SAPNAY
(Dubbed)

AVM Productions’ Sapnay, dubbed from the Tamil film Minsara Kanavu, is a love triangle with some difference. For one, two boys don’t love the same girl. One boy is in love with her but doesn’t know how to express his love, and so he takes the help of another boy to get the girl closer to him, but in so doing, the second boy and the girl fall in love. Another difference is that although the girl is the usual fun-loving kind, she is bent upon leaving the materialistic world and becoming a nun.

The unusual story is interesting, but showing too many Christian characters and too much of Christianity restricts the film’s appeal dramatically. Not only is the heroine brought up in a missionary school, even one hero is a Christian. The film has plenty of light moments but several of them are of the kind which would appeal immensely to the class audience but not at all to the masses. Further, since it is a dubbed film, the dialogues don’t come in a natural flow and, therefore, reduce the impact of the light scenes. This, coupled with the film’s mixing which is not proper, proves a handicap for the audience. Dubbing, in fact, is bad, and several dialogues are not easily comprehensible. The first half is dull.

What the drama definitely lacks in is emotions. The story had scope to accommodate emotional scenes but they are missing. An attempt has been made to infuse some sentiments in the climax but they don’t touch the heart. The climax, as it is, is over-dramatic and does not go well with the mood of the rest of the film.

Arvind Swamy acts with effortless ease. Although he gets lesser scope to entertain than the other hero (Prabhu Deva), he leaves a mark with his sincere performance. Although a bit fat, he looks very handsome. Kajol is excellent. She comes like a whiff of fresh air whenever she does on the screen. She looks pretty, dances beautifully and acts admirably. In fact, she and Prabhu Deva are the life of the film. Prabhu Deva endears himself to the audience in the role of a barber. His antics and jokes are very entertaining. V.K. Ramaswamy, Nassar, Prakash Raj and Girish Karnad lend good support. S.P. Balasubrahmaniam is good only at places; at other times, he tends to get boring and irritates.

Rajiv Menon has selected a fairly different story but his debut as a director leaves a lot to be desired. Rather than explaining things properly, he often leaves a lot to the viewer’s imagination. His narration of the subject is of class appeal. Of course, his direction also has its brilliant moments but they are few and far between, and the overall impact isn’t too nice. A sensitive subject as this required a mature handling with a lot of emphasis on a tight screenplay. A.R. Rahman’s music is the biggest asset of the film. The songs are a treat for the ears and picturisations of most of them are superb. ‘Awara bhanwara’, ‘Chanda re’ and ‘Ho…. la la la’ are wonderful songs and their picturisations thrill the heart. Picturisation of ‘Door na ja mujhse’ is extraordinary. Background music is very effective. Camerawork is brilliant. Locations are beautiful. Dialogues could have been better. Editing should have been sharper.

On the whole, Sapnay is a film for select cinemas in select major cities only, where the class audience will like it. But as there’s less for masses in it, it will meet with a poor fate in the rest of the country, and keep its distributors in the red.

Released on 1-5-’97 at Metro and on 2-5-’97 at other cinemas of Bombay thru ABC Pictures Pvt. Ltd. Publicity: excellent. Opening: very good. …….Also released all over. Opening was not upto the mark at many places.

LATEST POSITION

The debacle of MRITYUDAATA has sent shock-waves in the industry. …….This week’s SAPNAY has taken a poor start at most of the places.

Mrityudaata started dropping from 2nd day onwards. 1st week Bombay 40,98,434 (79.87%) from 14 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 14,15,389 from 8 cinemas (2 unrecd.), Padra 1,51,148, Bharuch (gross) 3,38,722, Rajkot 2,88,790 from 2 cinemas, Jamnagar 1,51,219; Pune 8,96,903 from 6 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 2,58,971 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 36,53,043 (81.44%) from 11 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,62,920 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 3,11,651, Agra 2,38,332, Varanasi 1,81,561 (89.21%), Dehradun 1,45,000 (69.99%); Calcutta 48,00,175 from 37 cinemas; Gaya 1,00,010 from 2 cinemas; Nagpur 5,40,069 from 6 cinemas, Jabalpur 2,24,873 from 2 cinemas, Amravati 1,79,808 from 2 cinemas, Akola 1,77,080 from 2 cinemas, Raipur 2,46,195 (50.38%) from 2 cinemas, Bhilai 2,62,620 from 3 cinemas, Jalgaon 1,00,034, Chandrapur 1,17,410, Khandwa 88,984 from 2 cinemas; Indore 3,41,270 from 3 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal 4,19,403 from 3 cinemas, Gwalior 1,16,000; Jaipur 11,60,803 from 6 cinemas, Ajmer (29 shows) 1,28,722, city record, Bikaner 2,65,909 from 2 cinemas, Udaipur 91,740; Hyderabad 33,94,977 from 22 cinemas, share 18,79,000.

……….

Ziddi 3rd week Bombay 10,12,806 (71.53%) from 6 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,88,034 from 2 cinemas (3 unrecd.); Pune 3,98,388 from 3 cinemas, Solapur 99,528 from 2 cinemas; Delhi 15,40,599 from 8 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 2,26,837 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,79,660, Agra 1,17,650, Varanasi 1,18,839, Dehradun 87,874 (2nd 1,36,081); Rohtak 26,034; Calcutta 6,39,526 from 8 cinemas; Nagpur 1,99,461 from 3 cinemas, Jabalpur 88,688, total 4,58,213, Amravati 90,707, Raipur 1,16,201, Bhilai 45,356, total 3,40,380, 2nd Jalgaon 95,900, 3rd week 4 days 38,000; 3rd week Jaipur 2,48,768, Bikaner 52,247; Hyderabad 3,24,238.

Judaai 9th week Bombay 7,40,593 (59.57%) from 5 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Baroda 1,06,768, Rajkot 58,725, Jamnagar 57,707; Pune 1,30,421 from 3 cinemas, Solapur 39,007; Delhi 2,77,835 from 3 cinemas; Kanpur 98,314 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 55,191, Agra 27,500; Nagpur 78,962 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur 39,762, total 5,73,199, 8th Amravati 78,021, 9th week Akola 64,860, total 8,33,550, Raipur 53,711, Bhilai (6 days) 25,250, 4th week 6 days Wardha 27,548; 9th Indore 83,020, Bhopal 83,188; Jaipur 68,252; Hyderabad 2,07,199.

Hero No. 1 10th week Bombay 4,80,924 (69.71%) from 3 cinemas; Baroda 28,015, 9th week Rajkot (mat.) 8,200; 10th Pune 2,36,718 from 4 cinemas (1 in mat.), Solapur (mat.) 27,408; Delhi 1,81,741 from 2 cinemas; Kanpur 43,912, Lucknow 55,517, Agra 60,384, Varanasi 39,373; Calcutta 1,12,237; Nagpur 22,774, Jabalpur 50,643, total 9,54,702, Akola 32,007, total 6,03,772, share 3,44,506, 1st week Gondia 62,271; 10th Indore 52,810, Bhopal 57,348; Jaipur 1,21,219; Hyderabad 3,37,263 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon).

Raja Hindustani 21st week Bombay 4,09,531 from 4 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 23,675 (1 unrecd.), 25th week Baroda 41,488; 22nd Pune 1,65,088 from 3 cinemas, 20th week Solapur (7 shows) 51,689; 24th Delhi 85,054; 25th Kanpur 26,913, 24th Lucknow 56,853, 25th Varanasi 17,343; 3rd week Kampti 33,353, 3 weeks’ total from Balaghat 2,65,000; 24th week Indore 1,21,103, 23rd Bhopal 44,713; 25th week Hyderabad 1,97,875.

GRAND OPENING OF CINEMA AT DOMBIVLI, BOMBAY

The opening of Pooja cinema at Dombivli, a distant Bombay suburb, on 1st May at the hands of police commissioner O.P. Bali was a grand affair. The expenditure incurred by the owners, Morarji Vira, Meghji Vira, Mahendra Vira, Bhanu Vira and Kekin Vira, befitted that for a marriage.

Invitee shows of Sapnay were held at 6 p.m. as well as 9 p.m. at Pooja and the recently opened twin cinema, Madhuban. Both are equipped with Dolby Stereophonic sound system. The invitees in both the shows at both the cinemas were treated to dinner too.

The Vira family played perfect hosts, receiving the guests with pedas and thandai. Everybody associated with the construction of Pooja cinema was honoured on the occasion with trophies.

