Riyaz Gangji – Yogesh Lakhani – Ekta Jain Bagged The IBC Brands Award  

Riyaz Gangji, Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor & Ekta Jain recently bagged the IBC Brands Award. Hemant Kaushik, CEO of IBC Infomedia (A Division of International Brand Consulting Corporation USA) welcomed all the awardees & guests at Leela Hotel, Mumbai for the awards ceremony. 

Principle Commissioner of Income Tax Mumbai Rakesh Bhaskar came specially to attend the event. Riyaz Gangji of Libas Stores, Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor, Ekta Jain of Dwapar Promoters, Aajtak, India Today, Parag Chapekar of Jagran Digital, Social Worker Jhingubai Bolke, Lokesh Muni & many Corporates received the awards.  

By Vinod Mirani (10:10) 

[Nasheman news] The superstars have been failing on a regular basis to deliver notwithstanding their Eid, Diwali, Christmas and other festival release dates not to mention 4000+ screens and enhanced ticket rates! Anything goes in the name of stunts and the special effects will do the job is not working anymore! So, now is the time to turn to content oriented films. When a maker has solid content, a superstar is not needed. Of the reigning but 50+ superstars, only Aamir Khan seems to have realized this fact! Or, so his film Dangal and his portrayal of a determined Haryanvi father, wanting to turn his daughters into world class wrestling champs, has proved!

In fact, Aamir Khan turned a new leaf right at the turn of the century with Lagaan in 2001. He may have done an odd, senseless film but, generally, he has left them behind. The superstars have all made filmmaking into a family enterprise, doing films mostly for kin. And, then these stars come up with just about a film a year. Also, the two who fit the definition now are Salman Khan and Aamir Khan; while Shah Rukh Khan has lagged behind, Hrithik Roshan seems to have given up on the rat race soon after he attained superstardom.

Salman Khan played varied characters all along in films like Baaghi: A Rebel For Love (falls for a brothel girl), Saajan (a contrived love triangle), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (a sober, obedient family boy), Judwaa (a double role comedy) to a typical South Indian theme like Bandhan (played second fiddle to Jackie Shroff!), he did not stick to a particular genre. He did a series of action/comedies starting with Wanted for over half a decade, changed tracks with Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultaan. It is this shift in genre that aptly sums up his three-decades long career as an actor.

With a star, one had to conform to his image which gave him the stardom. Image-based stardom is not forever. Neither was Rajesh Khanna’s romantic one nor Amitabh Bachchan’s angry man stardom. Shah Rukh Khan is the latest case of a star being the prisoner of his own image. The couple of times when he tried to be different was with My Name Is Khan and Ra.One. He stuck to his image in Raees, Jab Harry Met Sejal, Zero or Fan where he preferred to play larger than life romantic characters. Then, there is the matter of age and when it starts showing. The romancing star becomes past his best before date.

There are the second rung stars with Akshay Kumar leading the pack followed by Ajay Devgn. Akshay Kumar has his strategy well sorted out. Akshay does three to four films a year and yet manages to survive. His choice of subjects is varied, relevant to what is happening around us. He has done his share of action, romance as well as comedy. But, a glance at his recent films will give a lead to what makes his films eagerly awaited. The films include: Rustom, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Padman, Gold along with the forthcoming Kesari and Prithviraj. Khiladi days are over. Count on subject and variety.

Ajay Devgn has a limited range and, hence, also a limited following. But, he has survived alternating between action and comedy. All these stars put together along with some woman centric films being made oftener now, account for a dozen or so films a year. Also, they employ a favourite few makers of these stars. These stars who reigned assured on the first day draw at the box office, rest depending on the content and the entertainment value. Stakes were high and so were losses. The individual filmmakers, not backed by studios, who tried, burnt their hands badly.

