PRODUCTION NEWS
8-Day Shooting Spell Of Jeetendra’s Film
Director David Dhawan started an 8-day shooting spell of Shri Siddhivinayaka Films’ Prod. No. 1 at Film City and on different locales of Bombay on Dec. 7. All the artistes are participating. Cast: Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Rambha, Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik, Kiran Kumar, Sharad Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, Shahbaaz Khan, Mohnish Bahl, master Jibran, Razzak Khan, Jaya Bhattacharya and Anant Mahadevan. Story-screenplay-dialogues: Yunus Sejawal and Imtiaz Patel. Music: Anu Malik. Cinematographer: K.S. Prakash Rao. Action: Mahendra Verma. Art: R. Varman. Executive producer: Prakash Pange. Jeetendra presents the film, being produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor.
‘Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’ Song Picturised
Director E. Niwas and choreographer Ahmed Khan picturised a song on Fardeen Khan, Twinkle Khanna and dancers for Dream Merchants Enterprises’ Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega in and around Goa in a 5-day spell till Dec. 7. The film is being jointly produced by Nitin Manmohan and Ram Gopal Varma. It co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Aftab Shivdasani, Sonali Bendre, T. Bharani, Sudha, Dalip Tahhil and Sharat Saxena. Writer: Rajnish. Music: Vishal Bhardwaj. Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala. Cinematographer: Venkat Prasad. Art: R. Varman. Sound: Jagmohan Anand.
CD DUPLICATION PLANT RAIDED
On a tip-off by Malhotra Copyright Protection Agency Pvt. Ltd., Bombay, the assistant superintendent of police, Bhiwadi, raided a CD duplication plant in Bhiwadi (near Delhi) on 3rd November. Nearly 40,000 video CDs of Mohabbatein, Mission Kashmir, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai, Beti No. 1 and pornographic films were seized. Offences have been registered under various sections of the Copyright Act and the Indecent Representation of Women’s Act. The other seized objects include raw materials for producing nearly 5 lakh pirated video CDs, totally valued at approximately Rs. 5 crore, including the value of the CD manufacturing plant of the pirates.
Among the accused are owner Balbir Singh and his son, Amit.
ENTERTAINMENT TAX SLASHED BY 40% IN U.P.
The Uttar Pradesh government has, in a decision taken during a cabinet meeting this week, reduced entertainment tax on cinema tickets in the state to 60% from the existing 100%. However, the benefit of the reduced tax will be applicable only to those cinemas which do not hike their admission rates.
At the same meeting, the government allowed exemption from payment of entertainment tax to Beti No. 1 (upto 2nd May, 2001) and U.P. Chalchitra Nigam’s Karm Kasauti (for one year).
DOUBLE WEDDING IN KANODIA FAMILY
Marriages of Sooraj and Hitu, sons of top Gujarati film actor Naresh Kanodia, with Rhea and Rupal respectively, will be solemnised at the Hare Krishna Temple Garden at Juhu, Bombay on 12th December.
DEEP JAIN’S SON TO WED
Marriage of Vikas, son of Deep Jain of Divya Films, Delhi, with Sheenu will be solemnised on 11th December in Delhi.
ANWAR DEAD
Anwar, secretary to Shah Rukh Khan, expired on 6th December in Bombay at Lilavati Hospital. He had been admitted to the hospital two days back and had been battling for life. His condition deteriorated with each passing day and he breathed his last on 6th. He was 33 years old and is survived by his wife and a son.
Anwar had reported serious a few months back too, but recovered then.
A condolence meeting will be held today (9th) from 4 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. at 11, G/1, Venus Apartments, Nav Kiran Marg, opposite Good Shepherd Church, Four Bungalows, Andheri (W), Bombay. Quran Khani will be held on 17th December at Al Mecca, A-22/301, Millat Nagar, Andheri (W) between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
YOU ASKED IT
The censors (CBFC) categorise films as social, crime, thriller, historical, devotional, mythological and so on. What purpose does it serve?
– The censors don’t categorise a film, the producers do so when applying for censorship. This helps the censors to examine a film in accordance with the category as specified by the producer.
Is it practical to buy filming rights of a popular television serial?
– The concept works in Hollywood. Nobody has tried it in India so far.
With growing incidence of religious heads taking objections to certain scenes, don’t you think, the CBFC should have religious heads, too, on its panel?
– Not a good suggestion, this! But, definitely a good joke!!
