hotel business.

Film Weather: 1998

♦ A total of 138 films were released during the year. Of them, less then 24 proved to be earners for their distributors.

♦ Kuch Kuch Hota Hai proved the most memorable hit of the year and one of the biggest blockbusters to-date. The other universal hits were Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Soldier. Ghulam and Satya proved runaway hits in Bombay and Maharashtra.

♦ Disasters of the year included Qila, Jeans (dubbed; the original Tamil version was a success), Prem Aggan, Doli Saja Ke Rakhna and Dil Se...

♦ Four songs — Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan, Aati kya Khandala, Kuch kuch hota hai and O O jaane jaana became veritable anthems of the country due to their hit music and catchy lyrics.

♦ Announcements and launchings of films were few due to the tight money market. A shortage of releases is likely to be felt in 1999.

♦ Many big producers refrained from showing their films to their distributors before release. Distributors were agitated but helpless.

♦ Shah Rukh Khan continued to be the topmost hero despite two flops he had. His Kuch Kuch Hota Hai proved to be a runaway hit. In the Overseas too, Shah Rukh is a phenomenon. A perfume of his name was launched in India to cash in on his popularity. Zeenat Aman is the only other star who had a perfume in her name. Among heroines, Kajol was the undisputed queen and was acclaimed for her memorable performances during the year. Salman Khan was the actor who delivered only hits during the year.

♦ The film industry was granted industry status in May by the BJP government at a national conference on ‘Challenges Before India Cinema’ held in Bombay on 10th May. But beyond the granting of the status, no advantages therefrom have accrued to the industry.

♦ Asha Parekh was appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification for three years. She succeeded Shakti Samanta and is the first lady to occupy the chair. Many in the industry felt that censorship had become difficult under her tenure.

♦ A print of Raghunath Singh’s Gunda was seized by the police on 15th September from a Bombay cinema. The film was allegedly being screened with uncensored portions. The police case is still on.

♦ For the film industry, 1998 was a year of controversies. And most of the controversies centred around censorship. To begin with, Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra – A Tale Of Love was held up at the CBFC last year (1997) and was finally cleared by the Bombay high court in December, ’97 but the CBFC issued a certificate to the film only on 21st January, ’98. The high court held that as per guidelines of the central government, the CBFC cannot censor visuals in dubbed versions of an already censored film. Since the original (English) version of Kama Sutra was censored on 9th October, 1997, the dubbed Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions too had to be cleared without effecting any cut in visuals, but the CBFC offered more cuts in the dubbed versions than in the English version. The Bombay high court clarified that the CBFC action was wrong. Deepa Mehta’s Fire was in the thick of a controversy after its release when Shiv Sena members attacked cinemas screening the film in Bombay and Delhi, claiming that the scenes of lesbianism shown in the film were against Indian culture. The I & B ministry then referred the film to the CBFC for re-examination. The film, however, continued to be screened in other parts of the country. In the meantime, Dilip Kumar, Javed Akhtar, Mahesh Bhatt and a few others petitioned the Supreme Court to order the film’s safe screening. Mahesh Bhatt’s Zakhm was cleared after a long censor battle as it dealt with Hindu-Muslim riots. The CBFC chairperson, Asha Parekh, referred the film to the home ministry. Amitabh Bachchan’s Major Saab, which had an army background, got into trouble of a different kind. The chief of the army staff refused to give the film clearance as it was felt, the Indian army had been shown in poor light in the film, and Bachchan had to make changes to suit the army’s demands.

♦ The Bombay film industry downed shutters for a day on 18th August to protest against the state government’s inaction in controlling cable piracy of Hindi films. A procession was taken out from Mehboob Studios to Azad Maidan and the trade-wallahs protested outside the offices of Siticable and In Cable, the two cable TV channels which show new films illegally. The Maharashtra government promised action against wrong-doers but the promises have remained just that.

♦ The Madhya Pradesh film industry also observed a day’s bandh on 1st September and took out a rally in Bhopal to protest against the state government’s apathy towards the film industry. An indefinite closure was planned from 17th September but was ultimately put off.

♦ For producers, satellite rights became such a lucrative territory that some of them minted money by selling the rights for telecasting before the stipulated period of five years from the date of theatrical release of a film. Ghulam, Satya, Gupt and Pardes were among the films which were telecast within months or a couple of years of their premiere release. Distributors of all the circuits raised their voice against this practice which is threatening to become a trend. Several distributors’ associations have proposed levying severe penalties on erring producers.

♦ Musically speaking, the year belonged to Jatin Lalit. Several hits and successful films had their names in the credit titles. Not only did the music director duo compose hit tunes in the biggest blockbuster of the year — Kuch Kuch Hota Hai — but their compositions also contributed in no small measure to the success of such films as Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha and Ghulam. Undoubtedly, they were the music directors of the year.

♦ Salman Khan was arrested in Jodhpur for alleged hunting and killing of endangered black bucks in October. He was granted bail after eight days. While the other artistes viz. Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, Sonali Bendre and Satish Shah, who were with him when he went hunting, were not put behind bars, a case under the Wildlife Act of 1972 is on against all of them. All the stars were in Jodhpur for the shooting of Rajshri’s Hum Saath Saath Hain.

♦ A cinema reopened in Srinagar on 7th August after almost 10 years. No cinema had been functioning in the Kashmir valley since 10 years due to terrorist activities.

♦ Majestic cinema in Calcutta was gutted in a fire on 3rd November. Fortunately, there were no casualties or else  it would have been as gruesome as Delhi’s Uphaar cinema fire tragedy of 1997.

♦ Three new cinemas — Cinestar, Movie Time and Cine Magic — opened in Bombay. A new cinema, Nupur, opened in Aurangabad.

♦ Entertainment tax in Uttar Pradesh was reduced from 125% to 100% from 14th September. Some other concessions were also granted. Similarly, entertainment tax in Rajasthan was reduced from 100% to 50% on low admission rates only.

♦ Tamil Nadu chief minister agreed to crack down on video pirates and to offer entertainment tax concessions to the tune of Rs. 40 crore.

♦ All production activities in West Bengal were suspended in September on a call given by the EIMPA due to non-cooperation and misbehaviour by a few artistes with some producers. The producers’ bandh lasted for about five weeks.

♦ Vinod Khanna won the Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab. Rajasthani film producer Prabha Thakur won a seat in the Lok Sabha from Ajmer.

♦ Satyajit Ray was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna on 1st March. G.P. Sippy was awarded the National Citizen’s award by president of India K.R. Narayanan. Leading Malayalam film actor Mammootty and veteran actress Zohra Sehgal received the Padma Shri awards. Dilip Kumar received the highest civilian award of the Pakistan government, the Nishan-i-Imtiaz, on 23rd March in Islamabad.

♦ 1998 will go down in box-office history as the year of English films in India. Hollywood blockbuster Titanic did titanic business in the country despite not being dubbed in Hindi. Two more English film made on a small scale — Hyderabad Blues and Bombay Boys — are doing wonderful business in India.

♦ Desh Re Joya Dada Pardesh Joya became the Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! of Gujarati cinema. The business of Govindbhai Patel’s maiden directorial venture has crossed 10 crore in Gujarat and Saurashtra and the film is expected to do 3 to 4 crore more. It proved a blockbuster in Overseas too. If Karan Johar was the Hindi film director of the year, Govindbhai was the Gujarati film director of 1998.

♦ Rajshri group entered the music world by starting a music company, Rajshri Music. Its first non-film album, ‘Yeh Hai Prem’, became a hit.

♦ Film Information completed 25 years on 6th October, 1998.

♦ Film Information organised a seminar on ‘Film Insurance — Trends & Prospects’ on 1st July in Bombay. It was attended by all the leading producers. Subhash Ghai, who was already negotiating with an insurance company for insuring his under-production Taal, finally took insurance policies for the film, its cast etc. Taal thereby became the first commercial Hindi film of Bollywood, to be insured.

♦ Pramod Mahajan took charge as the new Union minister for information & broadcasting in December. He succeeded Sushma Swaraj who gave up charge of the ministry when she was appointed chief minister of Delhi.

♦ The 29th International Film Festival of India was inaugurated on 10th January in New Delhi. Spanish director Carlos Saura’s Pajarico was the opening film. There was a competition section in the fete, for Asian directors. Director Wu Tianming’s The King Of Masks (China-Hong Kong) won the Golden Peacock while Morteza Mehranfar’s Paper Airplanes (Iran) bagged the Silver Peacock. Subhash Ghai’s Pardes was the opening film of the mainstream section of the IFFI and it won the jury’s special award.

♦ Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai won the National Award for the best film providing wholesome entertainment, and J.P. Dutta’s Border picked up the award for the best film on national integration. Karisma Kapoor bagged the best supporting actress award for the former film and Javed Akhtar, the best lyricist’s award for the latter film. Govind Nihalani’s Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa was adjudged the best Hindi film. Girish Kasaravalli’s Kannada film, Thai Saheb, won the Golden Lotus for the best film. Lyricist Pradeep was given the Dadasaheb Phalke award.

♦ Shekhar Kapur hit the jackpot once again after Bandit Queen, with his second international film, Elizabeth.

♦ Asha Bhosle’s hand prints were embossed in clay for display on the walls of Planet Hollywood, the prestigious theme restaurant run by Hollywood stars.

♦ Rajshri’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! had the distinction of being adapted for a stage-play by a foreign producer. The play opened in a London theatre on 11th November.

♦ As if the bad times through which the industry was passing all through the year weren’t enough, the year also snatched away several leading lights of the industry. Among those who expired in 1998 were actors Om Prakash, Lalita Pawar, Ajit, Mazhar Khan, Chaman Puri, Vishnukumar Vyas, Persis Khambatta, Shahid Bijnori, Ruhi Berde, music directors Laxmikant, Shambhu Sen, Raju Naik, music director and playback singer Aparesh Lahiri, lyricist Pradeep, writer-lyricist P.N. Sharma, playback singer Talat Mahmood, writer Agajani Kashmiri, directors Raghunath Jhalani, Ramesh Ahuja, Rajesh Vakil, Shaukat Hussein Rizvi, actor-producer-director Dada Kondke, producer-directors Ram Pahwa, Amarjeet, producers Prem Sethi, Vijay Sippy, writer-director Vishram Bedekar, writer-producer-director Tejnath Zar, action master Akbar Bakshi, cameramen Jaywant Pathare, Ramchandra Das, art director R.K. Handa, sound recordist H.D. Mistry, exhibitors Ram B.C., Sahadev Shah, Madhubhai Patel, Mamasaheb Pimple, distributor-exhibitor Chinubhai Shroff, distributor Ajay Goel and film agent P.D. Shroff.

Film Business In Nepal

Madhuri Dixit’s recent statement that Nepal was a part of India once upon a time, may have had the Nepalis protesting but as far as film circuits go, Nepal is not considered a part of the Overseas circuit; rather, a film is sold for Bihar-Nepal together. The Bihar distributor, in turn, sells the rights for Nepal to local distributors there. Of late, however, several Nepal distributors are keen on dealing directly with producers although the latter still have reservations about selling the Nepal distribution rights before the rights for Bihar are parted with.

OUTRIGHT SALE

The sale for Nepal is generally outright — that is to say, there’s no question of sharing of overflow with the producer if a film clicks in the territory of Nepal.

HINDI LANGUAGE

The country is small with a population of about 20 million only. On three sides, Nepal is surrounded by India and in the north, it has China as its neighbour. Culturally, it resembles Bihar (in India) a lot. The Himalayan snow-capped region constitutes 25% of Nepal, while 35% is covered by mountain ranges. The balance 40% is the terrain region. Except in the Himalayan and interior mountainous regions, Hindi language is not only well understood but it is also spoken by the people. About 70% of cinemas are located in the terrain region.

CINEMAS & CENTRES

Nepal has about 176 cinemas — 119 in towns and cities, and about 57 in villages. These 176 cinemas are spread over about 103 centres. There are 2 ‘AA’ class centres from where business of a hit film can be more than Nepali Rs. 3 lakh. There are about 26 cinemas in these 2 centres in Kathmandu valley. Centres like Birganj, Pokhara, Janakpur and Biratnagar yield shares of over 1 lakh each but less than 3 lakh and can be called ‘A’ class centres. There are in all 7 ‘A’ class centres. ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ class class centres are 17, 31 and 46 respectively and yield shares between Nepali Rs. 30,000 and 1 lakh (‘B’ class), between Nepali Rs. 5,000 and 25,000 (‘C’ class) and less than Nepali Rs. 5,000 (‘D’ class).

SUNDAY RELEASE

It is mainly Nepali and Hindi films which are released in Nepal. On an average, 20 Nepali films are made every year and the business of a hit could cross Nepali Rs. 50 lakh. Bhojpuri films are usually screened in small centres close to the Indian borders. Every year, about 75 to 80 Hindi films are imported into Nepal. Almost all big commercial Hindi films are released in Nepal simultaneously with their all-India release. Except for a handful of releases on Friday, Hindi films generally open there on Sundays which are working days in the country. The weekly off is on Saturday.

THREE SHOWS

Three shows are conducted daily — 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. There are no night shows held. On Saturdays, one extra show is conducted, in which students are charged at concessional rates.

POOR TECHNOLOGY

Surprisingly, technology hasn’t reached the theatres of Nepal. No cinema of the kingdom is equipped with modern sound systems. Why, there are very few cinemas which are even air-cooled!

RATIO

The ratio of Nepal is generally 5 to 6% of the price for Eastern circuit or 12 to 15% of Bihar (which includes one centre of Bihar viz. Raxaul).

A super-hit film can do a business of Nepali Rs. 30 lakh in Nepal. Three to four prints are generally taken out in the case of big films whereas one print suffices in the case of a small film.

HOT FAVOURITES

Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty are the most popular artistes in Nepal. No, the Khans are not as ‘hot’ in the kingdom whose people like simple but fast-paced love stories and action-oriented films.

NO CENTRAL PLACE

Although there are 118 listed distributors of Nepal, the prominent and regular ones number about 15. All the regular distributors are exhibitors too. Hence, exhibitors dominate the trade. There is no distribution centre like Naaz in Bombay, and the various deals are concluded on telephone. Some Indians also distribute films, working under the licence of Nepalese citizenship but of late, even they prefer selling Nepal rights than distributing films themselves.

NO COPYRIGHT LAW

The funny party is that no copyright laws exists in the kingdom to protect the rights of distributors of Hindi films. Any person can distribute the film after paying the customs fees. The government has nothing to do with the legal rights. Of course, there is an association — the Nepal Motion Picture Association — which regulates business more on ethical and moral grounds. The problem of screening of unauthorised prints is rampant there, too. Prints are smuggled from U.P., Delhi or other border areas after a week or two of a film’s theatrical release. The NMPA has three wings — production (Nepali films), distribution and exhibition.

REGISTRATION A MUST

For registration of a film with the NMPA, one has to submit the producer or world rights controller’s registration certificate/letter, the money receipt and the agreement. A film is not allowed to be released in the kingdom unless it is registered. Of course, unregistered films are released unauthorisedly.

DISTRIBUTORS KEEN TO DEAL WITH PRODUCERS

Actually, till two years back, distributors of Nepal used to acquire films from Bihar distributors, but with more and more cases of double-dealing, delayed deliveries and last-minute price hikes by Bihar distributors, Nepal distributors turned to Bombay producers and they prefer buying films directly from them. The current status is one of confusion. While Nepal distributors are keen to deal directly with Bombay producers, the latter feel safer to sell Bihar-Nepal together or, at least, Bihar before Nepal. The NMPA has been requesting producers to deal with Nepal distributors directly and has assured producers that in the case of any problems, it (NMPA) would mediate.

VIDEO & CABLE PIRACY

Because of the absence of copyright laws, illegal videos flood the Nepal market soon after a film’s theatrical release, and the latest films are also shown on cable TV almost immediately. But as in India, distributors watch this misuse of rights helplessly. The only difference is that in India, there are laws which are not implemented to protect one’s rights, while in Nepal, even laws do not exist.

