ARJUN PANDIT
Ratan International’s Arjun Pandit (A) is an action film with an unusual plot. A girl, whose sister is raped and who ultimately commits suicide when her professor (the sole eye-witness to her rape) refuses to testify in front of the police (because he has been threatened with dire consequences), seeks revenge on the rapist as well as the professor by pitting them against each other. But the professor, who is neither aware of the sister’s identity nor her game-plan, falls madly in love with her as she, too, pretends to be in love with him. Despite her revenge, he continues to haunt her for her hand in marriage. In the meantime, the professor also becomes a pawn in the hands of an underworld don. The girl, who all along rejects his advances, relents in the end when she realises that he loves her more than anything and anybody else in the world and also when she is made (by him) to realise how fear can cripple a person. She also holds herself guilty for dragging him into the underworld.
While the story is quite new, it has a couple of drawbacks. It shows the heroine in negative light. The heroine seeking revenge to the extent of sending the professor to jail, simply because he did not dare to testify in the case of her sister’s rape, looks too far-fetched and unbelievable because one can swear such revenge for a rapist, not for one who fails to testify. It looks even more unbelievable because the girl knows how cowardly the professor is and there’s no doubt that in not testifying, it was his cowardice at play, nothing more than that! Another major drawback is the characterisation of the hero. Sunny Deol being shown as a coward professor is hard to digest. Although he ultimately becomes a criminal, the reels in which he is shown as a peace-loving man and a coward will not go down well with the masses at whom the film is aimed. The interval point is very good. Climax is too lengthy and, in fact, the second half tends to get a bit tedious. Dialogues are good.
Sunny Deol does well in the action scenes and his performance in the angry young man’s role is extremely good. But his get-up of a professor as well as his acting in that role are dull and don’t even evoke laughter. Further, the concept of the manic lover has been seen earlier in Darr and Anjaam and, therefore, holds no novelty. Juhi Chawla looks appealing and puts in a very good show of her talent. Mukesh Rishi is effective as the dreaded villain. Shahbaaz Khan also acts ably as a lecherous villain. Ashish Vidyarthi too is very good. Jeetu Verma evokes hatred. Saurabh Shukla, Virendra Saxena and Deepak Qazir are fair. Aruna Sangal, Shashi Sharma, Vaibhavi Raut, Ravi Patwardhan, Suresh Malhotra, Sachin Khedekar and the others lend able support.
Given the complex subject, Rahul Rawail’s direction is competent. But he could have avoided the flashback-in-the-flashback, to make the story simpler. Action scenes (Tinu Verma) have been excellently composed but there’s an overdose of violence in the second half, which will keep ladies audience away. Music should have been much better. Of the songs, only the Daler Mehndi number is very good. The ‘Paagal’ number is quite nice. The ‘O Priya’ song can be safely deleted as it hampers the narration without adding much to the film. Production values are of a good standard.
On the whole, Arjun Pandit has action for masses but a less believable plot and a coward Sunny Deol (in part of the film) will limit its business prospects. Keeping its high price in mind, it can hope to fetch returns in North India on the strength of ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres, and will prove average in other circuits.
Released on 20-8-’99 at Maratha Mandir, New Excelsior and 18 other cinemas of Bombay thru Ratan International. Publicity: good. Opening: very good. …….Also released all over. Opening was bumper in East Punjab and Rajasthan and good in Delhi-U.P. but not up to the mark in C.P. Berar.
LATEST POSITION
TAAL, as predicted, has done excellent in Overseas and has also fetched handsome shares from Bombay, Delhi, Nizam, Mysore, Andhra and Tamilnad on the strength of gentry audience. It is, however, poor in Bengal, Bihar and C.P.C.I. Rajasthan, where losses are predicted. It has done fair in East Punjab and parts of U.P. but is very dull in other parts of U.P. Not appreciated in ‘B’ and ‘C’ class centres at all. …..KOHRAM has yielded good shares in 1st week but the drop in collections outside Maharashtra from 5th day onwards was alarming.
