(From our issue dated 8th October, 1994)

Madhuri Dixit is rehearsing some ter­ribly difficult dancing steps on a huge, opulent set at Annapurna Studios in Hy­de­rabad. The film being shot is Yusuf Bhat and Reema Rakesh Nath’s Yar­a­ana. The choreographer is the one and only Saroj Khan. Director David Dhawan is some­what relaxed because it’s a song that’s being picturised.

Although Yaraana is the first production venture of both, Yusuf Bhat and Ree­ma Rakesh Nath, the two are not new to the industry. Reema, of course, has the super-hit Saajan behind her. After scripting Saajan and husband Rakesh Nath’s Dil Tera Aashiq, she has turned to pro­du­c­tion. Once a writer, always a writer. Right? Right! Reema is also the story, screenplay and dialogue writer of Yaraana.

Yusuf Bhat runs a business of hiring out film equipments, under the name and style of Samna Film Services. His pro­duction banner, Samna Films, is also named after his two children, Samir and Nadia. Yusuf is also a film editor from the FTII and had edited a number of films before he flew off to Dubai to do business there. But once a film man, always a film man. Right? Right! His love for films brought Yusuf Bhat back to India and Bollywood.

Yusuf found a true friend in Rakesh Nath (Rikku, to the industry). Together, the two friends made a project and called it Yaraana. Waah, kya yaraana hai!

Coming back to the shooting. The set belongs to K. Raghavendra Rao who has had it erected for his Telugu film. Rikku and Yusuf have hired it for their shooting.

The song that’s being picturised is a very important part of the film because Madhuri kills Raj Babbar at the end of the song-dance. Raj Babbar may have beco­me an MP, but acting remains his first passion. Once an actor, always an actor. Right? Right! Raj and Rikku’s friendship is quite old and if the two feel close to each other, it is not only because they look quite similar. As a journalist jokes, “If Raj Babbar is busy in the Parliament, Rikku can give his shot on the sets.” The only problem is, Rikku is taller than Raj. “Well, the audience will conclude that some­body must’ve pulled Raj’s legs (pun in­tended!),” comes the repartee from the journalist.

The dance steps Madhuri is trying out, are quite a ‘legxercise’. Saroj’s assistant, Ahmed, performs the intricate steps with such finesse that the onlookers on the set break into an instant applause. It is for this reason that Ahmed is not only mentor Saroj Khan’s favourite but also the darling of all the technicians, dancers and unit-hands on the sets. On a probe, one is told, Ahmed is that child ariste of Mr. India who used to break into a break dance (in the climax fight and at other times) in the film. The little boy of Mr. India has grown up to become a young lad and an extraordinary dancer. In the months to come, Ahmed would turn an independent dance director – and a dance director to reckon with.

Rikku, the de facto producer, is always on his toes. He admits that Madhuri Dixit, whose dates he looks after, has been a great financial support to him, whether it was during the making of his maiden pro­duction venture, Dil Tera Aashiq, or for Yaraana. In the course of our conversation, Rikku reveals that Tej Sapru has rep­laced Tinnu Anand due to the latter’s date problems. Rikku is honest to add that the date problems arose due to lack of plan­ning on their part, not Tinnu Anand’s.

Director David Dhawan is excited as much about Yaraana as about the Hindi remaking rights of the Telugu hit, Hello Brother, which he recently acquired. “Govinda will play a double role in the re­make,” he informs. Has David vowed never to have anything to do with vulgarity/obscenity in films now, after Andaz and Eena Meena Deeka? Says he with a twinkle in his eye, “A bit of naughtiness should be there. It is like salt in your food. Saltless food is tasteless…”

Yusuf Bhat is skeptical about persons in the industry who refuse to pay off their creditors. “That is why I prefer to hire out my equipments only to known names and reliable producers,” he explains.

The unit of Yaraana is different from other film units in at least one way. Nobo­dy brags about the film with clichéd state­ments like, “This film is different” or “It will be a big hit” or “Yeh film kamaal kar degi” etc. etc. There is a lot of back-slap­ping and leg-pulling indulged into by David, Yusuf and Rikku. Sometimes, even blows are exchanged, of course, in good humour. On our part, we fail to understand how blows can be humorous, but anyway, the trio doesn’t seem to mind, so that’s fine.

– Komal Nahta

Snapshots

OVEN-HOT BECOMES PLAGUE-COLD

The heat has gone out of the Gujarat sub-territory. The plague has cast a pall of gloom over the sub-circuit. The scenario has changed in two weeks. Where sub-distributors used to fall over one another to acquire a film for Gujarat, today, there’s no such excitement. Closure of cinemas in Surat and other cities has adversely affected the box-office. Yen Movies, the Gujarat distributors who started their office with Mohra, stand to lose quite heavily in their second release, Main Khiladi Tu Anari. The losses would have been minimised had it not been for the plague.

*       *       *

WORST MONTHS

May and October will go down in 1994 as the worst months of the year. The producers called for suspension of all new releases in May, following their dis­pute with distributors. There were no re­leases for three weeks. In October, the plague and consequent closure of cine­mas have been responsible for two weeks of no releases. Added to that is the pre-Pooja week in Bengal and the ensuing pre-Diwali week all over. There’s just one release fixed for next week, and none for 28th October so far.

*       *       *

DIVERSIFICATION

First, a producer. Then, a distributor for Delhi-U.P. and Bombay. Then, a dir­ector. Followed by a distribution office in Rajasthan. Next, a music company. That’s K.C. Bokadia’s diversification in barely a decade. But that isn’t all. He is all set to start a company for acquiring India video rights of films. Plans to set up a film city in Jaipur are already underway. Amazing, isn’t it?

*       *       *

RAIN VERSUS RAIN

The unit of Dharmendra’s Barsaat, which was in Ooty for a long shooting schedule, had to pack up without much shooting because of the barsaat. Frequent rains upset the schedule, so the unit came straight back to Bombay. The shooting of Boney Kapoor’s untitled film, being dir­ected by David Dhawan, in Ooty was also similarly upset but the unit was quick to shift to a dry Gopichettipalayam and complete the shooting.

*       *       *

FILM MEN’S ENGLISH

Spellings of film titles have very often been governed by numerology. Incorrect spellings of titles are sometimes because of this and, at other times, simply because the makers didn’t bother to check the cor­rect spellings. All this is somewhat understandable when the Hindi titles are mis-spelt in English. But Stuntman, which is an English word, takes the cake. The makers have now begun to spell it as Stunttman. Another numerology stuntt, one supposes!

*       *       *

CUTTING THE DHOTI

Dada Kondke’s films invariably face censor trouble, thanks to his double-meaning dialogues and gestures. But his latest Marathi film, Sasarcha Dhotar (Dhoti of in-laws),has been given the maximum cuts and that too, by the App­ellate Tribunal. The dhoti – sorry, Sasar­cha Dhotar – has been cut short by 446 metres. In all, there are 37 cuts effected. Of course, the super-edited version has been passed for universal exhibition. As a smart Alec remarked, “The dhoti has been cut to the size of a handkerchief.

DO YOU KNOW?

* After installing Dolby Stereophonic sound system at Smruti Cinema, Nagpur and Prabhat Talkies, Amra­vati, the Rathi group has now in­stalled 20” colour TV sets in the foy­ers of both the cinemas. The patrons can watch TV while waiting in the foyer.

* Two Marathi films, SASARCHA DHOTAR and SONIYACHI MUM­BAI, were certified this week (on 4th October) and also released this week (on 7th).

* HAHK..! has created a record by col­lecting 1,41,106/- in 9th week at Re­lief, Ahmedabad. It has also created a record by collecting 1,73,777/- (gross) in 9th week (21 shows) at Rajshri, Gandhinagar.

LIMIT ON NETT ADMISSION RATES: RAJSHRI MOVING COURT

The Maharashtra government’s directive that cinemas cannot hike their nett admission rates beyond the 12th August ’94 level, without its permission is being challenged in the Bombay high court by Rajshri Pictures and Liberty Cinemas, Bombay. The said directive came alongwith the Maharashtra government’s ordi­nance reducing entertainment tax.

Liberty Cinemas, screening Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, has not as yet reduced its admission rates nor has it reduced the tax being collected (at 100% instead of the present 50%). The admission tickets bear a notice that the ticket-holder would be entitled to a re­fund, if due, after the court’s verdict.

The case is likely to come up for hearing on Monday, October 10.

SHRINGAR FILMS OPEN BRANCH OFFICE IN AHMEDABAD

Bombay distributors Shringar Films opened a branch office in Ahmedabad on 7th October. The office is situated at 15, Divya Vasundhara, Commercial House, opposite District Court, Mirzapur Road, Ahmedabad-1. Phone: 20116. Raju Shukla, local representative, is incharge of the office. Balkrishna Shroff and Shravan Shroff of Shringar Films, Bom­bay will visit the branch office frequently.

‘MOHRA’ 100 DAYS

Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd.’s Mohra has completed 100 days of its run to­day (Oct. 8). Produced by Gulshan Rai, co-produced by Ajay Shah, and directed by Rajiv Rai, it stars Naseeruddin Shah, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Raveena Tandon. Music: Viju Shah. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi and Indeevar.

‘ROJA’ GOLDEN JUBILEE

Mani Ratnam’s dubbed Hindi film, Roja, is celebrating golden jubilee this week at Metro (matinee), Bombay. The film’s super-hit music is scored by A.R. Rahman.

Subhash Ghai’s Film
Titled ‘Shikhar’ 

Producer-director Subhash Ghai’s new film, to be launched on Oct. 24 in Delhi, has been titled Shikhar (The Peak). Jackie Shroff and Shah Rukh Khan play the lead roles. A new heroi­ne is being finalised.

The film is written by Anjum Rajab Ali and Subhash Ghai. Cinema­togra­phy by Binod Pradhan, art direction by Nitin Desai, and action by Tinnu Ver­ma are the other major credits finalised so far.

The Dishum Dishum Devgan

He has literally fought his way to suc­cess and stardom. Having directed almost every hero and villain in the industry and taught them to fight, action director Veeru Devgan even today remains the polite, soft-at-heart and, of course, much sought-after action director. The line-up of troph­ies in his spacious office-cum-editing room at Juhu, serve to remind you that the man’s life may be full of stunts but his success story is no publicity stunt. And if you think, Veeru only understands the langua­ge of action, you’re wrong. He can also thrill you with his delicious dishes (yes, he’s an expert cook) and knock you down with his philosophy.

Veeru had to struggle a lot to enter the film industry. He ran away from home (in Punjab) at the young age of 15 and came to Bombay to become a hero. He had nothing in his pocket, no roof over his head and many were  the nights when he slept without eating a morsel of food and with only his dream to give him company. Later, a friend’s taxi was his shelter at nights. With no chance of becoming a hero, Veeru become a carpenter’s helper to earn a livelihood. Finally, after many months of struggle, he got a chance to assist action director Ravi Khanna.

From there started the action. The Pun­jab da puttar had little imagined then that although his dream of becoming a hero would never be realised, it would finally be his heroic stunts that would make him a hero one day.

It was this unfulfilled dream of Veeru Devgan which made him plan a hero’s career for his son, Ajay Devgan, “even before he was born”. Recalls Veeru, “When my wife was expecting Raju (Ajay’s pet name), I had decided that if she would deliver a baby boy, I would make him a hero when he grew up. And I strived to do only that.”

Veeru is frank when he admits, “I was never as bothered about Raju’s studies in school or college as I was about his exer­cises, action lessons etc. I had one am­bition in life – to make Raju a hero.” When Ajay grew up, papa Devgan im­mediately put him under Cheetah Yag­neesh’s training for stunts. “M.M. Baig began teaching him Urdu and used to make Raju improve his pronunciations and diction by making him talk with stones in his mouth,” reveals Veeru. “There were occasions when Raju inadvertently swall­owed a tiny stone or two.”

Action comes naturally to Veeru Dev­gan. “It is nature’s gift,” he says humbly. No, he wasn’t a fighter-cock as a child, he adds. But a workaholic he definitely be­came when he came to Bombay. “I used to often work 20 to 22 hours a day,” he recalls. “I’ve instilled a keen sense of dis­cipline in Raju too,” informs Veeru.

The 52-year-old action director flashes one of his warm smiles when you ask him, in how many films he has composed the action scenes. “Must be, over 300”, he makes a guess. At least, 150 of them have been hits or major successes.

To ask an action director which film is dearest to him is like asking a father, who, among his children, is his favourite. Nevertheless, Veeru enlists Agent Vinod, Kranti and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan among his favourite works, but adds, “There are many more.”

He recalls the action of Khoon Pasina which was being made when I & B min­ister V.C. Shukla had put a restriction on the length of fights in films. “I kept the fights in the film to the stipulated level,” he explains, “but there was so much of violence besides that. There were sounds of fisticuffs and blows and matching ex­pressions on the faces of characters, but the action was not shown. Obviously, the censors couldn’t object to it.” Veeru is confident that, even now, with censors coming down heavily on action, a via media will be found out. Necessity, after all, is the mother of invention.

Veeru denies the charge that he and his son come as a package deal. “Currently, Raju and I are doing only three films to­gether – Jaan, Shaktishaali and Haqee­qat,” he substantiates.

If there is one more dream Veeru sees today, it is to one day direct Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay together. He will soon be taking the plunge into direction. “I had wanted to make my first film without a single action scene,” he says, “but my people have told me not to do so. Maybe, my second film will be without action.”

If Veeru has politely turned down offers to direct films for others, it is be­cause the man doesn’t want to hurt any­body. “If I direct someone’s film, there’ll be many others who would expect me to do their films first. And I don’t want to strain my relations with anybody,” he concludes.

So the day is not far when Veeru Dev­gan will don the robe of a producer and also drop the ‘action’ from his title of ‘action director’ to be called the director who’ll shout “Action” on the sets.

And then, after many years, the work-machine may call it a day and, as he has promised his wife, “have a honeymoon with her, in our old age.”

  – Gautam & Komal

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

What A Variety!

It is really creditable, the way Sanjay Kapoor’s career is being planned. Without a single release so far, Sanjay has eight films besides his launching pad, Prem, and several of them with big banners and top directors. This in itself must be a record. He is working with almost all the heroines in the reckoning – Madhuri Dixit (Raja), Juhi Chawla (Kartavya), Tabu (Prem), Mamta Kulkarni and Manisha Koirala (Chhupa Rustam), Mamta Kulkarni (Beqabu), Shilpa Shetty (Weston’s Zameer), heroine to be finalised (Compact Disc India’s film), Pooja Bhatt and Raveena Tandon (Hum Tum Aur Woh) and Kajol (G.P. Sippy’s film). The music of Sanjay Kapoor starrers is being scored by Laxmikant Pyarelal, Anu Malik, Nadeem Shravan, Anand Milind, Dilip Sen Sameer Sen, A.R. Rahman and Viju Shah.

The ’42 Connection

What do Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, South actor Krishna and action master Veeru Devgan have in common? Their year of birth. All the five were born in 1942. And all of them have had very successful and frutiful careers. Can we call it ‘1942 A Success Story’?

Marriage Bureau!

Act in Satluj Dheer’s film and chances are that you will be married while it is being made. That is, if you are an actress. Rati Agnihotri got married while Satluj’s Mera Suhaag, in which she played the heroine, was being made. Shantipriya and Sushmita Mukherjee tied the knots during the making of Satluj’s Ikke Pe Ikka.

Johny Fever

Who is the most sought-after actor for TV serials? Seems to be Johny Lever. Not only is he a favourite of film producers, he is also being approached by TV serial producers. Reportedly, he has been asked to act in over 40 serials. But he has given the nod to just two makers, Jr. Mehmood and Pankaj Parashar.