FILM INFORMATION’S BESTS OF 1998

Best Film
KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI

Best Producer
YASH JOHAR
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Director
KARAN JOHAR
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Actor
SHAH RUKH KHAN
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Actress
KAJOL
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Supporting Actor
MANOJ BAJPAI
(Satya)

Best Supporting Actress
RANEE MUKERJI
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Villain
ASHUTOSH RANA
(Dushman)

Best Comedian
JOHNY LEVER
(Jab Pyaar Kisise…)

Best Story
KARAN JOHAR
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Screenplay
KARAN JOHAR
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Dialogue
KAMLESH PANDEY & N. CHANDRA
(Wajood)

Best Music Director
A.R. RAHMAN
(Dil Se..)

Best Lyricist
ANAND BAKSHI
(Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai)

Best Song
CHHAIYYAN CHHAIYYAN
(Dil Se..)
AATI KYA KHANDALA
(Ghulam)

Best Playback Singer (Male)
SUKHWINDER SINGH
(Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan – Dil Se..)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
LATA MANGESHKAR
(Jiya Jale – Dil Se..)

Best Background Score
SANDEEP CHOWTA
(Satya)

Best Action Director
TINNU VERMA
(Salaakhen)

Best Sound
SONA CHOUDHARY
(Satya)

Best Publicity
PYAAR TO HONA HI THA & JAB PYAAR…

Best Cinematographer
ASHOK KUMAR
(Jeans)

Best Choreographer
FARAH KHAN
(Chhaiyyan Chhaiyyan – Dil Se..)

Best Editor
APOORVA BHANU
(Satya)

Best Female Newcomer
PREITY ZINTA
(Dil Se.. & Soldier)

Best Child Actor
Master PARZAN DASTUR
(Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)

Best Climax
DOLI SAJA KE RAKHNA
(Priyadarshan)

Best Scene
Shah Rukh & Kajo’s meeting after 8 years,
at the summer camp in Simla in
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Distributor of the year
G.D. MEHTA
(Bobby Art International, Delhi – Films released:
Kama Sutra, PKTDK, Major Saab, Bandhan, Soldier, Fire)

CLASSIFICATION
(Total 138 films, including 30 dubbed films)

AAA (Super-Duper Hit)

KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI

AA (Hit)

–

A1 (Hit)

PYAAR TO HONA HI THA (‘AA‘ in Bombay)
PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA (‘AA‘ in Bombay)
SOLDIER (‘AA’ in East Punjab)

A (Semi-Hit)

BANDHAN (‘A1’ in several circuits)
DULHE RAJA (‘AA‘ in Bihar)

BB (Overflow)

JAB PYAAR KISISE HOTA HAI
GHULAM (‘AA‘ in Bombay)
BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN
FIRE (dubbed)
MAUT
MURDA
MIYAN BIVI AUR WOH (dubbed)

B1 to BB (Commission-Earner to Overflow)

MAJOR SAAB (‘A’ in Delhi-U.P.)
KAMA SUTRA – A TALE OF LOVE (dubbed)
AUNTY NO. 1
RATREE MILAN (dubbed)

B1 (Commission-Earner)

SATYA (‘AA‘ in Bombay and C.P. Berar and losing in several circuits)
SPEED 2 (Ab Samandar Pe; dubbed)
DO NUMRI

B to B1 (Coverage to Commission-Earner)

TOMORROW NEVER DIES (dubbed)
CHANDAAL

B (Coverage)

GHARWALI BAHARWALI (losing in some circuits)
MARD
SHAITANI AATMA
SHER-E-HINDUSTAN
GUNDA
ARMAGEDDON (dubbed)

THE REST

………..

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Bolder Or Tougher?

For all the CBFC’s claims of becoming more liberal and all that, the facts speak otherwise. A cursory look at the films released last year reveals that 1998 saw an awfully high number of films certified in the ‘A’ and the ‘UA’ categories. Out of the 138 films released in 1998, as many as 64 films (46.38% of the total) were given ‘A’ certificates while 44 (31.88%) were given ‘UA’ certificates. Only 30 films (21.74%) were shown to unrestricted audience. The question that arises is whether our filmmakers are getting bolder or the CBFC is getting tougher?

All For The Item’s Sake

In our industry, the moment someone succeeds in something different, others follow suit. Take the case of Aamir Khan lending his voice to the Aati kya Khandala song in Ghulam. Ever since the song became a rage among the masses, we hve been hearing of several producers and directors trying to ape its success by having their stars to render songs in their voices for their films. So, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that producer-director Vimal Kumar is also planning to have a song recorded in the voices of the artistes of his Rajaji. Govinda, Raveena Tandon and Satish Kaushik will sing for Rajaji a song, penned by Gufi Paintal. The item song has lyrics like Apun ka item (!!) and it will be set to tune by Surya Kamal, who, incidentally, is the son of veteran composer Raj Kamal.

Aa Ab Dub Karen!

While Suman Ranganathan’s dialogues in Rishi Kapoor’s Aa Ab Laut Chalen have finally been dubbed — by TV actress Simone Singh — it would interest readers to know that television VJ Ruby Bhatia (who has an accent as was required for Suman’s character) demanded a few lakhs of rupees to dub for Suman! Actress Neelam, who also has a phoren accent, politely declined to try out her voice, saying that she found dubbing too tiresome.

Andar Baahar

It was a scene straight out of a Hindi film. Four men, armed with revolvers, barged into an office on the 3rd floor of Naaz Building in Bombay on 28th December. The driver of a distributor-exhibitor, who was standing in the lobby, was slapped by one of the group of four gangsters. A lady in the office was pushed and manhandled. A couple of other trade people sitting in the nearby office, were also pushed. The gangsters demanded to know where a particular person, who they identified with a name, was. But the fact is that nobody by that name works in the office into which they entered. As fast as they had come into the office, the foursome went out without any plausible rhyme or reason. Maybe, they realised, they were at the wrong place. Or maybe, they feared, someone may have alerted the police. Or maybe….. well, it could be anything. But the fact is that nothing seriously untoward happened.

Making A Mountain Out Of A Mole-Hill

It is really strange that the Nepali nationals should have taken so much offence at an innocuous mistake committed by Madhuri Dixit. The actress, at a recent press conference in Kathmandu, said that Nepal was a part of India earlier. This statement irked the Nepalis and some of them even took out a procession in protest! Perhaps, what must have prompted Madhuri, a student of science, to err in her history is the fact that Bihar territory in filmi parlance includes Nepal too. Or maybe, it was a plain misconception. Whatever the reason for the mistake, the reaction of the Nepalis seems to be more outrageous than the action of the actress.

Bhaago Bhoot Aaya

Bhoot, Bhootni, Bhoot Raaj, Bhoot Bhootni Aur Shaitan, Bhoot Ki Shaadi, Kunwara Bhoot, Ichhadhari Bhoot… These are only a few of the — hold your breath! — forty-odd Hindi horror films that are being made at present. Even if half of these films manage to find a release this year, we may well have a bonanza of ghost-stories. Quite a ‘horror’scope for the new year, eh? Consider yourself warned…..

Truly Speaking

The perfect way to celebrate the silver jubilee of Satya last Saturday (26th December) at Taj Mahal Hotel would have been to make an underworld don the chief guest. Invitees should not have been greeted with handshakes but rather with swear-words, slaps and fisticuffs. The dinner menu should have had items like Ghoosa (instead of Ghost), Mukka (instead of Makkai), Jhaapat (instead of Jhinga Kadi), Laafa (in place of Lobster), Thappad (in place of Papad) etc. And dessert should have been only Supari. So that Ramgopal Varma could have said: “Maine guests ko supari di hai.”

‘KAMA SUTRA’ GOES TO COURT

R. Mohan, who holds the all-India distribution rights of Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra, has filed a writ petition against the decision of the CBFC, which has offered additional cuts in its dubbed versions (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu). The English version, cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, was issued certificate by the CBFC earlier, but its three dubbed versions have been offered new cuts.

The petition will come on board once the courts reopen after Diwali vacations in the first week of November.

‘QAHAR’ POSTPONED

Raj Kumar Kohli’s Qahar, which was scheduled for release on 14th November, has been postponed by two to four weeks. The postponement has been necessitated due to the CBFC’s objection to the Junglee kabootar song in the film, reportedly due to Maneka Gandhi’s crusade against cruelty to animals. According to Kohli, “Although there is no cruelty whatsoever to the pigeon, we can’t fight with the CBFC. It they don’t see reason in our arguments, we will have to change the picturisation of the song. Hence the postponement.”

RAMESH TAURANI FREED ON BAIL

Ramesh Taurani, who was in judicial custody in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, was granted bail by the Bombay high court on 23rd October.

RUMI JAFRI WEDS

Writer Rumi Jafri got married to Hannan on 24th October at Apostolic Carmel High School, Bandra, Bombay. A reception to celebrate the marriage will be held this evening (25th) at Andheri Sports Complex.

Cable TV, Satellite Rights Are Separate: Bombay High Court

In a significant judgement by the Bombay high court on 21st October, satellite broadcasting rights have been held to be different and distinct from cable TV rights. Film rights can, therefore, be sold separately to the various television delivery systems like cable, terrestrial and video, the court has ruled.

Mr. Justice A.V. Sakhre, while disposing of a number of suits involving various cable TV operators on the one hand and satellite rights holders linked to Zee on the other, ruled that video rights cannot include all modes of exploitation where video cassettes are used since they (video cassettes) are merely one form of storage device.

The judgement is likely to go a long way in introducing a semblance of order in the chaotic film industry. The notices of motion of the various cable TV operators having been dismissed, the court seems to have upheld the arguments of the holders of satellite rights that mere purchase of video rights does not cover other forms of broadcast.

In one group of suits, some cable TV operators, who were holding the video rights of Bees Saal Baad and Mera Dharam, were claiming that the satellite broadcasting rights, which had been purchased by Zee Telefilms, also belonged to them. In another set of cases, Zee, which holds the satellite rights of Laawaris and Muqaddar Ka Sikander, had got a stay against ATM and others who held the video rights, from using the video rights separately as satellite rights.

In a recent controversy, both, the Hinduja-owned cable TV channel, CVO, and Zee Cinema aired Manoj Kumar’s Kranti on 15th August at the same time. Manoj Kumar had reportedly sold the satellite rights to Zee Cinema, while he had separately sold the cable TV rights to the Hindujas in 1984. As per the present Bombay high court judgement, it will now be perfectly in order for Manoj Kumar or any other producer to sell cable TV and satellite rights separately.

YOU ASKED IT

What is the most disturbing change you have noticed in the film industry from last Diwali to this?

– Distributors have begun to feel a sense of being let down by producers.

I want to produce an ‘A’ grade film and I have a capital of Rs. 1 crore. How should I start?

– With a capital of just a crore, you should not even be dreaming of producing a film, what to talk of actually producing a film. You should have at least 3 to 4 crore or arrangement for the same to venture into production today.

Is Amitabh Bachchan starring in J.P. Dutta’s next alongwith Sunil Shetty and Akshaye Khanna?

– J.P. Dutta has not finalised the cast of his next film.

MIX MASALA

DTS IN NAAZ

Naaz cinema, which houses almost all distribution offices of Bombay, may not have been upgraded as far as its sound quality is concerned. That is to say, it does not have Dolby or Dolby DTS sound. But there are at least two DTS distributors in Naaz. What’s a DTS distributor, you might ask. Well, the first DTS distributor is Devendra T. Shah because his initials are D-T-S. The other DTS is Dilip Dhanwani. DTS in his case stands for ‘Distributor in T-shirts’. Yes, Dilip is the only distributor who always sports a T-shirt.

INCORRECT PUBLICITY

Many people feel, the publicity of Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi went against the film. The heavy Sumo wrestler was publicised so heavily that people thought, he would have a substantial role or, at least, an important role. But in the film, the wrestler appears in only the climax, that too, for a short while. One publicity design of the film showed Akshay Kumar lying on top of the wrestler (who himself is lying down) and Juhi Chawla lying on top of Akshay. Another design showed Akshay and Juhi tugging at the wrestler’s underwear. This gave the impression, to kids especially, that the film would have comedy done by the wrestler. But it wasn’t so. May be, wrong publicity was responsible for Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi missing the bus.

Oh! Our Poor Stars

Our stars are the poorest people in the industry. Producers have money, distributors have it too, and so do exhibitors. Technicians are moneyed people but our stars — they are really poor. Don’t believe me? Then answer these simple questions:

(1) Why do many of our artistes take their families and friends on outdoor schedules of their films at the producer’s expense? Why do the family members and friends stay in the five-star hotel booked by the producer, eat food paid for by the producer, and even ask for cars to be arranged by the producer when they need to go shopping to buy rich clothes, jewellery, art items etc.? No, no, don’t misunderstand. I said, the stars are poor, not their families. These family members and friends also drink the liquor of the producer and romance on STD calls paid for by the producer. Would any hero or heroine take any of his friend on a foreign shooting schedule if a producer were not to pay for the friend’s air travel, stay, wining and dining? Forget it, most of them wouldn’t.

(2) Why do stars (many of them) charge petrol money from producers? Poor things, they can’t afford petrol in their Mercedes, Volkswagens, Pajeros and the other fancy imported cars they possess.

(3) Or why do the stars ask their drivers and other personal staff to take conveyance money and other allowances from the producer? Isn’t it sad, our stars are hardly any better than our poor who live below the poverty line. The only difference is that the stars themselves don’t beg, they have employees (like drivers, attendants, spot boys etc.) who are asked to beg. Yes, I call it begging because if the stars, who charge the producer crores, can’t pay in hundreds to their personal staff or can’t fuel up their personal cars, it is actually worse than begging.

(4) Have you ever heard of other professionals asking their assistants to charge small expenditure like conveyance, to the person to whom they are rendering their services? For example, a lawyer will never tell you to pay petrol money to his driver, or a doctor will not expect you to give conveyance money to his compounder. Then why the stars who earn much more?

Why do most stars behave as if they are obliging a producer by signing his film? After all, they are not working for free. And why do producers always have to bend backwards to please their artistes? Producers need to come out of this star-created system which forces them to expend lakhs of rupees which, by no stretch of imagination or business prudence, should be expended by them. The hero/heroine/ character artiste has been signed for the film, not his/her family members or friends nor even his car, driver or spot boy. If the artiste feels like carting his friends or aunts, uncles and cousins along to an outdoor location, fine. But tell him, Mr. Producer, that along with the big jingbang, he must not forget to carry his wallet or credit card.

After all, the artistes must be given lessons in the art of spending money. The producer who does it first shall do a great service to the industry.

– Komal Nahta

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

‘A’ Bad Year

Bombay distributors Raju Bhagde and Achal Agarwal (of Art Home) have made an interesting observation. According to them, 1997 has been particularly unlucky for people with mesh rashi i.e. those names beginning with ‘A’, ‘E’ or ‘I’. They quote examples: Amitabh Bachchan whose comeback in Mrityudaata bombed; Akshay Kumar whose career is passing through an all-time low (Lahoo Ke Do Rang, Insaaf, Daava, Tarazu and Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi), …Aur Pyar Ho Gaya which bombed, IRK Films (Bombay distributors of …Aur Pyar Ho Gaya), Ajay Devgan, Itihaas, A.A. Nadiadwala (Lahoo Ke Do Rang), Akshaye Khanna (Mohabbat), Aishwarya Rai (…Aur Pyar Ho Gaya), Ahuja Films (Bombay distributors or Tarazu), Ayub Selia (Thane distributor or Tarazu), Achal Agarwal himself, who has been passing through a professional low. So much so that films released in ‘A’ months — April (Himalay Putra, Kaun Sachcha Kaun Jhootha, Koyla, Mrityudaata) and August (Daud, …Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, Prithvi, Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Tarazu) also bombed with the exception of Ziddi (April) and Pardes (August). To this list, we would add ABC Enterprises, Jaipur (which released Daud and Mrityudaata in Rajasthan). The only exception, perhaps, is Anil Kapoor who has had a particularly fantastic year (Judaai, Virasat and Deewana Mastana).

Music Industry: Out Of Tune

1997 has been a bad year for at least three leading ‘T’ music companies — T-Series (Super Cassettes), Tips and Time. While Gulshan Kumar, the boss of T-Series, was killed on 12th August ’97, Tips boss Ramesh Taurani was taken into police custody in connection with that murder. Dhirubhai Shah of Time was arrested under COFEPOSA. Besides the above ‘T’ companies, two ‘B’ music companies — Big B and BMB — shut their operations. Little wonder then that the music industry is in a bad shape. It’s like the music industry is suffering from TB.

