Superstar eternal turns 58!
Let us reflect for a moment on what could have been. The introverted scion of noted Hindi poet Harivanshrai Bachchan could have remained a successful freight broker in Bird and Co, a shipping factory in Calcutta.
Instead, the dark and lanky man decided to taste Mumbai's film industry's elusive success. There were repeated visits and humiliation at the doors of producers. Ironically enough, even All India Radio turned the baritone away, saying it wasn't impressive enough.
Sunil Dutt gave him a break as a mute in Reshma Aur Shera. His first film with a complete role, Saat Hindustani was released, but failed to create ripples. People, however, bothered to find out the off-screen name of the loveable babu moshai of Anand. He was being noticed.
Zanjeer saw the birth of the superstar that is Amitabh Bachchan in the true sense. Not to forget the faith that his tiny successful co-star, Jaya Bhaduri had in him that led him to the role. After the success of Zanzeer, more success was in store for the legend with films like Deewar, Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Kabhie Kabhie and several others.
So great was the impact of this actor, that his featuring in the credit did more than half the business for the producer. More hits down the line reflected the actor's ability to keep giving successful films off the conveyor belt.
Amitabh was a sensation, reached unparalleled heights and the entire Mumbai film industry banked on him. There was an unprecedented storm, frenzy and excitement.
After the storm, the frenzy and the excitement came a stillness that shook only recently when Amitabh showed up as an anchor of the first ever money-spinning show on a popular television channel.
The stillness that set in with the accident while shooting on the sets of Coolie, the subsequent close brush with death in the form of myasthenia gravis, a badly planned and timed entry into politics, the Bofors botch an effect less comeback, the sinking of his own venture ABCL of which he was the hero, started to shake and give in to frenzy once again.
Today, as the most famous Indian alive turns 58, with looks that have weathered indifferent health and age, the intensity in those deep eyes still speak of confrontation and a consequent triumph. 'Kaun Banega Crorepatri' is a winner all the way, and Mohabbatein is seeing him returning the glow to the silver screen that was in hiatus all these long years. Here's wishing many happy returns to that eternal superstar!
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Mookhey ready to taste the Bollywood cookie
Ever since she was crowned Miss World Yukta Mookhey has been sending positive signals to the folks in the tinselville. Now the industry is rife with the talks that she has finally clinched her first celluloid deal.
The buzz is that the svelte and lanky Mookhey has signed editor-turned filmmaker A. Muthu’s forthcoming film "Pyasa" in which she will be pitted against Aftab Shivdasani.
While another buzz says that she has also been signed for Indra Kumar’s “Rishta” and her co-star will be none other than Anil Kapoor.
While Anil Kapoor is tall enough to rise to her height, it remains to be seen how the 'mast kid', Aftab stands to her imposing height.
Anyway she will step under the arc lights only after her term as Miss World expires. Which means that there is still some time before she sizzles on the silver screen.
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Bollywood gets makeover
India'scelebrated movie industry is rewriting its script to satisfy the changing tastes of a nation whose doors have been open to foreign investors for almost a decade.
The curtain may be falling on the Bollywood of yesteryear, which built its success on formulaic plots that invariably included a lovesick couple gyrating around a clump of trees.
Today, producers in Bollywood have no qualms about addressing issues that five years ago would have been rubbished as non-starters, whether open hostility to neighbouring Pakistan or a love affair between housewives.
They are being driven by a society under assault from the Internet and cable television, the discovery of an overseas audience for Indian films and new-found consumerism.
The producers are casting around for novel themes, andhave made films which deal with unwed mother, a live-in relationship and a woman's extra-marital affair, a far cry from what would have been possible a few years ago.
The Mumbai-based Indian Film Directors Association says India's film industry is the world's largest, churning out 750 to 800 films annually, with Bollywood making about 150, and most of the rest in south Indian languages.
Last year, "Hey Ram", a film by leading actor and director Kamal Hassan, tackled the subcontinent's division into India and Pakistan in 1947.
But films about more mundane personal dilemmas scored too. "Kya Kehna," the story of a single unwed mother which was released earlier this year, was a hit in many cities and did reasonable business elsewhere.
"Sarfarosh," which openly labelled Pakistan as an aggressor on Indian soil, was one of the biggest hits of 1999.
More recently, "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai," a tale about a man's live-in relationship with a rape victim, has drawn crowds in Indian cities.
Women have taken the lead in experimenting.
Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi is working on a film that deals with the ancient city of Khajuraho, famous for its sexually explicit sculptures.
"Fire", produced by former actress Deepa Mehta, drew political condemnation - but critical approval - for its daring portrayal of a relationship between two women in a middle-class household.
Social commentators link women's growing self-confidence to their increasing independence.
The discovery of a captive market among overseas Indians also spurs the new breed of producers.
The Economic Times newspaper said India's earnings from film exports
almost doubled in financial 1999/2000 to 4.0 billion rupees ($87.72
million).