Chasing superstars and waiting endlessly was not for those with creative urge and wanting to break into the mainstream. The makers waiting in the wings had to turn to the newer talent and there was lots of it available. (Talking of waiting for dates, producer Sajid Nadiadwala was asked once that what had changed for him now that he was a successful and reputed filmmaker. His reply was: Well, earlier I went to my hero for dates in a rickshaw and had to wait for four hours to talk to him; now I go in a Bentley and wait for four hours!)

The problem was again the risk factor. This new breed of actors did not comprise stars who could guarantee audiences flocking to cinema halls on the first day. For, that matter, not even the second and third day – the weekend. The first day, one could expect to be weak but there had to be something whereby the first day served as people-generated promotion of a film that would bring in the footfalls in the days to follow. In such an event, the star had to be the content, stuff away from the mundane that has long been

vended.

The process started with films like Tanu Weds Manu, ABCD, Piku, Masaan, 2 States, Ek Villain, Highway, Queen, Vicky Donor, Fukray, Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Neerja, Kapoor & Sons, Pink, Hindi Medium, A Wednesday!, Jolly LLB, The Ghazi Attack, Muktii Bhawan, Hichki, Raazi, 102 Not Out, Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran, Mulk, Stree, Andhadhun where one out of a score worked as so many such experiments failed. But, that seemed to be the only way!

In the last year or so, the stories are the real heroes, making films run. One of the reasons being that the new breed of stars like Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, Ayushmaan Khurana, Tiger Shroff, Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, Yami Gautam or even Shahid Kapoor and John Abraham are all willing to try newer themes and have avoided being slotted.

Not to rob them of due credit, these actors – male and female – are getting a great band of talented supporting actors who have become stars in their own right. The current favourites are Saurabh Shukla, Annu Kapoor, Piyush Mishra, Yashpal Sharma, Pavan Malhotra, Zakiir Hussain, Rajesh Sharma, Brijendra Kala, Vipin Shrma, and many more with Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Rajesh Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi leading the pack. Their contribution makes all the difference.

Look at how the year 2019 has started and been so far. About 21 new releases. No superstar to hog the premiere release dates like the January 26 weekend! And, we already have five hits, all content based and controlled budget. All these films did not break box office records on day one. They had to let the word spread.

Uri: The Surgical Strike was the first release of the year. The film opened with first day box office of a moderate eight crore. It is now running in its 10th week having crossed teh Rs 240 crore mark. It is the biggest success story of the era!

@ Box Office

* Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi followed. A historical with which the present generation was not really familiar, it rode purely on the shoulders of Kangana Ranaut. After an indifferent opening day response, the film stabilized thereafter. Its lifetime domestic box office stands at Rs 91 crore. Gully Boy hit the screens in Mid-February. The film starred two newly crowned superstars, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. But, the script was not about stars. Again, its growth was gradual. Thanks to Valentine’s Day, the film had impressive figures of Rs 18 crore and added as much as Rs 60+ crore for the next three days. So far the film has managed a tally of over Rs 130 crore after a four-week run.

* Luka Chuppi was the next within a fortnight. The film had a tepid opening reception with Rs seven crore. The figures consolidated over the next two days which added Rs 22 crore. The Weekend that followed set things right as the film stabilized at Rs 31 crore for the weekend. And Badla, the fifth in this no frills line-up released a week ago. Again, it took a day of good word of mouth for the film to garner more audience over the weekend. While the first day figures rested at Rs five crore, the film grew by leaps and bounds and accounted for Rs 17 crore for Saturday and Sunday.

* In between, there was just one run of the mill comedy in Total Dhamaal. A rank routinely mediocre and, rather top heavy budget wise, recovery to investment wise, it rates nowhere near the other films listed above.

Looks like the variety in content has taken over and rightly so. If anything can upset the applecart, it will be the biopic mania that is catching on! The multiplexes may have this greed of grand opening day figures, content it gives a stay at the box office. Just goes to prove that eventually, it is the content that counts. 