Surprise Visitor

The unit of N.N. Sippy’s Silsila Hai Pyar Ka had a surprise celebrity visitor on the sets at Convent Villa on 21st October. Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn visited the set but since she dropped in unannounced, there was none of the customary welcome. “In fact, we were caught unawares,” gushed a visibly thrilled associate producer Pravesh Sippy as he recalled, “A fleet of imported cars came to a halt outside Convent Villa where we were shooting that day, and in walked this foreigner. It took us some seconds before it registered that none other than Goldie Hawn had come on the sets.” Goldie discussed her directorial venture with Pravesh and revealed that she was in India for a film she was making on spiritual gurus. She was thrilled to know that Pravesh Sippy and his co-associate producer, Prem Pillai, had watched her on the Jay Leno show on NBC channel. Goldie Hawn was excited to learn that the director of the film she was watching the shooting of was a lady, Shrabani Deodhar. And then the two ladies discussed direction too. Karisma Kapoor was floored when Goldie Hawn said, she knew her as Bollywood’s no. 1 heroine of the day. The Hollywood actress asked Karisma about the songs and dances she (Karisma) was so famous for. Well, the only disappointed person from the unit was producer N.N. Sippy himself. For, while Goldie Hawn was hobnobbing with his unit members, N.N. Sippy was busy elsewhere at an urgent meeting.

No Brother

Thanks to Pahlaj Nihalani postponing his Bhai Bhai to 14th November, we will now have just one Bhai — that of Deepak Shivdasani — releasing on Diwali. But in Nizam circuit, Diwali will be a Bhai-less affair! That is to say, even Bhai will not hit the screens there. Although Dilip Tandon (Indra Films, Secunderabad) will take delivery of Bhai alongwith the all-India distributors next week, he will release the film only on 7th November. Reason: non-availability of a proper chain. Here in Bombay, Bhai Bhai had been scheduled for release at New Excelsior as the main cinema. With it being postponed, it is Bhai now, which will be released on Diwali at New Excelsior, besides Dreamland, another main cinema. T

Business In Bihar

Believe it or not but Hanif Sameer’s Sanam, which bombed everywhere, has done fantastic business in Bihar. …….And the business of Salim’s Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat in Bihar is almost as much as that of Border in the same territory!

Matinee Picnic

DDLJ has celebrated its golden jubilee at Bombay’s Maratha Mandir in matinee shows. Today (on October 25), it has completed exactly one year of its run at Maratha Mandir. The film completed 50 weeks at New Excelsior, Bombay, and was shifted to Sachinam thereafter, where it ran for 3 weeks. It was then shifted to Maratha Mandir in matinee shows. Since it is tax-free and also because admission rates in matinee shows are low otherwise too, there are many people who don’t mind repeating the film for just viewing a song or two or, say, for seeing the first half. Yes, people come in and go out when they please as if they were on a picnic, and on any given day, there are many people seeing the film only partly. That’s the advantage of having repeat value in a film — an advantage that can be heightened if the film is tax-free and if admission rates are low. From Maratha Mandir alone, the distributor has got a share of over 18 lakh in one year. And the film can go on running for many more weeks still.

Govinda-Akshay Face-To-Face: History Repeats Itself

Like Deewana Mastana and Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi, both directed by David Dhawan, were released on the same day (10th October), there were two films of director Kishore Vyas also, which were released on one day. They were Jawaharlal Bafna’s Bhabhi and Ramesh Ludhiani’s Dancer, released on 23rd August, 1991. The coincidence is that even then, it was a clash of a Govinda-Juhi starrer (Bhabhi) with an Akshay Kumar starrer (Dancer), like Deewana Mastana (Govinda-Juhi with Anil Kapoor) and Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi (Akshay Kumar). And like at present, it was Govinda’s film which had scored over Akshay’s even then. Moral of the story: Akshay Kumar should plan his releases in such a way that he doesn’t clash with Govinda if the directors of the two films are the same.

CINEMA BANDH MAKES INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The cinema closure in Bombay, the nerve-centre of the largest film industry in the world, and in the rest of Maharashtra has made international news. Your editor was telephonically interviewed on the topic by BBC London for BBC World News (telecast on 8th January), by BBC Radio, by BBC Radio (Hindi) and by German Radio.

Cinema Closure In Maharashtra
Election Code Causes Stalemate
Govt. Goes Back On Its Word

The Maharashtra cinema closure entered its eleventh day today, with no early settlement in sight. A stalemate has developed over the issue of entertainment tax concession, which is the cause of closure, due to the applicability of the election model code of conduct in Maharashtra, which makes it impossible for the government to grant any concession, relief or benefit to anybody while it (code of conduct) is effective. The code has come into force from 9th January, ’97 and will remain in operation till 5th March, ’97 in view of the impending elections to nine municipal corporations, 30 municipal councils and 319 panchayat samitis. Technically, therefore, even if the government wants to give some relief to the industry, it cannot do so now until 5th March, ’97. No announcement or implementation of concessions or reductions can be made during this period, according to state election commissioner D.N. Chaudhary. Since the office of the state election commissioner is created under the constitution of India, it is an autonomous one. D.N. Chaudhary’s interpretation is thus absolute and the government can have no recourse to move in the matter.

It is a different thing thought that the government is not in a mood to grant any concessions or even extend the earlier concessional rate of entertainment tax of 50%. In fact, the action committee of the film industry (ACFI) met Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Pramod Navalkar on 6th January and submitted proposals to him on the granting of which they would call off the closure. The industry leaders and Navalkar arrived at a consensus formula whereby the 50% rate of entertainment tax would be maintained in case of nett admission rates upto Rs. 40, 62.5% tax would be charged for nett admission rates over Rs. 40 and upto Rs. 60, and 100% tax would be levied on nett admission rates in excess of Rs. 60. This consensus formula was to have been passed in the cabinet meeting the following day (7th January) after which the cinema closure was to have been called off. But the industry got a shock when the cabinet rejected the said proposal agreed upon by Navalkar himself.

The action committee’s hopes of reopening the cinemas from 8th January were thus shattered. Even as it decided to continue the stir with renewed vigour in view of the government’s apathy, came the news of the election code of conduct.

In the meantime, cinemas in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, which did not fall in line with the cinemas in the rest of the state, are continuing to function even now. They are collecting entertainment tax at the new rate of 100% from 1st January, 1997.

Meanwhile, the cinema stir took a curious turn on 8th January with cinema employees owing allegiance to the Mumbai Labour Union alleging that cinemas made substantial profit even as cinema owners have declared that they would be forced to shut down if entertainment tax concession was not granted.

The workers complained that while cinemas raked in money, workers’ salaries were abysmally low. About 30 workers staged a dharna near Mantralaya to press their demands for more wages.

The action committee, on its part, dismissed the dharna as a failure and described it as more of an effort to gain some foothold in the labour movement and to prove its (Mumbai Labour Union’s) existence. According to a press release of the ACFI, workmen of 60 cinemas in Bombay are members of the Theatre Employees Union (TEU) which has appreciated that the ongoing agitation will even benefit their employees, and has assured the action committee of their full support to the cinema closure.

The press release also clarifies that salaries of all cinema employees were being paid during the closure and that no permanent employees had been retrenched or dismissed, as being made out in a section of the press.

Opinion is divided about whether the cinema closure should now be continued or not in view of the election code of conduct. Confusion prevails in the industry over the exact current position. From what the state election commissioner has stated (read box printed separately on this page), there should now be no room for confusion.

Well-known Marathi film producer Satish Kulkarni told Information, “We must open our eyes and take cognisance of the ground realities. The industry would do well to admit that no benefit can come from the government till March 5. There is, therefore, no sense in continuing the closure.” On the other hand, Satara exhibitor Kanhaiyalal Navandhar (Radhika cinema), feels, the closure should continue even though no relief can be granted till 5th March. Says he, “If the industry calls off the closure, it will in effect be accepting the rate of 100% entertainment tax and once it does so, it will be closing its doors to relief of any kind for the next 10 years. That will be suicidal.”

N.N. Sippy and Balkrishna Shroff maintained that the industry was not seeking any relief, it was just asking for status quo to be maintained and, therefore, the election code of conduct was not applicable to the industry. According to them, status quo would mean a 50% tax rate as before 1st January, 1997.

In the meantime, a delegation of distributors and exhibitors of C.P. Berar called on Maharashtra finance minister Khadse in Jalgaon on 10th January and pleaded for a concession in tax. He gave a patient hearing to the delegation which included S.K. Surana and Mahendra Lunkad and promised to arrive at a consensus formula. Khadse is expected in Bombay on 13th January when the members of the action committee are likely to meet him.

According to CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain, “Mr. Khadse reportedly asked the delegation to reopen the cinemas and pay 100% entertainment tax in view of the government’s inability to grant reliefs due to the election code of conduct.”

EFFORTS TO END STALEMATE ON

Even as the stalemate over the Maharashtra cinema closure continues, members of the action committee of the film industry (ACFI) are busy meeting ministers and other politicians in the state to arrive at some settlement. They called on BJP’s Bombay unit president Kirit Somaiya on 10th January to apprise him of the situation. Efforts were also being made to contact Maharashtra deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde.

In the meantime, FMC president G.P. Shirke met Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray on 9th January to seek his mediation to end the impasse. It is reported that Thackeray has asked chief minister Manohar Joshi to approach the state election commission and seek clarification regarding the demands of the cinema owners, and convince it of the need to end the deadlock despite the election code of conduct. According to Shirke, Bal Thackeray was in favour of 50% entertainment tax.

INCORRECT INTERPRETATION

There is a general feeling in the film industry that the election code of conduct in Maharashtra does not apply to the entertainment tax relief sought by the film industry since the industry is not asking for a new concession or relief but rather for an extension of the prevailing concession. But this is not correct.

The prevailing rate of entertainment tax with effect from 1st January, 1997 is 100%, and not 50%, as assumed by those who feel that the code does not apply to the industry. So what the industry is asking for from the government is a concession. Had the code come into force before 31st December, it would not be applicable in the case of entertainment tax on cinema admission till 31st December because till that date, the rate of tax was 50%. In that case, the government could have extended the 50% tax rate without attracting the provisions of the code of conduct. But even in that case, further relief, as being demanded by the industry (25% entertainment tax), could not have been granted.

In any case, until the code of conduct remains applicable (till March 5, 1997), no relief can be forthcoming from the government,unless, of course, an exception is made in the case of the cinema industry.

What The State Election Commissioner Has To Say

Film Information contacted the Maharashtra state election commissioner, D.N. Chaudhary, on telephone on 10th January for his comments on the reliefs sought by the film industry in entertainment tax.

According to Chaudhary, “No reduction or relief or concession in entertainment tax can be given by the government under the election code of conduct.” When asked to comment on the industry’s views that they were not seeking any concession but were only asking for the same rate of tax as existed, D.N. Chaudhary said, “The 50% rate of tax was in force, it is not presently in force. From 1st January, ’97, the rate of entertainment tax is 100%, and so any rate less than 100% would amount to a relief or concession. How then can the industry claim that it is not seeking a relief? And if it isn’t a relief, the government would have to explain so to the election commission.”

When asked about a report in a section of the press on 10th January that Bal Thackeray had asked Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi to approach the state election commission and seek clarification regarding the demands of the striking cinema owners and somehow convince it of the need to end the deadlock, D.N. Chaudhary replied curtly, “Nobody has contacted me.” When further queried whether a settlement/relief was a possibility if the chief minister approached him, Chaudhary declined to comment. When pressed further for his reply, he said a trifle irritated, “Why should I talk in the air?”

D.N. Chaudhary summed up the discussion by saying that the industry must wake up to the realities and appreciate that no relief can be granted till 5th March, 1997.

Need of the Hour: Unity

So now what? This is the question uppermost in all minds, not only in Maharashtra but all over India. The industry has reached a dead-end, at least till March 5. It seems to have come to a no-win situation. Of course, miracles never cease and, you never know, the state election commissioner just might grant permission to give reliefs to the film industry in the matter of entertainment tax even while the election code of conduct is applicable until March 5, 1997. Or will he?

The exact position should be clear in a couple of days more. If no concession is forthcoming from the government, it may not really be practical to continue with the closure till 5th March. A better idea may be to reopen cinemas without further delay and, of course, pay entertainment tax at the enhanced rate of 100%. But the industry can make its stand clear that cinemas would once again down shutters after March 5, if the government did not give it substantial reliefs. And at that time, the erring Marathwada exhibitors could also be asked to support the bandh.

An alternative to this would be to continue with the closure but this is fraught with dangers. There is the risk of small exhibitors losing patience and threatening to reopen their cinemas. If they do so, it will be too embarrassing for the industry and, in that case, their dreams of obtaining reliefs from the government would undoubtedly be shattered.

The action committee should call an emergency general meeting of all exhibitors and distributors of Maharashtra to decide the future course of action. Small exhibitors would have a lot to say in this meeting and their words will carry a lot of weight.

Anyway, whatever is to be done, must be decided once and for all and soon. Nothing should be left ambiguous. For, ambiguity can be one sure cause of the industry’s unity starting to show cracks. And while the industry can, in the extreme case, afford to pay even 100% entertainment tax, what it cannot afford under any circumstances is to become disunited. Unity is the need of the hour, unity at any cost, at all cost.

– Komal Nahta

GOVERNMENT’S BLUFF

The 50% concession in entertainment tax in Maharashtra was given by the Congress government in September ’94. When it was first given, it was for one year. This concession was renewed for a further period of one year in September ’95 by the Shiv Sena-BJP government.

It is rather strange that the Shiv Sena-BJP government is now giving press statements that the concession was given to the industry for just one year as a cinema centenary gift, because it was never mentioned in 1994 that the concession was a gift, centenary or otherwise.

Cinema celebrated its centenary in 1995 and 1996, and it sounds strange that the government may have given a gift before the centenary year even started! Further, one wonders how the Shiv Sena-BJP government can term the concession granted by the Congress government, as a centenary gift when the latter never described it as such while granting it.

Is the Sena-BJP government just looking for an excuse to not renew the concession? Your guess is as good as ours. But the least the government could have done was to have come up with a more plausible and believable excuse, not a lame one like this, which on the face of it looks false.

THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF INDIAN FEATURE FILMS CERTIFIED DURING 1996

Social/Crime 625
Action/Thriller/Stunt 12
Horror 10
Devotional 08
Mythological 07
Children’s 05
Historical 04
Fantasy 03
Comedy 02
Political 02
Adventure 01
Legendary 01
Biographical 01
Social-comedy 01
Social-mythological 01
Total 683

INDORE DIARY

””• In every office of C.I., there’s one common discussion — that of the sky-rocketing prices of films. Distributors in the Film Colony of Indore wonder where these prices will stop. In the alternative, they will have to stop buying films, they say.

• The Kapoors of Bharti Film Distributors have almost stopped buying new films because they find the prices too prohibitive. Their last major release was DDLJ. Says veteran Laxminarayanji Kapoor, “We’ve distributed about 750 films in 48 years, but the prices today are beyond our comprehension.”

• The Tolani family is passionate about its business, as is evident from the money they’ve spent on their twin cinemas, Sapna and Sangeeta. Despite dad Arjundas Tolani and illustrious sons Sanjay and Rajiv being stationed in Bombay, the cinemas are well-maintained and are the most sought-after for prestigious films. Impeccable sound system is another hallmark of the cinemas which have a huge common lobby. Raja Hindustani is in its 8th week at Sapna and, believe it or not, all shows so far have been house-full! O.P. Goyal, who controls the cinemas, is constantly on the lookout for quality films to match the quality of the cinemas!

• The CCCA’s Film Bhawan is a big building which reminds of the ceiling penalty which had been imposed by the CCCA on its erring distributor-members. The penalty generated enough funds for the building so that it ought to be rightly called ‘Ceiling Bhawan’ or, better still, ‘Penalty Bhawan’. The CCCA has rented out a good portion of the Bhawan to a hospital and earns handsomely every month. There’s an open land at the backside of the building which may soon house a club etc.