Taal 1st week Bombay 73,00,636 (93.19%) from 12 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 23,95,671 from 4 cinemas, Baroda 2,67,915 (100%), Padra 2,51,668, Valsad 2,85,812 (77.25%), Jamnagar 1,26,000; Pune 16,43,314 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 3,12,101 from 2 cinemas, Sangli 2,13,440; Hubli 100%, Belgaum 100%, Dharwad 100%; Delhi 61,69,125 (93.31%) from 9 cinemas; Kanpur 5,24,792 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 4,50,024, Agra 4,75,615, Varanasi 2,60,643, Allahabad 2,26,622, Bareilly 1,55,029, Dehradun 2,70,000, Hardwar 1,03,929 (34.20%); Calcutta 17,76,879 from 10 cinemas; Nagpur 10,08,793 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur 1,61,401, Akola 2,30,394, Raipur (gross) 3,77,601, Bhilai 2,52,942 from 2 cinemas, Jalgaon 2,18,000, Chandrapur 2,05,946; Indore 3,48,000 from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal 4,72,779 from 3 cinemas; Jaipur 11,70,236 from 3 cinemas, Bikaner 1,69,370; Hyderabad (gross) 50,66,514 from 18 cinemas (2 in noon), share 28,48,000, Aurangabad 3,70,023; Vijayawada (gross) 7,59,013 from 3 cinemas (1 in 6 shows only); is extraordinary in USA in 1st week and good in UK, Gulf, Singapore but dull in Malaysia.
Kohram 1st week Bombay 66,20,340 (81%) from 15 cinemas (9 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 14,46,419 from 7 cinemas, Vapi 6,08,336 from 2 cinemas, Rajkot 2,61,150 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Jamnagar 1,52,029 from 2 cinemas (1 in matinee); Pune 15,32,261 from 6 cinemas, Solapur 4,62,471 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Sangli 2,00,180; Hubli 2,15,426, Belgaum 1,47,289; Delhi 40,85,159 (57.84%) from 13 cinemas (4 on F.H.); Kanpur 5,20,678 from 3 cinemas, Lucknow 7,32,229 from 3 cinemas, Agra 3,15,670, Varanasi 2,56,499, Bareilly (6 days) 1,28,712, Dehradun 1,75,000; Calcutta 22,68,377 from 13 cinemas; Nagpur 8,14,544 from 4 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 2,02,087, Akola 2,55,762, Raipur (6 days, gross) 3,31,623, Bhilai 2,39,171 from 2 cinemas, Jalgaon (6 days) 2,59,360, Chandrapur 2,25,378, Yavatmal 1,75,585; Indore 1,67,659 (3 on F.H.), Bhopal 1,08,762 (2 unrecd.); Jaipur 6,49,579 from 3 cinemas, Bikaner (gross) 2,86,080; Hyderabad (gross) 26,20,967 from 14 cinemas (1 in noon); dull in Overseas.
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Hindustan Ki Kasam 4th week Bombay 8,10,116 (37.34%) from 6 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,59,931 from 3 cinemas, Jamnagar (matinee) 13,382; Pune 2,27,463 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 51,209; Delhi 4,16,962 from 3 cinemas (2 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,21,271 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,53,170, Agra 26,936, Varanasi 1,29,310, Allahabad 66,750, Bareilly (6 days) 44,187, Dehradun 40,200, Hardwar 15,000; Calcutta 74,365; Nagpur (5 days) 35,177, Jabalpur (6 days) 44,812, Amravati (6 days) 44,278, Raipur (6 days, gross) 63,257, Bhilai 22,141; Jaipur 1,13,376.
Mann 6th week Bombay 8,85,783 (51.86%) from 4 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Ahmedabad 1,81,377 from 4 cinemas, Rajkot 82,740 (1 in matinee unrecd.); Pune 4,29,486 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee); Delhi 4,27,248 (1 on F.H.); Kanpur 1,20,619 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 1,93,194, Agra 70,163, Varanasi 85,908, Allahabad 55,800, Dehradun 30,000; Calcutta 2,88,252 from 2 cinemas; Nagpur 63,579, 5th week Jabalpur (6 days) 42,125, 6th Amravati (6 days) 59,398, Akola 40,654, Raipur (gross, 6 days) 81,226, 4th week Wardha (5 days) 30,881; 6th week Indore 64,371, Bhopal 52,203; Jaipur 1,87,261 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 2,16,348.