In Protest Against Government’s Apathy
NO SHOW ON 20TH DECEMBER
(EXCEPT ON CABLE TV)
Cinemas all over Maharashtra will down shutters for a day on 20th December to protest against the inaction of the law-enforcing authorities to check illegal telecast of films through cable television networks. The call for the strike has been given jointly by the Indian Motion Picture Distributors’ Association (IMPDA), the Cinematograph Exhibitors’ Association of India (CEAI), the Theatre Owners’ Association (TOA) and the Central Circuit Cine Association (CCCA). The Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1994 was amended recently by the government, making it compulsory for cable TV operators to obtain rights from the copyright owners for telecast.
The then Union I & B minister, Arun Jaitley, while addressing a filmland gathering mostly comprising producers and distributors, on 16th September at Sahyadri guest house in Bombay, had said that cable TV operators had shown eagerness to go by the law. He had also said that stringent action would be taken against erring cable operators.
The film industry was filled with hopes that the days of cable piracy were over. But that turned out to be just wishful thinking and a Utopian dream.
Information had then warned, through its editorial (in the issue dated 23rd September) that the minister’s promises were empty even as industry people behaved as though they had won a lottery of Rs. 100 crore. We reproduce alongside the same editorial (in box) for your reference.
Even now, we doubt whether this one-day strike will achieve anything. Will it gear up the law-enforcing authorities enough to initiate strong action against the erring cable operators who think law is an ass in this country?
Despite assurances from Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, joint police commissioner of Bombay, D. Sivanandan, and Arun Jaitley, cable operators merrily carry on with their illegal shows with the police turning a blind eye. When will the industry folk learn to see through the sugar-sweet talks of the ministers?
At a press conference held on 8th December at Garware Club, Bombay, IMPDA president N.N. Sippy, CEAI president Gunvantrai Desai, TOA secretary R.V. Vidhani and CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain presented an alarming picture of the cinema exhibition trade. Rampant cable piracy had been on the rise due to which cinemas were losing patronage, they said. Many cinemas had been closed and hundreds of cinemas on an all-India level were on the verge of closure, they added. Due to dwindling attendance of cinegoers, big cinemas were giving way to mini cinemas in commercial buildings and arcades, they said.
R.V. Vidhani, secretary, TOA pointed out, “The hike in property tax, water charges, power tariff, show tax and advertisement tax every year has subjected the exhibition sector to heavy expenditure. Despite our representations, the government has not done anything to help the cinema industry survive. The property tax alone has been hiked by a whopping 80% in the last two years!”
CCCA president Santosh Singh Jain warned, “The government will incur a loss of Rs. one crore per day if the cinemas in the state remain closed.”
An exhibitor of Thane revealed, “When we go to lodge a complaint at the police station and ask them to raid the cable operator showing the latest films in contravention of the amended copyright laws, the police officials simply dole out the standard excuse, ‘We do not have enough manpower to carry out a raid’.”
IMPDA president N.N. Sippy resented the state government’s apathy towards cable operators’ misdemeanours. He said, “Cable piracy is almost nil in the Southern states as the state governments there are vigorously implementing the amended copyright rules.”
The Associations have jointly issued a memorandum to Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, notifying the government of the one-day protest strike. The memorandum has also stated that if the government failed to take deterrent action against cable TV operators violating the Copyright Act, all the cinemas would be forced to down their shutters for good.
PIL AGAINST GOVERNMENT?
Filing of a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government’s apathy in the matter of cable piracy was mooted at the press conference called by the Associations on 8th December. The PIL will charge the state government of failure to implement the amended Copyright Act, due to which cinemas were being forced to close down. The idea of filing the PIL appealed to the various leaders of the Associations. A final decision to file the PIL will be taken after consultations with the producers’ Associations in Bombay and legal opinion.
Will the PIL prove a bitter but effective pill to stir the government into action? Depends on how the PIL is presented in the high court.
Reproduced from our issue dated 23rd September, 2000:
High Hopes!
While the interactive meeting between ministers and the film industry, held on 16th September at the government guest house in Bombay, was a good move, it seems very unlikely that anything fruitful is going to emerge out of either this meeting or the recent amendments made to the Cable Network Regulation Rules, 1994.
Under the amended law, cable TV operators cannot telecast any film on their network unauthorisedly. Otherwise, they are liable to be punished, the minimum punishment being imprisonment upto 2 years.
But right on the day the meeting was held in Bombay, cable TV operators in the city were screening new films, perhaps, unaware of the new law. And so was the scene all over the country.
