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Posts tagged Phoonk
Azam Khan-the most wanted Khan in Bollywood
Jun 23rd
He’s no star, he’s not made any blockbuster, so why is half the industry chasing Azam Khan? Here’s the reason
Mauli Singh and Saumit Singh (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 23, 2010)
A Bollywood Quiz question: Who is the most sought-after Khan in the industry today? If your answer is Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, or Salman Khan, sorry you have got it wrong. The name is Azam Khan. And this Khan, mind you, is being chased by Bollywood for all the wrong reasons.
Khan, a former executive director of K Sera Sera and the brain behind One More Thought Entertainment, which helmed such ambitious projects as Vinay Pathak-starrer Dasvidaniya, Khalbali Fun Unlimited and Phoonk, allegedly owes over Rs 20 crore to people across the industry.
Mirror has learnt that he owes money to so many people and organisations that now there is list of his creditors that almost everybody in Bollywood readily recognises. At the last count, this list had 123 entries.
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| Azam Khan in blue with Pervez Damania, Vinay Pathak and Shashant Shah; (below right) the Q7 Audi Khan drives despite his debts |
There are more than 20 cases of bounced cheques, misappropriation of funds and cheating filed against Khan in various courts of Mumbai. He owes money to film trade magazines, dubbing studios, poster and vinyl printers, camera hire outfits, even laundrywallahs and caterers. Several well known Bollywood outfits like K Sera Sera, YT Entertainment, Celebrities Management, and Nine Winds Media, too have payments stuck with Khan.
And that’s just Bollywood. Khan has a big casualty to his credit in construction business too. Nilufar Damania, businessman Parvez Damania’s sister-in-law and late Vispy Damania’s wife, who was on the board of Sonata Realty Private Limited with Khan, has filed a complaint at the Oshiwara police station accusing Khan of cheating and forgery of valuable securities.
The funniest story going around Bollywood is how Khan hops around the town in some of the most expensive cars - an Audi Q7 and a Merc S Class - while his cheques bounce all over the place “for lack of funds in his accounts.”
He also maintains a large office on Veera Desai Road and owns a plush 17th-floor apartment in Windermere, Oshiwara. The nameplate of the house carries his wife’s name.
But before we get into Khan’s extravagant lifetsyle and the misery of his victims, a little bit about the man’s past.
King khon
Barely two years ago, Azam Khan was one of the most sought after men, in the usual positive sense of the term, in the film industry. He had just started his own production house, One More Thought Entertainment, and his spanking new office in Andheri was a beehive of activity.
At a glittering launch party, Khan paraded nine well known directors who had signed up for the fledgling production house.
These included Jagmohan Mundra, Kundan Shah, Sangeeth Sivan, Ajay Chandok, Ravi Rai and Ashwini Chaudhary. “We are determined to provide a canvas to these directors who are brimming with unique ideas, stories and new concepts. We intend to produce twelve movies in two years,” Khan told the gathering.
Everybody believed him and not without reason - at K Sera Sera, Khan had overseen a number of major films like Sarkar, D Company, Risk, Darna Mana Hai, Ek Haseena Thi and Ab Tak Chappan. But Khan’s time at K Sera Sera now seems like another era.
One More Thought Entertainment’s first film to be released was the Marathi language Tingya. This was followed by a joint production called Dasvidaniya starring Vinay Pathak and then Phoonk, directed by Khan’s old friend Ram Gopal Varma, released.
However, things went quickly downhill for him thereon.
Except for Tingya, which was a ready-made Ravi Rai film that One More Thought merely presented, almost all other films got embroiled in bitter disputes because of non payment of dues.
Ajay Chandok-directed comedy Khalbali Fun Unlimited; and My Name is 340, another One More Thought production, could not be released depite being almost ready.
When we contacted, Vinay Pathak, who co-produced and acted in Dasvidaniya, he said: “What can I say about a man who has duped us of our money and deprived us of our first film as producers? We don’t have even a print to show for it. He is completely unreachable for any kind of negotiation.”
