(From our issue dated 28th May, 1994)
RELEASES
All releases are subject to the embargo on releases being lifted by FMC.
No new releases next week.
* * *
AATISH 10th June Maratha Mandir Bombay & all over
JAI-KISHEN 10th June Naaz Bombay & all over
ANTH 10th June all over
MAWALI RAJ (dubbed) 10th June many circuits
VIJAYPATH 17th June all over
EKKA RAJA RANI 17th June Dreamland Bombay & all over
CHEETAH 17th June all over
Janta Ki Adalat 17th/24th June all over
BRAHMA in June at Super Bombay
JUAARI, AAG, KRANTI-KSHETRA, WATAN, FAUJ & DO FANTOOSH in June
MOHRA 1st July Novelty Bombay & all over
KRANTIVEER 1st July all over
1942 A LOVE STORY 1st/8th July Metro Bombay & all over
AMAANAT 15th July all over
POLICEWALA GOONDA, ANDAZ APNA APNA & EENA MEENA DEEKA in July
HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN..! 5th Aug. Liberty Bombay & all over
MR. AZAAD 5th Aug. all over
CHAAND KAA TUKDAA 19th Aug. all over
JAI VIKRAANTA in Aug.
DO YOU KNOW?
* Dharmendra is working in Mohan Kumar’s film – AAZMAYISH – after a gap of 32 years. Mohan Kumar had directed Dharmendra in ANPADH (released in 1962). Dharmendra is playing the father of debut-making lead man Rohit Kumar (son of Mohan Kumar) in AAZMAYISH.
* Producer-director Mehul Kumar has directed three actor-directors – Nana Patekar, Tinnu Anand and Danny – in KRANTIVEER. Earlier, he had directed two Khan actor-directors – Amjad Khan (in PHIR JANAM LENGE HUM) and Feroz Khan (MEET MERE MAN KE).
YOU ASKED IT
What is the loss to the industry due to the FMC embargo on releases?
– The producers whose films cannot be released due to the embargo are losing interest on their borrowings every day of delay. But there is a silver lining, too. Re-issue films are fetching very good terms (which, otherwise, would not have been possible) from exhibitors as there is a shortage of films.
Why is there no superstar after Amitabh Bachchan?
– To be a superstar, one has got to be a complete actor and one’s films must run on the strength of his name. The industry doesn’t have such an actor.
What lesson does one learn in the film industry?
– That it is the most speculative industry in the world. And that luck matters a lot in this line!
How much penalty will Dimple Kapadia have to pay producer Rahul Gupta for walking out of Kartavya?
– The quantum of compensation is to be decided jointly by the FMC and the Cine Artistes Association. The FMC has withdrawn its ban on Dimple as the CAA has made that a condition for negotiations.
PUNJABI FILM PRODUCERS FORM ASSOCIATION
An urgent meeting of Punjabi film producers was held at Dara Villa under the patronage of producer-director Dara Singh on May 22, to study and discuss the latest offer of ‘all help’ for Punjabi film industry by the Punjab government. The meeting was attended by over 30 Punjabi film producers who welcomed the Punjab government’s new liberal policy and decided to form the first ever body of all producers under the banner of ‘Punjabi Film Producers Association’.
Dara Singh, Preeti Sapru, Babu Singh Mann, Iqbal Channa, Karan Mann and Vinod Sharma were selected to form the working committee that will run the affairs of the association till the registration and other legal formalities are completed.
The very first meeting of the newly formed association also decided to urge the Punjab government to follow the Maharashtra pattern for the Punjabi film industry. It was also demanded that the government of Punjab should take an early cabinet decision on the matter.
It was further decided that a high-level delegation of the association, led by Dara Singh, call on the Punjab chief minister and other senior state administration officials to put forward the case of the Punjabi film industry.
SALMAN-SANGEETA NOT MARRIED
Rumours regarding Sangeeta Bijlani’s marriage with Salman Khan have been denied as baseless by the former’s secretary.
KANU CHAUHAN STOPS USING UNAUTHORISED PHOTOGRAPHS
Kanu Chauhan, who is holding a star show in New York today (28th May), has apologised to Saawan Kumar for unauthorisedly using stills of Sridevi and Anupam Kher from his Chaand Kaa Tukdaa. This follows a legal notice sent by Saawan Kumar to Kanu, making it clear that if the latter did not desist from using the photographs in the publicity of the show, the former would commence a lawsuit against him.
In his reply dated 25th May, Kanu Chauhan has irrevocably agreed to stop using the photographs now and in the future, to remove all remaining posters bearing the infringing photographs, and to return these posters to Saawan Kumar.