Union I & B minister Arun Jaitley informed at the said interactive meeting that the cable operators had shown eagerness to go by the law. Nobody expected cable operators to say that they would not go by the law. Then, why assume that they will do what they promise? Jaitley also informed that cable operators had confessed that they used to telecast films illegally because of competition between cable operators and subscribers’ demands. The very act of confession is a slap on the government’s face. No reason can ever be good enough for an illegal act. So the confession should not be lauded; rather, the subject-matter of the confession (act of piracy) should have been punished long back. But we Indians have got a way to make martyrs out of thieves also!
D. Sivanandan, the joint commissioner of police of Bombay, at the same meeting, asked the film industry to set up a monitoring agency for tracking down erring cable operators. Thank you! Now the industry will do what the police should be doing. Sivanandan also assured that immediate action would be taken against the culprits. Come on, haven’t we heard that one umpteen times earlier? And how immediate is ‘immediate’? Six days have elapsed since Sivanandan’s assurance but no cable operator has even been threatened, leave alone action being taken. Is the police unaware of the new films being openly telecast by cable operators all over?
But then, does the industry have a choice? We just don’t sell dreams. We also see dreams — beautiful dreams — and assume that some day, they will wipe out all our nightmares. Didn’t someone say, this industry survives on HOPE?
Hopeless!
– Komal Nahta
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
In Search Of Majnu
Hollywood revived the legendary love story of Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio enacting Romeo. ‘If they can modernise a legendary love story on a lavish scale, why can’t we revive our Laila Majnu?’, he asked himself. That’s how B. Subhash has announced Laila Majnu – The Revival. The film’s story and screenplay have been worked out by B. Subhash’s young daughter, Malvika, and the dialogues have been written by Hasan Kamaal. B. Subhash is now on the lookout for a young handsome man to enact the character of the love-smitten Majnu. “I want a Majnu who would be called Majnu of this millennium,” says B. Subhash. Any bidders?
First Impression, The Only Impression
One wonders why a talented actor like Manoj Bajpai is bent upon proving himself to be hero material. He tried it in Shool, then in Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and yet again in Ghaath. He has proved pretty much unsuccessful all the three times, thereby completing a hattrick! With every flop that he delivers in the hero’s role, he is only eroding the goodwill he created with Satya. Even today, if people remember him as Bhiku Mhatre (the name of his character in Satya), it should be enough indication to him of how people want to see him in films of tomorrow. Yet, Manoj seems to be running after hero roles. The fear here is that a talented actor like him is wasting his talent in trying to prove a point, which may ultimately do his career more harm than good. That would be really bad!
With admission rates being so high, the audience, obviously, wants to see saleable stars, to get their money’s worth. Manoj Bajpai certainly doesn’t appeal to them as a hero even if he is a reservoir of talent. It would be better for Manoj to shine in films like Satya than to sink in insipid fares like Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar.
As for Ghaath, the earlier Bombay distributor relinquished the distribution rights in the film for obvious reasons. As late as 20 hours before the first show started on Friday, it seemed uncertain whether the film will or will not open in Gujarat and Saurashtra because the deliveries weren’t effected. Ultimately, Inder Raj Kapoor intervened and used his good offices to get the deliveries effected.
Over-Busy Or Over-Cautious?
Rakesh Roshan seems to be taking the title of his film, Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, a bit too seriously. For, while openly declaring the pyaar between Hrithik and girlfriend Suzanne Khan, Rakesh Roshan is simply not announcing the wedding date. Even as media reports hazard guesses on the date of the marriage, papa Roshan is tight-lipped. Will the wedding be held in Bangalore on 20th December? Will the pheras take place in Bangalore? Will the nation’s heartthrob honeymoon with his wife in a faraway foreign land? Ask Rakesh Roshan and he replies, “I will take a decision about the wedding date next week. Hrithik is busy with his shooting and has no free date for the wedding and the honeymoon.” Obviously, the date is being kept a closely-guarded secret because the wedding itself will be a very, very select affair. Whatever the marriage plans, Rakesh, enough of pyaar hai now…. Kaho naa…shaadi (kab) hai?
Dream Merchant
I dreamt last night after a very long time. I dreamt that I was the lucky one to occupy the hot seat in the popular Kaun Banega Crorepati show on Star TV. But I presume, since I had just recently seen Mohabbatein, I saw Amitabh Bachchan as a mix of the TV show host and the Shankar Narayan of Aditya Chopra’s film.
The KBC set was full of scantily-clad girls straight out of the Mohabbatein set. “Oh my God,” I thought to myself, “kaun banega inka pati!”
I having won the faster-finger-first round, Amitabh was ready to fire questions at me. Luckily for me, as I found later, all the questions related to films. I could expect Amitabh to be at least that partial to me.
The first question:
Why is Salman Khan shirtless in all his current films?