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| Windermere (r) at Oshiwara where Azam Khan (l) lives on the 17 floor; poster of Dasvidaniya, one of the films Khan’s One More Thought Entertainment produced |
Shashant Shah, the director of Dasvidaniya, sounded equally frustrated. “Forget about the profit, he still has to pay us 50 per cent of the cost. He owes us around Rs 1.3 crore. He hasn’t paid the professional fees to my writer, music director, editor, cameraman, including me and Vinay Pathak. Even spot boys haven’t got paid.”
While at one point Khan offered to pay Shah Rs 30 lakh, the cheques that were issued bounced. Shah said he does not mind the losses. “But I want my film back. The rights for Dasvidaniya are still with him.”
Kailash Kher, who scored the music for Dasvidaniya is waiting for a payment of around Rs 15 lakh. “I sent a legal notice to him. He verbally promised to pay my dues, but never did. He is a smart guy. He didn’t let my cheque bounce but stopped the payment saying there wasn’t enough money in his bank account. I wonder how he can afford to move around in expensive cars if he doesn’t have any money to pay us.”
Khalbali Fun Unlimited was abandoned with just three more days of shooting to go. Payments to everyone associated with the film, right from the artistes to technicians to the direction crew, are pending.
With cases now escalated to the High Court, a substantial number of litigants have all but given up hope.
Raju Shah of YT Entertainment, who presented several of One More Thought productions, is a distraught man. “In order to recover my Rs 7 crore, I have already spent around Rs 50 lakh in lawyers’ fees, stamps duties and court fee. I am very depressed and my family is also very disturbed. We are suffering a lot,” he said.
Close shave
On at least one occasion, Khan came close to landing in jail. On the night of May 24, he was traced to a suburban five-star hotel by the Rajasthan police who wanted to arrest him.
They were acting on a complaint filed by K Sera Sera against Khan in Ganganagar. “We helped Rajasthan police track him. But when we went to arrest him at the hotel, he produced a transit bail,” said API Desai of Santacruz Airport police station.
Sanjay Lai, the MD of K Sera Sera, refused to reveal the money Khan owes to the company. “We have filed a case against him in the High Court. We are in the process of recovering the money.”
After days of efforts, Mumbai Mirror caught up with Azam Khan at his spacious office which once housed One More Thought Entertainment.
It is now the office of Ionic Realty, another construction firm in which Khan has an interest. Not a sign of One More Thought Entertainment remains – the company has officially submitted a winding up petition.
“Yes, there are cases against me, but a cheque being dishonoured does not necessarily mean I don’t intend to pay. I don’t dispute that I owe people money, but in several instances, they have failed to deliver the service required of them so I stopped payment on the post-dated cheques I had issued them,” said Khan.
Only some of the bigger companies One More Thought owes money to can take the matter to its logical conclusion. The others have been left with, well, a thought to ponder.
Paathshaala and Phoonk open to dull response
Apr 19th
Saturday 17th April 2010 09.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network
Paathshaala opened to dull respnse of 25-30% at multiplexes. The collections at single screens were even lower. The film has poor reports and will struggle at the box office.
Phoonk also opened to a dull response of 15-20%. The film has very low costs so may well recover its costs whth all revenue sources but the theatrical business will be dull.
Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai grossed a poor 3.50 crore nett in its first week. DISASTER
Prince grossed around 16 crore nett over its first week. The film opened well at single screens but dropped from Monday onwards. Business in some circuits is okay on the strength of opening at single screens but overall its a poor fare with second week opening poorly.
Movie Review: PHOONK 2 by FENIL SETA
Apr 16th
When it comes to sequels, Ram Gopal Verma seems to follow a strategy. The first part would be much better than the second one, with happy endings and all. In the sequel, most of the main characters will die with the flick having a sad climax. He did this in Sarkar and Sarkar Raj and does the same with the sequel of Phoonk-Phoonk 2! Phoonk 2 has ample scary moments (esp in the 2nd half) and that’s where it scores over Phoonk (which was anything but scary). However, the boring 1st half and the unacceptable climax turns the film into a disappointing fare.
