LATEST POSITION

It was a normal week except in Bombay where the traders’ strike on 1st July saw a spurt in collections as it was almost like a holiday.

Haseena Maan Jaayegi has done extremely well in Bombay, U.P., C.P. Berar, C.I., Rajasthan and Nizam. It is, however, ordinary in West Bengal and so-so in East Punjab, Bihar (heavy rains) and Mysore. 1st week Bombay 59,24,202 (89.63%) from 13 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 10,91,899 from 6 cinemas, Rajkot 1,62,400 (1 unrecd.), Jamnagar (matinee) 29,977; Pune 12,15,859 from 4 cinemas, Solapur 4,30,025 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Hubli 2,41,199 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon), Belgaum 2,40,554 from 2 cinemas, Bijapur 1,32,630; Delhi 52,33,414 (88.91%) from 11 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 7,37,663 from 3 cinemas, Lucknow 5,07,181 (100%), Agra 2,99,706, Allahabad 2,62,808, Bareilly 1,75,102, Hardwar 1,65,939; Calcutta 15,69,895 from 12 cinemas; Nagpur 9,23,037 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 2,43,117, Amravati 2,37,818, Akola 1,86,617, Raipur (gross) 4,01,676, Durg 1,40,171, Jalgaon 2,30,752, Yavatmal 1,87,514, Bilaspur 2,35,233; Indore 2,17,826 (3 on F.H.), Bhopal 6,03,504 from 3 cinemas; Jaipur 11,54,417 from 4 cinemas, Ajmer (29 shows) 1,87,176; Udaipur 2,35,870; Hyderabad (gross) 40,72,786 from 17 cinemas (1 in noon).

Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi… is ordinary in major cities but dull otherwise. 1st week Bombay 18,10,736 (66.42%) from 5 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,90,667, Baroda 80,498; Pune 4,14,138 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Hubli 1,08,347; Delhi 13,03,493 (76.74%) from 4 cinemas; Kanpur 77,665 from 2 cinemas, Allahabad 51,000; Calcutta 6,28,673 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 2,29,172 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 8,77,600 from 4 cinemas (2 in noon); Vijayawada (gross) 97,063.

………

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is extraordinary in 2nd week in Bombay and Gujarat (expected to do 5 crore in Bombay circuit) but not very strong in the other circuits. It has maintained quite well in Delhi, parts of Bengal, C.P.C.I. Rajasthan and Nizam but in the rest of these circuits, the drop was quite noticeable. It is not faring well in smaller centres. 2nd week Bombay 64,14,816 (90%) from 12 cinemas (7 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 24,32,067 from 5 cinemas, Baroda 2,00,537, Valsad 3,30,578 (1st 3,10,908), Rajkot 2,52,584 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Jamnagar 1,14,342 (1 in matinee unrecd.), Bhavnagar 2,05,769, Bhuj 1,48,766, Adipur 1,59,587 (85.38%); Pune 11,26,781 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,76,428 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Hubli 1,25,436 (1st 2,50,425); Delhi 47,81,781 from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,52,706 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 4,85,107, Agra 3,55,780, Allahabad 1,57,683, Bareilly (6 days) 1,08,000; Calcutta 14,71,445 from 10 cinemas; Nagpur 4,49,995 from 2 cinemas, Amravati (6 days) 1,76,608, Akola 1,89,300, total 4,66,500, Raipur (gross, 6 days) 2,76,491, 1st week Wardha 1,24,353, 2nd Yavatmal 1,01,439 (1st 1,38,552); Indore 3,96,429 from 2 cinemas, Bhopal 1,47,627 (1 unrecd.); Jaipur 5,04,481 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 11,58,138 from 5 cinemas (1 in noon); Vijayawada (gross) 2,88,210.

Sirf Tum is doing steady business and, due to its low price, it will soon fetch good overflow from everywhere except, maybe, Rajasthan. 3rd week Bombay 6,02,667 (58.31%) from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,75,779 from 2 cinemas, Baroda 58,084; Pune 1,23,824 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur (matinee) 58,135; Delhi 4,43,370 from 2 cinemas; Kanpur 1,41,080, Lucknow 2,54,979, Agra 1,46,362, Allahabad 80,598, Bareilly 65,246; Calcutta 1,97,235; Nagpur 76,164, Jabalpur (6 days) 90,503, Amravati 1,16,108, 1st week Akola 94,300, 3rd week Raipur 54,024, Jalgaon (6 days) 55,510, Chandrapur 1,38,244, total 4,64,119; Jaipur 1,16,044; Hyderabad (gross) 4,48,132 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon).

Biwi No. 1 5th week Bombay 27,98,193 (70.76%) from 8 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,52,604 from 4 cinemas, Baroda 99,698; Pune 4,59,511 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,17,970 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), 1st week Barsi (20 shows) 60,322; 5th week Delhi 21,76,292 from 7 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,35,789, Lucknow 4,62,702, Allahabad 1,10,289; Calcutta 3,37,196 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 88,023 from 2 cinemas, 4th week Jabalpur 1,26,695, total 7,81,693, 5th week Amravati (6 days) 1,03,063, Akola 98,018, total 7,50,070, Raipur (6 days) 52,524, Durg 30,646, 4th week Jalgaon 1,27,942, Wardha 35,493; 5th week Indore 90,000 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal 89,590; Jaipur 2,55,915, Udaipur 21,078; Hyderabad (gross) 3,25,586 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon); 1st week Guntur (gross) 88,742, Ongole (gross) 99,108.

Sarfarosh 9th week Bombay (now tax-free) 10,62,379 (66.95%) from 5 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 32,141 from 2 cinemas (both in mg. shows); Pune 5,47,330 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur (7 shows) 57,312; Delhi (TF) 2,89,927 from 2 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Lucknow 1,39,122, Allahabad 58,500; Calcutta 1,79,065; Nagpur 71,319, 6th week Jabalpur 98,199, total 9,55,550, 9th week Amravati 54,724; Indore 32,000, Bhopal 30,688; Jaipur 6,57,268 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 4,17,052 from 2 cinemas; 1st week Ongole (gross) 97,566.

_____

Bindhast (Marathi; TF) is going great guns. 2nd week Bombay 19,07,819 from 13 cinemas; Pune 1,46,332, Kolhapur 1,05,892, Solapur 61,828, Sangli 1,05,356, Ichalkaranji 32,461, total in Bombay city-suburbs and Maharashtra 23,59,688 from 18 cinemas, total share about 11 lakh. 2 weeks’ billing is about 30 lakh.

TRIPLE CELEBRATIONS IN JAIN HOUSEHOLD

Sandeep, grandson of CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain and son of C.I. distributor Jitendra Jain, was blessed with a baby boy on 26th June in Jaipur. Siddharth Sacheti, another grandson of Santosh Singh Jain and son of Padam Sacheti, was also blessed with a baby boy on 27th in Jaipur.

Pooja, grand-daughter of Santosh Singh Jain and daughter of Narendra Jain of Sanman Films, Jaipur, will wed Ashwin on 10th July in Cuttack.

‘SARFAROSH’ TAX-FREE IN MAHARASHTRA

John Mathew Matthan’s Sarfarosh has been granted tax exemption in Maharashtra for a period of six months beginning 29th June.

ANTI-PAKISTAN PROTEST IN NAAZ COMPOUND

An impromptu protest against the Pakistani infiltration in Kargil was held in the Naaz cinema compound in Bombay on 1st July. The protest, which began with coolies shouting anti-Pakistan slogans and burning Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s effigy, was soon joined by several distributors who left their offices and gathered at the site on learning of the protest.

FIRE IN ZEE TV’S WORLI OFFICE

A major fire broke out in the Worli office of Zee TV on the morning of 27th June. Three tankers and four fire engines brought the fire under control in about four hours’ time. Property worth crores of rupees was damaged. The cause of the fire may have been a short-circuit.

FILM INDUSTRY AND KARGIL
No Consensus On Course Of Action

The Film Makers Combine has been holding meetings to decide on the industry’s plan of action for assistance to the Indian Army. A musical show is likely to be held in Bombay this month to raise funds for the jawans although industry leaders are divided over the idea of holding such a show.

Yash Chopra and Yash Johar have reportedly contributed Rs. 1 lakh each to the fund to be ultimately donated to the Army. While it had been decided that distributors and exhibitors all over the country would donate the collections of cinemas in the 3 p.m. show on 25th July (Sunday) to the Army Central Welfare Fund, it is not known whether the decision will in fact be carried out. Reportedly, leaders of the distribution and exhibition sectors in Bombay are having second thoughts in the matter. Confusion, therefore, prevails in that direction. In the meantime, some of our stars have been visiting hospitals where wounded jawans are being treated.

YOU ASKED IT

What does the success of Sirf Tum prove?

– That a film with a good/novel script, even in the absence of stars, has more chances of clicking than the other way around!

I want to produce a film. What kind of story do you suggest for a 2001 release?

– A story with Indian traditional values and sentiments and a modern look.

Why do trial reports of films differ so often from the public reports?

– Because public pays for the film while a trial show is for free. Therefore, public opinion is also genuine opinion as there are no strings attached.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Amitabh Bachchan has been voted the greatest stage and screen star of the millennium in a BBC Online (BBC’s Internet-based news channel) poll for the millennium. While Govinda squeezed in at no. 10 spot in the poll, the other positions were grabbed by Sir Laurence Olivier (2nd), Alec Guinness (3rd), popular cartoon character Homer Simpson (5th), Robert De Niro and Marilyn Monroe.

MUSICAL BONANZA FOR EXHIBITORS

* In a rare gesture, Miraj sub-distributor Dr. Sunil Patil of V.N. Films, Miraj-Shrirampur-Akluj last week gifted exhibitors of ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres attractive packs containing audio cassettes of HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, MANN, TAAL, SOORYAVANSHAM, SIRF TUM, HINDUSTAN KI KASAM and ANARI NO. 1. This novel gesture by a sub-distributor for the usually-neglected ‘B’ and ‘C’ class exhibitors has been receiving a lot of praise from all in the trade.

MIX MASALA

SAME OLD VEERU

It would surprise many to know that a top action director like Veeru Devgan, who has now also turned a producer and director with Hindustan Ki Kasam, even today travels on motor-cycle. He does have cars but it is not rare to see the stunt director atop a motorbike when travelling short distances. “It’s so handy,” smiles Veeru as he explains why he prefers a motor-cycle to a car. “You don’t have to wait for the driver to take the car out of its parking space, and there’s no problem of space when turning a motorbike.”

SURE FORMULA?

In this week’s release, Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya, Aroona Irani keeps giving suggestions to her nephew (Atul Agnihotri) and his wife, Ayesha Julka — to the former on how to irritate his wife, and to the latter, on how to win her husband over. Every plan, according to her, is a formula to be applied for positive results. So it is quite often that Aroona Irani proclaims that she has thought of a lovely ‘formula’. As a wag remarked after seeing the film, “Now, I understand what a ‘formua film’ is!”

DICTION DEFECT

All those who have seen Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi… have been wondering what heroine Rinke Khanna thought her hero’s name was in the film! Almost throughout the film, she is heard addressing him as Sdhant instead of Siddhant. Is it that the name was to be pronounced with a silent ‘i’ and a silent ‘d’? Which would, in turn, imply that everyone in the film, except Rinke, pronounced the name wrong! Jokes apart, even a decent actress like Rnke Khanna — sorry, Rinke Khanna — falters in pronunciation kabhi kabhi…

HALF-YEARLY CLASSIFICATION: 1999
(Total Releases: 65 films including 13 dubbed)

AA (Super Hit)

–

A1 (Hit)

BIWI NO. 1
(losing in Bengal & Bihar and ‘BB’ in C.I.)

HUM AAPKE DIL MEIN REHTE HAIN
(‘BB’ in East Punjab, Eastern Circuit, Rajasthan & Nizam)

A (Semi Hit)

–

BB (Overflow)

Sarfarosh
(‘A1’ in Bombay)

Haseena Maan Jaayegi
(average in Eastern circuit and ‘B1’ in East Punjab)

Daag The Fire

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet
(‘A1’ in Bihar and ‘B1’ in some circuits)

Sirf Tum

Commission To Overflow

Kachche Dhaage

B1 (Commission Earner)

–

Coverage To Commission

Tej Raftaar (dubbed)

Coverage

International Khiladi

THE REST

Sikandar Sadak Ka, Loh Purush, Lo Main Aagayaa, Jahan Tum Le Chalo, Aa Ab Laut Chalen (good in Bombay), Hu Tu Tu, Bade Dilwala, Khooni Aahat (dubbed), Shera, Chalo America, Bombay Boys (dubbed; ‘BB’ in Bombay), Gupt Sandesh (dubbed), Krantipath, Qatil Chandalini, Kaun (good in Bombay), Zameen Ke Neeche, Lal Baadshah (good in U.P.), Laawaris, Aaag Hi Aag, Kaala Samrajya, Aarzoo, Kahani Kismat Ki, Jaanam Samjha Karo, Putlibai, Purnasatya, Bhoot Ka Darr, Avaidh Sambandh (dubbed), Anari No. 1 (‘BB’ in Bombay), Tan Aggan, Zulmi, Silsila Hai Pyar Ka, Tower House, Shaitaani Khazana (dubbed), King Kong (dubbed), Jaihind, Ronin (Gehri Saazish, dubbed), Main Hoon Baazigar (dubbed), Beauty Palace (dubbed), Lafdaa, Hello Doctor (dubbed), Kartoos, Phool Aur Aag, Khooni Ilaaka – The Prohibited Area, Main Tere Pyaar Mein Pagal (dubbed), Sooryavansham (‘BB’ in Bengal, Bihar and ‘B1’ in C.P. Berar), Rajaji, Ganga Ki Kasam, Safari, Dracula, Zimbo, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (‘AA’ in Bombay), Anyay Hi Anyay, Nyaydaata, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi…, The Terrorist (dubbed).

 Second Quarter Of 1999: A Mix Of Joys & Sorrows

The second quarter of 1999 has been far more exciting for the industry than the first quarter. At least five films from those released in the months of April, May and June ’99 have proved successful. Biwi No. 1 is the biggest grosser of the second quarter and although its box-office performance in West Bengal and Bihar is not commensurate with its price, its business in other circuits is indeed very heartening. Bombay leads, followed by Delhi-U.P. Sarfarosh, too, is exceptionally good in Bombay and a fair earner in the rest of India. Again, it is far from encouraging in Bihar. Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, on the other hand, is the best in Bihar and is expected to do over 1.75 crore in the territory! Although a slow starter in almost the whole country, the film picked up after 3-4 days of its release and will ultimately fetch commission in all circuits and even overflow from some. Haseena Maan Jaayegi was the other David Dhawan film of the quarter, besides Biwi No. 1, to do well at the box-office. Again, this David Dhawan film, too, is not as strong in East Punjab, West Bengal and Bihar as in the other circuits. Bihar, of course, had heavy rains and hence the film’s collections were adversely affected. Sirf Tum was the surprise packet of the second quarter. Not only did it open well — which was quite unexpected — but it also maintained very well almost everywhere. Rajasthan may not be as strong, but then, the rest of India will bring in good overflow cheques to producer Boney Kapoor.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam proved an extreme case. It is doing wonders in Bombay and Gujarat but the business in other circuits ranges from average to below-average. For example, if Delhi was very good in 2nd week too, U.P. was not too strong. Bihar has not been good from the start. In other circuits, collections in some stations are enviable but in other stations, they are dropping quite fast. Anari No. 1 also proved an earner in just a couple of circuits. Similarly, Sooryavansham. It is doing excellent in West Bengal and good in Bihar and C.P. Berar. But it is a heavy loser in most of the other circuits.

Jaanam Samjha Karo was the biggest shock of the quarter. Among the other losers are Silsila Hai Pyar Ka, Zulmi, Jaihind, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi…, Safari, Rajaji etc.

While the industry earned very well in the line of successes of the three months, it also lost heavily — almost Rs. 25 crore — in the 32 damp squibs it gave in the three months. Yes, 32 losers out of the 38 films released in the second quarter of 1999!

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

‘Mann’: Listen To People’s Hearts

The immense craze for Mann among the public is indeed heartening. The songs, the promotional trailers, the street publicity and, of course, Aamir Khan have generated so much curiosity around the film that one expects it to take an absolutely bumper opening. Distributors of the circuits in which varying admission rates are permitted would do well to hike the rates in the first week at least, to take advantage of the craze for the film. For instance, a couple of cinemas of Bombay city and suburbs can do with an admission rate of Rs. 150 in the balcony. The response can be monitored and the rates for the second week, decided thereafter. Yes, this hike will not pinch the purses of Aamir’s fans and even if it does, nobody will complain about the pinch. That is the kind of craze one sees for Mann and, therefore, it would only be in the fitness of things if distributors cashed in on it.

Listen To Your Heart….
….But Also See His Art

Publicity designer J.P. Singhal is in great form. His designs for Mann are casting a magical spell on the public. The colour scheme as also the pictures used in the posters and hoardings of the film are beautiful and an absolutely soothing sight. Here, a special mention must be made of the film’s hoardings put up at Chowpatty (opposite Birla Kreeda Kendra) in Bombay. Each hoarding, in a series of four, depicts a different close-up of Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala together with an alphabet from the film’s title. Thus, read from left to right, the hoardings read M-A-N-N while creating an impression of there being a single long hoarding! ‘Listen to your heart’ goes the catchline in the film’s publicities. Might we add to that: ‘Also see Singhal’s Art!’

Incidentally, a novel mode of publicity is being employed for Mann in Bombay. An attractive back-lit vinyl mega-poster, fitted into the back of a mini-truck, has begun doing the rounds of Bombay streets since July 2. The truck itself is covered on three sides with different mega-posters of the film and has been additionally fitted with sound equipment, which is used to air the film’s music. It shouldn’t be long before this new mobile publicity method becomes popular among the masses — earning mann-y kudos for those who devised it.

Rumours With Base

There are already rumours in trade circles that the release of Taal has been postponed. It is being said that instead of 6th August, as scheduled, Taal may hit the screens a week later. But then it is also being argued that 13th August is not a lucky Friday for Subhash Ghai and so the film may actually come on 20th August. Another argument being put forward for the postponement is that since the music of Taal is so good, Ghai will definitely like it to grow to the fullest before the film is released. Subhash Ghai had blundered last time when he released Pardes before its music could make a real mark. Ultimately, of course, the music grew to great heights but the harm in terms of a not-so-exciting opening to the film was done. Ghai couldn’t have forgotten that mistake, and, one is sure, he would like to play it safe this time. Since the music of Taal has all the potential to hit big time, the maker would, perhaps, like to wait a little longer so that the popularity of the music helps the film’s opening to the fullest.

Kargil Coincidence

Coincidences can never be explained but this coincidence beats all coincidences. Just before the India-Pakistan ‘battle’ at Kargil began, Sarfarosh, which openly talks of ISI agents disturbing the peace in India, was released. The Kargil battle is still on and two more films which deal with India-Pakistan war — Hindustan Ki Kasam and Kohram — are due for release. What’s more, Kohram has actually been shot at Kargil and Siachen, both of which are in news these days. And the shooting at these places was done months ago, when the Kargil tension had not even surfaced!

Big In Japan

Japan seems to have turned into a huge new market for Tamil films in the past year or so. The latest Rajinikanth starrer, Padayappa, has been sold for an astonishing price of US $50,000 — the highest ever fetched by any Indian film in Japan! The film’s Japan rights have been bought by G.V. Films which had entered the Japanese market in 1996 with the Tamil film, Indira. However, the film that really discovered the huge potential of this new market was an earlier Rajinikanth starrer, Muthu, which was released with subtitles in Japan in June last year. Believe it or not, Muthu has already posted a mammoth US $1.75 million in gate receipts and, a year later, is still showing at Japanese cinemas! The outstanding success of the film in Japan last year soon prompted other Tamil film producers to follow suit. Consequently, Tamil films have begun to be regularly screened in Japan. In fact, G.V. Films alone has exported Tamil films worth US $1,00,000 (excluding Padayappa) so far. Apparently, extremely high costs involved in producing Japanese films is the main reason for Japanese distributors having turned to foreign films. Even as distributors had been dependent mainly on Hollywood and South Korean films in the past, the box-office record of Muthu has helped India emerge as a strong contender in the Japanese market in the last one year. With Padayappa proving to be a huge grosser everywhere, India’s position should further consolidate in Japan. As the famous pop song goes, Big in Japan….

Mithun Starrers: A Sad Story

About six months back, Film Information had cautioned producers of Mithun starrers to be careful as they would find it extremely difficult to get buyers for their films. Our fears were based on the pathetic fate of several Mithun starrers released last year. And what is happening at the time of deliveries of Mithun starrers now, proves that our warning was not incorrect. There is a delivery hassle in every second Mithun starrer, Sikandar Sadak Ka, Aaag Hi Aag, Kahani Kismat Ki, Ganga Ki Kasam and Benaam — all these Mithun films have seen tension at the time of their deliveries. Why, some of the aforesaid films haven’t been released in some circuits as yet. Going by the trend, one can expect worse times for Mithun’s producers in the months to come. The hero has already had seven releases in 1999, and about 10 to 12 more of his starrers should see release in the second half of the year.

Height Of Arrogance

…And now, further proof of this top star’s arrogance and his utter disregard for the people who give him work. A couple of years ago, he had been signed by a popular actor-turned-producer-director for one of the two leads in his film. It so happened that, one day, the star sauntered in nonchalantly, more than four hours late for his shooting. Irked by the star’s unprofessional behaviour, the veteran producer-director sarcastically remarked to him whether he should ask the unit to pack up for the day since they had already lost a major part of the day. No words can precisely describe the anguish of the producer-director — and a senior one at that — when the star, instead of apologising, replied shamelessly,  “Who the hell are you to tell the unit to pack up? I am calling for pack-up!” Did you say, “Shame shame!” Well, we won’t even say that for this act on the part of the shameless star.

