BHOPAL EXPRESS
Highlight Films’ Bhopal Express is a human document on the Bhopal gas leak tragedy which killed 16,000 people and maimed over 5 lakh others in 1984. A newly married man, working as a supervisor in Union Carbide factory, unwillingly sends his wife to her parents’ village for a few days and goes to a kotha for entertainment along with his Muslim bachelor friend. The friend drives an autorickshaw for a living, having given up his job in the Union Carbide factory. The autorickshaw-driver tells one and all about the terrible working conditions in the factory and warns everyone about an impending tragedy. But nobody gives it any thought. While both the friends are enjoying at the kotha, gas starts leaking at the factory, thus killing thousands of people in the city. Both of them try to save as many people as possible, but the Muslim friend dies due to gas inhalation. The young man finds out that the management of the factory is sitting tight on this tragedy. The company’s board of directors discusses on how they can save their skin and pay as little compensation as possible by blaming the factory supervisor for the mishap.
The supervisor stops a train coming to Bhopal, but he misses the other train in which his wife is returning to the city. However, he is relieved to find her safe in the railway platform’s telephone booth in front of which a mother has died, leaving a little child wailing by her side. The couple adopts the child, naming him after their beloved Muslim friend.
The drama establishes the miserable conditions in the factory and also the apathy and negligence of the board of directors. In between are the love episodes of the young couple and the Muslim friend’s light talk and banter. The film turns into a tale of disaster mid-way. Dialogues are witty and the pedestrian ones, mouthed by the rickshaw-driver, are enjoyable.
Writer-director Mahesh Mathai has woven a screenplay which will be appreciated only by the intelligentsia. He has cleverly pieced together elements of love, friendship and mean-mindedness of a multinational company’s bosses in the backdrop of the gas tragedy. But the story, by its very nature, will give the viewer a feel of watching a documentary. Secondly, the Bhopal gas tragedy is too distant in time a mishap to evoke the kind of pathos and poignancy that were generated at that time. After all, public memory is, proverbially, short. And what is more, our audience will never accept a national calamity being relived on celluloid (remember, Kaala Patthar, a film on the Chasnala coal mine tragedy, which did not work even despite an impressive star-cast and a well worked-out script?).
Kay Kay, as the young supervisor, does an excellent job. He lives his role and is natural to the core. Nethra Raghuraman is also natural. As the Muslim friend, Naseeruddin Shah is extremely lively. His scenes at the kotha are simply superb. His performance, when he is shown in a drunken state, is incredibly good. Zeenat Aman is okay. Vijay Raaz is the best among the supporting cast.
The film’s background score enlivens the various moods. The songs have their own flavour, and in that genre, are good. Cinematography is slick. Technically, a very well-made film.
On the whole, Bhopal Express will evoke ecstatic expressions of appreciation for its technical excellence and content, only from a slender section of the audience (like a piece of modern art being appreciated only by the connoisseurs of art). At the ticket-counters, however, this Bhopal Express will not get a berth in the list of commercial successes.
Released on 10-12-’99 at Sterling (daily 2 shows) and Gossip of Bombay thru Shringar Films. Publicity: very good. Opening: fair (due to only two prints).
PROTEST STRIKE
The Calcutta distribution film trade is likely to down shutters for three days beginning 14th January, 2000. Distributors of West Bengal and the cinema representatives’ union have been at loggerheads for quite some time now, on the issue of “unjust demands” of duty (bhattas) made by the union, and other demands.
The closure is planned as a result of the tension between distributors and representatives. Efforts are on to avert the closure.
NATUBHAI SHAH NO MORE
Veteran film agent and producer Natubhai Shah breathed his last at Nanavati Hospital in Bombay on 9th December at 5 a.m. He was 76 and is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and grandchildren. He was cremated the same day. Besna was held on 10th evening.
