Archives for 2017

Banner: Aamir Khan Productions
Producers: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Akash Chawla, Sujay Kutty & B. Shrinivas Rao
Director: Advait Chandan
Star Cast: Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij & Aamir Khan, Raj Arjun, Kabir Sajid, Tirth Sharma, Farrukh Jaffer, Mona Ambegaonkar, Shamath Mazumdar, Manuj Sharma,
Nikita Anand Mukherjee & Harsh Jha
Music: Amit Trivedi

Debutante director Advait Chandan has given movie goers a finest film in his debut directorial outing namely Secret Superstar earlier titled as Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai. Advait Chandan in his debut directorial offering Secret Superstar has selected a very simple story albeit with a daringly different narrative which recounts the dilemma of a an aspiring singer who faces umpteen roadblocks in fulfilling her dream. Kudos to the producers Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Akash Chawla, Sujay Kutty & B. Shrinivas Rao in tandem with the 1st time director Advait Chandan.

So the secretly scripted scenario of Secret Superstar reveals that Insia (Zaira Wasim of Dangal fame) is a school going girl based in Vadodara. She has a lovely voice and dreams of being a top singer. Her mother Najma (Meher Vij) supports Insia’s dream, but her father Farookh (Raj Arjun) is thoroughly against the idea due to his conservative mindset. He tries everything, from force to destroying Insia’s guitar, to stop her from fulfilling her dreams. Insia, however, remains adamant. Insia then takes matters in her own hands by taking to the internet & starts posting videos of her singing. Wearing a burkha, she makes sure only her eyes are visible in order to keep her identity concealed. She’s taken by surprise when her videos go viral. Enters Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan), a brash & lecherous albeit a very successful music composer. Insia gets a chance to meet Shakti Kumar. What happens next forms the rest of the story of Secret Superstar.

Debutante director Advait Chandan has handled the simple, yet laden with complexity, subject with utmost sensitivity. Not only does the film mirrors the conservative attitude that exists in our society, but also makes a comment on women empowerment. The screenplay is uncomplicated, while the dialogues are simple as also conversational. Indeed Advait Chandan’s debut directorial skills are flawless, except that the middle of the 2nd hour could’ve been crisper. The soundtrack of Amit Trivedi is soothing & gels wonderfully with the genre of the film. And the stand out & unforgettable number is “Main Kaun Hoon” it is indeed the best of the lot, while “Meri Pyaari Ammi” too is lovely. While cinematography by Anil Mehta is 1st rate.

All said & done Secret Superstar heart touchingly hits the right notes. The goings on makes you laugh and also leaves you with a lump in your throat in some scenes. In fact, you go through the varied emotions in those 2.30 hours. In today’s times, when there’s a demand from certain sections of the audiences to have fast paced films with a run time of less than 2 hours or minimum 2 hours, Secret Superstar neither moves too swiftly nor drags for too long,-the pace is just perfect. The characters are neatly introduced & the storyteller remains faithful to the subject. Certain moments stay with you even after the culmination of the movie. The presence of the father shakes you up and one can feel the tension. The penultimate 20 – 25 minutes are outstanding and gives you goosebumps. Also, one of the high – points of the movie is the focus on the mother – daughter relationship. The friendship bond between Zaira Wasim & Tirth Sharma, her school friend, is also very, very cute.

Performance wise Zaira Wasim after Dangal yet again wins you over hands down with a heartfelt & heart touching act. She’s in splendid form in Secret Superstar. It is surely a worthy follow up to her sparkling act in Dangal. Especially in the scenes of her emotional outburst before the climax of the movie or the speech towards the final moments prove that she’s a powerhouse of talent. That apart, of late let’s say since Dangal Aamir Khan seems to be taking a backseat and allowing his co – actors to perform to the best of their ability albeit not giving them a chance to overshadow him. So just like in Dangal even here too he is the catalyst in Zaira Wasim’s musical journey while he himself enacts the over the top, loud & brash character flawlessly. He lets Zaira Wasim shine, not overshadow him as mentioned above, as he relegates himself to the background. Yet, it must be truthfully mentioned, that only Aamir Khan could’ve essayed the character with such aplomb.
On the other hand Meher Vij is terrific and her performance is one of the key reasons why the character stands out. Bedsides Raj Arjun is tremendous & Tirth Sharma has an important character and he is totally his natural self. Farrukh Jaffar is superb in a significant role. And last but not the least Kabir Sajid is extremely adorable. While actors like Mona Ambegaonkar, Shamath Mazumdar, Manuj Sharma, Nikita Anand Mukherjee contribute to carry forward to the next level.