Not Done

Then there’s this super-hero who thinks no end of his judgement on films starring himself. So far so good. He even goes to the extent of criticising films in which he acts. But who gives him the right to talk ill of those films even while they are under-production? Besides being unethical, it creates such a bad impression about those films because you have the hero himself bad-mouthing his starrer. At least two top producer-directors have faced this problem. The hero, even while acting in their films, used to quite openly tell trade people that those two films were not going to click. The funniest part of this entire episode is that both the bad-mouthed films clicked. One of them went on to become a blockbuster. Wonder whether these two films have taught the super-hero a lesson or not. For, not only is he exposing his unethical side and lack of judgement but also harming the interests of his own producers. All this, only because he is the top hero. The question which arises here is: why does he sign a film in the first place if he has to cast aspersions on its box-office potential even before it is complete?

Film Information’s Kargil Special

How often have we been moved to tears in scenes of death in films? How often has a separation/estrangement on the screen made us weep? How often has an accident in a film sequence made us close our eyes in dismay and sigh in disbelief? And all this when we know that what we are seeing is not true. In fact, who better than us film people to know that cinema is only make-believe.

It is said that creative people are the most sensitive too. If that is true, the havoc the current encounters between Indian army jawans and Pakistani intruders is wreaking on our country should strike a chord in our hearts. When we can cry so easily in films, tears should come naturally to us when we read reports of the killings of our jawans at Kargil. Hundreds of our soldiers have laid down their lives to protect the country’s honour, hundreds have been maimed or handicapped for life while fighting the enemies.

But as opposed to reel life, this is real life. Merely shedding tears will not be enough. The film industry has always risen to the occasion whenever the country has needed its services. Mother India needs the industry’s help once again. The families of jawans killed in the Kargil encounters need financial support. The injured soldiers need monetary help. The government today needs a helping hand. It is looking to the film industry with expectations and hope.

And like in the past, we can do it this time too. Various associations of the industry are collecting funds for the army and army wives. May they meet with tremendous success in their endeavours.

Film Information will bring out a special KARGIL ISSUE on 14th August, 1999. The earnings from that special issue will be donated to the Army Welfare Fund. For that, we need your support, your patronage. Come, advertise in our issue of August 14 and contribute to a noble cause. Only because we are not at the scene (Kargil), we should not underestimate the emotional drama being unfolded in armymen’s homes every day. Simply recall a scene from Haqeeqat which made you cry. Or a sequence in Border that shook you. And you will instantly feel like making some contribution, at least, to the Kargil cause. You will indeed feel like being a part of our Kargil Special of 14th August. So put pen to paper now. Remember, every assistance will go a long way in ameliorating the hardships of our jawans and their families.

Come on, we at Film Information stand with folded hands in anticipation. We need your helping hand. Our motherland needs it. Our jawans need it. For once, let us applaud the real heroes.

– Komal Nahta

HASEENA MAAN JAAYEGI

Rahul Productions’ Haseena Maan Jaayegi is a comedy about two carefree sons of a rich businessman. The two guys hate to work but love to flirt. They individually hook a girl each, and it turns out that the two girls are sisters. One brother impersonates the other’s uncle to impress the girls’ father about their position in society. The two brothers — or, if you please, the uncle and nephew — stay in the house of the girls. To finalise his own marriage with the other girl, the brother-turned-uncle plays a double role, sometimes appearing as the uncle, and, at other times, as the brother. How they generally fool the whole world to get their work done forms the major part of the film. It is inspired by Pyar Kiye Jaa.

The film has a weak story and a screenplay that cares more for convenience than logic. However, what still makes the film watchable and even enjoyable at several places are the performances and the witty dialogues (Rumi Jafri). There is no freshness in the story and it looks like a rehash of four or five earlier hits. But the comedy punches are quite enjoyable at several places.

Sanjay Dutt does fairly well in an out-and-out comic role. Govinda is just too brilliant in the role of the brother-cum-uncle. His sense of timing and performance are extraordinary. He is the life of the film and lifts even ordinary scenes to greater heights with his sheer acting prowess. His dances are a delight to watch. Karisma Kapoor, unfortunately, gets little scope for acting. She excels in dances. Pooja Batra does an average job in a minuscule role. Satish Kaushik is superb as the P.A. to the businessman-father of the two boys. His poker-faced comedy is wonderful, to say the least. Kader Khan also shines as the rich businessman. Anupam Kher repeats his previous act and, therefore, doesn’t really stand out except in a couple of scenes. Paresh Rawal plays the Nepali watchman with aplomb and evokes laughter at several places. Aroona Irani’s comedy is entertaining and credit for it goes as much to the writers as to the actress. Ashish Vidyarthi and Razzak Khan are effective. Mohan Joshi and Aasif Sheikh provide average support. Bindu and Asrani’s comedy episode is quite good.

David Dhawan’s direction is good, as usual. Music (Anu Malik) is appealing. ‘I love you bol dal’, ‘What is mobile number’ and the title song are the best. The other numbers also have racy tunes. All the songs have been imaginatively picturised and choreography is very good, but a major flaw is that most of the songs pop up without proper situations. Camerawork (K.S. Prakash Rao) is good. Editing is sharp. Production and technical values are of a good standard. Climax is different but effective only in parts.

On the whole, Haseena Maan Jaayegi has a fair dose of comedy, although without a cohesive story, and will, therefore, remain an average fare in some circuits and above-average in other circuits (where comedies are more patronised).

Released on 25-6-’99 at Minerva and 20 other cinemas of Bombay thru V.I.P. Enterprises. Publicity: very good. Opening: excellent. …….Also released all over. Opening was very good everywhere.

PYAAR MEIN KABHI KABHI…

Tyger Productions’ Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi… is a youthful film about love and campus life. It gets philosophical at times and remains plain comical at other times. While the comedy in the first half is enjoyable and holds appeal for the class audience, the philosophical part gets boring. The post-interval portion, especially, is rather dull.

A college girl falls in love with her college pal but he loves another girl. A common friend does all he can to see that the two of them come together because he sincerely believes, they are made for each other. Much later, it is revealed that he, too, loves the same girl but, of course, he sacrifices his love for his friend’s sake.

The subject has been handled in a way which will appeal only to the youth among the elite and city audience. Many jokes are of the kind which will not be understood at all by audience outside those in metropolitan cities. Another drawback is that the film has no face value whatsoever. Except for two songs — ‘Mussu Mussu’ and ‘Woh pehli baar’ — the others pass muster. Considering that the film is a romantic tale, there should’ve been at least three or four really good numbers. But only ‘Mussu Mussu’ qualifies to be called a hit.

Performances of the entire cast are good. Although the lead artistes do not have the traditional requisites of hero/heroine, they have done well in this film. Rinke Khanna looks cute and does a natural job. Dino Morea is very effective and restrained. Sanjay Suri, as their good friend, does a fine job. Aakash Saigal, Manoj Dhanwani and Akash Karnatiki lend very good support. Shveta Salve, Melody Decunha and Tora Khasgir are alright. Longines Fernandes is okay. Mohan Kapur, Patrick Biswas and the rest are fair.

Raj Kaushal’s direction is good but of the kind which makes the film a fare for a very, very limited audience. Music should have been far better. The ‘Mussu Mussu’ song is, of course, excellent and its picturisation is also cute. Camerawork is alright. Production and technical values are fair.

On the whole, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi… is for the class audience among youth only. It has some chances in only a handful of cinemas in the entire country, but for the rest, it will meet with a disastrous fate.

Released on 25-6-’99 at New Empire and 7 other cinemas of Bombay thru SPE Films P. Ltd. Publicity: very good. Opening: fair. …….Also released in Delhi-U.P., East Punjab, Bengal, C.P. Berar and Nizam.

MANOHAR MUDKATTE NO MORE

Legal advisor Manohar Mudkatte passed away on 25th June in Bombay at S.L. Raheja Hospital following renal failure. He was 72. He was cremated the same day. He is survived by four daughters and a son.

Mudkatte had been hospitalised a month-and-a-half back. His condition deteriorated on 25th and he breathed his last at 11.35 a.m.

Manohar Mudkatte used to specialise in legal matters pertaining to the production sector. Many years back, he used to be the distribution manager of Rajshri Pictures P. Ltd., Bombay. He was extremely good at figures and used to remember shares to the last rupee. He also owned a telecine transfer unit.

YOU ASKED IT

What is the ratio of Mann? And of Taal?

– The ratio of MANN is 3 crore. That of TAAL is under finalisation.

What is ‘concept cinema’, as is being used by its makers to describe this week’s release, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi…?

– ‘Concept cinema’ is a term coined to describe films that are positioned to appeal to a specified target audience. In the case of PMKK…, the primary target audience is youngsters, particularly females, between 13 and 21 years of age, and the secondary target audience is adults, particularly females again, between 21 and 30 years of age. The film, according to its makers, has been made to appeal to the aforesaid target audience.

How many successes/hits/super-hits has David Dhawan given so far?

– A total of 13 so far — SWARG, SHOLA AUR SHABNAM, AANKHEN, RAJA BABU, BOL RADHA BOL, COOLIE NO. 1, JUDWAA, SAAJAN CHALE SASURAL, LOAFER, HERO NO. 1, DEEWANA MASTANA, BADE MIYAN CHOTE MIYAN, BIWI NO. 1! This week’s HASEENA MAAN JAAYEGI too has started well.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘Champion’ 40-Day Marathon Schedule

The unit of Shree Shiv Bhakti Films’ Champion left for Hyderabad today (June 26) for a 40-day marathon shooting schedule at Ramoji Rao Studios. Sunny Deol, Manisha Koirala, Kashmira Shah, Deepak Parasher, Surendra Pal, Tom Alter, Johny Lever, Dina Pathak, Krishna Mishra, Charlie, A.K. Hangal, Anil Nagrath, Abhishek and Vikram Gokhale will participate. The fourth song will be recorded shortly in Bombay by music director Anu Malik. The film is being produced by Sujit Kumar and directed by Padam Kumar. Screenplay: N.K. Mahajan. Dialogues: Sanjay Masoom. Lyrics: Javed Akhtar. Cinematography: Thiru. Action: Tinnu Verma. Choreography: Ahmed Khan and Raju Sundaram. Editor: Chandan. Art: Raghavan.

‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ First Copy Out

The first print of Devgan Films’ Hindustan Ki Kasam came out on June 23 from Prasad Lab. The film, produced and directed by Veeru Devgan, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Sushmita Sen, Prem Chopra, Gulshan Grover, Shahbaaz Khan, Farida Jalal, Johny Lever, Goga Kapoor, Salim, Navin, Bawa, Mallika, Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan. Dialogues: Tanveer Khan. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi. Music: Sukhwindara Singh. Cinematography: Ishwar Bidri. Dances: Raju Khan. Action: Jay Singh and Norman Kent (from Hollywood). Art: Bijon Dasgupta. Sound: Rakesh Ranjan. Editor: Suresh Chaturvedi. Bharat Shah presents the film.

‘Badal’ In Simla

A 20-day shooting spell of Aftab Music Industries’ Badal began on June 20 in Simla. Bobby Deol, Rani Mukerji, Mayuri Kango, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vishwajeet Pradhan, Harish Patel, Neena Kulkarni, Mushtaq Khan, Razzak Khan, Upasna Singh, Dinesh Anand, baby Sana, Ashutosh Rana, Johny Lever, Amrish Puri and Mink (special appearance) are participating. The film is being produced by Salim. Story writer & director: Raj Kanwar. Screenplay: Robin Bhatt and Sutanu Gupta. Dialogues: Santosh Saroj. Lyrics: Sameer. Music: Anu Malik. Action: Bhiku Verma. Art: R. Verman. Dances: B.H. Tharun Kumar and Chinni Prakash. Editor: Waman Bhosle. Masuda H.M. Ishaque presents the film.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Khans Ka Mela

Will Diwali ’99 be a test of strength for the Khan stars? Seems so. For, as of now, the three films being announced for release on Diwali (5th November) are all Khan starrers. Rajshri’s Hum Saath Saath Hain stars Salman Khan, Venus’ Mela has Aamir Khan, and Aziz Mirza’s Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani is not just Shah Rukh Khan’s home production but it also has him in the lead. But while all the three films have been announced for release this Diwali, the question being asked in trade circles is: will the other two films come in opposition of Hum Saath Saath Hain? Well, if they do, at least the Khan heroes can well proclaim “Hum saath saath hain!”

Mast Music

Seven songs and all of them racy and foot-tapping. Well, that’s the music of Ram Gopal Varma’s new film, Mast. The film is composer Sandeep Chowta’s first full-fledged Hindi venture and, must say, all the seven songs of the film are really appealing. Like songs, like picturisations. Ram Gopal is leaving no stone unturned to make the songs a delight on the screen too. Mast, incidentally, will be released in late September or early October. A new handsome boy, Aftab, will be introduced in the lead in this film. He makes his debut opposite Urmila Matondkar.

Hit Gayee Or Pit Gayee?

Overheard the following conversation:

Producer to cinema owner where his film has opened. “What’s the report of my film?”

Cinema owner: “Public is not moving. It is glued to the seats. There’s pin-drop silence.”

Producer: “Wow! Does that mean that people are liking my film? It’s a hit?”

Cinema owner: “No, it only means that the audience is fast asleep. Your film is dead boring.”

BRIEF ENCOUNTER

“Hum Saath Saath Hain has not been inspired from any film — whether ours or somebody else’s. It has been Raj Babu’s concept right from the start.”

– KAMAL KUMAR BARJATYA

The shooting of HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN having now been completed, when should we expect the first copy of the film to be out?

It is true that the shooting phase of Hum Saath Saath Hain is complete and, at the moment, its dubbing is in progress. However, there has been a slight delay as we have had to find matching dates of 10 to 15 artistes for dubbing at a time. Fortunately, we have procured the required dates from the artistes and expect dubbing to be complete by mid-July. For this, we must take this opportunity to thank all our artistes who have been co-operation personified.

We will begin working on the background score by 21st July. Right now, however, we are completely concentrating on the dubbing. When that is over, we will have everything under our control to start planning to complete and release the film. We have scheduled to complete all post-production and other work in time for the first copy to be out in the first week of September. The film is slated for release during Diwali this year (5th November ’99).

So when shall we expect the music release of HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN?

We had earlier planned to have the audio launch in September, but we have now rescheduled it earlier to coincide with Janmashtami (1st week of September). You see, Hum Saath Saath Hain has a song connected with Janmashtami, which, we think, will be ideal for the audio release around the same time.

What is going to be the release strategy of HUM SAATH SAATH HAIN? Will it be anything like HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..!?

Our previous film, HAHK..!, was released in 1994 with a limited number of prints initially. We increased the number of prints as weeks progressed. The reason behind it was that we had induced the then state-of-the-art optical surround Stereophonic sound system, which existed in very few cinemas at the time. We first had it installed at Liberty, Bombay, prior to the film’s release. However, there was a little wait, after the release, while other cinemas in the country also upgraded their sound systems. Thus, we kept increasing the prints of HAHK..! with installations of the required sound system in cinemas. Today, there are nearly 500 cinemas all over the country, which have optical surround or other later sound systems, thanks to HAHK..!.

Today, distributors in smaller stations are insisting on a simultaneous release of HSSH with the A-class centres. Our effort will be to accommodate their demands as far as possible. In the case of Hum Saath Saath Hain, we are planning a release similar to that of any other big film nowadays.

How true are reports that HSSH has been inspired by earlier hits like KHANDAAN, DO RAASTE or some earlier Rajshri film?

There is not an iota of truth in such reports. HSSH has not been inspired from any film — whether ours or somebody else’s. In fact, it has been Raj Babu’s (Rajkumar Barjatya) concept right from the start.

Are you satisfied with the way HSSH has shaped up? Do you expect it to surpass the box-office record of HAHK..!?

Even as Hum Saath Saath Hain has as much entertainment value as HAHK..!, the former is more intense than the latter. While HAHK..! had more lighter moments, HSSH has more of the subject matter, emotional content and drama. Again, while HAHK..! had as many as 14 songs, HSSH has only seven. Therefore, we would not like to compare the two films, really. As far as we are concerned, we are happy with the job Sooraj has done. He has not only amassed a huge cast, but has used each of the artistes well in the story. He has also extracted a fine performance out of each and every artiste. So, yes, we are satisfied with the way HSSH has shaped up.

Finally, what is the length of HSSH?

Its length is about fifteen minutes less than the abridged (shorter) version of HAHK..!. That is, it is roughly 180 minutes long.

– GAUTAM MUTHA

‘Taal’ Music: Out To Mesmerise The Nation

KOMAL NAHTA

Gosh! Can you believe it? I went to Delhi last Saturday (12th June) for the music release of Subhash Ghai’s Taal and now, exactly seven days later, I don’t remember what happened there. I can’t recall who formally released the album. I can’t recall who made speeches on the occasion. I can’t even remember the venue in Delhi, where the audio was released.

But who cares? What you readers should care to know about is the quality of music. You do remember that A.R. Rahman is the film’s music director, don’t you? You also know that Anand Bakshi has once again penned all the songs of this film of Subhash Ghai, don’t you? If I were to tell you that the music of Taal is brilliant, par excellence, would you be keen to know more about it or about the function that marked its release? If you opt for the latter, I’m sorry because, as I said earlier, my memory fails me. If you opt for the former, here we go.

Undoubtedly, the music of Taal is the best of 1999 so far. My hunch says, it will be difficult for any other filmmaker and music director to surpass this music this year at least. Listen to the opening track. Ishq bina kya jeena yaaron… It mesmerises you. It has mesmerised me. Ah yes, that’s why I’ve forgotten what the hell happened in Delhi. A.R. Rahman’s music composition matches the excellent lyrics of Anand Bakshi. This song, in days to come, will be heard in every car on the street and, yes, in every discotheque. It is slow, then fast, then slow, then fast. But it is the best song of the album.

Or maybe, it isn’t. Because Taal se taal mila, the next number, is equally wonderful. This one also has you in a trance. The more you listen to it, the more you want to listen to it. Is it the magic of Rahman, Bakshi or singers Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan? I think, it is all of this plus the Midas touch of Subhash Ghai.

Ramta jogi is another extraordinary composition. Sukhwindara Singh is in great form and so is Rahman. Dance on this number and you, too, will be in form! Yet another super-hit song which will make inroads into the discotheques in the days to come.

Kahin aag lage lag jaaye has Asha Bhosle at her sexiest best. Accompanied by Aditya Narayan and Richa Sharma, the veteran singer could put most of the younger ones to shame, such is the sharpness of the voice and her flawless rendition. Nahin saamne tu is a very slow number but don’t underestimate its power. It will grow on you slowly but surely. Full marks to Hariharan for the rendition and to Sukhwindara Singh for the l-o-o-o-o-ng aalaap!

Ni main samajh gayee and Kariye na are the other two songs in the album which also has the title music (called Beat of Passion) and another music piece (Raga dance). In the film, there will be a total of six music pieces. And are they superb? You bet!

The music of Ghai’s Taal is bound to mesmerise the nation. Contrary to A.R. Rahman’s trademark South flavour, the music of Taal has a predominantly North Indian flavour. This may then well become the first Rahman album which will set the music market in North India on fire first and then spread to the rest of the country. It should become a rage in Overseas countries too.

I remember Subhash-ji often telling me how he had had to keep awake for nights together for the recordings of Taal because Rahman prefers to record at night. Well, all those sleepless nights have been worth their while. No, don’t just go by what I am saying. Ask Kumar and Ramesh Taurani (Tips) and they’ll inform you that they’ve released an all-time record 15 lakh audio cassettes in the first lot. They may, however, not tell you that they’ve got repeat orders in just three days of the first release! They’d hide this fact because, maybe, they are apprehensive of the evil eye. But they will tell you that they’ve pressed 40 to 50,000 CDs when the usual quota for a big film is 10,000…..

…….Oh, oh, oh, I remember now. This is what Ramesh Taurani revealed at the press conference in Delhi last Saturday. I remember how Anil Kapoor politely refused to answer any questions which did not relate to Taal, saying that it was the function of Taal. I recall Akshaye Khanna expressing a lot of concern for our army jawans, and Aishwarya offering any help for them, whenever needed. I remember seeing the audio-visual of Taal, prepared for the occasion. I remember Ghai calling on the prime minister to extend an invitation to him to attend the music release function that evening. Yes, I do remember now, that the release function was held at Siri Fort auditorium. I also remember that Kavita Krishnamoorthy sang a song of Taal. So did Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Hariharan and Sukhwindara Singh. I also remember Ahmed Khan’s troupe giving dance recitals. I remember Ramesh Taurani telling me that Anand Bakshi had not come to Delhi as he has a phobia of air travel. Yes, I remember also that Anil Kapoor had the presence of mind to reach the dais alongwith the other artistes and unit members of the film when the VIP, who was to present the audio cassette of Taal to Ghai, was reported missing. The entire unit, instead, presented the cassette to Subhash Ghai who was visibly touched. I remember Subhash Ghai puffing cigarettes nervously before the start of the function at Siri Fort. I also remember Amrish Puri making the atmosphere light whenever he opened his mouth. I remember some clown of a Master of Ceremonies conducting the function and describing Satish Kaushik as art director, and A.R. Rahman as poet and lyricist. I recall the wit of Javed Akhtar who jocularly chided the master of ceremonies for having called Rahman a lyricist but not having addressed Javed as a music director. Thank God, he did not need to call out my name. Otherwise, he may have mistaken me to be the hero of Taal. And then both, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye, would’ve felt bad. Of course, Aishwarya, I’m sure, would’ve loved it….

…Just as music lovers are going to love… Come on, you know what I mean — the music of Taal, of course!!

LATEST POSITION

SIRF TUM, a small film, has surprised the trade with its good business in the first week. …This week’s HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM has opened to bumper houses in many parts.

Sirf Tum has done excellent in Bombay, Delhi-U.P., Orissa, Rajasthan, Nizam and Mysore. Is good in East Punjab, Bengal, Bihar and C.P.C.I. At places (like Jaipur, Ajmer), the film picked up phenomenally as the week progressed. 1st week Bombay 14,66,415 (91.04%) from 3 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,69,351, Baroda 94,738 (90%); Pune 4,74,577 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur (matinee, 5 days) 52,900 (100%); Delhi 17,14,749 (79.01%) from 4 cinemas; Lucknow 3,77,653, Agra 3,99,618, excellent, Allahabad 1,67,363, Meerut 2,36,540, Bareilly 1,27,607; Nagpur 3,62,470 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 99,251, Amravati 1,53,970, Raipur 1,02,265, Bhilai 70,050, Jalgaon (6 days) 79,291, Chandrapur 1,80,828; Bhopal 78,506; Jaipur 3,16,251; Hyderabad (gross) 5,61,820 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon).