The options:-
A. He has no dress designer.
B. He can’t afford clothes.
C. He feels very hot.
D. None of the above.
I chose the D option.
Amitabh congratulated me and declared that I had won Rs. 1,000. “Do you know the real reason?”, he queried. Nodding, I replied, “Yes, Salman is shirtless because he has been betting his last shirt on every new release of his — and losing!” “Excellent,” screamed Amitabh. “Bahut achchhe.”
The second poser was more trade-oriented.
Which of Govinda’s following films is a flop?
A. Shikari.
B. Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai.
C. Beti No. 1.
D. All of the above.
“Shikari,” I mumbled. “Sure?”, asked Amitabh. “You have 3 lifelines at your service,” he added and went on to explain each one of them. “Beti No. 1,” I hazarded another guess. “Lock kar diya jaaye?”, asked Bachchan. I was not sure. Looking at my shaky confidence, Amitabh once again reminded me of the life-lines. I opted for phone-a-friend.
“Aapke dost ka naam kya hai?,” he asked. Very nervous, I said, “Govinda.” I was nervous because I didn’t actually know whether Govinda is a friend or a foe. Amitabh interrupted into my nervousness and exclaimed, “Oh, hero Govinda? Kahan rehten hain woh (pause) aaj kal?” A trifle embarrassed, I replied, “He lives here in Bombay and he is still doing films; only thing, since his films aren’t doing well, people don’t quite remember his whereabouts.” Anyway, Govinda my friend, the perpetual late-comer, was late to come on the telephone line too. “Kaise ho, chhote miyan? Main Amitabh Bachchan bol raha hoon, Kaun Banega Crorepati se,” announced Bachchan. “Oh, bade miyan,” shot back Govinda. I nervously asked Govinda which of his films was/were flop(s) and, after giving him the options, waited for his reply as the clock ticked away. “Shikari, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai and Beti No. 1 are all super-hits,” replied Govinda and continued, “The correct answer should be ‘None of the above’.” I told him, “This option does not exist.” This infuriated the dancing hero so much that he screamed back, “This KBC show is a flop, not my films. You leave that set and come to Sony TV’s studio to participate in Jeeto Chappad Phaad Ke.” The gong sounded loud. 30 seconds were up. Amitabh looked at me mischievously. “Afsos, aapke mitra aapki madad nahin kar sakey!” I interrupted him and said, I’d go for the D option.
“Bilkul sahi,” Amitabh yelled. “All the three films of Govinda are flops. Very, very creditable that you could answer such a tough question because several magazines have been writing that Shikari and the other two Govinda starrers are hits. Congratulations, aap do hazaar rupaye jeet gaye.”
It’s time for the third question:
Why is Aishwarya Rai considered the No. 1 actress of India?
A. Because of her talent.
B. By default.
C. Because Kajol got married.
D. Because of her beauty.
“Because Kajol got married,” I announced and almost immediately thereafter, requested for another chance as I wanted to change my reply. “Option B,” I announced. It was again a thunderous applause as I won Rs. 3,000. There was a commercial break before which Amitabh announced, “TV set chhodkar kahin mat jaayiye, please. Unless, aap Mohabbatein dekhne ja rahe ho — toh jaayiye.”
The fourth question for Rs. 5,000 was slightly tougher. Announced Bachchan:
What is the title of Feroz Khan’s new film starring Fardeen Khan?
Options:
A. Tera Saath Hai Kitna Pyara.
B. Tera Haath Hai Kitna Pyara.
C. Tera Baat Hai Kitna Pyara.
D. Tera Laat Hai Kitna Pyara.
Although I wasn’t at all sure of the correct answer, I hit a shot in the dark and chose the A option. This, even though I wasn’t sure whether, after Prem Aggan, either of Feroz Khan or Fardeen Khan could tell the other ‘Tera saath hai kitna pyara’.
“You’ve won Rs. 5,000. How did you guess it?, Amitabh wanted to know. I refused to answer that one and only smiled. Amitabh, too, smiled and fired the fifth question.
Despite being talented, why is Mahima not sought-after?
A. She is unprofessional.
B. She is very expensive.
C. Her mother interferes too much.
D. She is very choosy.
Even before one could say ‘Mahima’, I opted for the C answer. Amitabh was flabbergasted. “Oh, oh, this is incredible, how did you know this?”, he thundered. I replied sheepishly, “It’s simple — it had to be something to do with Mahima’s mother — her name says it all — Ma hi Ma.”
Time for question 6 for 20,000/-.