Tail Piece: In conclusion one can only comment that on the whole, Secret Superstar is a complete package deal with its refreshing plot, water – tight screenplay, exceptional performances & soulful soundtrack. Secret Superstar is Strongly recommended for movie goers of all ages & walks of life!

Banner: Rohit Shetty Productions & Mangal Murti Films
Producer: Rohit Shetty & Sirshak Shrestha
Director: Rohit Shetty
Star Cast: Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Arshad Warsi, Tushar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemu, Prakash Raj, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Nana Patekar, Johnny Lever Mukesh Tiwari, Sanjay Mishra, Sachin Khedekar, Murali Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Vrajesh Hirjee, Besant Ravi et al
Music: Amar Mohile, S. Thaman, DJ Chetas, Abhishek Arora – Nucleya & Amaal Mallik

Director Rohit Shetty, the so called action director, has tried to tread on a new genre, namely that of a mix blend of comic – horror in his latest franchise outing Golmaal Again. This latest venture is the IV installment of the blockbuster Golmaal Franchise. In fact the makers of Golmaal Again have tried to be daringly different to take up the challenge of giving the audiences a superb combo of laughs & terrors.

The scripted scenario of Golmaal Again reveals the saga oriented story of 5 friends who encounter strange occurrences when they visit their orphanage. Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Madhav (Arshad Warsi), Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor), Laxman Prasad Apte (Shreyas Talpade) & Laxman Sharma (Kunal Kemmu) are orphans who grew up in an orphanage owned by Jamnadas (Uday Tikekar). As kids, they were close to each other but then they became rivals. Gopal & Laxman Prasad Apte separated while Madhav, Lucky & Laxman Sharma went their own way. When they all grew up, they start working with land sharks and their job revolved around getting the plots vacated. This also created further friction amongst them. But when they learn that Jamnadas has passed away, they decide to iron out their differences & go together to the orphanage to pay their respects. They stay at Colonel Chouhan’s (Sachin Khedekar) bungalow located right next to Jamnadas Orphanage, where their childhood friend Anna (Tabu) is also residing. Anna has a special power, she can communicate with the dead. At the Colonel’s bungalow, Gopal gets attracted to the caretaker Damini (Parineeti Chopra). Meanwhile, Vasu Reddy (Prakash Raj), a builder & a close friend of Jamnadas announces that Jamnadas gave away the land to him where the orphanage is situated. He also says that he has decided to shift the kids at Bengaluru where he’ll provide them with better facilities. Gopal is a ghost – fearing person and he starts to see the spirit of Jamnadas’ dead daughter (Ashwini Kalsekar). However, the truth is something else and when the 5 friends find out, it shocks them like never before.

