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No ‘A’ films on TV: Bollywood in a tizzy over new Censor rule
18 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 25, 2012)
Forget at what time The Dirty Picture and Jannat 2 will be shown on TV. Soon, any new film that originally had an ‘A’ certificate will not be telecast on the small screen at all.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told Mumbai Mirror on Friday that it has decided to stop re-certifying A-rated films for TV, thereby making them ineligible for television screening. It’s a decision – taken after discussions within the Board in accordance with the provisions of the 1952 Cinematograph Act – that is now threatening to derail several top-of-the-line production houses which make a chunk of their profits from the advance sale of satellite rights.
A number of big-ticket films, including Aamir Khan’s home production Delhi Belly, Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur (parts 1 and 2) and Vikram Bhatt’s Hate Story are waiting for CBFC clearance. The satellite rights of many of these films have already been sold to broadcasters for tens of crores.
When contacted, the censor board’s CEO Pankaja Thakur confirmed that the re-certification had stopped already. “We’re no longer modifying and certifying films to make them suitable for TV viewing,” she said. “This was not a part of the Cinematograph Act. We would like it to be included in the Act, but that is up to Parliament.”
For the last several years, the CBFC has been modifying A-rated films, both from India and abroad, through a ‘Form of Conversion’ that was introduced at the More >
No television premiere of Jannat 2 yet
08 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The court has given an interim injunction on Jannat 2 till the next hearing
Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; August 24, 2012)
It looks like a while before the Emraan Hashmi-Esha Gupta starrer Jannat 2 makes its debut on satellite television. The reason being a dispute between writer Kapil Chopra, who has sued producer Mukesh Bhatt and director Kunal Deshmukh, for copyright infringement. According to Kapil, the film was a lift from his story without giving him any credit. Now, it is learnt that the court has granted interim injunction against the movie being played on satellite till further hearing.
While Chopra’s legal counsel Rashmin Khandekar declined to comment, saying the case is subjudice, a source attributed it to the Film Writers Association’s (FWA) adjudication that there are striking similarities between Kapil’s story and Jannat 2. “Besides, Kunal also conceded that he met Kapil on a few occasions.”
Reportedly, the court had initially ruled that the broadcaster had to deposit 10 lakh before the film could be screened on satellite television. “There was not enough material to apply for an injunction. But after FWA’s adjudication, the court’s new order stated that irrespective of whether the said amount has been deposited, the injunction remains in effect till the next hearing on September 4. If the hearing doesn’t happen on that day, then the injunction will continue till the next date, September 10.”
Pleased with the way the case is going so far, Kapil says, “I More >
CBFC can’t dictate TV slot for films
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Tribunal passes significant judgement granting Mahesh Bhatt the right to telecast Jannat 2 at a time decided by his broadcasters
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 22, 2012)
After Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture was relegated to the adult slot on television, Vishesh Films’ Jannat 2 met with a similar fate. However, producers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, who were initially shocked at the decision of the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC), opted to move the Tribunal. And the latest is the Tribunal, in a significant judgement of sorts, has declared that the CBFC cannot decide the slotting of films to be aired on national television. Mahesh told Mirror that Vishesh Films had removed the objectionable content and yet CBFC maintained the film wasn’t fit for prime-time public consumption. CBFC CEO Pankaja Thakur confirmed the development.
“We were told we would be given a U/A certificate for TV viewing only if we signed an undertaking that we would ensure the broadcasters of Jannat 2 put it out at a slot post 11 pm. We refused” Mahesh said.
Another aspect is pushing U/A-rated films to the adult slot would hit revenue earnings, as industry experts point out. Reportedly, The Dirty Picture and Jannat 2 were sold to broadcasters for nearly Rs 10-12 crore each. A source from the trade said, “If broadcasters stop getting sufficient returns, why would they pay big money for satellite rights?
Said Mahesh, “After the precedent set by The Dirty Picture, there was growing fear More >
Miffed filmmakers to meet I&B Minister
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 20, 2012)
Among other impositions in recent months, filmmakers are upset with a recent diktat of the I & B Ministry. A circular issued on August 2 makes it mandatory for them to carry a disclaimer on the actor smoking in the film, repeat it in the middle, and have a static message on the screen for the entire duration of the scene.
A delegation comprising Siddharth Roy Kapur, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mahesh Bhatt and Sudhir Mishra, led by the Vice President of the Film and Producers Guild of India Mukesh Bhatt, will meet the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni in New Delhi on Wednesday, August 21. Ashutosh Gowariker is likely to join them.
