LATEST POSITION
Bank and national holidays last week proved bountiful for the box-office.
Sarfarosh has done extraordinary in Bombay and Maharashtra. It is good in several other ‘A’ class centres, but collections started to drop at some places towards the end of the first week. 1st week Bombay 58,97,303 (93%) from 13 cinemas (8 on F.H.); Rajkot 1,67,292, Jamnagar 1,21,910, Adipur 1,13,698 (77%); Pune 15,79,591 from 5 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 2,56,414, Solapur 2,22,178 (100%); Delhi (6 days) 46,34,526 (75.57%) from 11 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Lucknow 4,32,322, Kanpur 4,88,836 from 2 cinemas, Agra 4,35,635, Varanasi 2,62,788, Allahabad 1,93,525, Bareilly 1,99,402 (70.29%), Dehradun 2,69,500, Muzaffarnagar 1,35,000; Calcutta 23,67,220 from 14 cinemas (10 on F.H.); Nagpur 8,45,193 from 4 cinemas, Amravati 1,81,783, Raipur 1,83,503, Jalgaon 1,78,605; Indore 3,26,000 from 2 cinemas (2 on F.H.), Bhopal 2,57,792 from 2 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Jaipur 13,51,027 from 5 cinemas, Bikaner (gross) 2,90,565; Hyderabad (gross) 30,86,350 from 13 cinemas.
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King Kong (dubbed) did poor in 1st week in Bombay; Raipur (6 days) 25,600.
Jai Hind 2nd week Bombay (TF) 4,29,089 (40.10%) from 2 cinemas (5 on F.H.); Pune (TF) 50,435, Solapur (TF) 72,810; Delhi (6 days) 89,849; Kanpur (TF) 1,06,268, Lucknow (TF) 77,073, Agra (TF) 73,215, Varanasi (TF) 1,02,189, Allahabad (TF) 78,088; Calcutta 78,000; Nagpur (TF) 56,099 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (TF) 25,823, total 66,996, Raipur (TF) 28,346, 1st week Bilaspur (TF) 35,601; 2nd week Indore (TF; 6 days) 43,329 (1 on F.H.), Bhopal (TF) 40,000; Jaipur (TF) 1,36,717, Jodhpur (TF) 1,50,000, 1st week Bikaner (TF) 78,820.
Silsila Hai Pyar Ka 3rd week Bombay 10,23,071 (39.65%) from 6 cinemas (3 on F.H.); Pune 2,88,803 from 3 cinemas (1 in matinee), Solapur 27,260; Delhi (6 days) 4,60,243 from 5 cinemas; Kanpur 56,597 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 95,823, Agra 45,852, Varanasi 39,603, Allahabad 22,218; Calcutta 3,13,510 from 3 cinemas; Jabalpur 57,825, total 2,14,969, Raipur 42,620, Bhilai 34,050; Bhopal 38,748; Jaipur 61,120.
Anari No. 1 4th week Bombay 18,08,669 (51.32%) from 9 cinemas (6 on F.H.); Pune 5,18,115 from 4 cinemas (1 in matinee), Kolhapur 75,065, Solapur 1,03,836; Delhi (6 days) 5,31,076 from 4 cinemas (1 on F.H.); Kanpur (6 days) 1,72,368 from 2 cinemas, Lucknow 2,20,093, Agra 39,152, Allahabad 40,075, Dehradun 68,251 (3rd 84,162), Muzaffarnagar 32,000; Calcutta 1,59,319; Nagpur 1,07,320 from 2 cinemas, Jabalpur (6 days) 1,25,653, Raipur (6 days) 68,360, Bhilai 35,400, 3rd week Durg 36,766, Jalgaon 1,01,380, 4th week Bilaspur 60,533; Indore 81,364, Bhopal 1,00,000; Jaipur 2,13,245 from 2 cinemas; Hyderabad (gross) 3,76,326 from 3 cinemas (2 in noon).
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‘SOLDIER’ SILVER JUBILEE
Tips Films’ Soldier entered 25th combined (silver jubilee) week on 7th May at Dreamland (matinee), Bombay and other centres of India. It is directed by Abbas Mustan and stars Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta. Music: Anu Malik.
‘HUM AAPKE DIL MEIN…’ CELEBRATES 100 DAYS
Producer D. Rama Naidu’s Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain completed 100 days on 1st May at Novelty Cinema, Bombay and other centres of India. Satish Kaushik has directed the film starring Anil Kapoor and Kajol. Music: Anu Malik.
DEEP JAIN’S DAUGHTER WEDS
Marriage of Kavita, daughter of Deep Jain of Film Jagat Enterprises, Delhi, with Manish was solemnised on 5th May in New Delhi at Hotel Park Royal. The wedding was a lavish and well-attended affair.