The story of the movie: After Rajiv’s (Sudeep) daughter Raksha (Ahsaas Channa) is freed of evil powers and black magic woman Madhu (Ashwini Kaleskar) is killed, there is happiness in abundance for Rajiv’s family. He, along with Raksha, wife Aarti (Amruta Khanvilkar), son Rohan (Rishabh Jain) and maid Laxmi (Anu Ansari) head to Alibaug for a holiday where they have got hold of a beautiful sea-facing bungalow. As soon as they land there, they feel the eeriness in the atmosphere. Trouble begins when Raksha and Rohan wander into the nearby forest and find an abandoned doll. Thus begins a series of terrifying experiences for the family. Soon, Rajiv finds the truth-the ghost of Madhu is back to seek revenge.
The first half is boring with not much movement in the film’s narrative. Only few scenes here and there manage to scare. The film really turns exciting just before the intermission when Rajiv finds the shocking truth that the ghost has entered his wife Aarti’s body. The second half also has some fine horrifying sequences. However, it’s the 25-minute long climax that really takes away the cake. It was truly scary but then the finale disappoints. The culmination not only was unjustified but it was also abrupt. You raise several questions and hope that it would be answered in the next scene but boy, the credits have already started rolling! Maybe RGV and director Milind Gadagkar will provide the answers in Phoonk 3, provided if anyone will watch it!
Yet again, Ahsaas Channa does a brilliant job. Just like Phoonk, in Phoonk 2 as well, she has a lengthy role and she does total justice. Sudeep proves once more that he’s a powerful performer. But it’s high time he gets some roles outside Ram Gopal Verma’s banner too! Amruta Khanvilkar was in total form especially in the 2nd half. Rishabh Jain was at his best when he realizes that the doll is spooky. Interestingly, he wasn’t there in the first part. He replaced Shrey Bawa who played Rohan in part 1! Ashwini Kaleskar horrifies well! Ganesh Yadav was perfect in the miniscule role. Jeeva looked every inch a tantrik. Amit Sadh was alright but Neeru Bajwa (who was also seen in Prince last week) looked stunning. Anu Ansari, Vikas Srivastav and others were okay.
Dharam and Sandeep’s background score suited the theme of the film but in few scenes, it was totally unnecessary. Charles Meher’s cinematography bears the traditional RGV stamp all over. Some scenes were wonderfully shot (especially the railway crossing one and in the climax). Sound design was very effective.
Milind Gadagkar had written Phoonk and in case of Phoonk 2, he has written as well as directed. As a director, he has surely done a great job and succeeds in horrifying the viewers. However, he could have finished the film in 75 minutes instead of stretching it to 105 minutes! And he disappointed a lot as a writer. Why didn’t he come up some interesting stuff towards the finale when he had wonderfully built up the climax beats me.
Some of the interesting scenes:
1. Rohan realizes that the doll can tilt its face
2. Ronnie (Amit Sadh) and Arushi (Neeru Bajwa) arrive at the bungalow
3. Ghost enters Aarti’s body
4. The scene at the railway crossing
5. Ganesh Yadav’s accident
6. Tantrik’s confrontation with the ghost
7. The last 25 minutes (but not the finale)
On the whole, Phoonk 2 is a disappointing fare. Phoonk didn’t scare but still it was impressive. Phoonk 2, on other hand, has some horrifying moments but fails to impress thanks to the pathetic culmination. Watch it only and only for its chills and thrills! Or else just give it a skip!
My rating- ** out of 5!
Movie Review: PHOONK 2 by TARAN ADARSH
Apr 16th
By Taran Adarsh, April 16, 2010 – 12:26 IST
Ramgopal Varma’s love for horror and supernatural continues. This time, in PHOONK 2, the team behind PHOONK promise more chills, more thrills and more screams. But what you get to hear at the end of the screening is a moan, since PHOONK 2 lacks the chills, thrills and screams that were the mainstay of its first part.
A sequel works if it goes one step ahead of the first part, in terms of content mainly. But PHOONK 2 doesn’t take a step forward, but a step backwards. So what’s the problem? Let’s get into the introspection mode…
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
The problem is, what does the viewer expect from PHOONK 2? More terrifying and scary moments, right? But PHOONK 2 comes across as one of those usual revenge films, which tries so hard to create an eerie atmosphere, but never succeeds. It’s more of a slasher film actually!
The problem is, the pace of PHOONK 2 is excruciatingly slow, which just doesn’t work for a horror film. The story unravels at a snail’s pace and with hardly any terrifying/eerie moments in those two hours, the film falls flat on its face.