(From our issue dated 1st October, 1994)

No Voting In CCCA

SANTOSH SINGH JAIN RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT

Santosh Singh Jain was re-elected president of the Central Circuit Cine Association (CCCA) at its annual general meeting held on 29th September in Jaipur at the Birla auditorium. No formal elections were held this time. Mem­bers were nominated on the executive committee by consensus of opinion. As a result, the elections, scheduled for 30th September, did not take place. This is the first time in the 41 years’ history of the CCCA that no elections were held.

Azad Laddha was elected vice president, H.S.P. Rao, hon secretary, and Prem Dev, hon. treasurer.

The following members are in the new executive committee:

C.P. Berar Distributors: H.S.P. Rao, Bharat Khajanchi, Ramkisan Kasat and Daulat Khatri.

C.P. Berar Exhibitors: Vijay Rathi, Azad Laddha, S.K. Surana and Pramod Kumar Munot.

C.I. Distributors: Prem Dev and Vinod Malhotra.

C.I. Exhibitors: O.P. Goyal and Ramesh Sureka.

Rajasthan Distributors: Santosh Singh Jain and Mohan Godha.

Rajasthan Exhibitors: O.P. Bansal and Trilok Singh.

As there was no real contest, the att­endance at the annual general meeting was at an all-time low. As against the usual attendance in several thousands, there were some hundreds this time. Besides the members of Rajasthan, there were just about 100 to 125 members from C.P. and C.I.

The Golchas (Premprakash cinema, Jaipur) hosted dinner for the members on 29th. Lunch was hosted by the Sura­nas (Raj Mandir). Breakfast was by Omprakashji (Polo Victory).

The annual general meeting was a regular affair.

DO YOU KNOW?

* The dispute over the title GENTLEMAN, between producers Vinod Verma and Allu Aravind, has been settled out of court. The former has reportedly been paid a lakh by the latter.

* Director Jagdish Sidana has lent a multi-star cast touch to a song-dance number of his HUM ANAAREE HAIN which is being shot in a 3-day schedule from 29th September at Mehboob Studios on a set depicting a land of fantasy. The director has ass­embled look-alikes of top stars like Michael Jackson, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Mehmood, Jagdeep and others. And what’s more, there are two look-alikes of each of Amitabh and Govinda. All totalling 26 ‘stars’! They are all participating with the films’ artistes – Kader Khan, Armaan Kohli, Ayesha Julka, Raj Kishore and Birbal.

* The Gujarat government did not invite even the studio owners of Guja­rat for its awards function held on 15th September in Ahmedabad. Mrs. Ibrahim Nadiadwala has taken strong exception to this “lapse” on the part of the government and has written to the I & B ministry, complaining about the same. She has recalled that her husband, late Ibrahimbhai, was not only the owner of Lucky Studios, Halol, where the award-winning Gujarati films (SAMAY NI SANTA­ KUKDI, SAAJAN NE SATHWARE and LAAJU LAAKHAN) were shot but was also himself a Gujarati film producer. In spite of that, no in­vitation was extended to any representative of Lucky Studios, she has said.

* Sunil Agnihotri may not have earned so much praise for the films directed by him as he is earning these days for his TV serial, CHANDRAKANTA, being aired on the national network of Doordarshan. The serial is very popular among families.

* From 4th October, viewers of Sri Adhikari Brothers’ TV serial, COM­MANDER, on Zee TV will get to see a new Commander. Sudhir Mithoo has been signed to play the lead role in place of Ramesh Bhatkar.

* Manjushree Cinema has become the first ever cinema in Kanpur to give a distributor’s share of over a million rupees to a film. HAHK..! has fetch­ed a share of 10,86,413/- in just 8 weeks, from the cinema. Collection in 8th week: 1,74,340/-, city record.

YOU ASKED IT

What does the non-success of Main Khiladi Tu Anari prove?

– That hit music and hype are not enough to make a film a success.

Is it true that Weston is starting one more film, besides the two already started?

–Yes, the third will star Ajay Devgan and Madhuri Dixit, and will be directed by Rahul Rawail.

I want to make money. Should I pro­duce or distribute a film?

– You should quit the industry.

J. OM PRAKASH ELECTED GUILD CHIEF

J. Om Prakash was elected president of the Film Producers’ Guild of India at its annual general meeting held on 30th September at Gallops Restaurant, Maha­laxmi, Bombay. Gulshan Rai was elected senior vice president, and Yash Chopra, vice president. Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Kiran Shantaram and Pahlaj Nihalani were elected hon. treasurers.

In place of the eight retiring committee members, the following were elected for the year 1994-95: Amit Khanna, Subhash Ghai, Prakash Mehra, Shreeram Bohra, T.C. Dewan, Ramdayal, Raj Tilak Magan and F.C. Mehra. The first three named producers have been elected on the com­mittee for the first time.

There was a move to increase the con­tribution of a producer for every film pro­duced, from Rs. 5,000 to Rs.10,000. But since the majority was not in favour of such a contribution to be made to the Guild, it was decided to instead charge every member Rs. 2,500 per year. The en­trance fee was increased from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000.

The elections were followed by a cocktail-dinner party at Gallops. It was hosted by Gulshan Rai who himself could not attend as he is recuperating from a paralytic attack, at Breach Candy Hospi­tal.

CINEMA OWNER DEAD

Bhore Ramgopal, proprietor of B.P. Palace cinema, Bharatpur (Rajasthan), expired on 28th September in Agra. The cinema cancelled 11 shows, on 28th, 29th and 30th.

S.P. AHLUWALIYA DIES IN HOSPITAL

Noted Marathi film producer Satya Pal Ahluwaliya died on 28th September at 8.30 a.m. at Cooper Hospital, Bombay. He had met with an accident the previous morning at Andheri (Bombay) while he was on his way to office. The accident proved fatal.

Popularly known as Pal Sahib, he had pro­duced four Marathi and two Hindi films under his banner of Eagle Interna­tional Enterprises. His Marathi film, Kul­dee­pak, fetched him the best producer’s award of the Maharashtra state government in 1992. The Hindi films he had made were Gunahgar and Daulat Ka Nasha.

S.P. Ahluwaliya is survived by his wife and two daughters. Chautha uthala will be held today (1st October) between 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Sindhi Gurudwara, near Nilkanth Hotel, Linking Road, Khar, Bombay.

DHARAM PAUL ARORA ELECTED NIMPA CHIEF

Dharam Paul Arora was elected president of the Northern India Motion Pictur­es Association (NIMPA) on 26th Septem­ber. Ram Kumar Bhardwaj and Bhupinder Singh were elected vice presidents, and Yash Paul Mittal, hon. general secretary. Surinder Sehgal was elected hon. jt. secretary, and Joginder Jaggi, hon. treasurer.

Earlier, at the 45th annual general meeting, the following seven candidates were declared elected unopposed: Dharam Paul Arora, Yash Paul Mittal, Bhupinder Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Narinder Singh Walia, Inderjit Walia and Kanwal Kishor.

Other members of the executive com­mittee are Jaswant Singh, Madan Lal Kapoor, Romesh Gupta, Tarlok Saggi and Amrik Singh.

HC EXTENDS STAY ON ‘BANDIT QUEEN’

The Delhi high court on September 28 extended the stay on exhibition of the controversial film, Bandit Queen, for public as well as private viewing all over the country till October 18. Mr. Justice Virendra Jain also directed Channel Four TV to place on record the names of par­ties and dates of agreement entered into with third parties to exhibit films abroad, within two weeks. He has also asked Mala Sen, the author of the book on which the film is based, to file her affidavit on whether the film is based on the book.

U.A. THADANI RE-ELECTED TOA PRESIDENT

At the first meeting of the Council of Management of the Theatre Owners’ Association (TOA), held on 23rd September, U.A. Thadani was unanimously re-elected president for the year 1994-95. This is Thadani’s fifth term as president. R.P. Anand was elected vice president, N.F. Damania, hon. treasurer, and C.N. Mirani and Nester D’souza, hon. secretaries.

The other members elected on the Council of Management at the TOA’s annual general meeting are: Kiran Shan­taram, R.V. Vidhani, N.F. Sidhwa, F.C. Mehra, R.F. Balaporia, Salim Ebrahim, K.A. Thadani, N.N. Menon, Milap Joshi, Girivarsinhji and A.L. Shahani.

Jimmy D. Sukhia and Keshav Dash­rath Patil have been co-opted on the Council of Management.

P.J. PATEL NO MORE

P.J. Patel, sole distributor of Orwo films in India and managing director of Central Camera, a photographic equipment con­cern of Bombay, expired on 24th Septem­ber in Bombay. He was 75 and is survived by three daughters. He was actor Raj Kiran’s father-in-law.

GYANDEV AGNIHOTRI PASSES AWAY

Story, screenplay and dialogue writer Gyandev Agnihotri passed away in the early morning hours of 26th September at his residence in Bombay due to a heart attack. He was 59.

Gyandev Agnihotri had written about 60 films. His notable works were Mr. Natwarlal, Do Aur Do Paanch, Swarag Se Sunder, Ghar Ek Mandir, Sindoor, Aaj Ka Daur, Gharana, Ghar Sansar, Dariya-Dil, Maan Abhimaan, Sunay­na, Yaarana, Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharni, Karz Chukana Hai, Pyar Ka Mandir, Pyar Ka Devta and Beta. He specialised in family socials. He also wrote Madhu­malti in which he was a partner in pro­duction with Basu Bhattacharya. Gyan­dev Agnihotri used to also assist Basu-da in direction. His first film as writer (dia­logue and lyrics) was Avishkar. He was writing Parakrami at the time of his death.

True to his name, Gyandev was a learned man and was a professor of English in Kanpur. It was Manoj Kumar who brought him to Bombay but he never wrote any film for Manoj Kumar. It was two plays, ‘Danga’ and ‘NEFA Ki Ek Shaam’, written by Gyandev Agnihotri, that made Manoj Kumar see the spark in the writer who was to later carve a niche for himself in film writing.

He was a very simple and soft-spoken person who preferred to let his work speak for itself. He loved walking and used to often take long walks.

Gyandev Agnihotri’s funeral was held the same day (26th) at 4 p.m.

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Shanti path was held on 28th. The bereaved members of the family left for Kanpur today (1st October).

NEW RELEASES UNCERTAIN 

All release schedules have gone haywire, thanks to the outbreak of the plague in various parts of the country. Cinemas in different cities of Gujarat have closed down on the orders of the authorities. Delhi cinemas have also been asked to close down indefinitely from 30th September. In some cities of Maharashtra also, it is the same story. All shipments to Overseas countries have been upset following the withdrawal of permission by some countries to Indian carriers to enter their jurisdiction.

As a result, releases of next week have been postponed. Trade pundits don’t think, it would be possible to release any new film on 14th October too. However, the Bombay distributors of Amaanat, Stuntman and Udhaar Ki Zindagi are claiming that the films will be released on 14th, as scheduled.

Beta Ho To Aisa and Ikke Pe Ikka are slated for release on 21st October. A number of films have been planned for Diwali release (4th November): The Gentleman, Yaar Gaddar, Hum Hain Bemisal, Aao Pyar Karen, Majhdhaar, Sardar etc. Suhaag has been postponed.

SULTAN AHMED ELECTED IMPPA PRESIDENT

Sultan Ahmed was elected president of the Indian Motion Picture Produ­cers’ Association at the first meeting of the newly elected executive committee, held on 30th September at IMPPA House. Saawan Kumar was elected senior vice president, and Vinay Kumar Sinha, vice president. S.K. Kapur was elected hon. treasurer.

Earlier, 18 candidates of the United Group, led by Shakti Samanta (who him­self did not contest the elections), were voted to power in the 21-member com­mittee at the elections held on 29th Sep­tember at ISKCON, Juhu. Of the 18, fourteen were voted in the Ordinary class, and four, in the Associate I class.

Dara Singh bagged the highest num­ber of votes (94) in the Ordinary class. In the Associate I class, Komal Nahta and S.K. Kapur polled the maximum votes (44 each).

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST ….

….Rather, it was the most!

Komal Nahta decided to contest the IMPPA elections barely 18 hours before they were held. He had filed his nomination earlier, but later decided to withdraw the same. It was when Darshan Sabarwal, a candidate of the United group, withdrew his candidature on 28th that Komal stepped in. His name was finalised at the pre-election party of the United group on the night of 28th. And in the election on 29th, Komal bagged the highest number of votes — 44 — in the Asso­ciate I Class. S.K. Kapur also bagged 44 votes.

Incidentally, this was the first time that Komal contested the IMPPA elec­tions. Exactly 10 years ago, in 1984, when Komal’s father, late Shri Ram­raj-ji Nahta had contested the IMPPA elections (in the Ordinary Class) for the first time, he, too, had secured the highest number of votes (156). Senior members of the IMPPA fondly recall­ed this at the elections on 29th. What few must have recalled is that in 1984, Ramraj-ji was also the last to file his nomination for election. The son in the father’s footsteps…..

IN RAMRAJ-JI’S FOOTSTEPS

Dear Komal,

I am proud of you that you have secured the highest number of votes in our Associate Class I in the IMPPA elections held on 29-9-’94 and kept high the dignity and values of our be­loved leader, late Shri Ramraj Nahta, your father, with whom I was associated as executive committee member many a time and used to enjoy being with him during his period. I wish that you should have the same courage and strength to keep alive his memory.

– S.P. Malhotra

Apollo Arts

MAJROOH SULTANPURI RECEIVES DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD

Veteran lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri received the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the nation’s highest honour, for lifetime contribution to cinema, from the president, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, in Delhi on September 30. The much-delay­ed 41st National Awards for 1993 were presented at a glittering ceremony at the newly-renovated Vigyan Bhawan by the president and, for the first time, by the former Dadasaheb Phalke awardees, Jai­raj, Ashok Kumar and Dr. Bhupen Haza­rika.

Buddhadeb Dasgupta received the best film award for the feature film, Cha­rachar (Bengali). The best director award was presented to T.V. Chandran, and the best actor award, to Mammootty for Pon­than Mada (Malayalam). Shobhana got the best actress award for Manichi­trathazhu (Malayalam). Neena Gupta won two awards — for the best supporting actress in Woh Chhokri, and for the best non-feature film debut of a director for Bazar Sitaram. Paresh Rawal bagged the best supporting actor award for Sir. Ketan Mehta won the Nargis Dutt award for national integration for Sardar, a film on the life history of Sardar Patel.

President Shankar Dayal Sharma, in his speech, called upon the film industry to deal, through self-regulation, with the problem of depiction of values and themes which are alien to our way of life. He added that proscription is a solution worse than the disease itself. He further said that films were among the most vibrant forces of national integration and for strengthening ties with other societies and cultures, and the cultural intermingling, that was characteristic of the film industry, sym­bolised the oneness of India. He emphasised on maintaining a balance between entertainment and social relevance and asked filmmakers to accept it as a chall­enge.

I & B minister K.P. Singh Deo called on filmmakers to discharge their responsibilities to curb sex and violence and dis­courage anti-social trends in films.

Garma-Garam

** The bomb blasts did it last year. The plague is doing it this year. Does box-office have to take such a beating always?

** Except for the exhibitors, nobody is really happy about the reduction in entertainment tax in Maharashtra because the government has put a res­triction due to which admission rates cannot be increased for a year. And even the exhibitors are only putting up a brave front, trying to be happy. It’s because they have been caught unawares. They pleaded before the government, arguing that the high entertainment tax was making cine­ma-going too costly for the paying public and that people should be granted relief by reducing tax. All along, the exhibitors, perhaps, thought that when the government would relent and reduce tax, they (exhibi­tors) would not pass on the benefit to cinegoers and would, instead, pocket the benefit. But the government turned out to be smarter. It has made it clear that the cinemas can­not increase their nett admission rates from the 12th August ’94 (cut-off date) level and has, therefore, ensur­ed that the entire benefit of tax re­duction is enjoyed by cinegoers.

