Banner: Aagman Films Pvt Ltd
Producer: Sudhir Jain & Pratap Singh Yadav
Director: Sanoj Mishra
Star Cast: Om Puri, Sanjay Mishra, Anupam Shyam, Mukesh Tiwari, Dolly Chawla, Meghna Haldar & Rishi Bhutani
Music: Sahil Rayyan & Shivam Pathak

What’s gone wrong on the current directorial scenario front?. As someone tries to showcase the tragedy of the Indira Gandhi assassination while someone is trying to push the Gandhian idealogy deep down the throat of everyone, especially the wrong doers of the nation. But director Sanoj Mishra with his directorial offering Gandhigiri crosses all the patriotic limits by mixing sexual escapades of the goons with the Gandhian philosophy and makes a complete mish mash of it. what’s the logic Mr. Sanoj Mishra?

The scripted scenario of Gandhigiri kicks off with an NRI from dependable Mauritius lamenting for that “greatest nation of all”, Bharat, and particularly that “greatest soul of all”, Gandhi, at a Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet, no less. In no time at all, he is back for good to a fictional native village in a very real “Rae Bareli”. Here the men are thugs, women rapacious, sadhus fraud, and politicians divided by caste & united in bloodlust. All it takes is throwing the Mahatma in the midst, a Gandhi for every occasion, from reforming criminals to helping accident victims on the road, while moving around only & only in an Ambassador. The town, barring a reliably snarling Brahmin leader, is ever so grateful for the NRI benevolence. The aforementioned NRI, with the weighty name of Rai Bahadur Singh (Om Puri), invites a crude assortment of some of the above louts to live in his own haveli. Their criminal goings-on don’t appear to bother the Gandhian Rai Bahadur. On the contrary, even as they plot, Rai Bahadur extends his generosity to opening a “global school”. That school appears & disappears in a flash, but not without offering an unforgettable image of adults dancing draped in Tricolour hues. 2 of the most homely of those adults are in hush-hush love, interspersed with some very loud songs. Both are “medical students”, but in good, old UP, that never did mean attending classes.

Sorry to add but Gandhigiri is absurd, attrocious and what not? It mainly abounds in sex, in innuendoes, talk, gestures, in the back of vans offering a sexual cure, and down the cleavage of a woman who convinces our Rai Bahadur of her destituteness while the mascara, lipstick & hair highlights are still in place. So what was Mr. Sanoj Mishra thinking while directing Gandhigiri or did he leave his directorial brains behind in his own hometown, UP?

No point in discussing about the performance of all the actors especially the veterans. The million dollar question raising its head time & again in one’s mind is, first of all why does Gandhigiri have stalwarts like Om Puri, Sanjay Mishra, Anupam Shyam & Mukesh Tiwari? And above all why does Gandhigiri offers a special thanks to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal? Maybe, some questions are better left unasked.

Tail Piece: Gandhigiri is a sheer waste of time, money, energy & patriotic feelings one still has for one’s nation.

Banner: Shree Rajlaxmi Entertainment
Producer: Baldev Singh Bedi
Director: Harish Kotian & Sandeep Choudhary
Star Cast: Ajaz Khan, Sahil Anand, Harsh Naagar, Shalu Singh, Anant Mahadevan,
Vaibhav Mathur et al
Music: Sumesh Himanshu, Raina Sawan, Sagar Sarkar & Vishnu Narayan

The director duo of Harish Kotian & Sandeep Choudhary have left no stone unturned and tried to pull all the stops in serving a recipe of a full on entertainment in Love Day. But in doing so they have gone desi as well as videsi by drawing a full on inspiration from videsi films like The Hangover & American Pie to name just 2 & a straight on desi film like 3 Idiots. Keep it up 2 idiots!!! Oops sorry Mr. Harish Kotian & Mr. Sandeep Choudhary.

The scripted scenario of Love Day (Oh! What a tongue in cheek title!!!) kicks off with Sandy (Sahil Anand) & Harry (Harsh Nagar) receiving a message from their long lost Best Friend Monty (Ajaz Khan). The boys get nostalgic and then you’re introduced to their sex-charged & vice driven childhood followed by an equally depraved young adulthood. The idea is that Monty always corrupts Sandy & Harry and makes them do things they shouldn’t. They turn their college labs into brothels & canteen into a bar. When water crosses the mark, Sandy & Harry distance themselves from their dangerously inclined Best Friend Monty. But when Monty sends for them again, many years later, they take up the bait and set out on another adventure, thinking that this time they might at least get some hard cash to finance their film.

Director duo of Harish Kotian & Sandeep Choudhary have done a good job & also made good use of their hand in glove directorial skills. But too many twists & turns in the plot from “The Start” till “The End” puts a dampener in an otherwise smooth proceedings. But their purpose of serving a perfect entertainment recipe is fulfilled. And towards this end both the cast & the crew deserves a full on compliment. The entire team of music composers of the film have done a decent job too.