Director Rohit Shetty’s story is interesting & a bit complicated too thanks to so many characters. But it’s put together well. Yunus Sajawal’s screenplay does justice to this complex storyline. The horror is such that it won’t scare the hell out of the viewers. At the same time, it’s not even amateurish. A nice balance is maintained and that’s definitely praiseworthy. Few sequences however are taken from the previous Golmaal films, especially Golmaal 3. A section of audiences however might not like that as the jokes get repetitive. Farhad – Sajid’s dialogues are hilarious & provide non – stop. laughter albeit at varied junctures. But shockingly, at a few places, they fall flat. This is especially in the beginning portions of Babli (Sanjay Mishra). Rohit Shetty’s direction is interesting and it’s good to see him trying to attempt something different. Notice the flashback sequence in the 2nd half when a prominent character is bumped off & it’s depicted in black & white. Also, the sequence where Lucky, Madhav and the 2 Laxmans are reading the diary while Gopal is out there fighting the baddies. These sequences are executed very well and it shows that Rohit Shetty has evolved. Golmaal Again is totally different from the previous Golmaal films, not just because of the horror element. There’s a lot more drama & emotional moments than what one would expect. However, it works more or less although a few sequences lack punch, especially in the 2nd hour. The 1st half is 1.30 hours long & neatly incorporates comedy, madness & also the horror bit. One of the highpoints of the film is how Gopal, Laxman & Lucky gets possessed and start speaking like Nana Patekar. It’s sure to bring the house down!!! Also hilarious is the sequence where the 5 friends fight over a samosa. But the best is reserved for the intermission point, the film reaches on a high in this sequence!!! The 2nd half however gets a bit serious although Pandu’s sequence provides laughs. The climax is well helmed but the audiences might have reservations since they must have ventured into the theatre expecting an out & out comic caper.

The music of the film is strictly average. The Title Track is exciting and the same goes for “Maine Tujhko Dekha”. “Hum Nahi Sudhrenge” is decent while “Itna Sannata Kyun Hai” is played during end credits. Amar Mohile’s background score is exhilarating especially in the post – interval sequences. Bunty Nagi’s editing is nothing much to rave about. Jomon T John’s cinematography is satisfactory. Sunil Rodrigues’ & Rohit Shetty’s action design is appealing although it’s not novel. One has seen it before in Rohit Shetty’s own films. Also, the trademark cars toppling & explosion scenes are missing this time. Swapnil Bhalerao, Tajamul Shaikh & Madhur Madhavan’s production design is very nicely done & it is certainly noteworthy. N Y VFXwaala’s visual effects are rich.

Performance wise it is naturally Ajay Devgn who scores a brownie point besides he’s quite good in the dramatic portions in the 2nd half. While Parineeti Chopra has a mysterious character right from the 1st ever scene itself. She even looks glamourous and carries it off excellently. Arshad Warsi is picture perfect in his cunning avatar. Tusshar Kapoor is brilliant &impresses a lot with his mute act in fact he is absolutely natural in the scene where he gets possessed. Shreyas Talpade has attempted something daringly different & leaves a mark thanks to his lisp which contributes to the laughter at several places. Kunal Kemmu is wasted but he certainly proves his worth. Tabu seems to be quite reserved yet she does gove a good account of herself. Neil Nitin Mukesh is exellent in his villainous avatar. Prakash Raj excels in his negatively comic avatar. A scene worth mentioning is the sequence where he dances like a madman. Johny Lever as usual delivers the goods in his comic role that certainly adds to the comic oriented entertainment quotient. His speech during Jamnadas’ “tervi” is too hilarious. Sanjay Mishra is superb but in a limited way. Vrajesh Hirjee is fairly repetitive. While the others like Mukesh Tiwari, Ashwini Kalsekar, Murli Sharma, Sachin Khedekar, Uday Tikekar & Vijay Patkar contribute their might in the comic proceedings with their cameo acts.

Tail Piece: Golmaal Again is a perfect cinematic joy ride albeit which delivers the perfect entertainment quotient without any logic. No doubt Golmaal Again is an out & out entertainer, to light up the viewers celebratory festive mood. And at the Box – Office turnstiles, the movie has all it takes to emerge as a sure – fire Blockbuster. Period!!!