** The entertainment tax reduction in the state of Maharashtra has, so to say, created a rift between distributors and exhibitors. Distributors are condemning the reduction. Exhibi­tors are also condemning it but only in their hearts. On the exterior, they are pretending that they’ve achieved a great deal.

** Juhi Chawla has walked out of Sun­eel Darshan’s Ajay. This is a sequel to Suneel terminating the services of director and cameraman Manmoh­an Singh. Suneel will himself direct Sunny Deol, a new heroine and Ajay, of course.

** Even at the cost of sounding repetitive, I must say what I said last week — and with much more emphasis this time. The ‘Roop suhana lagta hai’ song of The Gentleman (music track of A.R. Rahman from the Telugu original version of the film) has all that it takes to become the new anthem. After ‘Ek ladki ko dekha’ and ‘Tu cheez badi hai mast mast’, it is this racy number of Gen­tleman that’ll be the favourite of masses and classes alike. It has a mesmerising effect and a rare magi­cal quality. Singers S.P. Balasubrah­maniam and Chitra have given it a unique freshness. Indivar’s lyrics are also beautiful. And Rahman’s music is… well, hear it for yourself.

** Let’s talk of more music. Boney Kapoor has recorded a song for his untitled film, being directed by David Dhawan. It is a potential hit. ‘Teri patli kamar mein hai jaadu, teri tirchhi nazar mein hai jaadu’ go the lyrics. Although Anand Milind have scored the music, they are honest to admit that the tune is that of one Nitin who is fond of writing songs and composing music for them. The lyrics of the song are also Nitin’s brainchild.

** N.N. Sippy has got made impressive sampler cassettes of his Teesra Kaun?. The songs (Anand Milind) seem to have catchy tunes.

** The makers of Suhaag have added one more song in the film. Its music cassettes do not contain this addi­tional number.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Stars Rise To The Occasion

Film stars are doing all they can to spread awareness about the plague which has been causing widespread alarm. Thirty-second spots featuring popular stars of Bollywood will be telecast on the national network to dispel myths about the feared disease, as part of a campaign. Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Aamir Khan, Manisha Koirala, Nana Patekar and Neena Gupta are among the stars who may participate in the TV spots. Nana has reportedly addressed viewers in Marathi, and there is a move to enlist stars and other celebrities to address audiences in other regional languages.

The 6-Year-Old Wonder

Playback singer Udit Narayan’s son is a little wonder. Just six years old, the kid is unbelievable when he performs on stage in shows. The boy has already stepped into papa’s shoes. Yes, he has lent his voice to songs of three films — Mansoor Khan’s Akele Hum Akele Tum, Sharukh Sultan’s Sanjay, and a Nepali film. It is a striking coincidence that Udit Nara­yan had also sung his first Hindi film song in Mansoor Khan’s film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. The hit song was ‘Papa kehte hain bada naam karega’. As if to prove Majrooh Sultan­puri’s lyrics right, son Aditya Narayan also sang his first song for Mansoor Khan’s film, Akele Hum Akele Tum.

Child Prodigy

Talking of little wonders, there’s a little girl called Sunidhi Chauhan who sings Lata Mangeshkar’s songs so beautifully that she should soon become a singer to reckon with. Both, Udit Narayan’s son and Sunidhi, are part of the troupe which performs in Kalyanji Anandji’s show, called ‘Little Wonders’.

New Titles

Here’s a list of some new and interesting titles registered by the title registration committee:

Goonda Branch, Lifafa, Palat Tera Dhyan Kidhar Hai, Dil Loota Ke Dekho, Mukka, Mr. Kartoon, Aaj Ka Kar­toon, Hum Hain Kartoon, Main Hun Kartoon, Mujhe Gale Laga Lo, Saas Meri Saheli, Parde Mein Rahene Do, Kaun Kaheta Hai Ganga Maili Hai, I Hate You, Garm Josh, Shree Mati Pareshan Pati, Main, Made In India, Lion Of India, Hero Hindustani, Tu Cheeze Badi Hai Mast Mast, Shyane Log, Pyaar Pe Pehra Nahin, Rathi Maharathi, Tuition Teacher, Kadke Nawab, Bandh Gobhi Ke Patte, Noukari Chhokari Zhopadi, Public Hero, Bom­bay Ka Mawali…

(From our issue dated 24th September, 1994)

MAIN KHILADI TU ANARI

United Seven International’s Main Khiladi Tu Anari (UA) is a musical and action drama. Inspired from the English film, Hard Way, it is the story of a film hero and a police inspector, the latter training the former in action. The story has some freshness for the Hindi film au­dience but the screenplay leaves a lot to be desired. It affords a lot of opportunities for comedy but logic and continuity take a backseat. Recourse has been taken to contrived incidents to further the story, thereby hampering the smooth flow of the drama. The police inspector’s mission to avenge his brother’s death is relegated to the background as the antics of the two heroes take precedence.

A couple of drawbacks dilute the im­pact of the narration. There are some jokes very typically filmi, and the audien­ce may not necessarily appreciate them fully. Besides, the hero being responsible for the heroine’s death in the beginning and not even repenting it looks a bit odd. What is more, he doesn’t hesitate in later endangering the life of the heroine’s look­-alike too.

Music and action are the film’s high points. Light moments of Saif Ali Khan (film hero) are hilarious, at times.

Akshay Kumar does an extraordinary job in action and dances. The same, how­ever, cannot be said of his acting. He tends to overact to imitate bigger actors at times. Saif Ali Khan is cute and entertains with his comedy. Shilpa Shetty impresses very much in dances. She performs quite well. Rageshwari is good. Shakti Kapoor is the usual villain. Johny Lever may not be hilarious but is good. Kader Khan is almost wasted in a double role. Beena (she is pregnant in the beginning of the film but doesn’t deliver till the end), Mukesh Khanna, Goga Kapoor, Shiva, Ananth Mahadevan and the rest lend the desired support. Raveena Tandon provi­des glamour in a special appearance.

Direction leaves something to be desi­red. Although the film has a big canvas, hit music and lovely action, its presentation is not convincing enough to arrest attention. Anu Malik’s music is super-hit. ‘Chura ke dil mera’ is already a rage. The title song and ‘Chura ke dil mera’ are also very beautifully tuned. Picturisations of the title song and ‘Chura ke dil mera’ are ex­cellent. Mauritius locations are captivating, and camerawork is remarkable. Acti­on is breathtaking. Production values are rich. Technically, of standard.

On the whole, Main Khiladi Tu An­ari has gloss and material for the ears (music) and eyes (action) but not for the heart. An average entertainer, it will fare better in Bombay and Southwards and in cities. Lack of releases will give it a boost.

Released on 18-9-’94 in Nasik and on 23-9-’94 at Novelty and 32 other cinemas of Bombay thru Shringar Films. Publici­ty: excellent. Opening: very good. …..Also released all over. Opening was below ex­pectations in Indore, Jaipur and some other places. 1st day Jaipur (3 shows, 5 cinemas) 91,258/- against 1,18,356/-.

LATEST POSITION

…….

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! continues to score and is doing unprecedented and unheard of business. It has surpassed the total share of Rajshri’s own Maine Pyar Kiya in just 6 to 7 weeks at many of the released centres. 7th week Bombay 9,28,253 (95.30)% from 4 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 3,60,487 from 3 cine­mas (1 cinema unrecd.), Baroda 1,53,785, 5th week Surat (25 shows) 2,40,599 from 2 cinemas, 6th Jamnagar 89,147, city re­cord, total 5,09,691, 4th week Bhavnagar 92,622, city record; 7th Pune 4,39,446 from 3 cinemas, Solapur 88,700 (6th 91,650), Nasik 1,30,053, total 8,68,555, record, Kolhapur 98,357 (95.39%), 3rd week Satara (gross) 95,845 (92%), city record; 7th week Delhi 14,94,822 (100%) from 5 cinemas; Kanpur 1,64,030, Luck­now 2,28,422, record, Agra (6 days) 1,07,000, 3rd week Meerut 1,57,663, city record, Bareilly 1,24,962, Allahabad (23 shows) 1,20,846, Gorakhpur 1,14,000, city record, 7th week Calcutta 3,62,461 from 3 cinemas; 2nd week Patna (gross) 2,65,350, all 30 shows full; 7th week Nagpur 2,43,135 from 2 cinemas, city record, Amravati 1,01,384, total 7,44,602, share 4,87,545, city record, Akola 64,846, city record, total 4,49,948, share 2,67,254, theatre record, Bhilai 72,033, 3rd week Raipur 1,30,068, city record, 2nd Jabal­pur 1,39,379, total 2,89,433, city record, 1st week Chandrapur 1,12,058, city re­cord; 6th Bhopal 1,37,056, total 8,31,997, 2nd week Ujjan 90,000 (100%); 7th Jai­pur 2,62,545 (100%); Hyderabad 6,88,325 (gross) from 3 cinemas; Bangalore 2,46,913 from 2 cinemas (1 in daily 1 show); total 81,44,592 from 51 cinemas.

Krantiveer 9th week Bombay (TF) 8,65,899 (88.17%) from 8 cinemas (1 on F.H.) (8th week was 4,65,315; 94.13% from 4 cinemas, and not 88.88%); Ahmedabad 26,870 from 2 cinemas (1 unrecd.); Pune (TF) 2,56,328 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur (TF) 54,826 (95.56%), Solapur (TF) 47,579, Nasik (TF) 49,368; 5th week Dharwad (noon) 4,897, 3rd Belgaum 43,187 (100%) from 2 cinemas (1 in noon); 9th week Delhi (TF) 12,60,753 from 8 cinemas; Amravati (TF) 36,558, Akola (TF) 31,285, 2nd week Jalgaon (TF) 36,341, 3rd War­dha (TF, 4 days) 27,683, 2nd week Khandwa 19,985; 8th Hyderabad 3,59,211 from 4 cinemas (1 in noon).

…….

DO YOU KNOW?

* Like last year, this year too, Rajesh Khanna is taking a keen interest in the ensuing IMPPA elections. The United Group’s list of candidates was reportedly finalised in the star-MP’s office and under his supervision.

* In the trial circuit, ANDAZ APNA APNA is the hot favourite these days.  Trade people and their families are going ga ga over the film and, what’s more, even showing a keen desire to repeat it. Rajkumar Santoshi and Vinay Sinha must be hoping, even the audience behaves the same way.

* Wild rumours of thespian Dilip Kumar’s death made the rounds in Bombay on 21st September. Of cour­se, they were baseless but, nevertheless, had the industry panicking.

* Delhi-U.P. distributor Tolu Bajaj will be releasing two big films on Diwali, viz. THE GENTLEMAN and SUH­AAG.

* Udit Narayan, who was committed to dub for a song of SANJAY on 18th September, did not go to Delhi to re­ceive an award the same day but preferred to stick to his commitment.

* Pankaj Mehta, who had released Mira Nair’s English film, MISSISSIPPI MASALA, in Bombay a few months back, is now planning the release of its dubbed Hindi version.

* Novelty Talkies, Lucknow, and Nan­dan Cinema, Meerut have installed Ultra Optical Stereo Sound System and have also been equipped with other technical innovations to enrich the screening of HAHK..!.

* Delite Cinema, Delhi is being comp­letely renovated at a cost of 4,00,000/- for releasing HAHK..! from Septem­ber 30.

* HAHK..! created all-time city record by collecting 1,12,058/- in 1st week at Jayant, Chandrapur.

* HAHK..! created record by collecting 1,39,379/- in 2nd week at Vanda­na, Jabalpur. Two weeks’ total: 2,89,433/-.

* HAHK…! created city record by collecting 95,844/- (92%) in 3rd week at Radhika, Satara, which is better than 1st and 2nd weeks.

* HAHK..! created a record by collecting 1,13,068/- in 3rd week at Raj, Raipur.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a city record by collecting 1,24,962/- in 3rd week at Prabha, Bareilly, in spite of business being affected due to anti-reservation and Uttarakhand demand stir.

* HAHK..! has created city record by collecting 1,14,000/- in 3rd week at Maya, Gorakhpur.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has yielded a distributor’s share of 7,40,829/- in just 4 weeks from Sap­na, Delhi. It has surpassed the total share of Rajshri’s MAINE PYAR KIYA which had had a 21-week run at Paras, Delhi. The share of MPK was 7,35,888/-.

* HAHK..! created theatre record by collecting 1,30,058/- in 7th week at Vijay, Nasik; total for 7 weeks 8,68,555/-.

* HAHK..! created theatre record by grossing 1,21,126/- in 7th week at Jayshri, Vapi; total for 7 weeks 9,53,683/-. It surpassed the 17 weeks’ share of MAI­NE PYAR KIYA in just 7 weeks.

* HAHK..! has created triple mega re­cords in just 7 weeks by collecting 12,51,094/- at Manjushree, Kanpur, and paying distributor’s share of 9,54,593/-. It has broken the records of: NADIYA KE PAAR in just 4 weeks – it had given a share of 5,52,257/- in 62 weeks; of SHOLAY in 5 weeks – it had given a share of 6,56,320/- in 76 weeks’ run at Sun­der; and of MAINE PYAR KIYA in just 7 weeks – it had given a share of 8,00,000/- in 26 weeks. Moreover, HAHK..! has given an all-time high distributor’s share from any cinema of Kanpur.

* HAHK..! has created a city record by collecting 1,01,384/- in 7th week at Chitra, Amravati; total for 7 weeks 7,44,602/-, distributor’s share 4,87,545/-.

* HAHK..! created city record by coll­ecting 64,846/- in 7th week at Vasant, Akola; total for 7 weeks 4,49,948/-, a theatre record, with distributor’s share of 2,67,254/-.

* KRANTIVEER (TF) created a city record by collecting 50,827/- in 2nd week at Vasant, Wardha.

* KRANTIVEER (tax-free) has created a theatre record by collecting 4,09,500/- in 9 weeks at Shalini, Akola.

* MOHRA created a city record by collecting 71,339/- in first week, in second run, just after 35 days, at Babulal Talkies, Raipur.

* GHAYAL (tax-free), re-released after a short gap of 5 months, collected 53,794/- in one week at Uday, Akola, which is better than the previous run’s collection.

MIX MASALA

HOT NEWS

The air-conditioner at Liberty, Bom­bay, screening Hum Aapke Hain Ko­un…!, was not functioning last Friday (16th September). Although the management had put up a notice outside, regretting the inconvenience caused for reasons beyond its control, the paying public did­n’t quite like it. After all, they were paying Rs. 75 and Rs. 60 for a ticket.

JUMPING JILL

Like Jeetendra was nicknamed ‘Jump­ing Jack’, Shilpa Shetty may soon get the title of ‘Jumping Jill’. The girl was made to ‘jump’ to her death from a height in Baazigar and again in Main Khiladi Tu Anari.

PRASAD IN
SUPREME COURT

Sunil Dutt was hopeful that the bail application of Sanjay would be accepted by the Supreme Court. After the hearing on 21st September, senior Dutt distribu­ted prasad in the Supreme Court (out­side the court room). The order rejecting the bail application was pronounced on 23rd.

SESHAN SINGH JAIN

We have a T.N. Seshan in the CCCA too. Like the chief election commissioner, T.N. Seshan, has made identity cards compulsory for all voters this time, CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain has also brought in the system of identity cards. Yellow-coloured I-cards have been issued to voters whose photographs are affixed on them. While Seshan’s recommendation has yet to see implementation, CCCA’s Seshan’s rule has been implemented in toto!

SC REJECTS SANJAY’S
BAIL APPLICATION

The Supreme Court on 23rd Septem­ber rejected the bail application of Sanjay Dutt in the TADA case. The hearing was completed on 21st when the judges reserved their order. It was pronounced on the morning of 23rd.

