Last year, Kajal Aggarwal was part of the National Award-winning film, Awe, which was critically acclaimed.

It was in 2008, a year after her debut in the Telugu film, Lakshmi Kalayanam, that Kajal Aggarwal made her way into Tamil cinema. Since then, she has not only balanced Telugu and Tamil films, but made a brief foray or two into Bollywood too.

Every year since then, she has been a part of at least 4-5 films across industries. It seems she is at a crossroads now. “I feel like the whole chirpy girl image doesn’t work for me anymore because I am not that person now. I was younger then, but I can’t fake it now. Things have changed,” she says.

“I have always been vocal about my likes and dislikes, but now, I am more at ease in determining my script choices. I have more freedom of choice now. Apart from content, which is of primary importance, I now look at other aspects like the character I’m doing, how I fit into the entire script, etc…”

So, what drew her to Comali, in which she has very limited screen time? “The content. I know it is a cliched answer, but it is true. Comali is a different sort of film. It is a satirical take on evolution, and the boon and curse of technology,” she explains. “It does not focus on nostalgia per se, but it is a relevant take on how, as humans, our priorities have changed. Social media has taken over our lives. Why do we feel the urge to wake up in the morning, and go to Instagram to check what someone wore last night? It also touches upon relevant issues from the recent past, including the Chennai floods, and water crisis.”

Last year, Kajal was part of the National Award-winning film, Awe, which was critically acclaimed. She was not the lead, however. Even in Comali, she is said to have limited screen time. On the other hand, she is headlining a film like Paris Paris, the Tamil remake of Queen. Looking at her films of the recent past, one can’t help but notice a marked shift when compared to the roles she was doing, say, a couple of years ago. “I have made a lot of mistakes, but looking back, I genuinely think they were learning steps. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have known my strengths. Now, I am looking for scripts that challenge my limits.

About screen time, I have done characters looking at the project in totality, like in Comali. I have done films where I am not the stereotypical commercial heroine,” says Kajal, and is quick to add that this doesn’t mean they aren’t enjoyable ventures.

“I like the jhatkas, dressing up nicely etc… I like to balance meaty content with films that I do just for cinematic joy.” Kajal’s career can be said to be on an upswing, considering her upcoming projects include Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, and the much-anticipated English-Telugu film, produced by Vishnu Manchu. While she remains tight-lipped about the project, which requires her to learn Kalaripayattu and horse riding, Kajal assures it will be very different from what she has done so far in her career. It is satisfying that she thinks of each of her upcoming films of hers as different, including her upcoming English-Telugu project.

“More than a Hollywood film, I would call it a global film that is very Indian. We are projecting this story in world cinema and are planning to release it in Mandarin and Cantonese too. They want to release it in time for the Berlin Film Festival,” says Kajal, who credits working with global technicians in this film, and also in Indian 2, for helping her look at acting in a different perspective.

“There is a lot of learning and adapting to different styles. I feel as Indian actors, we are in our comfort zones, but in these two films, the team is international, and they are the best at what they do. They have proven it with their work, and don’t believe in compromising,” says Kajal, who believes that as a spontaneous artiste, the first few takes are always her best.

“In the English-Telugu project, I am the only common actor in both films, and I have to do multiple takes. It does take a toll, but I’m all about pushing boundaries now, and I’m loving it. I feel I’m starting my life all over again and unlearning everything.” This unlearning of Kajal, it seems, is happening at an important juncture of Indian cinema when boundaries between the film industries are gradually blurring.

One of the first films to do this was her very own Magadheera. Is Indian cinema slowly moving towards pan-Indian content? “I agree. I feel regional cinema is not regional anymore. With the influx of digital portals, everyone is watching everything. We are not defined by boundaries. Our audience is at a stage where it wants things done differently. Our nation is curious,” says Kajal, who remains non-committal about rumours regarding her entry into the digital space with a webseries directed by Venkat Prabhu.

Fifteen years in the film industry, and over 50 films, Kajal hasn’t always found the going easy, and yet, Jayam Ravi, her costar in Comali, said recently that she is a bundle of positivity. How does she manage to keep herself so? “Detachment. I am very attached to the process of filming, but only till the film is made. I am concerned about the results of the film, but don’t get invested in it. This detachment has worked for me. It helps me be normal.”

HYDERABAD: As fans are taking to social media to pay their tribute to Sridevi on her 56th birth anniversary, the one question that many still search an answer for is why Sridevi never stepped into politics despite her stardom.

Sridevi was considered as the odd one out in the tinsel town given her disinclination towards politics, despite an illustrious career spanning four decades on the silver screen.

As far as the film industry is concerned, particularly Tollywood and Kollywood, every successful actress, like their male counterparts, try to test their luck in politics during the fag end of their film career. 

Many of the yesteryears female protagonists on the celluloid not only departed Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, but also other celebrated star heroines like Sharada, Jamuna, Vijaya Nirmala, Vijayasanthi, Jayaprada, Jayasudha, Jeevitha and Roja have entered politics.  

While some of them succeeded in their new endeavour, some others remained as big flops in politics. For instance, Sharada, a three-time National Award-winning actress, was elected as an MP from her native town of Tenali on TDP ticket in 1996. 

In more recent examples, Jayasudha became an MLA on Congress Party ticket in 2009. Likewise, Vijayasanthi, more popularly known as Lady Amitabh, left her mark on politics in Telugu land by floating her own political party supporting Telangana movement in 2007. She is now with the Congress though politically not active.

Jayaprada, who too reigned in Bollywood at around the same time when Sridevi was at the height of her film career, and was considered as the latter’s rival in the tinsel town, was an MP from Rampur of Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2014.

When Sridevi was asked about politics a few years back, the ‘English Vinglish’ actress stated that she was busy building the career of my two daughters.