After 100% Kaadhal with GV Prakash, actress Shalini Pandey of Arjun Reddy fame has signed her second Tamil film. This time the talented actress will be seen romancing Dulquer Salmaan in debutante director Ra. Karthik’s new film with producer Selva Kenanya. Besides Shalini Pandey, the as yet untitled film of Dulquer Salmaan will also have 3 more heroines. Touted to be a travel based romantic drama, George C Williams of Theri & Raja Rani fame will be cranking the camera for the film. Director Karthik is planning to shoot major portions of the film in Tamil Nadu and a few locales in North India. Title and other details of the film are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Shruti Haasan Has No Plans For Kannada films

Shruti Haasan recently stated that she has no plans of signing a Kannada film in the near future. She said, “I wish to clarify that I have no plans of doing a Kannada film in the near future and I have had no discussion with anyone regarding it either,” Last seen on screen in Rajkummar Rao starrer Behen Hogi Teri & Telugu film Katamarayudu, Shruti Haasan hasn’t so far worked in Kannada & Malayalam cinema. She will next be seen in her father’s multilingual comedy Sabash Naidu. Last week, Shruti Haasan was also announced as the brand ambassador for Fossil India along with Varun Dhawan.

Meghana Raj To Enter Wedlock

Meghana Raj is all set to enter wedlock soon. The lovely actress is reportedly getting engaged to Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja in the 3rd week of Oct, 2017 while their marriage will take place in Dec, 2017. The two have worked together in the movie Aatagara and have been dating each other for quite some time and always denied about the togetherness when asked by the media. It is reported that their engagement is likely to be held at Chiranjeevi Sarja’s residence with friends & family attending. Chiranjeevi Sarja stated that he would reveal all the details soon. Meghana Raj has acted in several Malayalam movies such as Memories, Red Wine, Namukku Parkkan, Mullamottum Munthiricharum et al. In Malayalam, Meghana Raj was last seen in Hallelooya. The gorgeous has acted in three projects which are geared up for release, Zebra Varakal, 100 Degree Celsius (sequel) and London Dreams.

Hansika Creates A Traffic Jam In Erode

Little Miss Bubbly, Hansika inaugurated Chennai Mobiles’ a new showroom in Erode. Loyal fans of the actress came to know about her arrival from the posters & advertisements issued by Chennai Mobiles and thousands gathered in front of the showroom to have a glimpse of the actress. Hansika patiently waited for all the fans to settle down and addressed the gathering. The Police force had a tough time to control the crowd as fans wanted to see the actress as closer as possible and thus caused a huge traffic jam in Erode. On the film front, Hansika’s Malayalam film Villain is slated to release soon and in Tamil, she has Prabhu Deva’s Gulebakavali progressing at a brisk pace.

Special Salute To Nayanthara

Director Seenu Ramasamy of Neerparavai & Dharma Durai fame recently watched Lady Superstar Nayanthara’s Aramm and he was thoroughly impressed with director Gopi Nainar’s execution and Nayanthara’s performance. “Aramm is an honest and emotional film with thrilling elements and philosophical message from Gopi Nainar. Special salute to sister Nayanthara”, posted Seenu Ramasamy on his Twitter page. Ghibran is scoring the music for the film, Om Prakash of Arrambam fame has cranked the camera & Peter Hein is in charge for the stunts. Produced by KJR Studios, Aramm is now slated for release on 3rd Nov, 2017.

Sada Makes A Comeback

Sada who was a top league heroine in Tamil cinema for a major portion of the last decade, will now be making a comeback with a bold character. She will be playing a sex worker in her upcoming Tamil film Torchlight directed by Abdul Majith, who has said that this film will be delving into the lives of sex workers and what pushes them into flesh trade. The young director who has made research by meeting some sex workers says that most of them are forced to remain in this trade as they have to fund their children’s education and also to serve their husbands. The director says that the film will create awareness by conveying a message about sex workers. Sada apparently took up this challenging role while many other actresses rejected the offer since the topic dealt by the film is too sensitive. Riythvika who gave impressive performances in Madras & Kabali will also be seen as sex worker in the film. The film also stars newcomers Udhaya, Sivasakthi & Dinesh in important roles.

Will Mehreen Equal Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Record?