Natubhai was leading a retired life since the last several years following a heart ailment and prolonged illness. Despite his retired status, he was among the first to contribute Rs. 10,000 to Film Information‘s Kargil issue brought out in August this year. He used to keep himself abreast of all film happenings till the end came. He was extremely close to the Information family and was, in fact, a pillar of support to your late editor-printer-publisher, Shri Ramraj Nahta, when he started the magazine 26 years ago. He continued to encourage the magazine till his last day.
Natubhai had served as the vice president and honorary treasurer of the Western India Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA) for many years. The office of the WIFPA remained closed for half a day on 9th. Several office-bearers of the WIFPA attended his funeral.
HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS MADELINE KAHN DEAD
Hollywood actress Madeline Kahn, famous for playing comedy roles in a number of films including Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, died of ovarian cancer on 3rd December in a New York hospital. She was 57.
GANESH JAIN’S SON WEDS
Marriage of Sushil, son of Ganesh Jain of Venus Records & Tapes Ltd., with Sarika was solemnised this morning (11th December) in Bombay. A reception to celebrate the wedding will be held this evening at the RWITC, Mahalaxmi, Bombay.
WEDDING RECEPTION OF KEWAL KASHYAP’S SON
Reception to celebrate the wedding of Shresht, son of producer-director Kewal Kashyap, with Sonal will be held on 12th December at the CCI (East Stand), opposite Hotel Ritz, Bombay.
‘HS-SH’ PIRATED VIDEO CASSETTE SEIZED
An illegal video cassette of Hum Saath-Saath Hain was seized in a raid conducted by the Indore police this week. The raid was initiated by Govind Acharya of Rajshri Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Indore. One Sanjay Tomar was arrested.
DO YOU KNOW?
* So far, whenever a Hindi film hero has played double roles in a film, the roles have always been of either father-son or twin brothers. But Anil Kapoor plays dual roles of a different kind in T. Rama Rao’s BULANDI — of two brothers born several years apart! For the record, Harish plays the third brother in the film.
SAATH-SAATH INDEED!
* As many as 80 members of the Reshamwala family witnessed the 3 p.m. show of Rajshri’s HUM SAATH-SAATH HAIN on 5th December at Rajmahal cinema in Surat! Spread over five generations, the family consists of members with an age difference of 85 years between the oldest and the youngest. The Reshamwalas are also considered one of the largest HUFs (Hindu Undivided Families) in India. The cinema management had a special photograph of the entire family clicked in the cinema and plans to send a copy of the photograph to the Barjatyas.
HUM SUPER-DUPER HIT HAIN IN NIZAM
* The Rajshri people have scored in Nizam not just with their films but also with their novel release strategies. In the past, a total of seven films made under the Rajshri banner have celebrated silver jubilees in morning shows in Nizam and four, in regular shows. They’ve released HS-SH in two main cinemas in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The film is breaking all earlier records despite the simultaneous release in two main cinemas. The 5th week’s collection at Tarakarama 70mm cinema of Hyderabad is a whopping 6,47,247/- and at Ramakrishna 35mm cinema of Hyderabad, it is Rs. 4,78,835/-!
* HS-SH has created all-time history at Jalna (Nizam) by yielding a share in 5 weeks, which is more than the 22 weeks’ share of HAHK..!. Like HS-SH, the earlier HAHK..! was also screened at Majestic Talkies. It must be mentioned here that Nizam distributor Ravi Machchar was, perhaps, the only person in the whole of Nizam trade, who was supremely confident of the stupendous success of HS-SH in Nizam. “This film will write new history,” he had said when the film was released and even as many in the trade predicted that it would bomb.
YOU ASKED IT
Why has Pukar been postponed to 4th February?
– A.R. Rahman has not completed the background score of the film as yet. Further, the film’s audio cassettes were released only recently, and Rahman’s music needs time to make an impact on the listeners.
When the last date for submission of prints for National Awards is 15th June, why is the cut-off date for films eligible for the Awards kept at 31st December of the previous year and not, say, 30th April of the year in which the Awards are presented?