“I focused my entire attention on carving my career. After stopped acting in movies, my focus was shifted to my children. I am now busy with building the career of my two daughters. I have no time to think about other things,” Sridevi had told a Telugu channel.

shaheen raaj

Hindi Film Review

Khandani Shafakhana

By: Shaheen Raaj

“Khandaani Shafakhana Is An Interesting Film Based On A Taboo Topic Of Sex”

Banner: Sundial Productions & T – Series

Producers: Bhushan Kumar, Mahaveer Jain, Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, Divya Khosla Kumar & Krishan Kumar

Director: Shilpi Dasgupta

Star Cast: Badshah, Sonakshi Sinha, Varun Sharma, Anu Kapoor, Priyanshu Jora, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajesh Sharma, Nadira Babbar, Rajiv Gupta, Diana Penty, Suniel Shetty & above all Raveena Tandon

Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, Payal Dev, Abhishek Nailwal & Badshah

It has happened for the 1^st ever time in the history of Bollywood that the trailer of Sonakshi Sinha, Varun Sharma & Badshah’s recently released movie Khandani Shafakhana was released just a day before the film’s release & created a buzz within no time. Those who had seen the trailer already know that the movie is based on the subject of sex & all the abnormalities attached to it.

Incidentally speaking movies like Vicky Donor & Shubh Mangal Savdhan also dealt with the very same subject. So Khandani Shafakhana has given more poised treatment to it & not to forget that the protagonist in this film is a female, namely Sonakshi Sinha.

The one liner of the film reveals that Khandaani Shafakhana is a film about a Punjabi girl named Babita Bedi alias Baby, enacted with a lot of spunk by none other than Sonakshi Sinha, who has to run a fertility clinic. She will have to face many obstacles of this society that is conservative towards women.

So with Khandaani Shafakhana Sonakshi Sinha has pledged to fill you in with some Sex education in a super subtle way. And she indeed proves to be a winner all the way. It is a bold step taken by Sonakshi Sinha, which no other Bollywood actress has done so far, but certainly not the 1^st ever risky character enacted with élan by her. This is also one of her bold roles enacted by her. Earlier on Sonakshi Sinha had done a film titled Akira, where she stood strong as a solo lead with a very different theme. Then with Ittefaq, she showed the dark side of her acting. And at the same time, in movies like the “Dabangg” franchise, she allowed her beauty to settle in the most subtle way.

Apart from the fact that this is her 1^st ever female centric film dealing with the subject of sex, what interests us more is the unexpected combination of the main leads. While Sonakshi Sinha enacts a docile albeit a middle class Bedi girl who’s trying to manage her uncle’s old pharmacy house. On the other hand Varun Sharma tickles the funny bones with his own brand of humor as an innocent “virgin” boy. Moreover, Badshah making his 1^st ever Bollywood debut with the movie simply adds another feather in his hat.

Tail Piece: On the whole a film like Khandaani Shafakhana will certainly be appreciated more by the single theater audience than the so called intelligentsia audience belonging to the multiplex class.

At the box office turnstiles the film will slowly generate a good business at the cash counters. Period!!   

shaheen raaj

Hindi Film Review

Judgementall Hai Kya

By: Shaheen Raaj

“Judgementall Hai Kya Is A Well Made Film With Powerful Performances”

Banner: Balaji Motion Pictures, Karma Media And Entertainment & ALT Entertainment

Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor & Shailesh R Singh

Director: Prakash Kovelamudi

Star Cast: Raj Kummar Rao, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill, Amyra Dastur, Kanika Dhillon, Amrita Puri, Brijendra Kaka, Satish Kaushik, Lalit Behl & Hussain Dalal

Music: Arjuna Harjai, Ruchita Arora, Tanishk Bagchi & Daniel B George

So how will you define a “normal” human behavior? And what are the criteria to be followed by a person that he/she can be considered as “normal”? In the past there were films like My Name Is Khan in the year 2010, Taare Zameen Par in the year 2007) etc. wherein the protagonists’ behavior were such that they stood out & were even ostracized. But still they were special & earned respect in society after a long struggle. And now, writer Kanika Dhillon & director Prakash Kovelamudi have come up with Judgementall Hai Kya that tackles these issues but unlike the aforementioned films, this flick goes into an unconventional zone with even a murder occurring in the narrative.

The scripted scenario of Judgementall Hai Kya reveals the story of a woman with mental issues trying to solve a supposed crime. Bobby Batliwala Grewal (Kangana Ranaut) is an orphan who has lost her parents at a young age. She is partly responsible for their demise. Bobby Batliwala Grewal grows up as a disturbed individual & her grandfather (Lalit Behl) takes care of her. She stays separately from him & works as a dubbing artiste for South Indian films. She is on medication for her mental condition but she doesn’t consume her pills. She is in a relationship of sorts with Varun (Hussain Dalal) who is desperate to get physical with her. But she doesn’t give him the opportunity. At this point, Bobby Batliwala Grewal gets a new tenant named Keshav (Rajkummar Rao) & his wife Meena (Amyra Dastur). Both are deeply in love with each other. Bobby Batliwala Grewal spies on them & she starts to imagine herself with Keshav. However, she also gets intrigued since Keshav seems mysterious. In front of Meena, he pretends to be a non-smoker & a vegetarian. But Bobby Batliwala Grewal catches him smoking heavily & also relishing chicken dishes. She starts to trouble them & then it reaches a point where Keshav & Meena decide to move to another place. Before that can happen, a gas explosion occurs in their kitchen & Meena dies. The cops (Satish Kaushik & Brijendra Kala) begin their investigation. Bobby makes it categorically clear to them that Keshav has murdered Meena but doesn’t have concrete proof. The police officers interrogate Kehsav as well but realize it was a case of accidental death. Hence, they decide to close the case. An enraged Bobby Batliwala Grewal assaults Keshav & she’s sent to a mental asylum for a brief period of time. 2 years later, Bobby Batliwala Grewal seems to be in control. She’s started regular medication & her grandfather sends her to her cousin Megha’s (Amrita Puri) place in London to help in a stage production on Ramayana. All is going fine when Bobby Batliwala Grewal gets a jolt when she spots Keshav also in London. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.

Kanika Dhillon’s story is unconventional & even quite promising & entertaining. Kanika Dhillon’s screenplay is interesting but in some parts, she falters. This is particularly in the 2^ndhalf where the film goes into another zone & doesn’t seem convincing. She however raises some interesting points on the idea of “normal” & even draws parallel with Ramayana. Only if all these things had come together well, the impact would have been manifold. Kanika Dhillon’s dialogues suit the film, especially the ones mouthed by Kangana Ranaut.