• The Cine Club of Indore is the best thing about the Indore trade. It is a meeting place for distributors, exhibitors and bookers, and the camaraderie among the members has made it achieve an enviable place for itself in the trade. President Ashutosh Shukla, fondly called Chhota Pahelwaan, organised a function of the Cine Club on 6th January to felicitate Komal Nahta and Gautam Mutha of Film Information and Vinod Mirani of Box-Office. J.P. Chowksey, Ratanlal Garg, Ramesh Sureka, Govind Acharya (Rajshri), O.P. Goyal, Joharilal Jhanjharia and Ashutosh Shukla made brief speeches.

• Sunil Enterprises, Indore, has reason to celebrate. Not only has its Raja Hindustani surpassed DDLJ wherever it is running, it is also ahead of HAHK..! so far. The concern’s next is Hero No. 1.

• The biggest buyers of 1997 in C.I. are undoubtedly Shri Bableshwar Films. The Advani brothers have for release such big films as Itihas, Ishq, Maharaja, Deewana Mastana, Karobaar, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya…. In fact, the new year began on a lucky note for Sunil Kumar Advani when his wife delivered a baby boy on 1st January at 1.26 a.m.

• Hemant Vyas has come a long way. Starting out as manager of Darshan Sabharwal’s distribution office, Hemant ventured into independent distribution by buying small films. Today, Hemant is as big as the big films he buys. He released Sabse Bada Khiladi and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi recently. He has just acquired Venus’ Mela.

• J.P. Chowksey has left behind his unlucky days. He was lucky in Prem Granth and now, his Maachis is doing record business. It is expected to do over 30 lakhs in C.I.

• Jitendra Jain has ably trained his son, Bittu, who now manages the show at Sanman Films. The concern has been lucky in their deals with ABCL (Bandit Queen, Bombay, Tere Mere Sapne).

• Ashok Chaudhary of B.R.A. Enterprises considers the Maharashtra cinema closure a blessing in disguise because his Judwaa has had to be postponed due to the bandh. In the meantime, the music of Judwaa has really caught on.

– Gautam Mutha

DEEWANA MASTANA

M.K.D. Films Combine’s Deewana Mastana is a laugh-riot about two guys who love the same girl. While one tries to woo the girl (who is a psychiatrist) by holding himself out to be a multi-millionaire, the other feigns mental imbalance so that he can come close to her by becoming her patient. No sooner do the two realise that the other is his competitor, the game of one-upmanship between them begins. This leads to hilarious situations and funny incidents. The ending is totally unexpected and even though it would have not, in normal circumstances, gone down well with the audience, it is so unexpected that not only will the audience accept it but even enjoy the unconventional ending.

There are a few weak points too in the film. For one, there is hardly any movement in the drama and, after a point of time, the story becomes stagnant. The film begins with a guy trying to woo a girl and this wooing by him and the other guy goes on till the very end. It is as if an episode of a drama has been stretched too far. Secondly, and because of the above, there is a lot of repetition in the proceedings. Nevertheless, the feeling with which one leaves the cinema hall is one of joy.

Anil Kapoor does well but since there are two heroes, comparisons are bound to be made. And in comparison to Anil, it is Govinda who is the real scene stealer. Govinda has an extraordinary sense of timing and complements this with an absolutely effortless performance which will be adored by the audience. Of the two roles too, it is Govinda who has a meatier one. Juhi Chawla looks pretty and acts pretty well. Johny Lever is remarkable as Anil’s sidekick. Satish Kaushik is also truly funny in a comparatively brief special appearance but his language is of the kind which may not win him fans outside Bombay. Anupam Kher is alright; he gets limited scope. Shakti Kapoor has been hopelessly wasted. Saeed Jaffrey, Reema, Avtar Gill and Guddi Maruti lend able support. Shiva is okay. Upasna Singh and Himani Shivpuri deserved better roles. Pratibha Sinha impresses in a solitary dance sequence and a couple of scenes. Kader Khan is fair. Salman Khan gets a mind-blowing response from the audience on his sheer entry because of the drama that leads to his entry in the picture. Raveena Tandon, too, gets loud applause for the same reason.

Director David Dhawan is in great form while picturising the one-upmanship scenes. Even otherwise, he does a praiseworthy job. In particular, the latter part of the second half is extremely enjoyable when both the heroes try to prevent the other’s marriage with the heroine. But David and writer Anees Bazmee should have avoided stretching the drama so much that it stops moving for a while. Dialogues are witty and enjoyable. But background music needed to be better in a comedy film like this.

Music is quite a letdown, considering that there’s not a single hit number. ‘O mummy mummy’ is fairly good. Another drawback is that most of the songs are dream sequences and, therefore, lose their impact.

On the whole, Deewana Mastana has the merits to keep its distributors smiling, although it will have to contend with a bad period ahead. Business in cities will be better. It can prove to be class A in Bombay.

Released on 9-10-’97 at Metro, on 10-10-’97 at 20 other cinemas of Bombay and on 11-10-’97 (today) at Plaza, Bombay, thru V.I.P. Enterprises. Publicity: very good. Opening: good. …….Also released all over. Opening was not quite satisfactory in East Punjab, C.P.C.I. and Nizam.

MR. & MRS. KHILADI

D.M.S. Films’ Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi is a comedy film. It is the story of a good-for-nothing guy who has blind faith in the predictions of an astrologer. A rich girl falls in love with the guy and forces her father to get her married to him. Although the father relents, he will not let the marriage be consummated till his son-in-law earns a lakh of rupees and gives the same to him. The eager son-in-law does all the wrong things to collect Rs. 1 lakh but ultimately learns a lesson in life — that there’s nothing wrong in working hard.

The story is silly and some of the anecdotes in the film are sillier. For instance, the father-in-law keeps slapping his son-in-law, something which the Hindi film-going audience would find it hard to digest even if it is a comedy film. For, comedy too must be within some parameters and not above all norms. What’s worse is that the son-in-law being so slapped is Akshay Kumar who may be playing a comic role in the film but whom the public views as a rough-and-tough hero and will, therefore, not like him being beaten so often. The heroine’s romance is not established and the post-marriage scenes between the couple and the father/father-in-law even border on vulgarity at times and stupidity at other times.

Of course, the film has its good moments too. Some incidents are hilarious and evoke thunderous laughter. In this category are the goat scene, the heroine’s rash driving scene, the insult-in-good-humour of the heroine’s father by the heroine’s uncle, and some others. The climax fight with the Sumo wrestler falls short of the expectations its publicity has generated.

The casting of Akshay Kumar in a comedy film is quite a tragedy. For, in many scenes, Akshay is like fish out of water. In the early part of the film, he seems to be under the mistaken impression that the audience will laugh if he cries. In short, Akshay does not impress, although, it must be said, he looks very fresh and handsome. Juhi Chawla is cute, looks good and acts ably. Kader Khan gives a spirited performance but is not at his best. Paresh Rawal entertains with his one-liners aimed at Kader Khan. Satish Kaushik’s comedy is good at times and falls flat on its face at other times. His kissing Akshay doesn’t raise laughter after a while. Gulshan Grover is okay. Johny Lever is very good in a special appearance. Himani Shivpuri and Prachi hardly have any substantive scenes. Rakesh Bedi, Anil Dhawan, Baban Yadav and the rest lend the desired support.

David Dhawan’s narration bears the stamp of his racy style but the film looks like a job hurriedly done and, what’s more, David’s choice of the subject leaves a lot to be desired. Writer Rumi Jafri seems to have taken the audience too much for granted. Even his dialogues aren’t as good as they should have been in a film of this kind.

Anu Malik’s music has the quality of mass appeal but there’s not a single song that’s a chartbuster. The title song, ‘Aaloo’, ‘Jumma’ and ‘Bangla’ songs are the better ones. Song picturisations are all so similar that they dilute the impact. Moreover, most of the songs have no proper situations and/or are dream sequences. Action scenes have been ably composed. K.S. Prakash Rao’s camerawork is of a very good standard. Production values are nice.

On the whole, Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi does have anecdotes to make the audience laugh but only at a few places. Further, even the hilarious scenes pale into insignificance when considered in totality. Considering the high price, the dull period ahead, the lukewarm opening and the weak merits, this comedy may prove to be a tear-jerker for its distributors.

Released on 10-10-’97 at Novelty and 24 other cinemas of Bombay thru Dilsa Distributors Combine. Publicity: excellent. Opening: average. …….Also released all over. Opening was dull everywhere.

LATEST POSITION

Save in some centres of some circuits, the two big releases of this week have not opened to impressive houses. …Collections of all the films are very poor due to Navratri festival.

Udaan is extremely dull. 1st week Bombay 17,61,824 (50.13%) from 12 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 3,02,241 from 4 cinemas; Pune 3,87,492 from 6 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 8,08,363 (35.01%) from 6 cinemas (1 unrecd.); Kanpur 1,01,261, Lucknow 1,00,125, Allahabad 58,200, Varanasi 1,37,269, Bareilly 73,015 (36.73%), Gorakhpur 1,00,200; Amritsar 52,300; Bhopal 1,00,568 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 2,18,376 from 3 cinemas; Hyderabad 10,32,090 from 10 cinemas.

Dharma-Karma proves a disaster. 1st week Bombay 2,28,750 (32.33%) from 2 cinemas (3 on F.H); Delhi 5,34,607 (36.74%) from 5 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 90,225 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 52,588, Varanasi 35,892, Bareilly 32,000 (16.78%), Gorakhpur 35,000; Amritsar 61,270; Calcutta 1,05,106; Nagpur 78,306 from 2 cinemas, Raipur 51,046 (21.66%); Jaipur 95,141, Jodhpur 90,000; Hyderabad 76,732 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon).

……….

Pardes 9th week Bombay (TF) 17,70,016 (67%) from 7 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,98,669 from 2 cinemas (1 unrecd.); Pune (TF) 3,18,069 from 2 cinemas, Kolhapur (TF) 93,000, Solapur (TF) 1,37,685; Delhi 10,58,644 from 5 cinemas; Kanpur (6 days) 56,111, Lucknow 1,54,995, Allahabad 39,035, Varanasi 65,670, Bareilly (6 days) 37,743, Gorakhpur 24,000; 8th week Jabalpur (6 days) 33,324, 9th week Amravati (TF, 6 days) 60,655, Akola (TF) 74,700 (8th 1,06,155), Raipur (6 days) 37,619, 8th week Jalgaon (TF) 78,000; 9th Bhopal 56,288; Jaipur 1,38,062; Hyderabad 4,54,269 from 2 cinemas 1 (in noon).

TRAGEDY OF MYSORE: BOTH COMEDIES NOT RELEASED

Both, Deewana Mastana and Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi, did not open in Mysore yesterday (10th October). Sudhir (Vasupradha Enterprises, Bangalore) is the common distributor of the two films.

Sudhir had reportedly decided to release Deewana Mastana a week later, on October 17. But although he had booked cinemas for Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi, he failed to turn up for its delivery, presumably due to shortage of funds. The cinemas, which had been so booked, had to undergo a lot of inconvenience due to the cancellation of release.

KEY MAN IN GULSHAN KUMAR CASE ARRESTED

The Bombay police on 9th October nabbed a key conspirator allegedly involved in the killing of Gulshan Kumar. The accused, Zafar Sharif alias Nawaz Mohammed Inayatuallh Sheikh (45), was remanded to police custody till October 22.

PLAZA, BOMBAY REOPENS

Plaza cinema of Bombay, which was closed since March 1993 when it was one of the targets of the serial bomb blasts, reopened on 10th October. A day earlier, a puja was held in the cinema.

Smita Thackeray was the chief guest, and Jeetendra, the guest of honour, at the formal reopening on 10th. Anil Deshmukh, Maharashtra’s minister of state for cultural affairs, and Prabhakar More, Maharashtra’s minister of state for home, also attended the reopening.

The cinema has been restarted by Madhura Pandit Jasraj, Vinayak P. Mayekar and the executors of the will of late Dr. V. Shantaram. It is being controlled by V.I.P. Exhibitors.

BIPIN WARTY PASSES AWAY

Well-known Marathi film producer-director Bipin Warty died of a heart attack on 7th October at his residence in Bombay. He had produced and directed Sage Soyare, Changu Mangu and Khara Warasdar and had directed Ek Gaadi Baki Anadi, Fasvafasvi and others. He had also produced Maay Baap which was directed by Sachin. Bipin was the associate director with Sachin for the TV serial, Tu Tu Main Main.

He was 40 years old and is survived by his father, mother, wife and a son.

SAMAR CHATTERJI NO MORE

Producer-director Samar Chatterji passed away on 7th October at his residence in Bombay. He had produced and directed Pyar Deewana in 1972 and had also acted in films like Teesri Kasam, Milan and Mashaal.

SHRINGAR FILMS ENTER EXHIBITION SCENE

Leading Bombay distributors, Shringar Films, have jumped full-fledged into exhibition. Shringar Cinemas, a division of Shringar Films, have acquired two new cinemas on long leases.

Cinemax is the name of the first cinema, which is coming up at Goregaon, Bombay, where once stood Samrat cinema. A 650-seater, this will be the first cinema in Bombay to be equipped with a video wall. It will have Dolby digital and DTS sound, Christie projectors and xenon lamps. Cinemax is expected to open on 21st November with Kamal Haasan’s Chachi 420. Patrons would be offered the facilities of booking tickets on telephone, home delivery of tickets and acceptance of credit cards.

The other cinema — Cinestar — will open on 5th December at Kandivli (West), Bombay, where once stood Sona, Kandivli. It will have 281 seats and will also be equipped with Dolby digital and DTS sound systems.

Both the cinemas will be air-conditioned and are being built by Kanakias. Every seat in both the cinemas will have popcom holders.

Shravan, son of Shyam Shroff, will be incharge of Shringar Cinemas which plan to have an entire chain of cinemas. All the new cinemas will start with the world ‘Cine’ where service of high quality to patrons will be the catchword.

‘PARDES’ TAX-FREE IN DELHI TOO

Subhash Ghai’s Pardes has been exempted from payment of entertainment tax in Delhi. It is already tax-free in Maharashtra.

‘DDLJ’ 100 WEEKS

Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge enterted 100th week of its combined run at Maratha Mandir, Bombay, on 10th October. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Parmeet Sethi and Amrish Puri, it is produced by Yash Chopra and has music by Jatin Lalit.

VIKAS BHALLA WEDS PREM CHOPRA’S DAUGHTER

Actor Vikas Bhalla got married to Puneeta, daughter of Prem Chopra, on 10th October at Prem Chopra’s residence at Bandra, Bombay.

‘GUPT’ 100 DAYS

Rajiv Rai’s Gupt is celebrating 100 days of its run today (11th October). Produced by Gulshan Rai, it stars Bobby Deol, Manisha Koirala, Kajol, Raj Babbar, Sadashiv Amarapurkar and Ashok Saraf. Music: Viju Shah.

YOU ASKED IT

Why did both the releases of this week not take bumper opening?

– Firstly, the period is not too conducive for a new release. Besides this: DEEWANA MASTANA does not have hit music, while MR. & MRS. KHILADI stars Akshay Kumar who is far from ‘hot’ among the audience today.

What should producers look for in a distributor, and what should a distributor look for in a producer?

– A producer should look for the genuineness of a distributor and the latter’s ability to honour his commitments. If a distributor meets these requirements, there is no harm in selling a film to him at a slightly lower price also. A distributor should gauge the capacity of a producer to complete his film and deliver it at the contracted price.

Can the industry expect a happy Diwali this year?

– It depends on your definition of happiness. When would you call it happy — if all the releases of Diwali click, or a couple of them succeed? I’d say, even if one becomes a major hit, Diwali would be happy.

MIX MASALA

‘D’ GROUP

This week’s release, Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi, has several ‘D’ connections. Its director is David Dhawan (double ‘D’), its Bombay distributor is Dilip Dhanwani (double ‘D’), its Bombay distribution concern is Dilsa Distributors Combine (double ‘D’), it has released on Dassera festival and its banner is D.M.S. Films.