Safari has done poor. 1st week Bombay 19,74,097 (42.13%) from 10 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 3,36,034 from 5 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Baroda 58,606, Jamnagar (matinee) 18,052; Pune 4,87,851 from 6 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 81,662, Solapur 1,43,984 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 13,39,629 (26.72%) from 9 cinemas; Lucknow 57,240, Agra 65,400; Nagpur 2,64,323 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 56,245, Akola 72,702, Dhule 63,627, Bhilai 66,674 from 2 cinemas, Jalgaon 72,188, Bilaspur 92,232; Bhopal 88,000 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 3,18,017 from 3 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 13,17,411 from 10 cinemas (2 in noon).

…………

Biwi No. 1 is still very strong. 3rd week Bombay 63,38,121 (86.75%) from 13 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 10,11,421 from 5 cinemas, Jamnagar 70,000; Pune 12,67,727 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,03,847, Solapur 1,77,927 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Miraj 76,223; Delhi 55,21,384 from 11 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Lucknow 5,40,013, Agra 2,20,442, Allahabad 1,72,192, Bareilly 1,04,870, Hardwar 65,600; Nagpur 4,66,899 from 5 cinemas, 2nd week Jabalpur 2,11,974, total 4,92,118, 3rd week Amravati (6 days) 1,83,992, Akola 1,56,457, total 5,29,372, Raipur (6 days)1,21,002, Bhilai 72,296, 2nd week Jalgaon 2,27,932, Wardha (6 days) 68,509, Chandrapur 1,71,119; 3rd week Indore 1,90,136, Bhopal 2,20,102 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 4,72,674 from 2 cinemas, Bikaner 40,000, Udaipur 1,47,000; Hyderabad (gross) 10,10,652 from 6 cinemas (1 in noon).

Sarfarosh 7th week Bombay 18,31,572 (65.61%) from 7 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,08,336 (1 unrecd.); Pune 7,13,044 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,17,197 (6th 1,20,803); Delhi (TF) 15,34,247 from 7 cinemas; Lucknow 1,97,723, Agra 34,560, Allahabad 72,413; Nagpur 86,457, 4th week Jabalpur 1,32,986, total 7,31,470, 7th week Amravati 73,517, Akola 37,867, total 5,63,578, Dhule 7 weeks’ total 4,46,113, 7th week Raipur 29,355, Bhilai 21,972, 1st week Rajnandgaon 80,000; 7th week Indore 1,10,000 from 2 cinemas, Bhopal 50,000; Jaipur 5,50,392; Hyderabad (gross) 5,17,832 from 2 cinemas; 1st week Guntur (gross) 98,852.

WARRANT ISSUED AGAINST NANDU TOLANI

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate of the Girgaon (Bombay) court, S.P. Gaikwad, has issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against film producer Nandu Tolani for his failure to repay a Rs. 35 lakh loan taken from Kotak Mahindra Finance Limited. Tolani has yet to be arrested as the Khar police has not yet executed the warrant.

The producer had applied for a car loan amounting to Rs. 35 lakh in the name of his firm, Sapna Arts, in 1996. Kotak Mahindra sanctioned and disbursed the loan that same year and Tolani used the money to purchase a Toyota Supra. Tolani had surrendered 25 post-dated cheques to Kotak, which managed to realise only Rs. 5 lakh of the loan amount, since a year later, the cheques began to bounce. When the company made no headway, it filed a criminal complaint with the Girgaon metropolitan court in 1998. However, Tolani failed to appear before the court and the case was adjourned several times. The producer had also ignored repeated summons.

Finally, on May 29, 1999, the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the producer, directing the Khar police to produce Tolani before the court.

Tolani, on his part, has denied defaulting on any payments.

YOU ASKED IT

What is the expected business of Daag The Fire and Kartoos in Bombay and Delhi-U.P.?

– DAAG THE FIRE is expected to do over 2 in each of Bombay and Delhi-U.P. KARTOOS will do less than that in Bombay as well as in Delhi-U.P.

Who are the stars to watch out for this year?

– Make a note. 1999 will belong to the two A’s — Anil Kapoor and Aamir Khan. Anil has had two releases so far this year and both (HUM AAPKE DIL MEIN REHTE HAIN and BIWI NO. 1) have clicked. Aamir’s solo release, SARFAROSH, is also a plus fare everywhere.

Despite giving so many hits, why are advance trade reports of David Dhawan’s films invariably bad?

– Maybe, because the trade people don’t take David’s comedies seriously. But the audience seem to be loving and lapping them up — and that’s what is important.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Even before the release of its music, one song of KOHRAM — Hum hain Banaras ke bhaiyya — regaled the audience abroad at Amitabh Bachchan’s shows. Amitabh performed on the stage to this song-dance number at all his 16 shows. Bachchan and Viju Shah took special permission from producer-director Mehul Kumar to use this song.

* Such was the encouraging response to SIRF TUM and cold response to SAFARI at the new City Pulse cineplex in Gandhinagar that SIRF TUM was shifted from the smaller screen 3 (229-seater) to the bigger screen 1 (385-seater) mid-week. SAFARI, consequently, was shifted from screen 1 to screen 3. Both, SIRF TUM and SAFARI, are distributed in Bombay circuit by Vimal Agarwal thru R.M. Ahuja & Co.

* Distributors of SIRF TUM had gone very slow with the film’s release. But looking to the lovely response of cinegoers, most of them have taken additional prints in 2nd week itself. The Bombay distributors have taken 7 extra prints, the Delhi-U.P. distributors have added 4 prints in 2nd week, the Nizam distributor has taken 1 more print, and the Overseas distributor has also taken an additional print. Next week, the Delhi-U.P., West Bengal, Bihar, C.P. Berar and Overseas distributors will take 2, 1, 2, 1 and 1 additional prints respectively.

* The Mauritius distributor of SIRF TUM has ordered for two extra prints of the film. The film is doing wonderful business in the island country. In fact, it is the first big success there after KKHH.

* Besides West Bengal, SOORYAVANSHAM is also doing well in Bihar. According to Sudhir of Chandra Sudhir Films, the distributors of the film for Bihar, “SOORYAVANSHAM will definitely prove to be a commission earner in Bihar.”

MIX MASALA

HAPPY TO LOSE

Delhi-U.P. distributor Tolu Bajaj has lost a bet of a cellphone to his manager, Sanjay Ghai. And he is happy that he has lost the bet. When his Sirf Tum opened at Agra’s Anjana cinema last week, Sanjay Ghai had predicted that it would collect 4 lakh in the first week. The figure was on the higher side and Tolu thought, it would be impossible to touch the figure of 4. He betted a cellphone and although the film collected just Rs. 382 short of 4 lakh (due to rains), Tolu has decided to give a cellphone to Sanjay.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

‘Biwi No. 1’: Unknown Facts

Some inside information about David Dhawan’s latest success, Biwi No. 1. The name of Tabu’s Punjabi character in the film — Lovely — was suggested not by the writer, director or even producer Vashu Bhagnani but by Tabu herself. Tabu’s son (Piloo) in the film is played by Vashu Bhagnani’s nephew (sister’s son). Although this is the child’s first film as a child artiste, he has done a damn neat job and is evoking laughter in the cinema halls. The second climax in the film — involving Anil Kapoor (Lakhan), Tabu (Lovely) and their child (Piloo) — was, at one point of time, to have been shot differently and in a milder way. But Anil Kapoor is said to have put his foot down and insisted that the climax of the original Tamil version (Sathi Leelavathi) not be changed. Why, Anil is said to have convinced the makers to stick to the original and even told them, he would not have agreed to do the role if he had known that the climax would be diluted. The makers saw reason and obliged. The rest, as they say, is history.

FFI Trains Gun On Pramod Mahajan

The Film Federation of India’s meeting on 8th June in Madras ended with an almost unanimous feeling of disapproval over Pramod Mahajan’s tenure as the union information and broadcasting minister. Sources in FFI disclose that Mahajan seems to be eternally busy with party work and has ignored the industry. Moreover, he also seems to have developed a sudden aversion to the film industry and its problems, say FFI spokespersons while citing examples of Mahajan visiting Bombay every week and yet ignoring representations made by the premier association of the film industry. Well, must say that there is some force in FFI’s demand for Mahajan’s head, then.

Hit Song

Producer Babloo Pachisia and director Rahul Rawail have a winner on their hands in the Gherdar ghaghro, lachhedar chunadi song in their Arjun Pandit. Dilip Sen Sameer Sen’s foot-tapping music will have music lovers dancing to the beats of the song. On his part, choreographer Lollypop has made Juhi Chawla dance and how! The picturisation of this number is excellent — just like the song itself! Two more songs — one picturised on Daler Mehndi and Juhi, and the other (Paagal paagal) picturised on Sunny Deol and his friends — are really good. Also good was one scene which Rahul Rawail showed us earlier this week in the editing room. The scene shows Sunny Deol (who is in police custody) single-handedly fighting an army of policemen who are holding his hands tight, to pull a terrified Juhi Chawla into a police van standing in the court premises. Sunny locks the van from inside and pleads with Juhi even as the policemen outside, standing in pouring rain, try to break open the door of the van to rescue Juhi and take Sunny in custody again. Rahul Rawail’s handling of the scene would leave the viewer wide-eyed… and moist-eyed too. Yes, the scene does get tears to your eyes.

SIRF TUM

Narsimha Enterprises’ Sirf Tum is a unique love story in which the boy and girl in love meet only in the end. The entire love story progresses without the protagonists meeting each other. Since they have not even seen one another’s photograph, the two don’t recognise each other when fate brings them face-to-face on more occasions than one. The story is excellent but the same cannot be said of the screenplay. While the first half is slow and also boring, the post-interval portion is quite interesting.

Remake of the Tamil super-hit Kaadhal Kottai, the film deals with the romance between a middle-class girl and an orphan boy who is an engineer. The two get to know each other through letters they exchange, and they even decide to get married. Since their love does not start with the usual boy-meets-girl episode, they also decide that they should not even exchange photographs but rather meet in person whenever. Several obstacles come in the way of their meeting and, at times, it almost appears as if the two are not destined to ever meet.

The impact of an extremely novel and wonderful story has been diluted by average performances and poor handling by the director. A subject of this kind required the girl and the boy to be so innocent and lovable that the audience’s hearts would bleed for them. But neither the hero nor the heroine evoke that kind of sympathy or love. The viewer, therefore, doesn’t move with the drama. It is then that thoughts like the hero and heroine exchanging letters in today’s age of internet and e-mail disturb the mind and don’t let the viewer enjoy the way one should in such a film. Too much of Malayalam dialogues in the first half will not go down well with the non-Malayalee audience.

Sanjay Kapoor and Priya Gill are okay. Sushmita Sen does justice to her role and exudes glamour. Kader Khan’s comedy is loud and hardly makes anybody laugh. Johny Lever has also been wasted. Mohnish Bahl does quite well. Guest Jackie Shroff, as the autorickshaw driver, is good. Salman Khan is alright in a brief special appearance and serves to lend star value. Tej Sapru, Shagufta Ali, Shubha Khote and the rest provide fair support.

Ahathian’s direction is devoid of the sensitivity the subject deserved. A tale which could have been narrated in a heart-rending way has been told in quite a flat manner. Even the climax is not as exciting as it should have been. The feeling of helplessness of the heroine (when searching for her beloved) because of torrential rains doesn’t come across if only because there isn’t even knee-deep water on the streets. Perhaps, the only place where the film does strike a chord is in the very last scene when the two lovers meet on the railway platform. That scene is truly fantastic.

Nadeem Shravan’s music is wonderful. The title song, ‘Dilbar dilbar’, ‘Panchhi sur mein gaate hain’, ‘Pehli pehli baar’ and ‘Ek mulaqat zaroori hai sanam’ are all beautiful songs with melodious tunes. Picturisation of ‘Dilbar dilbar’ on heavenly Houston locales is breathtaking. Camerawork complements the beautiful locations. Production values are grand. Technically, of a high standard.

On the whole, Sirf Tum has a unique story and excellent music as its saving points. It lacks universal appeal and will be appreciated by the class audience in cities. Major releases in the coming weeks will also affect its prospects.

Released on 11-6-’99 at Eros and 4 other cinemas of Bombay by Vimal Agarwal thru R.M. Ahuja & Co. Publicity: extraordinary. Opening: excellent. …….Also released all over. Opening was very good.

CENSOR NEWS

Bhansali Productions’ Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, seen on 8th, has been issued C.C. No. CIL/2/17/99 (UA) dt. 11-6-’99; length 5160.01 metres in 23 reels (no cut).

Inega International’s Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya was given C.C. No. CIL/2/16/99 (UA) dt. 10-6-’99; length 3684.10 metres in 16 reels (cuts: 37.15 metres).

Tyger Productions’ Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi…, seen on 7th, has been passed with U certificate, with cuts.

Star International’s Shaitan Tantrik has been refused certificate.

Well Make Films’ Chudail No. 1 (revised), seen on 7th, has been passed for adults, with cuts.

S.A.S. Movies’ Shaitan No. 1 (dubbed), seen on 7th, has been passed for adults, with cuts.

Rahul Productions’ Haseena Maan Jaayegi was seen on 9th.

H.S. Films’ Shaitani Darinda (length 2666.24 metres in 13 reels), applied on 7th and seen on 8th, has been passed for adults, with cuts.

Cine Images’ Akeli (length 5258.41 metres in 18 reels), applied on 9th, was seen on 11th.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Tabu will act in a Marathi film, ASTITVA. It is actually a Marathi-Hindi bilingual being directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and produced by him jointly with Jhamu Sughand.

* Naghma, who is very keen to make it in Hindi films now, has shed a lot of weight. She looks prim, slim and pretty. Maybe, producers and directors would like to give the actress a second chance.

* Exhibitors of Aurangabad have evinced a keen interest in the multiplex policy of the Maharashtra government, which grants an entertainment tax holiday for up to five years to cinemas housed in a multiplex. At least two exhibitors are seriously weighing the possibilities of constructing cineplexes in Aurangabad.

Magic Of Marketing & Music

The unexpected happened this week again. Boney Kapoor’s Sirf Tum, despite having a negative face value, opened very well everywhere. The film’s hero, Sanjay Kapoor, has been going through a terrible professional low. Heroine Priya Gill’s position is worse still. The only ‘saleable’ actress in the film is, perhaps, Sushmita Sen — she too has become ‘hot’ only after the success of Biwi No. 1 in which she has won wide appreciation. But heroines are generally known to not contribute to the initial value of a film. Of course, in the case of Sirf Tum, Sushmita can take some credit for the opening because her performance in Biwi No. 1 is fresh in people’s minds. Moreover, her song in Sirf Tum — Dilbar dilbar — was already very popular before the film opened.

What, besides Sushmita, contributed to the noteworthy opening of the film? The answer lies in the two Ms — Music and Marketing. Not just the Dilbar dilbar song but the entire album of Sirf Tum is a listener’s delight. Nadeem Shravan’s music had begun to mesmerise the audience, and the film’s release insofar as the timing vis-à-vis the popularity of music is concerned was appropriate.

But, perhaps, the most important factor which contributed to the enviable opening is producer Boney Kapoor’s marketing of the film. The importance of marketing cannot be gainsaid. Not caring about the poor star-cast, Boney spent lavishly on the film’s publicity — as lavishly, or even more than he had spent on its making. Whether it was street publicity or television or publicity in the print media, Boney spent heavily to make the film desirable among the audience. The film has a novel story and, realising its worth, Boney informed the potential audience of its novelty though the extensive publicity campaigns. The idea of falling in love with someone you’ve never met must’ve appealed to the young generation which thronged to the cinemas on the opening day.

Just two weeks back, we had Vashu Bhagnani’s multi-starrer Biwi No. 1 opening to bumper houses due, again, to its wonderful marketing. The impressive initial which Sirf Tum has taken this week underlines the important role of appropriate marketing in today’s times. Boney Kapoor, too, needs to be patted on his back for a splendid display of his business acumen in the face of the worst of circumstances.

– KOMAL NAHTA

Happy Days Are Here Again

The success of Sarfarosh and Biwi No. 1 have boosted the morale of the film industry. Sarfarosh was perceived as a ‘city film’ and if it has managed to keep its distributors happy despite its ‘class’ appeal, it bodes well for the industry, especially because it proves again that films with novelty do have a market today even if they have a ‘class’ appeal. The success of Biwi No. 1 is exciting not just because distributors will earn handsomely in the film but also because it was released at a time that was considered suicidal. Yet, despite the World Cup cricket fever, the film not only opened to a bumper response but also held on well all through the first week and also in the second week.

Now that the industry’s good times have started, it looks like these are going to continue for some months at least. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is carrying good pre-release reports and all those who’ve seen it opine that it is a good tear-jerker.

The songs of Haseena Maan Jaayegi give a feeling that this will be yet another winner from David Dhawan. Especially because Biwi No. 1 has clicked, the belief that HMJ too will do well is further fortified. The music of Mann is also doing tremendously well and looking to the track record of Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria on the one hand and of Aamir Khan on the other, the odds are in favour of Mann winning the audience’s hearts. Veeru Devgan’s maiden directorial venture, Hindustan Ki Kasam, already has exhibitors swearing by its trailer alone (prepared, incidentally, by Rajtaru Videosonic). With a thinking actor like Ajay Devgan in command (it is Devgans’ home production), this Kasam definitely looks promising.

The month of August will start with Subhash Ghai’s Taal and it doesn’t need to be reiterated that Ghai still has a good feel of the public pulse and is in perfect sur and taal. The songs, composed by A.R. Rahman and written by Anand Bakshi, are excellent, as Ghai’s music always is. If Taal will start the month of August for the industry, the month will conclude with Venus’ prestigious Baadshah. Besides the deft direction of Abbas Mustan (who delivered a hit in Soldier with a hero who had almost been written off by the industry), Baadshah also has Shah Rukh Khan to boot. Between Taal and Baadshah, we will have Mehul Kumar’s Kohram, which despite the poor fates of Amitabh Bachchan’s recent releases as also Nana Patekar’s last few films, does give good vibes.

So it seems, happy times are here again. One never knows, the coming three months (beginning next week) may be the best period for the industry in a long time! This should get a smile on everyone’s lips and a shine on our faces, right?

– Komal Nahta

LATEST POSITION

BIWI NO. 1 has written box-office history — from North to South and East to West. Collections maintained marvellously after the flying start it took, and new records have been created at many places. Ladies and youngsters are patronising the film in a big, very big way. Second week opened wonderfully well. In Overseas too, the film has stolen the hearts of the audience. In the UK and the USA, first week collections are more than DTPH almost everywhere. At Cineworld, Feltham (U.K.), the film has grossed more than even KKHH had in its 1st week!

Biwi No. 1 has created havoc in 1st week. It is outstanding in Bombay, Delhi-U.P., East Punjab, C.P. Berar, C.I., Rajasthan, Nizam and Mysore. 1st week Bombay 74,44,340 (100%) from 14 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 22,33,286 from 5 cinemas, Baroda 2,45,522 (100%), Vapi (gross) 5,75,120, Padra 2,60,057, Bhuj 1,37,346 (83.74%), Bharuch (gross) 3,44,994, Valsad 3,11,865 (94.88%), Bardoli 1,89,353, Patan 1,91,289, Jamnagar 1,58,450, Adipur 1,50,620 (92.82%); Pune 14,53,307 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,61,909 (100%), Solapur 4,83,539 from 2 cinemas, Ahmednagar 2,01,489 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Malegaon 2,01,617 (100%), Satara 2,12,758 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Sangli 2,23,020 (100%), Islampur 1,59,532 (100%), Miraj 1,40,722 (100%), Nasik 3,52,901; Bijapur 1,83,137 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 69,66,105 (96.76%) from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 8,67,210 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 5,12,075 (100%), Agra 3,61,281, Varanasi 4,03,429, Allahabad 2,19,788, Saharanpur 2,15,171, Meerut 2,97,262, Bareilly 2,76,973 (79.54%), Dehradun 2,89,180, Gorakhpur 2,38,674, Hardwar 1,74,435, Moradabad 2,72,537, Aligarh 2,99,282, Jhansi 2,08,933, Shahjehanpur 1,36,743, Bulandshahr 1,56,468; Calcutta 29,23,458 from 14 cinemas; Nagpur 12,76,016 from 6 cinemas, Amravati 3,47,176, Akola 2,01,288, Raipur (6 days) 1,94,840, Bhilai (6 days) 1,62,964, Durg 1,60,005; Indore 3,53,000 (4 on F.H.), Bhopal 4,42,606 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 15,09,254 from 5 cinemas, Bikaner 1,74,318; Hyderabad (gross) 53,33,893 from 18 cinemas; Vijayawada (gross) 2,13,646.

Sooryavansham has maintained in Calcutta (where even the first week’s collections were very good) and some stations in the other circuits. 2nd week Bombay 16,12,693 (53.96%) from 7 cinemas; Ahmedabad 4,77,223 from 6 cinemas, Rajkot 74,858 (1st 94,633), Jamnagar 46,727 (1st 60,966); Pune 3,16,129 from 3 cinemas; Delhi 6,72,843 from 7 cinemas; Kanpur 56,421, Lucknow 2,03,335 (1st 2,40,591), Varanasi 74,948, Bareilly 40,166 (14.62%), Dehradun 43,421; Calcutta 20,35,555 from 25 cinemas (1st 29,76,818 from 27 cinemas); Nagpur 2,37,402 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 50,263, total 1,08,951, Amravati 94,866 (1st 1,13,879), Akola 92,193, total 1,99,663, Raipur 1,03,520 (1st 1,04,049), Bhilai 60,078, Bilaspur 53,887; Bhopal 55,873; Jaipur 1,21,904; Hyderabad (gross) 4,47,606 from 2 cinemas; Guntur (gross) 73,854, total 1,48,585, Ongole (gross) 77,972, total 1,49,591.