Prakash Kovelamudi’s direction is appropriate & he uses his technical knowledge well. The film is very stylishly narrated which goes with its theme & also the title. In a few scenes, he shows his brilliance but goes over the top in the 2^nd half’s pre-climax scenario especially. Also, a few scenes might seem difficult to digest, particularly the scene where Bobby Batliwala Grewal confronts Keshav. He was treading line with this film & sadly enough, he trips at places & this affects the impact of his role.

Judgementall Hai Kya’s intro scene shows the disturbed childhood of Bobby Batliwal Grewal in a brief & concise manner. Once She grows up, it takes a while however to get in the film’s flow. This is because the character is unconventional & unlike anything that one has seen in Bollywood films. Hence Kangana Ranaut’s mannerisms, actions, way of living life etc. are not exactly “normal”. Things get interesting once Keshav & Meena arrive to reside at her place as tenants. Keshav also seems mysterious & the scene where he is fixing the fuse at midnight is quite nicely done. The Lonavala sequence also is funny. But it’s when Meena passes away that things begin to heat up. The intermission point is a shocker. Post-interval, the interest level is maintained with some unexpected developments. But this is also the point where bizarre also things start happening in the film. One can argue even the 1^st half had its share of bizarre stuff but in the 2^nd half, the makers go completely overboard. The film is still unpredictable but the theme & execution will restrict its audience to only multiplexes of the urban areas.

The songs do not really make an impact. The title song stands out but comes at a time when the film turns very bizarre. “Kis Raste Hai Jana” is okay. “Wakhra Swag” appears during the end credits. Daniel B George’s background score however is way better & is zany just like the film’s theme.

Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is conventional & yet works in a film like this. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are quite quirky especially the ones worn by Kangana Ranaut & she looks great. In fact, costumes add a lot to her character. Ravi Shrivastav’s production design is praiseworthy, especially for the Ramayana play. After’s VFX is average & moreover the cockroach shots could have been more realistic. Shweta Venkat’s editing (with additional editing by Prashanth Ramachandran & Shieeba Sehgal) is fine. The duration of the film is just 116 minutes & that’s certainly a plus point.

Performance wise, Kangana Ranaut nails the part. This was probably her most challenging part yet & she delivers the goods as per expectations. Any other actress in her place would have to put a lot of effort & it might have made her performance mechanical. But Kangana Ranaut just slips into the part with perfect ease & takes it to another level. Rajkummar Rao also gets to shine. He’s too good as the mysterious Keshav. But he’s at his best in these 2 scenes wherein he begs Bobby Batliwala Grewal to spare him & his wife. Amyra Dastur is cute & enacts the supporting part well. The same goes for Amrita Puri. Satish Kaushik & Brijendra Kala is apt for their respective roles. Hussain Dalal is a talent to watch out for. He’s very funny & adds a lot to the film. Jimmy Sheirgill as Shridhar is endearing in the special appearance. Lalit Behl is decent. Kanika Dhillon as Sita, also the writer of the film, is stunning & gets to play a fine part in the film.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Judgementall Hai Kya is a well made film with powerful performances from both Kangana Ranaut & Rajkummar Rao.

At the box office turnstiles, it will cater mainly to the urban multiplex frequenting audience. Period!

Hindi Film Review

Arjun Patiala

By: Shaheen Raaj

“On The Whole Arjun Patiala Is A Shockingly Poor Fare”

Banner: T – Series & Maddock Films

Producers: Bhushan Kumar & Dinesh Vijan

Director: Rohit Jugraj

Star Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Kriti Sanon, Varun Sharma, Ronit Roy, Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Amit Mehra, Yogesh Upadhyay, Biswapati Sarkar, Himanshu Kohli, Ritesh Shah, Sumit Gulati, Sunny Leone, Mithilesh Chaturvedi, Ankush Kulshreshtha, Manvendra Tripathi, Tajender Singh, Pradeep Singh, Akshay Joshi, Rajeev Tiwari, Jaspal Sandhu, Nikita Grover, Bharat Bhatia & Gurmeet Chawla

Music: Sachin – Jigar, Akash D,
Guru Randhawa & 
Ketan Sodha

Comedy is an established genre in Bollywood. Since the audiences are now ready for thehatke stuffs, filmmakers are constantly trying to push the boundaries in the existing genres too. This Friday coincidentally sees the release of 2 such films, although both the movies are as different as chalk & cheese. While Judgementall Hai Kya has violent undertones, the other film, Arjun Patiala, is like a spoof on comedy, on the lines of famous Hollywood films like Scary Movie & Deadpool. Bollywood has rarely made such films & one recent film in this space was Welcome To New York (2018). It was a huge failure in all respects & now its lead actor Diljit Dosanjh appears in another comedy film, Arjun Patiala.

So the scripted scenario of Arjun Patiala tells about a cop trying to achieve a crime free district. A struggling director (Abhishek Banerjee) meets a rich 3^rd generation producer (Pankaj Tripathi). After ensuring that the director has put all the necessary “ingredients” needed for a masala entertainer, the producer allows the narration of the script. The director then starts to tell his story, that of a police officer named Arjun Patiala (Diljit Dosanjh). He becomes a sub-inspector through sports quota & he is posted at Ferozpur Police Station in Punjab. Within a few days, he falls for Ritu Randhawa (Kriti Sanon), an honest reporter working for Tezz News Channel. He is also visited by his senior, DSP Gill (Ronit Roy). Arjun looks up to him since childhood & he is the reason why he decided to be a cop. DSP Gill shares with him his dream of making Ferozpur a crime free district. Ritu Randhawa meanwhile helps Arjun Patiala in sharing the list of baddies in the area. There’s Baldev Rana (Amit Mehra) who is so brash that he even beats up police officers if they come in his way, Sukool (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub) who runs a brick kiln, his brother Anda (Sumit Gulati) & finally Dilbaug Singh (Himanshu Kohli) who runs his business from jail & also has haemoglobin problems. Arjun Patiala devises a plan, he generates a gang war between them, hoping that they’ll all kill each other & hence DSP Gill’s dream will be achieved. However, there’s also MLA Prapti Makkad (Seema Pahwa) who seems to be the biggest villain of all & also has ulterior motives of her own. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.