TAX EXEMPTION FOR MARATHI FILMS

Maharashtra revenue minister Narayan Rane announced in the legislative council this week that Marathi films would be granted 100% entertainment tax exemption. Maharashtra chief minister Manohar Joshi has also promised to increase the subsidy payable to Marathi film producers to Rs. 15 lakh.

FIRST AIR-CONDITIONED CINEMA IN BARODA

Vihar cinema in Baroda has installed an air-conditioning plant and becomes the only cinema in Baroda district with a full air-conditioning facility. Sapnay opened at the air-conditioned cinema on 2nd May.

KETAN ANAND’S WIFE COMMITS SUICIDE

Producer-director Ketan Anand’s wife committed suicide on 26th April at her residence at Chembur, Bombay. The reason for the suicide is not known.

‘SAPNAY’ PREMIERE

A premiere show of Sapnay was held on 30th April at Metro, Bombay. The three lead artistes of the film — Arvind Swamy, Kajol and Prabhu Deva — attended the show.

DTS SOUND SYSTEM FOR CINEMA AT AKLUJ

Dr. Sunil Patil, owner of Shriram cinema, Akluj (Maharashtra), has gone to Dubai and Singapore for buying DTS digital sound system for the cinema. The cinema is already equipped with Dolby SR sound.

DTS SOUND AT SMRITI, INDORE

Smriti cinema in Indore, owned by the Kasliwals, will instal DTS sound system. Border will be released at the cinema after the installation of the sound system. This will be the third cinema in Indore to have DTS sound system, the earlier two being Sapna and Sangeeta.

DTS AT NOVELTY, LUCKNOW

Novelty Talkies, Lucknow, has installed DTS Stereophonic sound system. It is the first cinema in Uttar Pradesh to have installed the sound system.

JAIPAL REDDY NEW I & B MINISTER

Sudini Jaipal Reddy is the new information & broadcasting minister in the government of prime minister I.K. Gujral. He was sworn in as cabinet rank minister on 1st May and succeeds C.M. Ibrahim.

O.P. GOYAL STABBED

C.I. distributor O.P. Goyal was stabbed on 29th April in Indore while he was leaving Sapna cinema for his office. He was dragged out of the car and stabbed at four or five places by unidentified persons. He is out of danger. Just recently, Goyal had met with a car accident.

YOU ASKED IT

Can a sequel of a hit film succeed in India?

– Why not? There’s no hard and fast rule that a sequel will not succeed. NIGAHEN, the sequel to NAGINA, may have bombed, but that does not mean, sequels can never do well.

After Mrityudaata and Koyla, what, according to you, should be a reasonable price for big films?

– 1.5 to 1.75 crore should be the upper limit for any film. If such films can take a bumper initial, the back-breaking losses will at least be averted.

When everybody says that the ‘film line’ is a ‘small line’, how is it that reports of big disasters don’t come in circulation before their release?

– Firstly, the correct judgement about a film can often not be made unless it is viewed in totality. Secondly, big filmmakers are extra-careful that their reports don’t leak out. And finally, the public is the best judge as far as reports of films go.

The Industry Must Give 5 To 10 Years’ Time To Judge ABCL

– AMITABH BACHCHAN

A day after the premiere of Mrityudaata in Jaipur, a group of Bombay journalists who had been there to attend the premiere, got some time to talk to Amitabh Bachchan in his suite at Rajputana Palace Sheraton. The comeback hero spoke on topics ranging from his comeback film, Mrityudaata, to corporatisation to stars of the day.

On ‘Mrityudaata’:

Amitabh Bachchan did not express his own opinion about the film as he claimed that he had not seen the whole film in one sitting, but had seen it in parts at different times. He admitted that he had liked the theme when it was being planned and had asked Mehul Kumar to go ahead. He said, he never interfered in Mehul’s work and he made it clear that Mrityudaata was, all in all, a Mehul Kumar film.

Amitabh clarified that only a few producers, and not many, as is generally believed, had approached him for making his comeback film, and of them, he selected two — Indra Kumar and Mehul Kumar — for ABCL productions. They persisted whereas others simply proposed, he explained. When it was time to launch the films, muhurt of Indra Kumar’s film was performed first. However, it couldn’t make any progress as Indra Kumar was busy in completing his Ishq. Thus, Mehul got a chance to launch and complete ABCL’s Mrityudaata at breakneck speed. One major point in favour of Mehul Kumar, according to Bachchan, was that he himself was a producer-director and so understood the problems of producers, which helped in economising production cost. ABCL being a new company, such a person was needed for its initial productions, said Amitabh. And Mehul had given no cause for complaint. Amitabh informed that shooting of Indira Kumar’s film would start in two months’ time and it would be completed within six months.

On ABCL:

Amitabh Bachchan said, he launched ABCL after giving great thought and studying the entertainment industries of the world. He agreed that only appointing MBAs to run his company was of no use, but, he felt, if they were given lessons in film business, they could be very beneficial to the industry. “It is a matter of give-and-take,” he added. “We have to learn something from them, and they have to learn something from us. Only then can the corporate body succeed.” Supporting his corporatisation, he said, “Corporate body is the need of the hour. Our Indian film industry is very small. In the age of globalisation, foreigners are ready to invest money in our country and if they get the opportunity, they will not hesitate to grab it. The American corporate bodies like 20th Century Fox, Paramount etc. are so rich that even one section of these companies may have more money power than our entire film industry. There was a time when, even in India, our major studios were running the film business like corporate bodies, but with the star system gaining popularity, the studios fragmented. Again, attempts are being made in India to progress with corporatisation. Like in Hollywood, in India too, producers-directors can make films under any corporate body in business-like manner.”

“ABCL is only two years old and it has spread its wings in audio, television, film production, distribution and some other branches of the entertainment industry. It has earned profits in some and incurred losses in others. At present, because of differences with Multichannel, with which ABCL was looking after the marketing of television programmes, this section is lying low, and efforts are being made to give it a new lease of life. As far as film productions are concerned, two films have been released, and one of these (Tere Mere Sapne) has succeeded. Naam Kya Hai and Saat Rang Ke Sapne are almost ready, with only two-three days’ shooting remaining to be done. Major Saab, another Amitabh Bachchan starrer, will be 70% complete after the current shooting schedule being held in Pune. All these films are likely to be released in 1997 itself. A turnover of Rs. 80 crore, just within two years, is not a mean achievement.” Amitabh, reacting to comments that ABCL was in the red, said, “People must give at least five to ten years to assess the success or failure of ABCL.”

Words of Appreciation:

Amitabh was very appreciative of another corporate body — Plus — and music business baron Gulshan Kumar. He said, the business acumen of Gulshan Kumar was masterly. He had captured the music market even in remote corners of the country through his ingenious method of handing over distribution to such people as bus operators, paanwalas and other people who are in contact with street people all the time.

On Current Stars:

Even while discussions were on, the television set in the room was showing the countdown show, BPL Oye. As Govinda appeared on the scene in a song from Hero No. 1, Amitabh remarked, “He (Govinda) is outstanding.” Soon after, when Kajol appeared in a song from Sapnay, he said, “She is the most natural actress.” About his own son, Abhishek, he didn’t say, he would take up acting. “He has just joined ABCL and is looking after some of the work.”

– JAGAT GUPTA

Prices, More Than Films, Are Failing

The back-breaking Mrityudaata and the loss-making Koyla have shaken the confidence of the trade. It is not the first time that two big films, released one after another, have failed. But it is the first time that two highest-priced films of their times have flopped. Although the losses of the two films cannot be compared, what is similar in the non-success of Koyla and the debacle of Mrityudaata is that their prices were too high and did not match their costs of production. The repercussions of the flopping of these two films will be felt in the forthcoming releases when exhibitors don’t come forward with deserving MGs, having paid undeserving MGs or advances to the two films.

If producers have been unreasonable in demanding crazy prices, over-enthusiastic distributors have also been rather indiscriminate in acquiring films at unbelievably high prices. Agreed, everything, which is in demand, comes at a premium. But such a heavy premium?

Businesses of films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Raja Hindustani, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Karan Arjun are used as pointers by producers when they quote fancy prices for their films. But in the last almost four years, we’ve had just four such mega hits. It is not as if every second or third film is hitting the bull’s eye. Nor has cost of production gone up to such an extent that crazy prices should be demanded. It is actually the unsatiable greed of the producer to get quick-rich that prompts him to demand prices which have no relation whatsoever to the actual cost of production. Distributors also sometimes do not give proper accounts and the due overflow to the producers, which prompts the latter to sell their films at unrealistic prices. The logic of the producers is that they are collecting the potential overflow in advance. Assuming that their logic is not wrong, they must then willingly refund the excess price to their distributors if the film fails to cover the unrealistic part of the price. Then there are some producers who, in fixing the ratios of their films, unfortunately behave as if there will be no tomorrow or as if they will make no film after their current proposal. Yes, proposal makers they are, more than filmmakers.

