Posts Tagged ‘Victory’
By Joginder Tuteja, December 31, 2009 – 16:43 IST
Yesterday, we went across the B-town and found that 3 Idiots was the unanimous choice when it came to the best that 2009 had to offer. The closest contender was Paa while Avatar led from the front when it came to Hollywood flicks. However, it was quite a divided opinion when it came to the worst of 2009. Quite a few names popped up, some big (Delhi 6, Chandni Chowk To China), some small (Dil Bole Hadippa), some relatively unknown (Videsh – Heaven on Earth, Victory) and a few completely irrelevant (Deshdrohi). There was also an emotional angle involved with a filmmaker or two criticizing their own effort (Sikandar). Read on:
Ramesh Taurani – Victory, which came at the beginning of the year, stays on to be the worst film of 2009 for me.
Shirish Kunder – (Smiles) Yes, there is one movie which is really the worst for me. Still, I can’t name it since it’s been made by people known to me!
Kalki – Worst of the year was Billu (Barber) because it was just a series of music videos and nothing else.
Sajid Khan – Worst movie of the year was Delhi 6. Really, I had a lot of expectations from the film but it turned out to be such a disappointing fare.
Hasnain Hyderabadwaala – The worst film of 2009 is Dil Bole Hadippa. Really, what were the makers thinking? Audiences were taken for granted that the protagonist out there won’t be able to differentiate between a girl and a boy despite a different physicality and voice.
Jagmohan Mundhra – I have to pick two films here – Chandni Chowk To China and Kambakkht Ishq.
Rituparna Sengupta – There is nothing really which is worst for me because every movie has some effort going in there.
Ruslaan Mumtaz – Blue is the worst movie of the year
Piyush Jha – Even though I directed it, I believe worst film of the year was Sikandar. That’s because no one saw it and the media totally ignored its significance. Perhaps that happened because Sikandar didn’t have stars/big backers/comic entertainment. Whatever is the reason, the fact is Sikandar was ignored, and that is the real truth.
Sonu Sood – (Smiles) Even as the entire year is through, I still can’t decide on one worst movie. Maybe I have missed it.
Suneel Darshan – 2009 started with its worst film Chandni Chowk to China It was a ‘directionless’ disaster that disrespected the viewer’s sensibility.
Sadaa – You are asking me about the worst film of the year? You know what; there have been so many that I don’t even care to remember.
Boney Kapoor – Preity Zinta’s Videsh – Heaven on Earth was the worst that 2009 had to offer.
Robby Grewal – Worst of the lot would be Deshdrohi (the film had a staggered release across 2008 and 2009)
Ananth Mahadevan – If I pick one WORST FILM of the year, I might just stir up a hornet’s nest. For, another one might cry out that it was more deserving. So let sleeping dogs lie!
Aanand L Rai – For me, the worst movie in 2009 was Delhi 6. It was a very fine concept and from a rock solid director. Still, it failed.
Hansika Motwani – I don’t really wish to pick and choose the worst film of the year because for me every movie is good. I know what are the kind of difficulties that we actors go through so it would be wrong on my part to say that this or that movie was bad!
Tusshar Kapoor – Worst of 2009 would be all those films that were released during the strike. Ha ha ha!
Kunal Deshmukh – Chandni Chowk To China was the worst film of the year. What a waste of effort. They could have done so much with the film but that was not the case to be.
Raksha Mistry – Isn’t it ironical that the first film which I saw in 2009 stays on to be worst for me? I am talking about Chandni Chowk To China. Maybe I was expecting a lot from the film’s association with Warner Bros. But then it neither had any locations of China nor Chandni Chowk. Worse, it had no story!
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
By Taran Adarsh, December 18, 2009 – 16:18 IST
Indians are passionate about cricket. Am also sure you must’ve encountered a number of cricket fanatics over the years. Most film-makers dread to release their films during crucial matches, fearing that a sizable chunk of moviegoers would prefer to watch a match than a movie.
This year, we’ve had VICTORY [Harman Baweja, Amrita Rao] and DIL BOLE HADIPPA [Rani Mukherji, Shahid Kapoor] focusing on this popular sport. Prior to that LAGAAN, IQBAL and JANNAT. Now WORLD CUPP 2011. Unfortunately, WORLD CUPP 2011 neither excites you as a cinematic experience, nor does it whip up those passions.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
Ravi Kapoor essays the captain of the Indian cricket team, who tanks a match with the help of his team-mates against arch rivals Pakistan in World Cup. They are banned for four years when exposed by the media. His girl-friend Soha [Manisha Chatterjee] dumps him and his family disowns him.
