Misdirected Request
The Indian Film And Television Directors’ Association has written to Adi Godrej, requesting him to build a museum on a portion of the R.K. Studios land which Godrej Properties has acquired from the family of late Raj Kapoor. While the sentiments behind the IFTDA’s request cannot be questioned, one wonders what the plea actually means. The purchase by Godrej of the 33,000 sq. metres of land which houses the iconic studios is a commercial transaction. The premises of the studios must not have come cheap to Godrej. Given that, one wonders if anybody has a right to ask them what they should build on the plot of land after razing down the studios in which many films have been shot over the years. The IFTDA should have made this request to the Kapoor family when news about the impending sale had become public. The least the Kapoors could’ve done was to have kept a part of the land to build a museum and sell the balance for commercial or any other use by Godrej Properties. If the Kapoors did not do that, does it even make sense for anyone to ask Godrej to make a museum? And who is IFTDA for Adi Godrej that he would feel inclined to even consider its request? Randhir Kapoor’s comment that he hoped, the new owners would respect the legacy of the land that they had acquired, also seems overtly dramatic. Had he been so concerned about Godrej respecting “the legacy of the land”, wouldn’t it have been better if he had made this point clear at the time of sale and, maybe, just maybe, taken a cut in the sale receipt. For instance, he could have laid down in the sale agreement what all would not be allowed to come up on the land. Of course, that may have entailed a lower sale price but that and only that would’ve amounted to respecting the legacy of his late father’s land. Selling off the property and then sending indirect messages like hoping that “the new owners would respect the legacy of the land” is nothing but sheer childishness. It is like completing a commercial transaction and then appealing to the buyer on emotional grounds. Frankly, the emotions should’ve come in before signing the sale agreement, not after. As a trade person, wishing to remain anonymous, said, “While not questioning the decision of the Kapoors to sell the land, I feel constrained to say, if selling the iconic studios is not disrespect to the legacy of the land, nothing constructed on it can be disrespect.”
Pouring Water On Ekta Kapoor’s Intentions
Ekta Kapoor must be squirming in her seat for the tweet by her leading lady, Kangana Ranaut’s sister regarding the release date controversy of Ekta’s Kangana-starrer, Mental Hai Kya, and Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30. For the latecomers, MHK was scheduled to hit the screens on 21st June but was postponed earlier this week, to July 26, the date when Hrithik Roshan starrer Super 30 was slated for release. Knowing the animosity between Hrithik and Kangana over the media war fought by the two not too long ago over their alleged affair or one which never existed and given that Ekta’s dad, actor Jeetendra, and Hrithik’s father, Rakesh Roshan, are very close friends, Ekta very considerately clarified in her media release that the postponement of her film was purely a business decision and should be seen as such rather than as an attempt to pit Hrithik and Kangana against one another. Within a couple of days, Hrithik Roshan issued a statement that he had requested the producers of his Super 30 to shift the release date and announce the next suitable date as soon as possible. He added that he had done so to save the film from being “desecrated by yet another media circus”. He was, obviously, hinting at his fight with Kangana in the media but, in all fairness to Hrithik, it must be said that the man maintained his dignity and refrained from even mentioning Kangana’s name. He added in his media statement that the decision for postponing his film was also taken to “save myself from the personal trauma and toxic mental violence this would cause…”
One can well imagine Ekta’s bewilderment when Kangana’s sister, Rangoli, tweeted, quite obviously, in response to Hrithik’s decision to postpone his film. Rangoli’s tweet went: “What to expect from a man who always prefers to attack your back rather than meeting you in the battlefield, jitna tu aur tera PR Kangana ko giraega, utna hi woh teri maregi (note the filthy language)… so far, it wasn’t her concern magar ab tu dekh… Jadoo.” This was followed by a warning to Hrithik, “Tu apne chillar PR se tweet karvata reh, woh ek interview degi… tere charon khane chit…” It may be recalled that Ekta had warned the media against exactly this kind of war of words but little must she have known that her own heroine’s sister would put her in an embarrassing position. For, the trade is now laughing… and wondering what Ekta meant when she said, “I’ve promised to keep it clean, and have assurances from my actors on the same. I hope personal assaults on them stop…” The technical point could be, Ekta had assurances from her actors, not their sisters or brothers! But all said and done, it should be clear to the world that it is not always the media which blows things out of proportion. In this age of social media, an actor’s sibling could be as dangerous as the media is sometimes accused of being.
A First For A Hollywood Film
Universal Pictures has released the trailer of its forthcoming English film, Fast & Furious : Hobbs And Shaw, in ten Indian languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Marathi and Bengali. Of course, that does not mean that the film will be dubbed in all the 10 languages in India. The decision about the languages in which the film will be dubbed, besides the usual Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, will be taken soon. The much-awaited film in one of the most popular franchises is set to release in India on 2nd August.