KRODH
Ashok Honda Productions’ Krodh (UA), remake of the Malayalam hit, Hitler, is the story of a young man and his five sisters. Having had to bring up his sisters since the time he himself was just a kid, he is over-protective about them. His over-protectiveness assumes the nature of madness and his strict disposition earns him the nickname ‘Hitler’. He does not even respond to the overtures made by his good friend’s sister, only because he is burdened by the fact that he is guardian to five sisters. His estranged father tries to help the family, but the children spurn his assistance because they believe, he was responsible for their mother’s untimely demise. As it turns out to be, there is a villain who has actually wronged the father and who also has an axe to grind with the young man (father’s son) for a separate incident. Coincidences like this (two tracks — one of the father and the other of the son — and just one common villain) are quite a few and they make the story implausible. The track of the brother not permitting his sisters to even speak to boys looks unbelievable in today’s times, especially because the treatment is not mature. There are some questions which crop up in the drama, but which are left unanswered, thereby further reducing the film’s appeal. For one, why does the brother only order around his sisters and never take them into confidence? Why does he object to the marriage of his sister with his good friend from a decent family? And after their secret marriage, why does he resent it so much as to feel cheated and humiliated? Why does he blame himself for the unfortunate incident involving the eldest of the five sisters, when he has never acted against their interests? How does his good friend as well as his sister not object to their father being slapped by him — this, even when the audience isn’t aware that the father is an evil guy?
This is not to say that there are only flaws and no plus points in the film. Comedy is quite a highlight and it makes the first half light and enjoyable. The second half has more of serious drama and that’s where the film drops because most of it doesn’t look believable. Romance is absent almost completely. Emotions hardly touch the heart because they are improper at places.
Sunil Shetty does a good job and gives a restrained performance. Rambha is her bubbly self. Apoorva Agnihotri is average. Sakshi Shivanand is fair. Johny Lever is just too superb and brings the house down at several places with his brilliant comedy. Kader Khan shines in emotional scenes. Mohan Joshi is average. Rami Reddy suffers on account of faulty pronunciations and monotonous dubbing. Ponnambalam is not really effective. Harish Patel and Himani Shivpuri lend able support. Shashi Sharma acts confidently. Puja Seth, Tanya and Dimple Ghosh are so-so. Others fill the bill. Dubbing of some of the characters is poor.
Ashok Honda’s direction is average. Anand Milind’s music is fair but the absence of a hit song is sorely felt. The best number is the ‘Kangna’ song. The romantic songs picturised as dream sequences is another drawback. Song picturisations are quite an eyeful. Cinematography (Teja) is effective. Background score is good. Action scenes (Bhiku Verma) have thrill and punch. Production and other technical values are of standard.
On the whole, Krodh looks like a dated film because of its regressive story. Comedy and action are its saving points, which should see it reach the average mark in some circuits. Its low price and the holiday period will help.
Released on 17-3-2000 at Dreamland and 18 other cinemas of Bombay thru S.P. Enterprises. Publicity: so-so. Opening: very good (due to Idd holiday). …….Also released all over. Opening was not up to the mark in some circuits despite Idd, because of the examination fever and cricket matches.
SULTAAN
Sangeeta Pictures’ Sultaan (A) is the usual good versus evil drama in which the former triumps over the latter. A police inspector, disillusioned by the system, resents it when his neighbour’s son, whom he had raised as his own child, also joins the police force. Fate plays a cruel joke on the young police officer; his entire family is wiped off by a pack of villains, which forces him to get equally disillusioned by the system. Thus dejected, the police officer decides to lead a commoner’s life after disfiguring the eldest son of the villain, but he is not allowed to live in peace. Finally, he eliminates the villains.
The first half is quite dull with too much emphasis on light moments of a single character (played by Tiku Talsania). The post-interval portion abounds in action and that is fairly engaging. Story and screenplay are dull, and the film’s mainstay is its action. Dialogues (Anoop Shrivastava) are witty at places.