An estimated 20 million Indians live overseas, 20 per cent of them in the United States. Taken together, they are estimated to have a net worth of around $100 billion.
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Sridevi turns producer
With husband Boney and brother-in-law (and long time co-star)
Anil Kapoor already having their own established production
houses, the latest star-turned-producer to join the bandwagon is
none other than the former Bollywood Queen herself, Sridevi.
Though she was to star in the first production (a remake of Sally
Field's "Not Without My Daughter") her pregnancy has halted
temporarily her plans for a comeback. The lead in her film will
now be played by Karishma Kapoor, who reteams with Shah Rukh
Khan. Sridevi (who recommended to Anil Kapoor he remake
Kamal Hassan's 'Thevar Magan') was keen to sign Karishma after
seeing her performance in Khalid Mohammed's "Fiza". One other
actor is to be finalized for the cast. Kajol had to decline the lead
role (which she described as 'the role of a lifetime') on the grounds
of her other film schedules clashing with this one. Sridevi
Productions hits the floors in January of the coming year.
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Amitabh, Shah Rukh, Hrithik to face camera together - Rediff
With just a week to go before Karan Johar's second venture, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, goes on the floors, the hot-shot young director zipped off to Shirdi on Tuesday morning to seek Sai Baba's blessings.
Could it be because the three heroes -- Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan -- will face the camera in the first schedule itself? KKKG will take exactly a year to complete and, like his debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Karan has decided on its release date even before the film rolls. KKKG will hit the screens on Diwali 2001.
In the meantime, papa Yash is grappling with rumours that he is richer by Rs 35 crores to Rs 40 crores (Rs 350 million to Rs 400 million) -- that being the price he has supposedly been paid for the film's music and its overseas and satellite rights. But Johar Sr denies all this talk as humbug. "I've not yet clinched the deal for a single territory. How can I, when I'm not even sure how much the film is going to cost to make?"
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Hollywood star Steven Seagal joins Bollywood team
Hollywood superstar and producer Steven Seagal has joined the board of
the Bollywood group which gives annual film, music and fashion awards
to Indian artistes, chairman Kamal Dandona said in New York. "This is
the first time that a major Hollywood personality is on the Board of a
media company with focus on South Asia," he said. The selection for
the award is made on the basis of popularity of the artistes among
NRIs and is adjudged by a panel which nominates the top three performers.
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'Most Indian students look-up to movie stars
Many Indian secondary students are "hero-worshipping'' Tamil movie stars while only a handful regard their parents and teachers as role models, according to a Consumers Association of Penang survey.
The one-month survey, which covered 200 students in five schools, showed that almost 50% of the respondents looked up to the film stars while parents and teachers ranked only 6% and 3.5% respectively.
CAP's rural education officer N. V. Subbarow said the survey found that superstar Rajinikanth topped the list with 40% identifying him as their role model.
"Many listed his films Padaiappa and Arunasalam as their favourites while some claimed they saw his movies up to 15 times,'' he said.
"Another shocking discovery is that 70% of the respondents agreed that Indian youths were involved in fights which were similar to those depicted in Tamil movies.
"They could also easily identify violent Tamil films, with most pointing out Baacha, starring Rajinikanth,'' he said.
He said the survey's outcome was consistent with recent police findings that local Indian youths were emulating the criminal activities in such movies.
He said he and two CAP officers met the students, including 20 girls, last month to explain to them the questions posed in the survey.
Subbarow said the survey showed that parents were not spending enough time with their children.
"We have to introduce programmes starting from the primary school level to correct this wrong perception among Indian local youths,'' he said, adding CAP would continue with its survey until the school holidays.
On Sept 10, Bukit Aman CID deputy director Senior Asst Comm I Datuk Ramli Yusof said Indian criminals had emerged as the main perpetrators of serious crimes including kidnappings, hijackings, armed robberies and warehouse break-ins.
He had said research showed one of the factors was the influence of certain movies which glorified criminals, adding that "hero worship'' of actors such as Rajinikanth, who starred in films like Talapathi and Baacha, was a major factor.
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Malaika's 'aurora' on Cosmopolitan
She generates a lot of oomph with her generously endowed figure and an attitude that curves through the new woman with a mature head upon her shoulders.
Malaika Arora needs no introduction. She is the face that launched many a product, meowed for almost all desi designers, swayed viewers with her raunchy dance appearances in music videos and movies and she's hot on the telly veejaying too.
As if that wasn't all, the chhaiya chhaiya girl was zeroed in on to don the cover of Cosmopolitan's latest issue, which also is the magazine's fourth anniversary issue.
A cosmo girl that she is, Malaika represents the modern Indian women and the only desi babe to make it to the cover of the mag. Now she rubs shoulders with the likes of super-models such as Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Laetita Casta who had earlier graced the mag cover.
Well, anyway, it's nothing surprising. She's got the right stuff in her.
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Box Office Report
Can you imagine the plight of a woman who delivers quadruplets? It would indeed be difficult for her to manage her newborns. Well, that's exactly what happened last week when as many as four films were 'delivered' in the Dashehra week - 'Aaghaaz', 'Shikari, 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Astitva'.