GRANDSON FOR MEHMOOD
Mehmood became a grandfather for the first time on May 3 when his NRI-son, Masoom Ali, was blessed with a daughter in New York.
Masoom Ali is one of the producers, along with Ashok Mishra and Babubhai, of Canmore Cinema’s Dushman Duniya Ka, being directed by Mehmood.
CONDOLENCE MEETING FOR PHANI MAJUMDAR
Cine Society, Bombay, will hold a condolence meeting to mourn the demise of veteran Phani Majumdar and Subodh Mitter, on 30th May at 6 p.m. at Tarabai Hall, Marine Lines, Bombay. New Theatres’ Doctor, directed by Phani Majumdar, will be screened on the occasion. Phani was the chairman of the Cine Society.
RAJIV KAUL UNWELL
Writer Rajiv Kaul (Pattu of Pattu-Parekh fame) is unwell since more than a week and has gone to Pune for treatment.
‘AATISH’ AFTER FMC-FDC DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
G.P. Sippy has given an assurance to the FMC that he will not release his Aatish till the FMC permits releases. Earlier, he had sought the intervention of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in the matter. Bal Thackeray, while refusing to involve himself in the industry’s “internal problem”, asked Sippy to comply with the directives of his association. Bombay exhibitor U.A. Thadani last Saturday (21st May) obtained a court order directing G.P. Sippy to deliver the prints of Aatish for release. However, Sippy is said to have conceded the FMC directive and agreed to postpone the release. If a settlement between the FMC and the FDC comes about, it will be released on 10th June.
Meanwhile, it has been decided that G.P. Sippy will continue to be the president of the Film Producers Guild of India. A meeting of the Guild was held on 21st May. Members prevailed upon Sippy to refrain from releasing Aatish for the sake of unity of the industry.
‘ANTH’ NOT ON 3RD
Ashok Honda was planning to release Anth on 3rd June but decided against it after yesterday’s (May 27) meeting of the FMC. The film may now come on 10th, according to Honda. The release would, however, be subject to the FMC lifting its embargo on releases.
“FIRST UNILATERAL DECISION EXCLUDED”: SANTOSH SINGH JAIN
FDC representative Santosh Singh Jain, while expressing happiness that movement was being made in the direction of a settlement, said that the FMC had conveniently forgotten to include its (FMC’s) own resolution of not delaying video cassettes by 3 months, in the list of unilateral decisions, in its letter dated 27th May to the FDC.
Says Jain, “The FMC and the FDC had jointly resolved in Indore to delay video cassettes by 3 months from the date of theatrical release of films. But the FMC unilaterally decided to rescind that resolution. In fact, the FMC’s going back on the Indore resolution was the first unilateral decision from which stemmed other unilateral decisions. While the FMC has listed all the unilateral decisions that followed the first one, it has not included the first one. If even that could be withdrawn, as it should be in all fairness, we could begin our talks from the Indore resolutions of November ’93 and modify them to suit both, producers and distributors.”
GOLDEN PERIOD GOING
Unfortunately for producers, distributors and exhibitors alike, it is the golden (holiday) period that is being lost, thanks to the indefinite postponement of all releases. Collections at the box-office windows show a rise in the summer vacations every year, and two weeks of this period have already gone (technically, it is three weeks, but Aa Gale Lag Ja and Mohabbat Ki Arzoo were released on 13th May, a week after the FMC resolution came into effect). No new release is fixed for next week, too.
The industry is praying that an early settlement is arrived at and at least the remaining portion of the holiday period is fruitfully utilised. For, the time that’s gone, is gone forever.
FMC, FDC KEEN TO SETTLE DISPUTE
Ball Set Rolling
Exhibitors Feel Pinch Badly
The ice has been broken. Although no meeting has been held between the two warring parties – the Film Makers Combine and the Film Distributors’ Council – there is brisk movement in that direction. Letters are being exchanged between the FMC and the FDC and hectic meetings are held everyday – in Bombay (FMC) and other cities (various affiliates of the FDC). Unofficial talks between individual members of the FMC and the FDC also give an indication that both the parties are now keen for an early settlement. A meeting between the FMC and the FDC is on the cards early next week and it is expected that some solution will definitely be arrived at. If this happens, releases will begin from 10th June.
The Film Makers Combine (FMC) has written to the Film Distributors’ Council (FDC), inviting it for a dialogue after withdrawing its resolution passed unilaterally, while itself agreeing to withdraw its unilateral decision to cancel all releases. The FDC had earlier asked the FMC to lift its embargo on releases before it could come on the negotiation table. The FDC’s letter (dated 24th May) was in response to the FMC’s invitation (dated 23rd May) to the FDC to come for a dialogue with it to settle the dispute.