Mithun Chakraborty does a good job. Shaina and Suvarna are average. Dharmendra is so-so and looks quite disinterested in his work. Tiku Talsania has too lengthy a role and, although he acts effectively, he manages to raise laughter only at places (the blame for ineffective comedy would go to the writer). Raza Murad acts quite well. Mukesh Rishi is pretty impressive. Jack Gaud, Shiva, Sanjeeva, Vikas Anand and Yunus Parwaiz lend fair support. Tej Sapru leaves a mark.
T.L.V. Prasad’s direction is functional and leaves plenty to be desired. Music (Bappi Lahiri and Aadesh Shrivastava) is average, a couple of songs being of the hummable variety for front-benchers. Song picturisations are ordinary. Camerawork (K.V. Ramanna) is average. Rambo Rajkumar’s action is old-fashioned, yet punch-packed.
On the whole, Sultaan is only for ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres.
Released on 17-3-2000 at Super and 9 other cinemas of Bombay thru Dilsa Distributors. Publicity: dull. Opening: fair (due to Idd holiday). …….Also released all over except in South.
SHAHEED UDDHAM SINGH
Surjit Movies’ Shaheed Uddham Singh (UA) is a patriotic film about the life of martyr Uddham Singh and his fight for India’s independence from the British empire. An extremely authentic film, it has been beautifully made. But its Punjabi flavour and the liberal use of Punjabi dialogues dramatically limit its appeal.
Writer Atul Tiwari has done a splendid job of the subject. Dialogues (Surjit Pattar and Atul Tiwari) are masterly. The film does drop in its pace at times, but it picks up again after a while every time.
Raj Babbar gives a marvellous performance in the title role. Juhi Chawla, in a brief role, is restrained and impressive. She looks pretty. Gurdas Maan is wonderfully natural. Charlene Carswell acts pretty ably. Shatrughan Sinha leaves a mark in a brief but important role. Amrish Puri lends face value in a cameo appearance. Tom Alter is effective. Barry John shines. Ranjeet does well. Kavita Kamal, Brenda Carson, Gurkirtan, Dav Anderson, David Maclennan, Joe Lamb, Gurdayal Sirra and Vincent McReady lend admirable support.
Chitraarth’s direction is praiseworthy. The man has an eye for details. The Jallianwala Baug massacre has been effectively recreated. Music has too much of Punjabi flavour but is, nevertheless, good. Costumes have the period flavour. Camerawork (Rajesh Joshi) is good. Production values are of standard.
On the whole, Shaheed Uddham Singh is an enjoyable fare but its business prospects will be very limited due to the Punjabi flavour and dialogues (which make it a class film). It definitely deserves tax-exemption.
Released on 17-3-2000 at Metro (matinee) and 2 other cinemas of Bombay thru ABC Pictures. Publicity & opening: so-so. …….Also released in Rajasthan and Nizam.
LE CHAL APNE SANG
Jyoti Films’ Le Chal Apne Sang is the story of love between a poor boy and a rich girl, who ultimately unite as man and wife. It is a very ordinary story, that too of the kind one saw in films of the ’60s and the ’70s. The screenplay, too, is antiquated. Dialogues are commonplace.
Debutants Nishant and Aakanksha are misfits as love birds. Aakansha has the looks and sex-appeal but she needs to brush up on her acting. Nishant is so-so. Beena, Alok Nath and Raza Murad are okay. Baby Sonali is good. Babloo Mukherji, Suresh Chatwal, Raju Srivastava and Ajay Wadhavkar provide able support while Nanda Shinde, Sudhir Joshi, Resham Tipnis and Sachin Deshpande fill the bill.
Vijay Kondke’s direction is ordinary, like his script. Musically, all the songs are rehashes of old tunes. The only plus points are cinematography (Sameer Arya), editing (V.N. Mayekar) and background score (Anil Mohile) along with good production values.
On the whole, Le Chal Apne Sang is a poor fare with dim chances.
Released on 17-3-2000 at Central Plaza and 5 other cinemas of Bombay thru Kamakshi Film Combine. Publicity and opening: dull. …….Also released in C.P. Berar and Nizam.