Rajaji 2nd week Bombay 7,50,030 (33.44%) from 7 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,25,857 from 2 cinemas, Rajkot 61,643; Pune 3,48,345 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 8,46,604 from 7 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,39,944 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 99,546, Varanasi 58,578, Bareilly 35,548 (25.62%); Calcutta 1,43,471; Nagpur 77,635 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 59,378, total 1,42,728, Amravati 72,361, Akola 70,336, total 1,98,503, Raipur 74,201, Jalgaon 97,423, Bilaspur 54,422; Indore 90,000, Bhopal 47,216; Jaipur 1,71,187 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 1,42,294 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon).

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet 4th week Bombay 5,85,303 (52.28%) from 3 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,02,670 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot 94,581, Jamnagar 35,072; Pune 98,440 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 4,01,090 from 3 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,52,807 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,64,429, Varanasi 1,42,575, Meerut 80,502, Bareilly 41,114 (13.56%), Dehradun 52,000 (3rd 93,000); Calcutta 2,17,214 from 3 cinemas; Nagpur 93,835 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,04,020, total 5,72,271, Amravati 1,24,200, Akola 74,158, total 4,48,045, Raipur 1,34,893, total 7,27,369, Bhilai 80,552, Jalgaon 89,421, total 4,87,877; Bhopal 72,700; Jaipur 1,00,030, Jodhpur 1,08,000, Bikaner 53,582; Hyderabad (gross) 4,85,303 from 3 cinemas.

Sarfarosh 5th week Bombay 28,90,918 (81.50%) from 9 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,76,305 from 3 cinemas; Pune 8,34,034 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,17,484; Delhi 9,17,218 from 5 cinemas; Kanpur 1,46,290 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,40,418, Varanasi 1,03,672, Dehradun 88,791 (4th 1,35,000); Calcutta 2,84,271; Nagpur 1,10,914, 2nd week Jabalpur 1,99,497, total 4,38,670, 5th Amravati 1,10,343, Akola 56,019, total 4,81,370, Raipur 41,428, total 4,40,000, Bhilai 19,860, 1st Durg 32,796, 5th week Jalgaon 48,417, 4th week Wardha (6 days) 29,469; 5th Indore 1,42,202 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 5,87,455; Hyderabad (gross) 7,41,852 from 4 cinemas (1 in noon).

FOUR ARRESTED FOR SELLING ‘BIWI NO. 1’ VIDEO CDs

A police team from Pydhonie, Bombay, on 28th May raided a courier company and recovered pirated video CDs of Biwi No. 1, besides digital video tapes, 198 video CDs and 362 audio CDs of other films. The total value of goods seized was around Rs. 2 lakh. The raid was conducted with the assistance of Vashu Bhagnani, producer of Biwi No. 1, and the Feature Film Copyright Company. Four persons were arrested.

‘SARFAROSH’ TAX-FREE IN DELHI

The Delhi state government has granted Sarfarosh exemption from payment of entertainment tax for a period of 3 months with immediate effect.

Aamir Khan, the hero of Sarfarosh, and the film’s associate director, U.S. Pathik, were in Delhi recently in this connection. Aamir visited Chanakya, Shiela and Anupam PVR cinemas where the film was being screened.

‘SOORYAVANSH’ — THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST

Now this bit of news will surprise many. The latest Amitabh starrer, Sooryavansham, which has fared miserably in many territories, has proved very successful in West Bengal! In fact, if the film’s Bengal distributor, Bijay Khemka, is to be believed, the film’s collections in the first two weeks are so good that it may well go on to become an overflow film there. Sooryavansham, bought by Khemka at an MG royalty of Rs. 45 lakh for West Bengal, has already fetched a share of Rs. 38 lakh in 2 weeks!

This incredible result of the film is not only because the film has been appreciated there but also the outcome of Khemka’s foresight and shrewd pre-release planning. First of all, he changed the film’s title to Sooryavansh and had new posters printed, bearing the new title. “People, especially Muslim audience, have always had some kind of an allergy towards Sanskritised film titles, and I quickly realised that with a name like Sooryavansham, it would be that much harder to pull in the audience,” says Khemka, explaining the rationale behind the move to change the title. Another thing that went in the film’s favour at the box-office in Calcutta was its spaced-out release. Khemka explains, “I could have easily gone overboard like distributors generally do with Amitabh starrers but, I was confident of the film’s merits and knew that a spaced-out release would be best suited for it. Accordingly, I literally hand-picked the cinemas in the territory, keeping in mind that no two cinemas showing Sooryavansham (or rather, Sooryavansh) are within striking distance of each other.”

It is comprehensively evident that Bijay Khemka’s efforts have paid off, and paid off well. This was also the response of Amitabh Bachchan to Bijay Khemka when the latter called the former up in Los Angeles to inform him of the good news.

Sooryavansh is currently running in its third week in Bengal, and Khemka is expecting a slight drop in collections as the ongoing World Cup cricket has entered the interesting Super Six stage. However, the film’s first two weeks have been so encouraging in Calcutta, that there remains no doubt about its smooth sailing in the weeks to come. Like they say — well begun is half done!

YOU ASKED IT

Why do you say (in this column last week) that Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam will take a flying start? The trade insists that its music is not too exciting and you will agree, music today is a key factor in deciding the kind of opening a film will get.

– Let the trade say what it wants to. Ask the public and you will know that the music of HDDCS has been very well received by them.

When was the multiplex policy of the Maharashtra state government announced in the gazette?

– The policy has not yet been gazetted. The gazette is due soon.

Is the great business of Biwi No. 1 the result of publicity hype?

– The publicity helps a film, but no amount of hype can ever benefit a film for more than a couple of days unless the film has merits.

What’s Hot?

♦♦ Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Initial trial reports have it that the film is — hold your breath! — a major hit. Get ready for a great start and a greater run, then!

♦♦ Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria’s Mann. Its music is growing and may soon become super-hit.

♦♦ Music of Smita Thackeray’s Haseena Maan Jaayegi. The ‘I love you bol daal’ song will soon become a rage. The catchy music will ensure a bumper opening to the film.

DO YOU KNOW?

 * Seven different promotional trailers of Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria’s MANN will be aired on DD1 during the live telecast of the World Cup Super Six cricket match between India and Pakistan on 12th June. This is the first time ever that a Hindi film’s promotional trailers would be aired on DD1 during the World Cup live telecast.

* Bengal distributor Bijay Khemka used to be a regular distributor of Hindi films produced in the South, generally those produced by Padmalaya, in the eighties. But he stopped acquisitions in 1990 when the Padmalaya people also stopped producing Hindi films. Khemka restarted buying after nine years, with Padmalaya’s SOORYAVANSHAM this year. And the film is doing very well in West Bengal (he holds the distribution rights for West Bengal and Assam; it opened in Assam this week).

* Like producer Vashu Bhagnani, the C.I. distributor of his BIWI NO. 1 also left no stone unturned to publicise his film on a grand scale. A procession was taken out in Indore city on the opening day last week and the procession was accompanied by a band. The band also played outside the cinema screening the film. Further, specially made BIWI NO. 1 sarees were marketed in the city, and those ladies coming to see the film wearing the special sarees were given free entry!

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Trailer Ki Kasam

One promotional trailer that’s proving magical for the film’s distributors is that of Veeru Devgan’s Hindustan Ki Kasam. Exhibitors of the various circuits are clamouring to book the film at their cinemas. Why, the East Punjab distributor is said to have covered almost a crore of rupees (!) by way of MGs and FHs two months before the film’s release (on 23rd July). Exhibitors of U.P., too, are picking up the film for their cinemas at fancy prices.

Animals Do The Trick

An interesting bit of observation. Among all the Hindi-dubbed foreign films released in India, the ones which usually manage to do well are the ones portraying some kind of an animal in a central role. Be it the Hindi dubbed versions of Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Anaconda or Godzilla, each of these films revolving around a menacing creature (a dinosaur, a huge snake, a gigantic gorilla) has gone down well with our audience. One may infer from the above that our viewers have a penchant of sorts for animals. However, this may be far from the truth. The real reason behind the success of the aforesaid films may be the fact that each of these films offered a spectacular visual novelty, presented in a simple storyline. For some reason, our audience seem to prefer a Hindi dubbed foreign film that deals less with dialogues over the others. Why, as long as the film can be understood without paying attention to its dialogues, it will do even if the creature is nowhere near being menacing, as shown by the success of the funnily titled Hindi dubbed version, Ek Bandar Hotel Ke Andar, of Dunston Checks In. This may also explain why the Hindi dubbed version of Babe (a universal hit about the goings-on in the life of a cute pig) failed to attract viewers. The latter has a lot of dialogues whereas the former is an action comedy. Points to ponder, then?

BIWI NO. 1

Puja Films’ Biwi No. 1 (UA) is the story of a young, married and successful businessman who has an affair with a model working for his company. When his wife comes to know of his affair, she confronts him and gives him two options to choose from — either forget the affair and the model forever or leave the house. The husband, agitated at being questioned by his wife, opts for the latter and starts living with his model girlfriend. Although not married to her, he lives with her as would a husband and wife. When this happens, the wife and a family friend join hands to teach the errant husband and his girlfriend a terrible lesson. For this, the wife herself becomes a model and even sends her two kids and mother-in-law to live with her husband and his girlfriend. The kids and the ma-in-law, under instructions from the wife, create situations to show the girlfriend in such bad light always that the husband starts hating his girlfriend. Finally, the husband and wife re-unite. The model returns to the photographer who had proposed marriage to her earlier.

Inspired from the Tamil film Sathi Leelavathi, the film is an out-and-out comedy. The first half is just about fair. It is the second half which is more entertaining, and the two climaxes (one involving all the main characters, and the other with Anil Kapoor, Tabu and their child) are truly hilarious. But the drama is weak and has some drawbacks. The wife is shown to be so rich, modern and beautiful that her pining for her husband (even after knowing that he is sleeping around with the model) appears rather unbelievable. Had the wife been shown to be ordinary-looking and also financially insecure, the pining would’ve looked more plausible. Further, the serious point of the husband straying has been treated too lightly. Showing the wife turning a model herself is unnecessary because after she does take up modelling, there’s no more reference to her new profession. Dialogues (Rumi Jafri) have punch at places but fall flat at some places in the first half. Emotions post-interval are feeble. Some adult jokes are quite funny.

Salman Khan does well as the husband gone wayward. He is especially good in comedy scenes and dances. Karisma Kapoor plays Salman’s wife to perfection. She shines in emotional scenes. Anil Kapoor, as the Punjabi doctor-friend of Salman Khan, is extremely likeable. Tabu plays Anil’s wife very ably. The climax on Anil and Tabu is fantastic. These two Punjabi characters will hold special appeal for audience in Punjab and Delhi. Sushmita Sen acts like a seasoned actress and is admirably free in her performance. Looking sexy and fashionable, she plays the model brilliantly. Saif Ali Khan is alright. Himani Shivpuri and Shashi Kiran lend wonderful support as Salman’s mother and secretary respectively. Master Rinku and baby Pinky are cute. The dog does an able job. Guddi Maruti, Rajiv Verma and Kanu Gill are okay.

David Dhawan seems to be in form after interval. At several places in the film, though, it does appear that David has made the film as a rush job. Music (Anu Malik) is good. The title song, ‘Sona sona’, ‘Jungle mein’ and ‘Mehboob mere’ numbers are racy and well-tuned. ‘Om Sai Ram’ song is designed to appeal emotionally. Song picturisations (Ganesh and B.H. Tharun Kumar) are excellent. Special mention in this regard must be made of the ‘Sona sona’ number, the title song, and ‘Mehboob mere’ songs. Foreign locations are heavenly. K.S. Prakash Rao’s camerawork is good. Production values are simply grand. Background score (Surender Sodhi) is effective. Editing is sharp. Sets are rich. Other technical values are of a good standard.

On the whole, Biwi No. 1 has taken a flying start and it does have comic masala to make people laugh and its distributors smile.

Released on 28-5-’99 at Metro and 19 other cinemas of Bombay by Puja Films thru Shringar Films. Publicity & opening: simply breathtaking. …….Also released all over. Opening was bumper in Delhi (1st day almost 100%) and East Punjab and very good elsewhere. (1st day Jaipur 2,80,138/- from 5 cinemas.)

LATEST POSITION

The box-office took a severe beating on Wednesday (26th May) due to the India-Sri Lanka cricket match.

Sooryavansham proves a total loss. It has recorded extremely poor collections as it failed to pick up after a dismal start, despite appreciation. It, however, picked up in Calcutta and, to some extent, in Bihar. 1st week Bombay 28,32,459 (45.81%) from 11 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 9,88,714 from 6 cinemas, Baroda 96,948, Padra 88,314, Rajkot 94,633, Jamnagar 60,966; Pune 7,58,063 from 5 cinemas, Kolhapur 1,25,000, Solapur 2,63,725 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 18,46,238 (28.43%) from 13 cinemas; Kanpur 91,577, Lucknow 2,40,591, Agra 1,69,756, Varanasi 1,03,783, Bareilly 64,403 (23.44%), Dehradun 83,282; Calcutta 29,76,819 from 27 cinemas; Nagpur 3,03,777 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 58,687, Amravati 1,13,879, Akola 1,07,470, Raipur 1,04,049, Bhilai 80,130; Bhopal 1,45,416 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 3,35,862 from 3 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 21,26,662 from 9 cinemas, share (including Aurangabad, Parbhani and Warangal) 13,20,541; Vijayawada (gross) 1,50,574, Guntur (gross, 6 days) 85,952, Ongole (gross, 6 days) 97,584.

Rajaji started dropping from 2nd day onwards. 1st week Bombay 30,86,127 (65.23%) from 11 cinemas (11 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 7,83,640 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot 1,14,595; Pune 5,76,794 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,24,000, Solapur 2,08,517 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 28,96,036 (51.91%) from 10 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,93,457 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,76,680, Agra 2,63,589, Bareilly 90,637 (65.33%); Calcutta 2,74,982 from 1 cinema (other cinemas’ collections undisclosed); Nagpur 3,87,122 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 83,350, Amravati 1,40,340, Akola 1,28,167, Raipur 1,48,581, Bhilai 83,462, Jalgaon 1,39,195; Indore 3,11,000 from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal 2,26,438 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 5,85,487 from 3 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 9,05,502 from 6 cinemas (1 in noon, 1 on F.H.).

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet 3rd week Bombay 9,63,292 (45.76%) from 5 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,36,259 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot (matinee) 18,492, Jamnagar 57,459; Pune 4,05,225 from 4 cinemas, Kolhapur 1,27,000, Solapur 97,187; Delhi 1,38,798 (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,35,430 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,29,185, Agra 1,75,948, Varanasi 1,77,980, Bareilly 70,568 (23.28%), Dehradun 93,000 (2nd 1,10,000); Calcutta 8,85,711 from 6 cinemas; Nagpur 1,86,501 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,13,054, total 4,68,200, Amravati 1,62,738, Akola 1,01,166, total 3,73,886, Raipur 1,71,131, Bhilai 1,17,180, Jalgaon 1,00,389, Chandrapur 75,868, total 3,54,320; Jaipur 1,44,633, Bikaner 79,579; Hyderabad (gross) 5,76,785 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon).

Kartoos  3rd week Bombay 9,14,687 (37.97%) from 6 cinemas (7 on F.H.); Pune 99,102 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 81,617, Solapur 46,676 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), 1st week Barsi 49,561; 3rd week Delhi 3,70,700 from 3 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,45,056 from 2 cinemas, Bareilly 33,559 (15.01%), Dehradun 61,152 (2nd 1,01,003); Calcutta 1,29,879; Nagpur 70,785 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 41,028, Amravati (6 days) 28,691, Raipur (6 days) 28,005, Bhopal 41,030; Jaipur 1,23,248, Bikaner 2,24,000; Hyderabad (gross) 2,69,884 from 2 cinemas; Vijayawada 3 weeks’ total (gross) 5,10,293, 1st week Guntur (gross) 97,588.

Sarfarosh 4th week Bombay 36,82,522 (81.41%) from 11 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,47,598 (2 unrecd.); Pune 9,66,035 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,37,570, Solapur 1,50,430, 1st week Miraj 1,09,000; 4th week Delhi 12,51,005 from 4 cinemas; Kanpur 2,01,712 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,73,098, Agra 1,53,926, Varanasi 1,36,489, Bareilly 42,491 (14.97%), Dehradun 1,35,000 (3rd 1,64,153); Nagpur 1,49,273, 1st Jabalpur 2,39,173, 4th week Amravati 1,42,176, Akola 63,256, total 4,26,842, Raipur 56,396, Jalgaon 80,006, 3rd week Wardha (6 days) 43,431; 4th Indore 1,72,400 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 6,22,657, Bikaner 20,481; Hyderabad (gross) 6,25,166 from 2 cinemas; Vijayawada 2 weeks’ total (gross) 4,55,085.

________

Dada Ne Wahalee Dikri (Gujarati; TF) 5th week Ahmedabad 3,10,046 from 3 cinemas, Baroda 42,500, 1st week Idar 1,05,009, 5th week Rajkot 1,04,000.

SALMAN KHAN CHARGESHEETED

Chargesheets were filed against Salman Khan and others in the court of additional civil judge and judicial magistrate P.K. Vashist of Jodhpur on 24th May for allegedly poaching protected black bucks near Jodhpur last year when he had gone there to shoot for Rajshri’s Hum Saath Saath Hain. The chargesheets have been filed under sections 147, 148, 149 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 9, 39, 51 and 52 of the Arms Act. The other accused in the chargesheets are local people, mostly related to the tourism trade.

CHOWK IN MEMORY OF LAXMIKANT

The spacious lawns at music director Laxmikant’s Juhu bungalow have been host to many a party on Diwali (Laxmi pooja) day. For, Laxmikant used to celebrate his birthday every Diwali day in style and with his film industry friends. Whisky used to flow freely at the party which used to go on till the wee hours of the following morning. Spirits used to be high at such parties which used to be largely attended.

The same lawns on 25th May this year were host to yet another film gathering. But instead of whisky, it was a sober water-melon juice that did the rounds. The spirits weren’t exactly high because the mood was sober. The occasion was the naming ceremony of a public square (chowk) outside Laxmikant’s bungalow in memory of the late music director.

Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane did the honours by unveiling the two plaques with the name of the square — Sangeetkar Laxmikant Chowk — and garlanding the plaques. Deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde was the chief guest while Hareshwar Patil (mayor of Bombay), Nitin Gadkari (public works department minister) and Datta Rane (minister for higher and technical education) were the guests of honour. Local municipal councillor Arun Deo presided over the function. Chief minister Narayan Rane promised to build a memorial of Laxmikant in Sindhudurg where the late music director was born.

Subhash Ghai and Javed Akhtar made speeches recalling the great works of Laxmikant. The ministers also spoke on the occasion. Among the other luminaries who attended the function were Manoj Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Surinder Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Asrani, Bindu (Laxmikant’s sister-in-law), Pyarelal, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamoorthy, Shabbir Kumar, Shailendra Singh, Nalin Dave, Manhar Udhas, Bappi Lahiri, Aadesh Shrivastava, Ramesh Taurani and Dinesh Gandhi.

Tears welled up in the eyes of Laxmikant’s widow, Jaya, as Narayan Rane was unveiling the plaque. For, although the square-naming ceremony was a proud moment in her life, the cause for it was the saddest memory of her life.

AAMIR ON HIS HOME PRODUCTION, ‘LAGAAN’

KOMAL NAHTA

When it comes to sincerity, few can match Aamir Khan’s. For the dubbing of emotional scenes, the perfectionist star puts glycerine in his eyes and dubs the dialogues as the make-believe tears roll down his cheeks. All this, so that the voice conveys the emotions perfectly. At one such dubbing session, I met Aamir Khan as well as the glycerine bottle, placed on a table next to the chair the actor was occupying. Unfortunately though, Aamir had no use of the glycerine when I met him, since it wasn’t an emotional scene he was dubbing for. Although Mann is said to abound in tear-jerking scenes, it was a scene of fun ‘n’ frolic that Aamir was giving his voice to at Empire that evening.

The success of Sarfarosh was written all over Aamir’s face. There was no place for pride in his scheme of things, just simple joy. Yes, but he was definitely proud of debut-making director John Mathew Matthan. “The man needs credit for having made such a film — and succeeded,” remarked Aamir. For, although the film may not be a runaway hit outside Bombay and Maharashtra, it, nevertheless, is doing good business in all cities of all the circuits. In other words, no distributor stands to lose in the film. While it will give commission to its distributors of other circuits, some may even share overflow with John.

Besides Sarfarosh and Mann (about which also Aamir is extremely excited), Aamir’s home production also has the guy all charged up. Called Lagaan (Tax), the film, informed Aamir, is a period drama set in the year 1890 in a village in India. Yes, you’ve guessed it right — Aamir will wear a dhoti in the film, which will be a first in his career.

Lagaan is scripted and will be directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and, to quote Aamir, “I couldn’t believe it when I first heard the script, it’s so good.” The dialogues are being written by K.P. Saxena who Ashutosh re-discovered from do gaz zameen ke neeche. Not literally, but almost so. K.P. Saxena had penned the dialogues for Ramsays’ Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neechey although he couldn’t take credit for the same due to technical reasons. Lucknow-based Saxena also did ghost-writing for a film or two and is a well-known hasya kavi too.

Rani Mukerji was to have played Aamir’s heroine in Lagaan but a new heroine is now being finalised. “Date problems,” says Aamir, adding, “When we approached her for our film, she had already committed the dates we needed, to some other producers. She did try to adjust them for Lagaan but it was impossible for her. I, too, did not want her to cancel someone else’s dates for my film because, I wouldn’t have liked anyone doing that with dates allotted to me as a producer.”

Aamir is currently in Bhuj (Gujarat) to finalise locations for the film and is expected back in Bombay on 30th. He will fly to London on June 2 or 3 to finalise some British actors and actresses for his film. “Since the film is set in pre-Independence India, there are some British characters too in the film. Besides character artistes, one heroine will also be British,” explained the star.