FILMWALI RAVEENA, BAHARWALI MANISHA

For a 2-minute special appearance in Deewana Mastana, producer Ketan Desai and director David Dhawan were considering several heroines, one of whom was Manisha Koirala. But Manisha couldn’t cancel her shooting in Madras to reach Hyderabad where the shot with her was to be picturised. As both, Ketan and David, were keen on completing the film (that was the last shot of the film and also the last shot to be picturised), they opted for Raveena Tandon who was in Hyderabad, shooting with David for Gharwali Baharwali, rather than postponing the shooting to accommodate Manisha Koirala. And when Manisha saw Deewana Mastana in a trial show, she regretted, she couldn’t do the special appearance, and even requested Ketan to reshoot the scene with her. But Ketan politely refused to do so. After all, Raveena had very graciously accepted to do the brief special appearance role without thinking twice.

BROTHER AFTER ‘MOTHER’

When Rakesh Roshan learnt that Sooraj Barjatya’s new film is the story about three brothers, he joked to somebody, “Please tell Sooraj, I’ve started acting again. I can play one of the three brothers.” Hearing this, a wag remarked. “Acting in Mother is one thing and playing a brother is quite another!

DO YOU KNOW?

* The last shooting day of Yash Johar’s DUPLICATE will be 20th October and his son, Karan, will begin the shooting of his maiden directorial venture, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, on 21st October. That’s synchronisation, Johar style!

* So realistic was the robotic model of a crocodile used in a recent crocodile fight scene picturised at National Park, Borivli, Bombay, for Jyotin Goel’s SAFARI that a group of Israeli tourists, who were watching the shooting, thought that a real crocodile had attacked Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla!

Drama, Tension….. Exciting Climax
How ‘Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi’ Almost Did Not Release In West Bengal

History repeated itself in West Bengal this week. And the repetition was pretty fast, considering that a similar thing had happened twice in the recent past — once in the case of Hameshaa and the other time in the case of Mohabbat. This time over, it was in the case of Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi. The interesting part is that the party in two of the above three cases is the same — Kanu Anchalia and Neru Anchalia of Shree Ramdevji Art International. As in Hameshaa, the Anchalia brothers pleaded inability to take delivery of Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi at the contracted price.

The Anchalias struck the deal for Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi for West Bengal a couple of weeks back. They paid the signing amount agreed upon, but, according to the producers, they refused to pay up the balance amount at the time of delivery. Perhaps, their intention was to put indirect pressure on the producers at the eleventh hour so that they would agree to a price reduction which the Anchalias were looking for.

On the other hand, Neru Anchalia claims that Time people were playing dirty with him by going back on their word and demanding a higher price than that agreed upon.

According to Hasmukh Shah of Time Audio Video, which presents the film, the Anchalias were not serious about releasing the film but rather interested in reducing their price. Neru Anchalia came to Bombay on Wednesday and, according to Hasmukh Shah, conveyed to the Time people that he hadn’t been able to collect enough monies from exhibitors to take delivery at the contracted price. That started the tension.

The Time people, having no time on hand, approached their Association, the AMPTPP, which forthwith faxed a letter to the EIMPA, the Association of West Bengal distributors, explaining the default of Shree Ramdevji Art International. The Time people also conveyed to EIMPA their desire to sell the film to Anjana Movies P. Ltd.

Hasmukh Shah alleges that the EIMPA did not act fast enough even though its member was in the wrong and despite Time depositing Rs. 6 lakh received from Ramdevji with the EIMPA.

Reportedly, the Anchalia brothers were being harassed by exhibitors in Calcutta who had paid advances/MGs etc. for the film when they learnt that Ramdevji would not be in the picture soon.

Confusion was compounded as Ramdevji moved out of the picture but Anjana did not get the green signal from the EIMPA. Nor was Anjana able to arrange the funds for taking delivery. In Calcutta, the EIMPA leaders were working overtime to arrive at some solution, and in Bombay, it was AMPTPP president Pahlaj Nihalani trying to ensure that the film was released in West Bengal. The efforts of Wednesday and Thursday bore no fruits till Friday morning.

It almost appeared that the film would not be released in West Bengal. But to Time’s good luck, the matter was settled only insofar as the film was released by Anjana in some cinemas of Calcutta in the 6 p.m. show on Friday. The monies from Anjana have yet to come to Time, it is learnt.

As said above, this is not the first time, the Anchalias have behaved this way. And definitely, not the first time in the last few weeks. Why do the Anchalias buy films when they are not sure that they’d be able to take deliveries? Or rather, why do they buy films when they are sure that they’ll not be able to take deliveries?

Neru Anchalia’s version of the Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi episode is that the Time people wronged him by asking for Rs. 10 lakh more than the agreed price, at the time of delivery. He claims to have paid a substantial part of the signing amount in cash, on Time’s request. This is being denied by the Time people.

Whatever the outcome of this entire drama, the tension it caused to the producers cannot be described. It is to be seen what happens to the claim of Ramdevji, alleged to have been paid by them in cash to Time. It also remains to be seen how the shares from the film are adjusted. What will be the stands of the EIMPA and of the AMPTPP?

If Time are blaming Ramdevji for backing out of the agreement, they must also own responsibility for committing a blunder. For the lure of a few lakhs more, Time did not verify the antecedents of the distributor to whom they were selling their film. In the process, they did not even recover what they would have, had they sold the film cheaper to a more reliable distributor.

This is a malady afflicting many producers and distributors. Producers often tend to overprice their films for a circuit or two, simply because an eager and excited buyer comes their way, without thinking of the possibility of that distributor not being able to take delivery. And distributors often agree to any fancy price in the hope that they will be able to pressurise the producers into reducing the price at the time of delivery.

The whole thing boils down to this: Producer’s bhookh and distributor’s badmaashi.

Hats Off!

My hearty congratulations to Akshay Kumar for not commanding even a decent initial, what to talk of a bumper opening, and yet demanding a sky-high price. Keep it up, Akshay.

My felicitations to Anil Kapoor and Govinda, who should have together ensured a 200% opening but are satisfied with a 60% opening to their Deewana Mastana. I say ‘satisfied’ because only a contented person lets the status quo prevail. Had they not been satisfied with the dull opening, they would have taken corrective measures like reducing their price. But no, they will not do anything of the sort. Bravo, boys. You deserve pats on your thick-skinned backs.

And Chandrachur Singh, you are bound to go places. You know how to behave like a true star, so what if you have no star pull whatsoever. Remember your Betaabi and how it caused unbelievable losses to all its distributors? Like a true star, you will continue to stick to your unrealistic price even as your distributors bear the brunt of the losses.

Oh, Shah Rukh. You are the darling of the public. But have you bothered to verify what happens to most of your films in circuits like Bihar or in ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres? Don’t ever venture to do that. You will get a shock of your life. And stars should not be subjected to shocks. It is in the destiny of producers and distributors to suffer shocks. So you keep holding on to your price line even as your distributors continue to get shocked by the figure of your remuneration on the one hand and the box-office figures of your films, on the other.

Sunil Shetty, the industry must felicitate you. You’ve shown producers, distributors and exhibitors that a star doesn’t require hits to survive. Flops can leave you unscathed so long as six ‘fools’ are ready to invest in your starrers. And finding six fools is not a difficult job, so you continue to demand six — sorry — eight-figure remuneration. How lovely!

Bobby Deol, you are brilliant. You’ve followed in your successful brother’s footsteps without even giving a tenth of what he has given. You’ve actually done a great deed to the distributors of your …Aur Pyar Ho Gaya by giving them a chance to adjust their huge profits. What did smart Alec say? That where are the profits? No Bobby, no, don’t get involved in business figures. Instead, check up other star-prices and ask bhaiyaa Sunny if you, too, can further hike your price.

Hey, Aishwarya and Sushmita. You are the beauty queens and isn’t it said that beauty and brains don’t go hand-in-hand? So why should anybody blame you for your brainless prices? Go ahead, hike your prices after every flop you give.

Sanjay Dutt, you must’ve forgotten what success means. Distributors of your starrers have indeed forgotten what it means. But they can’t forget that your price contributes to their pathetic condition. Hats off!

Arshad, Sharad Kapoor, Mukul Dev — try starring solo and then try finding buyers for the film. And you will know your true worth. Wonderful — you are the industry’s tomorrow!

Yes, Amitabh Bachchan. If the youngsters can charge so much, why not a veteran like you? You must charge five times what they charge. And see, if people say, you look old, just tell them, ‘Old is gold’. And oh, what am I giving you a lecture on pricing of a brand name? You run a company like ABCL, so you know much better than I do.

But listen, all you stars — those abovenamed as well as all others. Distributors are crying tears of blood, exhibitors of your films are panicking.

Can you let them die? If yes, go ahead and don’t give your price a second thought. If not, give this piece a second reading. It might help.

– Komal Nahta

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

The Religious Touch

Nana Patekar did the dubbing of the portion in Ghulam-E-Musthafa in which he offers namaz to Allah, on a Friday, 3rd October, that too, between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. It is common knowledge that Muslims consider Fridays as the most auspicious day and offer namaz on Fridays between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

And while on Musthafa, rumours are rife that the film has been postponed and will now be released after Diwali. But this is far from true. With the film already having been censored (for adults), its release on 31st October is now a certainty.

The Voice Connection

Sudesh Bhosle, who can imitate Amitabh Bachchan’s voice and has rendered several songs for Bachchan, has very appropriately asked him to do the inauguration honours for his recording room — Shruti Recording Studio — tomorrow (12th October) at Goregaon, Bombay. After all, what better person to inaugurate a recording theatre than the one whose voice you’ve imitated so often in so many other recording theatres.

PYAAR ISHQ AUR MOHABBAT

Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd.’s Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, inspired by the English film There’s Something About Mary, is an insipid drama right from the word ‘go’. The sensitivity of a love story is totally missing. The story is about a rich industrialist who loves a girl and wants to get married to her. She, however, spurns his offer because she wants to pursue her medical studies and, therefore, does not want to be tied down by marriage. The rich guy then hires the services of a model-cum-actor to get the girl interested in him (industrialist) and for this, he pays him Rs. 10 crore! The model follows the girl to Scotland where she goes for further studies. He woos the girl and uses all his charm to make her fall head over heels in love with him. After ensuring that the girl is madly in love with him (model), he breaks her heart with the aim of making her turn to the industrialist for solace. The girl does return to the man whose proposal for marriage she had turned down. But then, the model realises that he had, while wooing her for the industrialist, also fallen in love with her. Simultaneously, a young and handsome Indian, settled in Scotland, falls in love with the girl. So, there’s one girl and three guys in love with her. Ultimately, she marries the model whom she, too, had loved.

The story is quite ridiculous for Indian sensibilities and the treatment is very shabby. Several questions remain unanswered, perhaps, because the writers (Rajiv Rai and Shabbir Boxwala), and director (Rajiv Rai) didn’t themselves have any answers. For instance, why would any guy pay Rs. 10 crore to just get the girl in his arms when he should actually have sought a guarantee from the hired model that the girl would marry him (industrialist)? The deal between the model and the businessman is that the former will ensure that the girl gets interested in the latter and, in return, he will be paid Rs. 10 crore! What if the girl still does not agree to get married to the businessman? Further, why would anybody, in the first place, resort to such a ridiculous, preposterous and far-fetched way to win a girl’s heart is just not explained. The lack of explanation, needless to add, is jarring!

One would expect the girl to be extremely beautiful or terrific by nature for her to be desired by three eligible bachelors. But neither Keerti Reddy’s looks nor her characterisation fits the bill, thereby making the whole drama look unbelievable and contrived.

The film proceeds at a snail’s pace and becomes boring at many places. The boredom also creeps in because the incidents have no novelty whatsoever. The proceedings become quite tedious after a while. The youthfulness of a love story is missing.

If the story and screenplay are weak, the dialogues (by Naeem Sha) are too ordinary to be true. Climax is very silly, with the girl almost reduced to being a purchasable commodity.

Sunil Shetty’s characterisation of a sober businessman leaves him little scope to act. His slow and soft speaking style gets irritating after a point. Aftab Shivdasani is natural. Arjun Rampal makes an impressive debut. He has a fantastic physique and a superb voice. He acts quite well but he does not look very young for a newcomer. Keerti Reddy is a total loss. She acts very badly. Monica Bedi is also dull. All the four — Aftab, Arjun, Keerti and Monica — show no grace in dances. Isha Koppikar is so-so. Dalip Tahhil does an average job. His being referred to as ‘Lord’ makes no sense. Raza Murad, Harish Patel, Smita Jayakar, Anita Kanwal and Dinesh Anand pass muster. Priya Tendulkar looks horrendous in a wig that doesn’t suit her at all. Rest fill the bill.

Rajiv Rai’s direction is uninspired and it is difficult to decide what is worse — his scripting or his narration. Viju Sha’s music is good but the absence of even one hit song is sorely felt. The title song, ‘Apni yaadon ko’, ‘Chand ho ya na ho’, ‘Jab tujhe maine dekha’ and ‘Dono taraf’ are good. Song picturisations are unexciting if only because of the poor dancing by the lead stars. Camerawork is good; foreign locations are breathtaking. Background score is ordinary. Editing is weak.

On the whole, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat is a dull and boring film with an uninteresting story. At the box-office, it will keep its distributors sad, bewildered aur poorer by lakhs.

Released on 3-8-2001 at Liberty and 18 other cinemas of Bombay thru Modern Movies. Publicity: good. Opening: average. …….Also released all over. Opening in other circuits was alarmingly low!

HUM HO GAYE AAP KE

Venus Records & Tapes Ltd.’s Hum Ho Gaye Aap Ke (UA), remade from a Tamil film, is a love triangle. A handsome guy, son of a billionaire, does not believe in the concept of love and the institution of marriage. According to him, money can buy anything and everything. His friend, who works in his company, hails from a middle-class family. He believes in love but has his own insecurities. A girl comes in the lives of the two guys. She is young, sensible and traditional. She decides to get married to the middle-class boy but the latter, despite being madly in love with her, cannot convince his parents to let him marry her. Disgusted by his behaviour and disillusioned, she turns to the billionaire’s son although he is an alcoholic and a womaniser. Her entry in his life makes him realise the importance of love. He turns over a new leaf and decides to get married to her but there’s a hitch. She spurns his offer but he finally manages to get her approval.

The story (Ahathian) is too old-fashioned and the screenplay (Ahathian, again) is very poor. The romance between the girl and the rich guy is half-baked. The common problem about dowry, in the life of the girl as also the middle-class boy, has been very childishly and crudely handled so that the scenes are unintentionally hilarious when they should’ve been emotional. They are also overtly regressive in thought. Showing the rich boy permanently in an inebriated state is more irritating than impactful. The transformation of the billionaire boy looks contrived. Climax is terribly slow and stretched and tests the audience’s patience. Emotions are conspicuous by their absence. Comedy, too, is totally missing. Romance does not appeal. Dialogues (Sunil Kumar Agarwal) are too commonplace to be true.

Fardeen Khan fails to make a mark as the billionaire guy. His performances is unbelievably shoddy. His constant laughter before he utters any dialogue, in several scenes, is irritating. His dialogue delivery continues to be lifeless. The only silver lining is that he looks very handsome. Reema Sen makes a dull debut. She looks ordinary and acts routinely. Apoorva Agnihotri is bad. He needs to change his hair-style, besides his acting style. Suresh Oberoi does a fair job. Suman Ranganath gets no scope. Sadashiv Amarapurkar has been wasted. Neena Kulkarni, Achyut Potdar and Suhas Joshi, with outlandish characterisations in today’s times, are average. Mahesh Thakur, Ghanshyam, Shammi and the rest pass muster.

Ahathian’s direction is rather dull. He has failed to bring out any emotions of the story whatsoever. The subject needed sensitive handling but his narration is shockingly mechanical. Nadeem Shravan’s music is quite good. The title song (picturised on two junior artistes, unfortunately!), ‘Dekho ye deewana’, ‘Pehli baar’, ‘Der se hua’ and ‘Ishq hai kya’ are tuneful numbers. Camerawork (Ravi Yadav) is alright. Production values are appropriate.

On the whole, Hum Ho Gaye Aap Ke is a non-starter and a weak fare.