– National Awards are given for a calendar year. What you are implying is that there is a lot of time gap between the cut-off date (31st December of the previous year) and the last date for submission of prints (15th June of the next year). This can be shortened by announcing the Awards earlier and, therefore, keeping the last date for submission of prints much earlier, say, 15th March.
What is the sense of dragging a film to silver jubilee?
– Do you seriously think that there is sense in everything that happens in the industry?
CENSOR NEWS
Shree Krishna International’s Jaanwar was given C.C. No. CIL/2/43/99 (UA) dt. 3-12-’99; length 4544.27 metres in 17 reels (cuts: 133.79 metres).
Venus Records & Tapes’ Mela has been passed with UA certificate, with cuts.
REGIONAL FILMS
Kamla Cine Arts’ Koyaladi (Rajasthani) was given C.C. No. CIL/1/69/99 (U) dt. 7-12-’99; length 3563.43 metres in 14 reels (cuts: 30.77 metres).
R.B. Films’ Maa Baap Ne Bhulsho Nahi (Gujarati), seen on 7th, has been issued C.C. No. CIL/1/70/99 (U) dt. 10-12-’99; length 5484.09 metres in 19 reels (no cut).
Mitali Films’ Jivtar (Gujarati) has been passed with U certificate, with cuts.
Mukund Films’ Jai Salasar Hanuman (Rajasthani) was seen on 7th.
R. Shankar’s Kumugi (Tamil; dubbed; length 3439.07 metres in 15 reels), applied on 2nd and seen on 6th, has been passed for adults, with cuts.
G.N. Films’ (Keshod) Gaam Ma Piyaryu Ne Gaam Ma Sasaryu (Gujarati; length 4987.28 metres in 18 reels), applied on 3rd, was seen on 8th.
PRODUCTION NEWS
‘Refugee’ Complete
The last 15-day shooting schedule of J.P. Films’ Refugee was completed in Bhuj this week. Except for patch-work, the entire shooting is now complete. Produced and directed by J.P. Dutta, the film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Anupam Kher, Reena Roy, Sudesh Berry, Punit Issar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Tiwari, Shadab Khan, Vishwajit Pradhan, Arif Zakaria, Avtar Gill and Ghanshyam. Music: Anu Malik. Lyrics: Javed Akhtar. Dialogues: O.P. Dutta. Cinematographer: Bashir Ali. Action: Bhiku Verma. Dances: Saroj Khan. Editor: Deepak-Vilas.
PEOPLE
Are talking about
♦♦ The title song of Mela. The song, rendered by a record number of 12 singers and composed by Anu Malik, has been beautifully penned by Dev Kohli. The song has the merits to reach the top of the charts.
♦♦ The title track of Shah Rukh Khan’s Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Incidentally, the picturisation of the song in the film will be different from what’s currently on air on satellite channels. Anyway, the song’s catchy tune has caught the fancy of the listeners.
♦♦ The big deal of the week — Universal (Polygram) acquiring the music rights of three films presented by Bharat Shah, viz. Kamal Haasan’s Hey! Ram, Ram Gopal Varma’s Jungle, and Nazim Rizvi’s Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.
Are surprised about
♦♦ The announcement of a sequel to Sholay minus the name of the creator of the original Sholay — director Ramesh Sippy. Wonder, who will call the shots this time?
☺☺ When One’s English Went Berserk! ☺☺
When it comes to English, it can be truly hilarious, how someone who doesn’t understand English too well, can sometimes make a blunder in interpreting something. Like it happened once, several years ago.
Film Information had written a piece about CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain’s war of words with the then IMPPA chief, Ramraj Nahta. The story in our issue was titled: SANTOSH SINGH JAIN GOES BERSERK, LAUNCHES TIRADE AGAINST IMPPA’. Soon after the issue, containing the story, was out, a CCCA member from out of Bombay came to Bombay and visited Information office. He asked one staffer: “Kya Jain Sahab laut aayen?”
“Laut aayen? Kahan se?”, the staffer queried because, as far as the staffer knew, Santosh Singh Jain was very much in Bombay and had been in Bombay since several days.