Ritesh Shah & Sandeep Leyzell’s story is outdated. The writers had some good ideas but fail to put it together on paper. Ritesh Shah & Sandeep Leyzell’s screenplay is shockingly horrible. It’s like an apology of a script. The attempt to make a spoof comedy & taking a dig at conventional Bollywood films is something that could have paid dividends. They also had some very funny characters & any other worthy writer would have made a complete laugh riot. Alas, the writers of the film let these characters go waste. They add some dry & beaten to death moments & twists. In fact, its bewildering how this script got approved in the 1^st ever place. Ritesh Shah & Sandeep Leyzell’s dialogues are also dry & fail to evoke any laughter.

Rohit Jugraj’s direction is smooth for most places but with such a poor script, there isn’t much he could have done. At a few places however, he rushes through the film & this was avoidable. For instance, it’s never properly established why Sukool agrees to bump off other villains in the district. A few more minutes should have been spent in establishing the tensions between the varied gangs. If Rohit Jugraj had done the needful, the end result would have been better but still, the film would have emerged as a total disappointment as the content itself is not worth it.

So Arjun Patiala begins on a great note. The manner in which the producer & the director converse over the “masala” script is interesting. The opening credits sequence, a spoof on James Bond style of films, is witty. But soon, one realizes there’s nothing much happening in the film. Yes, there are a bunch of villains but they are not utilized properly. In fact, after a point, the film stops being funny. A few scenes are interesting here & there like Sukool assassinating Baldev Rana or the way a romance blooms between Arjun Patiala & Ritu Randhawa. But these are few & too far between. The twist in the tale in the pre-climax scenario is something that one can see from miles away. The grand finale is also hardly funny & reeks of lazy writing.

Sachin-Jigar’s music is nothing compared to their previous works. “Main Deewana Tera” has the chartbuster feel but doesn’t have a long shelf life. “Crazy Habibi vs Decent Munda” is situational. “Dil Todeya” & “Sachiya Mohabbatan” are okay. “Sip Sip” is played during the end credits. Ketan Sodha’s background score is totally & disapprovingly theatrical.

Sudip Sengupta’s cinematography is fine. Parijat Poddar & Shekhar Ujjainwal’s production design is a bit television show like. Vikram Dahiya’s action is sans any gore. Veena Kapur Ee’s costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Kriti Sanon. Huzefa Lokhandwala’s editing is too quick at places.

Diljit Dosanjh is apt as the cute & the naughty police officer. He genuinely plays his part & even tries to rise above the script. Varun Sharma (Onida Singh) is likeable although he’s repeating himself now. Kriti Sanon is also sincere & plays the entertaining part well. The sequence where she narrates her tragic part is where she gives her best. Sadly enough, the film makers spoil the show with an animated flashback running below on the screen & it takes away the impact of her performance too. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is the best among the villains. He totally shines & it’s sad that such a cool villain won’t get his due to the bad script. Ronit Roy fits the part to the T. Seema Pahwa is decent. Amit Mehra, Himanshu Kohli & Sumit Gulati get no scope. Biswapati Sarkar as the Editor of the Tezz News Channel is appropriate. Ritesh Shah as Arjun’s father & the actor playing her mother are poor. Sunny Leone as Baby is sizzling. Pankaj Tripathi & Abhishek Banerjee are the funniest guys in the film.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Arjun Patiala is a shockingly poor fare, riddled with an outdated & absolutely tragic script.

At the box office, it will be rejected outright by the cine goers.

It made $9.4 million in India on opening weekend.

Photo Credit: Disney

The Lion King has smashed through the $500-million milestone in 10 days of release, as it added $460.8 million (about Rs. 3,179 crores) at the worldwide box office over the past weekend. If you take out the Disney film’s earnings in China, where it opened last week, The Lion King remake ($440 million) had the ninth largest global opening of all time, sandwiched between Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($450.8 million) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($422.5 million). That also makes it the best opening weekend of all time for a computer-animated movie. Unfortunately, box office numbers aren’t usually calculated this way.

Sparing the technicalities, of the $460.8 million grossed by The Lion King this weekend, $191.8 million (about Rs. 1,323 crores) came from its home market of the US, while the rest $269 million (about Rs. 1,856 crores) was contributed by all international markets. The biggest of them was China ($20.8 million), followed by the UK ($19.9 million), France ($19.6 million), Mexico ($18.7 million), Brazil ($17.9 million), South Korea ($17.7 million), Australia ($17.1 million), Russia ($16.7 million), Germany ($12.3 million), India ($9.4 million), Spain ($8.4 million), and Netherlands ($6 million). The Lion King has yet to release in Hong Kong (July 25), Japan (August 9), and Italy (August 21).

In India, The Lion King remake improved day-on-day after release. It grossed Rs. 13.17 crores (about $1.9 million) on Friday, Rs. 22.8 crores (about $3.3 million) on Saturday, and Rs. 29.22 crores (about $4.2 million) on Sunday, for a weekend total of Rs. 65.19 crores ($9.4 million). Per Disney India, that’s the studio’s third highest opening weekend of all time in the country after Avengers: Endgame ($26.7 million), and Avengers: Infinity War ($18.19 million).

Elsewhere, Spider-Man: Far From Home was the global runner-up to The Lion King this weekend with $58.2 million (about Rs. 401.58 crores). The Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios co-production has now grossed $970.9 million (about Rs. 6,700 crores) globally and should cross the $1-billion milestone by next weekend.

Speaking of the $1-billion milestone, Disney’s previous remake of an animated property — Aladdin — is also nearing that figure, with a current worldwide box office total of $989.1 million (about Rs. 6,824 crores).