Lagaan will be shot in one single schedule of four months beginning November 11. The entire shooting will be done in Bhuj. Aamir has already signed A.R. Rahman for the music score although the lyricist/s is/are yet to be finalised.

This is all I can get out of Aamir in the total of 20 minutes in between his dubbing takes. Before recordists Chaturvedi and Pradeep Suri, director Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria dubbed me an intruder on their time, I made a quick exit from Empire and remained content with listening to (and enjoying), the music of Mann. The catchline of the film — ‘Listen to your heart’ — should be rephrased, at least for the audio sales: ‘Listen to our album’. Yes, listen to it. The music grows on you and how!

YOU ASKED IT

The entire industry feared that the World Cup cricket would adversely affect the initial (opening) of Biwi No. 1. But nothing of the sort happened. What led to the bumper opening of Biwi No. 1 in the midst of World Cup cricket?

– Publicity no. 1! Vashu Bhagnani’s publicity of the film has been so brilliant that people were waiting for the film’s release. Yes, World Cup cricket does affect the box-office but the publicity and the cast of BIWI NO. 1 had made the film as eagerly awaited as World Cup cricket.

Among the forthcoming films, which do you think will take good openings?

– HINDUSTAN KI KASAM, KOHRAM, HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, HASEENA MAAN JAAYEGI, MANN and TAAL.

How much cinematic liberty should a filmmaker ideally take?

– It varies from film to film. Comedies have more scope for cinematic liberties than, say, serious films.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘Jaanwar’ In Switzerland

The last 10-day shooting spell of Shree Krishna International’s Jaanwar will begin in Switzerland on May 30. Two songs and a few scenes will be picturised on Akshay Kumar and Karisma Kapoor. The film also stars Shilpa Shetty, Mohnish Bahl, Ashutosh Rana, Ashish Vidyarthi, Malay Chakravorty, Rami Reddy, Huma Khan, Johny Lever and Shakti Kapoor. Being produced and directed by Suneel Darshan, it has music by Anand Milind. The eighth and last song was recorded on May 26 and 27 at Sahara India. It was penned by Sameer. Screenplay: Robin Bhatt. Dialogues: K.K. Singh. Cinematographer: Sameer Reddy. Action: Tinnu Verma. Dances: Raju. Editor: Sanjay Sankla.

‘One Two Ka Four’

A 7-day shooting stint of Glamour Films’ Prod. No. 2, now titled One Two Ka Four, commenced on May 23 and is currently in progress at Hotel SeaRock and on locales of Bombay. Shah Rukh Khan and Jackie Shroff are participating alongwith stuntmen. Juhi Chawla plays the female lead. Being produced by Nazir Ahmed and directed by Shashilal K. Nair, the film has music by A.R. Rahman. Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri. Screenplay: Manoj Lalwani and Rajkumar Daahima. Dialogues: Sanjay Chhel. Cinematographer: S. Kumar. Choreographer: Farah Khan. Action: Mahendra Verma.

NEWS FROM NEPAL

SIGH OF RELIEF

Trade people heaved a sigh of relief when both, Kartoos and Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, clicked in Nepal, ensuring some returns to its distributor who has had a series of flops in the recent past. Kartoos clicked in the mountainous region (Kathmandu, Pokhra, etc.) which comprises 70% of the Nepal market. Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, on the other hand, proved successful in the Terai region which comprises the other 30% of the market. Kartoos, like International Khiladi, took a bumper opening everywhere, whereas Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet was a slow starter.

‘JAANAM’ SHOCKS

Among the other releases in the recent past, Zulmi, Silsila Hai Pyar Ka and Phool Aur Aag were very poor. Both the big releases, Jaanam Samjha Karo and Sarfarosh, failed to get good openings and proved losers, surprising many. In fact, the fate of Jaanam Samjha Karo at the box-office baffled everyone as the film failed despite its hit music and Salman Khan’s hot-favourite status. Sarfarosh, however, has been liked by the upper class audience but they form only a negligible percentage of the total market.

NO BUYERS

Jai Hind and Sooryavansham have failed in finding buyers — mainly due to their high prices and poor market responses. Since both these movies are unregistered and not formally looked after by anyone in Nepal, it seems almost certain that the Doli Saja Ke Rakhna incident will be repeated. It seems quite likely that in a few weeks’ time, several illegal prints of the two films will be imported and screened here.

NEW RELEASES

Last week’s release, Rajaji, has not found appreciation from the audience, entailing heavy losses to its distributor. Sooryavansham, as mentioned earlier, did not find a release. Biwi No.1 has been acquired at a phenomenal price — the highest ever so far! The film’s publicity campaign and good music have buoyed the confidence of all concerned in spite of the fact that director David Dhawan’s films have, of late, not been faring too well in Nepal.

FOUL PLAY

A few non-Nepalese distributors are currently engaged in the foul practice of illegal sale of prints after a week of the film’s release here. There is a growing concern over the issue as it may prove damaging to the image of Nepal’s bona fide distributors. However uncommon may the illegal sale of prints (to buyers for U.P. interiors, Bhutan and Burma) be at present, it is feared that, if not checked, the menace will wreak havoc on producers and distributors in the near future. Already, owing to this foul activity, an unduly large number of prints are being ordered and imported, irrespective of the merits of films and the market potential. For instance, as many as six prints each of Kartoos, Jaanam Samjha Karo and Biwi No. 1 have been ordered for Nepal, which is a high number indeed. It is expected that at least two of these prints in each case will be resold after a week.

NMPA GETS TOUGH

The distributors’ wing of the Nepal Motion Picture Association (NMPA) will be taking a very strict decision, in the near future, in regard to pictures acquired for Nepal via or from Bihar. There have also been regular efforts made in the past to convince and compel Hindi film producers to sell the rights for Nepal separately, rather than with Bihar. NMPA will be holding its general body meeting on 15th and 16th June, during which a new executive committee will be formed.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Hrithik Gaining Ground

Even before the release of his first film, Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, Hrithik Roshan is said to be attracting the attention of filmmakers. Reportedly, Vidhu Vinod Chopra found Hrithik so ideal for one of the lead roles in his next, Kashmir, that he instantly signed him up for the same. If sources are to be believed, the film was originally penned with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in father-son roles. Currently, plans are afoot to cast Sanjay Dutt in the father’s role. Also, Preity Zinta is likely to star opposite Hrithik in the film. There are indications that, besides Kashmir, at least two other films, starring Hrithik Roshan, are likely to go under way even before Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai is released. These are Khalid Mohammed’s film (opposite Karisma Kapoor) and Mohan Kumar’s next, to be directed by Satish Kaushik.

Yet Another ‘No. 1’

Coolie No. 1, Hero No. 1, Aunty No. 1, Anari No. 1, and Biwi No. 1. To cash in on the popularity of titles with the suffix ‘No. 1’, Dayanand Mandre has titled his dubbed version of the English film, Wishmaster, as Shaitan No. 1. Mandre has mixed the dubbed version in Dolby sound. “The film,” says Mandre, “abounds in special effects and computer graphics.”

‘Mann’ Memories

The reports of the Titanic-like sinking of luxury liner Sun Vista, off the western Malaysian coast, on 21st May, must be evoking a great deal of nostalgia among the unit members of Indra Kumar’s Mann. The 70-member unit spent seven days aboard the liner last August, shooting two songs and a few scenes. Curiously, when producer Ashok Thakeria first approached Sun Cruises (which owns the ship) for permission to shoot aboard its ship, he was told that they would not want to get involved if the film was, in any way, similar to James Cameron’s Titanic! It was only after Thakeria convinced them that his film had nothing in common with the Hollywood blockbuster, that he was given permission to shoot aboard Sun Vista. Soon, the unit boarded the ship from Singapore for a 7-night cruise for a shooting stint. A choc-a-bloc schedule hardly gave any of the unit members any time to enjoy the luxurious facilities on board, yet hero Aamir Khan would usually be seen heading for the jacuzzi to unwind after pack-up. Some of the members would also spend their free time at the casino aboard the ship. One of the common topics for jokes among the unit members used to be that whether there are enough lifeboats on the liner in case it were to do a Titanic. Little would they have realised that something like that would actually happen in future. Sun Vista was on its way back to its base in Singapore with 1,104 people from 26 nations on board when it sank into the sea following an engine room fire. All were rescued and no casualty was reported. Incidentally, some of the passengers of Sun Vista had seen Titanic and sang its theme song while they were being evacuated, to keep up their spirits. The ship’s band played the tune of the same song.

SOORYAVANSHAM

Padmalaya Combines’ Sooryavansham is an unusual story about the relationship between a strict and rich father and his simpleton son whom he considers good for nothing. The son, however, loves his father and worships him. Now treated as a servant by everybody, he has a childhood girlfriend who studies in the city and whom he loves. But the girl spurns him because he is uneducated. Rather than let the girl win the wrath of his father, the son poses as if it is he who is not ready for the marriage. This infuriates the father even more. The girl, on her part, conveniently forgets the sacrifice the son has made for her. Enters another city-bred girl who falls in love with the simpleton. Although he considers himself much below her educated status, she coaxes him into agreeing to marry her. But his father orders him not to get married to the girl as he has assured the girl’s mother that the marriage would never take place. Rather than obey his father, the son revolts for the first time, and gets married to the girl. All hell breaks loose and the father throws the newly-weds out of his house after insulting them. The two start life from scratch but, by dint of hard work, earn name, fame and money. The wife becomes a Collector (after completing her IAS) and the husband, a business tycoon. Both of them, however, revere the father. A son born to them makes the grandfather soften his tough stand, by his cuteness and intelligence. Ultimately, the estranged father and son unite after years of separation.

Remake of the Tamil blockbuster of the same name, the film abounds in emotional scenes between father and son, some of which draw tears from the eyes. The unusual plot (story by Vikraman) unfolds on the screen, keeping audience interest alive, although the pace is slow at times. Comedy, at regular intervals, breaks the monotony of a tension-ridden drama. The first half is really wonderful. After interval, the screenplay takes recourse to clichéd situations at a few places. Aadesh K. Arjun’s dialogues are extraordinary and greatly enhance the impact of the drama. The build-up of the drama deserves special mention. Also deserving special mention are some scenes like the face-to-face meeting between the father-in-law and daughter-in-law (tear-jerker), the speech made by the son about his strict father, at the opening ceremony of the hospital (very emotional), the scene in which the father throws his son and daughter-in-law out of his house (truly dramatic), and the entire climax.

On the negative side is the double role of Amitabh Bachchan. In the role of the son, he looks too elderly. Several of the other important characters in the film are, curiously enough, South Indian film artistes, thereby giving the film a South Indian flavour. Music lacks a hit number — and that is a big minus point. Further, the title, too, has a South colour.

Although Amitabh looks too old for the son’s role, his performance is simply mesmerising. Both, as the father and the son, Bachchan acts with a rare maturity and delivers performances that are undoubtedly worthy of awards. His brilliant acting in the film will be discussed for a long time to come. His get-up and costumes in the father’s role are splendid. In summary, Amitabh Bachchan is just too good to be true. Soundarya may lack glamour and oomph but she, too, does a remarkable job. Not once do Amitabh and Soundarya go overboard. Jaya Sudha, too, is restrained as the wife of the older Bachchan. The voice of both the heroines have been excellently dubbed by Rekha. Anupam Kher is lovable as Amitabh’s confidant. He is superb in light scenes. Kader Khan is also terrific. Shivaji Satam is natural to the core. Bindu does an able job. Mukesh Rishi performs well. Rachna Banerjee, as Amitabh’s first girlfriend, is okay. Master Anand Vardhan is cool and confident.

E.V.V. Satyanarayana’s direction is fantastic but it must be said here that the treatment would be appreciated more by the class audience. Nevertheless, the director has added a lot of gloss and has treated the subject with freshness. Music should have been far better. ‘Dil mere’ is the best song but its repetition in the first half is a bit jarring. Song picturisations match the film’s mood. Action scenes are okay. Camerawork (Gopal Reddy) is breathtaking. Production values are very good. Technically, of a high order.

On the whole, Sooryavansham may have taken a slow start but it definitely has the merits (emotions, novelty, dialogues and extraordinary performances) to pick up by word of mouth and, thereafter, prove profitable.

Released on 21-5-’99 at Liberty and 19 other cinemas of Bombay thru Ethnic Enterprises. Publicity: below the mark. Opening: average. …….Also released all over except in East Punjab. Opening was dull at most of the places.

RAJAJI

Shivam Chitrya (Bombay)’s Rajaji is the story of a youth from a village, who shirks work and is so lazy that he decides to con the daughter of some rich business tycoon into marrying him. He succeeds in doing so but realises on the day of his marriage that the girl is not the daughter of a business tycoon but rather of the tycoon’s gardener! The young man’s frustration at being ‘conned’ gets the better of him and he confesses his evil designs but, in the same breath, blames his wife and father-in-law for having ‘fooled’ him into marriage. He also walks out on his wife, only to repent later. But while he is away, his father-in-law has become a multi-millionaire by winning a lottery. So, when he returns to make amends for his mistake, his pleas to win back his wife are interpreted as manifestation of his greed and designs to usurp the father-in-law’s wealth. He then decides to himself work hard and earn a lot of money. His wife has a change of heart and ultimately the two of them unite.

The first half has some entertaining moments, a couple of which are even hilarious. But the screenplay goes haywire after interval. The scene in which the hero gets drunk and confesses his designs (to hook a rich girl) is not just poor but also gramatically wrong. For one, he tries to justify his act by saying that many youngsters do similar things. How a wrong action can be sought to be made to look correct simply because a lot of people do the same wrong is not explained. Secondly, the hero blaming his wife for dressing up like a rich girl although she is poor (which, according to him, led him to think that she is rich), is simply ridiculous. Thirdly. the hero’s childhood friend, who exposes him at the start of the scene, has himself hooked a rich businessman’s ugly daughter; therefore, the friend’s outburst looks fake. The writer has tried to justify the scenes by making the hero talk out his frustration under the influence of liquor but that hardly justifies it. This whole scene is very important in the film, but, unfortunately, it drops the character of the hero so low that it becomes one which is almost beyond redemption. This is the film’s weakest point. Even otherwise, the second half takes recourse to clichéd situations. Climax is poor. Dialogues (Kader Khan) are fair.

Govinda does pretty well as usual, but he should guard against getting repetitive now. Raveena Tandon is fairly good. Satish Kaushik entertains at places. But Govinda and Satish Kaushik’s comedy is also too loud at places. Aroona Irani does an able job. Kader Khan is good. Shakti Kapoor has precious little scope. Mohan Joshi is average. Divya Dutta passes muster. Ranjeet fills the bill and so does Shagufta Ali. Dinesh Hingoo lends able support. Mushtaq Khan, Razzak Khan and Bobby Saini are so-so.

Director Vimal Kumar has not been able to continue the mirth of the first half, in the second half. The script (Satish Jain), covering the real drama, is quite shoddy and the director has not been able to salvage the film when the drama goes out of hand. Music (Anand Milind) is quite good. ‘Sunday ki raat thi’, ‘Tere pyar ne’, ‘Baj gaya tabla’ and ‘Saasuji tharo lalla’ are quite well-tuned. Picturisation of ‘Tere pyar ne’ is eye-filling. Camerawork is alright. Action scenes are okay. Production values are fair. Technically, okay.

On the whole, Rajaji suffers on account of a weak script and faulty characterisation of the hero. It cannot hope to fetch returns for its distributors. However, it may do somewhat better in Bombay and Maharashtra, where comedies are preferred.

Released on 21-5-’99 at Alankar and 21 other cinemas of Bombay thru ABC Pictures P. Ltd. Publicity: good. Opening: fair. …….Also released all over. Opening was below the mark at several places.

LATEST POSITION

The dull opening of SOORYAVANSHAM may not have shocked the trade, but it has definitely shaken the industry confidence.

…………

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet is doing very well except in Bombay city and Delhi city. It is extraordinary in Bihar where it is expected to do a business of over 1 crore. It is also very strong in U.P., Gujarat, C.P.C.I. Rajasthan and Nizam. 2nd week Bombay 19,01,333 (51%) from 9 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 7,15,151 from 4 cinemas, 1st week Padra 1,32,053, Valsad 2,55,236, 2nd week Vapi 2,16,910, total 6,71,006, Rajkot 1,75,053 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Jamnagar 98,756; Kolhapur 1,43,494, Solapur 1,22,557; Delhi 12,82,674 from 6 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,66,614 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,71,124, Agra 2,26,212 (1st 2,86,710), Varanasi 2,04,417, Allahabad 80,962, Bareilly 1,24,083 (40.94%), Dehradun 1,10,000, Muzaffarnagar 82,000; Calcutta 10,90,765 from 13 cinemas; Nagpur 3,77,730 from 4 cinemas, Amravati 1,99,553, Akola 1,35,101, total 2,72,720, Raipur 2,07,012, Bhilai 1,56,058, total 3,32,062, Jalgaon 1,34,258; Jaipur 2,47,615, Bikaner 1,41,516; Hyderabad (gross) 6,07,767 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon, 1 on F.H.).

Kartoos 2nd week Bombay 22,09,980 (41.35%) from 12 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,10,660 from 3 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Vapi 2,47,313, Rajkot 82,450 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Jamnagar (matinee) 19,051; Kolhapur 1,32,171, Solapur 1,25,302 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 13,84,099 from 9 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,83,214 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,80,345, Bareilly 65,920 (29.48%), Dehradun 1,01,003 (1st 2,18,000), Muzaffarnagar 60,000; Calcutta 3,94,389 from 4 cinemas; Nagpur 1,64,925 from 2 cinemas, Amravati (6 days) 75,714, Akola 89,025, total 2,86,416, Raipur (6 days) 51,186, Bhilai (6 days) 29,842, Jalgaon (6 days) 51,930, 1st week Chandrapur 1,76,304; 2nd week Indore 69,856, Bhopal (6 days) 1,27,852 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 2,33,983, Jodhpur 1,75,000; Hyderabad (gross) 9,88,357 from 9 cinemas (2 in noon, 1 on F.H.); Vijayawada 2 weeks’ total (gross) 4,01,158.

Sarfarosh is class A1 in Bombay. It is also strong in C.P. Berar (Maharashtra belt), Rajasthan and Nizam in spite of World Cup cricket matches. 3rd week Bombay 42,49,186 (84.93%) from 12 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 6,79,518 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot 1,04,176; Kolhapur 1,62,029, Solapur 1,65,128, 1st week Barsi 56,301; 3rd week Delhi 18,35,005 from 6 cinemas; Kanpur 2,70,775 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,07,153, Agra 1,82,318, Varanasi 1,79,857, Bareilly 60,269 (21.24%), Dehradun 1,64,153 (2nd 1,80,000), total 6,09,701, Muzaffarnagar 50,000; Calcutta 9,42,543 from 5 cinemas; Nagpur 2,72,625 from 2 cinemas, Amravati 1,57,276, Akola 81,773, total 3,63,586, Raipur 70,518, Bhilai 75,632, 1st week Durg (6 days) 67,547, 3rd Jalgaon 95,225, 2nd week Wardha (6 days) 55,976; 3rd week Indore 1,86,160 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 6,28,458, Bikaner 1,35,946; Hyderabad (gross) 11,89,345 from 5 cinemas; Vijayawada (gross) 2,53,009.

Dada Ne Wahalee Dikri (Gujarati, TF) is growing day by day. It is poised for a long and meritorious run in Gujarat and Saurashtra. 4th week Ahmedabad 3,97,854 from 3 cinemas, Baroda 57,675, Rajkot 1,15,000. 14 prints are running in Gujarat & Saurashtra.

LEGAL FRONT
NO RELIEF FOR PRITAM JALAN IN ‘SOORYAVANSHAM’ CASE

West Bengal distributor Pritam Jalan failed to get any relief from the court in the matter of distribution of Sooryavansham in West Bengal. Jalan had been appointed by Padmalaya Combines to exploit the film on its behalf in West Bengal territory. Thereafter, Padmalaya sold the film’s distribution rights to Vijay Khemka. In the meantime, Jalan had booked the film at some cinemas and he moved the court to restrain Padmalaya from granting the distribution rights to anybody other than himself.

The court, while rejecting Jalan’s plea, instructed Padmalaya to ensure that the commitments of Pritam Jalan to the cinemas in which the film was booked by him, were honoured.

‘DAAG THE FIRE’ 100 DAYS’ FUNCTION AT UDAY, AKOLA

Deepak Joshi and Narendra Joshi of Narendra Films, Amravati, the distributors of Daag The Fire for C.P. Berar, announced bonus for the staff of Uday Talkies, Akola, where the film completed 100 days on 21st May. The celebration function was held on 21st at the cinema. The entire Akola film trade was present at the function. From Amravati, Sharang Chandak, Lokendra Jain, Arjun Bhateja and Gopal Rathi attended.

Priya Rajurkar and Sangram Rajurkar, proprietors of Uday Talkies, and Arun Bopshetty, manager, welcomed the guests. The function was followed by a pooja and lunch.

The film is completing 100 days all over the country today (22nd May).

Tanwani’s Praiseworthy Gesture

It sounds unbelievable. But it is true. Producer Gordhan Tanwani has, of his own accord, converted his MG royalty agreements of Ishq with most of his distributors, into those for outright sale. This means, large-hearted Tanwani has, with one stroke of his pen (he has dashed off letters to his distributors, to break the good news), decided to forgo all overflow that may accrue to him in the months and years to come. The agreements with his distributors are valid till 28th November, 2002. The outright status, as per his letters, comes into effect from 1st April, 1999.

Something which could easily pass off as an April fool joke for the simple reason that no producer has the guts to show such largesse, has come as a happy reality for the distributors of Ishq. In his letter, Tanwani has thanked his distributors for having stood by him and for having exploited his film to the best of their ability. He has also acknowledged their having given him overflow as well as having increased their MG royalty after the film was pronounced a hit. It may be recalled that Gordhan Tanwani, in a rare gesture, had, at the time of release of his film, asked his distributors to increase their MG royalties only if it succeeded at the box-office. When it did, his distributors unhesitatingly paid the balance MG royalties. They appreciated his concern for his distributors, which made him ask for the enhanced MG royalty only in the event of the film hitting the bull’s eye. According to Tanwani, the enhanced MG price was arrived at to cover his cost of production which was phenomenal. 