Performance wise it is all the 3 actors like Ajaz Khan, Sahil Anand & above all Harsh Nagar who walk away with all the honors. They complement each other bang on throughout the movie with their camaraderie act, their flawless chemistry including their perfect timings in all the scenes in which they appear together. In fact their on screen bonding itself is seen to be believed. While the supporting cast have also lent an adequate support.

Tail Piece: Gen X will just love & lap up this double entendre fest of Love Day, that is if they don’t mind a hotch potch of masala movie trappings. So all in all Love Day does have the audacity to engage & entertain.

Arbaaz Khan will be seen in a double role for the 1st time ever in Chandrakant Singh’s untitled thriller film which will be shot entirely in Arosa, Switzerland. Chandrakant Singh who has made 3 comedies & 1 social awareness with Women Empowerment film Six X is now planning an untitled thriller film with Arbaaz Khan in double role. The film will be entirely shot in Arosa, Switzerland. The film is produced by Mahendra Singh Namdev & Rakesh Datta. The film will also have Kannad superstar Aindrita Ray who will be making her debut in Hindi film. Arbaaz Khan averred, “I am playing a double role, but can’t divulge the details. Its an interesting script and the makers thought that I fit the part.” While Chandrakant Singh averred, “Arbaaz Khan will play contrasting characters. One of the role will be that of Switzerland based business tycoon, who gets married at 40 to a much younger girl. The plot thickens after he is murdered.

Banner: Meena Shamim Films
Producer & Director: Munnawar Shamim Bhagat
Star Cast: Bhushan Pradhan, Sanskruti Balgude, Prajakta Dighe & Shekhar Phadke
Music: Rafique Shaikh
Debutant director Munnawar Shamim Bhagat, who has also produced Nivdung, has made an experimental albeit a topical film based on the farmer’s suicide.

Keshav (Bhushan Pradhan) is a struggling musician who fails to make any mark. So much so that even his live – in girl friend ditches & deserts him for another beau. Keshav now wanders aimlessly and even decides to commit suicide. He lands up in a village where he is given shelter by an old woman who lives with her young daughter (Sanskuti Balgude). They both fall in an unexplained bond of silent love. Pressurized by a the Village Money lender, the trio of them take to farming on a barren land. But still Keshav tries to commit suicide many times till a ray of hope arrives with a full on Monsoon.

Debutant director Munnawar Shamim Bhagat has made a sensitive film on the evergreen topic of farmers committing suicide in villages. His directorial treatment succeeds in driving home the right message. But still he could not resist the temptation of placing a lavni song in such an emotional narrative.

Performance wise both Bhushan Pradhan & Sanskruti Balgude steal the limelight with their restrained act. But they sometimes appear to be uncomrtable in certain scenes. Veteran actress Prajakta Dighe is good but Shekhar Phadke is a total misfit in the role of a villainous Money lender.

All said and done Nivdung is more of a single theatre film for the interiors than that of a Multiplex Cinema of metrpolitan cities. Moreover Nivdung may garner a lot of critical acclaim and awards galore in the Global Film Festival circuit.

Banner: Yash Corporation
Producer: Paresh Mehta
Director: Suzad Iqbal Khan
Star Cast: Narendra jha, Komal Thacker,
Paresh Mehta, Raj Sharma, Amit Lekhwani, Master Sagar Nath Jha, Kumar Vaibhav & Sudam Aftab Khan
Music: Biswajit Bhattacharjee (Bibo) & Varun Agarwal

Director Suzad Iqbal Khan in his 1st 2 directorial outing had dabbled with 2 varied genres of filmmaking namely a sleazy movie titled Monsoon & a comic caper movie titled Murari – The Mad Gentleman and now in his 3rd directorial offering My Father Iqbal he has done a complete volte face by directing an extremely heartwarming albeit an emotional saga of a heart touching relationship between a father & his son.
Take a bow Mr. Suzad Iqbal Khan for your directorial crowning glory for My Father Iqbal.

The scripted scenario of My Father Iqbal, based on a real life incident of an engineer from J & K’s PwD Department. Iqbal Khan (Narendra Jha) fulfils multiple responsibilities in his life. He is a husband, father and above all, a sincere & honest citizen. My father Iqbal captures the struggle of a father who would go to any length to achieve the dreams of his child while maintaining his duty towards the country. My Father Iqbal also depicts the patriotism of a common man who fights for his country. There are also some light elements in the film portraying a typical middle class husband – wife relationship, their love & their tiffs. In fact My Father Iqbal not just showcases a man’s protective attitude towards his family but also towards the entire society that he lives in. Some terrorists use him to create havoc in the atmosphere that the family hails from. He always sacrifices his dreams and how his honesty is disturbing the corrupt people and how they trap him is unfolded in the film. However, he stands like a protective rock and saves everyone from the evil intentions. He is actually a father in true essence.