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INR HIRE: INDUSTRY FILES REVIEW PETITION IN SUPREME COURT
The film industry has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against its order delivered recently in the matter of INR hire. It may be recalled that a 3-member bench of the Supreme Court held that it was well within the rights of the Central government to charge cinemas a hire of 1% of net collections for screening its Indian news reels. The review petition before a full bench of the apex court is likely to come up in the month-end.
The matter of appeal will be discussed at the meeting of the Film Federation of India (FFI) this evening (21st August) at IMPPA House. This meeting is likely to be attended by all Bombay-based members of the executive committee of the FFI. The decision to have the EIMPA and the MPA jointly file a review petition had been taken at an earlier meeting of the FFI. It was then also decided that the FFI would oversee the entire legal proceedings.
D. RAMA NAIDU TO CONTEST LS ELECTIONS
Producer and studio owner Dr. D. Rama Naidu will contest the ensuing Parliamentary elections on a Telugu Desam Party ticket. He will be contesting from Bapatla constituency in opposition of Janardhan Reddy, a Congress strongman.
Despite being engaged in so many film and social activities, D. Rama Naidu has accepted the TDP ticket “to strengthen the hands of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu”.
COURT REJECTS PLEA AGAINST NATIONAL AWARDS TO ‘GODMOTHER’
A division bench of the Delhi high court, comprising Justice S.N. Variava and Justice S.K. Mahajan, on 19th August dismissed a petition challenging giving of National Awards to Godmother. The court said, “We would not like to interfere in the matter as it is the discretion of the government.” The petition, filed by a private organisation, Filmavalokan, had challenged the giving of six National Awards to Godmother on the ground that it portrayed the lifestyle of mafia, violence, riots and murders, which violated censor guidelines and did not promote production of healthy movies.
MAJOR VIDEO PIRACY RACKET BUSTED IN USA
In a major piracy unearthing operation in the USA, Eros International and Eros Entertainment Inc. recovered nearly 2,000 unauthorised VCDs and DVDs of several new Hindi films last week. The raid was conducted at VJ Video (owned by Vijay Patel) at Rockway, New Jersey, where the investigating team found and seized 55 VCRs and video duplicating equipment, apart from 1,071 VCDs and 1,871 DVDs of films like Hindustan Ki Kasam, Sirf Tum, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya, Biwi No. 1, Kohram, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, Raja Hindustani, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and others. The raid was co-ordinated and implemented by Megha Bhouraskar and William M. Poppe of the law firm Poppe & Bhouraskar LLP.
PRAVIN SHAH BEREAVED
Niral, son of Pravin Shah of Time Video, expired on 14th August in Bombay at Hinduja Hospital. He was only 8 years old. He had been hospitalised due to high fever on 11th August. He slipped into a coma the next day and remained in that condition till he passed away.
Jaap and prarthana in his memory were held on 17th August at Vishnu Prasad Hall, Juhu, Bombay. In a rare humane gesture, the family donated his eyes. Niral was an expert swimmer and a smart child.
YOU ASKED IT
Does re-editing help a film after its release?
– Only if it is done in time and with tact.
When films of big banners and top makers are flopping, how do distributors dare to pay unheard of prices to films made by comparatively smaller banners?
– Success is not the privilege of only the big banners and top makers. All the same, prices of films are definitely going haywire, very haywire, today.
Is Shekhar Kapur justified in asking the CBFC the reasons for the various deletions in his Elizabeth?
–Hundred per cent justified. After all, the CBFC should be accountable for its actions.
CENSOR NEWS
Venus Records & Tapes Ltd.’s Baadshah, applied on 16th and seen on 17th, has been issued C.C. No. CIL/2/26/99 (UA) dt. 19-8-’99; length 4929.47 metres in 18 reels (no cut).
Padmini Films P. Ltd.’s Rockford (English, partly in Hindi), seen on 16th, has been passed with UA certificate, with cuts.