In today’s time, it is rather difficult for any hero or heroine to get a hat – trick. And also to get three hits right at the beginning of one’s career is no mean task. One girl who is on the brink of getting a hat – trick is Mehreen. The girl made her Tollywood debut with Krishnagadi Prema Gatha. The film was a hit, but she had a long gap before she had her next film. Recently, she was seen in Sharwanand’s Mahanubhavudu, which has become the hit of the Dassera season. Now, after getting two back to back hits, she is awaiting the release of Ravi Teja’s Raja – The Great. If the film turns out to be a hit, then Mehreen will have three hits in her kitty. Samantha Ruth Prabhu was one girl who had pulled off a similar success story in the past. It remains to be seen if Mehreen can pull off the same.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Professionalism

Samantha Ruth Prabu’s marriage became a huge concern for her producers, when it was announced. Many feared that she might take off to prepare for her wedding causing delays in shooting schedules. However, Samantha Ruth Prabhu planned it rather well and she took a week off prior to her wedding and a week off following her wedding. After surprising all by promoting Raju Gari Gadhi 2 following her wedding, she has started shooting for Mahanati. Once she completes the schedule, she will start working on Sukumar’s film titled Rangasthalam 1985. Despite sticking to pre – decided wedding date, she had chosen to wrap up the shootings of her earlier films before she takes off on a long holiday. Her husband and actor Naga Chaitanya too has taken a similar decision. Apparently, those in the industry are happy with the professionalism of Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Shalini Pandey Hikes Her Remuneration

Make hay while the sun shines, they say. The Arjun Reddy actress Shalini Pandey is already implementing this. Shalini Pandey who won the hearts of youngsters is now in much demand in Telugu & Tamil films. Seeing the craze, the actress has hiked her remuneration. She is now getting more than Rs 25 lakhs. She has signed three movies within a gap of a month in both Telugu & Tamil film industry. She is now shooting for a Tamil movie opposite GV Kumar which is a remake of Telugu hit 100% Love.

Rakul Preet Singh Turns Ambassador

Rakul Preet Singh has been selected as the brand ambassador for Government of India’s one of the women empowerment initiatives. She will now be acting as brand ambassador for Narendra Modi Government’s “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” for the State of Telangana. Rakul Preet Singh expressed her happiness. “Extremely honored to b d brand ambassador of Telangana 4 d #Betibachaobetioadhao campaign. Let the change begin,” Rakul Preet Singh posted on Twitter. Rakul Preet Singh who hails from North India is now a leading actress in Tollywood. She has also expressed that she plans to settle down in Hyderabad. She has already ventured into fitness business in Hyderabad & Vizag.

Nazriya Nazim To Make Her Comeback

If you are a fan of bubbly Nazriya Nazim and has missed her live wire performances, this is one exciting news. There are rumors that the actor is all set to make her comeback in filmmaker Anjali Menon’s forthcoming film, which also has Prithviraj and Parvathy in the lead. An official announcement regarding this one is yet to come. Nazriya Nazim made her debut in movies as a child artiste and as a heroine, she was brilliant in films like Neram, Raja Rani, Ohm Shaanthi Oshaana & Bangalore Days. She married her Bangalore Days co – star Fahadh Faasil in 2014 and had taken a break from films. Incidentally it was Anjali Menon who had directed her in Bangalore Days too.

Thalapathy Vijay Meets Chief Minister

Thalapathy Vijay met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy recently at his residence in Chennai. Kadambur Raju, Minister of Information & Publicity was also present during the meet. According to reports, Vijay met CM to thank him for regulating movie ticket price and reducing entertainment tax from 10% to 8%. Also, the actor is said to have briefed the CM about the ongoing issues with his film Mersal and sought his help. The release of Vijay’s Mersal is in trouble because Animal Welfare Board of India denied an NOC for the film as the team is yet to submit the necessary documents to prove that animals used in the film were not tortured. Previously, Vijay’s Thuppakki faced an issue after Islam outfits felt that scenes portraying Muslims as terrorists were offensive and the actor sought TN Government’s help to hold talks to solve it.