Pat came the reply from the CCCA member who had presumably read only the title of the published story but not the entire story: “Nahin, aapki magazine mein likha tha na, ki Jain Sahab B-E-R-S-E-R-K gaye hain. Toh kya woh Berserk se laut aayen?
Wow! ‘Goes Berserk’ can mean ‘has gone to a place called Berserk’, wherever that is!!
☺☺ In Daddy’s Shoes ☺☺
This incident would seem unbelievable. But it’s as true as true can be.
We gad gone to a suburban studio, many years ago, to interview a veteran producer-director. Interview over, we left the filmmaker’s office but soon realised that we had forgotten to take a photograph of the producer-director. We trotted back to the office but decided against disturbing the filmmaker since we only wanted a file picture of his. Our endeavour took us to the maker’s son who also used to attend office regularly. We told him about his dad’s interview and what had brought us to him. The son rummaged his drawer for his dad’s picture. He couldn’t find one but, perhaps, in a bid to not let us down, the over-enthusiastic son fished out his own photograph and very innocently asked us, “Will my picture do?”
We couldn’t believe our ears! A polite “no” from our side followed. We left the office and couldn’t stop laughing till we reached our office at Grant Road, from the suburban studio!
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Tracking It Down
It never pays to change tracks where films are concerned. This is the conclusion one draws from some recent upsets caused by change of tracks. Some instances: Prakash Jha, who made a name for the kind of films he made, like Damul and Mrityudand, strayed from his track when he directed a love triangle, Dil Kya Kare. The box-office fate of Dil Kya Kare must’ve made Jha ask himself, ‘Film flop hui toh hum kya kare?”….. Govind Nihalani’s diversion into the commercial track led him to Thakshak which is a box-office chuck-out…. Indra Kumar, after having scored a hat-trick with family socials — Dil, Beta and Raja — fancied directing a soft romantic film like Mann. After the fate of Mann at the box-office, Indra Kumar must have now decided never to do any manmaani of this kind!…. Actor Rishi Kapoor ventured into direction with Aa Ab Laut Chalen, and he is back to acting (although he will direct more films too)….. Sunny Deol made his foray into direction with Dillagi which proved a disillusion….. Jackie Shroff nursed a desire to make a clean film, and he produced Grahan. Even after a couple of years of its completion, the film is yet to see release…… Art-smart Ketan Mehta made commercial films like Maya Memsaab and O Darling Yeh Hai India and is still smarting under their failures….. Going several years back, late Manmohan Desai, the lost-and-found film specialist, always said that he would never change tracks. He used to say, “When successful Hollywood filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg have never believed in changing tracks, why should I? But he backtracked from what he said and changed his track when he made an all-Muslim-characters film, Allah Rakha (directed by his son, Ketan Desai), and realised that it never pays to change tracks when you are sure of reaching your destination without switching tracks. So, before changing tracks mid-way, keep a track of the changes you will have to adapt to, otherwise, there are chances of derailment.
‘HS-SH’ On Satellite?!
Rumours were rife in the Bombay film trade this week that Hum Saath-Saath Hain would be telecast on a leading satellite channel on December 31. Those who heard the rumours, including the Barjatyas, dismissed them off as a figment of imagination of some mischief-monger.
Shringar & Sanjay Dutt
Bombay distributors Shringar Films have scored a hat-trick with Sanjay Dutt-starrers this year, with Daag – The Fire, Vaastav and Khoobsurat. All the three have done good business in Bombay. Khoobsurat is dull in almost every other circuit. Vaastav, too, is the best in Bombay circuit.
‘Doob’surat
Khoobsurat had a far-from-beautiful experience at Krishna cinema of Ratlam. Two shows (6 p.m. and 9 p.m.) of the film at the cinema on the last day of the second week (Thursday, 9th December) had to be cancelled because of nil audience! Sanman Films, the C.I. distributors of the film, had to release Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (repeat-run) on Friday at the cinema.