Director Suzad Iqbal Khan’s My Father Iqbal may have been based on a true life incident of an Engineer’s life but it sounds more like an inspirational semi autobiographical account. Be that whatever it may be but Suzad has done full directorial justice to the film. Although one finds many unexplained loopholes. The picturesque locales of J&K have been beautifully captured. But the editing of the film could have been more crisper.

Performance wise the scene stealer’s of the film are Narendra Jha as Iqbal Khan, Komal Thacker as Sahiba & Master Sagar Nath Jha as Iqbal Khan’s son’s childhood. While actor – producer Paresh Mehta as Sho Police J&K, Raj Sharma as Xen Pwd, Amit Lekhwani as Terrorist, Kumar Vaibhav as MLA & Sudam Aftab Khan as the grown up son of Iqbal Khan have lent an adequate support in carrying the narrative of the film forward.

Tail Piece: At the Box Office turnstiles the prospects of My Father Iqbal may not sound very encouraging. But in the Global Film Festival circuit it will definitely garner a lot of critical acclaim & awards galore.

Nikil Kumar Signs A 2nd Film

The debut hero of Jaguar Nikil Kumar hailing from an affluent family makes entry also in Telugu with the same title. For the release of his debut film the happy news is that he has already signed his 2nd film. Telugu films director Surendra Reddy is directing Nikil Kumar. The film is going on the floors on Nikil Kumar’s father former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s birthday on 16th Dec, 2016.
Surendra Reddy has directed some of the high voltage action films like Race Gurram, Kick et al. This will also be a bilingual in Kannada & Telugu. Although the film of Surendra Reddy goes on the floors on 16th Dec, 2016 the actual shoot starts in Feb, 2017. Nikil Kumar is undergoing some more training before start of his 2nd film.

AK 57 Shoot Resumes

Thala Ajith’s AK 57 directed by Siva has completed the 1st schedule of shoot last month in Europe. The team has been taking a short break in Chennai so far. The 2nd schedule of the shoot has begun in Hyderabad as planned earlier. The shooting will go on for more than 2 weeks in the Capital City of Telangana. AK 57 stars Ajith & Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles. The supporting cast includes Thambi Ramaiah, Karunakaran, Appukutty and many others. Anirudh Ravichander is rendering the musical score for this grand project of Sathya Jyothi Films banner.

G. V. Prakash Signs C. V. Kumar

GVP is on a signing spree and apart from his Diwali release Kadavu Irukaan Kumaru directed by M. Rajesh the youngster has Bruce Lee, Adangadhey and the Rajeev Menon – A. R. Rahman project amongst other films under his belt. A new film with G.V. Prakash Kumar as the hero was announced recently titled 4G directed by debutant Venkat Pakkar an erstwhile assistant of Shankar. The film is produced by C.V. Kumar’s Thirukumaran Entertainment in which Sathish plays a prominent role while the heroine and the other cast & the crew details will be announced soon.

Soundarya Rajinikanth Reunites With Dhanush

Kalaipuli S Thanu after the monster hit Kabali directed by Pa. Ranjith and starring Superstar Rajinikanth is producing Soundarya Rajinikanth’s new movie titled Nilavukku En Mel Ennadi Kobam. Moreover it has been widely reported that Dhanush is writing the screenplay for the film and is also likely to play the lead role. News is now surfacing that Bollywood sensation Sonam Kapoor will play the love interest of Dhanush in Nilavukku En Mel Ennadi Kobam. Sonam Kapoor was the heroine in Dhanush’s Hindi debut Ranjhanaa (2013) and the duo are reuniting after 4 years. Official confirmation regarding the cast & the crew will be out soon.

Aishwarya Rajesh In Director Ameer’s Next

Young actress Aishwarya Rajesh has achieved the admiration of movie buffs & critics within a short span of time thanks to her brilliant portrayal of a wide range of characters she got to play. She has acted in the films of acclaimed directors like Pa.Ranjith, Manikandan & Seenu Ramasamy.
At present she is in talks to play one of the heroines in director Ameer’s film with Arya as the male lead. The film has been tentatively titled as Santhana Devan and Satna Titus of Pichaikkaran fame plays another female lead role in this film. The film will have scope for 2 leading heroines which will be played by Satna & Aishwarya,

Prominent Hero To be a Enact The Main Lead In Poonam Pandey’s Film

VBR Creations & Sooraj Productions are jointly producing a movie starring Poonam Pandey, Asish Vidyarthi and an undisclosed prominent hero in lead roles. Director Bhavani Masthan is the writer of the story & the screenplay. The film is touted to be a comedy entertainer & a love triangle. Vijaybhaskar Reddy & Fakruddin Shah are the producers. The movie was launched recently y in Hyderabad. Venkat is the cinematographer.