Vishal Receives Backlash

Vishal who is the President of the Tamil Film Producers council came up with a set of rules to be followed in TN theaters. It included the selling of packaged products at MRP, parking cost regulations & not charging higher ticket cost which all seemed to be in favor of the common man. In a new development Abhirami Ramanathan of the Theatre Owners Association has severely condemned Vishal for slamming out rules. Stating that no one was boss for anyone, he told that Vishal should not put rules regarding theatre norms without prior consultation with the theatre owners. “Vishal has no authority to set rules for us. Higher charges will be levied for big movies while the charges would be lessened for the smaller movies,” Abhirami quoted. He also told that theatres were ready to sell Amma packaged drinking water bottles if the Government grants permission for the same.

Prashanth Makes A Comeback

Prashanth a contemporary of Vijay & Ajith is making a comeback after many years in a new neo noir thriller titled Johnny which was the title of Superstar Rajinikanth’s critically acclaimed film released in 1980 directed by Mahendran. The new Johnny is the remake of the Hindi flick Johnny Gaddar in which Prashanth & Prabhu reprise the roles of Neil Nitin Mukesh & Dharmendhra from the original. The film produced by Thiagarajan and directed by Vettri Selvan has Sanchitha Shetty playing the female lead while Anandaraj, Kalairani & Devadarshini are also in the cast. The film is fast nearing completion.

A R Rahman To Compose Music For Allu Arjun?

It has been a long time dream of Allu Arjun to work with A R Rahman. His dream to team up with the Mozart of Madras may well be on its way to getting realized! It’s known that Linguswamy, the Kollywood director, will be directing Bunny in 2018. This bi -lingual will most likely be composed by A R Rahman. The director is planning to rope him in for this big -ticket film. If A R Rahman comes on board, this will be Bunny’s first ever outing with the legendary musician. Even before Naa Peru Surya happened, Bunny had planned to make the Linguswamy film happen. Due to some unavoidable circumstances, the project got delayed indefinitely. The buzz now is that the film will go on the floors only after March next year. Allu Arjun is currently shooting for writer Vakkantham Vamsi’s maiden directorial venture Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India. Allu Arjun will be seen as a young military officer in this film. It is slated for 27th Apr, 2018, release.

Resul Pookutty Turns Actor

Oscar award winning sound designer Resul Pookutty will now make his acting debut in a film which will be capturing a popular annual festival – Thrissur Pooram in Kerala. In the upcoming tri – lingual movie which will be made in Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi will feature Resul Pookutty as himself a sound designer, who comes to Thrissur to cover varied sounds at the festival. Titled The Sound Story, the upcoming venture will be directed by Prasad Prabhakar. As the movie has lots of prominence given to the sound of the festival, the team had used over sixteen to twenty two cameras and multiple microphones that can capture the festival to the fullest. According to the movie’s director Prasad, there were one hundred and fifty members working on the project. The movie has one hundred and sixty four tracks and two songs composed by Rahul Raj & lyrics are by Vairamuthu.

Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films To Produce A Kannada Film

After producing Tamil & Malayalam films, Dhanush’s Wunderbar Films is all set to produce its debut Kannada film. Reports say that Wunderbar Films is joining hands with Kannada producer Jacob Varghese for a film which will have Rishi of Operation Alamelamma fame in the lead role. Currently, Dhanush is busy shooting for the first ever part of Vetrimaaran’s gangster trilogy Vada Chennai, the actor is expected to soon bid goodbye to his thick beard and will sport a twirled mustache for Balaji Mohan’s Maari 2. The principal shoot of Maari 2 will begin in Nov, 2017 the film also has an ensemble cast of actors including Sai Pallavi, Krishna, Tovino Thomas & Robo Shankar.

Nadigar Sangam Plans Star Cricket Tournament In Malaysia

At the 64th General Body Meeting of Nadigar Sangam, Treasurer Karthi revealed that the association is planning to hold a star cricket match in Malaysia. The tournament is likely to begin from 6th Jan, 2018 and the funds raised will be used for the construction of Nadigar Sangam building. Last year, Nadigar Sangam organized a similar star cricket tournament to raise funds for the building construction. Just like last year’s tournament, both Kamal Haasan & Rajinikanth will grace both the opening and the closing ceremony while the participation of the other actors will be revealed in coming days. Besides cricket match, Nadigar Sangam is also planning to conduct varied events to raise funds.