By: Husna Rizwan
Inputs by Shaheen Raaj

Aamir Khan Announces A New Film On His 54^th Birthday

Today happens to be the 54^th Birthday and as usual Aamir Khan celebrated it in the presence of his fans and the media persons in his bungalow at Bandra (W) Mumbai. Needless to say he was also accompanied by his wife Kiran Rao-Khan.
On his birthday after the customary cake cutting ceremony and also after fulfilling other formalities Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan also took this opportunity to hold a press conference to announce his new movie, which he has never done before unlike other heroes of his ilk, titled Lal Singh Chhadha which happens to be a biopic based on Hollywood Classic, an adaptation of the famed movie named Forrest Gump starring the celebrity Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zedmekis.

The film is all set to be directed by Advait Chandan who had also helmed the megaphone for Aamir Khan’s last release, under his production, namely Secret Superstar starting himself with Zaira Wasim.
Aamir Khan averred, “I have already finalized my next movie titled Lal Singh Chhadha, in which I will be enacting the title role of Lal Singh Chhadha. It will be produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures & Aamir Khan Productions and its megaphone will be wielded by Advait Chauhan who had helmed my last movie Secret Superstar. I have already bought the remake rights from Paramount Company.” 
Aamir  Khan added, “The new biopic that I have planned happens to be a biopic based on Hollywood Classic, an adaptation of the famed movie named Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks & directed by Robert Zedmekis. The movie Lal Singh Chhada will be formally launched in the month of Oct, 2019. I will be prepping up for the role for 6 months & by then the rest of the cast of the film will also be finalized. And hopefully we will release the film in the year 2020.”      

B

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Aparshakti Khurana is getting offers of lead roles with great money, but he doesn’t want to rush into it. The actor says he is waiting for the right script and the right part.

“There are a lot of people who approached me after ‘Dangal’ and ‘Stree’ to do films in lead roles with great money. But I don’t want to rush into it,” Aparshakti told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.

“I want you to call me with a happy face that the film is rocking… And that will only happen if I make wise and patient decisions. So I am just kind of waiting for the right script and not jumping the gun and not rushing into it,” he added.

Explaining the reason behind his decision, he said: “A lot of actors have made that mistake. Apart from Rajkummar Rao, nobody has been able to do that… Somebody who used to do smaller roles and then come into the big proper male lead character. Apart from Rajkummar, I don’t think anyone else has been able to do that.”

From “Dangal”, “Badrinath Ki Dulhania”, “Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi”, “Stree” to his latest release “Luka Chuppi”, Aparshakti, the younger brother of Ayushmann Khurrana, has made his presence felt in the narrative irrespective of the length of the supportive characters.

Directed by debutant Laxman Utekar, “Luka Chuppi”, produced by Dinesh Vijan through his banner Maddock Films in association with Jio Studios, explores live-in relationships, and is working well at the box office.

Aparshakti feels it is important to prove one’s mettle time and again.

“And be at the right place at the right time, perform at the right time, work with the right people and don’t get into the rat race of being a hero.”

Asserting that there is a difference between “being a hero and being an actor”, he said: “My modus operandi is to become a better actor.”

When people look down upon the roles he plays, Aparshakti moves his focus on the love he gets from his fans.

“I was travelling and a guy came to me at the airport and said a very thing cute thing which makes me very happy. He said ‘Sir, aapko pata hai aapne hero ke dostun ko respect de di’ (‘Do you know you gave respect to hero’s friends’).

“I felt so good about it. And whenever somebody comes and gives me ‘gyaan’ on doing a lead role or look upon down on me as an actor because I am not doing things in the lead space, I just go back to that conversation and feel happy about it.”

He has just started writing his chapter in the Bollywood story, and feels it will get more difficult with time.

“Now is the more difficult part of the journey because earlier people didn’t know who you are (I am) and didn’t know what you (I) can do. But now people expect a certain kind of performance from you (me). So it is going to be more difficult.”