The problem is, PHOONK 2 fails in its writing. The idea is a master stroke and had writer turned director Milind Gadagkar handled it right, PHOONK 2 would’ve scared the daylights out of you. But the film looks incomplete and the viewer keeps wondering, where did the spirit disappear?
Final word? PHOONK 2 lacks the grip of PHOONK. A complete letdown!
PHOONK ends with the killing of Madhu [Ashwini Kalsekar], the woman who casts a black magic spell on Rajiv’s [Sudeep] daughter Raksha [Ahsaas Channa]. PHOONK 2 begins with Madhu’s ghost returning from the grave to seek revenge on the family.
Rajiv moves with his family to a new place. Raksha and her brother Rohan begin exploring the new place and the surroundings — the lonely beach and then the woods behind the house. The terror begins with Raksha and Rohan finding a doll in the woods and then it progresses to a series of highly traumatizing experiences for the whole family.
Manja [Zakir Hussain], the only man whom Rajiv could turn to, meets a gruesome death at the hands of Madhu’s ghost. Madhu seeks revenge on Rajiv by torturing his loved ones — his wife Aarti [Amruta Khanvilkar] and their children, Raksha and Rohan — in unimaginably cruel ways.
Debutante director Milind Gadagkar uses every trick in the book to make PHOONK 2 work – night shots, secluded bungalow, eerie silence, captivating sound design and zany camera angles. Gadagkar does everything right, but conveniently forgets that any film, irrespective of its genre, works if the story is captivating and moves constantly. In this case, the story just doesn’t move in the first hour, except towards the interval point.
The post-interval portions show some movement, but a number of questions remain unanswered. What do Amit Sadh and Neeru see in the jungles that they start running helter-skelter? Also, if the spirit could enter a body [in this case, the wife's], where does it disappear when the wife falls off the terrace towards the end? Ideally, you expect the spirit to come face to face and battle it out with the already cornered Sudeep and his two kids. But the spirit doesn’t!
Gadagkar had a brilliant idea, but he fails to translate it well on celluloid. To make matters worse, the film just doesn’t scare you one bit. The sound design is right, while the movement of the camera reminds you so much of RGV-directed movies.
Sudeep does a fairly okay job. Amruta Khanvilkar is expressive enough. The kids, Ahsaas and the kid playing her brother – are efficient. Neeru and Amit Sadh don’t get much scope. Ashwini Kalsekar is hardly there. Ganesh Yadav, Zakir Hussain and Jeeva make brief appearances. Anu Ansari is okay.
On the whole, PHOONK 2 is a good idea gone horribly wrong. Disappointing!
PHOONK 2′s ‘scientific’ scare contest
Feb 24th
February 23, 2010 11:59:09 AM IST
Bollywood Trade News Network
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| PHOONK |
Ram Gopal Varma’s PHOONK had created much hullabaloo when it was about to hit the screens. The makers had devised a fearsome challenge that if any viewer could dare to see the film sitting all alone in a theatre and not run out scared, will get a Cash Prize of Rs.5 Lakhs. And the contestant, who boldly took the challenge didn’t even last for 30mins and ran out of the theatre. However, after the release of the film, some people alleged that the contest was rigged and that they never felt fear while watching the film.
So now the team of PHOONK, who is back with a dreadful sequel PHOONK 2, without going into a pointless argument on the same, has decided to open themselves to a scientific evaluation of that claim. “For the sequel, we are going to implement our Contest in a very scientific way as never ever done before in the history of Cinema anywhere across the World. The viewer who will claim that he would not get scared will be fitted with an ECG machine while he is watching PHOONK 2 which will monitor his heartbeat & pulse rate and this will be shown live on a screen outside the theatre to both the Media and all concerned,” states the team of PHOONK 2.
A normal person, according to professionals, has a certain average heartbeat and when subjected to any kind of an intense emotion the beats considerably go up. So if the challenger claims that he had no fear while watching PHOONK 2, the monitor will tell whether he is lying or not and on the other hand if he can control his fear & thereby his heartbeat and not let it cross his normal heartbeat then he will get to win the claimed cash prize.
The team indeed DARES any viewer to take this challenge and watch PHOONK 2!