Pawan Kalyan’s New Movie Launched

A Pawan Kalyan film in the direction of RT Neason of Jilla fame has been launched. While A M Rathnam is the presenter, S Aishwarya of Sri Sai Raam Creations is the producer. It’s their Production No. 4. Aishwarya is currently producing Gopichand starrer Oxygen. The movie was formally launched at a puja ceremony held in a Film Nagar office. The puja was attended by Pawan Kalyan, AM Ratnam, RT Neason, Jyoti Krishna, Sharrat Maraar et al. Details as to when the movie will go on the floors and other cast & crew members are not yet out.

Shatamanam Bhavathi 1st Teaser Out

The teaser of Shatamanam Bhavathi was out recently. First things first. It comes across as an “accha” Telugu family entertainer, complete with Prakash Raj (who is older than his age) & Jayasudha. Mickey J Meyer keeps the Brahmotsavam tune in his kitty and goes beyond. The lush greenery of Coastal Andhra is enticing. Sameer Reddy’s visuals are fabulous. Sharwanand & Anupama Parameswaran are out to be in love & be loved. As far as Sharwa is concerned, this is as yet his one of the most soft core roles, perhaps. As Dil Raju says, let’s meet for Sankranthi 2017.

Taramani Gets Dubbed Into Telugu

Tamil drama Taramani, starring Vasanth Ravi & Andrea Jeremiah in lead roles, is being dubbed into Telugu by DV Cine Creations. D Venkatesh has admittedly acquired the rights by paying a fancy price. Directed by Ram, the maker of the National Award -winning Thanga Meengal, the film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Theni Eashwar has handled the cinematography while Sreekar Prasad has done the Editing. Anjali has a guest role here. The title will be announced soon. Entha Varaku Ee Prema, starring Jiiva & Kajal Aggarwal, is currently in dubbing stage. We will release the 2 films simultaneously,” the makers have said.

Shweta Menon Ready To Get Raunchier!

Shweta Menon made her mark in Mollywood by her woman oriented films. In her upcoming film she plays a man’s role. The film is directed by Rajilal Damodaran and is titled Naval Enna Jewel. Recently in an interview she stated that before marriage her parents didn’t restrict her from doing what she liked. Now her husband too, he is encouraging and asked her to do better roles. To a question about her part in kick starting woman oriented films in Kerala she replied, “Well I was sick & tired of the “Bold” characters that kept coming to me. I wanted to do something lighter, like in Salt N’ Pepper, or even something raunchier than Rathivirvedam.

Govind Padmasoorya To Make His Debut In Kollywood

Govind Padmasoorya, known as GP is the darling of TV audiences. His job as a host of reality dance show made him a sensation among the audiences of that program especially amongst the women folk. In the filmi world, he has not shown a big presence till now, but had acted in a few noted movies. He was last seen in Pretham which was a horror comedy which he acted alongside Jayasurya, Aju Varghese & Sharafudheen. He has informed his fans through his Facebook page that he is stepping into Kollywood in a Jiiva starrer Kee. It is directed by Kalees. He also said that he is donning an antib – hero role and he will join for shoot by the end of this month.

Sudeep Hebbuli Nearing Completion

Another mega budget movie with big names working in it Hebbuli of Kichcha Sudeep, Samantha in lead of this SRV Productions Raghunath & Umapathi Pictures Umapathi joint venture is nearing completion. This is a big canvas film in the direction of S Krishna a famous cameraman & director of super hit film Gajakesari. An army based film Hebbuli Kichcha Sudeep is in a commander’s role serving the country and he saves from the hands of terrorists. He has variety of get up and the role is a major one in the career of 50 plus film’s actor Kichcha Sudeep. He reminds us Dr Vishnuvardhana of Muththina Haara.

Arbaaz Khan is set to be seen in double role for the 1st time ever in Chandrakant Singh’s untitled thriller film which will be entirely shot in Arosa, Switzerland.

Chandrakant Singh who has made 3 comedies and 1 social awareness with Women Empowerment film Six X is now planning an untitled thriller film with Arbaaz Khan in a double role. The film will be entirely shot in Arosa Switzerland. The film is produced by Mahendra Singh Namdev & Rakesh Datta. The film also have Kannad superstar Aindrita Ray who will be making her debut in Hindi film. Arbaaz Khan averred, “I am playing a double role, but I can’t divulge the details. Its an interesting script and the makers thought that I fit the part.

Chandrakant Singh averred, “Arbaaz Khan will play 2 contrasting characters. 1 role will be that of a Switzerland based business tycoon, who gets married at 40 to a much younger girl. The plot thickens after he is murdered.