It is shocking, to say the least, that distributors should be paying so much for films after losing so heavily in previous projects. The psychology of the distributors may be funny but it isn’t difficult to understand. A distributor is living under the constant fear that if I don’t buy this film, some other distributor might buy it. It is this fear of a film going to another which prompts a distributor to pay sky-high prices even while fretting and fuming at them. But why this insecurity? Why pay an unreasonable price not because you fancy a film but because you are scared that the film may catch the fancy of another? No sensible business can be conducted on the basis of what another thinks is the worth of a film. It never was and never can.

This is not to say that film prices can never be more than a given limit. No, each film is a project in itself and its price must be governed by the laws of demand and supply. But let not the distributors think that just because there is short supply of potential hits, any price is justified for such films, for the simple reason that it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict which film constitutes a potential hit. No banner, whatever its past record, and no director, whatever the business of his last film, can ever guarantee that his next film will be a super-hit or, for that matter, even a success. Then why charge the price of a blockbuster? As for demand, the same logic applies. There is definitely a demand for hits but can anyone guarantee even a success?

Then why should prices, said to be governed by the economic laws of demand and supply, be so unrealistic that in some cases, it is the prices which ultimately flop, not the films?

– Komal Nahta

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

One Man’s Food, Another Man’s Poison

A hit in one language does not guarantee that the same film will also click when dubbed in another language. This has been proved a number of times, and the latest example is that of Raja Hindustani. This super-duper hit was dubbed in Telugu as Premabandham but the dubbed version is as big a disaster as the original was a hit. Released on 21st March in Andhra, the Telugu version has left its distributors and others connected with it disappointed. Its dubbing is said to be of poor quality and so are the dialogues in Telugu. Even the lyrics are reportedly sub-standard. Now that the dubbed version has bombed, the objection which had been raised by the talented director of the film, Dharmesh Darshan, to its dubbing without his knowledge, makes sense. Dharmesh was apprehensive about the dubbing quality and had, even before the Telugu version could hit the screens, expressed fear that if it did not do well, it would spoil his reputation in the Telugu film market. Dharmesh’s fears have proved right and, if today, the film’s producers may be regretting their hasty decision, Dharmesh must be shedding tears at the fate of his ‘baby’.

Minor Change

A flop film brings out the bitchiest best of the trade people. And bigger the flop, bitchier the comments of the trade.

Like, for instance, a Gujarati film producer remarked after the bombing of Mrityudaata: “It wasn’t only Amitabh’s comeback film. It was also Mehul Kumar’s comeback vehicle. The director will now have to come back to making Gujarati films only.” Another wag bitched, “Looking to the cold response to Amitabh Bachchan in Mrityudaata and the not-so-exciting initial of the film, the title of ABCL’s next film should be changed from Major Saab to Minor Saab!”

Wetting The Wall

And this one, just for a laugh.

This was when Salim-Javed’s Deewaar, which went on to become a blockbuster, was being made. The title had not been finalised. When Deewaar came up as one of the suitable titles, somebody from the unit thought, it was too dry a title and expressed so. Writer Javed Akhtar, who has a wonderful sense of humour, said, “Title dry lagta hai? Koi baat nahin, film ka title Geeli Deewaar rakh dete hain!”

PREM AGGAN

F.K. International’s Prem Aggan (UA) is a love story which doesn’t look like an F.K. banner film. Except for Feroz Khan’s unfailing eye for visuals, there’s no F.K. stamp whatsoever. The romantic tale has the oft-repeated rich versus poor angle, and the incidents in the drama are devoid of excitement. Even the screenplay has flaws. For instance, the heroine promises her father that she will never go back to her beloved, but she breaks her promise without any new development which would warrant a heroine to go back on her word. There is too much of verbosity and the lengthy dialogues between the girl and the guy and between their fathers are terribly boring. Yet another drawback — and a major one at that — is that there’s not a single comedy scene which can make one laugh or even smile (the comedy between Dinesh Hingoo and Rakesh Bedi is so poor, it’s a tragedy!) and not even one tear-jerking scene. Music, which is generally a highlight of Feroz Khan’s films, is not up to his standard this time. The film’s ending is abrupt and it almost appears as if there’s no climax.

Debut-making Fardeen Khan looks good and impresses in action scenes but needs to improve in acting and a great deal in dialogue delivery. Meghna Kothari makes a confident debut but lacks glamour and is very short. Sameer Malhotra, as Meghna’s brother, is okay. Shama Gesawant is fair. Sanjay Bhatia fails to create any mark. Anupam Kher is effective. Raj Babbar’s track (of military) has no relevance to the film; he performs ably. Beena and Smita Jaykar lend reasonable support. Kamal Chopra is average. Satish Shah is okay. Rakesh Bedi and Dinesh Hingoo are irritating. The rest of the cast pass muster.

Feroz Khan’s direction is limited by the poor script. But his penchant for shooting on breathtaking locations is evident in the film. Locales of Australia are fantastic and they’ve been captured marvellously by cameraman Kabir Lal. Anu Malik’s music, though good, does not befit a teenage love story starring newcomers and definitely not a Feroz Khan film. ‘Hardam dam bedam’, ‘Hum tumse mohabbat’, ‘Dekh ke tujhko’, ‘Khaate hain kasam’ and ‘Tere pyar’ are well-tuned. Song picturisations impress for the visual beauty (locations) more than the choreography. Dialogues (Sudarshan Faakir) are very good but only at a handful of places. Action scenes (S. Kammo and Javed Khan) are well composed. Production values are nice and so are the technical aspects.

On the whole, Prem Aggan will spell pain & agony — pain for the audience who’ve seen Feroz Khan’s hits earlier, and agony for the film’s distributors because it will prove to be a non-starter all over except in Bombay and South, where it will drop after taking a fair start. Considering its unduly high price, it will entail heavy losses to all its distributors.

Released on 30-10-’98 at New Excelsior and 14 other cinemas of Bombay by UTV Motion Pictures thru Shringar Films. Publicity: excellent. Opening: fair. …….Also released all over. Opening was very dull everywhere except in Bombay and South.

VISHRAM BEDEKAR DEAD

Director and story-writer Vishram Bedekar passed away on the morning of 30th October in Pune. He was 93.

He had written the story for Prabhat’s runaway bilingual hit, Padosi (Hindi) and Shejari (Marathi), both directed by V. Shantaram.

Vishram Bedekar had directed three Hindi and six Marathi films viz. Thakiche Lagna Aani Satyache Prayog, Krishna Arjun Yudh, Narad-Naradi, Vasudev Balwant, Chul Ani Mul and Pahila Palna. The Hindi films directed by him were Rustom Sohrab, Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi and Lakha Rani. In the last named film, Guru Dutt assisted Bedekar.

Vishram Bedekar was born on 13th August, 1906 and rose to become a towering personality in the literary and film circles. He is survived by his wife and son.

He was cremated the same day.

‘JEANS’ TO BE SENT FOR OSCARS

Shankar’s Jeans (Tamil) will be India’s entry to the Oscar Awards this year. The film, incidentally, has completed 200 days in Tamil Nadu and is the first Tamil film to run for more than 100 days in Malaysia and Singapore.

Jeans is produced by Ashok Amritraj and Dr. J. Murali Manohar and stars Aishwarya Rai and Prashant. Its music is scored by A.R. Rahman.

SUBHASH GHAI CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF MUKTA ARTS

Subhash Ghai celebrated the completion of 20 years of his Mukta Arts on 24th October at the plush Audeus Studio in Bombay. The well-attended function, which began in the morning with a pooja, was followed by a sumptuous lunch.

The function also marked the wedding anniversary of Mukta and Subhash Ghai.

Among the celebrities who attended the function were Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Bobby Deol, Aishwarya Rai, Mahima Chaudhry, Amrish Puri, Javed Akhtar, Mita Vashishth, Ramesh Taurani, Ashok Mehta, Ayesha Shroff, Alok Nath, Ila Arun, Naghma, Bharat Shah, Yash Chopra, Manmohan Shetty and Anees Bazmee.