The contest will be launched around 10th March 2010 on the official website www.phoonk2.in. This contest is restricted to only healthy people with no history of Cardiac disease and, also, only to people who are between the age group of 18 and 60 years.
The contest will be open for people across INDIA and based on a computerized random draw people will be shortlisted, who then further will have to give a medical indemnification for further selection by the team and a medical professional, who will eventually single out the final challenger to be subjected to the test. The challenger’s normal heartbeat will be recorded before and while the screening is happening. Further it will also be made sure that the contestant is actually watching the film without closing his eyes by shooting him live through a night vision camera and showing his facial expressions to the media & all concerned on a screen outside the theatre. If at all he wins this challenge he will be awarded the Prize money right at the Venue in front of everybody.
PS: For any unforeseen situations an Ambulance will be on standby at the Theatre to monitor the contestants.
GLAMSHAM.COM
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 79
Dec 17th
WHEN FILMS DON’T GET A TIMELY RELEASE…
RAAT GAYI BAAT GAYI:
Last week’s discussion of The Hangover brings to my mind another topic of the upcoming film Raat Gayi Baat Gayi (RGBG) which is all set to release on December 31. Presented by Percept, produced by Pritish Nandy and Rajat Kapoor and directed by Saurabh Shukla, RGBG stars Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia Anu Menon, Navneet Nishan and Dalip Tahil. The film was announced 2 years back in 2007 and it’s ready since a long long time. But due to some reason, the film which could have released earlier this year is now finally releasing (and anyways, when Percept is involved, then that film is bound to get postponed!!).
On the other hand, The Hangover released this year and took the world by storm. Unfortunately, RGBG’s plot is very similar to that of The Hangover. While The Hangover was a story of four friends going to LA for a bachelor party only to wake up the next morning and not remembering a thing, RGBG involves three men who attend a party with their wives and where they come across a sexy lady. The men get drunk and when they wake up next day, they couldn’t remember what happened after meeting the lady. So the amnesic angle is common in both of the films but the situations are drastically different.
However, RGBG is not a copy of Hangover as the script of RGBG was written way back and the shooting was also completed last year, some 7-8 months before Hangover released. But the damage is done-a huge section of moviegoing audience has already thrashed RGBG as a ‘copy’. Teasers of RGBG are uploaded on YouTube with the title ‘Promo-Raat Gayi Baat Gayi (Hangover Remake)’. Madness!
Now it remains how RGBG is received by the audience and critics. The exciting news is that it won the Best Film Award at the HBO’s South Asian International Film Festival held in New York in Oct-Nov. This again is an indication of the originality of the script of the film! I hope the lesson is learnt-let’s not waste time in releasing our films.
KHALLBALLI:
Khallballi, on the other hand, seems like a copy of De Dana Dan (but it’s not)! This flick too is ready since a long time. Directed by Ajay Chandok (director of flops like Nehlle Pe Dehlla, Team-The Force etc), it stars Nikhil Dwivedi (who debuted in My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves), Southern siren Sada, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon, Johny Lever, Zakir Hussain, Asrani, Vrajesh Hirjee, Tiku Talsania, Chunky Pandey and many others. The promos of the film began somewhere in September last year and the film was scheduled to release on Jan 9, 2009. But it was pushed forward and since then, there has been no news on the film.
The producer of the film, Azam Khan who had carved out a wise promotional strategy for Phoonk, had even thought of a similar idea for Khallballi. During Phoonk, anyone sitting throughout the film without getting scared was to be given 5 lakhs. For Khallballi, the produced challenged anyone to sit through the film with a straight face without any signs of laughter. And the reward here was double-Rs. 10 lakhs!
After the film got postponed indefinitely, the contest was thrown out of the window and Azam Khan is now busy with Phoonk-2! Even if Khallballi gets a release in near future, it’ll be dubbed as a ‘poor man’s De Dana Dan’ as the plot in both films are almost same-the lovers and other interesting characters inside a hotel leading to mistaken identities and helter-skelter in the end! Very unfortunate!
