Posts tagged IPL

Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 2 stumps IPL

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1 year ago
by Fenil Seta in

Akshay Kumar is in top form as his new film Housefull 2 takes a massive opening despite releasing during cricket season

Upala KBR (BOMBAY TIMES; April 9, 2012)

 

Akshay Kumar has proved how star power can win over anything — even the extremely popular IPL. His latest film, Housefull 2, triumphed over cricket mania when it broke records on the first day of release.

An industry analyst explains, “No actor dares to release his film during the first and last week of the IPL, considered the most significant weeks of the tournament. But Akshay and producer Sajid Nadiadwala took a chance and it has paid off.”

HF 2 took a strong opening in both multiplexes and single screens, thanks to a mega-cast, aggressive promotion, a popular soundtrack and of course, the presence of AK.

Sajid is all smiles, “Housefull 2 has taken the biggest opening for Akshay Kumar and my production house, Nadiadwala Grandsons. It is also Akshay’s biggest hit overseas. In India, the IPL hasn’t affected it at all. As of now, it’s among big openers like Bodyguard and 3 Idiots, but these films released during festive periods (Eid and Christmas).”

In the overseas market, Akki’s new release is all set to rewrite history. Housefull 2 is his biggest opener ever in the UAE so far. In the UK, it topped the charts over the weekend. Not just that, his performance in the film too has been lauded. So this time, it’s a double whammy for AK.

Director Sajid Khan is also ecstatic about the response to his film. “All screens More >

Salman postpones press conference to clash with SRK’s event?

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1 year ago
by Fenil Seta in

The actor postpones his press-con so that it clashes with his archrival’s event

Kunal M Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2012)

 

Like love, hatred too needs to be kept alive. And Salman Khan sure knows how to. On Monday, the actor made sure his 2008-birthday-bash-born rivalry with Shah Rukh Khan stays active as well. Salman, who was scheduled to attend a press conference for the travel website Yatra.com that he endorses around 11.30 am, got it postponed to make sure it clashes with SRK’s event at another end of the city.

Interestingly, SRK’s event to announce his IPL team’s tie up with a mobile brand was held at a Bandra five star close to both the Khans’ respective homes. Initially, the organisers for Salman’s conference too had tried to book the same hotel. However, due to Shah Rukh’s prior bookings, they had to shift their venue to another suburban five star in Kalina.

According to our source, when Salman learnt the reason for this shift in venue, he immediately asked the organisers to postpone his event by two hours. So late on Sunday night, people started receiving messages intimating them about a change in schedule for the event to be held on Monday afternoon. And now, Salman’s event was scheduled for 1.30 pm as opposed to SRK’s 1 pm conference.

Needless to say, this divided the media attention considerably. Moreover, on Monday, the stars who are known to reach media events late, managed to walk in for their respective press conferences around the same time. “It was a More >

Aamir Khan wastes Aditya Chopra’s favour

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1 year ago
by Fenil Seta in

With the release of Talaash postponed, producers are eyeing magical June 1 date

Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; March 19, 2012)

 

In a scenario where good Fridays are hard to come by; Aamir Khan has chosen to look the gift horse in the mouth! Aditya Chopra very magnanimously shifted his Salman Khan release Ek Tha Tiger from June 1 and gave Aamir (his Dhoom-3 villain) that date for Talaash. However, Aamir has now decided to shift Talaash from June to November 2012. In a nutshell this means Adi’s magnanimity is wasted. Coming to the June 1 date… this is particularly significant because it is the first Friday post the IPL (Indian Premier League) season. And this date is very profitable. Last year, Salman released Ready on this date and it went on to create records. With Aamir having pulled out from the June 1 window; the date is now up for grabs. One hears from a reliable trade source that several producers are vying for the date. Says an informer, “Aditya Chopra himself cannot claim this date. He has Ishaqzaade with Arjun Kapoor-Parineeti Chopra scheduled for May. He is happy with releasing Ek Tha Tiger on Eid because Salman at Eid is almost invincible. While several other actors/filmmakers are trying to come in on June 1; Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha’s Rowdy Rathore that had announced June 15 as their release date may advance their release by a fortnight. Whoever gets this date may just have to thank Aamir Khan for it now.”

RA.One’s audio mission

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Obsessed with the project, Shah Rukh Khan has decided to give multiplexes a complete makeover re-equipping the sound and projection facilities

Subhash K Jha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 04, 2011)

 

If we were to say Shah Rukh Khan is leaving no stone unturned for his brainchild RA.One, it would still be a major understatement.