Released on 3-8-2001 at Novelty, Metro (matinee) and 18 other cinemas of Bombay thru Venus Records & Tapes Ltd. Publicity: good. Opening: dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was unimaginably poor everywhere.

LATEST POSITION

The disastrous opening of PYAAR ISHQ AUR MOHABBAT has only added to the miseries of the trade after the debacle of YAADEIN….

Yaadein… has bombed. Collections nose-dived everywhere from the second day onwards. Had to be discontinued mid-week from some cinemas due to lack of audience. It did well during weekends in UK (no. 7 with a gross of 133,000 pounds) and US ($646,880) but dropped thereafter. 1st week Bombay 72,95,061 (88.65%) from 15 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 8,72,986 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot 1,13,780 (1 unrecd.), Jamnagar 1,82,541 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 23,70,952 from 6 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 2,96,263 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Sangli 2,10,327 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Bijapur (6 days) 1,74,477 from 2 cinemas (1 cinema 3 days); Delhi 99,57,390 (67.42%) from 16 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur (6 days) 5,15,200 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 8,63,955 from 2 cinemas, Agra 2,97,265, Bareilly (6 days) 1,76,439, Jaunpur 65,000; Calcutta 24,52,098 from 6 cinemas (other cinemas undisclosed); Nagpur 8,51,139 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 2,59,498, Amravati 2,70,827, Akola 2,17,050, Raipur (gross, 6 days) 2,98,635, Wardha 93,312, Rajnandgaon (6 days) 63,185, Chandrapur 1,86,532, Yavatmal 1,21,352; Indore 2,40,000 (3 on F.H.), Bhopal 1,91,214 (2 unrecd.); Jaipur 13,30,768 (50.55%) from 4 cinemas, Jodhpur 2,24,868, Ajmer (gross) 2,59,854; Hyderabad (gross) 53,05,738 from 19 cinemas (1 in noon, 5 on F.H.). Total 3,57,57,706 from 102 cinemas.

…………

Lagaan (21 shows all over) 7th week Bombay 36,53,023 (68%) from 10 cinemas (9 on F.H.), total for 7 weeks 4,20,30,037; Ahmedabad 1,60,767 from 2 cinemas; Pune 8,27,133 from 4 cinemas; Delhi (TF) 21,35,611 from 7 cinemas; Kanpur (6 days) 64,367, Lucknow 2,24,949, Agra 80,000, Bareilly 28,743; Calcutta 5,63,507 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 1,97,243 from 2 cinemas, 6th week Jabalpur (6 days) 32,875, 7th week Amravati 79,716, Akola 7 weeks’ total 5,54,295, 7th Raipur (6 days) 45,825, Jalgaon 47,094, 5th week Yavatmal 22,245; 7th Indore 58,000; Jaipur 1,98,606 (33.44%); Hyderabad (gross) 5,81,129 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon, 2 on F.H.). Total 95,55,128 from 43 cinemas.

Gadar Ek Prem Katha continues to rule even in 7th week. 7th week Bombay 38,00,096 (59%) from 13 cinemas (8 on F.H.), total for 7 weeks 4,65,68,248; Ahmedabad 6,03,972 from 7 cinemas, 1st week Himmatnagar 3,64,422 from 2 cinemas, Godhra 1,97,625, 7th week Jamnagar 58,982 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 12,51,788 from 7 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,51,918 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 40,25,137 from 14 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,26,240 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 4,57,275 from 2 cinemas, Agra 3,08,000, Bareilly (6 days) 62,043, Jaunpur 35,000; Calcutta 5,37,938 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 3,49,165 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,28,111, total 8,99,066, city record, 5th Balaghat 76,106, 7th week Amravati 1,55,110, Akola 1,32,820, Dhule 81,416, total 13,16,893, Raipur (6 days) 96,057, Jalgaon 1,60,772 (6th 1,95,441), Wardha 42,450, Rajnandgaon (6 days) 38,703, Yavatmal 63,952; Indore 1,44,547 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal 1,71,060; Jaipur 2,89,355 (49.45%), Ajmer (gross) 1,96,420, Bikaner 1,68,214; Hyderabad (gross) 4,70,810 from 2 cinemas. Total 1,49,32,393 from 78 cinemas.

BRAHMACHARI DEAD

Well-known character actor Brahmachari expired on 1st August in New Delhi. He was 62. He had started his career in Devendra Goel’s Dus Lakh.

Brahmachari had acted in more than 75 Hindi films. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

‘NAYAK’ PASSED WITH ‘U’ CERTIFICATE

Sri Surya Movies’ Nayak, seen by the CBFC’s examining committee in Madras on 2nd August, has been passed with a U certificate. Written and directed by Shankar for producer A.M. Ratnam, the film stars Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Pooja Batra, Amrish Puri, Johny Lever, Paresh Rawal, Shivaji Satam, Saurabh Shukla and, in a special appearance, Sushmita Sen. It has music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

Nayak is slated for release on 24th August all over.

RAJASTHAN GOVERNMENT’S INCENTIVES FOR FILM INDUSTRY

The Jaipur Development Authority will develop a Film City on land admeasuring 1,300 bighas, situated about 15 kms. away from Jaipur. The site development work will start by 15th of this month. Land in the Film City will be allotted to film people for establishing studios, film processing laboratories, sound recording studios, residential blocks, hotels, restaurants etc. A committee, chaired by minister for urban development, will be in charge of the allotment. The minister for tourism, art and culture (presently, Bina Kak), secretary, urban development, and secretary, tourism, art and culture will be the members of the committee. The commissioner, Jaipur Development Authority, will be its member secretary.

To boost film activities in Rajasthan, the state government has also decided to grant 100% exemption from payment of entertainment tax for one year to those films which are shot at least 75% in the state. The period of 1 year will run from the date of first release of the film. Such exemption will be available to films with ‘U’ certificate.

New multiplexes, drive-in cinemas and water sports-based tourism units will be exempted from entertainment tax to the extent of 75% in the first year, 50% in the second year, and 25% in the third year.

Land upto 2,000 sq. yards in rural Rajasthan will be allowed to be automatically converted if it is to be used for construction of tourism units, cinemas, hotels or institutes.

ANOTHER HONOUR FOR ‘BAWANDAR’

Jagmohan Mundhra’s Bawandar (Sandstorm) was screened as the inaugural film of the 6th International Trivandrum Film Festival on 27th July. This year’s fete marks the silver jubilee of Chalachitra Society which was founded by filmmakers Shaji Karun and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

VED GOSWAMI NO MORE

Punjabi and Hindi film, television and dubbing artiste Ved Goswami expired on 29th July at his residence in Bombay. He was 62. He had started his career in the seventies as the main villain in Maa Da Laadla. His serials currently on air are Jamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Nikinu, Fite Mooh, Dupatta and Badda Kaun.

Ved Goswami is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.

SHAH RUKH KHAN VISITS DALAI LAMA

Shah Rukh Khan recently visited the Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement near Mysore and called on the Dalai Lama to seek blessings for his under-production film, Asoka, made under his home banner. The Tibetan spiritual leader blessed the producer-actor and offered him a traditional shawl. Shah Rukh Khan also said that he wanted the Dalai Lama to see Asoka as it included the teachings of Buddha. Shah Rukh later announced plans of dubbing the film in Tamil. He said, the Tamil version would be released simultaneously with the Hindi version.

ZEE’S MULTIPLEX IN AHMEDABAD

A 6-screen multiplex, owned by Zee group, opened on 27th July in Ahmedabad on Satellite Road. The inauguration was attended by Subhash Chandra of Zee, Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel and governor Sundar Singh Bhandari, all three of who lit the auspicious lamp to mark the opening. Yaadein… (in two screens), Aks, Gadar and Lagaan were the opening attractions. The multiplex with a shopping mall, food courts etc. is called Fun Republic.

An entertainment programme by Falguni Pathak preceded the extravagant dinner at the inauguration.

NCB FILES CASE AGAINST FARDEEN KHAN

Fardeen Khan and two others were charged under section 28 read with section 21 and 8(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (possessing, buying or selling drugs) in a complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau in a special court in Bombay on 2nd August. If convicted, the actor could face a minimum of ten years’ rigorous imprisonment. If, however, Fardeen can prove that he was buying the drug (when he was nabbed by the police on 5th May) for his personal consumption, he can escape with lesser punishment, ranging from one day to one year in jail.

NEW MULTIPLEX IN DELHI

A new 3-screen multiplex was inaugurated on 26th July in Delhi at Naraina. Called PVR Naraina, it is owned by Priya Village Roadshow. A premiere of Yaadein… was held on the inauguration day. The multiplex has not yet been thrown open to the public.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘All The Best’ Is Now ‘Aankhen’

The title of V.R. Pictures’ All The Best has been changed to Aankhen. Being produced by Gaurang Doshi and directed by Vipul Shah, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Arjun Rampal, Paresh Rawal, Bipasha Basu and Aditya Pancholi. Writer: Aatish Kapadia. Cinematographer: Ashok Mehta. Action: Abbas Ali. Editor: Shirish. Art: Jayant Deshmukh. Vinod Doshi presents the film.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Beginning this week, there will be a lucky draw in each and every show of LAGAAN at Regal, Indore. A lucky ticket counterfoil will be drawn and the holder of the corresponding foil will be presented a cricket bat, signed by an artiste of the film. 

* Home Minister L.K. Advani saw DIL CHAHTA HAI in Delhi on 2nd August. 

* Udit Narayan was so impressed with the 12-minute song which he sang for B.S. Shaad’s Punjabi film, KHALSE DI SIRJINA, recently that he volunteered to lend his voice over again to the song because he felt, it needed to be sung with more emotions. This, after music director Vidya Sagar had okayed the song.  

* YAADEIN… has created a record by collecting 8,85,419/- in 1st week at Metro, Calcutta (at increased admission rates for part of the week). It has also created a record by collecting 6,28,528/- in 1st week at Priya, Calcutta. 

* GADAR has created a theatre record by collecting 1,97,625/- in 1st week at Moonlight, Godhra (Gujarat).

* GADAR has created a theatre record by collecting 1,89,422/- in 1st week at Himmat, Himmatnagar (Gujarat). It has also created a theatre record by collecting 1,75,000/- in 1st week at Neelam, Himmatnagar.

* GADAR has created a record by collecting 4,03,614/- in 7th week at Hans, Delhi.

* GADAR has created yet another record by collecting 1,32,880/- in 7th week at Payal, Dehradun. Total: 20,09,682/-. 

* GADAR has created another record at Panchsheel, Amravati by collecting 1,55,110/- in 7th week.

* GADAR has created city records by collecting 1,69,850/- in 6th week and 1,32,820/- in 7th week at Vasant, Akola. Total for 7 weeks: 14,01,741/-, record.

* GADAR has created a city record by collecting a total of 8,60,767/- in 7 weeks at Arati, Wardha. 7th week’s collection: 42,450/-.

* GADAR has created yet another record by collecting a total of 4,97,490/- in 5 weeks at Shyam, Balaghat. 5th week’s collection: 76,106/-.

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has created a theatre record by collecting 12,22,743/- in 10 weeks at Uday, Akola. Share: 8,51,405/-.

* THE MUMMY RETURNS has created a record for dubbed films by collecting 5,05,797/- in 3 weeks at Manek, Akola. 

LATEST POSITION

MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI is going great guns and is the best in Bombay, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, U.P., Bengal and C.I. It has steadied in Bihar. 

………….

Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai 2nd week Bombay 43,42,751 (92.28%) from 10 cinemas (6 on F.H.), total for 2 weeks 91,48,406; Ahmedabad 16,87,697 from 5 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Rajkot 1,99,750, Jamnagar 1,00,433; Pune 10,59,754 from 3 cinemas, Kolhapur 100%, Solapur 3,23,941 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara (14 shows) 93,852 (100%), Islampur 1,64,000 (91.11%); Hubli 1,39,734 (100%), Belgaum 1,52,865 from 2 cinemas, Dharwad 53,267; Delhi 40,68,324 from 9 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Kanpur 4,58,839 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 5,80,722, Agra 3,20,834, Varanasi 2,06,221, Allahabad 2,35,000, Bareilly (6 days) 1,17,478; Calcutta 8,64,391 from 5 cinemas; Nagpur 5,68,693 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 2,43,474 (1st 2,60,351), Amravati 2,51,111 (1st 2,84,851), Akola 2,06,562 (87%), total 4,36,564, Raipur 1,92,104 (1st 2,30,562), Durg 1,38,771 (1st 1,50,684), Jalgaon 1,69,195 (1st 2,19,080), Wardha 84,494 (1st 1,14,182), Chandrapur (27 shows) 1,59,231, Yavatmal (5 days) 50,095; Jaipur 5,00,605 (40.25%) from 2 cinemas, Jodhpur 6,17,853 (76.30%), record, Ajmer (gross) 1,75,760; Hyderabad (gross) 13,94,798 from 5 cinemas; 1st week Davangere 1,87,978.

Ek Rishtaa The Bond Of Love is steady at some centres. Is good in Bihar. 3rd week Bombay 32,83,059 (54.54%) from 12 cinemas (8 on F.H.), total for 3 weeks 1,77,86,394; Ahmedabad 1,14,793, Rajkot 1,29,980, Jamnagar 62,799; Pune 11,45,967 from 5 cinemas, Solapur 1,91,468 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara 1,06,118 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 17,23,551 from 9 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,27,879 from 3 cinemas, Lucknow 4,00,211, Agra 2,02,000, Varanasi 1,84,116, Allahabad 2,14,000, Bareilly (6 days) 46,972, Jaunpur 20,000; Calcutta 11,20,553 from 9 cinemas (2 in noon); Nagpur 3,18,932 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,35,096, Amravati 1,85,667, Akola 1,00,135 (2nd 1,23,224), total 4,93,223, Raipur (gross, 6 days) 2,18,424, Jalgaon 1,09,154, Gondia (gross) 97,585, Wardha 52,576, Yavatmal 70,621, total 3,33,008; Indore 84,877; Jaipur 3,25,685, Ajmer (gross) 1,89,706; Hyderabad (gross) 6,64,939 from 2 cinemas; 2nd week Davangere 1,56,218.

Jodi No. 1 8th week Bombay 9,49,246 (48.12%) from 6 cinemas (5 on F.H.), total for 8 weeks 2,61,22,773; Pune 4,54,558 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur (matinee) 36,555; Delhi 2,00,935 from 2 cinemas; Kanpur 62,426, Lucknow 2,06,894, Agra 1,10,000, 7th week Varanasi 47,383, 8th Allahabad 40,647, Bareilly (6 days) 22,611; Nagpur 56,254, 3rd week Kamptee 33,801, total 1,59,809, 8th Amravati 70,930, Akola 48,419 (7th 50,207), total 9,65,164, share 7,35,000, Yavatmal 22,732, total 3,87,536; Jaipur 71,532; Hyderabad (gross) 4,73,847 from 3 cinemas.

KUMAR SANU HONOURED

Michael R. Turner, mayor of Dayton, Ohio (USA), recently honoured Kumar Sanu by declaring March 31 every year as ‘Kumar Sanu Day’.

PEN, CMM TIE UP FOR MUSIC CHANNEL

Popular Entertainment Network Ltd. (PEN) and CMM Broadcasting Network Ltd. have tied up to launch the revamped version of CMM’s music channel which has been on air for the last ten months. With this tie-up, there will be tremendous flow of software related to films and film music. It has been planned to make this music channel a platform for Hindi film producers. This will include the latest trade news on the lines of business news. PEN will also arrange to play songs exclusively on this music channel. It is aimed to become a trendsetter in promoting forthcoming films in innovative forms and formats.

NEW RECORDING STUDIO

The House of Topiwala and Radiogems have joined hands to launch a new recording studio in the premises of Topiwala cinema at Goregaon, Bombay. The studio is equipped for recording on 8-, 16- and 24-track analogue formats as well as 24-track digital format on Soundscape. The House of Topiwala also owns Kareer Dubbing & Mixing Theatre at Worli, Bombay.

‘DRAUPADI’ ON SAHARA

Cinevista Communications’ TV serial, Draupadi, will be aired on Sahara TV from 11th June onwards. A party to launch the serial was held on 4th June at Hotel Guestline.