YOU ASKED IT

On what basis should star prices be determined?

– Stars should be categorised into three classes – those whose names en­sure a show’s house-full opening, those who ensure a day’s house-full opening, and those ensuring three days’ opening – and their prices determined accordingly. Not to forget those who can gua­rantee no opening – and most of them would fall in this category!

Will more English films be dubbed in Hindi?

– Yes, they are being dubbed.

Is content more important in a film or presentation?

– Content – not necessarily wholly new – coupled with fresh presentation is the best combination.

PRESIDENT WITNESSES ‘HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!’

President Shankar Dayal Sharma and his wife, Smt. Vimla Sharma, witnessed, at a special screening, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! on 17th September at Rashtrapa­ti Bhavan Cinema Hall. Among the other dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri Shivraj V. Patil, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Smt. Sheila Kaul, union minister of urban deve­lopment, and Kumari Selja, union dy. minister of human resource development.

Shri Rajkumar Barjatya and Shri Ajit Kumar Barjatya along with their family members were present on the occasion. Before the show, the Barjatyas had a small get-together with the President and the First Lady wherein pleasantries were ex­changed and general topics were dis­cussed over tea.

ARREST WARRANT AGAINST FEROZ KHAN SOUGHT

A charge-sheet has been filed in the court of the first class judicial magistrate of Nelamangala, Karnataka against pro­ducer-director-actor Feroz Khan and three others for allegedly assaulting a government servant. A non-bailable warrant against them has been sought, as they are allegedly evading arrest. The incident pertains to August 1991 when a film unit, led by Feroz Khan, entered the Aradinakunte forest area in Nelamangala, near Banga­lore. When the range forest officer, Shiva­putte Gowda, objected to their shooting without permission from the forest autho­rities, Feroz Khan and his unit members allegedly assaulted him.

CONTEMPT OF COURT: IMPRISONMENT ORDERED

A civil judge and munsif magistrate of Jaipur has ordered simple imprisonment of CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain and secretary Shiv Kumar for three months in a contempt of court case filed by Rajas­than distributor Deepak Gupta. The order was pronounced on 16th September. The judge also ordered attachment of property of the CCCA, valued at Rs. 15,000, and issuance of arrest warrants in the names of Jain and Shiv Kumar.

Deepak Gupta had alleged that the CCCA had deregistered Kohraam which stood in his favour and thereafter registered it in favour of another party. Despite court orders, the CCCA failed to register the film again in the name of Deepak Gupta. The CCCA on 28th April, 1994, preferred an appeal against the court or­der and also filed a revision petition, but both were dismissed by different courts. Even after the dismissal, the CCCA re­fused to register the film in Deepak Gup­ta’s favour. The latter then initiated con­tempt of court proceedings.

GULSHAN RAI BETTER

Gulshan Rai, who suffered a paralytic attack on 16th September, is recuperating at Breach Candy hospital, Bombay. His condition is reported to be fine now and he is likely to be discharged from the hos­pital in a couple of days.

DEEPAK BALRAAJ,
KISHORI BLESSED
WITH SON

Producer-director Deepak Balraaj Vij and actress Kishori Vij were blessed with a son on September 16. Kishori delivered the new-born at Holy Spirit Hospital, An­dheri, Bombay.

MADRAS HC CUTS TAX
ON CABLE TV OPERATORS

The Madras High Court on Sept. 19 by an interim order, reduced from 40 to 20 per cent the Tamil Nadu government’s levy of entertainment tax on cable television. Mr. Justice J. Kanakaraj who passed orders on a batch of miscellaneous peti­tions, also reduced the registration fee from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5,000, which was sought to be collected from cable television operators (CTVOs).

HARI SHIVDASANI
PASSES AWAY

Veteran actor Hari Shivdasani, father of Babita, passed away in Bombay on Septe­mber 16, after a prolonged illness. He was 85.

Born on December 6, 1909 at Hyde­rabad, Sind, he started his career in films as an actor-producer-director with East­ern Arts in 1932 and produced about a dozen films, including Prem Pariksha, Bharat Ki Beti and Sher Ka Panja. Over a span of 50 years, he acted in over one hundred films, including Raj Kapoor’s Shri 420 and Sangam, and B.R. Chopra’s Waqt and Humraaz.

ANIL KAPOOR AT
PLANET HOLLYWOOD 

Anil Kapoor was in Hong Kong some days ago on a promotional tour for his shows to be held in October and he was overwhelmed by the affection and the enthusiasm with which he was received wherever he went. There was a strong 1942 A Love Story fever all over the place. He received the greatest honour when he was wel­comed at the Planet Hollywood, a uni­que restaurant owned by three leading Hollywood stars – Bruce Willis, Syl­vester Stallone and Arnold Schwarze­negger. Anil presented Planet Holly­wood with one of his costumes from 1942 A Love Story. According to the custom of the restaurant, it will be treasured as a memento from Anil who is the first Indian star to be hon­oured by Planet Hollywood which boasts of memorabilia from some of the greatest living stars of Hollywood today.

N.N. SIPPPY RE-ELECTED
IMPDA PRESIDENT

The newly elected executive committee of IMPDA had its first meeting on September 23 and elected the following office-bearers for 1994-95: N.N. Sippy (president), Indravadan R. Shah (vice president), Kantilal C. Mehta (hon. treasurer), Devendra T. Shah (hon. secretary), and Suraj Prakash Seth (hon. secretary). N.N. Sippy has been elected president for the 10th term.

Earlier, on 21st September, at the elections of the IMPDA held after its annual general meeting at Birla Kreeda Kendra, Chowpatty, Bombay, eleven sit­ting members and one new member were elected to the executive committee in the Ordinary class. Guru Shenoy is the new incumbent who polled 90 votes and was declared elected. Of the sitting members, Ramesh Luthra is not on the committee for the year 1994-95.

Balkrishna Shroff bagged the highest number of votes (130), followed by Dev­endra Shah (127). The others elected in the Ordinary class were: U.A. Thadani (120 votes), N.N. Sippy (119), Haresh Bhatia (113), Kanti Shah (101), Gulshan Rai (98), Vijay Kondke (98), Sharad Doshi (91), Guru Shenoy (90), Ayub Selia (82), and Suraj Prakash (80).

There were no elections in the Asso­ciate class, as there were only as many contestants as seats available. Those re-elected are: Indravadan R. Shah, Mohan Susania and D.Y. Patani. Those who lost the elections (Ordinary class) were: Sanjay Trivedi (60), Nandu Bohra (59), Dilip Dhanwani (59), N.B. Kamath (59), Man­oj Khivasara (55), Abib Zafar (54), Suresh Vora (40), Jayant Acharya (30), Tekchand Anchal (28), Iqbal Singh (21), Shishir Kanakia (20), and Jagdish K. Devnani (19).

A total of 213 votes were polled, of which one was declared invalid. That is to say, there were a total of 212 valid votes cast.

The annual general meeting was a regular affair.

The meeting and elections were follo­wed by cocktails and dinner hosted the same evening at the BCA (Garware Club) at Churchgate, Bombay. The election res­ults were announced prior to that at the venue of elections.

Garma-Garam

** The industry received the news of the Supreme Court rejecting Sanjay Dutt’s bail application, on 23rd Sep­tember with sadness. What next? That’s the question on everybody’s lips.

** Nagarjuna-starrer Hello Brother (in Telugu) has become a hit. David Dhawan has acquired its Hindi re­-making rights and plans to direct it for one of his producers. It is a story of twin brothers, and the remake may star Govinda – in double role, of course!

** N.N. Sippy has decided to postpone the release of his Teesra Kaun? by a few weeks. It was scheduled to hit the screen on Diwali, but it should now come in or around mid-Nov­ember. The music cassettes of the film will be released in the first week of October, and Sippy feels, he should give it (music) at least 7 to 8 weeks to become popular. Two of the four confirmed Diwali releases so far are Suhaag and The Gentleman. Both boast of good music. The ‘Roop suhana lagta hai, chand purana lagta hai’ song of The Gentleman should soon become a hit. There are other lovely songs too in the film. Coming back to Diwali, the other releases, besides the two aforesaid, will be Mr. Azaad and Yaar Gaddar.

** K. C. Bokadia has also postponed the release of Aao Pyar Karen. It was to come on Dassera. It may now be released on 21st October. And the songs of this film are already a rage.

** Talking of popularity of songs, the ‘Amma dekh tera munda bigda jaaye’ number of Stuntman has been a rage for a long time now. Jackie Shroff rarely looks so good in a dance number as in this ‘Amma’ song.

** The Barjatyas may repeat Madhuri Dixit in their next. They have reportedly spoken to Madhuri and booked her dates from December ’95. Which means, a year of planning before the camera rolls.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Shock & Surprise

The trade is shocked that Main Khiladi Tu Anari did not take house-full opening all over. The songs had become a rage even before the film’s release and it was well-hyped too. In addition, it stars two hot-shot heroes – Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Then why did it not take an impressive start?

The industry is pleasantly surprised at the way HAHK..!  is behaving, creating new records and breaking old ones. Is sky really the limit now?

The Long Wait

The ordinance for reduction of entertainment tax in Maha­rashtra was to have been promulgated, but there is no news so far. Exhibitors are afraid whether their excitement was unfounded. The trade was overjoyed when the Maharashtra chief min­ister announced last week that tax would be reduced to 50% of the nett capacity. There was, and still is, confusion over whether the benefit of tax reduction would have to be passed on to the paying public or not. Wait and watch… but the question is, wait for how long?

A Faith Re-Confirmed

Vijay Kondke, nephew and long-time associate of Dada Kondke, made his debut as a filmmaker not by making a film replete with double-meaning dialogues, like Dada, but by making a clean family drama, Maherchi Saadi (Marathi), which proved to be a super-duper hit. His confidence has dou­bled now with the mind-blowing success of Rajshri’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. He plans to launch his next movie – this time in Hindi – Le Chal Apne Sang, in December. It will be a musical social. Raamlaxman will compose nine songs for the film which will be based on a script by Vijay Kondke himself.

Not Good News For Bad Men?

Raza Murad saw Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! recently at Basant, Chembur (Bombay) and was, obviously, floored by the film. Said he, “I loved the film, though it is dangerous that such films should run. Because, if more of such films start clicking, we villains will be out of job!”

Raza’s Wisecracks

Here are two more from the witty Raza Murad:

“After Baazi, the industry will get one more heroine – Aamir Khan.” Aamir, it is reported, has done a fantastic job as a girl in a song of Baazi.

Raza, who is always there in Salim Akhtar’s films, says, “I am Salim’s Avtar Gill.” Avtar, it may be mentioned here, is invariably there in a Mahesh Bhatt film.

(From our issue dated 10th September, 1994)

INFORMATION EXCLUSIVE

“HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! is a tribute to all
the joint families of the country”

– SOORAJ BARJATYA

GAUTAM MUTHA & KOMAL NAHTA

Getting Sooraj to talk was no easy task. The guy is unbelievably shy and runs away from interviews. Any other director in his place would have loved to hog the limelight but then, Sooraj is a cut above the rest. He has very politely turned down every request for interviews, whether from newspapers, magazines or even STAR TV. Seeing this shy guy, one wondered whether this was showbiz or shybiz. But the shy Barjatya did make an exception for Film Information when he spoke at length to us in his first and only interview after the release of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!.

How do you feel when you are refer­ red to as “genius”, “the topmost director of Hindi screen” or “the new Raj Kapoor”?

No, I am none of these. I am not a genius. I don’t have the training of sub­ject and scripting. And I’ve worshipped Raj Kapoor Sahab. He is my favourite. I’ve admired his films, I’ve fallen back on them whenever I’ve run out of ideas or not got something right. I am honest when I say, I don’t deserve all these titles.

But you must be aware that after HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!, people talk about you in superlatives only. You must be getting the feedback.

Yes, I do get the feedback. But HAHK..! is not me alone. It is Rajshris, it is team-work. We all are workers and the work is all departmentalised.

How was HAHK..! born? Were you not scared of rehashing Rajshri’s own film, NADIYA KE PAAR?

My father (Rajkumar Barjatya) was supremely confident of the subject. It was his idea to rehash Nadiya Ke Paar. I wanted to make something new, but I just couldn’t get a proper subject. I tried very hard but it wasn’t coming. It is after a lot of my efforts that my father told me to take up a subject which had already been accepted and to give it my own treatment. Nadiya Ke Paar did not find universal acceptance because its language was Awadhi. Even after it was decided to make HAHK..! on the lines of Nadiya Ke Paar, I had to time and again go running to my father for instructions. I would often get stuck in the scripting, and it is my father who helped me with it. I used to tell him, there’s no drama in the subject, and he used to tell me, the drama will come in the end. He asked me to go deeper into the subject and said, the deep­er I’d go, the more I’d enjoy making the film. The maximum credit for the success of HAHK..! should, therefore, go to my father. It is his dream which I have given shape to. Once the script and music were ready, we had a complete narration for my uncles, Kamal Babu and Ajit Babu, as also for the ladies of the family. They all approved of the subject and only then did the film get going.

Were you so confident about the film’s performance?

I was positive that it would succeed but I did not imagine, it would be a runaway hit. In that sense, I was apprehensive. Here again, my father had cent per cent confidence in HAHK..!. I must tell you that after seeing Maine Pyar Kiya, he had told me, “You’ve made an epic.” And just after hearing the final script of HAHK..! and even before its shooting could begin, he told me, “This film is going to be a road-roller.” That is why, I say, all credit should go to him. HAHK..! is his genius. I may be writing, but he tells me what to write.

How did you incorporate so many songs in the film? Was it planned with so many songs?

It was planned that way. Scenes were written and then changed to songs. The ladies among the audience have all liked the songs and haven’t complained either about the songs or the film’s length. Men and youngsters, though, did feel that there were a couple of extra songs and also ex­perienced a bit of tiredness in the film because of that.

Are you sad that you’ve had to cut two songs?

No, I’m not sad. I knew the lags in my film. I knew even before the film was re­leased that we would have to cut a couple of songs. As a director, I have no right to bore the audience. At one stage (before the film’s release), we even thought of deleting the passing-the-pillow game, but we realised, by doing so, we were rob­bing the film of its important ingredient.

Everybody in the industry would like to sign you to direct a film. Are you open to outside offers?

A lot of people have asked me to make films for them. “Only for me,” they say. But to all of them, I humbly say “No”.

What inspires you the most?

Anything that touches me, inspires me. Any form of goodness, especially, in­spires me. I am not in the habit of taking a walk or anything of the sort to draw ins­piration. Basically, I am driven by characterisations more than happenings. Even in the making of the film, we did not write sequences and come to the end. Instead, we used to name a feeling and then move backwards. That gave way to all the seq­uences. Every character was painted be­fore starting shooting.

You don’t seem to have many friends in the industry. Are you a loner or do you have friends outside the industry?

I am basically a reserved person.

But it is believed that a creative per­son must interact with people.

I interact with my family and close relatives. I am an observer. I prefer to ob­serve, to watch rather than talk. I am a quiet person. It’s not rare to find a quiet creative man. I’ve seen Mani Ratnam only once, and I noticed, he’s a very quiet man.

Are you a romanticist at heart? Your romantic scenes in both your films gave that impression.

(Blushes a deep red) Maybe… Yeah! I am a romanticist at heart.

Even after proving yourself the sec­ond time, in HAHK..!, how do you manage to maintain a low profile? You are shy of giving interviews, you run away from the cameras of satellite channels. In short, you are not filmi.

Our upbringing has not been like that. We’ve always treated filmmaking as a profession, as something which you en­joy doing. I am not even fond of attending parties because how many ever par­ties you may attend, it is finally the narration of the script which matters. Besides, the more you increase your circle of fri­ends, the more you will have to live up to their expectations. I’ve spent a lot of my time learning under the Rajshri school and it has been a very enriching experience. As for being filmi, I don’t really get carried away by success. I believe that success is a gift, a blessing. You just thank God for it.