Why are the cinemas in Maharashtra downing shutters on 20th December?
A. To protest against high entertainment tax.
B. Because, as it is, there is no audience in cinemas.
C. To let cinema employees celebrate iftaar.
D. To protest against cable piracy.
I was nervous this time and started biting my nails. Sensing my nervousness, Amitabh reminded me of the two life-lines that were still available to me. So I opted for 50:50. The computer deleted two options viz. A and D. I was, therefore, left with B and C options. I chose B and declared, “Because, as it is, there is no audience in cinemas.”
“Sure?”, queried Bachchan. “Confident?”, he asked. I nodded in the affirmative to which the counter-questioned, “Lock kar diya jaaye?” “Yes,” I replied. Claps again. I’d won Rs. 20,000.
The seventh question for Rs. 40,000 came up almost instantly.
Why was MOHABBATEIN made as an unusually lengthy film?
A. It had no editor.
B. It had too many characters.
C. Aditya Chopra wanted it to have length and strength.
D. For no real reason.
This was the toughest question. Rather than risk getting out, I cut it short by using my last life-line — the audience poll. There was just no confusion for me because 100% audience — yes, cent per cent — voted for option D. That is to say, ‘for no real reason’. I told Bachchan, I would go with the audience. I saw Amitabh feeling a little uncomfortable, maybe, because he was a part and parcel of the oh-so-lengthy Mohabbatein. But the great actor that he was, he didn’t let his discomfort show. He asked the computer to lock D. That indeed was the right answer. I had won Rs. 40,000.
Amitabh congratulated me again but not very wholeheartedly. One more break later, he was ready with the next question for Rs. 80,000.
In the recent income-tax raid on Anu Malik’s house, what did the I-T people lay their hands on?
A. Rs. 10 crore.
B. Incriminating documents.
C. Swiss Bank account numbers.
D. Foreign CDs.
I promptly opted for D. “Foreign CDs,” I declared confidently as if I myself was declaring my assets to the I-T sleuths.
Amitabh Bachchan tried to puzzle me by maintaining a grim silence for about 20 seconds. I got a bit jittery, but I did not budge — much like Shankar Narayan of Mohabbatein who doesn’t ever budge from his stand. Then, all of a sudden, Amitabh’s face lit up as he screamed, “Absolutely correct. Fantastic. Mubarak. Bahut bahut abhinandan. Kya aap I-T mein kaam karte hain?”
I would’ve loved to skip the explanation, but Bachchan wouldn’t let it go. “How did you guess it, please let us know,” he pleaded. I replied, “It had to be foreign CDs — because the quality of Anu’s music has gone up greatly in recent times!”
I was reaching my second padau (barrier) and Bachchan fired the next question for Rs. 1,60,000.
Ram Gopal Varma likes to make films with heroines who are:
A. Very talented.
B. Extremely beautiful.
C. Reasonable in their price.
D. Least busy.
I tried to jot down the names of all the heroines Ramu had been working with in recent years, but my list was just not progressing. Then, I realised that there was no question of a list. Ram Gopal had been working with Urmila and only Urmila Matondkar. My choice of the correct answer became easy. “D,” I declared. Amitabh complimented me for my super-intelligence and asked me if he could ask me the next query for Rs. 3,20,000…..
…..My dream took a fast-forward. Yes, I had won a crore of rupees! “Fantastic, extraordinary, badhai ho, badhai ho, you are the second contestant to win Rs. 1 crore or our show,” Amitabh went on and on. I was beside myself with joy. Before I knew it, I had tears (of joy) rolling down my cheeks.
“Ek karod, aapke jeevan mein kya maayne rakhte hain?“, Amitabh asked me, waiting for a reply.
“Bahut,” I cried, “bahut, bahut.”
“What will you do with the crore?”
“It will help me turn a producer,” I replied, still crying.
“Oh really? What film do you plan to producer?”
I had all the courage backed by the crore and I replied — still crying, “I want to produce a film with Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan and yourself, Amitabh Bachchan. I’ve decided to call it Hamesha Khushi Never Gham because after I’ve produced this film, I’ll roll in crores. My satellite rights will sell for 15 crore, my music for 10 crore, my Overseas for 15 crore, my Bombay territory for 3 crore…. oh, oh, I can’t wait!”
Amitabh was bewildered. “What?,” he asked, “you will sign three superstars with 1 crore? Sorry dear, if you want to sign us all, you will have to participate in Sawaal Dus Crore Ka. You need at least 10 crore to make Khushi Forever Gham Never or whatever your film is called.”
I woke up with a terrible start! I was still crying.
– Komal Nahta