FMC WRITES TO FDC
A meeting of the FMC was held on 27th May where it was decided to rush a letter to the FDC, asking it to withdraw its unilateral decisions too, in the same way as the FMC was prepared to withdraw the unilateral resolution (no releases) passed by it, as desired by the FDC. Letters were despatched to FDC president K.G. Dossani and other members of the executive committee like Santosh Singh Jain, G.S. Mayawala (general secretary), N.N. Sippy etc. on 27th itself.
UNILATERAL DECISIONS
The FMC letter lists the following as unilateral decisions:
(i) FMC’s resolution to put off all releases;
(ii) FDC’s resolution to not permit its affiliated associations to register films unless videos are delayed by three months from date of premiere release;
(iii) FDC’s resolution to monitor the star-ceiling scheme;
(iv) resolutions passed by the various affiliates of the FDC, stopping under-production instalments and overflow payments to producers.
FMC’s PROPOSAL
The FMC, in the said letter, has also given the following composite proposal for the consideration of the FDC:
(i) Home video to be delayed by 1 week from the date of theatrical release;
(ii) cable TV rights to be sold for release not before a minimum period of 3 months from the date of premiere release;
(iii) telecast on Doordarshan and satellite channels not before five years from the date of premiere release.
The ball is now in the court of the FDC. In the meantime, there were no new releases (except for a dubbed Hindi film) for the third week in succession following the embargo on releases by the FMC. No film is also scheduled for release next week (3rd June) as no settlement has taken place as yet. If the differences are resolved, Aatish, Anth and Jai Kishen are the most likely releases of 10th June.
That will ease the position of exhibitors all over the country, who are now feeling the pinch of lack of films very badly.
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Banners Blackened
One doesn’t know whose mean mind and evil hands have worked on the film banners and hoardings in Bombay, but several of them have been defaced and damaged. Dhirubhai Shah’s Vijaypath has had to bear the maximum brunt of this crazy operator. Some hoardings of Anth have also been similarly defaced. Black paint has been smeared on the banners, rendering them almost useless.
Objectionable Bowling
While on Vijaypath, here’s one more. The Shah brothers have changed the words in the ‘Kal saiyan ne aisi bowling kari’ song from the film. It may be recalled that the song, which was sought to be censored by them, was found objectionable (vulgar) by the CBFC and was refused certificate. The Shahs have now had the lyrics changed. The song goes somewhat like this: ‘Kal saiyan ne aisi baat kari’.
Sanjay Dutt Starrers & Controversies
It’s simply a coincidence but a crazy coincidence at that. Somehow, Sanjay Dutt starrers have had a lot of pre-release problems in the last two-three years. Khal-nayak came when Sanjay had the TADA case going against him. There was great uncertainty about whether Shiv Sena and some other organisations would or would not allow it to be released. On the Diwali of 1992, Yalgaar had to bear the brunt of the exhibitors’ demand for a tax-free service charge of Re. 1 per ticket, from the Maharashtra government. Its advance booking started on Wednesday instead of the customary Monday. Sahibaan had far too many financial problems and it entailed the intervention of CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain and producer Mukesh Duggal to sort out the mess before it could finally hit the screen. Again, this time, with the FMC and FDC at loggerheads, it was Sanjay starrer Aatish that was at the centre of a raging controversy. Some people, it would seem, are born to be controversial or indirectly involved in controversies.
Uff Yeh Handa!
If you meet the young and enthusiastic producer-director of Uff Yeh Mohabbat, Vipin Handa, chances are that you will be in splits till you bid him goodbye. Vipin loves to crack jokes – even at himself – and has a wonderful style of narrating them. When he describes his maiden film as a teenage romantic story, you can bet, it will have comedy as its highlight. Vipin is making the film with Twinkle Khanna and Abhishek Kapoor (Gattu), both newcomers, in the lead. He himself is a newcomer for the big screen but he has already made some TV serials. His partner in production, Anil Saigal, says, “Basically, it is the same; only the format is different, there, it is the small screen, here, it is the big screen.” Uff Yeh Mohabbat has been shot for a substantial portion in Sikkim.
Super-Confidence!
The producer of a big film due for an early release at Metro, Bombay, is so confident of its super-success that he is reported to have told the cinema manager, “Which film has had the highest run at your cinema? Book my film (in advance) for a week more than that film!”