LATEST POSITION
Examinations and cricket are adversely affecting collections. But wherever SSC Board exams got over this week, collections of KAHO NAA…PYAAR HAI jumped up dramatically.
Qayamat (dubbed) 1st week Bombay 1,27,500 (3 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,58,366 from 4 cinemas; Delhi (6 days) 7,32,853 (32.28%) from 4 cinemas; Lucknow 1,37,221; Calcutta (6 days) 58,507; Nagpur 2,43,015, Amravati (6 days) 93,663; Hyderabad (gross) 2,81,441 from 2 cinemas (3 unrecd.).
………..
Khauff crashes. 2nd week Bombay 7,65,432 (28.71%) from 5 cinemas (5 unrecd., 6 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 2,96,388 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot (matinee) 8,115, Jamnagar 40,038; Pune 3,00,578 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,08,230; Delhi (6 days) 15,50,071 from 7 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Lucknow 1,01,047, Agra 75,000, Allahabad 88,162, Bareilly 38,742; Calcutta (6 days) 1,28,456; Nagpur 37,127, Jabalpur (6 days) 25,006, Amravati (6 days) 61,642, Akola 46,000, Raipur (6 days) 43,432, Jalgaon 74,120 (1st 1,78,266); Indore 60,000, Bhopal 60,000; Jaipur 4,20,567, Ajmer 70,925; Hyderabad (gross, noon) 63,436 (2 unrecd.); 1st week Vijayawada (6 days, gross) 60,606.
Hey! Ram 4th week Bombay 4,96,195 (30.30%) from 2 cinemas (3 unrecd., 4 on F.H.); Pune 2,79,667 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 22,879; Delhi (6 days) 3,99,881 from 3 cinemas; Lucknow 63,831, 1 week Bareilly 24,335; 4th week Calcutta (6 days) 1,17,026; Nagpur 37,127, 1st week Jabalpur (4 days) 75,386, Akola 90,805; Vijayawada (gross) 2,25,673.
Badal 5th week Bombay 10,30,150 (49.61%) from 5 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 40,034, 1st week Balasinor 91,621; 5th week Pune 60,645, Solapur 65,152; Delhi (6 days) 2,69,599 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Lucknow 1,89,011, Agra 1,75,000, Allahabad 68,110, Bareilly 79,887; Calcutta (6 days) 1,18,338; Nagpur 81,262, Jabalpur 59,184, 1st week Kamptee (4 days) 47,467, 5th week Amravati 80,302, Akola 52,377, total 5,89,036, Raipur (6 days) 1,01,272, 4th week Gondia (gross) 86,306, Chandrapur 59,292, total 5,25,706, 1st Yavatmal 1,83,787; 5th week Indore 89,000, Bhopal 66,408; Jaipur 1,55,069, Ajmer 70,000; Hyderabad (gross) 3,27,281 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon).
Pukar 6th week Bombay (TF) 4,71,750 (4 unrecd., 3 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 75,920 from 2 cinemas (2 unrecd.); Pune (TF) 4,30,747 from 3 cinemas, Solapur (TF, matinee) 25,680; Delhi (TF, 6 days) 8,82,291 from 6 cinemas; Lucknow 97,603, Agra 54,000, Allahabad 34,771; Calcutta (6 days) 1,01,681; Nagpur (TF) 1,13,030, Jabalpur (TF, 6 days) 40,716, Akola (TF) 63,926, total 5,92,849, Raipur (TF, 6 days) 35,396, Jalgaon (TF) 85,212 (5th 55,816); Indore (TF) 41,309 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal (TF) 46,451; Hyderabad (gross) 4,04,040 from 3 cinemas (1 in noon, 2 unrecd.).
Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai is just too fantastic. 9th week Bombay 42,08,528 (94.35%) from 10 cinemas (5 on F.H.), 3rd week Vashi (gross, 6 days) 2,79,918, 8th week Vasai (gross, 6 days) 2,22,535; 9th week Ahmedabad 3,84,868 from 3 cinemas (1 unrecd.), Baroda 2,15,515, 3rd week Padra 1,88,868, 2nd week Cambay 1,64,668 (1st 1,98,906), 9th week Rajkot 1,12,800; Pune 9,16,645 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 1,91,977; Delhi (6 days) 15,24,080 from 7 cinemas; Lucknow 2,92,167, Agra 1,46,000, Allahabad 91,233, Bareilly (6 days) 43,668; Calcutta (6 days) 7,07,151 from 5 cinemas; Nagpur 2,60,330 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,15,122, 2nd week Balaghat 75,854, total 1,80,976, 9th week Amravati 1,50,664, Akola 1,42,845, total 12,91,504, Raipur 1,20,609, 7th week Durg 70,403, 9th Jalgaon 1,38,260 (8th 1,15,001), 4th week Wardha (nett) 94,827, total 5,08,947, share 4,16,947, 8th week Chandrapur 1,59,371, total 14,28,978, 7th Yavatmal 88,869; 9th Bhopal 1,92,584, total 18,31,574; Jaipur 3,24,159 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 5,57,302 from 2 cinemas (1 in noon, 2 on F.H.); Vijayawada 7 weeks’ total (gross) 16,73,530.
Derani Jethani (Gujarati; TF) 1st week Ahmedabad 1,88,211 from 3 cinemas (1 unrecd.).
FILM PROMOTION COUNCIL FORMED IN U.P.
The Uttar Pradesh government recently announced the formation of the long-awaited Film Promotion Council under the presidentship of well-known writer Kamleshwar. Formulated under the state government’s film policy, the Council will discuss and organise film activities in the state. Besides Kamleshwar, the Council has as its members the chief secretary to the government of U.P. (as associate president), Naushad Ali, Pahlaj Nihalani, Dr. Ramanand Sagar, Dr. R.K. Verma (U.P. Film Chamber of Commerce president), Muzaffar Ali, Ravindra Jain, Pt. Gautam Kaul, Surinder Kapoor, Sultan Ahmed, Shiv Kumar, Raja Bundela, Ashok Chand Jain, J.N. Srivastava and representatives of the NFDC, the FFI, the IMPPA, the Film & Television Academy of U.P., directorate of film festivals, U.P. Film Exhibitors Federation, entertainment commissioner of U.P., and other government departments.
CALCUTTA STUDIO GUTTED IN FIRE
A fire broke out in Calcutta’s oldest studio, Technicians Studio, in Tollygunge on 14th March. The studio’s floor no. 3 was gutted. Six fire engines were employed to put off the fire, but by the time they reached there, the floor had been reduced to cinders. The fire broke out during the shooting of Streer Maryada, being made by Swapan Saha. Fortunately, nobody was injured. Prasenjit and Rituparna Sengupta were participating in the shooting and were the first to notice the fire. Short-circuit is said to be the cause. The set was that of a village, constructed with pinewood and straw which burnt very fast, destroying everything within minutes.
CONFERENCE ON FILM INDUSTRY
An international conference on ‘The business of entertainment: India – Opportunities in the 21st century’ will be held at Hotel Regent in Bombay on March 30 and 31. Topics relating to films, television, music, radio and the government’s role, will be discussed in six sessions. Organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry in association with the Film Federation of India, Indian Music Industry (IMI), Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Association of Motion Picture & TV Programme Producers, and other bodies, the conference will be inaugurated by Arun Jaitley, minister for information and broadcasting. It will be presided over by Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
AJIT BARJATYA’S SON, RAJAT TO WED
Rajat, son of Ajit Kumar Barjatya, will wed Neha in Delhi on 23rd March. A reception to celebrate the wedding will be held on 25th March in Bombay at the RWITC (Members’ Enclosure), Mahalaxmi.
YOU ASKED IT
Is there any effective way of cutting down production cost without it being obvious on the screen?
– Plenty of ways! Pay the stars less and it will never show on the screen! Jokes apart, production values should be commensurate with the scene/song but producers often go overboard without it really being necessary.
It’s been a long time since a good woman-oriented film has been made. Here, I don’t mean films like Ramkali, Munnibai and the like. I mean films like Mother India, Seema (old), Bandini, Sujata, Aurat (old), Chandni… Will they not make viable proposals today?