Which did you enjoy making more – MAINE PYAR KIYA or HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!?

Well, both the films were great experiences. But when I was making MPK, I didn’t know what it was to be a successful director. The responsibility was great­er in HAHK..!. In that sense, I would say, HAHK..! was more calculated, while MPK was more natural.

Did you always dream of becoming a director or was it a decision taken after you finished your studies?

I had always wanted to be a director. I had made up my mind ever since I was 10-12 years old. My reason for it was that my father should get the result he always aimed for but somehow missed. I wanted to make a film he dreamt of. I used to feel terrible as a kid, when my dad would have to give explanations, why his film did not do as well as he had expected it to do.

As regards my studies, I was never a bright student. I failed in Accountancy five times in college before I finally gave up my studies! I am not even a graduate.

From where did you pick up the art  of detailing and perfecting a thing?

It’s been our trait right from the beginning. You have to rise to your best, otherwise the guilt troubles you. There has hardly been any success without effort.

There is no denying the fact that Madhuri has done a marvellous job in your film. Yet there are many in the in­dustry who feel, a new girl was ideally suited for the role. What was your logic in taking Madhuri?

We also thought of taking a new girl but we realised, if we did that, we would be burdening a flowering girl with a baby towards the end of the film. In fact, the last three reels were the most important. I knew, if I could do justice to those three reels, all my other drawbacks in the film, whatever they may be, would be pardon­ed. Here, I must tell you, Madhuri is one of the finest persons to work with. She does not have starry airs at all. This I noti­ced when I worked with her on the sets. I had seen her at work in our own Abodh where I was an assistant director, and I had yearned to make a film with her, since then. When I told her, I wanted to sign Jay Borade as the dance director, she never questioned me even once in spite of the fact that her favourite choreographer is Saroj Khan. Jay and I had sat for a year on the choreography before starting the shooting.

How much do you involve your crew in the film’s making?

100%. I narrated the script of HAHK..! to every artiste, howsoever small his role, in complete detail and with all the songs sung in full, by me. Likewise, I gave 4-hour narrations to every dress designer, every technician, every assistant.

Did you ever lose your temper on the sets?

Not really, except for a couple of times when I got angry on the sets. I used to often fire Salman Khan during the shooting of both my films. I guess, you shout at only those whom you feel close to. I think, you cannot be a good director if you are short-tempered. An artiste is the most insecure person when he is on the sets, you’ve got to treat him with understanding. There is no greater joy for a dir­ector than to see a scene work on the screen. When you see that, you feel, you’ve created magic. For that, you require the best of everyone.

Had it not been for your father and uncles, would you have experimented in the film’s release pattern?

No, I don’t have the guts as yet to ex­periment. I don’t have much knowledge of exploitation. Anyway, as I said earlier, our work is all divided.

What do you expect when the num­ber of prints are increased?

I don’t know. I know one thing though – that the repeat audience is coming in. And I say, “God bless all the ladies and all the girls in the world.” Because they’ve loved my film which must have made my late grandfather, Tarachand-ji, happy. He had heard the entire final script and had told me, it was worth the wait. He made me change the climax. Originally, we had thought that the hero would tell the hero­ine (his beloved) to marry his brother. But my grandfather said, it would not be acc­epted. So we changed the climax to that extent.

An epic first, then a road-roller. What next?

Nothing! Just a break for 2-3 months. Reading, traveling and all that. I’ll just let ideas flow. I want to know what the young generation wants.

So many people have described HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! in so many different ways. How would you describe it?

It is a tribute to all the joint families of the country. Because there’s no bond of togetherness as in a joint family – togetherness of brothers, sisters, parents, cha­chas, chachis, grand-parents…. It is everybody’s story.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Tekchand K. Anchal (Arti Films, Bombay) will be contesting the IMP­DA elections (from the Ordinary class) for the seventh time this year. Barring once, when he withdrew from the contest, Tekchand has always lost the elections. The highest number of votes he has secured is 35. But that does not deter Tekchand from con­testing again and resolving to contest every year till the time “I win”.

* Sachin Bhaumick was impressed en­ough with the story penned by Bombay distributor Dilip Dhanwani (Dil­sa Enterprises) to agree to write the screenplay for the latter’s production venture. Dilip is making the film in partnership with Babubhai Latiwala of Bombino Video.

* Sanjay Khan’s TV serial, THE GREAT MARATHA, has been bought by Channel IV of London for a record price. Three major TV sta­tions of America are negotiating for the serial. There is also an offer from China for a Chinese dubbed version.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a theatre record by collecting 1,30,071/- in 1st week at Prabha, Bar­eilly, in spite of anti-reservation stir and rains.

* HAHK..! is attracting unusual audi­ence to the cinemas. At Manjushree, Kanpur, about 30 blind persons ‘saw’ the film. At Maheshwari, Hyderabad, several disabled people came to see the film in their wheelchairs. In­cidentally, the film has drawn all 140 shows full at Maheshwari, Hydera­bad, yielding a distributor’s share of 11,77,370/- in 5 weeks! And this, des­pite no pre-release publicity of the film.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a city record by collecting 92,602/- in 5th week at Chitra, Amra­vati, despite heavy rains and floods. Total for 5 weeks: 5,32,852/-. Distri­butor’s share: 3,49,174/-, city record.

* Not a single poster of HAHK..! has been put up in Rajkot, but notwithstanding this fact, the film is doing wonders at Galaxy cinema.

* VIJAYPATH has created a record by collecting 1,86,866/- in 4 weeks at Anupam, Jamnagar. 1st week: 82,704/-, 2nd week: 35,320/-, 3rd week: 46,600/-, 4th week: 22,242/-.

YOU ASKED IT

How does tax exemption help a super-hit film?

– By increasing its repeat value tre­mendously.

Which film has yielded the highest share from a single cinema?

– SHOLAY holds the distinction of  yielding the highest share from a single cinema – about 35 lakh from Minerva, Bombay in more than 5 years (in regu­lar shows for about 3 years and then in matinee). HUM AAPKE HAIN KO­UN..!, which has already yielded a share of over 12 lakh, in just 5 weeks from Liberty, Bombay, is set to break the re­cord of SHOLAY in another 8-10 weeks.

Is there a future for English films made with Hindi film artistes and with Indian backdrop and traditions?

– It doesn’t seem likely that such films can make a mark – in India or Overseas.

‘SARDAR’ TAX-FREE IN MAHARASHTRA

Ketan Mehta’s Sardar has been granted perpetual tax exemption in Maharash­tra. It is due for release on 31st October at Nehru Centre auditorium, Bombay. This is the first time that a film will be released for the public at Nehru Centre. It will be released at Metro (matinee) and other cinemas of Bombay on 4th November.

SANJAY’S BAIL APPLICATION TO BE HEARD AGAIN

The interim bail application of Sanjay Dutt will be again heard by the two-member bench of the Supreme Court, which heard it earlier. This is in view of the order of the five-member constitution bench of SC, delivered on 9th September, in which the applicability of section 5(2) of the TADA Act was explained.

BABY BOY FOR KOMAL NAHTA

Sangeeta, wife of Komal Nahta, delivered a baby boy in Jaipur on 6th Sep­tember. The new-born is late Shri Ram­raj-ji Nahta’s grandson and the couple’s first child.

‘KRANTIVEER’ TAX-FREE IN MAHARASHTRA, DELHI

Mehul Kumar and Dinesh Gandhi’s Krantiveer has been granted exemption from payment of entertainment tax in Maharashtra and Delhi for a period of one year. Written by K.K. Singh, the film stars Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Atul Agnihotri, Mamta Kulkarni, Paresh Rawal and Danny.

GULSHAN RAI RE-ELECTED IFEA PRESIDENT

Gulshan Rai was unanimously re-elec­ted president of the Indian Film Exporters Association at the first meeting of its newly elected council of management on 7th September. The other office-bearers are: Sunder F. Rai (vice president), Chandra­kant Mehta (hon. treasurer) and Manohar Bhatia (hon. secretary).

Earlier, at the 30th annual general meeting held on 3rd September, apart from the abovementioned office-bearers, Rajinder Singh Hora, Amar Asrani, T.P. Advani, Mohan Chhabria, Shiv Laung­ani, J.K. Mittal, S.C. Mittal and Hira­chand Dand were declared elected.

Gordhan Chhabria and Arjun Lulla have been co-opted to the council of management.

CINEMAS CLOSED IN CALCUTTA

Cinemas in West Bengal came to a grinding halt on 5th September following a murderous attack on a cinema hall own­er of Calcutta on 4th.

A majority of cinema halls in Calcutta and elsewhere in West Bengal remained closed on September 4 in response to a day’s strike call given by the Bengal Mot­ion Picture Employees Association. They were protesting against non-payment of salaries by cinema owners.

The production, distribution and exhi­bition sectors in Calcutta went on an in­definite strike from September 5 on a call given by Eastern India Motion Picture Association till the government ensured the security of the cinema hall owners and film buffs and met the Association’s demand that the halls be made commercially viable by abolishing entertainment tax. However, some 10 cinemas remained open as a section of the cine employees demonstrated against the EIMPA’s indefi­nite strike call. The government is reportedly losing Rs. 12 lakh every day by way of entertainment tax.

‘KHUDDAR’ SILVER JUBILEE

Ratan International’s Khuddar enter­ed silver jubilee week on 9th September. The film stars Govinda, Karisma Kapoor, Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan. Produ­cer: N.R. Pachisia. Director: Iqbal Durr­ani. Music: Anu Malik.

‘LAADLA’ SILVER JUBILEE

Neha Arts’ Laadla is celebrating silver jubilee this week. Produced by Nitin Manmohan and directed by Raj Kanwar, it stars Anil Kapoor, Sridevi, Raveena Tandon, Farida Jalal, Anupam Kher and Aroona Irani. Music: Anand Milind.

FWA TO HONOUR MANOJ KUMAR

The Film Writers’ Association will honour Manoj Kumar for his meritorious and dedicated services in the development of the art of film writing. A trophy will be presented to him at the annual general meeting of the FWA on 25th Sep­tember at Bharat Seva Sadan Trust Hall, near Ranjit Studios, Dadar (E), Bombay.

FMC WITHDRAWS SUBHASH GHAI’S EXPULSION

At the meeting of the Film Makers Combine, held on 6th September, the FMC withdrew its decision to expel Sub­hash Ghai. It may be recalled that the Film Producers’ Guild, of which Ghai is a member, had taken strong objection to the latter’s expulsion from the FMC and had reportedly even threatened to break away from the FMC. At the meeting of 6th, the Guild expressed its resentment over what it described as biased decisions against filmmakers like Subhash Ghai.

MODI FILMS INTERNATIONAL TO DISTRIBUTE
DISNEY FILMS IN INDIA

Buena Vista International has entered into an agreement with Modi Films Inter­national, a division of HMA Udyog Limi­ted, for the distribution of all Walt Disney, Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures films throughout India, it was announced by Mark Zoradi, president of Buena Vista International, and by Lalit K. Modi, presi­dent of the Modi Group. The first film to be distributed under the new arrangement will be Walt Disney Pictures’ Academy award-winning animated musical feature, Aladdin, which will be released at the end of the year, simultaneously in Eng­lish, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. This will be the first time ever a Disney film will be released in a dubbed format in India, and the first time an American film has been dubbed into three local languages.

LATA SERVES LEGAL NOTICES ON SUPER CASSETTES, VENUS

Lata Mangeshkar, through her advo­cate, Rajendra Bohra, has served legal notices on Super Cassettes and Venus, seeking immediate withdrawal of some audio cassettes from the audio market for making unauthorised use of her photograph on the wrappers (inlay cards).

It is alleged that the cover versions used her photograph prominently on the inlay cards while the singers were Van­dana Bajpai and Bela Salunkhe (T-Series) and Anupama Deshpande (Venus).

The notice also recalls a similar mar­keting strategy adopted by T-Series in 1988 and their subsequent undertaking in writ­ing to withdraw the cassettes from the market.

 The notice seeks damages and criminal action against Super Cassettes as also search and seizure warrants of the cassettes from the dealers as well as the music company.

IPI’S EFFORTS TO SAVE MUSIC AND KILL PIRACY

The Indian Phonographic Industry introduced Nicholas Garnett, director general, International Federation of Pho­nographic Industry, to the press in Bom­bay on September 7. Mr. Garnett told about his experience in curbing audio pir­acy all over the world and especially in the East. He said that with the strict im­plementation of the Copyright Act, piracy had gone down considerably in some countries of the East, like Malaysia and Singapore, and from 85 per cent to 15 per cent in Italy. India ranked third in the world in audio piracy, China and Mexico being the top two countries. The Compact disc piracy in China is the most disturbing as 85 per cent discs are fake, he in­formed.

President of the Indian Phonographic Industry (IPI), V.J. Lazarus, said that at present, the IPI is launching an aggressive campaign to combat piracy and is targeting 12 major cities, including Bombay and Delhi, which between themselves account for upto 35 per cent (value-wise) of the total Indian music market. The present size of the Indian music market is Rs. 720 crore and with a 40 per cent pir­acy rate, there are 96 million pirated ver­sions floating in the market. Every four out of 10 cassettes sold are fake. In the next six years, at the current rate of 40 per cent piracy, the music industry is going to lose Rs. 1,000 crore, he cautioned.

Mr. Lazarus revealed that to curb pir­acy, the IPI had invested about Rs. 35 lakh in the last seven months and, in Bombay and Calcutta, seized cassettes and equipment worth Rs. 3 crore. Out of 68 persons arrested, bail was denied to some. Only two persons have been con­victed and sent to jail as yet.

The Indian Phonographic Industry, which has 50 members, including Time, Venus, Tips, Magnasound, CBS-Sony and HMV, is affiliated to the international Federation of the Phonographic Indus­tries and is doing its best to ‘save music and kill piracy’.

RAMRAJ NAHTA’S PREDICTION COMES TRUE…. AND HOW!

Your late editor, Shri Ramraj-ji Nahta, had given the title of ‘Ency­clopaedia on Filmmaking’ to young Sooraj R. Barjatya after seeing the first copy of Maine Pyar Kiya in a pre-release trial show at the Rajshri’s pre­view theatre. He had been floored by the boy’s capabilities and perseverance and had predicted a very, very bright future for him. Had he been alive to see Sooraj’s second offering, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, he would have been thrilled beyond words – and for more reasons than one. The film would have confirmed that the title bestowed by him on the young maker was the most apt title for him. It would also have gladdened his heart because he was very close to Shri Rajkumar Barjatya, father of Sooraj. And last but not the least, Ramraj-ji, who was a Rajasthani and who used to love cus­toms and traditions in a Rajasthani marriage, would have enjoyed every frame of the movie marvel called Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! because it presents those customs and traditions so beautifully.

IMPPA AGM, ELECTIONS

The annual general meeting and elections of the Indian Motion Pic­ture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) will be held on 29th September at ISKCON, Juhu, Bombay.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

No Fanfare

Without any fanfare whatsoever, Yash Chopra’s son, Adit­ya Chopra, commenced the shooting of his first directorial venture, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, on 8th September at Filmistan Studios. Aditya did not have any celebration even when he recorded a song for the film last month. There was a pooja then and another pooja on Janmashtami day. At the first day of shooting, papa directed the first shot for son Aditya. Kajol and Farida Jalal were participating in the stint which will go on upto 15th September. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jay­enge stars Shah Rukh Khan in the male lead and co-stars Amrish Puri and Anupam Kher.

Chair Man

While on debut-making director Aditya Chopra, his friend and partner in Bombay distribution, Anil Thadani, gifted him a director’s chair on the first day of shooting of Dilwale Dul­hania Le Jayenge. The red chair has the film’s name and the word ‘Director’ inscribed at the back.