G.S. Entertainment’s Hello Brother (length 3694.10 metres in 14 reels), applied on 17th, was seen on 18th.
DO YOU KNOW?
* TAAL is now short by four-and-a-half minutes. Subhash Ghai has halved the song Nahin paas tu and has made the climax portion racy by effecting some deletions. The comic parts in the climax have been chopped off.
* Producer Balkrishna Jha’s SASTA ZINGI MAHAG SENUR is the first Maithili film which is entirely in this dialect. So far, only two Maithili films have been made. One was KANYADAAN, released in 1965, which was not entirely in Maithili; the other was MAMTA GAYE GEET which was a documentary.
* Johny Lever has joined hands with Imtiyaz Shaikh, Amrit Jain and Albert Jassani to launch a music company, Auro Audio. They have already released the company’s first music album, ‘Pardesiya Yaad Teri Aati Hai’, rendered by Sadhana Sargam, Reema Mishra and Saud Khan.
MIX MASALA
NET-SAVVY JACKIE
Not only is Jackie Shroff a lot into internet these days, he is also initiating people to get net-savvy. And a sure way of getting people to at least get curious, he feels, is by signing his e-mail address instead of his name every time a fan requests the star for an autograph. So in place of ‘Jackie Shroff’, it is now ‘jackie@jackieshroff.com’. That’s Jackie’s e-mail address.
FILM-MAKING TODAY
Overseas Market: Is Its Bigness Eclipsing Home Market?
Are our filmmakers going ‘phoren’? The Overseas bug seems to have bitten some of the bigger filmmakers. No, not just in terms of shooting their films abroad. But in making films which cater to the tastes of audience in foreign lands more than to Indian audience.
While some films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai are universal hits, faring as well in India as in Overseas, there are many other films which don’t have the same universal appeal. Why compare home territory with Overseas, quite often a film which does well in one circuit in India does not do so in the other circuits of the country. The recently released Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is an instance in point. It is doing extraordinary business in Bombay, Maharashtra and Gujarat in India, but is nowhere near that mark in circuits like Delhi-U.P., Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan. Again, it is a huge hit in Overseas. Dil Se.. scored fabulously in the UK but was a damp squib in India. Last week’s Taal has broken all previous records in the USA by grossing US $ 5,91,289 in the first three days from 44 screens, thereby making it the first film to make it to the US Top 20, at the 20th spot. It has also done very well in the UK and the Gulf but its performance at home is not half as good.
Some of the cases prompt one to conclude that the Overseas audience has now become very important for some of our filmmakers. There was a time when the Overseas market was like a residual territory. But with Overseas opening up and business of films like HAHK..!, DDLJ and KKHH in the Overseas being Rs. 15 to 20 and more crore, it is one territory that just cannot be ignored.
Producers are also able to get super-fantastic prices from Overseas today, especially if the film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan or Anil Kapoor. A top maker recently remarked, “Our under-production monies mostly come from the Overseas distributor and the music company holding the audio rights. If we make a musical for the Overseas market, are we wrong?” But it is also a fact that while these makers make films for the Overseas market, they don’t charge their Indian territory distributors any less. Having thus taken heavy MGs from the all-India circuits, isn’t it necessary to also keep the interest of the all-India distributors in mind? Bihar is not what Overseas is. But if the Bihar distributor is paying through his nose, he expects the film to have something for his circuit too. To cater simultaneously to the UK, USA and Bihar or Rajasthan can be the toughest thing. Why, even KKHH, which was a blockbuster in India, was not as strong in Bihar as in the rest of the country or in the Overseas.
So what is to be done? The answer is simple. Make a HAHK..! or a DDLJ. Is the answer really so simple? The task, which the answer raises, is surely far from simple.
Why Blame Asha Parekh?
The CBFC has come under fire once again. This time, it is Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth and the three cuts ordered by the CBFC therein. Without going into the details of the cuts — everyone knows them by now — let us examine a pertinent issue that this whole imbroglio has raised and one which has gone unnoticed by and large so far. Somewhere along the line, the issues seem to have been mixed up. What should have been a protest against censorship as a principle, has been reduced to a relentless personal campaign by the media against CBFC chairperson Asha Parekh. Let us try and understand how erroneous the whole scenario is.