The producer’s concern for his distributors at the time of the film’s release has now given way to a rewarding gesture towards them. Tanwani has requested them not to henceforth send him any overflow and also to desist from sending him the business statements of the film, as the film was now theirs and only theirs, till 28th November, 2002. Why, Nizam distributor Ravi Machhar’s cheque for overflow for the month of April, sent to Tanwani before the letter reached Machhar, was forthwith returned by Tanwani’s office to Machhar, with thanks.

In these times of ever-growing greed of producers, the gesture of Gordhan Tanwani has come as a very pleasant surprise. A heroic act that deserves the highest praise.

Aditya Chopra Teams Amitabh, Shah Rukh In Yash Chopra’s ‘Mohabbatein’: Uday Chopra To Make Debut

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan will come together for the first time in Yash Chopra’s Mohabbatein, to be written and directed by Aditya Chopra. Uday, younger son of Yash Chopra, will make his acting debut with this film in which he, too, will play a leading role. Two more young boys and three young heroines, besides the other cast, are being finalised. Jatin Lalit have been signed to score the music. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi. Cinematographer: Manmohan Singh. Art: Sharmishta Roy.

The film will be launched with song recordings in June.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘Shool’ Complete

With the completion of the last 15-day shooting schedule last week, the entire shooting of Dream Merchants’ Shool is now complete. Starring Raveena Tandon, Manoj Bajpayee, Sayaji Shinde, Vallabh Vyas, Ganesh Yadav, baby Aavi, Virendra Saxena and others, the film is jointly produced by Nitin Manmohan and Ramgopal Varma and directed by E. Niwas. Music is scored by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Lyrics: Sameer. Writer: Anurag Kashyap. Editing: Bhanodaya. Background music: Sandeep Chowta. Cinematography: Hari Nair.

‘Bichhoo’ Shot For 11 Days

Guddu Dhanoa’s Bichhoo, presented by Narinder Dhanoa, was shot in its second schedule from May 9 to 19 at Kamal Amrohi Studios, Gorai island and on various locales of Bombay. Bobby Deol participated along with Farida Jalal, Mohan Joshi and junior artistes. The film, being made under the banner of Bhagwan Chitra Mandir, co-stars Rani Mukerji and Raj Babbar. Music is by Anand Raaj Anand, and lyrics, by Sameer. Veena Sood is the executive producer.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Double-Role Voice

Is Amitabh Bachchan the only one playing a double role in Sooryavansham? No! Rekha, too, plays a dual role. Rekha?!? Well, it’s actually Rekha’s voice ‘playing’ a double role. For, the actress has dubbed for both the heroines of the film, viz. Soundarya and Jaya Sudha. On whose request did Rekha agree to dub for the two heroines? Your guess is as good as ours. But it must be added here that Rekha has done a fantastic job of the dubbing.

Incidentally, Sarath Kumar had played a double role (of father and son) in the Tamil original version, also titled Sooryavansham. Sarath Kumar was passing through the worst crisis of his career when Sooryavansham was released, having given 14 flops in a row, and Sooryavansham changed all that when it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of Tamil cinema! In the Telugu remake (again titled Sooryavansham), it was Venkatesh who was cast in the double roles of father and son. In fact, insiders say that Vikraman, who was to have directed the Hindi remake also (he had directed the Tamil and Telugu versions), backed out after shooting for a few days, because he was unhappy about Amitabh’s double role in the film.

Distributor’s Dilemma

There are problems when a film doesn’t do well and there are problems when it does very well — as Bombay distributor Balkrishna Shroff (Shringar Films) is realising. The concern’s Sarfarosh is presently doing so well in Bombay that Shringar is experiencing a lot of trouble finding suitable cinemas for its other big film, Biwi No. 1, which releases next week. At Cinemax, Goregaon, Bombay, the latter was booked from 28th May onwards, and its publicity was also put up in time at the cinema. However, the excellent run of Sarfarosh there posed a serious dilemma for the distributor and quite understandably so. After all, it makes no business sense to take off a film which is doing terrific business at a cinema and replace it with another. Fortunately for Shringar Films, it also controls the cinema and so was able to shift Biwi No. 1 to New Era, Malad. However, the case is quite different at other cinemas outside Shringar’s control. Whether they will succeed in solving their dilemma remains to be seen.

Hogi Pair Ki Jeet

Producer Anil Sharma must be one hell of a patient man, going by the number of changes that have been made in the star cast of his recently released Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet. When the film was launched, the two lead pairs were Ajay Devgan – Mamta Kulkarni and Ayub Khan – Ayesha Julka. However, that had to change when Mamta’s refusal to attend the shooting schedules led to her being replaced by Shipla Shetty in the film. The film had been shot in 8 reels with Ajay, Ayub and Ayesha in the meantime. But even this star cast had to change when Neha was added to the cast in Shilpa Shetty’s place, and the Ayub-Ayesha pair was replaced by Arshad Warsi and Mayuri Kango. Thus the final casting was arrived at. However, there cropped up one small problem. Renuka Shahane, who was then playing Ajay and Ayub’s bua (paternal aunt) in the film, suddenly decided that she looks too young to play Arshad’s bua! She was promptly replaced by Ketki Dave and only then, things fell into place.

‘Taal’: Music Of The Saal?

Now some news on the music front. Subhash Ghai’s Taal is easily one of the most awaited musical albums currently. If the three songs from the album, that Information has heard, are anything to go by, the film’s music score may well go on to be the ‘music of 1999’. The combination of A.R. Rahman’s masterful compositions, Anand Bakshi’s simple yet rich and meaningful lyrics, and Ghai’s musical genius are bound to create a magic that may last for a long time. In fact, it is a measure of the supreme confidence of Tips in the film’s music that it has decided to release a hitherto unheard of 15 lakh cassettes in the first lot itself! Well, it looks like record-breaking times are here — at least, musically speaking!

PHOOL AUR AAG

P.K. Arts Creations’ Phool Aur Aag is about misunderstandings and how they are cleared at the drop of a hat! It is the story of two villages. A kind-hearted landlord (Mithun Chakraborty) is revered like God in his village. Once, he visits the other village and gets beaten up there by the villagers because of a misunderstanding. The hero of the second village is a young and tough guy (Jackie Shroff). After the incident, Jackie realises the mistake on the part of his villagers and he goes to Mithun’s village to apologise to him. Even while he is doing so, Mithun’s villagers run riot in Jackie’s village to avenge the wrong done to their ‘God’. This infuriates Jackie who assumes that the havoc in his village has been wreaked at Mithun’s behest. In the riotous revenge drama, Jackie’s parents and some others are killed. Then starts Jackie’s revenge. He creates circumstances which force Mithun to marry a girl from Jackie’s village. The marriage is an eyewash as the girl has been planted to kill Mithun. She, however, has a change of heart. Ultimately, Jackie too realises the innocence and goodness of Mithun. And all ends well.

The film tries to over-dramatise everything, with the result that the whole drama looks unbelievable. What is worse is that characters have a change of heart one after another just because of a dialogue or two. Screenplay is poor. Dialogues (Anirudh Tiwari) are good. Emotions touch the heart only at a couple of places, the rest falling flat.

Mithun Chakraborty does quite well. Jackie Shroff has also performed ably although he does suffer because of a weak characterisation. Archana is just about fair. Dalip Tahhil is appealing. Mohan Joshi is okay in a comic-villainous role. Shiva is average. Aroona Irani does a fine job. Ayesha Julka and Harish appear in a song dance only. Rakesh Bedi is alright. Avtar Gill, Kishore Bhanushali, Adi Irani, Pramod Moutho, Shyam Solanki and the rest pass muster.

T.L.V. Prasad’s direction is mechanical and no better than his script. Music is a letdown. Song picturisations are dull. A few action scenes (like the lathi fight and the climax fight) are exciting. Photography and other technical and production values are so-so.

On the whole, Phool Aur Aag is a sub-standard fare, with bleak chances at the box-office.

Released on 14-5-’99 at Shalimar and 11 other cinemas of Bombay thru K.K. Enterprises. Publicity: fair. Opening: dull. …….Also released all over.

LATEST POSITION

World Cup cricket is here. As cricket fans enjoy the bowling and batting, the box-office may take a beating.

Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, as predicted last week, is good in U.P., C.P. and C.I. It is also fair in Bihar, Rajasthan and Nizam, but is below the mark in Gujarat, Delhi, East Punjab and West Bengal. 1st week Bombay 42,86,995 (66.32%) from 13 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 5,95,183 from 4 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Rajkot 1,99,639 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee), Jamnagar 1,38,512; Pune 5,20,195 from 2 cinemas, Solapur 2,31,362 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 25,90,863 (55.92%) from 9 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,97,563 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,98,206, Agra 2,06,710, Varanasi 2,18,288, Allahabad 1,93,000, Meerut 2,48,620, Bareilly 1,69,232 (55.84%), Dehradun 1,50,000; Calcutta 20,25,273 from 21 cinemas; Nagpur 4,66,014 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,78,033, Akola 1,37,619, Raipur 2,14,231, Jalgaon 1,63,907, Chandrapur 1,64,337, Yavatmal 80,589; Bhopal 1,12,752 (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 6,32,192 from 3 cinemas, Bikaner (6 days) 1,89,651; Hyderabad (gross) 26,24,528 from 12 cinemas (2 in noon).

Kartoos dropped after the first day at places, and after 3 days at other places. It has, however, fetched reasonable shares from several places. Is not up to the mark in Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and Bihar. 1st week Bombay 47,34,743 (82.64%) from 14 cinemas (7 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 8,17,262 from 6 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Rajkot 2,14,487 from 2 cinemas, Jamnagar (matinee) 37,278, Bhuj 89,722; Pune 11,31,263 from 6 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 3,54,499 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 39,65,059 (60.65%) from 12 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 4,78,986 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 4,01,174, Varanasi 2,52,863, Allahabad 2,17,517, Meerut 2,27,052, Bareilly 1,61,576 (72.27%), Dehradun 2,18,000 (76.79%); Rohtak 37,312; Calcutta 16,34,883 from 13 cinemas; Nagpur 6,08,929 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,75,371, Akola 2,00,391, Raipur (6 days) 1,38,187, Durg 91,161, Jalgaon 1,28,385; Indore 1,78,000 (3 on F.H.), Bhopal (6 days) 3,02,381 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 8,00,861 from 4 cinemas, Jodhpur 4,08,000; Hyderabad (gross) 30,12,076 from 12 cinemas (1 unrecd., 1 in noon); Vijayawada 2,16,000.

Avaidh Sambandh (dubbed) 1 week Bombay 38,403 (25.88%); 1 week Jaipur 1,14,537.

Sarfarosh is extraordinary in Bombay and Maharashtra. It is steady in some ‘A’ class centres of other circuits, but drops quite a lot in other centres. 2nd week Bombay 44,32,299 (88.74%) from 12 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 3,66,309 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot 1,31,398, Jamnagar 76,000 (1 in matinee unrecd.); Pune 12,26,236 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,90,000, Solapur 1,98,541; Delhi 27,76,252 from 10 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,17,506 from 2 cinemas; Lucknow 3,76,363, Agra 2,56,318, Varanasi 2,05,092, Allahabad 1,60,000, Bareilly 80,001 (28.20%), Dehradun 1,80,000; Rohtak 8,000; Calcutta 12,37,630 from 8 cinemas; Nagpur 3,90,992 from 2 cinemas, Akola 1,09,837, total 2,81,812, Dhule (6 days) 78,969, Raipur 88,134, total 2,71,629, Jalgaon 1,19,319, 1st week Wardha (6 days) 96,280, 2nd week Chandrapur 1,14,735, Yavatmal 33,185 (1st 1,43,771); Indore 2,15,272 from 2 cinemas; Jaipur 7,57,592 from 2 cinemas, Bikaner (5 days) 1,20,056; Hyderabad (gross) 4,96,989, full.

ARCHANA JOGLEKAR WEDS

Actress Archana Joglekar got married to Dr. Nirmal Mulye on 30th April in Bombay. She will continue acting in films.

SC ASKS FOR PROGRESS REPORTS ON ‘FIRE’ CASE

The Supreme Court on 13th May asked the Union and Maharashtra state governments to file progress reports, within six weeks, on cases relating to violence which followed the screening of Deepa Mehta’s controversial film, Fire. Following the claim of the counsel for the victims that the state government was trying to cover up the case, the court ordered the governments to file copies of the FIR, chargesheets and other relevant documents. According to the counsel, out of the 400 people involved in arson in Bombay, only 25 had been arrested; and chargesheets were not filed in the court.

It may be recalled that the screening of Fire was followed by violence outside cinemas in Bombay and Delhi by a section of people, and several demonstrations were held by those objecting to the scenes of lesbianism depicted in the film. Among the people who suffered their wrath was thespian Dilip Kumar who, together with Mahesh Bhatt and others, petitioned the apex court for protection and the screening of the film without fear.

MULTIPLEX OPENS IN GANDHINAGAR

A three-screen multiplex, City Pulse, opened in Gandhinagar (Gujarat) on 7th May with the releases of KARTOOS and HOGI PYAR KI JEET. The third cinema will open shortly. Each of the three screens at the multiplex boasts of Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS), Dolby Digital DTS and Sony Stereo sound systems. Spread over 1,25,000 sq. ft. of land, the multiplex also houses a restaurant and an amphitheatre, apart from the cinema halls. Gaming halls, restaurants, an art gallery and a video games parlour will be added to the multiplex in its next phase.

YOU ASKED IT

What will be the next film from the R.K. banner?

– Rishi Kapoor is hearing a lot of stories but has not finalised any so far.

Why does our industry give so much importance to the luck factor?

– Because film business is speculative in nature. Speculation and luck, superstition etc. go hand-in-hand.

What gives the maximum joy and the maximum relief to a producer or director?

– Maximum joy comes when a producer’s/director’s film hits the bull’s eye. Relief comes when another’s film bombs. This is because the producer/director, whose film is due for release, starts comparing his film with the bombed film.

CENSOR NEWS

Puja Films’ Biwi No. 1 was given C.C. No. CIL/2/10/99 (UA) dt. 14-5-’99; length 4052.63 metres in 16 reels (cuts: 4.44 metres).

Padmalaya Combines’ Sooryavansham was given C.C. (in Hyderabad) No. CIL/28/34/99 (U) dt. 7-5-’99; length 5115.34 metres in 16 reels (cuts: 12.59 metres).

Shivam Chitrya’s (Bombay) Rajaji will be issued certificate on 17th.

IMPORTED FILMS

Warner Brothers’ The Matrix was given C.C. No. CFL/3/38/99 (A) dt. 10-5-’99; length 3735.07 metres in 7 reels (no cut).

20th Century Fox’s A Life Less Ordinary was given C.C. No. CFL/3/39/99 (A) dt. 14-5-’99; length 2842.25 metres in 12 reels (no cut).

Columbia Tristar Films’ Parent Trap was given C.C. No. CFL/1/8/99 (U) dt. 7-5-’99; length 3513.15 metres in 8 reels (cuts: 23.77 metres).

Aditya International’s Night Of The Scare Crow was seen on 14th.

Warner Brothers’ Analyze This, applied on 10th, was seen on 14th.

Indo Overseas Films’ Once Upon A Time In China & America was applied on 10th.

Paramount Films’ ED IV was applied on 13th.

20th Century Fox’s Bulworth was applied on 13th.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Brothers In Arms

Ever since brothers and C.P. Berar distributors Harikishan Laddha and Jaikishan Laddha parted ways about seven years ago, there hasn’t ever been a case when both have released new films on the same day. Until now, that is. For, the brothers are poised to release two big films simultaneously on 21st May. While elder brother Harikishan’s Laddha Bros. Films P. Ltd. is releasing Sooryavansham on that day, Jaikishan’s Jai Pictures will come out with Rajaji. Thus the two films will not only pit bade miyan against chhote miyan but also have the dubious distinction of pitting bade bhaiyya against chhote bhaiyya!

Gaana Aur ‘Sona’

As the Sona sona number of Biwi No. 1 is scaling up the popularity charts, our attention is drawn to the fact that almost every song, which has had the word sona in its mukhda, has been a hit in the past. Take for instance, O mere sona re (Teesri Manzil), Sona lai jaa re (Mera Gaon Mera Desh), Na maangoo sona chaandi (Bobby), Sona kitna sona hai (Hero No. 1), Sona sona, tera sundar roop salona (Hindustani), Sona sona (Major Saab) and scores of others. Each of these songs has been loved by the public and has, to some extent, added to the favourable fate these films have had at the box-office. Is this some sort of an indication for success? We hope not. Otherwise, our industry people, being the way they are, will soon start putting at least one Sona song in every film! That would be too bad, wouldn’t it?

Going Overboard

Even though the release of Biwi No. 1 (on 28th May) was still three weeks away, its publicity-savvy producer, Vashu Bhagnani, had already begun putting up the film’s posters and other publicity materials at Bombay’s cinemas (Metro, Chandan, Cinemax and others) since last week. This, in itself, may not be a wrong thing to do, but when a due-for-release film’s publicity overshadows that of a film currently showing at the cinema, then one is simply making tongues wag in the trade — even though unintentionally. The publicity of Biwi No. 1 at Metro has been so extensive that it appears as if the film has already released there! Apart from a stall selling Biwi No. 1 merchandise, the theatre sports a huge 60′ x 20′ hoarding and several other posters of the film. Luckily, at present, a repeat-run film is being shown there and so the publicity of Biwi No. 1 doesn’t really ‘harm’ anyone. However, the situation at Chandan cinema, Juhu (Bombay), which is currently showing Anari No. 1 and where Sooryavansham is due next week, is quite the opposite. Vashu’s extensive publicity for his film at this cinema has invited jocular remarks from the makers/distributors of the abovementioned two films who wonder whether it is their film/s which is/are running at the cinema or Biwi No.1.

Guest Director

Not many may be aware that a song was recently added in Sooryavansham. This song was picturised not by the film’s director, E.V.V. Satyanarayana, but by Gurudev Bhalla. Amitabh Bachchan was reportedly impressed by Gurudev’s work in a couple of music videos and it was Bachchan who asked Gurudev to picturise the last song of Sooryavansham. Gurudev did so three weeks back in Hyderabad. The song features Bachchan and Soundarya. Gurudev, incidentally, is the director of Xavier Marquis’ Samna.

LATEST POSITION

Bank and national holidays last week proved bountiful for the box-office.

Sarfarosh has done extraordinary in Bombay and Maharashtra. It is good in several other ‘A’ class centres, but collections started to drop at some places towards the end of the first week. 1st week Bombay 58,97,303 (93%) from 13 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Rajkot 1,67,292, Jamnagar 1,21,910, Adipur 1,13,698 (77%); Pune 15,79,591 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,56,414, Solapur 2,22,178 (100%); Delhi (6 days) 46,34,526 (75.57%) from 11 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Lucknow 4,32,322, Kanpur 4,88,836 from 2 cinemas, Agra 4,35,635, Varanasi 2,62,788, Allahabad 1,93,525, Bareilly 1,99,402 (70.29%), Dehradun 2,69,500, Muzaffarnagar 1,35,000; Calcutta 23,67,220 from 14 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Nagpur 8,45,193 from 4 cinemas, Amravati 1,81,783, Raipur 1,83,503, Jalgaon 1,78,605; Indore 3,26,000 from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal 2,57,792 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 13,51,027 from 5 cinemas, Bikaner (gross) 2,90,565; Hyderabad (gross) 30,86,350 from 13 cinemas.

…………..

King Kong (dubbed) did poor in 1st week in Bombay; Raipur (6 days) 25,600.

Jai Hind 2nd week Bombay (TF) 4,29,089 (40.10%) from 2 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Pune (TF) 50,435, Solapur (TF) 72,810; Delhi (6 days) 89,849; Kanpur (TF) 1,06,268, Lucknow (TF) 77,073, Agra (TF) 73,215, Varanasi (TF) 1,02,189, Allahabad (TF) 78,088; Calcutta 78,000; Nagpur (TF) 56,099 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (TF) 25,823, total 66,996, Raipur (TF) 28,346, 1st week Bilaspur (TF) 35,601; 2nd week Indore (TF; 6 days) 43,329 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal (TF) 40,000; Jaipur (TF) 1,36,717, Jodhpur (TF) 1,50,000, 1st week Bikaner (TF) 78,820.

Silsila Hai Pyar Ka 3rd week Bombay 10,23,071 (39.65%) from 6 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Pune 2,88,803 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 27,260; Delhi (6 days) 4,60,243 from 5 cinemas; Kanpur 56,597 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 95,823, Agra 45,852, Varanasi 39,603, Allahabad 22,218; Calcutta 3,13,510 from 3 cinemas; Jabalpur 57,825, total 2,14,969, Raipur 42,620, Bhilai 34,050; Bhopal 38,748; Jaipur 61,120.

Anari No. 1 4th week Bombay 18,08,669 (51.32%) from 9 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Pune 5,18,115 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 75,065, Solapur 1,03,836; Delhi (6 days) 5,31,076 from 4 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur (6 days) 1,72,368 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,20,093, Agra 39,152, Allahabad 40,075, Dehradun 68,251 (3rd 84,162), Muzaffarnagar 32,000; Calcutta 1,59,319; Nagpur 1,07,320 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,25,653, Raipur (6 days) 68,360, Bhilai 35,400, 3rd week Durg 36,766, Jalgaon 1,01,380, 4th week Bilaspur 60,533; Indore 81,364, Bhopal 1,00,000; Jaipur 2,13,245 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 3,76,326 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon).

…………..

‘SOLDIER’ SILVER JUBILEE

Tips Films’ Soldier entered 25th combined (silver jubilee) week on 7th May at Dreamland (matinee), Bombay and other centres of India. It is directed by Abbas Mustan and stars Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta. Music: Anu Malik.

‘HUM AAPKE DIL MEIN…’ CELEBRATES 100 DAYS

Producer D. Rama Naidu’s Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain completed 100 days on 1st May at Novelty Cinema, Bombay and other centres of India. Satish Kaushik has directed the film starring Anil Kapoor and Kajol. Music: Anu Malik.