CHECK OUT KHALLBALLI’S PROMO BELOW!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMeu8fvHylc]
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GET READY FOR AVATAR’S RELEASE
The biggest flick of all time, Avatar is hitting the screens tomorrow. Directed by James Cameron of Titanic fame, the film is expected to provide a fresh outstanding experience of cinema. The makers are recommending the viewers to watch it in 3D. But everywhere, the film is releasing in 3D in handful of theatres. Anyways, Avatar seems a must watch film and all those wanting to have some exciting experience should definitely watch it!
This post first appeared on MouthShut.com: http://www.mouthshut.com/diary/hbddsuolp/Fenils-Bollywood-Talk79
RGV begins filming Phoonk 2?
Nov 3rd
Ram Gopal Varma finally settled for Neeru Bajwa, when Mallika Sherawat failed to respond to his offer to star in Phoonk 2
By Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 03, 2009)
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Ram Gopal Varma has quietly begun shooting for the sequel to Phoonk, titled Phoonk 2. However, his dream of casting Mallika Sherawat hasn’t materialised. Punjabi actress Neeru Bajwa has stepped into Mallika’s shoes. Milind Gadagkar, who was an associate with Ramu in Phoonk, is directing the film. Neeru was Ramu’s third choice. Before Neeru came into the picture, Ramu had cast a newcomer, Adin. A source says, “Adin , who shot for two days, threw a lot of tantrums, angering Ramu in the bargain.” Neeru confirmed the news. She says, “Yes, I am doing Phoonk 2. However, I cannot divulge what role I play in the film. Phoonk 2 is a thriller and I have been strictly told not to reveal anything about the story.” We wonder if Vivek Oberoi, who is reported to be close to her (Mumbai Mirror, Oct 14), has anything to do with Neeru doing Ramu’s film? After all Vivek is currently Ramu’s blue-eyed boy. Ask her that and she retorts, “Gosh! Tomorrow, you’ll say that Vivek recommended me to Dharma Productions because he is doing Karan Johar’s Kurbaan.” |
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Movie Review: AGYAAT by TARAN ADARSH
Aug 7th
By Taran Adarsh, August 7, 2009 – 10:39 IST
Ramgopal Varma thinks differently. This time too the maverick film-maker defies the stereotype and takes to the dense forests of Sri Lanka to meet an ‘unknown’ force.
But let’s clear the misconception at the very start. AGYAAT is no supernatural thriller [like PHOONK] or a horror fest [like BHOOT]. This one’s more of an adventure thriller that doesn’t scare you at all, but makes you a participant in a pulse-pounding journey.
For any movie to succeed, it ought to keep the viewer engrossed first and foremost. AGYAAT succeeds in doing that, especially towards the second hour. You haven’t witnessed a journey like the one in AGYAAT on the Hindi screen before. In the West, the most memorable film I can think of is THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
| BY BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM |
AGYAAT works for several factors. The dense jungle blows your mind away, the sound design and the background score are easily at par with international films, the camera movement is spectacular and of course, RGV’s execution of the material is just right for a film of this genre.
But, at the same time, the culmination to the film is debatable. Of course, one would be doing gross injustice to the film by revealing the end, but it’s bound to have its share of advocates and adversaries. It might bring a smile on your face or a smirk, but the fact remains that the reactions would be in extremes.
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A film unit goes for a shoot deep into a forest. They settle at a place with bare minimal facilities run by a strange and quirky man called Setu [Joy Fernandes]. The hero of the film, Sharman [Gautam Rode], is a completely self-obsessed man with no other concern except for his muscles and the leading lady, Aasha [Priyanka Kothari].
The team consists of the director [Howard Rosemeyer], producer [Ishrat Ali], the superstar’s spot boy [Ishteyak], cinematographer [Kali Prasad Mukherjee], action director [Ravi Kale], second assistant [Rasika Duggal] and an assistant director [Nitin Reddy].
It all begins when the camera conks off… They have two days waiting for the replacement to arrive and with no form of entertainment or communication, when Setu suggests a camping trip into the forest, they jump at the opportunity. As they settle near a pond for the night, Setu hears a strange sound. He goes to investigate and never returns. After a desperate search, they discover his dead body.
Panic sets in among the unit members and they jump into the vehicle, but they being unfamiliar with the terrain results in an accident. Completely lost and trapped in the jungle as Setu, the only guy who knows the way out, is dead, they don’t know which way to move to get out of the forest.