On the film front, he is busy with “Jabariya Jodi” and “Street Dancer 3D”.

Nasheman News : Actor Yash believes the phenomenal success of “KGF: Chapter 1”, which struck gold at the box office and won over audiences across languages, has given the Kannada movie industry a platform to dream big and make films without inhibitions.

Prashant Neel-directed “KGF” is the first Kannada film to breach into the Rs 200 crore club worldwide.

The film was dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam. It did exceptionally well in all languages.

“The success of ‘KGF’ means a lot to the Kannada industry, especially to a lot of our talented technicians who don’t get the due they deserve. This success has boosted the morale of Kannada industry. It has justified the talent of Prashant Neel,” Yash told media in an interview.

He said the success of “KGF” has made people take Kannada industry “seriously”.

“The perception about Kannada industry has changed. People across industries are now taking us seriously. A lot of our talented technicians have been looking for a platform and ‘KGF’ has provided them that pedestal. This success means a lot to all the untapped talent of our industry,” he said.

Yash still sounds grounded, in spite of delivering one of the biggest blockbusters in recent times. He said he doesn’t like to dwell upon success or failure for too long.

“If you dwell upon success or failure for too long, you can’t move ahead and achieve what you want. I’m glad ‘KGF’ turned out to be a blockbuster, but honestly the process of making the film excited me more than the result. As an actor, this success would help me take bigger steps,” he explained.

It has been over three months since the release of “KGF” and it is all set for its television premiere on Sony Max on March 9.

Yash is eagerly looking forward to the TV premiere. He says as much as people enjoy watching movies in cinemas and on streaming platforms, the reach of television is still unprecedented.

“Given the population of our country and considering how many people actually show up in cinemas to watch a film, I believe the reach of television is still phenomenal and is a big deal. A lot of people who watch a film in theatre would like to revisit it on TV with their entire family and that’s why television premieres are important,” he said.

Yash is gearing up to commence shooting for “KGF: Chapter 2” from April. He says it will be “bigger” and “better” than the first part.

“When we made ‘KGF: Chapter 1’, we had our own inhibitions and restricted ourselves in some way. But with this kind of success in our side, we are going all out to make the second part. We now know people are keenly looking forward to the second part and we can deliver it without any reservations. We have reserved the best for chapter 2,” he added.

Nasheman News : A film, produced by Zeishan Quadri, is being made with the backdrop of the Vyapam scam that pertains to college admissions and government recruitments and involves several politicians, businessmen and officials, in Madhya Pradesh.

Imposters were employed to write papers, exam hall seating arrangements were manipulated and forged answer sheets were supplied by bribing officials.

In the coming months, the audience will get to see a film, “Halahal”, inspired by the scam.

“The concept given by Eros Now was too good. Initially, I started as a writer on that (‘Halahal’). Then I asked them to let me do the production as well. They all agreed,” Quadri told IANS in a telephonic interview.

“The concept which was turned into a script by me and my writer Gibran Noorani… they loved it.”

The film is being directed by Randeep Jha.

Though it is inspired by true events, he said: “Vyapam is the backdrop… that this happened. The film is about a father (actor Sachin Khedekar) and a cop (actor Barun Sobti). It’s a thriller. 

“It is more or less a fictional story because we have fictionalised a lot but the backdrop is real,” he added about the movie that is currently being shot in Amroha in Uttar Pradesh.

The shooting is expected to be over by end of March.

But why did Quadri take the digital route?

“It doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that what I wanted to make, I am making. And when you say ‘digital platform’, the film will always be there. After the theatre, where does the film go? On a digital platform. So, it is the best thing,” he shared.

He also plans to send it to various film festivals.

While Jha had earlier worked with Anurag Kashyap on movies, including “Mukkabaaz”, Quadri had teamed up with the filmmaker as a writer on the popular movie “Gangs of Wasseypur”.

Did they take inputs from Anurag?