Firstly, let us get some facts right. The chairperson of the CBFC has absolutely no authority to demand any cut in a film applied for. According to the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, framed under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, the chairperson’s duties are defined as purely administrative — if one may use the term — in nature. The rules clearly state that the chairperson, upon receiving the recommendations from all the members of the examining committee and verifying that each and every guideline issued by the government is followed, ‘will direct the Regional Officer concerned to take further action on behalf of the Board in conformity with the recommendation of the Examining Committee either unanimously or by majority’. In simple terms, the job of the CBFC chairperson is limited only to receiving the cuts from the examining committee and forwarding them, without any authority to effect any changes in them, for preparation of the certificate. At no place in the Act is it mentioned that the chairperson’s presence is necessary at the viewing of a film by the Examining Committee and as such, it is not incumbent upon the chairperson to view a film applied for censorship. It is clear, then, that the chairperson is given absolutely no authority by the Rules, to influence any of the examining committee member/s in any way whatsoever.
The Rules, however, give the CBFC chairperson the authority to ‘of his own motion or on the request of the applicant, refer the film to a Revising Committee’. If interpreted correctly, even this rule does not allow the chairperson to take a decision as per his/her discretion. The decision to refer a film to the Revising Committee can only be taken by the chairperson, that too only in the case where there is a hung situation in the examining committee, or if it is felt that certain guideline/s has/have not been adhered to or any such reason.
Viewed in this light, blaming Asha Parekh for implementing the cuts ordered by the members of the Examining Committee, appears not only unwarranted, but foolish, too. Also ridiculing her for not having seen Elizabeth is plainly ridiculous in itself because even if Asha Parekh were to view the film, she would have no right or privilege to alter the scenario as regards cuts offered. After all, viewing films at the Examining Committee stage is not her job. What the media and especially the film fraternity must realise is that the only way the censorship issue can be resolved is through a dialogue with the central government. That alone would be a constructive thing to do. Let’s not take the easy way out and throw one more brick at the White House simply because, besides being far more easy, it also gets the brick-thrower free publicity.
– RAJ VAIDYA
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Khan Versus Khan — Idd Mubarak!
Mela, which was scheduled for release on Diwali (Nov. 5), has now been slated for release on Idd (January 5, 2000). And that’s because the film’s lead man, Aamir Khan, is presently abroad to participate in stage shows. Since Aamir would be returning only on October 7, it won’t give Aamir enough time to devote himself to the dubbing and post-production work of the film. Hence it has been decided to postpone it from one festival (Diwali) to another (Idd). This change would make Mela among the first few films to be released in the new millennium (year 2000)! Does it qualify to be nicknamed ‘Melannium’?! And what’s more, Aamir Khan will be pitted against another Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, whose Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani is also scheduled for release on the same date. And between the releases of these two Khans may be released Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, starring debut-making hero Hrithik Roshan.
Coming back to Mela, there is good news, if you believe director Karan Johar. After having seen the songs, Karan feels, “It’s going to be a super-hit film.”
Karan’s Kaaran
And while on Karan Johar’s feeling, here’s a denial and clarification for those who dwelled in the notion that his next would be a remake of Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie. First, the denial: “I am not remaking Kabhi Kabhie“. Now the clarification: “I had said in an interview that I would like to make a generation film like Kabhi Kabhie. I’m not a fool to remake a classic like Kabhi Kabhie.”
Not A Thing Of Beauty – II
Okay, so everyone knows that we were referring to the dispute between Aishwarya Rai and producer Shabnam Kapoor in this column last week. What only a few know is the latter’s side of the story. In a conversation with Film Information, Shabnam refuted outright the claims that she had not utilised the dates given by Aishwarya. “It is absolutely untrue,” said a very ill Shabnam in between sobs (yes, she broke down while speaking to us). “There has never been a case of the shooting being cancelled on my account. I don’t know why Aishwarya is doing this to me. That too, after I had gone out of my way to accommodate her demand for a price higher than the one agreed on before singing.” Definitely not a thing of beauty, then. We sincerely hope that the warring parties find a way to call truce soon.