GIGANTIC MOVIE WORLD COMING UP IN AHMEDABAD
A new cineplex, consisting of three cinema screens, will open next year on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. Spread over an area of 4,30,400 sq. ft., Movie World will also feature other leisure and entertainment activities apart from cinemas. The cinema complex is being designed by architect Hasmukh C. Patel who has bagged a lifetime achievement award at the hands of the president of India. The complex is owned by Rajshri group of companies, whose other holdings include Rajshri (erstwhile Ajay cinema), Bhavnagar, Dharam cinema, Rajkot, Pradeep cinema, Junagadh, and Shalimar and Rajshri cinemas in Gandhinagar.
The multiplex will house, among other things, bowling alleys, food parlours, outdoor games, miniature golf courses etc. The multiplex-cum-entertainment park will be made on the lines of Universal Studios in the USA.
NAZIA HASAN IN COMA
Nazia Hasan, the Pakistani singer who shot to fame with the ‘Aap jaisa koi’ song of Feroz Khan’s Qurbani, is battling for life at a London hospital. She slipped into coma on 30th April. Nazia, who is in her late 30s, has been suffering from blood cancer since the last couple of years.
Tolanis Gear Up For Prestigious Release
No distributor can, perhaps, claim to have acquired as many big films as the Tolanis have for C.I. After firmly establishing Sapna and Sangeeta as two leading cinemas of Indore, Arjundas Tolani and his two sons, Sanjay and Rajiv, have now acquired a line of biggies for distribution in C.I. The first to be released from among their acquisitions will be Vashu Bhagnani’s Biwi No. 1. The line-up includes such films as Arjun Pandit, Chal Mere Bhai, Hadh Kar Di Aapne, Aankh Micholi and Bichhoo.
The Tolanis plan to release Biwi No. 1 with a record number of 21 prints. They have finalised a number of cinemas already at competitive terms and the response to the film in exhibition circles is “fantastic”, according to their manager, O.P. Goyal. The Tolanis have commenced the film’s publicity in their circuit in right earnest. The designer posters are said to be attracting a lot of public attention.
Sanjay Tolani told Information, “Besides starting distribution in a big way, we will also be upgrading Sapna and Sangeeta cinemas soon. Tube-lifts will be installed at both the cinemas. They will also be equipped with air-conditioners shortly.” So lucky have Sapna and Sangeeta cinemas proven for the Tolanis that they’ve called their distribution office, Sapna Sangeeta Distributors.
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Boney In Rama Naidu’s Shoes
It was all of a sudden that Boney Kapoor on 7th May launched a film with Satish Kaushik as director. Actually, the film, a remake of the Telugu hit, Pelli Cheskundama, was to be made by D. Rama Naidu. Then how did Boney come to launch it? The story goes like this. Rama Naidu had promised to acquire the Hindi remaking rights of another Telugu hit for Boney. But when Naidu did not succeed in bagging those rights, he gracefully gave up the rights of Pelli Cheskundama and asked Boney to remake the film instead of himself doing it. Of course, Boney jumped at the offer and launched the remake even before Rama Naidu would have! Story of one hero and two heroines, it is planned as a quickie by Boney. Boney and quickie? Yes, this time, the guy has even announced the release date — first week of April 2000! And Boney seems to be taking no chances. He consulted an astrologer who advised him not to leave his home for the film’s muhurt before 12.45 p.m. And so, the muhurt earlier fixed for 11 a.m. was ‘delayed’ by 2 hours. Incidentally, while Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai have already been finalised, the other heroine is to be finalised as yet. The role, according to Boney, is meaty. So who will be the lucky one?
Salman In Brief
Salman Khan stripped right down to his underwear during a dance routine at a stage show held in London on 3rd May. Salman performed the striptease amidst cheers from teenage girls in the audience while leaving older members quite aghast with his antic. It all happened when, in the course of dancing to a song, Salman threw off his jacket and then removed his trousers, too, to prance about the stage, clad only in his black brief and shoes. Amitabh Bachchan, Urmila Matondkar, Jaspinder Narula, Sunil Shetty and Tabu were among the other Bollywood personalities who attended the concert organised by Sony Entertainment Television and B4U.
Subsidy Amount Hiked
For the Marathi film industry, producer Satish Kulkarni’s contacts with ministers in the Maharashtra government have often proved useful. It was Kulkarni who had prevailed upon the government to increase the amount of subsidy payable by the state government to Marathi film producers from Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 lakh a couple of years ago. And this, in a purely personal capacity. Once again, Satish Kulkarni managed to convince the new chief minister, Narayan Rane, and deputy chief minister, Gopinath Munde, to further increase the subsidy amount — this time from Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 16 lakh. This happened on 30th April at the Maharashtra state government awards function. Kulkarni seized the opportunity as both the ministers were together at the function and it took two minutes for him to convince them of the need to hike the subsidy amount! The CM and the deputy CM readily obliged and, therefore, the Marathi film producers are euphoric.