The filmmakers’ prime grouse is the ministry’s mandate for a disclaimer condemning smoking during the entire length of the scene. A miffed Mukesh told Mirror, “We object to running the disclaimer during the entire scene. We have no issues in showing it before the start of the film and once after the interval. If the government is indeed concerned about smoking, why not ban it altogether in the country? They will not tolerate a decrease in revenue but are ever ready to violate our freedom of expression.”
Madhur Bhandarkar seconded Mukesh saying, “We are united in our stand.” Apart from the disclaimer, there are other issues as well. For instance, the I & B Ministry has taken a stand that certain adult films like The Dirty Picture and Jannat 2 cannot be screened on national More >
The Dirty Picture gets clean TV slot
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Bharati Dubey | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; August 9, 2012)
Mumbai: It’s a pyrrhic victory for films with supposedly adult content.
The information and broadcasting ministry cleared Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture for prime-time telecast, but not before the film was subject to 15 cuts. “The Dirty Picture will finally premiere on 26th Aug. At 12pm in the afternoon & 8.30pm the same night. Not post 11pm, as reported,” Sneha Rajani of Sony TV has tweeted. It’s not only The Dirty Picture, but Mukesh Bhatt’s Jannat 2 has also got the nod. After the Censor Board of Film Certification slotted the telecast of the film on TV only after 11pm, the producer challenged the order at the Appellate Tribunal, a body higher than the censor board. “We moved the tribunal and Mr Lalit Bhasin (chairman of the tribunal) was kind enough to clear the film, which can be telecast at any time of the day. It is now for the broadcaster to take a call of telecast date,” Bhatt said.
Though the film industry was relieved after the time constraints were lifted, it is apparently not pleased with the cuts that The Dirty Picture had to suffer. Producers are also disgruntled about the double standards on the telecast of U/A films alleging that several films that are shown on television throughout the day have “more adult content” than the two films in question. A source close to Balaji Production House, which made the movie, said, “The film already had about 58 cuts. Another 15 cuts were imposed and some More >
Emraan in the centre of drama by his filmmakers
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Sayantan Dalal (DNA; August 6, 2012)
Emraan HashmiActor Emraan Hashmi is in the thick of things right now, thanks to his extremely busy schedule. So much so, that filmmakers are having a sort of tug-of-war in trying to get him for their respective films. Most recent being filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt who’s upset about having to postpone the promotions of Raaz 3 as the actor was not available for it.
Says a source, “Emraan is currently shooting for director Vishal Bhardwaj and producer Ekta Kapoor’s film Ek Thi Daayan. Since his dates have been booked by them, he’s suddenly left with no time to go and promote Raaz 3. The film’s release is just a month away, but no major promotions have taken place yet. The Bhatts feel that Vishal and Ekta should have let Emraan take some days off for the promotion of their film. But both Ekta and Vishal are not willing to do so as their film needs to be completed.”
“Ek Thi Daayan is currently being shot at Kingdom Of Dreams in Gurgaon. Shooting there is quite an expensive affair. It is nothing personal from both Ekta and Vishal’s front. With the place already booked for shooting, they just can’t afford to postpone it anymore. Not shooting there would also
incur huge losses for them. Besides, they should understand that a similar incident happened few months ago. During the promotions of The Dirty Picture, Ekta couldn’t get Emraan for all their promotional events as he had to shoot for Bhatt’s Jannat 2 then. Ekta understood at that time More >
I have changed but not sobered-Randeep Hooda
09 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Interviews
Bharti Dubey (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 1, 2012)
On the verge of completing a decade in the industry and Randeep Hooda’s career has never looked better. With successes like Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and Jannat 2 behind him and Jism 2 and Heroine looming large in front of him, the actor is in an upbeat mood. He talks to Mirror about his career and personal choices.
ACTOR ON A DRIFT The early part of my Bollywood career was confusing. I don’t know if it was my choice of films or luck. Some say my attitude went against me. I have changed, but not really sobered as it’s believed. I’ve just started understanding that there is a way of dealing with people, especially in this business, where there are a lot of fragile egos to be handled.
FILMOGRAPHY Playing Dawood was a dream role but after that, I wasn’t too happy with any of the offers that came my way. D took a year and a half. Risk took one year after which I did Karma Confession And Holi instead of Rang De Basanti.