In third place this weekend was Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 4, which brought in an additional $40.4 million (about Rs. 278.76 crores) to take its global total to $861.2 million (about Rs. 5,942 crores). That makes Toy Story 4 the fifth biggest Pixar movie of all time, behind Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion), Toy Story 3 ($1.067 billion), Finding Dory ($1.028 billion), and Finding Nemo ($899.2 million).

Showbiz Round Up

By: Shaheen Raaj

T-Series Presents “Tera Shehar” Sung By Mohammed Kalam  

After amassing over 72 million views on YouTube with their last single “Zindagi Di Paudi”, T-Series in association with Manoj Muntashir Entertainment & R-Chills Music has released their latest single “Tera Shehar”. Incidentally the videos of the both singles have been shot in the picturesque locations of Armenia. “Tera Shehart” traces the path of love & sacrifice and is based on the concept of ‘If you love someone set them free & if they come back to you, they’re yours.’ The lyrics & the soulful notes of the song communicate the pain of love & loss & the sacrifice that goes along with love & how true love always wins at the end. The music video stars Yaariyan actor Himansh Kohli & the lovely Pia Bajpiee. The heart touching song has already been released on YouTube officially.  Lyricist Manoj Muntashir had been looking to launch his own production house since quite some time & “Tera Shehar” is the perfect venture to begin with. Launching the new, but extremely talented 22 year old singer, Mohammed Kalam, was quite a journey for the wordsmith as he frequently meets a lot of new singers. However, the pain & the rawness in Mohammed Kalam’s voice appealed not only to Manoj Muntashir but also to the young & promising melody maker of our times, Amaal Mallik, who is the composer of the song. The debutante singer Mohammed Kalam  spoke about his big break. He said, “I don’t think I could have got a better launch into this industry. I’m so grateful to everybody who believed in me & my talent. I hope the audience can connect with the song & the underlying emotions beneath it. My journey has just begun & I cannot wait to see where it takes me.” Actor Himansh Kohli adds, “A lot of people would be able to connect with “Tera Shehar”. Not because they have gone through a breakup or because they may have had some issues but because there is pain in the song & the pain is a universal feeling. Voh pain sabki life mein, kahin na kahin, kisi na kisi form mein hoti hai.” The video was shot in the beautiful country of Armenia in a span of 4 days. It is directed by Shabby Singh & produced by Vishal Sadhariya of R-Chills Music. “Tera Shehar” is presented by T-Series & Manoj Muntashir Entertainment in association with R-Chills Music is out now.

India SME Conclave & Awards Organised By Tefla

India SME Conclave & CEO Awards were recently organised by Tefla’s under the patronage of BIA & it was a stellar success as it attracted some of the top reputed names in our participation list from companies such as Reliance Big Entertainment, Kotak Mahindra Bank,  Mercedes-Benz India, Axis bank, Angel Broking, Yourstory, Bank of India & many more. We also attracted a few Government bodies such as SIDBI, SEBI & policymakers from the Government of Maharastra. Some of the VIPs who attended the event were: Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, Mayor of Mumbai, Shweta Shalini, Advisor to Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Rajesh Kshirsagar, Executive Chairman,  State Planning Commission, Government of Maharashtra, Dr. Anil Bonde, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Government  of Maharashtra, Mohit Bharatiya, KBJ Group & Politician at BJP, Amit Bhagwan Wadhwani, Co-Founder, SECCPL, Dr. Pawan Agrawal from Mumbai Dabbawala, R K Das, Country Head, SIDBI, Ajay Thakur, Head SME, BSE, Actress Perizaad Zorabian, Chief Marketing Officer, Zorabian Chicken & many more. The event also awarded some top SMEs for their valuable contribution like India SME of the Year – Marquee Developer 2019, Himanshu Kanakia, Managing Director, Kanakia Spaces Reality Pvt Ltd. India SME Award for Technology & Innovation 2019, Tejas Goenka, Managing Director, Tally Solutions, Young Entrepreneur (SME) of the Year Siddharth De, Vice-President, Hindustan Motor Mfg. Co, India SME Award for Idea Innovation Dr. Evan Luthra, Founder, StartupStudio, Social Entrepreneur of the Year & Brand Ambassador of India SME Conclave Mohit Bharatiya, CEO, KBJ Group. For Outstanding Contribution towards Healthcare: Dr. A. Velumani, Founder & CEO, Thyrocare Technologies Limited, CEO Award for Top Equity Broker of the Year 2019 Axis Securities Ltd, CEO Award for Most Consistent Portfolio Manager of the Country 2019 Narnolia Financial Advisors Limited, CEO Award for Digital First Organization of the year 2019 Angel Broking Pvt Ltd, CEO Award for Best Marketing Campaign of the year 2019 Angel Broking Pvt Ltd, CEO Award for Fastest Growing Diversified Group Abans Securities Pvt Ltd. There was a fashion show by Sparsh by Seema Kalavadia & Richa Singh. TV actor Dheeraj Dhoopar was the show stopper for the show. Singer Parul Mishra performed live on various songs in this grand event.

SASMIRA Celebrated Annual Fashion Show – Enchanté 2019 Organised By Tefla

SASMIRA, in its continuous endeavor to promote design literate human resource pool in today’s competitive market; organized Enchanté 2019 recently at Renaissance Hotel, Powai. The show was organised by Aseem Singh, Director – Tefla’s which is a renowned event management group based in Mumbai. The central theme of the Fashion Collection 2019 was “Wanderlust” & the students had designed their collections picking up inspirations from the various places that they had visited or lust to visit. They had internalized this lust of wandering into beautifully crafted designs. How these places – their exotic landscapes, diverse climate, awe-inspiring structures & distinct cultures had inspired them to conceive an idea that pushes them to weave designs on the looms of their creativity is the essence of their collection. Their collections are nostalgic, neoteric & futuristic in their conception. Professional models including Sucheta Sharma & Candice Pinto walked the ramp for designers. Vaishali S, Sunipa S, Amit Ranjan, Tasneem Merchant (Fashion Designer), Meher Castelino (Author) came specially to judge the fashion show. Singer Shahzad Ali performed live for all the students & the guest of Sasmira. The students had designed Indian; Indo-Western & Western wear & fashion accessories collections. These collections had a wide variety of colours & fabrics, Director.