BIOSCOPE
BIWI NO. 1
Rib-Tickling Comedy
Vashu Bhagnani’s Biwi No. 1 is a rollicking comedy about extra-marital affairs. Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor are blissfully married to each other for years. While Salman is a self-made advertising agency head and an ideal husband, Karisma is a caring wife who has supported her husband through thick and thin. She is also the quintessential Bharatiya naari who is content in living in her husband’s shadow. Their family is complete with two children who they dote on. However, after several years of living together, Salman begins to find a plain-Jane Karisma less attractive. He somehow begins believing that he needs a change. In walks Sushmita Sen, a model, whose only goal in life seems to be to marry a rich man so that she can live life in the lap of luxury. Salman happens to meet her and is instantly attracted to her. However, like any other erring husband, he fails to mention his marital status to Sushmita. Soon, they grow closer and Salman even takes Sushmita along on a business trip abroad. There, Anil Kapoor, who is the family doctor and a friend, spots them both together. Anil is on a holiday trip with his wife, Tabu. Salman somehow manages to convince Anil that he is only having a fling and that, he still loved Karisma too much to leave her for anyone else. Having been convinced that Karisma is not in any danger of being deserted by her husband, Anil leaves the matter at that.
Salman and Sushmita return to India, but their affair soon comes to the notice of Karisma. A hurt Karisma forbids Salman from entering their house. Salman, then, begins to have a live-in-relationship with Sushmita. When Anil Kapoor learns of this sudden turn of events, he apologises to Karisma for not having tipped her off about Salman’s erring ways earlier. He also exhorts her not to take the injustice meted out to her by Salman, lying down. Karisma then resolves to win her husband back. She devises a number of hilarious but effective ploys, in tandem with her children, her mother-in-law and Anil Kapoor, to create a negative impression of Sushmita in Salman’s mind.
This David Dhawan film boasts of a number of funny sequences and scenes that are expected to have the viewers rolling on the floor laughing. The film has a formidable star cast which includes Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Sushmita Sen and Saif Ali Khan (playing a photographer who is in love with Sushmita). The music, scored by Anu Malik, is racy. The title track and Hai jawaani toh are the pick of the lot. The film releases in the middle of the cricket World Cup matches, on 28th May, and may still succeed in hitting the bull’s eye at the box-office, going by Vashu Bhagnani and David Dhawan’s 100% track record together.
SOORYAVANSHAM
A Father And Son Saga
Padmalaya Combines’ Sooryavansham depicts Amitabh Bachchan in the dual roles of a father and son. While the father is a rich and unflinchingly principled landlord, the son is more of the happy-go-lucky type. This becomes the cause for a great amount of friction between the two, which is aggravated by certain key incidents in their lives. The matter comes to such a pass that the son chooses to leave the comforts of his father’s house — a development which is well-exploited by the father’s villainous rival to further his own end. Eventually, however, the father and the son unite to destroy the villain, played by Mukesh Rishi. The romantic angle in the film is served by South’s Soundarya, who plays an IAS officer in love with the son. Jaya Kapoor nee Sudha plays the older Amitabh’s wife while debutante Rachana Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Bindu, Shivaji Satam, Neelima Azim, master Anand Vardhan and Kader Khan comprise the rest of the cast.
This Hindi remake of the super-hit Tamil film, Sooryavamsam, is directed by the prolific Telugu film director, E.V.V. Satyanarayana. The film also marks the return of Padmalaya to Hindi films after a gap of 10 years. Anu Malik’s music and Sameer’s lyrics, both, combine to create a melodious score that is part-romantic and part-folk. The film is due for release on 21st May.
SIRF TUM
Love Story So Unusual…
Have you ever heard of a love story in which the lovers never meet? Well, that’s Sirf Tum. One may recall that when the Tamil film, Kaadhal Kottai, became a runaway hit, there was a scramble to acquire its Hindi remaking rights. The lucky producer was Boney Kapoor who, besides using his luck, had to also pay a hefty price for the rights. After buying the rights, he roped in Ahathian, the director who had made the original too. The remake may have taken a fairly long time in the making but Boney’s confidence in the project and its director was vindicated when Ahathian bagged the National Award two years ago for the same film.
Sanjay Kapoor and Priya Gill play the two romantics who never meet till the film almost ends. And yet, their romance blossoms. There’s a third angle to the story too. Sushmita Sen plays the ultra-rich boss of Sanjay Kapoor. She is head over heels in love with Sanjay, but will Sanjay agree to marry her? Not at all! Our man is in love with Priya Gill, so what if he hasn’t seen her and vice versa! A nail-biting climax sees the two love-birds unite. In the Tamil original, the audience is reported to have let out sighs galore for the hero and heroine. Will history repeat itself in Hindi? Sanjay and Priya fervently hope so. So does Sushmita Sen.
The music score by Nadeem Shravan is already very popular. In fact, Sirf Tum is one of the hot-selling albums today, not just in India but abroad too.