DEEP JAIN’S DAUGHTER WEDS

Marriage of Kavita, daughter of Deep Jain of Film Jagat Enterprises, Delhi, with Manish was solemnised on 5th May in New Delhi at Hotel Park Royal. The wedding was a lavish and well-attended affair.

GIGANTIC MOVIE WORLD COMING UP IN AHMEDABAD

A new cineplex, consisting of three cinema screens, will open next year on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. Spread over an area of 4,30,400 sq. ft., Movie World will also feature other leisure and entertainment activities apart from cinemas. The cinema complex is being designed by architect Hasmukh C. Patel who has bagged a lifetime achievement award at the hands of the president of India. The complex is owned by Rajshri group of companies, whose other holdings include Rajshri (erstwhile Ajay cinema), Bhavnagar, Dharam cinema, Rajkot, Pradeep cinema, Junagadh, and Shalimar and Rajshri cinemas in Gandhinagar.

The multiplex will house, among other things, bowling alleys, food parlours, outdoor games, miniature golf courses etc. The multiplex-cum-entertainment park will be made on the lines of Universal Studios in the USA.

NAZIA HASAN IN COMA

Nazia Hasan, the Pakistani singer who shot to fame with the ‘Aap jaisa koi’ song of Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, is battling for life at a London hospital. She slipped into coma on 30th April. Nazia, who is in her late 30s, has been suffering from blood cancer since the last couple of years.

Tolanis Gear Up For Prestigious Release

No distributor can, perhaps, claim to have acquired as many big films as the Tolanis have for C.I. After firmly establishing Sapna and Sangeeta as two leading cinemas of Indore, Arjundas Tolani and his two sons, Sanjay and Rajiv, have now acquired a line of biggies for distribution in C.I. The first to be released from among their acquisitions will be Vashu Bhagnani’s Biwi No. 1. The line-up includes such films as Arjun Pandit, Chal Mere Bhai, Hadh Kar Di Aapne, Aankh Micholi and Bichhoo.

The Tolanis plan to release Biwi No. 1 with a record number of 21 prints. They have finalised a number of cinemas already at competitive terms and the response to the film in exhibition circles is “fantastic”, according to their manager, O.P. Goyal. The Tolanis have commenced the film’s publicity in their circuit in right earnest. The designer posters are said to be attracting a lot of public attention.

Sanjay Tolani told Information, “Besides starting distribution in a big way, we will also be upgrading Sapna and Sangeeta cinemas soon. Tube-lifts will be installed at both the cinemas. They will also be equipped with air-conditioners shortly.” So lucky have Sapna and Sangeeta cinemas proven for the Tolanis that they’ve called their distribution office, Sapna Sangeeta Distributors.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Boney In Rama Naidu’s Shoes

It was all of a sudden that Boney Kapoor on 7th May launched a film with Satish Kaushik as director. Actually, the film, a remake of the Telugu hit, Pelli Cheskundama, was to be made by D. Rama Naidu. Then how did Boney come to launch it? The story goes like this. Rama Naidu had promised to acquire the Hindi remaking rights of another Telugu hit for Boney. But when Naidu did not succeed in bagging those rights, he gracefully gave up the rights of Pelli Cheskundama and asked Boney to remake the film instead of himself doing it. Of course, Boney jumped at the offer and launched the remake even before Rama Naidu would have! Story of one hero and two heroines, it is planned as a quickie by Boney. Boney and quickie? Yes, this time, the guy has even announced the release date — first week of April 2000! And Boney seems to be taking no chances. He consulted an astrologer who advised him not to leave his home for the film’s muhurt before 12.45 p.m. And so, the muhurt earlier fixed for 11 a.m. was ‘delayed’ by 2 hours. Incidentally, while Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai have already been finalised, the other heroine is to be finalised as yet. The role, according to Boney, is meaty. So who will be the lucky one?

Salman In Brief

Salman Khan stripped right down to his underwear during a dance routine at a stage show held in London on 3rd May. Salman performed the striptease amidst cheers from teenage girls in the audience while leaving older members quite aghast with his antic. It all happened when, in the course of dancing to a song, Salman threw off his jacket and then removed his trousers, too, to prance about the stage, clad only in his black brief and shoes. Amitabh Bachchan, Urmila Matondkar, Jaspinder Narula, Sunil Shetty and Tabu were among the other Bollywood personalities who attended the concert organised by Sony Entertainment Television and B4U.

Subsidy Amount Hiked

For the Marathi film industry, producer Satish Kulkarni’s contacts with ministers in the Maharashtra government have often proved useful. It was Kulkarni who had prevailed upon the government to increase the amount of subsidy payable by the state government to Marathi film producers from Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 lakh a couple of years ago. And this, in a purely personal capacity. Once again, Satish Kulkarni managed to convince the new chief minister, Narayan Rane, and deputy chief minister, Gopinath Munde, to further increase the subsidy amount — this time from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh. This happened on 30th April at the Maharashtra state government awards function. Kulkarni seized the opportunity as both the ministers were together at the function and it took two minutes for him to convince them of the need to hike the subsidy amount! The CM and the deputy CM readily obliged and, therefore, the Marathi film producers are euphoric.

BIOSCOPE

BIWI NO. 1
Rib-Tickling Comedy

Vashu Bhagnani’s Biwi No. 1 is a rollicking comedy about extra-marital affairs. Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor are blissfully married to each other for years. While Salman is a self-made advertising agency head and an ideal husband, Karisma is a caring wife who has supported her husband through thick and thin. She is also the quintessential Bharatiya naari who is content in living in her husband’s shadow. Their family is complete with two children who they dote on. However, after several years of living together, Salman begins to find a plain-Jane Karisma less attractive. He somehow begins believing that he needs a change. In walks Sushmita Sen, a model, whose only goal in life seems to be to marry a rich man so that she can live life in the lap of luxury. Salman happens to meet her and is instantly attracted to her. However, like any other erring husband, he fails to mention his marital status to Sushmita. Soon, they grow closer and Salman even takes Sushmita along on a business trip abroad. There, Anil Kapoor, who is the family doctor and a friend, spots them both together. Anil is on a holiday trip with his wife, Tabu. Salman somehow manages to convince Anil that he is only having a fling and that, he still loved Karisma too much to leave her for anyone else. Having been convinced that Karisma is not in any danger of being deserted by her husband, Anil leaves the matter at that.

Salman and Sushmita return to India, but their affair soon comes to the notice of Karisma. A hurt Karisma forbids Salman from entering their house. Salman, then, begins to have a live-in-relationship with Sushmita. When Anil Kapoor learns of this sudden turn of events, he apologises to Karisma for not having tipped her off about Salman’s erring ways earlier. He also exhorts her not to take the injustice meted out to her by Salman, lying down. Karisma then resolves to win her husband back. She devises a number of hilarious but effective ploys, in tandem with her children, her mother-in-law and Anil Kapoor, to create a negative impression of Sushmita in Salman’s mind.

This David Dhawan film boasts of a number of funny sequences and scenes that are expected to have the viewers rolling on the floor laughing. The film has a formidable star cast which includes Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Sushmita Sen and Saif Ali Khan (playing a photographer who is in love with Sushmita). The music, scored by Anu Malik, is racy. The title track and Hai jawaani toh are the pick of the lot. The film releases in the middle of the cricket World Cup matches, on 28th May, and may still succeed in hitting the bull’s eye at the box-office, going by Vashu Bhagnani and David Dhawan’s 100% track record together.

SOORYAVANSHAM
A Father And Son Saga

Padmalaya Combines’ Sooryavansham depicts Amitabh Bachchan in the dual roles of a father and son. While the father is a rich and unflinchingly principled landlord, the son is more of the happy-go-lucky type. This becomes the cause for a great amount of friction between the two, which is aggravated by certain key incidents in their lives. The matter comes to such a pass that the son chooses to leave the comforts of his father’s house — a development which is well-exploited by the father’s villainous rival to further his own end. Eventually, however, the father and the son unite to destroy the villain, played by Mukesh Rishi. The romantic angle in the film is served by South’s Soundarya, who plays an IAS officer in love with the son. Jaya Kapoor nee Sudha plays the older Amitabh’s wife while debutante Rachana Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Bindu, Shivaji Satam, Neelima Azim, master Anand Vardhan and Kader Khan comprise the rest of the cast.

This Hindi remake of the super-hit Tamil film, Sooryavamsam, is directed by the prolific Telugu film director, E.V.V. Satyanarayana. The film also marks the return of Padmalaya to Hindi films after a gap of 10 years. Anu Malik’s music and Sameer’s lyrics, both, combine to create a melodious score that is part-romantic and part-folk. The film is due for release on 21st May.

SIRF TUM
Love Story So Unusual…

Have you ever heard of a love story in which the lovers never meet? Well, that’s Sirf Tum. One may recall that when the Tamil film, Kaadhal Kottai, became a runaway hit, there was a scramble to acquire its Hindi remaking rights. The lucky producer was Boney Kapoor who, besides using his luck, had to also pay a hefty price for the rights. After buying the rights, he roped in Ahathian, the director who had made the original too. The remake may have taken a fairly long time in the making but Boney’s confidence in the project and its director was vindicated when Ahathian bagged the National Award two years ago for the same film.

Sanjay Kapoor and Priya Gill play the two romantics who never meet till the film almost ends. And yet, their romance blossoms. There’s a third angle to the story too. Sushmita Sen plays the ultra-rich boss of Sanjay Kapoor. She is head over heels in love with Sanjay, but will Sanjay agree to marry her? Not at all! Our man is in love with Priya Gill, so what if he hasn’t seen her and vice versa! A nail-biting climax sees the two love-birds unite. In the Tamil original, the audience is reported to have let out sighs galore for the hero and heroine. Will history repeat itself in Hindi? Sanjay and Priya fervently hope so. So does Sushmita Sen.

The music score by Nadeem Shravan is already very popular. In fact, Sirf Tum is one of the hot-selling albums today, not just in India but abroad too.

LEGENDARY KIDAR SHARMA NO MORE

Veteran writer-producer-director and poet Kidar Sharma passed away on the afternoon of 29th April after a brief illness, at Hinduja Hospital in Bombay. He was 90 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

The living legend was to receive the Raj Kapoor award on 30th April at a function to be held by the Maharashtra government at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Bombay. It was Kidar Sharma who had discovered Raj Kapoor, besides other yesteryear stars like Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Bharat Bhushan, Mehtab, Mala Sinha and many more.

Among the feature films written and/or directed and/or produced by Kidar Sharma are Devdas, Vidyapati, Sapera, Aulad, Chitralekha (made twice), Arman, Gauri, Kaliyaan, Dhanna Bhagat, Neel Kamal, Suhag Raat, Neki Aur Badi, Theis, Jogan, Bawre Nain, Bedardi, Shokhiyan, Sapna, Gunah, Hamari Yaad Ayegi, Jhanjar, Fariyad, Maikhana, Pehla Kadam, Ashram, Vishkanya, Mumtaz Mahal, Bhanwara, Duniya Ek Sarai and Bheegi Palkein. He also made more than a dozen films for The Children’s Film Society.

He made short films for Doordarshan, including Aise Log Bhi Hote Hain, Kagaz Ki Nao, Ham Honge Kamiyab, etc.

It was an irony of fate that Kidar Sharma never received any government recognition during his lifetime. His other accomplishments include publishing his first book of poetry, entitled ‘Panchhee’, which was even autographed by the greatest Indian poet, Guru Rabindranath Tagore.

The success of Chitralekha led to Chandulal Shah of Ranjit Studios inviting Kidar Sharma to come to Bombay in 1941 and make films for him. Kidar Sharma worked for Ranjit Studios and wrote and directed films with some of the biggest stars of that time, like Motilal and Shamim in Arman, Prithviraj Kapoor in Vishkanya and Gauri (where he cast the unknown Monica Desai opposite him). This film also marked Raj Kapoor’s break as an assistant director. Kidar Sharma also made Mumtaz Mahal with Khursheed and Chandra Mohan, and Bhanwara with K.L. Saigal, Arun Kumar (Govinda’s father), and Chand Chakori, Dhanna Bhagat and Duniya Ek Sarai in which Meena Kumari got her break as a child star.

Finally, he made Jogan for Ranjit Studios, which starred Dilip Kumar and Nargis and is considered an all-time classic even today. Bulo C. Rani really blossomed as a music director in this film.

In 1945, Kidar was chosen for the first film delegation to Hollywood and the U.K., where he met Cecil B. DeMille and Walt Disney and big stars like Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard. On his return, he also started working as an independent producer-director and signed two complete unknowns as his leading stars, Raj Kapoor (who was working as an assistant to him) and Madhubala who was still a teenager, in a movie called Neel Kamal.

In the late ‘fifties, he was summoned by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who heard one of his lyrics and asked him to become director-in-chief of The Children’s Film Society. The first film he made for the society, Jaldeep, won the Venice Film Festival award.

In 1958, he was asked by the international producers, Shaw Brothers of Singapore, to come and direct films for them.

The films that have gone down in history as his all-time classics include Chitralekha, Jogan and Suhag Raat. Chitralekha was remade in the ‘sixties with Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar and Pradeep Kumar.

As an outstanding poet, he has written most of the songs sung by the great K.L. Saigal, including Balam aeo baso more man mein, Main kya janu kya jadu hai, So ja raj kumari so ja, Dukh kay din ab beetat nahi, Panchhi kahe hot udas, etc. His other memorable songs include Teri duniya mein dil lagta nahin and a song that Madhubala once asked him to dedicate to her before she died: Radha ko na tarsa, shyam puchhtayega.

Kidar Sharma will remain the grand old man and a creative legend of Indian Cinema.

MOHAN GOKHALE DEAD

Character actor Mohan Gokhale died in his sleep on 29th April due to a massive heart attack in Madras. He was in Madras for the shooting of Kamal Haasan’s Hey! Ram.

Mohan was 46 and is survived by his wife, a daughter, parents, a brother and a sister.

A graduate in Arts from Fergusson College in Pune, Mohan started theatre from his school days. He acted in a number of television serials in Marathi (like Shwetambara) and Hindi as well as films in Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati. He was the founder-member of the Theatre Academy in Pune. He had directed actor Nana Patekar’s first play in Marathi, ‘Bhau Murarrao’. Mohan Gokhale shot to fame in the TV serial Mr. Yogi in which he played the title role. He was currently being seen in the serials Zanjeerein, Alpviram and Aashirwad. Among his better-known films are Bhavni Bhavai (Gujarati), Mirch Masala, Holi, Sparsh and Mississippi Masala. He plays Gandhi in Jabbar Patel’s film on Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. He had joined the film industry in 1977. He bagged the Maharashtra state government’s best actor award thrice for his roles in different Marathi films.

Mohan Gokhale was cremated in his home town, Pune, on 30th April.

SUDHENDU ROY NO MORE

Veteran art director Sudhendu Roy passed away on 25th April in Bombay. He was 78 and is survived by his wife and four children, one of whom is art director Sharmishtha Roy.

Sudhendu Roy had started his career with New Theatres, Calcutta. He migrated to Bombay in 1953 with Bimal Roy. He worked with such talented filmmakers as Bimal Roy, Hiten Choudhary, Gemini Productions, D. Rama Naidu and Yash Chopra. Among the films for which he had erected sets were Madhumati, Bandini, Sujata, Devdas, Kabuliwala, Biraj Bahu, Ram Aur Shyam, Kala Patthar, Lamhe and Darr. So sought-after was the art director at one time that the industry had to impose a ceiling on the number of assignments he undertook. Sudhendu Roy also directed two films, Saudagar (with Amitabh Bachchan and Nutan) and Uphaar (Jaya Bhaduri). Uphaar was India’s official entry to the Oscars.

Sudhendu Roy had an eye of a cinematographer. His sketches used to incorporate light and shadow in a manner that was almost photographic. He had a knack of visualising realistically and could say exactly how much of the set needed to be exposed. He had had no formal study in art but trained himself to draft and sketch. He was also extremely self-disciplined.

AUDIO CASSETTES SEIZED IN POLICE RAIDS

The police this week raided three premises in Bombay and seized duplicate audio cassettes of T-Series and other companies, inlay cards, a rewinding machine, empty cassette boxes and other property totally valued at Rs. 4,07,300. Two persons were arrested and cases registered against them under sections 51, 52A, 63, 65 and 68-A of the Copyright Act, 1957.

SHAAD SUES PUNJAB GOVERNMENT

Veteran Punjabi film producer, director and writer B.S. Shaad has filed a case in the Punjab high court against the Punjab government for recovery of subsidy amounting to Rs. 12 lakh due to him for his Punjabi film, Laali. It may be recalled that he had on 19th January sent a legal notice to the government, which evoked no response.

Shaad made Laali and also completed due formalities for claiming subsidy from the government. However, the government appeared to be ignoring his claim. Subsequently, he pursued the matter through CHAMPP, IMPPA and FMC, but to no avail. Driven to his wits’ end by the government’s silence on the issue, Shaad filed the case.

RAID ON TOURING TALKIES

A raid conducted recently on Vaibhav Touring Talkies, Alas, district Kolhapur, resulted in the  arrest of the cinema owner, Ram Upadhye, for screening Yeshwant illegally. Although the print could not be seized, the owner confessed in his statement to the police that a print of Yeshwant was screened by him illegally for two days. An FIR was filed and the cinema owner was later released on bail. According to him, the print was supplied to him by one Ram Bhosale of Miraj and smuggled from the Karnataka border. The police is investigating the case.

‘BORDER’ DIGI-BETA TAPES STOLEN

Kewal Suri’s Maruti Zen was stolen on 24th April from the crowded Lokhandwala area in Andheri, Bombay. There were three Digi-Beta cassettes of Border in the car, and they too were stolen alongwith the car. Kewal Suri holds the all-India video rights of the film.

CHANDRACHUR SINGH WEDS

Actor Chandrachur Singh got married to Avantika on 27th April in Delhi.

JALIANWALA BAGH AWARD FOR ‘SHAHEED-E-MOHABBAT’

Gurdas Maan and his wife, Manjit, were recently felicitated in London by a local cultural organisation, Jalianwala Bagh (UK), for making Shaheed-E-Mohabbat. Gurdas Maan was presented the best actor award, and Manjit Maan, the best film award for Shaheed-E-Mohabbat.

Gurdas Maan and his group performed stage shows in a number of cities of the UK from 31st March to 21st April.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘Kohram’ Negative Cutting

The first negative of producer-director Mehul Kumar’s Kohram was cut on April 29 at Adlabs. Dilip Sen Sameer Sen will record the background score from May 12 at Saba Studio. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Jaya Prada, Tabu, Mukul Dev, Ayesha Julka, Mukesh Rishi and Danny with Jackie Shroff and Kabir Bedi in special appearances. It is scheduled for release in July. Dialogues: Iqbal Durrani. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi & Dev Kohli. Cameraman: Rasool Ellore. Action: Bhiku Verma. Editing: Yusuf Sheikh.

‘Chal Mere Bhai’ Bangalore Spell Complete

An 8-day shooting stint of Neha Arts’ Chal Mere Bhai was completed in Bangalore on April 29. Two songs and scenes were picturised on the entire cast including Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Dalip Tahhil, Sushma Seth, Shakti Kapoor, Himani Shivpuri, Satish Kaushik, Asrani, Javed Khan, Ghanshyam, Suresh Bhagwat, Shiva, Rajoo Shreshtha and Shahbaaz Khan. The film is being produced by Nitin Manmohan and directed by David Dhawan from a story by Ikram Akhtar and screenplay written jointly by Ikram Akhtar and Yunus Sejawal. Dialogues: Rumi Jafri. Music: Anand Milind. Lyrics: Sameer. Cinematography: Harmeet Singh. Choreography: Ganesh Acharya. Art: R. Verman. Editor: A. Muthu. Gaurav Digital presents the film.

‘Hadh Kardi Aapne’ 10-Day Spell In America

The final 10-day shooting spell of R.R. Productions’ Hadh Kardi Aapne will commence on May 8 in America. The film, being produced by Rajeev Anand and Rakesh Malhotra and directed by Manoj Agrawal, stars Govinda, Rani Mukerji, Nirmal Pandey, Ritu Shivpuri, Helen Brodie, Paresh Rawal, Satish Kaushik, Johny Lever (in a double role), Avtar Gill, Tanaaz Currim, Navneet Nishan, Himani Shivpuri, Smita Jaykar, newcomer Kanchi Kaul and Tinnu Anand. Story-screenplay: Satish Jain. Dialogues: Aadesh K. Arjun. Music: Anand Raaj Anand. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi.

‘Haseena Maan Jayegi’ Shooting, Dubbing Complete

The entire shooting and dubbing of Rahul Productions’ Haseena Maan Jayegi are complete. Recording of background music will commence on May 6. Produced by Smita Thackeray and directed by David Dhawan, the film stars Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Karisma Kapoor, Pooja Batra, Aroona Irani, Paresh Rawal, Kader Khan, Satish Kaushik, Mohan Joshi, Aasif Sheikh and Anupam Kher with Bindu and Asrani in guest roles. Story-screenplay: Yunus Sejawal and Imtiaz Patel. Dialogues: Rumi Jafri. Music: Anu Malik. Lyrics: Sameer. Cinematography: K.S. Prakash Rao. Editor: A. Muthu. Action: Mahendra Verma. Choreographer: Ganesh and B.H. Tharun Kumar. Bharat Shah presents the film.

‘Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai’ Major Schedule Complete

Super Good Films’ Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai was shot in a 23-day stint till April 23 at Ramoji Rao Studios, Annapurna Studios and on locales in Hyderabad. Govinda, Rani Mukerji, Apoorva Agnihotri, Deepak Tijori, Farida Jalal, Kishore Bhanushali, Pramod Moutho and Om Puri participated. The film, which is almost complete, is being produced by R.B. Choudhary and directed by Kirti Kumar. Story: Sasi. Screenplay: S.M. Ahale. Dialogues: Javed Siddiqi. Lyrics: Anand Bakshi. Music: Uttam Singh. Art: Gappa Chakraborty. Cinematography: Peter Pereira. Dances: Ganesh, Raju Sundaram and Chinni Prakash. Balram Sharma is the film’s co-producer.