Wedding Bells & Starry Shows
The wedding bells at the grand marriage of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s daughter, Dimple, recently in Lucknow, made a national echo for its grand turnout. What made the event greater news all over the country was the presence of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Raj Babbar, singers Saapna Mukherji and Nitin Mukesh. Amitabh, of course, stole the limelight when he sang and danced to the Mere angne mein tumhara kya kaam hai with Jaya Bachchan pleading not to be lifted during the interlude line, Jiski biwi chhoti... Amitabh was in his nostalgic elements when he regaled the invitees with Dekha na.. haai re socha na (from Bombay To Goa).
With one Yadav (Mulayam Singh) stealing the limelight, can the other Yadav (Laloo Prasad) be left behind? He, too, performed the marriage of his daughter, Misa, with great showmanship. Laloo Prasad sent his brother-in-law, Sadhu Yadav, to Bombay to personally invite Dilip Kumar, Mahesh Bhatt, Pooja Bhatt and Raj Babbar. And Mamta Kulkarni too!
Believe It Or Not…
This bit of information is rather hard to believe but, nevertheless, true…
A distributor had decided against buying Raja Hindustani because he did not fancy the Pardesi pardesi jaana nahin song — neither its music nor its picturisation! He instead went ahead and kicked the axe by acquiring Saawan Kumar’s Sanam Harjai for his territory!
How Intelligent Are Our Stars?
Is this a coincidence?
Most of the films produced and/or directed by stars or those produced by banners in which stars have stakes and released in 1999 have not made a mark at the box-office. Whether it was Rishi Kapoor’s Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Salman Khan’s Hello Brother, Ajay Devgan’s Dil Kya Kare or Sunny Deol’s Dillagi, the results of all these films at the cash counters have been far from satisfactory. Ajay Devgan’s Hindustan Ki Kasam, too, did not make the cash registers jingle although it was better than the other star productions.
Some of these films may have made money for the producers, but almost all distributors of films produced/directed by stars have cut a sorry picture this year.
On the one hand, we have stars insisting on story sittings before signing films of outside producers. So far, so good. But we also know how stars often interfere in the film’s making and insist on scenes being re-written. If the stars are so confident about their writing prowess or about their knowledge of what runs and what doesn’t, how is it that they fail in their own production/directorial ventures? Much more is at stake when the stars produce/direct films than when they only act in them. So the natural assumption is that more thought and effort goes into the films of which stars are producers/directors.
Of course, success and failure are unpredictable. Filmmaking, by its very nature, is a speculative business. But if films made by stars in 1999 fail at the box-office, it cannot be dismissed as a mere quirk of fate or a manifestation of the speculative nature of filmmaking.
There is more to this uncanny similarity. It exposes how much importance producers and directors unnecessarily give to our stars who claim to be know-alls, not just in the field of acting but also in the realms of writing and direction. But the fact, as indicated by the bombing of their films, is quite contrary to what the stars would like the industry to believe.
If our stars are so intelligent, films directed and/or produced by them should have been hits. But now that they’ve bombed, they (stars) should gracefully let directors and writers do their jobs. Creative inputs from them are always welcome. Stars’ involvement is necessary. But when involvement crosses limits and turns into interference, it’s time to remind the stars of Dillagi, Dil Kya Kare, Hello Brother, Aa Ab Laut Chalen…….
– Komal Nahta
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Sir,
My letter pertains to that part of box-office collections, which appears every week in Film Information under the head ‘Latest Position’, generally on the 3rd or 4th editorial page.
Over the years, I have been interestingly observing the bold-lettered statement below it, which states (for more than ¾th of the year) that “It was a normal week BUT the collections were generally low.”
However, observing the present state of box-office collections, which, sadly, but usually, is the norm for a major part of the year, it would be apt if you worded the above statement as:
“It was a normal week AND the collections were generally low.”
In my opinion, this may highlight the abnormality of occasional successful collections.
Please construe my above letter in a sporting spirit.
Sincerely yours,
Amitabh Gupta
(An addicted reader)
Bombay