As is his custom, Subhash Ghai announced his next film at the function and said, it would be a multi-starrer. The name of the film and its cast will be announced in January 1999.

‘PYAAR TO HONA HI THA’ 100 DAYS

Baba Films’ Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha completed 100 days on 30th/31st October at Bombay’s Metro and Cinemax cinemas. Written and directed by Anees Bazmee for producer Gordhan Tanwani, the film stars Ajay Devgan and Kajol. Music is scored by Jatin Lalit.

A.P. HIGH COURT FROWNS ON SOUND LEVELS IN CINEMAS

The Andhra Pradesh high court has issued directions which may force cinema owners in the state to tone down, or even turn off, their digital and Dolby sound systems as the decibel levels in the cinemas is affecting the hearing of audience, according to a report filed in by the state Pollution Control Board. The PCB had earlier set up a task force to study the sound intensity levels in selected cinemas in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad following the HC directive during a public litigation filed by one Gopala Krishna Kalanidhi in 1996. The task force, after conducting studies at Devi 70mm, Sudershan 35mm, Odeon Deluxe, Odeon 70mm, Sandhya 70mm, Sandhya 35mm, Maheshwari 70mm, Parmeshwari 35mm and Shanti, observed that in all the cinemas, the noise frequency levels varied between 74.5 and 96 decibels — far in excess of the standard level of 45 decibels set by the Central Pollution Control Board. The PCB also observed that the cinemas opting for sound systems like Dolby, DTS and Surround are creating the highest sound pollution. Following the PCB  report, a division bench of the high court ruled that cinemas be made to adhere to the norms set by the PCB. The court has also directed the PCB to send copies of the report to the Director General of Police as well as to all district collectors. The court has also directed the concerned authorities to ensure that the maximum permissible frequency of sound is incorporated as one of the essential conditions to be followed by exhibitors.

Hum Aapse Hit Chaahte Hain, Naidu Saab

KOMAL NAHTA

Papa, main papa ban gaya/Papa, main papa ban gaya blared the loudspeaker as we entered Rama Naidu Cine Village in Hyderabad last Saturday. On the set, Anil Kapoor was sitting on Anupam Kher’s lap, mouthing the lines playing on the loudspeaker. The set — interior of a house — was decorated with colourful balloons and the party mood was very much in evidence. The lines of the song being picturised said it all. Anil Kapoor was dancing with joy with his dad Anupam Kher. Occasion: Anil’s wife, Kajol, had delivered a child. Or so we thought. Only to be corrected. Kajol had not delivered a child as yet. News had come in that Kajol was expecting Anil’s child. Obviously, we thought, since Kajol was busy delivering hit after hit, where was the time for her to deliver kids?

Jokes and festivities apart, where on earth was Kajol? Why was the mother-to-be not partaking in the celebrations? Producer Suresh Naidu explained that Anil and Kajol are divorced. He continued, “Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain is a love story in which the romance begins after the divorce.” A novel concept, don’t you think? It is for a Hindi film, but the story has been seen in Telugu and Tamil. In fact, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain is a remake of the Telugu super-hit Pavitra Bandham which was also earlier remade in Tamil. Venkatesh had played the hero in the Telugu version. Its heroine, Soundarya, won the National Award for the best actress for her role in this film.

And if Soundarya won it for the Telugu version, Kajol will surely pick up the National Award for the Hindi version, feels D. Rama Naidu. In fact, so impressed is Rama Naidu with Kajol’s performance that he says, “If Kajol doesn’t win the National Award for the best actress next year for this film, it will mean that the Awards are not impartial.” Saying this, Naidu gets down to relating scenes from the film, almost enacting them one by one. It shows how charged he is about the film. He reveals how he has been moved to tears in every trial show of the film’s rushes. Why, we see Naidu’s eyes moistening even while he is narrating scenes from the film. We’ve covered shootings of Rama Naidu’s earlier films too but we’ve never seen him so excited about any project as he is about Hum Aapke Dil…. And Naidu himself admits to this.

Coming to the long title of the film, Suresh Naidu chuckles, “Dad (Rama Naidu) was against this title. He could barely remember the title and so was adamant that we finalise an alternative title. But Satish Kaushik kept persisting for Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain till dad finally relented.” Papa Naidu smiles, “Today, I think, the title is better than the others we had thought of. It gives a feel of the film.”

Satish Kaushik bagged the film as director, thanks largely to Anil Kapoor. Besides, as Suresh Naidu explained, “It’s our policy at Suresh Productions, to give a chance to unsuccessful directors more than to successful ones.” In that case, Satish should thank Boney Kapoor for having given him a chance to make two disasters! Jokes apart, Anil Kapoor put in a good word and that’s how Naidu was prompted to make Satish Kaushik the captain of the ship. Satish revealed how Anil had broken the news to him at 3 o’clock in the night. “I was abroad for shooting, and one night, I was alarmed when my telephone rang in the middle of the night,” recalled Satish, adding, “It was Anil from India who telephoned me to give me the good news that I would be directing Naidu Sahab’s film.” Satish then revealed how he had felt demoralised after his Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem had bombed but said that he never gave up hope. He felt, this film would be his ticket to fame as a director. Satish also plays a comic role in the film. The name of his character is German (!) because his father, while returning from Germany, had forgotten to get anything for him and so “he tells me to rename my self ‘German’!”

Whatever the comedy in the film, its mainstay will be emotions. Rakesh Bedi, who also plays an important role in the film, recalled how he had tears in his eyes when he was narrated the story by Satish Kaushik. With such brilliant actors as Anil Kapoor, Kajol and Anupam Kher in its cast, the emotions will be something to wait for, we’re sure!

The Naidus have taken care to not let the remake have any South touch whatsoever. Satish Kaushik, in fact, has given the film a very North Indian flavour. Why, even while this piece is being written, the film is being shot in Delhi. Rama Naidu explained that even the actor, who plays a beggar in the film and appears in just one scene, was brought to Hyderabad (for the shooting) from Bombay, such was the care they had taken to ensure that the film did not have a South Indian flavour.

Contrary to the general belief that Kajol is a difficult actress, the Naidus can only be heard singing the heroine’s praises. Why, Rama Naidu rates Kajol as the best among the 80-odd heroines he has worked with in the 90-plus films produced by him so far in South Indian languages and Hindi! No mean compliment, this. Suresh Naidu revealed how Kajol, at the time of signing the film, had requested them to complete the film fast and not go on with shooting endlessly as she loses interest in projects that take very long. Suresh explained, “This suited us fabulously because we believe in making films fast. Kajol allotted us 62 days and, believe it or not, her work has been completed in exactly 62 days!”

Although the Naidus are known to complete their films fast, this remake has taken “the longest time” — 10 months of shooting, according to Rama Naidu. But with shooting almost complete now and dubbing having begun already, Rama Naidu has plenty of time on hand to be ready for the release date — 22nd January ’99. Earlier, Rama Naidu had decided to release the film on 29th January but the release date has been advanced by a week to take advantage of the Idd festival.

POINT NOTED

* Anil Kapoor’s character in HADMRH has negative shades. As Suresh Naidu puts it, “At interval point, the audience will hate Anil.”

* Kajol wears only sarees and, at times, Punjabi suits in the film.

* Rama Naidu has four more subjects ready to be launched in Hindi. He has recently completed a Bengali film with an eye only on awards. His aim is to make at least one film in every language of India. Soon, he will start an Oriya film, to be followed by a film each in Gujarati, Marathi etc.

* Kajol is not quitting films, as is generally believed. When D. Rama Naidu asked her whether she was quitting acting, she is reported to have told him: “Do you also believe these rumours?” The industry should rejoice that such a talented actress is not bidding goodbye to films.

* If you thought, Rama Naidu is just into film production (soon reaching the 100-film mark), you’re wrong. He devotes a lot of his time now to social work and philanthropic activities. “I want to be remembered as a good human being after I’m dead and gone,” says Naidu, the noble soul. He has built a home for the aged and is ready to donate 5 acres of land each for an orphanage and for a home for the handicapped, and another 10 acres for an educational institution for poor people.

* Anil Kapoor believes in destiny. “I tried my level best to see that Pukaar was released this year. But I couldn’t compete with destiny. It was destined to come next year,” says Anil philosophically. Another thing Anil is convinced about is: “If you’re honest, you are bound to succeed.”