“No. Of course, I always want to share my films with Anurag but he is not so free to sit and chat. He is my mentor but we also respect his time. He is really happy that I am producing it and Randeep is directing it,” said Quadri, who had also acted in a web series last year.

Quadri could have taken up a role in “Halahal” as well but he chose not to.

“Randeep had asked me to do a role. I said ‘No. I don’t have dates’,” he said with a laugh.

“It was the role of a corrupt minister, which is now being played by Vijay Srivastava.” 

The upcoming movie also stars Anuradha Mukherjee.

“Luka Chuppi Is A Funny & Entertaining Take On Modern Relationships”
Banner: Maddok Films & Jio CinemaProducer: Dinesh Vijan. Director: Laxman UtekarStar Cast:  Kartik Aryan, Kriti Sanon, Aparshakti Khurana, Himanshu Kohli, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Atul Srivastava, Alka Amin, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Neha Saraf, Ajeet Singh, Vimi Mehta, Arun Singh, Master Samarth, Sapna Sand, Abhinav Shukla & Nabil Singh Music: Tanishk Bagchi, White Noise & Abhijit Vaghani

Cinematographer-turned-director Laxman Utekar’s, from the Marathi film arena, debut Hindi film Luka Chuppi once again explores the subject of Live-in relationship. Incidentally speaking the year 2005’s film Salaam Namaste is credited for making the idea of live-in relationship popular in India. It’s been nearly 14 years since the film released & although live-in is a known concept by now & there have also been a few more films on this topic, it’s still considered a taboo topic in many places, including in some progressive urban areas of the country. Hence, to show a couple living-in in a small Uttar Pradesh town secretly can make for a fun & entertaining watch. Moreover, it stars Kartik Aaryan & this is the actor’s 1^st ever film after the much loved & successful flick Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.

So the scripted scenario of Luka Chuppi reveals the story of a couple living-in with their family. Superstar Nazim Khan (Abhinav Shukla) gets into a controversy when it comes to light that he is living-in with his girlfriend & is unapologetic about it. The moral police come out in full force to protest against his “indecent” act. One such organization is Rashtriya Sanskriti Manch in Mathura, it is led by Vishnu Trivedi (Vinay Pathak). His daughter is Rashmi Trivedi (Kriti Sanon) & she joins a local news channel after completing her media studies in Delhi. Here she bumps into Guddu (Kartik Aaryan) & both fall in love. After a fight with his elder unmarried brother Vikas (Himanshu Kohli) & brother-in-law Babulal (Pankaj Tripathi), he decides to tie the knot as soon as possible. He proposes to Rashmi Trivedi. She however refuses to marry him so soon & insists on a live-in relationship. Guddu obviously freaks out. However inspired by an idea given by their colleague Abbas (Aparshakti Khurana), they decide to live-in when they go on a 20 day assignment at Gwalior, where no one knows them. Hence they could live-in without any fear. But in order to get the flat on rent, they pretend to be a married couple. Rashmi Trivedi also has to go out wearing mangalsutra & apply sindoor. All is going well when Babulal catches them getting cozy in a public place. Assuming they are married, he tells his family about it & they all land up at their pad in Gwalior. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.

Rohan Shankar’s story is novel & entertaining & different from other such films in this genre. The characters are very well fleshed out & most importantly, they are relatable. Rohan Shankar’s screenplay is effective for most parts & evokes the right humor. At some places however, it is a bit weak, especially in the 1^st ever half. In an attempt to establish the setting & the dynamics between the characters, the writer seems to have done a bit of a rushed job. On the positive side, a few scenes are exceptional & would surely be loved. Rohan Shankar’s dialogues are funny. Thankfully, there are no dialogues with double entendre.