The producers/distributors of the films in question had a harrowing time in getting the right theatres and carrying out the last-minute publicity effectively...
Let's face it! Neither does the common man have the time to watch four new films in theatres in one week, nor does he have the money to spend on four films.
Calculate this: If a family of four goes to a suburban theatre in Mumbai to see a film, the breadwinner has to shell out approx. Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 on tickets alone. Add to it the to and fro expenses, plus spending for the nibbles and munchies in the theatres. The sum works out to Rs. 500 plus, for a film.
So, will a common man, who earns a meagre Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000 a month, be raring to spend Rs. 2,000 in one week, watching four films? Certainly not!
The fact that the four films clashed in one week went against each of them. Each film cut into the other's business and the outcome has been depressing. The festival of lights is round the corner, but it is pitch dark in the film industry!
'Aaghaaz' first. The film opened to a lukewarm response all over, garnering a 50% to 60% opening across the country. Now this is not an encouraging sign at all. Even a 'Krodh' (starring Sunil Shetty), released a couple of months ago without much hype and hoopla, opened to a better response than the well-publicised 'Aaghaaz'.
Ditto for 'Shikari', whose b.o. collections weren't encouraging enough for Govinda to smile from ear to ear. The opening was in the range of 65% to 70%, which is again on the lower side. When compared to 'Joru Ka Ghulam', a routine film, 'Shikari' opened to a not-too-encouraging response, also because it was released abruptly, without a proper publicity campaign heralding its influx.
Manoj Bajpai's 'Shool' had opened to a 75% response across the country, but 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar', his latest flick, shocked a lot of people when it opened to a 25% to 35% response. This being a city film, imagine its plight in the interiors (small centres).
Not much was expected from 'Astitva'. Barring Tabu, none of the stars of the film are popular with the cinegoers. The film was expected to open to a lukewarm response, which it did, but the appreciation for the film should help it grow slowly.
Besides the fact that multiple releases in one week could go against each of them, it also proved that the films ought to be better scripted to sustain after the first three days.
Despite having an impressive cast, both 'Aaghaaz' and 'Shikari' suffered due to the fact that their scripts were weak. 'Aaghaaz' is a remake of the Telugu film 'Sivaiya', but the oft-repeated formula cannot work with the audience today. One has witnessed such scripts time and again and believe me, there is no originality in the film whatsoever.
'Shikari' too had flashes of brilliance in the first half, but the script went haywire in the post-interval portions. The climax and the ending just didn't gel, which is so important from the commercial point of view.
'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' had nothing to excite the viewer. The face value is dull and the music was poor. Even the promos gave the impression that the film was targeted at a select audience. It had to boomerang.
Let's face it! Manoj Bajpai is a brilliant actor, but he should stick to roles like the one in 'Satya'. He should come to terms with the fact that he is no hero material and should avoid carrying a film alone on his weak shoulders. He should be seen in strong character roles and let the Hrithiks, Abhisheks and Aftabs to run around tress and romance the heroines.
Had these films released without any opposition, their fate would've been different at the turnstiles. Much, much better than what their current fate is.
In its second week, 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke' has touched rock bottom. As far as the b.o. collections are concerned, the film did not fare well in the first week and the opening of the second week has proved to be disastrous, despite the presence of notable names.
You may find this shocking, but the dubbed Hindi version of 'Mission: Impossible 2', released in the same week as 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke', has fared better at several centres.
To sum up, 'Aaghaaz', 'Shikari', 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke' have proved setbacks for their investors who were confident of reaping a rich harvest.
But hey, there's a silver lining. Let's await the release of the two biggies - 'Mohabbatein' and Mission Kashmir'. And let's see who emerges triumphant in this clash of the titans!
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Shah Rukh acknowledges age
Shah Rukh Khan is gradually moving towards doing roles that demand a degree of maturity.
Right from the tele-fauji to Baadshah, SRK jumped, pranced, made faces and liberally showed his passion for his heroines. Not anymore.
The first film from his own stable Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, did not have him in a cute and romantic role frolicking with innocence. He was a sharp journo and had a mission. That the mission failed to impress the box office is a different story.
Ashoka is again a very difficult and mature portrayal of a king who fought great battles. Soon-to-be-released Mohabbatein has a Shah Rukh face to face with an elderly and experienced Amitabh Bachchan. SRK is a younger professor in a college whose principal is Amitabh.
The film, for all practical purposes does not have a heroine opposite SRK. Credit wise of course, Aishwarya is SRK's love interest but she is dead in the film and appears only in the form of memories in flashbacks. It is the three young couples who provide with romance in Mohabbatein.
Devdaas is again a story of mature lovers. Amongst his past releases, Josh hardly had a romantic side to SRK.
Shah Rukh seems to have realized the implications of age and is keen on doing what suits a well-into-the 30s the best. That's being sensible.
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