His over-the-top efforts began with aggressive measures to promote the film by capitalising on the cricket frenzy during the world cup and now the IPL (Mumbai Mirror, March 23).

Exhausting all efforts to perfect the content and promotions, Khan has decided to control the way audiences watch the film, by modernising, re-equipping and replacing the sound and projection facilities in multiplexes across the country.

Reportedly, Khan, accompanied by a technical team, will head to Los Angeles, in June, to tweak RA.One with all the special sound effects, never used in any other Indian film.

For audiences to truly experience and appreciate these effects, the actor has decided to upgrade the sound systems in multiplexes. Resul Pookutty, a member of the technical team on this mission, explained, “You see, RA.One is not just a movie experience.

It will be the first Indian film to hover somewhere between being a game and a movie. It requires a very unconventional sound and visual quality for which we’re installing the required equipment.”

Sidhartha-Deepika: Get serious!

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

The couple seems to be following a certain set of rules of conduct when they are not with each other

BOMBAY TIMES (May 4, 2011) Deepika Padukone and Sidhartha Mallya are getting serious. It is learnt that she has warned him to stay away from other girls, following reports of him partying with Sophie Choudry at a IPL party.

The insiders inform us saying, “They are no longer casually dating. The recent developments have made us believe so. Their conduct when they are not with each other has changed dramatically in the last one-and-a-half months. Remember Sid was spotted with Sophie Choudry at a party when Dips was shooting in Bhopal? After that incident, Sid hasn’t been spotted with any other girl. and it is by design, not accident. ”

The source adds, “Also, Dips hasn’t been bonding with any other guy. The duo are not cutting off from their friends of the opposite sex, just being careful that nothing mars what they share.”

Our insider also informs that Sid’s partying ways are also under check. He has been keeping to himself even at the parties that he is hosting. “Sid has been partying all alone. He has thrown at least five parties during the IPL and since Dips has been busy shooting and travelling, he has spent the hours alone bonding with his close set of friends. Mallya’s parties are all about flamboyance and glamour in the form of best dressed and best looking people but Sid has been behaving. Their last party on Saturday night, saw More >

SRK shoots music video for Always Kabhi Kabhi

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Bollywood Hungama News Network, May 3, 2011 – 12:08 IST

There is no denying that Shah Rukh Khan is among the busiest actors around, what with his film commitments, his IPL commitments and numerous other endorsement related work. Even as he is neck deep busy travelling with his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Shah Rukh managed to squeeze out time to shoot a music video for his home production Always Kabhi Kabhi directed by Roshan Abbas.

Always Kabhi Kabhi, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, stars relatively new faces such as Zoa Morani, Giselli Monteiro, Satyajit Dubey and Ali Fazal. To see that the film gets its due share of eyeballs, the makers decided to shoot a special music video featuring SRK along with the cast of the film. The song called ‘Antenna‘ features in the climax and is set against the backdrop of a jail set with some rebellious lyrics describing how parents’ frequency many-a-times doesn’t match with that of their children.

Famous choreographer duo Bosco-Caesar choreographed the song and King Khan air-dashed from Kolkata straight to the sets, quickly practised his steps and was ready for the shoot. Post the shoot, SRK once again had to return to be with his KKR team for their next match. Surely here is one actor who is always high on energy!

BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM

Yes, I’m doing Kabir Khan’s film-Salman Khan

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

By Faridoon Shahryar, May 3, 2011 – 11:55 IST

“I don’t want to wear red underwear outside to be a Super Man, I just want to be Sal-Man,” Salman Khan famously said at the music launch of Ready recently. In a Bollywood Hungama Exclusive Video Interview, Khan put the record straight once-n-for-all by saying, “Ya I am doing Kabir Khan’s film.” Is it a super hero film? “No, it is not a super hero film. It is a hero’s film,” Salman said. On being asked if Katrina Kaif is paired with him in Kabir Khan’s film, Salman nodded in affirmation.