– Of course, they would make exciting and viable proposals even today. Do you have a good woman-oriented subject?
Do film awards help in enhancing the market value of stars and technicians?
– Not in India. Here, box-office rewards are more important than awards.
DO YOU KNOW?
* With 15 cinemas currently being installed with DTS sound system, the total number of DTS cinemas in India would go up to 507. Andhra Pradesh has the maximum number of DTS cinemas (142), followed by Tamil Nadu (80) and Maharashtra (70).
* Universal has released a private album, ‘Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin’, featuring songs penned by Nida Fazli, composed by Aadesh Shrivastava and sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Jagjit Singh, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik and others. The album is presented by Bharat Shah. So many top names in a private album? Well, this private album is different from the rest. The songs of the album were actually recorded for Chetan Anand’s feature film, HUSN. Following Chetan Anand’s demise, the film was shelved, and now, Universal has released the songs in the form of an album.
* Kader Khan will return to stage after 15 years. He will appear in two plays on 26th March — Badi Der Ki Meherbaan Aate Aate and Local Train — directed by his son, Sarfaraz Khan.
CENSOR NEWS
Baba Films’ Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (social) was given C.C. No. CIL/1/15/2000 (U) dt. 10-3-2000; length 3876.14 metres in 16 reels (cuts: 2.36 metres).
A.G. Films P. Ltd.’s Hera Pheri (social/comedy), seen on 14th, has been issued C.C. No. CIL/1/16/2000 (U) dt. 16-3-2000; length 4124.86 metres in 18 reels (minor deletion in sound only).
Ashok Honda Productions’ Krodh was given C.C. (in Madras) No. CIL/2/0138/2000 (UA) dt. 6-3-2000; length 4439.90 metres in 17 reels (no cut).
Sangeeta Pictures’ Sultaan was given C.C. (in Madras) No. CIL/3/0175/2000 (A) dt. 15-3-2000; length 3777.45 metres in 16 reels (with cuts).
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Hrithikmania
While the whole nation is in the grip of Clintonmania these days, the school-going kids as well as the teeny-boppers are struck by Hrithikmania. A case in point is that of a 7th standard 12-year-old of Bhusawal. This girl goes to a school which strictly prohibits its students from bringing into the school any film magazine or photographs of film stars. Any student violating this rule could face a heavy fine or even be rusticated. At such a school, this girl was found to be in possession of more than a hundred pictures of Hrithik Roshan. When the school authorities brought this ‘offence’ to the notice of her parents, even they were shocked by their daughter’s obsession for the KN…PH star! Even the film’s C.P. Berar distributor Laloo Kabra’s school-going son is an ardent fan of Hrithik. He had been pestering his father for a telephonic conversation with Hrithik. The father had agreed to fulfil his wish on the condition that his Hrithik-struck son pass his annual examinations with flying colours. The son had started concentrating on his studies, which made Laloo yield to the pressure from his son even before the results are out!… In Bombay and elsewhere, youngsters have been repeatedly requesting cable-operators to screen KN…PH, even though each cable operator has screened it thrice or more times already. Madness at its height! But who is complaining?! Nobody, not even the parents of such star-struck children. One member of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of a school in South Bombay suggested to us, “Since school exams are nearing, Hrithik should exhort students, through the media, to study for their exams and forget him for a while.” Kaho naa…Hrithik, “Exams hai, tumhe padhna hai!”
Hrithik: A Desi Leo?
Although the comparison may look a trifle too preposterous and far-fetched, one can’t help but draw a few similarities between Titanic and Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai.
Both are huge hits (the former, of course, is too huge); both are love stories; both have super-hit music; both have the hero and the heroine’s love blossoming on board a luxury liner; in both the films, the lovers do not live happily ever after as in most other love stories (in Titanic, hero Leonardo DiCaprio dies, while in Kaho Naa…, one Hrithik Roshan is killed before the other makes the scene as the earlier hero’s look-alike). Both, Leo and Hrithik, became superstars over-night after the release of these films.