ANNOUNCEMENT & LAUNCHING

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ Goes On Sets

Producer-director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was launched recently in Bombay with an initial 13-day shooting schedule. A song was picturised on Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. A Jhamu Sughand presentation, the film is being made under the banner of Bhansali Productions and stars Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai, Zohra Sehgal, Vikram Gokhale, Smita Jayakar, Rekha Rao, Kenny Desai and Rajeev Verma. Other credits include cinematography by Anil Mehta, art by Nitin Desai, editing by Bela Segal, story by Pratap Karvat and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, screenplay by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Kenneth Philips, music by Ismail Darbar, lyrics by Mehboob, dialogues by Amrik Gill, sound by Jitendra Chaudhary, choreography by Bhushan Lakhandri, Ganesh Hegde and Vaibhavi, action by Sham Kaushal, and costumes by Neeta Lulla and Shabina Khan. Vikram R. Bangera is the executive producer.

RAM B.C. NO MORE

Bombay exhibitor Ram B.C. passed away in his sleep on 6th January at his residence in Bombay. He was 67 and was cremated the same day.

Several years ago, Ram B.C. used to be a leading Bombay distributor and exhibitor with his brother, Shankar B.C. His concerns, Deluxe Pictures and Bombay Pictures Circuit, used to be well-known distribution concerns. In 1963, he started a distribution office in Delhi with Mere Mehboob. The Bombay distribution business was started in 1959 with Yahudi. Among the films distributed by Shankar and Ram B.C. in Bombay and Delhi-U.P. were Amardeep, Dil Ek Mandir, Gunga Jumna, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Upkaar, Shor, Purab Aur Pachhim, Dus Numbri, Sanyasi, Raja Jani, Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, Talash, Dushmun, Dost and Majboor. The B.C. brothers had also produced Laila Majnu, Chhoti Bahu, Pyar Hi Pyar and Lahu Ke Do Rang. They used to also finance films.

Ram B.C. was born on September 22, 1930. He started his film career in 1948 as a representative. In 1952, he became the manager of Sippy Films. He started exhibition business in 1956 with Broadway cinema, Bombay. At one time, he and his brother controlled as many as 20 to 24 cinemas like Liberty (Bombay), Rupam (Sion, Bombay), Rupam (Ahmedabad), Deepali (Ahmedabad), Prakash (Ahmedabad) and Moti (Bombay) etc. He branched out into the hotel industry in 1969 and owned Hotel Hilltop at the time of his death. He was actively involved in social work and was also a member of the Telephone Advisory Committee.

His funeral on 6th was largely attended by the film trade. Marka on 8th at Warden Road was also very largely attended.

SAHADEV SHAH DEAD

Sahadev Shah, owner of Deepak Talkies, Delisle Road, Bombay, expired on 5th January in Bombay due to heart failure. He was 57.

He was on the advisory panel of the Central Board of Film Certification for many years. He was also a member of the Telephone Advisory Committee. Shah had been a member of the executive committee of the Theatre Owners’ Association. Shah was also associated with a number of other registered trade bodies in various capacities. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

TUTU SHARMA BEREAVED

Jagan Prasad Sharma, father of producer Pradeep (Tutu) Sharma, passed away in a hospital in Jaipur on 3rd January. He had not been well since a fortnight. He was 72 and is survived by his wife, son Tutu, daughter-in-law Padmini (Kolhapure), daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

Jagan Prasad Sharma had produced a film in 1961. Titled Char Diwari, it introduced Shashi Kapoor as a hero. He was the president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association and was popular in social circles. Rajasthan chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, reacting to the demise, said that the passing away of Jagan Prasad Sharma was a personal loss to him.

NASEERUDDIN SHAH BEREAVED

Farrukh Sultan Begum, mother of Naseeruddin Shah, passed away in the early hours of 7th January in Bombay. She was 84 and is survived by three sons, Zaheeruddin, Zamiruddin and Naseeruddin Shah.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Ramzan Rush!

Releases during Ramzan are usually few. But this Ramzan month, there’s a spate of releases — almost all of which are small films. For such small films, it is a choice between the devil and the deep sea. Either they come in opposition of big films or avoid oppositions and come during the dull Ramzan period when big films are generally not released. Many of the small film producers have opted for avoiding big film oppositions and, therefore, are getting their films during the lax Ramzan month. Have a look at the ‘Releases’ column in this issue and you will agree with us.

Trailer Tattle

There are at least five trailers being currently aired on the various satellite channels, which are catching the fancy of viewers. The trailer of Vicky Kumar and Sanjay Tolani’s Zor makes a zordaar impact, and shows Sunny Deol breathing fire. Salman Khan, Kajol and Arbaaz Khan come as a whiff of fresh air in the musical trailer of Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (the song goes thus: Od lee chunariya maine tere naam ki). The trailer of ABCL’s Saat Rang Ke Sapne is as colourful as colourful can be. The rural atmosphere has been created beautifully. Suspense is the catchword in the trailer of 2001 which, incidentally, boasts of very good music. Ravi Dewan’s maiden directorial venture, Vinashak, gives a ‘good first impression’ through its trailers. And on radio, it is the songs of K.C. Bokadia’s Lal Badshah, which are being liked by listeners.

Happy Shooting Year

While many might consider 1st January a day for relaxation (after the New Year’s eve party?), Karisma Kapoor is pretty superstitious about the first day of the year. She makes it a point to shoot on the New Year’s day every year, whatever the situation, because she considers it to be a good omen for the rest of the year. This year, it was the shooting schedule of N.N. Sippy’s Silsila Hai Pyar Ka which she was participating in from the last week of December, and she requested Sippy to ensure that she faced the camera at least for one shot on 1st January. In 1997, Karisma shot for Dil To Pagal Hai on 1st January. And on 1st January 1996, she shot for Raja Hindustani.

Canteen 420?

The contractor running the canteen at Eros cinema, Bombay, needs to put a check on a couple of his canteenwallahs. For, they don’t hesitate in fleecing the gullible customers who rush for snacks and cold-drinks during interval. As it happened earlier this week with one of the family members of Film Information. He had gone to see Chachi 420 at Eros alongwith his family and ventured (in the crowded foyer) to buy a packet each of vegetable samosas (Rs. 10) and Uncle Chipps (Rs. 15). On giving a Rs. 50 note, he was returned Rs. 20. Not a word was uttered by the guy who gave him the snacks and returned the change. What’s more, the guy had even started attending to other customers. The Information person was about to move from there when he realised, he had got Rs. 5 less. He checked the rates (displayed on a board in the canteen) and again checked the change he had got from the canteenwallah and only then asked him for the balance Rs. 5. It is then that the guy on the counter told him that he didn’t have Rs. 5 change and asked him if he had Rs. 5 so that he could take that and return Rs. 10. Why did the man not say this earlier? Why did he have to wait for the customer to ask for the balance Rs. 5? Your guess is as good as ours. Since Eros has a large clientele of affluent people, there are many who don’t even count the change before putting it into their pockets. It’s really sad that such an incident should have taken place at a prestigious cinema like Eros.

While on Eros, its air-conditioning plant was not working even that day. It’s been in a non-working condition for quite a few days now. Considering that the balcony ticket rate is Rs. 75, isn’t it too much for the air-conditioner to remain switched off — for whatever reasons — for days together?

Political Parodies

Come elections and it’s time for the politicians to use the latest hit film songs to woo voters and to run down their opponents. This time, even hit pop songs are being used by the BJP to poke fun at the Congress. Political parties usually make special audio cassettes of these parodies of hit numbers and distribute them free of charge among voters. The BJP this time is using Altaf Raja’s super-hit qawwali, Tum to thehre pardesi from the album of the same name, to tease Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The parody goes thus: Tum to thehre pardesi/Saath kya nibhaaoge/Pehli flight se Italy chale jaaoge. Another BJP song that’s tipped to be an instant hit (like the film from which it has been inspired) is Dilli to pagal hai.

How’s This Title?

And this one to keep you smiling through the week.

Govinda’s pet name, as everybody knows, is Chi Chi. It is also common knowledge that Govinda’s Aunty No. 1 is inspired from Mrs. Doubtfire, on which is also based Chachi 420. So what should have been the title of Aunty No. 1?

Rattle your brains for a while. If you can’t think of the answer, read this last line:

It should be Chi Chi 420. Howzatt?!?

LATEST POSITION

While examinations in some parts are over, those in other parts should get over soon. Till then, collections continue to be adversely affected.