Shraadh Release

Producers and distributors usually avoid releasing films during shraadh. But this time, two major releases – Main Khiladi To Anari and Andaz Apna Apna – are slated for release during shraadh, on 23rd September. To circumvent the inauspicious period, both the films will reportedly be released at least in one centre on 19th, that is, before the shraadh period begins. Stuntman may also be released on 23rd.

From The Poetess’ Pen

The ‘Haathon mein aa gaya jo kal rumaal aapka’ song of K.C. Bokadia’s Aao Pyar Karen is becoming a veritable craze. Although the credit for the lyrics has been given to Shyam Raj, the mukhda is written by a poetess. Famous poet Ramrik Manhar had taken the poetess to Bokadia, who heard the mukhda from her and liked it so much that he asked Shyam Raj to build upon it and write the whole song. The rest is history. Incidentally, not only the rumaal song, the other songs of the film are also gaining in popularity day by day (music: Aadesh Srivastava).

Fo(u)rthcoming Films

Sanjay Kapoor is working in four films currently, and at least two of them, Prem and Kartavya, are almost complete. The other two, Raja and Beqabu, are also making brisk prog­ress and should see release early next year. Bombay, Delhi-U.P. and Nizam distributor Tolu Bajaj has all the four films for distribution in one or the other territories. If not more, Tolu Bajaj may at least be as concerned for newcomer Sanjay Kap­oor’s future as brother Boney Kapoor is.

Bokadia’s Film Complex

Although K.C. Bokadia has decided to call it quits from direction, his production factory will be very much working. Besides one film with Sunny Deol and Ravi Raja, he has re­portedly finalised plans to start another too with Sunny. The second one will be directed by Priyadarshan. He is also likely to start a film with Mehul Kumar, and another with Ravindra Peepat who has directed Aao Pyar Karen for him. By the way, Bokadia will be constructing a huge film complex in Jaipur. The complex will house a studio, recording and dub­bing rooms, laboratory and other things, all under one roof.

Life-Infusing Words

That Amitabh Bachchan is a sensation in Egypt, too, was proved during his 1991 tour to that country. But a little-known fact about that tour came to light recently. While in Egypt, Amitabh was presented with a necklace by one of his myriad teenage fans. Unluckily, however, the girl who gifted  him the necklace, fell seriously ill later and had her parents in panic. They got in touch with Amitabh telephonically through the Indian embassy in Cairo and told him of their daughter’s ill­ness. The few pleasant and encouraging words from Amitabh had a soothing and magical effect on the girl and she recovered miraculously.

This anecdote was narrated by the Indian ambassador to Egypt, Arundhati Ghosh, to newsmen in Cairo this week, while talking to them during the world population meet.

(From our issue dated 3rd September, 1994)

LAUGH-RIOT 

Rajkumar Santoshi’s Andaz Apna Apna is a laugh-riot. It throws caution to the winds. Seriousness? What’s that? You must be joking! There’s no such word in Santoshi’s dictionary. Versatile? Ah yes. The word exists. It means one who has made an action thriller (Ghayal) and a social (Damini) and attempts a comedy (AAA).

Aamir Khan is simply too cute and funny in the film. His short height is no constraint for the tall demands of his character. His sense of timing could give HMT watches a complex. His spirited acting keeps you in high spirits.

Salman Khan complements Aamir well. In fact, the film is full of the two Khan Dost. There’s one Javed Khan also. Hum Aapke Hain Khan..!, you see.

Aamir’s ‘Haila’ (Hai Allah) utterances in the film can become a craze among youngsters and collegians. Paresh Rawal’s double role makes the Khan khaandaan go gol-gol. There’s Shakti Kapoor as crime master Gogo who’ll make you laugh in the climax till you say, “No, no, not more.”

But there’s still more….. to make you go… ha ha, hee hee, ho ho……..

JAYALALITHA ANNOUNCES PACKAGE OF RELIEFS
FOR FILM INDUSTRY

Tamil Nadu chief minister, Jayalalitha, on August 31 declared open the Rs. 21-crore Film City, at Taramani in Madras. The Film City is named after her. At the opening, Jayalalitha said, “The magnificent venture will be a fitting tribute to glorious reign of South Indian Film Industry and the lofty values it has always tried to uphold.” On the occasion, she also announced a package of measures for the benefit of the industry. The measures are: reduction of sales tax on films from 5 to 3 per cent, reduction of shooting charges for ordinary locations from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 2,500 increasing the maintenance charges for air-conditioned theatres from 25 to 50 paise and for non-air-conditioned cinemas from 10 to 25 paise, and withdrawal of the power tariff hike for cinema houses. These became effective from September 1.

Paying tribute to the stalwarts of the Indian film industry, including C.N. Annadurai and M.G. Ramachandran who elevated the film medium for nobler purposes, Jayalalitha said, the future belonged to those who could merge film, video and computer techniques artfully. She said that the filmmakers and artistes had to utilise the film medium far more responsibly rather than surrender to ‘crass commercialism’. Now they should be extremely quality-conscious, keeping in mind the expansion of the electronic media and invasion of the satellite channels. Jayalalitha assured Ramanand Sagar, who made a plea not to allow the bureaucrats to hike the rent subsequently, that the venture would not be left in the hands of the bureaucrats. She said, producer-director P. Madhavan has been appointed chairman and managing director of the Film City.

The Film City has been built on a sprawling sylvan landscape of 85 acres and another 40 acres would be developed for items like an artificial lake and model railway station. Advanced shooting facilities, including underwater filming, computerised audio-visual equipment, cameras, editing and dubbing are available in the Film City.

Producer-director Shakti Samanta, who participated in the inaugural function, said the project was a paradise for filmmakers, from every angle. Ramanand Sagar hailed Jayalalitha as a patron deity of the film industry. Mrinal Sen observed that the whole world had been put into a capsule. “This is the Tamil Nadu government’s most befitting contribution to the national cinema on the occasion of the centenary of the invention of World Cinema”, he said. Dasari Narayana Rao, Girish Karnad, Mani Ratnam, and others also praised Jayalalitha’s grand effort.

Jayalalitha had a special word of thanks for doyen of the artistes, Sivaji Ganesan, and participants from other parts of the country, making the function a shining example of national integration. She also presented mementoes to the participants in the function and the artistes who presented a cultural show. The chief minister presented the first copy of the souvenir, published on the occasion, to Shakti Samanta.

DO YOU KNOW?

* The Barjatyas will be dubbing HAHK..! in Telugu. It has been tentatively titled PREMALAYA.

* Krishan Kumar has reportedly called it quits from acting. He is completing his under-production films after which he will retire from acting. Did anyone heave a sigh of relief?

* Inspired by the sensational success of the ‘Amma dekh tera munda bigda jaaye’ song of STUNTMAN, its director, Deepak Balraaj Vij has changed the music track of all the seven songs of his home production, DANCE PARTY.

* Due to overwhelming response of the public, the management of Galaxy cinema, Jamnagar conducted an extra show of HAHK..! for ladies on each of 27th, 28th and 29th August.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a new record by collecting 91,160/- in 3rd week at Galaxy, Jamnagar where it had collected 70,522/- in 1st week and 79,469/- in 2nd week. Total: 2,41,152/-.

* HAHK..! has created a city and district record by collecting 1,23,632/- in 4th week at Vijay, Nasik. Total for 4 weeks: 4,91,221/-.

* HAHK..! has drawn all 28 shows full (1,42,772/-) in 4th week at Relief, Ahmedabad. The first 3 weeks did not record 100% collections.

* Tickets of HAHK..! are selling in the black market in Delhi for as high as Rs. 700 per ticket!

* A couple in Kanpur has vowed to see HAHK..! 100 times at Manjushree cinema. They have requested the management to arrange a dinner (at the couple’s cost) for them with Madhuri and Salman on the completion of their 100th show.

* HAHK..! has created theatre records again at Hind and Menoka cinemas of Calcutta by drawing 100% in 4th week.

‘1942’: THE TAMIL NADU STORY

* 1942 A LOVE STORY is doing wonders at Woodlands, Madras. The film has completed 50 days there and Vidhu Vinod Chopra has become the talk of the city. Producers, directors, artistes and technicians of the South film industry and their family members are repeating the  film. Maybe, Vinod Chopra can consider dubbing it in Tamil.

RAJSHRI BREAKS OWN RECORD

* Rajshri’s HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a new record by yielding a distributor’s share of 5,74,289/- in just four weeks at Manjushree, Kanpur. This is the highest ever share since the inception of the cinema. The previous record was held by Rajshri’s own NADIYA KE PAAR which had yielded a share of 5,52,257/- in 62 weeks’ run! HAHK..! has surpassed that share in just four weeks. Collection in 4 weeks: 7,44,845/-, a record in Kanpur district.

SNAPSHOTS

DEALS GALORE

Distributors suddenly seem to have become superactive. Deals are being concluded left, right and centre. On the one hand, there are complaints (from distribution quarters) that film prices are touching the sky and, on the other, distributors themselves are clamouring for films. Sounds paradoxical? Don’t worry. That’s how the industry has always been……

*       *       *

‘BRAHMA’ DELIVERY HASSLES

Brahma could not be released in C.P., C.I. and U.P. on Thursday, September 1, due to delivery problems. The film was released all over on Friday. A couple of shows in several cinemas of Bombay on Friday were also cancelled due to late arrival of prints (from Madras). The case of East Punjab was the worst. The distributor reportedly paid the delivery amount but was asked to go back without the prints. Hey Brahma!

*       *       *

PART WAYS

Dada Kondke and nephew Vijay Kondke have separated. Although they are sharing the same office on the sixth floor of Naaz, the boundary limits of the two offices have been drawn. Incidentally, Vijay Kondke, after a long gap post-Maherchi Saadi, may produce a Hindi film now.

*       *       *

CLEARED

Dada Kondke’s Marathi film, Sasarcha Dhotar, which had been refused certificate by the Bombay regional office of the CBFC, has been cleared by the Appellate Tribunal.

*       *       *

DUE TO TECHNICAL REASONS…

Producer Vinay Sinha was keen on releasing Andaz Apna Apna on 16th September to avoid release during shraaddh. But his distributors prevailed upon him to not come in direct opposition of Main Khiladi Tu Anari, the release (on 16th) of which had been fixed earlier. Andaz Apna Apna will now come on 23rd but since shraaddh begins on 20th, at least one print of the film will be released on 19th.

YOU ASKED IT

Are heroes whose films don’t even command an opening, justified in charging their high prices?

– Do stars go to producers or do producers approach the stars? The answer to your question lies in the counter question.

Will the business of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! surpass that of Maine Pyar Kiya?

– Beyond doubt, it will surpass MAINE PYAR KIYA. In all probability, by a big margin.

Who is the no. 1 hero today?

– The number game changes every Friday.

FIGHTER CRITICAL

A fighter, injured on the sets of Boney Kapoor’s Prem in Madras last week, is in a critical condition. He has been hospitalised at Vijaya Hospital, Madras.

SANTOSH SINGH JAIN BECOMES GREAT GRANDPA

Wife of Sanjeev Jain, son of Jitendra Jain of Sanman Films, Indore and grandson of CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain, delivered a baby boy on 2nd September in Jabalpur. This is the couple’s first child.

SOMY ALI OPERATED

Somy Ali had to be operated upon for appendicitis on 28th August in Madras. She complained of acute pain on 27th during the shooting of N.N. Sippy’s Teesra Kaun? and had to be hospitalised forthwith. She is fine now.

‘Raja Hindustani’ 80% Complete

A 25-day shooting schedule of Cineyug’s Raja Hindustani was completed recently at Filmistan Studios. A song and scenes were picturised on Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Johny Lever, Archna Pooran Singh, Pramod Moutho, Farida Jalal, Tiku Talsania, Navneet Nishan, Veeru Krishnan, master Kunal Kemmu, Mohnish Bahl, junior artistes, fighters and dancers. Being directed by Dharmesh Darshan from his own story for producers Karim Morani, Bunty Soorma and Aly Morani, the film has screenplay and dialogues by Robin Bhatt and Javed Siddique, music by Nadeem Shravan and lyrics by Sameer. It is now 80% complete.

‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’ Negative Cut

Chhaganlal Jain, father of Ganesh Jain, cut the first negative of United Seven International’s Main Khiladi Tu Anari on Aug. 29 at Adlabs. The film is being readied for an early release. It stars Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Rageshwari, Mukesh Khanna, Johny Lever, Beena, Shiva, Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan. Producer: Champak Jain. Director: Sameer Malkan. Music: Anu Malik. Dialogues: Kader Khan. Story and screenplay: Sachin Bhaumick.

‘Trimurti’ Stint Over, Climax In Russia

Director Mukul S. Anand completed a month-long shooting schedule of Mukta Arts (P.) Ltd.’s Trimurti on August 31. Various scenes, a song and part of the climax were picturised on 6 different sets at Film City with the participation of Jackie Shroff, Shah Rukh Khan, Priya Tendulkar and Mohan Agashe. Five songs have already been recorded and picturised in Kulu Manali, Mysore and Bangalore. Producer Subhash Ghai has already left for Tashkent to make arrangements for shooting the balance climax and special effects. The film is slated for a December-January release. Fifteen days of Sanjay Dutt are required to complete his balance portions. Gautami and Anjali Jathar are the leading ladies of the film. Music is scored by Laxmikant Pyarelal and lyrics are penned by Anand Bakshi. Screenplay by Karan Razdan, dialogues by Anees Bazmee, cinematography by Ashok Mehta, art by R. Verman and dances by Saroj Khan are the other major credits.

‘Coolie No. 1’ Song Recorded

Anand Milind recorded the fourth song for Puja Films’ Coolie No. 1 last week at Mehboob Recording Theatre. Penned by Sameer, it was rendered by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik. The film stars Govinda, Karisma Kapoor, Harish, Kanchan, Sadashiv Amra­purkar, Shakti Kapoor, Mahesh Anand and Kader Khan. It is being produced by Vashu Bhagnani and directed by David Dhawan. Tips presents it.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

“I Will Wait”: Subhash Ghai

Subhash Ghai has signed Sunil Shetty in place of Sanjay Dutt for Trimurti. He is considering signing Ajay Devgan. These and many similar statements are heard off and on following Sanjay’s arrest under TADA. But Ghai dismisses all of them as rumours with just one statement, “What to talk of replacing Sanjay Dutt, I haven’t even thought about replacing him.” Ghai explains, “I will wait for the court’s verdict and only then will I think what is to be done. Why should I think negative? I have asked Mukul Anand to shoot each and every portion not requiring Sanjay and even complete the dubbing and mixing. By then, I am hopeful that the verdict will be pronounced. If, God forbid, a negative decision is given by the court, I will, at that time, sit with Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt and decide what is to be done. Until then, I am not going to think about this chapter at all. One must learn to live with positive thinking.”

Rebirth Of Liberty, Bombay

The Rajshris have done the impossible. Bombay’s Liberty cinema had been written off, with attendance being extremely low. But thanks to Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!,the audience has returned to Liberty and how! The cinema is being maintained extremely well and its foyer has been beautifully done up by Sooraj Barjatya who has put up huge portraits of Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan etc. with catchy captions. A huge portrait of late Tarachand Barjatya serves as a reminder of the man who built the Rajshri empire and to whom grandson Sooraj has dedicated the film. Raj Kumar Barjatya revealed, “Among cinemas, our 100% attention was on Liberty. We have supervised the minutest of things and taken care of every little detail at the cinema.” With admission rates having been increased last week, the cinema is now yielding a share of over Rs. 3 lakh per week!