Promos of Khan’s forthcoming film Ready have been creating waves and the film is one of the most eagerly awaited movies post the IPL. Salman has been personally taking keen interest in ensuring that the film is high on the entertainment quotient. In fact, two songs, ‘Character Dheela‘ and ‘Dhinka Chika‘ have been re-shot because he wasn’t happy with what was shot in Bangkok. Is this streak of perfection, courtesy friend Aamir? “Yaar, mere saath thodi not perfect cheezein chalti hain. Aamir ke saath perfect cheezein chalti hain. For me it’s never the perfect thing, it’s more spontaneous. I heard the audio, I saw the visual, and I thought the visual didn’t match up. There’s no strategy. I just wanted the song to be slightly better and we got that,” Salman said.

So, when does Salman plan to get married? What’s his equation with Sanjay Leela Bhansali? Will he be part of Bajirao Mastani? What does he have to say about the More >

Felt like giving my 10th std exam again-Abhishek Bachchan

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Frankspeak with Abhishek Bachchan

Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; May 3, 2011)

 

Abhishek Bachchan is juggling three mobile phones. The actor has been getting kudos for his sensitive performance in Dum Maaro Dum from the industry, the media and friends. The superstar son is happy that despite the IPL craze, DMD has managed good numbers. AB junior, who has been travelling non stop to various cities for the film promotions, admits that it is the first time in weeks that he has actually managed to put his feet up and relax. Excerpts from the interview:

So with DMD’s success, brand AB is looking strong again? Honestly, I was very nervous before the film’s release. It felt like I was giving my 10th standard exams all over again. Of course, I’m happy with the congratulatory messages I got for my performance. Also the reactions on the social networking sites have been encouraging. DMD has already covered most of its costs. Satellite has taken care of a fair percentage; the rest has come from the box office.

Eleven years into the business; are you still affected by praise and criticism? That will always be the case. When people criticise you (I have been getting a lot of that until Dum Maaro Dum came) it shows that they still care. That is the sign of success. Indifference is what kills an actor. Extreme love and extreme hate are welcome. At least, you evoke a response. It means you still matter. What more can a performer ask for? You know that More >

Anees Bazmee learns his lesson

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Anees Bazmee has decided not to work on multiple projects simultaneously, citing the Anna Hazare wave and IPL as reasons for Thank You ’s failure

Noyon Jyoti Parasara (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 30, 2011)

 

From being the highest paid director in Bollywood to giving three successive flops at the box office, Anees Bazmee says he has learnt his lesson well.

Talking about the slump in his career the director says, “I have always made one film at a time, be it Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha or No Entry.

After making my last couple of movies I have realised that I am not capable of making more than one film at a time.

I salute people who make multiple films simultaneously. I understood it’s not my cup of tea.” Adding to that he says, “I have now decided that I will make one film at a time and will write my films.”

Anees Bazmee

He also admits that most actors agree to work with him because of his background as a writer. “My actors have always told me that they trust me because I am a writer and that I should not get in co-writers.

But since, some time ago, I was working on multiple projects it was not possible. Now I will write one film at a time and move on to make it. I am writing No Entry sequel myself,” he informs.

In the meantime, he agrees his film No Problem had issues. “I admit No Problem was not a good film. However, I won’t agree that Thank You was bad.

The problem with the film was its release date. It started on the same day as IPL and then Anna Hazare More >

I just can’t watch my team play-Juhi Chawla

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2 years ago
by Fenil Seta in

Juhi Chawla in a free-wheeling chat with BT

Deepika Sahu (BOMBAY TIMES; May 1, 2011)

 

She won millions of hearts as the endearing Rashmi in Qayamat Se Qayamt Tak way back in the 1980s. There has been no looking back for her since then. Juhi Chawla, Bollywood’s ‘Betty’ with her innate charm, has given hits like Darr, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Hum hain Rahi Pyar Ke. But then she took a step forward and did movies like Jhankaar Beats, Teen Deewarein and My Brother Nikhil.

She says, “Interesting is the word I would use. It has been a combination of varied experiences. I have my share of hugely successful mainstream commercial films and also small-budget films.” Her chirpy and bubbly act has always found her many admirers. As many of her fans have maintained that seeing Juhi on the screen made them feel happy. Tell her this and she breaks into peals of laughter and says, “Oh… that makes me happy too. Many people tell me that. But to be honest, I didn’t know how I was doing when I was doing it.”

For somebody who has a wide body of work to her credit, does she feel that the Hindi film industry has changed? “Not really. There were always some filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee, Mahesh Bhatt and Shyam Benegal who made different films. So, there were always a space for different kind of cinema even within mainstream cinema,” she says.

But she feels strongly about one change. “Previously producers were putting in their own More >

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