Lahoo Ke Do Rang has not been appreciated. 1st week Bombay (6 days) 25,65,689 (65.32%) from 15 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 8,86,208 from 8 cinemas, Baroda 1,42,922, Rajkot 1,79,100 from 2 cinemas, Jamnagar 1,01,469 (1 unrecd.); Pune 6,12,511 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 1,25,209, Solapur 1,09,188 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Hubli 1,73,865 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon), Dharwad 73,256; Delhi 34,45,078 (72.93%) from 12 cinemas (1 cinema unrecd. and 1 on F.H.); Kanpur 3,37,217 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,53,932, Meerut 1,71,000, Dehradun 1,30,577, Gorakhpur 1,40,000 (79.17%); Calcutta (6 days) 22,30,134 from 26 cinemas; Nagpur 3,30,996 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,38,639, Amravati (4 days) 85,835, Akola 93,062, Raipur 1,38,890 (59.33%), Jalgaon 88,671; Bhopal 2,39,430 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 4,98,779 from 4 cinemas; Hyderabad 28,50,857 from 19 cinemas, share 15,01,512; Vijayawada (nett) 1,45,385, Visakhapatnam (nett) 91,946.

Judaai is being patronised by ladies all over and continues to do well. 4th week Bombay 13,60,273 (64.09%) from 7 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 5,99,797 from 3 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Baroda 1,45,374, 3rd Bharuch (gross) 2,17,784, 4th week Rajkot 78,000, Jamnagar 99,809 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 3,03,688 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 91,000, Solapur 77,947; Hubli 92,998 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon), Belgaum 97,249, Dharwad 27,214 (3rd 39,847); Delhi 11,42,081 from 5 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,47,271, Lucknow 1,18,140, Agra 1,00,172, Meerut 87,000, Dehradun 94,730, Gorakhpur 60,800; very good in East Punjab; Calcutta (6 days) 2,94,000 from 3 cinemas; excellent in Bihar; Nagpur 58,662, Jabalpur 62,333, total 3,09,250, 3rd Amravati 93,295, 4th week Raipur 75,049, Bhilai 71,277, 3rd Jalgaon 65,030; 4th Indore 1,18,256, Bhopal 1,14,321, record; Jaipur 1,14,181, 1st week Ajmer (29 shows) 93,956, 4th Sriganganagar 64,762; Hyderabad 3,01,586, share 1,40,930.

Hero No. 1 is going strong. 5th week Bombay 14,50,564 (79.08%) from 6 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,68,205 from 2 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Baroda 1,07,866 from 2 cinemas, Rajkot 86,819; Pune 2,54,192 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 60,000, Solapur (matinee) 33,063; 3rd Bijapur (7 shows) 26,079, total 2,23,442; 5th week Delhi 17,37,123 from 7 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,31,401 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,40,280, Agra 1,10,795, Meerut 1,11,224, total 7,36,120, 4th week Dehradun 1,14,000 (3rd 1,27,000), 5th Gorakhpur 50,000; Calcutta (6 days) 1,48,182; Nagpur 88,479, Jabalpur 91,873, total 6,30,173, Akola 46,791, Raipur 76,694, Bhilai 57,478, 1st Jalgaon 1,25,006; 5th Indore 2,22,329 from 2 cinemas, Bhopal 94,972, record; Jaipur 1,83,781, Bikaner (last) 51,575; Hyderabad 3,90,707 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon), share 1,20,929.

Raja Hindustani 15th week Bombay 8,05,207 (52%) from 4 cinemas (3 on F.H.); 19th Ahmedabad 2,18,368 from 3 cinemas, Rajkot (matinee) 25,123; 16th week Pune 3,79,819 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), 15th Solapur (7 shows) 53,115, 16th Satara (matinee) 12,660; 17th week Bijapur (7 shows) 23,732; 19th week Delhi 6,79,731 from 4 cinemas; 20th Kanpur 1,06,825 from 2 cinemas, 19th Lucknow 1,03,507, Agra 92,864, 20th Meerut 77,709, 19th Dehradun 15,000, 20th week Gorakhpur 31,000; 17th week Nagpur 38,142, Jabalpur 93,239, total 28,85,177, 15th Amravati (3 days, last) 23,688, Akola (last) 35,727, total 14,15,797, 3rd week Durg 70,349, 4th Sagar about 80,000; 19th Indore 1,34,635, 18th week Bhopal 59,200; 19th Jaipur 1,09,357.

______

Prema Bandham (Telugu, dubbed version of Raja Hindustani) 1st week Vijayawada 1,55,254, Kakinada 1,32,754, Rajahmundry 1,20,305, Eluru 97,031, Bhimavaram 80,585, Palakol 51,954, Machilipatnam 74,129, Gudivada 67,375, Visakhapatnam 1,90,158, Nellore 2,06,168, Ongole 1,04,018, Guntur 1,67,071.

Entertainment Tax In Maharashtra To Go Down

New Tax Rate Is 60% On Nett Admission Rate

Tax-Free Service Charge To Be Allowed
To Be Carried Forward

Entertainment tax in Maharashtra will come down from the present 100% to 60% on nett admission rates. A proposal to this effect was presented in the Cabinet meeting in Bombay on 27th March. The new reduced rate of tax will come into effect only after the Cabinet’s proposal is passed by both, the Vidhan Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad. Since this would require a time of some days, it is not likely that the new tax rate comes into force from 1st April, 1997, as is felt. The government, it is learnt from reliable sources, may promulgate an Ordinance instead of passing the new tax structure in the Assembly, as above. The Ordinance, duly signed by the governor, may be made effective from May 1, it is learnt. The said Ordinance will not be for any specific time period.

The tax rate will be proportionately ascertained in places where the current rate of entertainment tax is 80% and 90% in place of the normal 100%. Thus, for example, the new tax rate may be 48-50% and 54 or 55% respectively in such places.

It is also believed that the Maharashtra government may permit exhibitors to carry forward the unutilised tax-free service charge for spending in the following year. Presently, the unspent amount has to be refunded to the government.

It may be mentioned here that cinemas all over Maharashtra had downed shutters for a month from 1st January, ’97 to protest against the doubling of entertainment tax to 100%. Despite the best efforts of the action committee of the film industry, formed for the purpose of interacting with the government with regard to this problem, the industry could not get the government to agree to restoration of the tax rate to the old 50%. This relief has, therefore, come as a shot in the arm for the action committee. As N.N. Sippy, a member of the action committee, said, “I am thrilled. It had become a personal issue for me.”

KARNATAKA BUDGET CAUSES PANIC

Panic has overtaken distributors and exhibitors of the Bombay-Karnataka region following the hike in entertainment tax proposed in the recent Karnataka state budget. The extent to which business is likely to be adversely affected due to the new tax structure can be gauged by the example of a cinema of Bijapur. The nett capacity per show of Dreamland cinema in Bijapur, which is Rs. 6,854/-, will become Rs. 4,152/- after the new tax structure comes into force. As against the Rs. 44,000/- entertainment tax paid by the cinema so far, it will now be required to pay Rs. 1,32,000/- per week by way of tax!

BABY BOY FOR BUNTY

East Punjab distributor Bunty alias Gurinder Singh (Narsimha Films) was blessed with a baby boy on 27th March in Jalandhar. This is Bunty’s first boy-child.

CAMERAMAN RAVI CHAVAN KILLED IN ACCIDENT

Cameraman Ravi Chavan was killed in a car accident on 22nd March. He was going from Bombay to Vapi alongwith four crew members of the unit of Gulshan Kumar’s serial, Shiv Maha Puran, when the car in which they were travelling collided with a tanker coming from the opposite direction. Ravi died on the spot. The other occupants of the car were seriously injured and are undergoing treatment at Nanavati Hospital, Bombay.

Ravi was Ken Ghosh’s regular cameraman. He was 46 years old and is survived by his wife and two children.

RAMAN PANDEY DEAD

Film publicist Raman Pandey expired on 24th March at his residence at Bhayandar (Bombay) due to a heart attack. He was 51 and is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Raman had also directed a film, Pathbhrashtha, which is still to be released.

CINEMAS INSTALLING DTS FOR ‘KOYLA’

Maheshwari cinema in Hyderabad and Amba, Aurangabad, are installing the DTS sound system. Koyla is due for release at both the cinemas on 18th April.

DTS AT MAHALAXMI, NASIK

Mahalaxmi cinema in Nasik is in the process of installing DTS sound saytem. It will also undertake heavy renovation work.

PRODUCTION NEWS

‘Barood’ 15-Day Schedule

A 15-day shooting stint of Pramod Films’ Barood commenced on March 26 in Bombay on sets at Film City, Kamal Amrohi Studios and in NSE Compound. All the artistes are participating in the picturisation of climax and other scenes. Being produced and directed by Pramod Chakravorty, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Raakhee, Mohnish Bahl, Mohan Joshi, Aroona Irani and Amrish Puri. Music: Anand Milind. Co-producer: Bharat Shah.