YOU ASKED IT

Will the entry of foreign production companies, in Bollywood augur well for us?

– Their entry may well change the face of Bollywood in the years to come.

What do you think of the producers who will release their star-cast films while the World Cup cricket matches are on?

– These producers had to choose between getting their films in opposition of other big films or cricket matches. They opted for the latter. A lot depends on how the matches progress.

Among producers, distributors and exhibitors, who, according to you, are the most harassed lot?

– The producers, because there’s no unity in the production sector. Everybody seems to be taking the producer for a ride and, in the absence of a strong trade association of producers (thanks only to lack of unity), the producer has to bear with all the tantrums and humiliation.

Will the concept of multiplexes succeed in a city like Jaipur?

– It will succeed wherever people have spending power, and Jaipur is no exception.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Power Of Good Music

The opening of Sarfarosh in several circuits took the industry by surprise. It is a commonly known fact that Aamir Khan acts in a very limited number of films. This, coupled with the film’s publicity, had raised hopes in the trade that the film may open well. Besides, the film was the solo major release of this week, implying thereby that it did not have to vie for public attention. And it is vacation time in many parts of the country. But despite all these points in favour of Sarfarosh, the film opened to ordinary houses in circuits like C.I., East Punjab and Rajasthan. The reason: the film does not have popular music. Which gets us to the important role music today plays in ensuring a good initial. Like it had happened in the case of Shah Rukh Khan’s Duplicate, it has once again happened with Sarfarosh. Even Duplicate took a decent opening only in Bombay but in the rest of the country, the initial was far from encouraging. This, because its music was not up to the mark although it was definitely better than the music of Sarfarosh.

Dancing Surprise

Trust Boney Kapoor to spring surprises. After having got melody queen Lata Mangeshkar to make a cameo appearance in his Pukaar, Boney is at it again. This time over, he has roped in Prabhu Deva for a dance item for Pukaar. Initially, the song was planned to be picturised on Madhuri Dixit and a robot. No sooner did Prabhu Deva happen to hear A.R. Rahman’s composition, he, of his own accord, expressed a desire to choreograph the song. While Boney and director Rajkumar Santoshi were only too happy with Prabhu’s keenness, they went a step ahead and asked him not only to choreograph the number but also dance alongwith Madhuri for it. So the robot is out and Prabhu Deva is in. Rehearsals have begun in right earnest in Madras, and shooting may commence next week on several sets being erected for the song picturisation in Hyderabad. But what is it that prompted Prabhu to make a special appearance for the song. Well, wait till you hear the song. Que sera sera sera (a well-known Latin phrase) goes the song and is it good? No, it’s too good!

Manoj Kumar: Analysing Failure

It requires guts to admit one’s failure and Manoj Kumar is a gutsy man. Not only does the maker of many a hit concede that his latest, Jai Hind, has not fared well, but he has also analysed the reason for the audience rejecting the film. Jai Hind was started more than five years ago and the delays in completing the film seem to have taken their toll on the project. “When Jai Hind was launched, the Kashmir issue affected every Indian, but the problem had been solved by the time the film hit the screens,” reasons Manoj Kumar. “My well-wishers did caution me to scrap the film when artistes like Manisha Koirala started troubling me for dates and when the Kashmir problem got solved in the meantime. But I refused to do so as it was a question of the reputation of my banner. I’ve learnt a lesson from the failure of Jai Hind — never make a film on a temporary problem because if the problem is no longer there, the audience will not feel for the project. You can’t serve dry fruits in summer. You want fresh fruits. Even paneer masala or chicken moghlai will be abhorred by people if they are stale, but simple dal, if fresh, will be relished,” says Manoj Kumar. Very true, Manoj-ji.

Diaries For Sale

Producer Vashu Bhagnani seems to get better and better with each of his films. Take for instance, his novel publicity idea for his forthcoming Biwi No. 1. He has had a large number of Biwi No. 1 diaries made (a cheaper version of the one which we wrote about a few weeks back) to be sold to the patrons inside main cinemas in main cities of every circuit. In fact, he is currently busy setting up the stalls to sell these diaries at various places all over India. The diary,  containing eye-catching pictures and autographs of the Biwi No. 1 team, is priced at Rs. 125 and should be a good buy for avid cinegoers, except that the price is a bit on the higher side. “Actually, Rs. 125 is itself the cost price of the diary for me”, explains Vashu. “The objective behind selling the diaries is not to make money, but to create awareness about my film as well as give the patrons something of sentimental value.”

The Slap That Echoed Far, The Slap That Launched A Star

As legendary director Kidar Sharma departs to meet his Maker this week, let us savour an interesting memory that truly brings out the character of the man. The incident dates back to the ‘forties when a young Raj Kapoor was still a fortune-hunter in the film world and was working with director Kidar Sharma as his assistant. Raj Kapoor’s main responsibility at that time was to sound the clapper-board before every shot. Raj, who even then was fixed on the idea of becoming an actor, would invariably try to push his face in front of the camera for a few seconds before sounding the clapper-board. Once, it so happened that Raj was, as usual, preoccupied with himself in front of the camera, so much so that when he sounded the clapper-board, the false beard of the performing artiste got stuck in it and came off. The very next moment, the entire crew was in peals of laughter. Kidar Sharma, being the short-tempered man he was, walked straight up to Raj Kapoor and gave him a resounding slap on his cheek. Everyone in the unit was aghast. After all, Raj was the son of one of the foremost stage and film actors of India. However, the incident served as a blessing in disguise for Raj’s acting career which was yet to take off. For, Kidar Sharma was so impressed with the pain he saw in Raj’s eyes after being slapped that he instantly made up his mind to bring him in front of the camera. And soon enough, he began Neel Kamal (1948) with Raj Kapoor in the lead. The rest, as they say, is history.

INFORMATION MEETS

“People tell me, ‘Vashu, you are a very blunt businessman’. But, let me tell you that I am a very sentimental person. If someone speaks ill of me,
it hurts me a lot.”

– VASHU BHAGNANI

RAJ VAIDYA

He is arguably one of the most successful producers on the scene today. Having switched vocations barely half a decade ago, he scored an instant hit with his debut production project, Coolie No. 1. Just four films later, he is in a position to demand what he terms as ‘munh-maanga daam’ for his multi-starrer, Biwi No. 1. Yet, Vashu Bhagnani appears far from being flattered, and he doesn’t even get carried away with the industry’s growing expectations from him. In fact, he has decided to keep the film for many of the circuits with himself. He says, he is willing to take the risk more because ‘I don’t want to lose people today’ (in case the film flops) than for any business considerations.

We caught up with Vashu Bhagnani on a typically hectic day at his office. Biwi No. 1 is close to releasing, and its publicity materials and promotional trailers are in the process of being despatched to the various distributors. Amidst the flurry of activities, Vashu spent time with us and shared with us his thoughts on relationships in the industry, his disappointments and his astute business sense.

You have a 100% successful track-record, which could be both, a blessing (as it means that it is the distributors who run after you to buy your films and not vice versa) or constant pressure of having to live up to everyone’s expectations. How do you look at it?

Actually, it is both. If the expectations grow with every film you make, then it will also drive you to achieve higher and higher every time, isn’t it? I started with Coolie No. 1 and then went on to make Hero No. 1, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and now, Biwi No. 1. With each of my films, I have gone better than the previous. People say that BMCM didn’t do very well, but I would beg to differ. Businesswise, it was better than PKTDK. (Perhaps, Vashu is not taking into account the prices of the two films while comparing them.) Anyway, the point is, I have grown commensurately with the rise in people’s expectations in my abilities as a producer. Of course, a time may come when I may feel that a certain film of mine hasn’t been up to my usual standards. But then, I will be forthright about it rather than bluff the audience into believing that it is as big as say, Biwi No. 1. I’ll tell them through the media, ‘Look, even though this is my film, it isn’t Biwi No. 1. It is a good film, nevertheless, and do see it. But please don’t come to the cinema expecting it to be a Biwi No. 1 or BMCM or whatever’. Luckily, this hasn’t happened so far.

Making a bigger film than my previous one has never been a criterion whenever I have embarked on a project. I basically look for a good plot and for good artistes who would be perfect for it. I would never do something like signing, say, Shah Rukh Khan just to increase the business prospects of a plot ideally suited for, say, Govinda. I will only take those who fit the requirement of the plot. I don’t want to cheat my audience. I have laboured to create my place among the audience, which I don’t want to lose overnight. It has taken me six long years to get here and I don’t want to lose it all in a day’s time. I have seen people in this very industry, who have not achieved success even after decades. Fortunately, I have tasted only success ever since I have entered the industry. I firmly believe that this has been possible solely because of some divine grace. I don’t want to lose this opportunity by being ungrateful. I don’t want to exploit people. Yes, it is possible that I could get whatever price I want by going around telling people how much I have spent on my film. But I do not want that kind of money. In fact, I am releasing Biwi No. 1 myself in almost 60% of the territories. It doesn’t matter to me if I get less money that way.

But isn’t there a huge risk involved in it? After all and with due respect to your track-record, no one is infallible….

But that’s precisely my point. I don’t want to exploit anyone, like I said earlier. If the film works with the masses, the money will naturally follow. But if it doesn’t, I don’t want to lose my distributors by giving them big talks and extracting an exorbitant price from them. Another reason why I have turned down distributors for Biwi No. 1 is the fact that my expectation from the film is much greater than theirs. Their price can never match mine because I know exactly how much money I have spent on the film. Supposing our prices matched, even then, it is said that bahut zyada price lena bhi bura lagta hai. Today, the film is complete and the hype surrounding it is making a lot of distributors approach me. I am getting more offers than I need, but I am turning them down. This is simply because, if the film flops, no matter who loses money, ultimately, it would be I who would get bad-dua. I do not want to lose people today.

And yet, when a number of distributors approached you for Gujarat-Saurashtra, you quoted them fantastic prices and terms. Why?

That is true. Kyon ki ya to mujhe bahut bada paisa chaahiye ya kuchh bhi nahin. Either I take a lot or I don’t take anything at all. But when I take, people should say ki Vashu ne kya paise liye! Or, that he asked for so much that nobody was willing to give him. I am willing to accept both.

That is all very well but couldn’t the current trend among distributors, to shirk from paying overflows, be the real reason behind your decision of keeping the film with yourself?

No, no. That’s not the reason. It isn’t what I am talking about. What you are saying is the business aspect of it. As a businessman, you are free to choose something if it suits you and reject what doesn’t. What I am talking about is interpersonal relationships. I don’t care for anyone when it comes to business. No one at all. Yet, it is also true that I have always put relations over and above business.

Talking of relations, you seem to have a very good working relationship with director David Dhawan. Barring PKTDK, all your films have been directed by him.

Firstly, David-ji ke saath mere ghar ke relations hai. I have always thought of him as an elder brother. I had already made Coolie No. 1 and Hero No. 1 with him, when he began working on BMCM for another producer. But some time through the project, circumstances developed in such a way that I had to enter the project. As far as Biwi No. 1 is concerned, I had selected the subject myself after seeing a film (Sati Leelavathi in Tamil) in Madras, three years ago. I came back to Bombay and told David about it. I also gave him a VHS of the film and suggested that he remade it. When he saw the film, je hust loved it and asked me if I would produce the remake. So I went and bought the rights of the original. Then we spent a lot of time working on the script and deciding who fits perfectly in which role. Eventually, we launched the film.

David and I have spent so much time working together that we share an excellent rapport. After all, we have made four films together, and if each film has taken about 90 days to make, it simply means that we’ve had meals together for 360 days. Ab jis ke saath insaan 360 din namak khaayega, woh dost toh ban hi jaayega, na!

To change tracks, isn’t it sheer bravado that you have decided to release BIWI NO. 1 thick in the middle of the Cricket World Cup?

You could say that but then, you couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Let me explain. Firstly, whenever I release the film, be it two weeks from now or after the World Cup, someone from the industry will lose some money if his film is competing against mine. Why should I do that? Why should I bite the very hand that has not only fed me but has also given me so much more? I’d rather take away from another industry that either the film industry or I are not concerned with. Hum log aapas mein industry ko kyon divide karein?

Secondly, I feel, this whole talk of the World Cup majorly affecting movie collections is a myth. As per my calculations, the maximum it could affect is by 10-20%. You may think, I’m being unduly optimistic, but let me tell you that if you print my calculation in your issue, I’m sure that it will receive many replies. I am ready to change my name if it doesn’t. It goes like this — we run films in 4 shows daily. Since the World Cup matches will begin only at 3.15 p.m., the 12 o’clock show will remain unaffected. The 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. shows will, of course, be affected. The 9 p.m. show, contrary to popular belief, will not be affected. Let me explain how. Even though the matches will officially end at 9.15 p.m., sometimes, the matches may end earlier than that, or the interest in the match may be over before its end. So, all in all, a maximum of two shows will be affected, that too only on the days of the matches. And to what extent? Let’s say, 20%. Even then, the tally at the end of the day will still read: 12 noon show – 100%; 3 p.m. – 80%; 6 p.m. – 80%; and 9 p.m. – 100%. Average collectoins for a day will still read 90%. And if I am scoring 90% on a match-day, then I am definitely a winner. This, when I am not even taking into account the fact that not all the matches in the World Cup are going to generate an equal amount of interest. I could lose much more if my film were to be pitted against another. But since no other major films are releasing during the World Cup, my film will get a clear field for three straight weeks. This should prove advantageous to it, don’t you think?

And finally, if the World Cup boasts of many a good team, even I can say that I have an excellent team. I mean, what would you call a combination of Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Sushmita Sen, David Dhawan, Anu Malik and the title value of Biwi No. 1?

Coming to one of your most-known passions — publicity. How much importance do you give to publicity?

You have rightly termed it as ‘passion’, I strongly believe that koi bhi kaam karne ke liye shauq hona chaahiye. I am constantly thinking of ways of doing things better and better. I don’t like to compromise on anything that is within my powers. Maine kabhi apne aap se dhokha nahin kiya. Sometimes, when I go abroad and see the way things are publicised, I realise that there are so many things that I haven’t done yet. I see the ads everywhere, in papers, on TV, etc., and there are so many ideas that I would like to incorporate in my publicities, for example, I would love to do something on the lines of the Liril ad, but often, my budget doesn’t allow me to. So, I do the maximum I can under the circumstances. For example, today, a particular poster of Biwi No. 1 costs me Rs. 35,000, which means about 40 such posters would set me back by approximately Rs. 10 to 15 lakh. This is a big sum in today’s times, but I spend it because I am trying to derive creative satisfaction out of my work. Otherwise, you could make 10,000 or even a lakh posters in Rs. 15 lakh. Par uss mein phir woh satisfaction waali baat nahin hogi.

Similarly, as a producer, I hold nothing back every time I make a film. I cannot direct, so I don’t waste my time interfering with that. Whatever creative input I can add, which is within my mental capacity and powers, I do. I am constantly striving to stretch my abilities and that only happens because I am extremely passionate about my work.

Five films in six years. What has the experience been like?

To tell you the truth, right now, I am very confused. Mera dil karta hai ki mujhe ab zyada din industry mein rehna hi nahin hai. I just can’t understand the way people deal here. I can swear that I have never ever worked with anyone with a malafide intention and yet, I hear a lot of people spreading all kinds of lies about me. I have failed to understand who to trust and who not to. I have no other interests, besides my work and my family. I just happen to love my business and dealing with people, and my family. So, I get hurt quickly when I hear that someone has spoken rubbish about me. I am the kind of person who starts loving someone even if I have had a single meal with him. So, I feel I do not deserve this.

People tell me, ‘Vashu, you are a very blunt businessman.’ But let me tell you that I am a very sentimental person. If someone speaks ill of me, it hurts me a lot, but I prefer not to talk about it. Instead, I ask myself why the person did so. Like I said earlier, I have always put relationships over and above film business. That’s why a loss in business never affects me as much as a breach of faith does.

I have never cheated anyone. I don’t ever bargain. My friends tell me, ‘Vashu, now that you have become a big producer, you should not pay your stars so much.’ But I don’t agree. Why should I agree? Today, it is because of the stars that I’m selling my film. Vashu Bhagnani cannot sell. I sell because I have a Salman or an Anil or such. Eventually, it is the product that sells. So, I turn back to my friends and ask, ‘Agar Vashu Bhagnani chalta hai toh woh kisi bhi aire gaire ko hero lekar film hit kar ke dikhaaye.’ They cannot reply to that.

SHOWBIZ TODAY

THE MAKING OF A MULTIPLEX

Maharashtra Government Approves G2000 In Pune

KOMAL NAHTA & RAJ VAIDYA

The word is finally out. The Maharashtra government has very recently given a nod to the construction of multiplexes in the state. It may be recalled that a couple of years ago, the state government had negotiated a proposal for multiplexes with the US-based Warner Bros. However, nothing came of it and the proposal was scrapped after a few meetings between the two parties. Sources say that that may have been due to the inability of the Warner officials to cope with the tremendous amount of red tapism involved in interacting with the government. Be that as it may, the government policy on multiplexes remained on ice thereafter. Until now, that is.

In its first-ever policy decision on the subject, the Maharashtra government has approved a proposal for an entertainment complex which also includes a multiplex, to come up in Pune soon. The government has broadly defined its tourism policy (multiplexes have been made a part of the tourism industry) and paved the way for future multiplexes in the state by providing a number of incentives for projects of the same nature.

The construction work of the abovementioned complex, G2000, is already under way in Pune. When completed, it will have a business hotel, a cultural centre, an exhibition hall, bowling alleys, a video games parlour, restaurants and so on, apart from a multiplex comprising four screens.

We met the brain behind the project, Hemant Manmohan (brother of producer Nitin Manmohan), to find out more about the venture, the government policy and the future of multiplexes in India. For, when the history of multiplexes in India is written, the name of Hemant Manmohan shall be written in golden letters.

Firstly, how did the idea of setting up a multiplex come to you?

In my opinion, multiplexes will become the order of the day very soon. Today, several small cinema halls that have come up in Bombay, have brought back the audience to cinemas. The bottom line is to provide quality service — good projection and sound, comfortable seating and a few other value-additions — which is what has made these cinemas viable recreational spots for people. However, increasing costs, taxes and other difficulties prevent most other cinemas from providing facilities of a similar standard. But imagine a cinema complex with a number of screens under a single roof and decidedly smaller seating capacities — that becomes a viable proposal for both, people and the trade.

That’s true. But, why Pune and not Bombay?

I believe that Pune has tremendous potential to generate tourist traffic. Being an industrial city, it continues to attract a large number of people from all parts of India. These people have nearly the same spending power as those in Bombay. I have a number of business interests in Pune and constantly shuttle between Bombay and Pune. I have personally known of a number of business ventures that have succeeded in Pune despite the skeptical view about the spending power of Puneites. Take the case of Domino’s Pizza. They run 17 parlours in Pune and, at any given time, the waiting period at these parlours is two hours! Having been convinced so, I hired a marketing company to do a survey to ascertain the viability of my project and, as expected, the findings were favourable.

Another reason in choosing Pune over Bombay was that I already had a plot of land on prime location there. Years ago, I had bought it with the intention of setting up a business hotel on it. Due to certain reasons, that project hadn’t taken off and I was looking to using it in some way. So, when the survey results reiterated my instincts, I quickly got the project report of the venture made, and applied to the Tourism Finance Corporation Ltd. for finance. They approved my application and I began the construction work.

Even before getting an approval from the government? That is surely putting the cart before the horse…

…You can say that, but the truth is that I was always convinced of the viability of the project. Likewise, I was also sure of getting the government to approve it. You see, even though I didn’t have a formal approval from the ministry, I had won the support of a few dynamic bureaucrats therein. They had given me to understand that they were looking at the proposal in a very positive manner. That was enough for me to begin work.

And how did the final approval come about?

Oh, that was a long process. I had applied for the permission to set up an entertainment complex way back in August ’98. My earlier experiences had proved to me that whenever one approached the government with a proposal for a cinema hall, one had to face a lot of negative attitude from the people concerned. Since my project was much more than a cinema complex alone, I decided to approach the tourism ministry. Sadly, when I first applied, there was no clear state policy on tourism. So, I went to Gujarat, which had a fairly decent tourism policy, especially in regards to development of entertainment complexes. I gathered all details of the policy and presented it to the Maharashtra tourism ministry. Slowly, I could see that the people concerned were beginning to see sense in what I was proposing. I must add here that I particularly paid attention to the paperwork throughout the process, which must have gone in my favour. My proposal was approved over similar ones submitted by two big groups in the field.

Can you briefly describe the complex?

Sure. The complex will be called G2000 and will have several levels, each devoted to a specific purpose. The main features of G2000 are a cineplex with four screens and a total seating capacity of more than 1,400; a business hotel with 64 suites, which will be managed by the Taj Group; a cultural centre consisting of an exhibition hall; a rooftop auditorium which can be used to stage plays as well as screen films; bowling alleys; a video game parlour; a MacDonald’s outlet; a 2-level underground parking lot, and so on. We plan to have G2000 in operation by April next year.

MAHARASHTRA GOVT.’S POLICY FOR CINEMA MULTIPLEXES

The Maharashtra government has announced the policy for cinema multiplexes valid all over Maharashtra including Bombay city. The policy for multiplexes is actually a part of the Tourism Policy announced to coincide with the Year of Tourism. The Tourism Policy has four components of which the third component relates to the package for multiplexes.

Excerpts from the policy:
“The multiplexes will have criterion for minimum number of screens for Bombay city and outside Bombay, and can have tourism related amenities within the multiplexes.

“The multiplexes shall be eligible for exemption from entertainment duty for a period of 4-5 years. They will also be entitled to stamp duty relief if they are located outside the municipal limits.

“For the projects of Indian entrepreneurs, joint venture projects and 100% projects of foreign companies, there shall be different norms within the multiplex policy.

“The cinema houses in the multiplexes will be exempted from sales and purchase tax for the cinematographic equipment purchased by them.

“Existing cinema houses can also convert into multiplexes under the policy.”

The Tourism Policy shall be implemented by a single-window clearance system.