RECENT HITS Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai got me back on the map and so did Jannat 2 and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. Success comes to you only when you are ready for it. I have a lot of people knocking at my door now. Jannat 2 may have lost out on its audience because of the abuse quotient but it gave me a lot. Mahesh Bhatt showed the rushes of the film to Pooja, who was looking for someone to play Kabir’s character in Jism 2. At first, she was reluctant. Today, I am doing Raaz 3, Murder 3 More >
Erotica, profanity norm rather than exception in Bollywood
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Erotica and profane language become the norm rather than the exception in Bollywood
Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; July 22, 2012)
Hindi cinema of the 70s was replete with symbolism, where everything from sculptures to flowers could effortlessly imply sexual indulgences. Cut to the new millennium, and Hindi films have undergone a sexual metamorphosis, exploding at their seams, as they are now, with adult content. And this time, it’s as real as it gets. From the genre of sex comedies to erotic content, use of profanities and explicit publicity material, filmmakers seem to be tapping upon the country’s new found acceptance of kinky content.
THE USE OF ABUSE This new age storytelling began with the casual use of colloquial abuses and is now laden with four letter cuss words. Case in point — the supposed watershed moment brought in by Delhi Belly, which used very many cuss words and also didn’t compromise on its raunchiness quotient. A research paper on the abusive content in Hindi films records that the words f**k/f*****g/f****r were used 79 times in this movie! At the time of the movie’s release, producer Aamir Khan had cited the irreverence in the movie as a reality of life, justifying the content saying, “It (the movie) doesn’t have any skin-show but ashleel (obscene) language has been used… the movie will change the definition of bold films in the industry.”
EROTIC TRICK Filmmakers today have finally become unapologetic about visually presenting sex, kink and More >
2012 – A year of violence
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
The unapologetic use of blood and gore seems to have become the mainstay of Bollywood releases this year
Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; July 15, 2012)
The year began with Agneepath’s bloodbath. The brouhaha surrounding the excessive violence in the movie quickly died down in the wake of the movie’s success at the box office. Six months into 2012, several Hindi films have repeated the act of violence successfully — Jannat 2, Rowdy Rathore, Ishaqzaade, Kahaani, Shanghai and Gangs Of Wasseypur.
Agneepath director Karan Malhotra feels that “illogical maar-dhaad is unacceptable. Family audiences now accept films with violence if presented as entertainment”. While entertaining violence has been the mainstay of many movies this year, Ishaqzaade director Habib Faisal explains that violence is not always physical in its manifestation, “In Kahaani, the violence is more emotional. Sometimes filmmakers choose to glamourise violence and sometimes, heroism is also defined by violence. Like in my film, the heroism of the boy and the girl lies in the violent act of them taking their own lives.” In effect, Faisal uses violence to give an anti-violent message.
This ballad of blood has been most pronounced in Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur. When Dibakar claimed that Shanghai’s “probably the most violent film” he’s ever done, he wasn’t being hyperbolic. At the time of the movie’s release, he’d said, “By violent I do not mean people being killed or More >
Jannat 2 plagiarism row: Bhatts to deposit 10 lakhs
010 months ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 10, 2012)
In May this year, Mumbai-based writer Kapil Chopra filed a case of plagiarism against the makers of Jannat 2, alleging the Bhatts had stolen his script to make their film. Chopra maintained in court that he had registered his screenplay with the Film Writers Association way back in 2007. In a court hearing last evening, it came to light that Chopra had met Jannat 2′s director Kunal Deshmukh a couple of times when he narrated his story, and even left a bound copy of the script with the director.
There was no response. Later, when Chopra saw the promos of the film, he thought his screenplay had been copied to the T, including the plot, dialogues and characters. He met Deshmukh and Mukesh Bhatt but both rubbished his claims after which, he filed a case against the film’s makers.
After hearing Chopra’s complaint, the Bombay High Court has asked the Bhatts to deposit Rs 10 lakh, the amount being for the conditional order that they can release the satellite rights of Jannat 2.
Kapil maintains that Jannat 2 is his work. To which Mahesh Bhatt shot back, “Kapil is in delusion. It is Shagufta Rafique who has written the script. The Court will decide later if Kapil’s complaint holds any merit,” adding, “The industry needs to be saved from people like Kapil who think that every work of significance is theirs.” Shagufta simply said, “Losers always exist. Kapil is one such.”