‘Vinashak’ In Mahabaleshwar

Producer Xavier Marquis, director Ravi Dewan and the unit of Mark Films International’s Vinashak left for Mahabaleshwar on March 27 for a 9-day shooting schedule. All the artistes are participating. The film stars Sunil Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Om Puri, Tinnu Anand, Mukesh Rishi, Alok Nath, Disha, Harish Patel, Shivaji Satam and Danny. Its story is written by Ravi Dewan and screenplay is by Rajkumar Santoshi. Cinematography: Peter Pereira. Action: Ravi Dewan.

YOU ASKED IT

Who is the most highly paid actor today?

– Some of our directors are charging even more than our top actors!

Don’t you think, the production of small films has declined in recent years? Why?

– Production is a big game today. Cost of production and star prices on the one hand and theatre rentals on the other have gone up so much that it is neither possible nor feasible to make small films in toady’s time.

When producers spend crores to make films, how do they often take such thin story-lines?

– Basing a film on a thin story line is not alarming. It is finally the screenplay and the presentation which must be fresh, novel and proper.

DO YOU KNOW?

* Mukul Dev is winning rave reviews from his co-artistes and others. People who’ve seen the rushes of Umesh Mehra’s QILA, swear, he has stood out in some dramatic scenes. Alongwith the good reviews, he is also getting good films. He has replaced Anil Kapoor in N. Chandra’s WAJOOD. Besides this, he is working in one more film — JAI SURYA — with Nana Patekar.

* Three cinemas in C.I. territory — Sangeeta and Kastur in Indore, and Rambha in Bhopal — are installing DTS sound system.

* Bappi Lahiri’s 12-year old son, Bappa, did the arrangement for a computerised song for MILITARY RAAJ at B.L. Temptation on 25th March.

MIX MASALA

IN NEWS

Madhuri Dixit may be passing through a low phase as far as her career goes but the girl continues to remain in national news for one reason or the other. Barely has the news of the income-tax raid on her house been relegated to the sidelines than comes news that Madhuri is among the handful of persons who were allotted plots of land by former Haryana chief ministers out of their discretionary quota.

Novelty Is The Catchword

Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat. Then Maachis. Next, it was Tere Mere Sapne. And Aastha. The latest is Judaai. Although the range of success of all the five above-mentioned films is different (a couple of them are even losing propositions in a circuit or two), one thing common to them is that they all took a start which was far from satisfactory but picked up by word of mouth and went on to become successful earners. Yet another common factor in the films was their unusual story. Of these, Tere Mere Sapne may not exactly boast of a novel or unusual storyline but its presentation was, nevertheless, fresh.

Coming to Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat. The point in the story where the heroine, a victim of rape, pleads before the court that her rapist should be asked to marry her and look after her all her life found acceptance among the audience, if only because of its novelty value. The film took a disastrous start but as word of mouth about the newness in the story spread, collections picked up. Although it may not cover its distributors’ investments in some circuits, the film is a commission-earner/overflow in others . In Bihar territory, the film seems to have caught the fancy of the viewers so much that it is expected to do a business of over 75 lakh there. A terrific figure, considering that the film was a low-budget and new star-cast film.

Maachis dealt with the topic of terrorists and terrorism in a way different from the many films made with the theme of terrorism. It probably did not take even a respectable start because of two factors — new faces and lack of time for the music to grow. Of course, in parts like Madhya Pradesh (due to entertainment tax exemption), Delhi and Punjab, the film did open well. But where it did not, collections began to pick up as the weeks progressed and as the music became a veritable craze. Controversies surrounding the film also did help but the bottomline was that the film had been liked. Translated in monetary terms, it meant that the film brought returns to its distributors.

Tere Mere Sapne, like the two earlier films, didn’t do its makers proud, what with a lukewarm opening. And this, despite a hit music score, popularised thru various television channels! Was television then indeed the right medium to publicise a film? Anyway, what television couldn’t do, word of mouth did. The best publicity for the film were the words of appreciation of the people who’d seen it. Slowly but surely, collections shot up and today, Tere Mere Sapne is a plus fare in all the circuits. In Bombay, it is doing A1 business.

A small-budget and artistic film like Aastha may not have created any earth-shattering records. But its business in many ‘A’ class centres has proved a point — that a novel subject is today accepted with open arms.

To say that Judaai, a star-cast film, took an average initial would be an overstatement. If it did start reasonably well in Gujarat and Rajasthan and brilliantly in Bihar and Orissa, its opening in Bombay, Delhi, parts of U.P., C.P., C.I. and Nizam was shockingly low. Again, the novel subject of a wife selling her own husband for the lure of luxuries caught the fancy of the viewer. What appeared in the first week to be a subject which had been rejected, found acceptance, and collections showed a marked improvement. As against the trade pronouncement in the week of release of the film that it would entail losses of about a crore per major territory, there’s already talk of “overflow” today, in most circuits. In Overseas, it is already among the major hits of all time.

So what does all this prove? That novelty in writing and presentation is what the audience wants. It is tired of seeing the run-of-the-mill kind of cinema. Fresh subjects, if well presented, do have takers. The catchword is good presentation. Tamanna, too, had a novel story but if it did not click even after the benefit of tax-exemption, it is because its presentation was far from good. It left the viewer depressed. Otherwise, the audience of today wants something new all the time. For a film with a novel subject, they may come in late but they do come.

That’s good news for writers and directors, right?

SHOOT AT SITE

S. Raamanathan’s Film In Madras

Rajaji Hall in Madras is a picture of frenzied activity on Sunday, March 23. Almost a thousand college students are stationed outside the court (the exterior of Rajaji Hall), protesting against the arrest of their friend for murders he hasn’t committed. Not just arrest, the friend has been awarded the death sentence! Leading the protest are Karisma Kapoor and Rajesh (Rangeela) Joshi. The friend in question is Arshad Warsi. Even as the police commissioner, with his entire team of policemen, is trying to control the revolting and stone-pelting crowd, there appears on the scene a blind lawyer who fires at the commissioner for issuing orders to shoot down the students. He says, he is convinced about the innocence of the arrested boy because otherwise, such a huge force would not be standing behind him like a rock. Even as the police commissioner is left speechless by this least-expected intruder, the lawyer waves a vakalatnama in the air, asking Karisma Kapoor to get it signed by Arshad. It is now the slogan-shouting Karisma’s turn to be left speechless. The lawyer had come like a messiah in their lives when they had thought, it was the end of the road for their dear friend. The blind lawyer was Amitabh Bachchan, wearing a grey beard and, of course, dark glasses.

The film being shot is producer-director S. Raamanathan’s Prod. No. 9, as yet untitled. The 75-year-old Raamanathan could give any youngster a complex with his energy and enthusiasm. Although he has a microphone in his hand, he is issuing instructions on the mike with the same force as he would have, without a mike! And how many times he must’ve climbed up and down the 30-odd steps of Rajaji Hall, one doesn’t really know. It could’ve easily been 200 times!

‘MIKE’AL ACTION

Well, so charged is S. Raamanathan that when the press party reaches the venue, he greets them all with handshakes and shouts ‘Welcome, welcome’ on the microphone, forgetting that it wasn’t instructions he was giving. The college crowd (read that, junior artistes) is amused and so are we. At another time, the extra-particular film-maker shouts out for chairs for us (again on the microphone) while we are standing at a distance and watching the proceedings. The mike does its magic because the chairs arrive in a split second. Anyway, we decide to rechristen Raamanathan ‘Sir-ji’ as ‘Mike’al Jackson because his nervous energy reminds one of Michael Jackson’s!

OF WETTING PANTS & SWEATING SHOTS

After the chair, arrives Anupam Kher. No, not to participate in the shooting but to meet Bachchan. Anupam Kher plays Amitabh’s doctor-friend in the film. He is not required for the shooting that day and is, instead, shooting nearby for a Tamil film with Prabhu Deva. He jokes, “Looking at such a huge crowd, I thought, my fan following in Madras had increased.” Bachchan too is in a mood to joke. After giving the final rehearsal of his shot in the sweltering heat, which requires him to say long lines of dialogues, he plonks himself on the chair next to Anupam’s and confesses, “Patloon geelee ho gayee, yeh shot dete dete.” And before Anupam feels that the camera has made Bachchan so nervous in his comeback days, the star continues with a poker face, “Itni dhoop jo hai.” Anupam Kher has a different thing to say about the scorching heat. “I was shooting this morning at the beach and I had to speak my dialogues in Tamil. Iss liye, mere to do-do pasine chhoot rahe thhey. Garmi ka pasina toh thheek tha, Tamil ka pasina jaane ka naam hi nahin le raha tha.”