Cut to 2011. Ravi is given one more chance to prove his patriotism by the coach [Suresh Oberoi]. Ravi is again approached by the same bookie [Zakir Hussain] to repeat the same performance once again, but this time he turns the offer down. His girl-friend is kidnapped. Ravi goes through a crisis before he wins the World Cup trophy.
WORLD CUPP 2011 falls flat due to a weak script. The film tries to explore the unholy nexus between cricketers-bookies-underworld, besides the rise-fall-rise of a cricketer, but the writing is so amateurish that it doesn’t hold your attention. Perhaps the intentions were right, but not the final output.
Debutante writer-director Ravi Kapoor may’ve borrowed from real-life, but several portions seem unpalatable. Like, for instance, the ease with which the captain of the Indian cricket team and even the umpire interact with underworld dons while the final match is in progress seems bizarre.
Talking of acting, Ravi Kapoor has screen presence, but needs to work on his acting skills. Prem Chopra, Suresh Oberoi and Zakir Hussain are passable.
On the whole, WORLD CUPP 2011 is a weak fare.
different characters, something that no female actor has ever done before. “It’s great. I hope it happens. The paper work’s going on,” said Priyanka, who’s played a character from each of the 12 zodiac signs. But Ashutosh has other concerns. “If she makes it, it will go down in history. But my focus now is on how the audience will accept the film. It’s the first time I’ve done a romantic comedy,” said the producer about his film which has Harman playing Yogesh Patel who’s forced to choose a bride from out of the 12 proposals that he gets, all played by Priyanka, of course. “Playing 12 characters from 12 raashees was quite tough,” said the actress, who in reality is a true blue Cancerian. “I’m homely, emotional, possessive and very protective… but I’m also very moody. Sometimes, even I’ve no control over my moods,” she said, also confessing to her biggest fear, “I’m scared of heart breaks.” But that doesn’t change her belief in love marriages. “My mom gets into fits and tells me, ‘You know, you should get married now’ …but I don’t take her seriously ‘coz I’ve been hearing her say that since I was 20,” she laughed and added, “My ‘love’ marriage will be with the consent of my parents. So the boy better know — he’ll have to get my dad’s permission. We are very old fashioned that way.”
But Ashutosh is forward thinking. He didn’t doubt Harman’s skills even though his earlier films had bombed at the BO. “I asked myself and my wife Sunita two questions: Do we want him even if his LoveStory 2050 fails? What if Victory also bombs? But we decided that he was the best choice. I believe in giving a person a second chance,” he said.
After the release of the film, Ashutosh will be making the rounds of the theatres across the country, watching the film with the aam junta. “But the two theatres that are like barometers for me are Gaiety Galaxy and Chandan in Mumbai,” he said. Even Priyanka is keeping her fingers crossed, “I believe in box office success. Nobody makes films to sit and watch in their drawing rooms.”
sharin.wader@timesgroup.com
By Taran Adarsh, September 18, 2009 – 17:54 IST
Cricket, like Bollywood, is an addiction for a wide majority of Indians. DIL BOLE HADIPPA tries to capture the spirit of the game and the aspirations of a sportsperson, who’s keen to play for her pind. On paper, the concept, which bears an uncanny resemblance to SHE’S THE MAN, sounds interesting, but the problem is its writing, which is tame and mediocre.
Let’s elaborate. The plusses, first…
It’s mandatory for cricket-based films like LAGAAN and VICTORY, which conclude with a cricket match, to have a thrilling finish. DIL BOLE HADIPPA too has a awe-inspiring end.
Also, the story of an ordinary girl who aspires to play cricket for the national team is motivating, with Rani Mukherji handling her part with complete understanding.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
But there’s a flipside too. The romantic moments between Rani and Shahid Kapoor lack fizz. Even the assorted characters in the film, like Sherlyn Chopra, Vrajesh Hirjee and Rakhi Sawant, contribute nothing to the film. They’re mere props.
Final word? You expect DIL BOLE HADIPPA to score a century, like several films churned out by Yash Raj. But it settles down in the half-century range. Strictly average!
Veera [Rani Mukherji] is a fire-cracker of a girl who lives in a small village, but chases big dreams. She works in a local theatre group, but dreams of playing cricket in the big league. Yes, believe it or not, she wants to play with Tendulkar and Dhoni for India.