Laxman Utekar’s direction is good but could have been better. The script gets a bit off in the 1^st ever half & his direction does not do much to polish the minuses. But he gets better as the film progresses. One of the best parts of the film is how it addresses a taboo topic & yet makes it mainstream. In the past, there have been films based on live-in like say Ok Jaanu in the year 2017 but it was a niche product as majority of the country just couldn’t relate to it. Laxman Utekar however executes the plot well & the message comes out loud & clear. As a result, this film has a wider appeal & all thanks to the humor & the treatment. 

Luka Chuppi begins on a surprising note, showing the Nazim Khan controversy. It makes it clear that besides being a comedy, it’s also going to make a social comment. Audiences however will go by the trailer & they expect to see romance & some dash of situational fun. And they definitely get that once the characters get introduced. At the same time however the film takes a while to get into its element. The falling-in-love happens quite quickly. The way the equation between Guddu with Vikas & Babulal is established seems forced. In fact the dream sequence where Guddu imagines that his nephew Chiku is getting married falls flat. It’s in the scene where the Gwalior neighbors create a havoc is when the film picks up. This particular scene is quite hilarious & even heroic & will be greeted with claps. The intermission point, when Guddu-Rashmi’s “luka chuppi” gets exposed (though not entirely) is also quite entertaining. Post-interval, the film gets even better as Guddu & Rashmi pretend to be married when they are not. The sequence at the temple is quite impressive, especially when it brings a new angle into the film. Guddu-Rashmi attempting to get married in their house is touching & yes, guffaw-inducing. The best however is reserved for the finale. Usually, comic capers tend to go all over the place. Fortunately in the case of Luka Chuppi, it doesn’t happen & it ends on a good note.

There are only recreated songs in the film which is a first. “Poster Lagwa Do”, the biggest song of the film, is shockingly missing from the film & is played during the end credits. This might disappoint its fans. “Coca Cola” is also played during the end credits & is foot tapping. “Photo” & “Duniyaa” are fine while “Tu Laung Main Elaachi” is melodious. Ketan Sodha’s background score has a funny touch that instantly make the proceedings light-hearted. Milind Jog’s cinematography is average. Manini Mishra’s production design is satisfactory. Sukriti Grover, Mallika Chauhan & Jia Bhagia’s costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Kriti Sanon. Manish Pradhan’s editing is appropriate. The film is just 126 minutes & moves swiftly.

Kartik Aaryan once again is in a great form. His boyish looks work instantly but it’s his performance that makes it even more endearing. In 1 scene in the bedroom with Kriti Sanon & Aparshakti Khurana, he does go into the “monologue” zone but quickly composes himself. His silent & deadpan expressions, especially in scenes when his family members are calling him names, are quite hilarious. Kriti Sanon has a fantastic screen presence & maintains a strong position. She also surprisingly shines in an important emotional sequence in the 2^nd half.  Aparshakti Khurana as always is dependable. The prejudice that others have towards his character’s religious identity is quite hard hitting. Pankaj Tripathi’s humor seems forced initially but later, it’s him who raises the maximum laughs. Vinay Pathak is a revelation. Till now, he has been associated with funny & light roles. But in this film, he plays a role of a dreaded politician & he looks very convincing. Himanshu Kohli is the surprise of the film & his character helps a lot in adding to the humor quotient in the film, especially post-interval. Vishwanath Chatterjee as Guddu’s brother Varun & Neha Saraf as Guddu’s bhabhi Janki also gets a chance to make their presence felt. Master Samarth as Chiku is adorable. Sapna Sand as Mrs Srivastava is good as the nosy neighbor in Gwalior. Ajit Singh as Srikanth is irritating as Vishnu Trivedi’s sidekick but that was the idea as his character has a villainous tinge. Atul Srivastava as Guddu’s father Badriprasad & Alka Amin as Guddu’s mother Shakuntala are decent. Abhinav Shukla is okay & ideally, the makers should have cast a superstar in his place.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Luka Chuppi is a funny take on the modern relationships laced with dollops of situational & funny moments. This clean comedy would get thumbs up not just from the youngsters but also from the family audiences. Strictly Recommended for One & All!