An Experience Of A Lifetime

Mukesh Khanna, who saw Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! at Liberty cinema, Bombay last Sunday, was all praise for the film and its director, Sooraj Barjatya. According to him, the film was an experience of a lifetime. A simple thing like decorative lights around the screen, which are switched on in three songs, attracted Mukesh Khanna’s attention to the point of making him exclaim, “Terrific” when the lights were first switched on. The actor also spoke in superlatives about the cinema’s maintenance and manager Shah’s efforts.

Heightened Curiosity

Trade circles are abuzz with talks of Vinod Khanna’s maiden production, Himalaya Putra, in which he launches his son, Akshay Khanna. Vakil Singh, the East Punjab distributor, recently left a Rs. 10-lakh cheque with Vinod Khanna as signing amount for the distribution rights. And other offers are pouring in. The response the film has been getting is highly positive and Vinod, too, is not leaving anything to chance to see the project through and in time. The muhurt will be held on October 6 in a grand and novel way. It will be followed by a marathon 45-day outdoor schedule for which the technical crew will go location-hunting on the 5th of this month

Meanwhile, it is learned that Danny “may” also be playing an important role in the film.

DD: Drastic Drop

With new and old hits being telecast on Saturdays on the national network of DD (Doordarshan), box-office collections have started to come down steeply in the 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows of Saturday. This was the case all over India when Saajan and Daag were telecast on the past two Saturdays. Collections in many cinemas dropped by 60 and 70 per cent!

Time Is Money

The Time people believe in spending lavishly on their productions. As in Vijaypath, they are making their songs of Gambler too, rich and opulent. Eye-catching sets, plenty of costumes, a number of dancers are foregone conclusions in Time’s songs. Those who’ve seen the ‘Akeli main aayee’ song of Gambler can’t help praising its lavishness. Money has been spent not like water (because sometimes the taps can fail you) but like the rain-water this year, which refuses to stop. Is that what they mean when they say, time is money?!?

Explosive Discovery

And this one is for a smile. The Time people (Dhirubhai Shah and Pravin Shah) are on the lookout for a new sex bomb for their next. And since the newcomer will be Time’s discovery, she will be called a Time bomb. That would be an explosive discovery, wouldn’t it?

(From our issue dated 27th August, 1994)

FFI RESENTS GOVT. APATHY

The Film Federation of India (FFI) has expressed its serious concern about the government’s apathy in implementing the Copyright Act, 1956, which has been re­cently amended. According to the FFI, although the bill has been passed by both the houses of Parliament and also has the assent of the President of India, the gov­ernment has shown reluctance to implement the same. In case the Act is not en­forced immediately, an FFI delegation may call on the prime minister to express its concern about the non-implementation of the amended Act.

The Federation has also written to the minister of state for information and broadcasting about the Cable TV legislation. Through a communication address­ed to K.P. Singh Deo, minister of state for information and broadcasting, the president of the FFI, Santosh Singh Jain, has brought to the minister’s notice that more than four years have elapsed since sug­gestions on the proposed legislation were submitted, but no action has been taken by the government to pass the legislation.

DO YOU KNOW?

* So low was the temperature in Ooty last week that about 9 or 10 dancers (from Madras), who were participating in a song picturisation for Pahlaj Nihalani’s MR. AZAAD, fainted during the shooting. They had to be hospitalised and the song picturisation remained incomplete.

* Liberty cinema, Bombay, which had hiked admission rates with HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!, will fur­ther increase the rates from next week. The new rates will be Rs. 75 (old rate: Rs. 50) and Rs. 60 (old: Rs. 40).

* The Film Distributors’ Council (FDC) intends to instruct its affiliates to not register any film of a producer who sells the video rights of his film for simultaneous release alongwith thea­trical release. This bit of information was given by Santosh Singh Jain.

* Even ministers can’t resist the temp­tation to see HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!. Jagdish Mukhi, finance minister, Delhi, saw the film recently alongwith his family, at Satyam, Delhi. The education minister, Delhi, Sahib Singh Verma, also saw the film in the last show on 16th August. But when will the ministers recommend it for tax exemption which it so rightly deserves?

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a city record by collecting 1,27,543/- in 3rd week at Vijay, Nasik. Better than 1st and 2nd weeks (1,18,158/- and 1,21,702/- respectively).

* Galaxy cinema, Rajkot had to con­duct extra shows of HAHK..! on August 13 and 21 at 8.30 a.m. and 10.30 p.m. respectively due to the mad rush of cinegoers. Despite the odd show timings, the extra shows were packed to capacity. In the week that began from 26th August, the cinema is conducting one more show daily in addition to its quota of two shows daily, fixed for Hindi films.

* HAHK..! has created a city record by collecting 2,20,234/- in 3rd week at Novelty, Lucknow.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a theatre record by collecting 1,30,879/- in 3rd week at Panchsheel, Nagpur. It has created a city record by collecting 1,63,810/- in 3rd week at Smruti, Nagpur.

* HAHK..! has created a city record by collecting 1,12,169/- in 3rd week at Chitra, Amravati.

* VIJAYPATH has created a city re­cord by collecting a gross of 5,14,371/- in 3 weeks at Shalimar, Bharuch.

* VIJAYPATH has collected 38,674/- (gross) in 1st week (21 shows) against a capacity of 39,837/- in 1st week at Lata, Barsi, in spite of heavy rains. Nineteen shows were full.

YOU ASKED IT

If the Maharashtra government re­duces entertainment tax as promised, will the benefit be passed on to the public?

– At least, that’s what the government has asked the exhibitors to do.

Who have enacted the roles of Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Mountbatten in Ketan Mehta’s Sardar?

– Annu Kapoor and Tom Alter respectively.

With so many stars and producers shif­ting from the big screen to the small scr­een (TV), will the small screen become big?

– Big is big and small is small and never the twain small meet.
GUJARATI FILM TO BE SHOT ABROAD

The Gujarat government has granted permission to the makers of the Gujarati film, Halo Aapna Maalak Ma, to shoot in the USA. The producers had sought the government’s approval for the shooting of some scenes in New York so that the be­nefits of 70% tax exemption and a sub­sidy of Rs. 3 lakh on its release would accrue to the film even though it would not be shot completely in Gujarat.

The film, presented by Raju Bhatt, produced by Mukund Patel under the banner of Khodal Films, and directed by Shreedutt Vyas, stars Naresh Kanodia, Meenakshi, Ramesh Mehta and Rajdeep. Its music is scored by Mahesh Naresh.

“While the rest of the shooting has been completed in Gujarat,” revealed Raju Bhatt, “the unit will leave for the USA on 17th September to shoot about 20% of the film. It will be released on Diwali.” Raju Bhatt added, “It is because of the efforts of Mr. Upendra Trivedi that we have got the government permission to shoot abroad, and we will remain indebted to him.”

SAPAN CHAKRABORTY DEAD

Music director and lyricist Sapan Chakraborty died on 23rd August in Bombay. He was 61 and a bachelor. He is sur­vived by two sisters. Sapan-da used to be the former assistant of R.D. Burman.

INDORE DIARY

** Rajshri’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! is doing wonders in Indore as in the rest of the country. It has already yielded a share of over 5 lakh from a single cinema (Kastur) in three weeks. And Kastur is not located in the heart of the city. Another cinema (Anop), which is at the other end of the city, will release the film in a couple of weeks.

** Trade buzz has it that sky is the limit for the business of HAHK..!.

** Unheard of MGs are being offered for HAHK..!. For Gwalior alone, there is an offer of 10. The Rajshris have re­portedly not yet accepted the offer.

** The Rajasthani film, Baba Ramdev, which has not been able to make a mark in Rajasthan in spite of 75% tax exemption, is doing well in Ujjain. C.I. once again proves to be a bonus territory for Rajasthani films.

** Members of the opposition group in the CCCA are wary of the “discriminatory policies” of the ruling group. According to the opposition, while the rulings in committee meetings are just and fair for all members, the implementation of the rulings leaves a lot to be desired. A penalty is levied instantly if the member belongs to the oppo­sition. If it is a member supportive of the ruling party, the file (containing the case papers and the papers of the penalty etc. levied) conveniently gets misplaced. Uttam Nahar, a distributor of C.I., gives the examples of Haque and Sahebzaade. A penalty for Haq­ue was recovered from him (Uttam), while no penalty for Sahebzaade (which was a case exactly similar to Haque) has yet been recovered years after its release, because “the Sahebzaade member supports the ruling party”.

– Gautam Mutha

Fortune Favours The Brave

The Barjatya family has, as on many occasions in the past, once again shown the industry that its planning makes more business sense than most can ever imagine. Not only in its release but also in the making of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, the Barjatyas dared to be different. They virtually defied the dictates of tradition and the advice of friends and well-wishers and did what they thought was right. They had the conviction and the cou­rage too.

The very selection of the story idea of HAHK..! could have been dismissed by most of the people in the industry as passé. The inclusion of fourteen songs in one film was almost a laughing matter in today’s times. To devote the entire first half and a major portion of the second half of the film to customs and traditions in a North Indian marriage was going too far. Or so people felt. To top it all was the film’s length – a running time of 3 hours and 27 minutes.

If people criticised all this (and more) in hushed tones and whispers, it is only because Sooraj Barjatya was the director of a mega-hit called Maine Pyar Kiya. Had it been any other lesser director, the jeers and sneers of the industry folk would have been loud and clear. But even the runaway success of Maine Pyar Kiya did not deter the people from predicting doom for HAHK..!, albeit in close circles and off-the-record dialogues. Why, many industry people had preferred to call the film a video cassette of a wedding ceremony and wedding functions.

To add to people’s misdirected confidence was the Barjatyas’ release plan. Only 30 prints in the first week was suicidal, according to them. When the makers said, they wouldn’t release the film’s video cassettes, the trade thought, they would not be able to control piracy. With cable TV reaching every nook and corner of the country, the film would be seen by lakhs on TV. Or so they felt. But three weeks have passed and there’s no report from any­where about video piracy of the film.

Today, Sooraj has proved, if proof was required, that he can give any top director with any number of hits under his belt, an unintended complex. The Barjatyas have proved to be wiser than everybody else. Post-rel­ea­se, their strategy of releasing such a limited number of prints has been admitted to be the most intelligent way of exploiting the film which is growing day by day. Even their publicity was quite low-key, which helped keep pub­lic expectations to the bare minimum. Their deleting two songs from the film was a foregone conclusion, the only thing one wasn’t sure about was the time they would effect the deletion. Opinions may differ about which two songs they should have edited, but the deletion is a wel­come move, if only for the favourable effect it has had on the show timings of the film. It must be clearly understood that the songs had to go mainly because of the odd show timings and not because the audience felt, there were too many of them. For, hardly anybody complained of that.

Why most of the trade people failed to judge the film correctly is because it was different. Tradewalas have a hidden aversion to anything away from the routine. They have a set formula of successful films in their mind. Slight variations are welcome but a great departure as in HAHK..! is a no-no for them.

The success of HAHK..! should conclusively prove that films cannot always be judged by conventional yard­ sticks. Unconventional films as Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! can turn out to be movie marvels. And an unconventional film like this deserves tax exemption by the governments who condemn vulgarity, obscenity and vio­lence in films but don’t support those films that shun all these on the one hand and project the customs of India so beautifully, on the other.

A long, long run for the film, whether with or without tax exemption, is now a certainty. As they say, fortune favours the brave. The Barjatyas have proved to be the bravest with a capital ‘B’ as in Barjatya. Bravo, the brave Barjatya brigade!

– Komal Nahta

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Glory Regained

Naaz, which was considered the nerve-centre of the Bom­bay film industry, may soon get back its lost glory. With Shringar Films already having their office in Naaz and at least two more big distributors (V.I.P. Enterprises and Tolu Bajaj) due to open shop in the building, it shouldn’t be long before the building will begin to house the leading distribution con­cerns of Bombay. Ramesh Sippy (B.R.A. Corporation) is also on the lookout for an office in Naaz and it may not be long before he shifts there. Pahlaj Nihalani has already bought one and will soon shift to Naaz.

Magnificent Presentation

Presenter Vinod Doshi and producer Tutu Sharma have spent a fortune in the song picturisations of Raajkumar. And nothing can be more gratifying for a producer and presenter than when what is spent, comes across on the screen on an equally grand scale. It goes to the credit of director Pankaj Parasher and the cameraman for capturing the massive sets on which the songs have been picturised, so beautifully. The shot compositions in the picturisations are many and magical. Madhuri Dixit looks too sensuous to be true and she has danced like a possessed girl. To say that she is brilliant would sound clichéd. But that is what she is! On seeing three songs of the film, one can well imagine the efforts that have gone into their picturisations and choreography (Saroj Khan). The makers are aiming at giving the Hindi film audience novelty. That was clear not only from the three songs one saw but also a fight sequence between Anil Kapoor and Gorilla.

Limited Number, Unlimited Appeal

Javed Akhtar’s lyrics have always had one quality – sim­plicity. Whether it has been the racy ‘Ek do teen’ song of Tezaab or the ‘Saagar jaisi neeli aankhon wali’ number of Saagar, his songs have a distinctive and simple style. But the one that, perhaps, even Javed would rate as his best is the ‘Ek ladki ko dekha’ song of 1942 A Love Story. While its music is indeed electrifying, the various ways in which a beautiful girl has been described in the song is no less beautiful. Javed, in fact, has been lucky with his lyrics. Of the 15 films for which he has written the songs, at least eight – 1942, Tezaab, Mr. India, Silsila, Saagar, Sailaab, Narsimha and Saath Saath – boasted of hit music and popular songs. No mean score, this.

Big ‘Bit’ Business

Inclusion of ‘bits’ (uncensored portions) in films is no bit business. Rather, it is a big business. Those dealing in ‘bits’ see the film in which they are to be added and give closely re­sembling shots to interested parties – of course, for a price. All this goes on at several places right under the nose of the poli­cemen – again, after paying the concerned people their price!

Excitement Eluding Elections?

If whispers from C.P.C.I. Rajasthan are to be believed, the CCCA elections this year may not be half as exciting as in the past. This is because the ruling party and the opposition may arrive at a consensus and choose members to be elected/nominated on the executive committee. While the opposition wants the ratio in the 16-member committee to be 8:8, the ruling party wants it to be 9:7.

Tears And Cheers

On 26th August fell the wedding anniversary of Anupam and Kiron Kher. And on 26th was also the last show of the Khers’ stage-play at Prithvi Theatre (Bombay). The play, titled ‘Salgirha’ (meaning ‘Anniversary’), was such a tear-jerker that many among the audience reportedly wept during the show. The play starred only Anupam and Kiron, who have won accolades for their performances.

The New Oberoi

After quite a long period of absence, Suresh Oberoi is back with a vengeance. Playing both, positive and negative, roles will be his new mix. “Earlier,” he says, “I have worked in negative roles opposite actors of the calibre of Amitabh Bach­chan (Coolie) and Dilip Kumar (Mazdoor) but one requires change. So I switched to positive roles but I was also tired of playing the inspector in almost every film. After my hibernation, I am now working in all types of roles, with the younger lot like Sunil Shetty (Raghuveer), Ajay Devgan (Suhaag and Jab Jab Dil Mile), Aamir Khan (Raja Hindustani), Jackie Shroff (Soutela) and Sanjay Dutt (Jai Vikraanta).”

Danny’s Favourites

Though Danny Denzongpa has never worked with Dilip Kumar, he is one of his greatest fans. In fact, the first film he ever saw, as a twelve-year-old was Dilip Kumar’s Naya Daur. Later, he switched to action films, and Sheikh Mukhtar be­came his favourite hero. But as he advanced in age and got more mature and started understanding the finer aspects of life, he again switched his loyalties to social films. Later, his favourite became Amitabh Bachchan. One director he singles out from the present lot as being very talented is Rajkumar Santoshi, but in this case too, he has never worked with him. He also rates Rajiv Rai (with whom he worked in Yudh) highly as a director. In fact, Rajiv approached him for Mohra for Paresh Rawal’s role, but Danny wanted to play the role played by Naseeruddin Shah. Danny will now be doing only five films a year.