Draupadi is the Mahabharat retold from a woman’s point of view — through Draupadi’s tears and sufferings.

‘MAHABHARAT’ RE-TELECAST ON NEPAL TV

BR TV’s Mahabharat went on air for the third time on Nepal TV from 3rd June. It is produced and directed by B.R. Chopra and Ravi Chopra.

TOP ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY DELEGATION TO USA, JAPAN

A 30-member high-profile delegation of the Indian entertainment industry will leave for a tour of Tokyo, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. on 10th June. The FICCI Entertainment industry delegation, headed by union I & B minister Sushma Swaraj, comprises top-level bureaucrats, financial company officials and bigwigs from the entertainment sector. The delegation seeks to showcase to global players the opportunities that exist in entertainment products from the Indian sub-continent.

The delegation includes I & B secretary Pawan Chopra, Prasar Bharati CEO Anil Baijal, Maharashtra cultural secretary Govind Swarup, Yash Chopra, Yash Johar, Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Dr. D. Rama Naidu, Lalit Modi of Modi Enterprises, Kunal Dasgupta of Sony, V.J. Lazarus, FFI’s L. Suresh, Rathikant Basu, Jay Mehta of Dreamz Unlimited, Manu Sawhney of ESPN, Bhuvan Lall of Indian Broadcasting Federation, and IDBI general manager Viney Kumar.

In Tokyo, the delegation will meet with the representatives of the Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry. After attending a few other meetings in Tokyo, it will leave for Los Angeles for a meeting with representatives of the Motion Picture Association of America. During the last leg of the tour, the delegation will meet the chairman of US’ Federal Communications Commission and attend the annual general meeting of the US-India Business Council in Washington D.C.

MUKTA ARTS’ HIGH-TECH RECORDING STUDIO

M’Audeus, a new music recording studio, was inaugurated in the premises of Audeus, off New Link Road, Andheri (W), Bombay, by Subhash Ghai and Anu Malik with the recording of background music of Yaadein this week. The music is being arranged by Jackie Vanjari and Bipin Panchal under the supervision of ace recordists Bala and Hari. Recording will continue till 14th June. The recording studio is a division of Mukta Arts Ltd.

The state-of-the-art digital music studio, designed by Andy Munro (UK), is the first recording studio in India to get THX certification. It has DynaAudio 5.1 custom monitors and is equipped with Harrison Digital Engine (USA). It is also the first fully automated board with 96 channels and the new Fairlight (QDC technology). The Merlin gives 48 tracks of digital recording facility along with digital outboard processors. It has system controls for hard lock and the best video projection system. It also has networking with other studios around the world and the time locking with GPS system will be installed soon. This kind of technology and mixer is the first of its kind in Asia.

AVTAR GILL’S BROTHER KILLED IN ACCIDENT ON SIBTE RIZVI’S SET

Kuljinder Singh Gill (42), brother of actor Avtar Gill, was killed on 6th June in a freak accident when a water tank at Film City, Bombay burst during the shooting of Sibte Hasan Rizvi’s film, Tera Naam Mera Naam. Gill was assisting director Manoj Agarwal. It was only the second day of shooting. The tank was part of the set.

Actor Amrit Patel suffered an electric shock while six others sustained minor injuries. The mishap took place around 3 p.m.

The film stars Govinda and Preeti Jhangiani in the lead. Nitin Desai had designed the set.

CINEMA EMPLOYEES’ STRIKE IN WEST BENGAL
SETTLEMENT IN OFFING

An early settlement to the ongoing strike of cinema employees in West Bengal finally appears to be in sight. Reportedly, the cinema owners have been asked by the government to give a substantial increment to the employees in lieu of a Rs. 3 tax-free service charge per ticket. At present, the service charge is Re. 1 per ticket.

There is a likelihood that the strike, which started on March 23, may be ultimately called off from either June 15 or 22, say industry sources. Leading West Bengal distributor-exhibitor Lalit Kankaria told Information that the settlement in the offing would benefit neither the cinema owners nor the workers.

It may be recalled that about 750 cinemas in West Bengal had downed shutters from 23rd March, 2001 as employees owing allegiance to the Bengal Motion Pictures Employees Union (BMPEU) went on an indefinite strike. The Union was demanding a 70% hike in basic salaries of the cinema employees.

For the past two-and-a-half months, films have had extremely lopsided releases in the circuit owing to the closure of many cinemas in the state. Hopefully, Lagaan and Gadar Ek Prem Katha may reap the benefit if the strike is called off by 15th.

YOU ASKED IT

Which is the first-ever Indian box-office hit?

– Dadasaheb Phalke’s LANKA DAHAN, released in 1917 and which ran for 23 weeks in Bombay, is the first box-office hit. Reportedly, the money collected at the ticket-counters had to be transported in bullock-carts with armed guards. 

Will the two biggies, Lagaan and Gadar Ek Prem Katha, affect Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai from next week owards?

– Nothing can affect a well-set hit. Collections of MKKH will, of course, come down next Friday but the film will regain its strength soon thereafter.

Which was the first air-conditioned cinema of India?

– Regal in Bombay was the first cinema to have air-conditioning. The AC plant was installed in 1933 when the cinema opened. Regal was also the first cinema in Asia to have underground car parking. The underground car park is now closed for security reasons. 

DO YOU KNOW?

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has created a theatre record by collecting 2,06,562/- in 2nd week at Uday, Akola. Ladies and families are patronising the film in a big way.

* In spite of heavy rains at Durg, MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI collected 1,38,771/- in 2nd week at Swaroop cinema. 1st week was 1,50,684/-.

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has created a record by collecting 6,17,853/- against a capacity of 8,09,816/- in 2nd week (28 shows) at New Kohinoor Upper, Jodhpur.

‘MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI’ SWEEPS IN C.I. 

* The second week’s shares of MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI in Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior are also more than of KN…PH, as in the first week. 

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has yielded a share from Shivpuri (a ‘B’ class centre of C.I.) in 2 weeks which is more than the entire run’s share of KN…PH from the same cinema. Interesting to note that KN…PH opened at Shivpuri after becoming a super-hit whereas MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI was released at the centre simultaneously with its premiere.

‘MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI’ MAGIC IN BOMBAY CIRCUIT

* MKKH has drawn all 28 shows full in 2nd week at City Pride 2, Pune. It has also created a record by drawing 100% at Vasant, Pune. At Rahul, Pune, it has collected a record 5,04,798/- in 2nd week (21 shows).

* MKKH has drawn all 7 shows full in 2nd week at Uma, Solapur (81,278/-) too. In 1st week at the renovated Asha, Solapur, also, it drew all 21 shows full (2,42,663/-).

* MKKH has created a city record by drawing 100% in 2nd week at Shahu, Kolhapur.

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has created another record by drawing all 14 shows full (93,851/-) in 2nd week too at Radhika, Satara.

* MKKH has collected 2,13,925/- in 2nd week against a capacity of 2,23,020/- at Pratap, Sangli. A total of 23 shows out of 28 were full.

* Despite heavy rains on the last 2 days of the week, MKKH has collected 1,64,000/- against a capacity of 1,80,000/- in 1st week at Mankeshwar, Islampur.

* In spite of rains, MKKH has collected a record 9,54,432/- in 2nd week at R World, Ahmedabad.

* MKKH has drawn 23 out of 28 shows full in 2nd week at Pratap, Baroda.

* At Rajhans, Surat, MKKH has drawn 23 out of 28 shows full in 2nd week. 

* MKKH is creating havoc in Bombay-Karnataka. It yielded a distributor’s share of 4.76 lakh in 1st week and another 4.61 lakh in 2nd week. ….At Bijapur, while the total run’s share of a hit film normally doesn’t exceed Rs. 1 lakh, MKKH has fetched a share of 1,53,000/- in 1st week alone!! ….It has drawn all shows full at Sudha, Hubli (1,39,734/- in 21 shows), Chitra, Belgaum (1,07,803/- in 21 shows) and Nartaki (matinee), Belgaum (45,062/-). 

‘MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI’ RECORDS IN DELHI-U.P.

* MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI has created theatre records in the following cinemas of Delhi in 2nd week: Odeon by collecting 5,56,313/-, Golcha (3,87,006/-), Liberty (6,03,032/-), PVR Anupam (6,42,688/-) and Alpna (3,88,869/-).

* MKKH has created a theatre record by collecting 5,80,722/- in 2nd week at Novelty, Lucknow. Of the 28 shows, 26 were full. The cinema has tied up with the leading chaat-waala of Lucknow, Chhappan Bhog, and got printed special fancy tickets with the logo of Chhappan Bhog on them. Any patron holding this special ticket is entitled to free chaat after the show!

* MKKH has created a theatre record by collecting 3,19,185/- in 2nd week at Movie House, Kanpur.

* MKKH has created a theatre record by collecting 2,14,640/- in 2nd week at Vijay, Gorakhpur. 3rd week 1st day: 26,500/-.

* MKKH has created a city record by collecting 3,12,039/- in 2nd week at Nandan, Meerut.

* MKKH has created a record by collecting 1,63,767/- in 2nd week at Nandan Aligarh.

* Delhi-U.P. distributor Brijesh Tandon had to seek the intervention of the MPA, Delhi, when an exhibitor declined to return the print of MUJHE KUCCH KEHNA HAI after the contracted 2-week run. Tandon had to supply the print of Milan cinema, Delhi to Vishal, but the Milan management refused to part with the print because of good collections. Why, the exhibitor even offered to screen the film in 3rd week (simultaneously with Vishal) on percentage basis. But the MPA prevailed upon Milan to return the print and it finally reached Vishal where the film opened yesterday (8th June).

* The advance booking of GADAR EK PREM KATHA was started a week earlier — on Friday (8th June) instead of the customary Monday (11th June) — at Anand cinema of Lucknow. The response was excellent.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Experimenting, Vashu Style

Vashu Bhagnani has hit upon an unusual idea to lure the audience to repeat Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. From 14th or 15th June, he will show some deleted scenes of the film and an entire new song as an added attraction in the film. The 10-minute addition will be screened after the film’s end, in every cinema showing the film. Needless to add, the distributors of the film are pretty excited about it.

The Surprise Of ‘Yaadein’ 

That Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor are the current sensations is an undisputed fact. That both of them in their first film together, Yaadein, will, therefore, create magic on the screen is now taken as a foregone conclusion. But Jackie Shroff may well spring the biggest surprise in Subhash Ghai’s film. From the songs and a few scenes of Yaadein which Information has seen, it gets the feeling that Jackie will sweep the audience off their feet. Not only is Jackie looking mind-blowing, but he has also done a superb job as Kareena’s father and Hrithik’s best pal. While dubbing his dialogues in an emotional scene this week, Jackie’s emotions got the better of him and he began to cry in the dubbing theatre!

Not A One-Film Wonder

Ninety-five per cent of the trade had written off Muhje Kucch Kehna Hai even before its release, assuming that hero Tusshar wouldn’t be accepted by the audience. It may be because of this reason that almost the entire trade felt that although the film had opened to full houses, it would not sustain. They proved wrong. Now that the film is a confirmed hit in most of the circuits, the trade is going wrong yet once again. How? The majority in the trade feel that Tusshar is a one-film wonder and will not be accepted in any other role/film. But the public reaction is quite different. Not just the film, but Tusshar, too, has been accepted in a big way. It is Tusshar and producers of his forthcoming films, who will have the last laugh. Incidentally, our industry which thrives on superstition, has made up its mind that Tusshar has tasted success only because Jeetendra and his family are passing through a very lucky phase of their lives. By assuming so, the industry is being rather unfair to Tusshar. Let it be said again that the boy’s sincerity and honesty come across so beautifully on his face and in his performance that there’s no reason to believe, it won’t be the same in his forthcoming films. And, frankly, we do have several other heroes, too, who don’t boast of great looks but are still popular. So why not Tusshar? Let it be heard loud and clear that a new star is born with Vashu Bhagnani and Satish Kaushik’s Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai.

‘Love’ly Booklet

The publicity booklet of Rajiv Rai’s Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat is eye-catching, to say the least. Stills from the film, the colours and the rose-motif used throughout the booklet easily convey the film’s romantic mood. Moreover, the booklet explains the relationships of the lead players — Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Arjun Rampal and Keerthi Reddy — with each other in the film.

The Sound Of ‘Lagaan’

Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowariker are pleased as punch after prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, home minister L.K. Advani and I & B minister Sushma Swaraj saw their Lagaan earlier this week in Delhi and praised it. But also thrilled is Sushil Bhatnagar, film production co-ordinator (India), Dloby Laboratories Inc., UK. The reason for Bhatnagar’s joy is that Films Division’s preview theatre in Delhi, where the show was held, has a Dolby digital sound system (installed by R & S Electronics). Before the screening for the PM, Dolby engineers flew from Bombay to the capital city to ensure that the sound quality was perfect. Neena Gupta, deputy secretary film, I & B ministry, personally previewed a test-run of the film prior to the screening and was happy with the quality of the Dolby soundtracks. Besides Aamir, others present at the PM’s show were Aamir’s wife, Reena, presenter Jhamu Sughand, John Mathew Matthan and Uday Kaushish of Shiela cinema, Delhi.

DAMAN

Department of Family Welfare, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and NFDC’s Daman (A) tackles the issue of domestic violence and marital rape. A simple and less-educated girl gets married to a rich tea plantation owner who is a womaniser and has a terrible temper. He hates his wife for no apparent reason. One day, he rapes her but the meek wife refuses to file a police complaint. Even though her parents-in-law know the truth, they don’t sympathise with her or help her. Her brother-in-law is her only well-wisher but, being younger than her husband, there is not much he can do.

The lady gives birth to a girl-child whom the husband refuses to accept as his own because he only wants a male child. Years pass by without any improvement in the wife’s position. Things rather go from bad to worse till, one day, the wife runs away from her home, alongwith her daughter, now 13 years old. The two of them are given shelter by a noble-hearted lady and her husband. But the evil guy reaches her new abode as well. Ultimately, the docile wife decides to put an end to all his plans by killing him in broad daylight and in full view of thousands of people.

The film is terribly dry and morose and moves at a snail’s pace. There’s no entertainment value whatsoever. The only purpose it serves is to depress the viewer. The changeover of the meek wife is quite sudden rather than gradual. The scene in which the police officer, investigating her case, proposes to her, looks very contrived and unintentionally funny. A guy proposing to the lady’s 13-year-old daughter also looks rather silly. Since when have 12- and 13-year-olds started taking decisions about marriage, one fails to understand!

Although the film raises an important point, it is not able to address the problem sincerely or sensibly. If eliminating the husband is the solution to his violence, it really doesn’t appeal to 99% of the womenfolk in the country. Even otherwise, the film has extremely elitist appeal. The Assamese flavour further restricts its appeal.

Raveena Tandon does a fairly good job as the meek wife. Sayaji Shinde is loud and even irritating. Sanjay Suri does alright but doesn’t get much scope. Raima Sen, as Raveena’s daughter, is natural. Shaan is okay. Ranjan Koshal performs reasonably well. The rest of the cast passes muster.

Kalpana Lajmi’s direction is no better than the uninteresting subject. Dialogues are ordinary. Music (Bhupen Hazarika) is melodious but, except for one song, the others further decelerate the already slow pace of the film. Camerawork is shoddy. Whoever thought of showing turmoil and tension in the household by shaking the camera as if it were rocking in a boat in the stormy sea must be having a weird sense of cinematography. For, scenes with such camerawork only make the viewer feel dizzy. Technically, average.

On the whole, Daman is too dry and depressing to register any impact. A poor show.

Released on 4-5-2001 at New Excelsior and 8 other cinemas of Bombay thru Ahuja Films. Publicity: fair. Opening: poor. …….Also released all over except in Bengal. Opening was disastrous everywhere.

KHATRON KE KHILADI

ABC Pictures’ Khatron Ke Khiladi (A) is a rehash of several action films including Sholay. Four notorious criminals fall in the hands of law and are put behind bars. Intelligent and resourceful, the foursome soon manages to escape from jail. They are forced to flee from place to place as the police is on their trail. Ultimately, they reach a border village where they catch the attention of a militaryman. The army guy is almost single-handedly fighting to rid the villagers of an evil landlord who is also his step-brother.