While Veera dreams on in India, Rohan [Shahid Kapoor] is an accomplished captain of a county cricket team in England. Rohan returns to India to captain his father’s cricket team, which has been losing consecutively for the last 8 years.
In a village where girls don’t play cricket, Veera has to put on a turban and beard and become a man to fulfil her dreams. Her brilliance on the field earns her a place in Rohan’s team and Veera Kaur becomes Veer Pratap Singh. But what happens when the secret is out?
DIL BOLE HADIPPA has a patchy script. It’s interesting initially, but takes the beaten path later. Rani’s obsession for cricket is well established at the outset. So is the friendship between Anupam Kher and Dalip Tahil [who heads the Pakistani team]. Also, the initial scenes between Anupam and Shahid are well integrated in the story.
The film shows promise when Rani transforms from Veera to Veer. All this happens in the initial 20-25 minutes, but the story comes to a screeching halt thereafter.
Problem begins… Shahid loses his heart to Rani and the film suddenly turns into a love story. Sherlyn surfaces in between to spice up the proceedings, but nothing happens. The conflict during the finale – when Shahid learns the truth – doesn’t make the desired impact either. Even the re-emergence of the mother [Poonam Dhillon] in the story looks like a complete compromise from the writing point of view.
However, the match between the Indian and Pakistani teams in the climax is well executed and though the viewer is well aware what the ending would be, it keeps you hooked nonetheless. Unfortunately, the final speech by Rani [after the match is won] is outright predictable. The film would’ve benefitted with an innovative end.
Anurag Singh shows sparks of brilliance at times, but how one wishes the debutante director and his writers would’ve come up with a solid script. Pritam’s music doesn’t help either. Barring the title track, the balance songs are plain average. Cinematography is nice.
DIL BOLE HADIPPA belongs to Rani and as always, she delivers a sparkling performance as Veera as well as Veer, carrying both the roles effortlessly. Shahid plays second fiddle to Rani, which is very surprising. Nevertheless, he enacts his part well. Anupam Kher and Dalip Tahil lend decent support. Poonam Dhillon has nothing to do. Rakhi Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra are wasted. Vrajesh Hirjee is passable. Shri Vallabh Vyas does well.
On the whole, DIL BOLE HADIPPA is an ordinary fare. At the box-office, the film has some chances in North mainly thanks to the Punjabi flavour. The holidays ahead may help its prospects at plexes essentially, but the single screens will be dull.
English titles chalta hai!
Posted on: September 16, 2009
AAKANKSHA NAVAL-SHETYE Times News Network (BOMBAY TIMES; September 15, 2009)
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees, claiming that it’s a healthy trend looking at global cinema, “Bollywood films have an international audience. Ever since English lyrics in Hindi songs became a hit, filmmakers began exploring these options. As long as the title suits the content of the film, it’s bound to work.” Vashu Bhagnani, whose next film is titled Do Knot Disturb, adds, “When the masses can accept English songs and words in our films, why not titles? The audience targeted is largely the youth and they can easily identify with such names.” Rohit Shetty, director of All the Best and Golmaal Returns, defended his titles, “Words like Welcome, All The Best, Luck, and No Problem work well even with the non-English speaking masses in the interiors. These titles have tested positive with the multiplex audience so it’s a win-win scenario all across.”
Trade analysts also believe TV has made English and ‘Hinglish’ popular. “Thanks to the serials, talk shows and advertisements, ‘Hinglish’ has become well-accepted. So if the words are simple and part of daily usage, the names are more likely to work than not,” say trade analysts.
However, filmmaker Vipul Shah, whose films — Singh is Kinng, London Dreams and Action Replayy — all have English names, has a different take. “London Dreams is the name of a band associated with my film, whereas Action Replayy was the name of my play done several years ago. So, the name has to show some connection with the film theme and should not be a random word,” he says. Will the trend of long names that kickstarted with Hum Aapke Hain Kaun pave way for English shorties? Time will tell.
ENGLISH SHORTIES RELEASED THIS YEARFox, Luck, Three, Life Partner, Daddy Cool, Sankat City, Shortkut: The Con is On, Quick Gun Murugan, Bachelor Party, Bad Luck Govind, Chandni Chowk To China, Luck By Chance, Victory, The Stoneman Murders, 13B, Straight, Team, Runway, Let’s Dance, Morning Walk, Perfect Mismatch, Shadow, Toss
ENGLISH SHORTIES TO COME
Fenil and Bollywood 