The S(t)inging Bee

Abhijeet is among the playback singers who is busier than the proverbial bee these days. Having lent his voice to a num­ber of hit songs, he is in great demand and sometimes, sings five to six songs a day! Producers talk highly of the singer’s sincerity too.

(From our issue dated 20th August, 1994)

CHAAND KAA TUKDAA

Saawan Kumar Productions (Films) Pvt. Ltd.’s Chaand Kaa Tukdaa is a musical formula film replete with rom­ance, comedy, suspense and vendetta. The story-line is thin and there are too many twists and turns, several of them unnecessary. Suspense seems to have been added to the story to afford some thrill only. A young business tycoon from London comes to India in search of a life partner, but he is trapped by the villains who had killed his father and who have plans to kill him too so that they can loot his em­pire. The hero, however, foils their plan.

While the story is routine, the screenplay is one of convenience. Romance is devoid of freshness. The pairing of Sridevi and Salman Khan looks odd and that is one reason for the romantic portion falling flat. Revenge lacks excitement. A few comedy scenes do tickle the ribs.

Sridevi is not in form. She goes through her role mechanically. Salman Khan does well. Anupam Kher switches between comedy and villainy without any logic. Although his characterisation is weak, his performance is good. Raza Murad is fair. Mehmood tries to entertain. His comedy track is contrived. Shatru­ghan Sinha delivers a restrained performance and creates an impact in a small role. Rama Vij, Gurbachan, Lalit Tiwari, Gud­di Maruti, Rakesh Hans and Zeba Khan pass muster.

Saawan Kumar has given the film a lavish look but has not been able to make the drama enjoyable or entertaining. Music (Mahesh Kishor) is very good. ‘I am very very sorry’ is already a hit. ‘Aaj Radha ko Shyam yaad aa gaya’, ‘Tu lad­ka hai London ka’ and ‘Tu lage chand ka tukda’ are also very well-tuned numbers. Song picturisations are lavish. Locations are eye-catching and they have been bea­utifully exploited. Technical values are of standard.

On the whole, Chaand Kaa Tukdaa is a disappointment.

Released on 19-8-’94 at Minerva (matinee) and 22 other cinemas of Bom­bay thru Mahalakshmi Films Distribu­tors. Publicity: very good. Opening: ave­rage. …….Also released all over. Opening was below the mark at many places.

DO YOU KNOW?

* The two songs of Romu Sippy’s AMAANAT, ‘Din mein leti hoon’ and ‘Daloonga daloonga’, have been slightly changed. The lyrics now go as ‘Din mein kehti hoon’ and ‘Lad­oonga ladoonga’.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a theatre record by collecting 2,38,230/- in 2nd week at Hind, Cal­cutta.

* HAHK..! created a theatre record by collecting 1,30,519/- in 2nd week at Panchsheel, Nagpur. It has also crea­ted a city record by collecting 1,73,100/- in 2nd week at Smruti, Nagpur.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!  has created a city record by collecting 1,14,171/- in 2nd week at Chitra, Am­ravati. Better than 1st week (1,12,729/-) despite heavy rains.

* HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! has created a theatre record by collecting 1,47,892/- in 1st week at Rambha, Bhopal.

SNAPSHOTS

SUBHASH GHAI’S 7-CRORE PROJECT

As 24th October draws near, the gues­sing game has started. That Subhash Ghai will launch a film on that day, which is his wedding anniversary day, is a foregone conclusion. A reliable source tells us that this film, to be produced and directed by Ghai, will be his costliest ever. If inside reports are to be believed, it will be a Rs. 7-crore project and will be a story with an army background, against the backdrop of the Indo-Pakistan border. It will star two top heroes and a new heroine. The search for the girl is on. The film will be titled…. let that be now. Read more about the mega-project in our forthcoming issues.

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TELECAST YAHAN, PENALTY YAHAN

Producer Raajiv Kumar will have to pay Rs. 1 lakh as fine to the CCCA for having telecast his Swarg Yahan Narak Yahan before the completion of five years of its premiere release. The CCCA was not registering his Kranti Kshetra despite court orders to that effect. With Kranti Kshetra release around the cor­ner, Raajiv Kumar had no option but to agree to pay the fine. He will pay half the amount now and the other half afterwards. Besides the fine, he will have to pay Rs. 40,000 to his C.P. distributors and Rs. 20,000 each to his C.I. and Rajasthan distributors.

*       *       *

MUSIC MANIA

The Bombay distributors of Main Khiladi Tu Anari are the happiest per­sons today. They’ve sold the rights for Gujarat and Saurashtra at extraordinary prices, almost covering the entire MG royalty paid for Bombay. It is the magic of music again.

*       *       *

NO FREE STAY

The voting in the CCCA elections used to be exciting affairs every year, be­sides the elections being very largely-attended too. The reception committee used to look after the stay of the members who used to reach the venue of the annual general meeting and voting from all cor­ners of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. But the CCCA has now decided to do away with the system of the reception committee hosting the stay of the mem­bers. From this year, therefore, members would have to themselves make arrangements for their stay. This is likely to have a direct (read that adverse) effect on the attendance at the annual meeting and elections. The AGM is fixed for September 28 this year in Jaipur. Elections to the executive committee will be held the following day.

YOU ASKED IT

How much does tax-exemption help a good-average film?

– More than 50%.

When a film doesn’t take an opening, the trade very conveniently says, “Public ko khushboo aa jaati hai”. What does the public smell?

– If the trade knew what the public can smell, wouldn’t trade people also begin predicting which film will take an opening and which won’t?

These days, one doesn’t hear of many announcements of small film producers. Why is it so?

– Many small film producers as also small artistes have turned to the small screen.

MERCHANDISING OF ‘HAHK..!’

Rajshri is going the Hollywood way in granting licensing rights of the stills and logo of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! to interested parties to manufacture and market their products using them (stills and logo). Archies, known for its cards and posters etc., has been licensed the rights to manufacture and market posters, notebooks, diaries, photo albums, file folders and gift wrapping papers, using stills and logo of the film. Similarly, Aq­uarius (Bombay) is merchandising key-chains and stickers of the film. Another company has developed paper-weights resembling the dog in the film.

GUILD TO BREAK OFF FROM FMC?

The Film Producers Guild of India is contemplating separating from the Film Makers Combine. The FMC’s expulsion of Subhash Ghai, a member of the Guild, is said to have prompted the Guild to think on these lines.

The Guild has written to the FMC, asking it to show cause why it (Guild) should not leave the FMC.

RAMNATH SACHDEVA DEAD

Film and finance agent Ramnath Sachdeva passed away in Delhi in the early morning hours of 19th August. He was unwell for the past two days but the end came suddenly.

Ramnath-ji was in his sixties and a bachelor. At the time of his death, he was the manager of Friends India Combine, Delhi. Ramnath-ji used to also manage the affairs of Mushir-Riaz’s production concern, M.R. Productions, many years back when he was in Bombay.

ARTISTES BREAK TIES WITH FMC

The Cine Artistes’ Association has decided to discontinue the joint arrangement with the Film Makers Combine. At a joint meeting of the representatives of both the Associations, held on 14th Aug­ust at Asha Parekh’s residence, it was conveyed by the CAA to the FMC that the joint arrangement vide their agreement signed on 12th July, 1992 stood cancelled.

Members of the CAA have been ad­vised to approach their own Association for the redressal of their complaints/prob­lems.

GOPALA RAO DEAD

Telugu cinemas’ villain and character actor and former Rajya Sabha member Rao Gopala Rao died at a private nursing home in Madras on 13th August. He was 57 and is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Ketan Desai Launches ‘Deewana Mastana’

Muhurt of M.K.D. Films Combine’s Deewana Mastana was performed on Aug. 16 at Hotel Leela Kempinski. Ami­tabh Bachchan sounded the clap­per-board, Yash Chopra broke the auspicious coconut, Shammi Kapoor switch­ed on the camera, and Anil Kapoor, Govinda and Juhi Chawla faced it for the muhurt shot. It was direct­ed by Sub­hash Ghai. Before the muhurt, Amitabh Bachchan made a short and very well-worded speech in Hindi. Manmohan Desai, whose photograph was put up on the dais, was fondly remembered for his films and humanitarian qualities.

The birthdays of director David Dha­wan (Aug. 16) and producer Ketan Des­ai (Aug.17) were also celebrated.

The film, being directed by David Dhawan for producer Ketan Desai and associate producer Bharatbhai Shah, is based on a story-screenplay-dialogues by Aneez Bazmee. Additional screenplay: Prayag Raj. Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi. Cine­matography: Rajan Kinagi.

The launching party was very well-attended. Among those who came to wish Ketan and David were G.P. Sippy, Raaj Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bach­chan, Shakti Samanta, Ashim Samanta, Feroz Khan, N. Chandra, Rahul Rawail, Randhir Kapoor, Kari­sma Kapoor, busi­ness tycoon Anil Ambani, Tina (Munim) Ambani, Romu Sippy, Raj Sippy, Din­esh Gandhi, Pranlal Mehta, Mehul Ku­mar, Anu Aggar­wal, Sooraj Barjatya, Kiran Shantaram, Satish Kul­karni, Tolu Bajaj, Sultan Ahmed, K.D. Shorey, Kirit Desai, Surender Sehgal, Tutu Sharma, Padmini Kolhapure, Indra Kumar, Surinder Kapoor, Boney Kap­oor, Vinod Khanna, Ramya, Archna Pooran Singh, Keith Stevenson, Karan Shah, Nirupa Roy, F.C. Mehra, Umesh Mehra, Rajiv Mehra, Nutan Naik, Naraindas Mukhija….

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Slow Flow

Suddenly, the flow of releases seems to have slowed down considerably. After two and three star-cast releases a week, there will be solo releases in the coming weeks. Kranti Kshetra is the only star-cast film due next Friday. In the following week, it may be only Brahma. Thereafter, Nazar Ke Samne may be the single release.

The Lighter Side

The muhurt shot of Ketan Desai’s Deewana Mastana was a long one, besides being comical. And rarely has one seen the audience laugh so heartily in a muhurt shot as one saw at the Deewana Mastana muhurt. Anees Bazmee, the writer of the film, revealed later, “I wrote the dialogues for the scene only a few hours back. I work best when I work under pressure.” Ketan and director David Dhawan would do well then to not release the pressure.

The Emotional Side

If the muhurt of Deewana Mastana had the invitees laughing, there was also an emotional moment when a pic­ture of late Manmohan Desai’s smiling face on the stage (in between the film’s logo) was uncovered for people to see. In the background, a portion of the ‘Ae mere bete, sun mera kehna’ song from the late maker’s favourite film, Aa Gale Lag Jaa, was played. Amitabh Bachchan’s opening speech soon thereafter further accentuated the emotional impact.

Second Line Of Defence!

Sunil Shetty truly has a head full of business acumen on his shoulders. His career enhancement and business expansion go hand in hand. As he puts it, “Films is a very unpredictable business, so I have to also concentrate on my hotel and fashion garments businesses, as a second line of defen­ce.” Not surprisingly, close on the heels of a ‘Mischief’ franchise boutique which will open today in Bombay, he has big­ger plans afoot. Like, for instance, his soon-to-open hotel, ‘Mischief The Dining Hall’, which would be a three-storey­ed structure near Prasad Chambers comprising a banquet hall with a 25-people capacity and a bar. And keeping up with his fitness image, the ground floor of the family restaurant would be a non-smoking zone. His expansion plans also stretch to Dubai where, by October-end, he would open a boutique. That apart, the ace up his sleeve is to endorse fitness equipments which could be used  at home. In fact, he recently visited Ahmedabad to have such a tie-up with a gymnasium. As Sunil tongue-in-cheek remarks, “Fashion, Fitness and Food can never go out of fashion.”

Cautious After A Hit

A flop usually discourages a distributor from buying films. And a hit spurs him to buy more films. But Nizam and Delhi-U.P. distributor Tolu Bajaj, who is now opening a distribution office in Bombay too, behaves differently. He usually never buys a film soon after releasing a hit. According to Tolu, “Once you release a hit, you tend to believe that every available film in the market is reasonably priced, because you have the business of the hit film in front of you. Because of this, you may land up paying more than a film’s actual worth. Besides, the ratio of successes to failures is always the same. It is not as if there will be more than 15 to 20% successes.”

Craze Among Ladies & Families

Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! has become a veritable craze among ladies and families. Old ladies coming to Liberty, Bombay, to see the film, take 10 minutes to climb the staircase but their enthusiasm is creditable. As in Hyderabad, so also in Bhilai, ladies come to the cinema with their lunch boxes. Reports from Manjushree cinema, Kanpur, reveal that an elderly lady, who was to be operated upon, expressed her desire to see HAHK..! one day before the surgery. Another old lady, who came to Manjushree cinema, asked for Mr. Sethi, the manager. Mr. Sethi had died way back in 1975, which means that the lady was coming to Manjushree after almost 20 years! A person saw the film thrice at Bombay’s Liberty and penned the following lines in praise of Sooraj Barjatya: (1) Wah wah Sooraj-ji/ Picture kya banayi/ Rajshri Pictures ko/ Badhai ho badhai. (2) Chandni chand se hoti hai/ Sitaron se nahi/ Hum Aapke Hain Koun jaisi film/ Sooraj Barjatya se hoti hai/ Kisi aur se nahin. At Liberty again, a group of eight girls saw the film and, after the show, walked into the manager’s cabin and insisted for tickets for the earliest next show. A family friend of the Barjatyas saw a film (HAHK..!) after 40 years on 19th August. Since the film has not been released in Gwalior, some people have travelled from Gwalior to Agra (travelling time: two-and-a-half hours) to see it.

Performers On The Up!

According to Paresh Rawal, the day of performers has arrived. He cites the example of the success of Mohra (Naseer) and Krantiveer (Nana Patekar) but very self-effacingly fails to mention himself as a performer of reckoning. “Nana,” says Paresh, “has proved that he does not only have a following in Maharashtra but is popular all over India. Emotions have universal appeal. Krantiveer is proof enough. He may be now asking for a high price but, I feel, he can com­mand, and there are people who would even be ready to pay him double of what he asks. He is sensible in being choosy.” Paresh himself has five or six films on the floors and also gives time to stage which is his first love and without which “I would go mad doing only films.”

K.K., The Hot Favourite

Writer K.K. Singh is flooded with offers after Kranti­veer. But the funny part is that most producers queueing up at K.K.’s don’t come with any concrete idea except that they want a story for Nana Patekar. Obviously, to all such Nana-waalas, K.K. Singh says, “Na, na.”

Secret Of Youth: Legal Battles

Want to know the secret of Bombay exhibitor-distributor U.A. Thadani’s prim and proper health? When someone ask­ed Thadani how he had managed to remain the same for so many years, Thadani replied: “I am fighting so many cases in the court that I can’t afford to change. If I do, the judge will not recognise me!”

Condemned…. With Regards

It was not many days back when FMC general secretary K.D. Shorey had gone on record to say that the FMC had unanimously expelled Subhash Ghai for flouting the star ceiling. He minced no words to condemn Ghai’s act. It came as a jolt then when Shorey went up to Ghai at Ketan Desai’s party to launch Deewana Mastana this week and, giving Ghai a loving embrace, said, “I have the highest regard for you.” Highest regard and all that is understandable. But why make a show of the regard without any rhyme or reason? Or was there a reason?

The Young Papa

And here’s a funny one to keep you smiling through the long weekend.

A young writer approached the middle-aged handsome hero who is all set to launch his son into stardom, to narrate a story revolving around a father and his son. The writer had the middle-aged hero and his son in mind. Imagine his dis­gust then when the middle-aged hero approved of the story and asked, “And who will play my father in the film?”