Bollywood Celebs & Stars Attend 1st Ever Celeb M Awards

Jignesh Bhuta, Yogesh Popat, Karishma Thaker & Jignesh Shah of Celeb M completed one year of their company in the events & the casting arena. They kept the party with the felicitation of Bolywood stars at the Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai. Mahira Sharma & Kainaat Arora performed on this grand event. Arun Sharma of LR Active Oil received all the guest & the Bollywood celebs like Pankaj Berry, Raju Shrivastava, Jasleen Matharu, Faisu, Jannat Zubair, DJ Ramji Gulati, Meet Brothers, Preety Pinky, JD Majethia, Shaheed Mallya, Vikalp Mehta who all came to receive the award in different categories. Sunil Pal, VIP, Ekta Jain & Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor came specially to attend the grand event.

Music Composer Siddharth Kasyap’s “Ishq Ki Mitti” Presented Sk Music Works

Siddharth Kasyap of SK Music Works knows how to hit the right note. Known for churning out several hits in the past he brings his 24^thoriginal song named as “Ishq Ki Mitti” The launch of “Ishq Ki Mitti” saw the presence of Nakul Mehta, Jankee Parekh, Eijaz Khan, Shibani Kashyap, Sara Khan, Zulfi Sayyed, Aarti Nagpal, Rakesh Paul, Rehan Shah, Sandhya Shetty, Dj Sheizwood, Kanwalpreet Singh, Shanthipriya, Prashant Virender Sharma, Madhushree, Madhuri Pandey, Sheela Tiruchi, Sandhya Shetty, Nivedita Basu, Rajesh Khera, Hansa Singh, Shakuir shaikh, Asif Merchant, Alex O Neil etc. “Ishq Ki Mitti” a sufiyana contemporary love story of undying love will warm the cockles of your heart. In today’s fast paced world when music is created in rush, “Ishq Ki Mitti” bears testament to the fact that good songs will find their way into the hearts of the audience. This heart melting song is touted to be the ‘love anthem of the year’. Serene, sublime & majestic is synonym to “Ishq Ki Mitti”. It is not just a romantic song, it’s an experience which can be seen & cherished by most. Melodious, heavenly & powerful – these are the words that perfectly sum up this Sufi love ballad, “Ishq Ki Mitti”. Conceived & composed by Siddharth Kasyap, this song has vocals of Raja Hassan who is also a renowned Bollywood singer & lyrics has been penned down by Ibrahim Ashq who also has several Bollywood songs to his kitty. The majestic high that the song takes one to, is enhanced by a gifted & senior sitar player Ravi Chari. The song features popular faces of Vikas Verma, Naman Shaw & Apeksha Porwal. Vikas Verma was seen in several movies, Naman Shaw is a popular TV soap artist & Apeksha Porwal has been one of the top contestants of Miss India pageant. This video has been directed by Aziz Zee who has directed the recent horror flick 1978 Night Out & has copious music videos to his credentials as a director.

Cine Buzz

By: Shaheen Raaj

Kangana Ranaut On The ‘Judgmentall Hai Kya’ Title Change

Just recently actress Kangana Ranaut expressed her opinion on the change in title for her upcoming film Judgmental Hai Kya?, which was earlier called Mental Hai Kya, is a result of nepotism & power play in the Hindi film industry. Commenting on the movie’s title change, Kangana Ranaut said, “I think whenever it is anything to do with Kangana Ranaut, people have a problem with it. Since I am an outsider, even if I breathe, people have a problem. But we outsiders also have learnt to make our way without creating a problem. Even one of Salman Khan’s film which was a remake of a south Indian film, was named Mental. There was no problem then, but now we are told that very recently, the word “mental” is banned, so we did not have that much choice. But we truly believe that we have made a good film. Our film has got a U/A certificate. We have faith in our intentions. A small change of the title will not make much difference.” The Mental Hai Kya title drew the ire of the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) which complained to the censor board that the usage of the word “mental” trivialized mental health issues. The title was later changed. Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, the film also features Rajkummar Rao, Brijendra Kala, Jimmy Sheirgill & Amyra Dastur. It is releasing on 26^th Jul, 2019.

Tiger Shroff Finally Breaks His Silence

Tiger Shroff was last seen in the Punit Malhotra directorial movie named Student Of The Year 2. While rumors of Tiger Shroff & actress Disha Patani dating each other have been old news, the 2 have never confirmed the same. Smartly evading the question every time the duo continues to go on their regular Sunday lunch dates at a popular restaurant in Bandra, Mumbai. However, when Karan Johar cornered Tiger Shroff on his chat show, where Tiger Shroff wascaccompanied by his father JackieShoff, the Student Of The Year 2 actor had no option but to break his silence on the matter. When the host Karan Johar mentioned Tiger Shroff & Disha Patani’s regular lunch dates where the actor is seen carrying the lady’s bag, Tiger Shroff indeed remained nonchalant & even responded, “Holding the bag for her makes me look really nice.” As Karan Johar next plunged straight to the point & quizzed Tiger Shroff about his relationship with Disha Patani, the action hero simply said, “I am great friends with her. I love her company & we are keeping it at that.” When Karan Johar probed further, he clarified, “We both have very similar interests. I don’t have very many friends in the industry & she is one of the few people whom I get along with.” That sort of shut the host right there as he then moved on to chatting about Tiger Shroff’s bond with director Puneet Malhotra & his co-stars Ananya Panday & even Tara Sutaria from Student Of The Year 2. We must say actors seemed to have learned up how to keep their guard up on this filmmaker’s chat show which has witnessed celebrities making some really controversial statements in the past. Well, all said & done, we still wish that Tiger Shroff & Disha Paani do get together some day if they are seriously not dating. And if they are, surely there’s no harm in disclosing their relationship to fans as they will only be showered with more love. Meanwhile, on the work front, Tiger Shroff will next be seen in the 3^rd installment of Baaghi lined up. Tiger Shroff is also reuniting with Shraddha Kapoor for Baaghi 3 & fans are eager to watch them on the silver screen yet again.