The do-gooder armyman sees in the four young and tough criminals a Godsent support for his cause. He lures them into the village under a false pretext. However, the foursome soon learns of his ruse and turns against him. A bit of a drama later, they agree to help in freeing the villagers from the landlord’s clutches because they are basically good at heart.

Ultimately, the four men destroy the landlord’s plans of blowing up the village, in connivance with a dreaded terrorist, on Independence Day. The villagers kill the landlord in an action-filled climax.

Too much time is taken at the beginning of the film in establishing the wily landlord’s character. As a result, the heroes’ entry is delayed. The film lacks excitement up to the interval point. Drama picks up a bit in the second half when the gang of four begins to play games with the landlord. However, the pace of the drama remains uneven. Romantic and comedy scenes are few and weak. Dialogues (Khalid Majeed) are good.

Mithun Chakraborty, Puru Raaj Kumar, Ronit Roy and Sudesh Berry play their characters well. Raj Babbar, in a double role, is more at ease when playing the evil landlord. Rutika Singh is good. Pooja Gandhi is poor. Shweta Menon is okay. Ishrat Ali, Tej Sapru, Amit Pachori, Rami Reddy and master Shantanu lend fair support. Asha Sachdev is good. Kiran Kumar impresses.

Direction ranges from dull to fair. The title song has some appeal; the devotional ‘Allah teri duhai’ will go down well with the Muslim audience. Action — which is the mainstay of the film — is ordinary. Cinematography and other technical values are adequate.

On the whole, Khatron Ke Khiladi, because of its stale subject and routine action, will prove an average fare on the strength of small centres.

Released on 4-5-2001 at Alankar and 10 other cinemas of Bombay thru A.B.C. Films. Publicity & opening: so-so. …….Also released all over expect in Bengal. Opening was fair in U.P. but dull elsewhere.

LATEST POSITION

All the releases of this week opened to dull houses. 

Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya… is good in Bombay and Delhi but poor in C.P.C.I. Rajasthan. 1st week Bombay 40,63,665 (78.25%) from 10 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,84,286 from 2 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Jamnagar (matinee) 9,100 (1 in regular unrecd.); Solapur 1,60,090 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara 90,428 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Hubli 95,687; Delhi 41,37,976 (52.68%) from 11 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,41,706 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,05,916, Agra 1,49,000, Allahabad 1,05,417; Calcutta 11,26,212 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 4,11,085 from 2 cinemas, Amravati (5 days) 87,518, Akola 95,338, Raipur (6 days) 62,890, Bhilai 71,542, Jalgaon (6 days) 1,20,147 from 2 cinemas; Indore 1,12,999 (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 4,16,277 (52.57%); Hyderabad (gross) 17,46,888 from 7 cinemas (5 on F.H.).

……….

Albela drops further. 2nd week Bombay 44,15,366 (66.22%) from 14 cinemas (6 on F.H.), total for 2 weeks 1,05,68,196; Ahmedabad 3,70,740 from 3 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Jamnagar 80,597 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Solapur 1,44,971 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara 91,446 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Bijapur 67,946; Delhi 20,96,982 from 9 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,69,580 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,10,002, Agra 1,50,000 (1st 2,98,000), Allahabad 1,20,096, Bareilly 70,403; Calcutta 2,50,328; Nagpur 2,69,058 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 2,43,283, Amravati (6 days) 99,134, Akola 1,00,013, total 2,73,542, Raipur (6 days) 75,382, Bhilai 35,870, Jalgaon 84,474 (1st 1,84,410), Wardha 38,183, Yavatmal 32,702, total 1,51,346, Bilaspur 53,355; Indore 87,923 (2 on F.H.); Jaipur 6,38,328 (75.38%), Ajmer (gross) 1,73,719; Hyderabad (gross) 4,31,225 from 2 cinemas.

Jodi No. 1 3rd week Bombay 33,75,299 (86.22%) from 10 cinemas (9 on F.H.), total for 3 weeks 1,63,91,245; Ahmedabad 3,24,984 from 4 cinemas (4 unrecd.), Jamnagar 56,021; Solapur 2,87,287 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Satara (gross) 87,604; Delhi 21,94,959 from 8 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,85,484 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,71,635, Agra 2,62,381, Bareilly (6 days) 66,735, Jaunpur 21,050, total 1,09,567; Calcutta (noon) 76,901; Nagpur 3,40,321 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 83,785, Balaghat 44,718, total 2,21,149, Amravati (5 days) 97,115, Akola 1,26,068 (2nd 1,61,905), total 5,98,057, Raipur (6 days, gross) 1,70,442, Bhilai 41,024, Jalgaon 1,16,630 (2nd 1,16,025), Wardha 51,269, Chandrapur 1,22,441, total 5,70,141, 1st week Yavatmal 1,72,592 (100%), 3rd week Bilaspur 71,851, Sagar 29,270 (2nd 42,032); Indore 1,11,800 (2 on F.H.); Jaipur 1,61,870 (33.02%), Ajmer (gross) 1,05,614; Hyderabad (gross) 8,51,362 from 4 cinemas (1 in noon); 2nd week Mangalore 1,45,217.

JAIPUR MANAGER OF RAJSHRI DEAD

Kailash Chand Jain (Shastri-ji), general manager of Rajshri Pictures P. Ltd., Jaipur, expired this week in Jaipur. He was also a member of the executive committee of the CCCA.

A condolence meeting of the Jaipur film trade was held in the CCCA office in Jaipur on 4th May.

‘BAWANDAR’ PICKS UP TWO MORE AWARDS

Jagmohan Mundhra is back in India, awaiting the decision of the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal before which he appealed against the cuts suggested in his Bawandar (Sandstorm) by the CBFC.

Bawandar, in the meanwhile, has won two more international awards: the audience choice award for the best film at the Bermuda International Film Festival, and the special jury prize for the best foreign film at the Houston International Film Festival.

‘MOR CHHAINHA BHUINYA’ SILVER JUBILEE FUNCTION

The silver jubilee celebration of the Chhattisgarhi film, Mor Chhainha Bhuinya, was held in Raipur on 25th April. Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Kumar Jogi presented jubilee trophies to producer Shivdayal Jain, writer-director Satish Jain, music director Babla Bagchi, M.K. Gupta, D.K. Jain, lyricist Laxman Masturiya and the cast of the film. The mayor of Raipur, Tarun Chatterji, presided over the function. Earlier, Shivdayal Jain and Satish Jain garlanded Jogi while D.K. Jain and M.K. Gupta garlanded Tarun Chatterji.

Shivdayal Jain proposed the vote of thanks and also thanked all those who had helped him in making the film.

GIRDHARILAL SEKSARIA, PAWAN KUMAR SUMMONED

The metropolitan magistrate, 10th court, Andheri (Bombay), on 20th April issued summons to Girdharilal Seksaria of Ramnord Lab and Pawan Kumar of Ramayan Chitra to appear before the court in the matter of a suit filed against the two by S.M. Iqbal of Mheraj Films, Bombay and Iqbal Productions, Bombay. Iqbal has alleged that the duo illegally pocketed the money from business done by him for Gujarat-Saurashtra for the film, Sikandar Sadak Ka. The summons were served by the Oshiwara police. The court hearing is fixed for 30th August.

FOUR IFEA MEMBERS TO ATTEND CANNES FETE

The following four members of the Indian Film Exporters Association (IFEA) will attend the Cannes Film Festival beginning from 9th May: Chandrakant Mehta, Hirachand Dand, S. Narayanan and Vishal Chhabria. They will leave for France next week.

RATAN JAIN’S DAUGHTER WEDS

A reception to celebrate the wedding of Heena, daughter of Ratan Jain of Venus, with Chetan was held on 4th May in Bombay at SNDT College Ground, Santacruz. It was largely attended.

NEW CINEMA OPENS

A new cinema, Manoharma, opened yesterday (4th May) at Taranagar (district Churu) in Rajasthan. The cinema is owned by Doongarmal Swami who also owns Mahalaxmi Talkies, Shapura and Purva Cinema, Kotputli. The inauguration was attended by the Rajasthan revenue and irrigation minister, Dr. Kamla, former state minister, Chandanmal Baid and other local dignitaries.

JUGALKISHORE RATHI AWARDED

Jugalkishore Rathi of Vijayshree Pictures, Amravati has bagged the Srujan Sahitya award of the Marathi Vruttapatra Lekhak Sangh, Bombay. He has won several awards for his writings in the past. Rathi, a prolific writer, has six books and over 3,000 published articles to his credit.

B.K. PUROHIT’S NIECES TO WED

Marriages of Sulaxna, daugher of producer Madhu Purohit and niece of Bombay distributor B.K. Purohit, with Ajay, and of Neeta, daughter of Rajender Purohit and niece of B.K. Purohit, with Lalit will be solemnised on 19th May in Jodhpur at Mahatma Gandhi School.

20,000 DTS INSTALLATIONS WORLDWIDE

Digital Theater Systems has reached a milestone with DTS Digital Sound for theatres, with its playback systems installed at over 20,000 screens worldwide.

The growth of DTS in India has been as rapid. From no theatres in January 1996 to 580 theatres in April 2001, it is an average growth of over 115 theatres a year. The number of DTS films made in India also continues to grow rapidly. There were 6 DTS films made in 1996. Today, the number stands at 243. This includes the various language versions.

DTS is represented in India by Real Image Media Technologies Pvt. Ltd., the company that also distributes Avid’s digital media solutions, Digidesign’s digital audio workstations and Orad’s virtual sets.

PINKY BADLANI BEREAVED

Vimla Arora, mother of Pinky Badlani (manager of Devgan Entertainment & Software Ltd., Bombay), passed away in Amritsar on 28th April. She was 75 and is survived by five sons and a daughter.

FILM CITY RENAMED AFTER DADASAHEB PHALKE

Film City at Goregaon (East) in Bombay was renamed Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari as part of the celebration of the 132nd birth anniversary of the pioneering Indian filmmaker. The renaming was done at the hands of Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh during a function at Film City, attended by film and political dignitaries. Among those present were deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, state minister for cultural affairs, Ramkrishna More, minister of state for cultural affairs, Dr. Vimala Mundada, Amitabh Bachchan, Shakti Samanta, Ramanand Sagar and others. The function was organised by the Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corporation in association with the trustees of the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy and various associations of the Bombay film industry.

In his address, Dadasaheb Phalke Academy chairman, Santosh Singh Jain, expressed pleasure at the government keeping its promise of renaming Film City. He criticised the manner in which popular film awards are decided and mooted the idea of the film industry awarding its own outstanding achievers every year. Phalke Academy, which consists of members from all sectors of the film community, was the ideal choice to announce such awards, he said. He also informed that proceeds from the awards function each year would go towards setting up the building for the Phalke Academy as well as various programmes of the film industry.

Later, outstanding personalities from almost all branches of cinema were honoured for their contributions to the film industry. Recipients of the honour included actor Dilip Kumar, director Mohan Segal, music director Ravi, cinematographer V. Babasaheb, art director Hirabhai Patel, writer Pt. Anand Kumar; film editor M.S. Shinde, sound recordist S.C. Bhambri, make-up artist Pandhari Juker, singer Anandkumar C., dance director Kiran Kumar (Willy), stuntman Ravi Khanna, production executive Bhushan Barma, dancer Govindrao Nikam, musician Jerry Fernandes, action dummy effects man Devi Singh Kaimo, artiste Sulochana Gadhok, cine agent Safi Gul, junior artiste Abdul Latif Fareedi, and set worker Bhagwati Prasad Shukla.

Special honours were bestowed upon Marathi film music director Sudhir Phadke, studio owner J.B. Roongta, producer Bhagwan Dada, distributor Kasam Ali Dossani and exhibitor N.F. Damania.

K.G. Dossani, former president of the Film Federation of India, was sheriff of Calcutta. At present, he is an executive committee member of the FFI and a member of the Export Promotion Forum set up by the government of India.

Amitabh Bachchan made a speech. Others who spoke on the occasion were Dilip Kumar, Vilasrao Deshkukh, Ramanand Sagar, Sultan Ahmed, Shakti Samanta. Deshmukh announced the allotment of a flat from the CM’s quota for the family of Phalke, which was present at the function. Ameen Sayani was the master of ceremonies.

If may be mentioned here that Film City, after a long gap, has made a huge profit of Rs. 4.5 crore in 2000-2001.

– GAUTAM MUTHA

SIGNED

Salman Khan Signed For Super’s Next

Salman Khan has been signed to play the lead in Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.’s yet untitled film, to be directed by Priyadarshan. It is being produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar in association with Vijay Galani’s Film Folk.

Super Cassettes has also signed Sanjay F. Gupta to direct another untitled film, starring Aftab Shivdasani and Jimmy Shergill. It is being produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar.

Both the films will mount the sets soon.

Anil Dhawan, Promod Moutho Added

Anil Dhawan and Promod Moutho have been added to the cast of Global Creations’ Kaampath – The Way Of Sex. Both of them participated alongwith Kunaal Singh, newfind Rekha Bakshi, Aditee, Rimmy and Sweety in a 6-day shooting stint of the film till May 2 at Esel Studios and Royal Palms, Goregaon. The film is being produced by Dev Bhatia and Mintoo and written and directed by Afsar-Dilip. Cinematographer: Raj Khilnani. Music: Swamy Amar Ajit.

Vinod Chopra Signs Vivek Oberoi For 5 Films

Vinod Chopra has signed Vivek Oberoi to act in five films to be made under the banner of Vinod Chopra Productions. However, Vinod Chopra has clarified that he is not in any way deciding on the professional matters (dates, choice of films etc.) of Vivek.

YOU ASKED IT

Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan and now, Tusshar. Is there still a shortage of heroes?

– Yes, there’s still an acute shortage of saleable heroes. As also heroines. There are just about 8 to 10 heroes and 8 to 10 heroines who sell today, and about 150 films being made every year.

What about the audio rights of Nayak – The Real Hero, Dil Chahta Hai and Aks, which Super Cassettes was in a mood to relinquish?

– The audio rights of the first two named films still vest with Super Cassettes, but at renegotiated terms. The music of AKS is with HMV.

Do you think, the industry needs to be alarmed at the fact that no films are doing well?

– More than being alarmed at the failure of films, the industry needs to be alarmed at the quality of films being churned out. Had good films not been faring well, it would definitely have been a cause for concern. But the current scene is that films are not doing well because they don’t deserve to.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Humorous Abhishek

Abhishek Bachchan has a wonderful sense of humour. At the music release function of Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai… on 30th April at Hotel Sun-N-Sand, he narrated an incident which had the invitees laughing. He recalled how when he was about five years old and the film’s director, Goldie Behl, six years old, they had created quite a ruckus on the set of Pukar which starred his dad, Amitabh Bachchan, and which was produced and directed by Goldie’s dad, Ramesh Behl. The two brats were packed out of the set and told never to disturb anyone or anything on the sets. This had the two kids swear that when they’d grow up, they too would make a film and not let their dads enter their sets!….. When Universal’s Vijay Lazarus was on the mike, asking one star to present the film’s CD to another, one after the other, Abhishek pulled the mike from his hand and announced, “Now, Id like to present this CD to you,” pushing a CD into Lazarus’ hands. Once again, people had a hearty laugh.

Matter Of Pride For Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan recently revealed an interesting bit of information about the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (previously Film City). Speaking during the celebration of the 132nd birth anniversary of the Father of Indian Cinema on 30th April at Film City, Amitabh said that he felt honoured that Kaalia Maidan had been chosen as the venue for such an important occasion. He revealed that the place owed its name to one of his own films — the maidan began to be called Kaalia Maidan after a good portion of Amitabh’s 1981 film, Kaalia, was shot there.

Naam Ka Khiladi

This week saw the releases of Khatron Ke Khiladi — directed by Imraan Khalid — and Ramgarh Ki Ramkali and Gumnaam Hai Koi — both directed by K.I. Shaikh. But guess what? Imraan Khalid and K.I. Shaikh are actually one and the same person!

With different names in different films, here is one director who surely doesn’t want to remain gumnaam!