THE WATCHFUL ‘BLIND’ EYE

Amitabh is called to give the final take. Before this, there is discussion about the point at which the crowds should applaud him. There are two options and one is finally okayed. In between the rehearsals and discussions, a unit hand comes to clear off some pieces of paper and plastic bags lying as waste in the field. Amitabh’s watchful ‘blind’ eye falls on the dutiful unit hand and he asks him to let it be as it is, so that it looks natural. In the rehearsals, Amitabh, quite understandably, falters as he forgets his long lines of dialogues twice.

SLIP OF THE…

In the take, it is Karisma’s chance to falter. While she is climbing down two steps to reach out to the vakalatnama being held out by Amitabh, Karisma loses her balance, thanks to her high-heeled sandals and the small steps. “Now, that’s not a slip of the tongue,” says Anupam who has been watching the shooting, “It is a slip of the taang.”

Before we know it, Anupam has given us the slip as he is required for giving his shot in the Tamil film’s shooting.

BLIND MAN’S BLUFF

S. Raamanathan is quite secretive about his film’s story. “We will tell you the story at the appropriate time,” he tells the visiting party, “so that you can then convey it to your readers.” Sensing S. Raamanathan’s mood, Amitabh takes back his words. For, he has already informed us that he plays a blind lawyer in the film. “No, I’m not playing a blind lawyer,” he says, trying to keep a straight face while taking off the dark glasses he has worn. Of course, none in the press party is blind. And we all know, lawyers are liars. Amitabh, perhaps, takes his role too seriously even when not shooting and bluffs us when he says, he isn’t blind in the film. That’s what you call ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’! For, it’s there for all of us to see when Amitabh gives his first shot of the day, that he indeed does play a blind lawyer. In a nutshell, the story is about a young college boy who is framed for four murders and is ordered by the court to be hanged to death. A blind lawyer is convinced that the college student is innocent and takes up his case to finally get him acquitted in the court of law. Vijayashanti plays Amitabh’s heroine. Shivaji Satam also plays an important role.

Amitabh does not remain blind all through the film. His doctor-friend (Anupam Kher) operates on his eyes and restores his eyesight. After all, it’s the kanoon which is andhaa forever, not the lawyer who argues in front of the blindfolded statue…

– Komal Nahta

“We can camouflage his age
to quite a large extent”
Make-up Man Deepak Samant
Talks About Amitabh And Age

“I’m already 55 years old and I have wrinkles on my face.” This is the famous quote of the comeback-Amitabh. An honest confession this, but one which could shake the confidence of the distributors of Amitabh starrers. Although, of course, Amitabh is being careful about the roles he accepts in films and is happy playing his age. Still, the question haunting distributors, exhibitors and his legion fans alike is: Will Amitabh not look old now? Can he be accepted now?

Amitabh may be frank enough to himself declare that age is no longer on his side. Yet, his make-up man, Deepak Sawant, does not sound as if he has surrendered to Amitabh’s age factor. It’s his job to make Bachchan look fresh and he accepts the “55 years” as a challenge. “It is not as if Amit-ji will look old and tired on the screen. We can camouflage his age to quite a large extent,” he says with conviction and a confidence which bears testimony to his 23 years’ association with the man who has often been referred to as the no. 1 to 10 among heroes.

Explains Deepak, “We get different shades of make-up — there’s red, pink, brown, yellow, white, orange, etc. Now, I’ve got to be careful about the colour I use on Amit-ji’s face. Another thing I’ve got to take great care of is the oil and sweat. Oil is secreted from within the body, and sweat comes due to external heat. When the oil and sweat/water (artificial sweat) react with the make-up, the wrinkles on the face become more visible in front of the arc-lights.” Does that mean that one will never see Amitabh with sweat running down his face on the screen? “It’s not that,” clarifies Deepak, “but I will have to be extra-careful for such scenes.”

Deepak concedes that earlier, he used to take 20 to 25 minutes to do Amitabh’s make-up but now, it takes him about 35 minutes to do the job. “Some stars are very interfering, but Amit-ji lets me do my job without interference. He is a fabulous person to work with,” announces Deepak with pride.

The veteran make-up man laments that in an industry where make-up is so important, there’s no award for this craft. “How would you like if an actor plays a hungry beggar without make-up? However good an actor he may be, he will never be able to create as much of an impact merely by his acting talent as with a combination of his acting skill, make-up, hair style and costumes.” In fact, Deepak feels, an actor is 25% acting talent, 25% make-up, 25% hair style and 25% costumes. “If even one of them is lacking, he has to make up for it with the help of the other three,” explains Deepak, “but a good actor must have all the four in equal proportion.” To substantiate his point, Deepak cites the instance of the climax scene of Sholay. “Amit-ji is blown up with a bomb in that scene and is dying. The director told me, he wanted ‘blood’ coming out from the corners of Amit-ji’s mouth. I thought for a while, then I asked Amit-ji to give me the shirt and pant he was wearing for the scene. I took them and tore them with a stone so that they looked shredded. I asked him to wear them again and then I sprinkled ‘blood’ all over his tattered clothes as well as on his forehead. In the scene, after Amit-ji is blown up, his body is lying still when the other characters arrive at the place of the accident. During this time, the blood trickled down from his forehead and came to the sides of his mouth, as desired by the director.”

Coming back to the Bachchan of today, Deepak shuns all talk about his boss having gone in for facial skin treatment or a face lift, as baseless. “It’s just make-up and regular exercising,” he says. “We may have faulted a bit in the first couple of films but even those faults will not recur once we see the first film’s copy. The errors that may have remained in his make-up can be analysed and, thereafter, avoided in the future.”

So, all ye distributors of Bachchan starrers, let the wrinkles of tension on your foreheads go. For, Deepak Sawant assures that he is taking care of the wrinkles and the age of Amitabh Bachchan.

3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment

Sippy Surfaces Again

N.N. Sippy has finally decided to take the plunge into production once again, after a long gap. He plans to start his new film in June and complete it within six months. In place of a film with Rishi Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Ajay Devgan, which he was earlier planning to produce, this project of his will star Karisma Kapoor and Chandrachur Singh. Raj Kanwar was to have directed the earlier film but this one will be directed by Shravani Deodhar. Informed Sippy, “The subject is so wonderful that dialogue writer K.K. Singh is too thrilled for words.” N.N. Sippy plans to have a third of the film shot abroad “because the story moves there and not just to picturise the songs, as is the fashion these days”.

Mauritius Indoors

Producer Yash Johar has lost count of the number of sets his art director, Sharmishtha Roy, has erected for his Duplicate, so many have there been for the film. One more was put up by the talented girl at Mehboob Studios last week, on which a song and some scenes were picturised on Shah Rukh Khan, Sonali Bendre and others. Before picturising the song, director Mahesh Bhatt had shot the film in Mauritius. But unlike other units which shoot on the beautiful landscapes of this picturesque place, the Duplicate unit was confined to the indoors only. It so happened that the (indoor) location required for the shooting was not available continuously in India as in Mauritius.

Pricey Reena

Reena Roy is acting pricey these days. Shocked? You needn’t be shocked because it isn’t for the big screen for which Reena Roy is acting pricey. She is doing so for a serial, Jung. Reena feels, the serial (produced by Pranlal Mehta) is enjoying popularity because of her presence in it. And so, she’s now demanding a price more than half as much as she gets for a film. This price is not for working in the entire serial, it is just for one episode!

Hero Mastana & Not-So-Mastana

All was not well on the sets of a comedy film starring two heroes and a heroine and nearing the completion mark. One of the heroes (who, incidentally, is the favourite of the film’s director) reportedly changed his dialogue in a scene (involving the two heroes together) at the time of its final take. This seems to have agitated the other hero so much that he charged into his hoted room and didn’t shoot… till the director and the errant hero went to his room and apologised!

Enemies Only

Can you believe this? Kamal Haasan’s Ladies Only is complete but all through its making, its director, Dinesh Shailendra, was barely on talking terms with one of the three heroines of the film, Seema Biswas. Dinesh, it is reported, was angry with Seema as she did not greet him when on the sets!

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!