Bhagyashree’s Husband Himalaya Dassani Arrested 

At least more than 15 people have been arrested in the recent gambling matter in Mumbai. During the investigation, the Maine Pyar Kiya actress Bhagyashree’s husband Himalaya Dassani’s name popped up & the raids were conducted last month at a high rise building behind infinity mall near Andheri (W) Mumbai. In another shocking event, it has come to the fore that actress Bhagyashree’s husband Himalay Dassani has been arrested by Amboli police, Mumbai. While not a lot of information is out, the arrest of Himalay Dassani who was into construction business took place recently for his alleged involvement in a gambling racket. As more than 15 people have been arrested in the matter. During the investigation, Bhagyashree’s husband Himalaya Dassani’s name popped up & the raids were conducted last month at a high rise building behind infinity mall Andheri (W) Mumbai. Bhagyashree is a popular name & is known for her role in Rajshri Production’s film, Maine Pyaar Kiya opposite Salman Khan. Post the success of the film, Bhagyashree quit Bollywood & got married in 1990 to Himalaya Dassani. The couple has 2 children namely Abhimanyu Dassani & Avantika Dassani. In fact, Abhimanyu Dassani had recently made his debut with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota alongside Radhika Madan. The film went on to receive rave reviews for his performance.

TV Queen Ekta Kapoor To Launch A New Drama 

The small screen serial named Daayan is expected to be plugged off air from 14^th Jul, 2019 & above all the TV Queen Ekta Kapoor is coming up with a new TV drama that will star Bepanah Pyaar actor Aparna Dixit. &TV’s Daayan is soon going to wrap up. The supernatural drama will end after running for 100 episodes. The &TV channel has decided to bring another bi-weekly drama to replace the show. So TV doyenne Ekta Kapoor is introducing a new show on the tube. The series is titled Aa Dekhe Zara. As the name suggests the show is going to be a mystery drama. The show will revolve around a cop who will solve a different murder case every week. The small screen actress Aparna Dixit has been roped in to play the protagonist. Aparna Dixit will play a female cop in Aa Dekhe Zara, who will be juggling with her own problems while solving the case. Her character, Sukanya is going to be a strong-headed lady who won’t entertain anyone’s antics. Incidentally speaking Aparna Dixit has been a part of several shows produced by Balaji Telefilms. The actress was a part of Ekta Kapoor’s iconic show Pavitra Rishta, where she played the character of Maansi. Her 1^st ever show as a female lead was with the same boot camp, titled Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai. She then went on to do Kalash and was last seen in a cameo in Bepanah Pyaar. While Daayan is expected to go off air from 14^th Jul, 2019, Aa Dekhe Zara is scheduled to go on air post mid-Jul, 2019.

TV Actor Vivek Dahiya Will Not Host The Pre-Launch Episode Of Nach Baliye Season 9

The premiere episode of Nach Baliye Season 9 has been shot already. We will see Raveena Tandon, Ahmed Khan & probably director Ali Abbas Zafar of Bharat & Tiger franchise fame as the 3 main judges of the show. It was recently confirmed that Nach Baliye Season 8 winners Divyanka Tripathi & Vivek Dahiya came aboard to host the pre-launch episode of this dance reality show’s season. However, in an unfortunate turn of events, Vivek Dahiya had to opt out of this opportunity as the actor had to be hospitalized as soon as he returned to Mumbai from his Macau vacation. Considering that Vivek Dahiya is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, there is no way he could make it to the sets of Nach Baliye 9 & shoot. Vivek Dahiya & Divyanka Tripathi had just returned from Macau & from the very next day, Vivek Dahiya has been down with a fever. The fever wasn’t going down & with severe stomach pain, Vivek Dahiya was rushed to the hospital recently & he has been diagnosed with an intestinal infection & liver abyss. Soon after Divyanka Tripathi, the Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actress confirmed the news & added, “Yes Vivek has been extremely unwell. I have been shuffling between the shoot & the hospital & luckily speaking my family is also going to be in town soon to help us out. He is still recuperating & has been asked to stay on bed rest for a few days even post getting discharged.” Meanwhile, the premiere episode of Nach Baliye Season 9 has already been shot. We will see Raveena Tandon, Ahmed Khan & director Ali Abbas Zafar as the 3 judges of the show. Salman Khan, who is producing Nach Baliye this year, may be seen in quite a few episodes as well.

Film Review

Kabir Singh

“Kabir Singh Is A Well Made Love Saga”

Banner: Cine1 Studios & T-Series

Producer: Mura Khetani. Ashwin Varde, Bushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar

Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Arjan Bajwa, Suresh Oberoi, Adil Hussain, Nikita Dutta, Soham Majumdar, Kamini Kaushal, Anurag Arora, Suparna Marwah, Dolly Mattoo, Kunal Thakur, Swati Seth, Anusha Sampath, Vinay Sharma as Kalyan, Amit Sharma, Parakh Madan, Mitansh Lulla, Gagandeep Singh, Teena Singh, Rajat Aroraa, Ankush Deshmukh, Ramakant Dayma, Danish, Anagha Joshi, Meneka Kurup Arora, Geetika, Harsh A. Singh, Vanita Kharat, Aanchal Chauhan, Urvashi Panchal, Siya Mahajan, Abhay Raj Singh & Vipul Deshpande

Music: Mithun, Amaal Malik, Vishal Mishra, Sachet-Parampara, Akhil Sachdeva & Harshvardhan Rameshwar  

One of the most loved love stories of Bollywood is of course Devdas. It has been remade several times & a decade later, Anurag Kashyap gave a different touch to the tale through Dev D in the year 2009. All the interpretations have been liked as there’s a charm in the story of a man who goes on a self-destructive path when he fails to get the girl he loves. 2 years ago, Sandeep Reddy Vanga made a Telugu film named Arjun Reddy, which had a kind of a deja vu of Devdas. Yet, it stood out due to the treatment, execution & performances. Arjun Reddy became a cult success & now its Hindi remake Kabir Sigh has hit the theaters.

So the scripted scenario of Kabir Singh reveals that it is the story of a heartbroken man on the path of self-destruction. Kabir Singh (Shahid Kapoor) is a top ranked medical student from a Delhi medical school. He is hot tempered & once during a football match, he gets into physical altercation with a rival college student named Amit (Amit Sharma). The college Dean (Adil Hussain) asks him to tender an apology or else he’ll be fired. Kabir chooses the 2^nd option as he’s of the opinion that he did no wrong. But in no time Kabir Singh changes his mind after he sees the 1^st year student Preeti (Kiara Advani). Luck favors on him as Preeti’s family is a family friend of Kabir Singh’s & he’s asked to take care of her. Kabir Singh is much feared on campus & he starts to give her personal lessons. Preeti enjoys this attention & soon they begin a romantic relationship. After their course ends, they move back to their respective residences in Mumbai. Kabir Singh’s brother Karan Singh (Arjan Bajwa) is getting married & Kabir Singh goes to Preeti’s house to pick her up. Things turn awry here as Preeti’s father spots the lovebirds cosying up to each other. In a sudden turn of events, Preeti is compelled to get married to one Jatinder & Kabir Singh is unable to stop this union. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.

Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s (Who had also directed the Telugu original Arjun Reddy) story is top-notch & very entertaining. The entire premise & most of the script is the same as Arjun Reddy. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s screenplay does justice to the premise. The biggest plus is that it’s quite fresh. Despite the Devdas hangover, it stands out & looks like a story of the present day. The film showcases a vast journey of the protagonist & it’s stitched together very well. Siddharth & Garima’s dialogues are quite impactful & even suit the temper of the protagonist. The funny & the medically inspired 1 liner’s are indeed quite witty & funny.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s direction is quite impressive & he recreates the same magic that he managed to create even in Arjun Reddy. For a director who’s so new, Sandeep Reddy Vanga helms this venture like a pro. One can feel the pain that Kabir Singh goes through & despite his immoral acts & addiction; one’s heart goes out to him. To manage to achieve this feat is no cakewalk.

Kabir Singh has a bit of a philosophical beginning & it’s so confusing. The film gets on track as the flashback scenes commences. One of the high points of the 1^st ever half is when Kabir Singh assaults the rival college player & even rationalizes his behavior in front of the Dean. The scenes where he orders Preeti to join him for private lessons seem a bit unsettling but it gets better once you find out that Preeti is willingly joining him & that she enjoys his company. Then again the film goes on a high during the intense Holi sequence. The tension continues in the entire pre-interval & even after the intermission portions. Post interval the film gets a bit dragging. But it keeps one engaged as Kabir Singh turns into an alcoholic but a fantastic surgeon & even gets into a sort of fling with Jiya Sharma (Nikita Dutta). The in house court sequence is very intriguing. The climax is partly predictable but the turn of events will surely surprise one & all. The film ends on a lovely note.

The Songs are mostly relegated in the background. “Bekhayali”is the best of the lot & very well placed in the film. “Kaise Hua”is well shot & the instrumental part of the song is like one of the film’s themes. “Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage” “Pehla Pyaar”& “Tera Ban Jaunga”are sweet. “Mere Sohneya”is uplifting. Harshvardhan Rameshwar’s background score is subtle & even absent in a few scenes. But the central theme of the film is exhilarating & even adds to the excitement.

Santhana Krishnan Ravichandran’s cinematography is superlative. The madness is very well captured. Mansi Dhruv Mehta’s production design is quite rich. Payal Saluja & Ankita Patel’s costumes are realistic yet appealing. Afzal Usman Khan’s action is quite real & exremely gory. Aarif Sheikh’s editing is a bit abrupt at certain places.

Shahid Kapoor, no doubt, owns the film. It won’t be wrong to say this is his most accomplished work. He had a tall order to accomplish since he is stepping into the shoes of the Telugu actor Vijay Deverekonda & that too in a role that made him an overnight craze. Yet, Shahid Kapoor comes out with flying colors. He has boyish looks & still, when he enters the rival college & bashes a student in front of other 100’s of the in-house students & they don’t even object, it seems totally convincing. His alcoholic phase is quite digestible too. Kiara Advani doesn’t have much dialogues & even her screen time is limited in the 2^nd half. However she fits the part & even adds a lot with her fine performance. Her breakdown sequence is exceptional. Nikita Dutta is very sweet in the supporting role. Arjan Bajwa as Kabir Sing’s brother & Suresh Oberoi as Kabir Singh’s father are decent. Soham Majumdar as Shiva has a very crucial part & is very entertaining. Audiences would surely love him. Adil Hussain is passable. Vanita Kharat as Kabir Singh’s maid raises the laughs in both her scenes. Amit Sharma is a bit over the top but that suits his character. The actors playing Shruti, Jatinder, Keerti are also fine.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Kabir Singh is a well-made love saga which has tremendous appeal for the youth. The deadly cocktail of the adult theme & even the lovemaking scenes, the hit music, the taut script & the bravura performances would surely bring the audiences in hordes to the cinemas halls.

At the box office turnstiles Arjun Reddy is a sure shot win. Period!!!

 Showbiz Round Up By: Shaheen Raaj Bollywood Celebs Shoot For ‘Khalli Balli’ Bolliywod celebs like Madhoo, Kainaat Arora, Rajniesh Duggal, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaj, Ekta Jain, Yasmeen Khan et al recently shot for the film titled Khalli Balli. Kamal Kishor Mishra of One Entertainment Film Productions & Prachi Movies along with writer & Director Manoj Sharma had kept the shoot of their horror comedy film named Khalli Balli at O 2 Villa, Madh Island where important scenes was picturised. Madhoo Shah, of Roza fame was very excited as her introduction scene was picturised. Madhoo is shooting in a Hindi film after almost 8 years. Thaty apart Madhoo Shah, Rajniesh Duggal, Kainaat Arora, Rohan Mehra, Vijay Raaj, Rajpal Yadav, Hemant Pandey, Yasmeen Khan & Ekta Jain interacted with the media while shooting. Kainaat Arora is playing the main lead in this film opposite Rajniesh Duggal. Yasmeen Khan & Rajpal Yadav are enacting the role role of a caretaker of the Bunglow. TV actor Rohan Mehra also plays a key role in the film.