The first 25 minutes of AGYAAT are very unlike an RGV film. In a majority of his films, RGV comes to the point at the very start, but AGYAAT begins with a dream song [so unlike RGV] and the next 20 minutes are devoted to introducing the characters.
The film actually takes off when the unit decides to penetrate into the jungles and Setu is murdered. From that point onwards, the by-now-famous RGV stamp is visible in several sequences. The two deaths before the interval [Joy Fernandes and Ishrat Ali] are brilliantly executed, especially Ishrat’s murder at the interval point.
AGYAAT becomes an adventure ride in the post-interval portions. Though it rests on a thin story, it’s the adventure element that drives the film to its destination. There are deaths galore, but it’s not blood or gore that puts you off. The murders are depicted very, very differently, leaving a lot to your imagination.
RGV experiments again, this time attempting an all-new genre. It must’ve been extremely difficult to shoot in the forests, that’s the first thought that crosses your mind. As mentioned at the very outset, the sound design [Dwarak Warrier], background score [Amar Mohile] and cinematography [Surjodeep Ghosh] are top notch. Thee three names contribute enormously to RGV’s vision.
Now to the actors! Nitin Reddy [a star in Telugu films] makes a first-rate debut in Hindi films. He dances exceptionally well [the film begins with a dance] and his confident performance make him an actor to watch out for. Priyanka Kothari shows vast improvement over her previous works. She’s good this time. Gautam Rode enacts the hot-headed superstar with conviction.
Every actor in the film makes an impression, but Ishteyak, Kali Prasad Mukherjee and Rasika Duggal stand out.
On the whole, AGYAAT has an absorbing second half, but the culmination to the film would meet with diverse reactions. At the box-office, the distributors have recovered a substantial chunk of their investment from its dubbed Telugu rights and the remainder should be recovered given its aggressive promotional campaign and extensive release [700 + screens in Hindi belt]. The low-cost film, therefore, should prove to be a profitable venture on the strength of its economics!
Censors 'mildly' chop Agyaat; gets a U/A certificate
Jul 29th
By Joginder Tuteja, July 29, 2009 – 14:11 IST
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| A G Y A A T |
Till yesterday evening, the team of Agyaat was worried if Censor board would come down heavily on the film. Other than the fact that the film is an adventure thriller (that’s the way Ramu insists on calling the film rather than slotting it as a ‘supernatural thriller’ or a ‘horror flick’ or a ‘slasher drama’), what further worried Agyaat team was the rundown that it had with the Censor board around the controversial number in Rann.
However, there was nothing untoward that happened once the film was shown to Censors as they happily passed it with just two minor cuts. Not just that, they also granted the film a U/A certificate, something that is a good reason to celebrate. Reason being that Ramu’s earlier horror/thriller films like Raat, Bhoot, Kaun and Phoonk have all been handed over an ‘A’ certificate.
The two cuts which have been made though are from the song ‘Shiv Shambhu‘. Picturised on Priyanka Kothari, the song has a few shots featuring a ‘chillam’ with the leading lady getting into a ‘dum maaro’ act.
Says a source attached to the film, “Censors felt that depicting such shots from the film would go against their anti-smoking stance. As per them, the song would have been better off if these two shots were cut. We also complied and didn’t complain much. Yes, we do feel though that it would have been better had the song remained as it is since it’s a part of a film being shot within a film. But then, it’s ok.”
How about the gore factor? The film belonging to such genre is bound to be embellished with gory elements, isn’t it? So how did Censors agree to that? “First and foremost let this be clarified that the film isn’t gory by any means”, the source adds, “Ramu has his own ways of invoking fear and showing gore belonging to Ramsays brand doesn’t fit in well with his kind of storytelling.”
Ramu has the final word here, “You don’t always require horrible looking/distorted faces to get the message across. Sometimes, the challenge lies in the very fact that you have to scare audiences with just the right sound effects, background and camera effects. This is what you will get to see in Agyaat as well.”
The film releases next Friday i.e. 7th August.
BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA.COM
Horror wears a sexy new look!
Jul 23rd
READY TO SPOOK YOU OUT: Sheena Nayar
A new film company specialising in horror launches hot Bollywood starlet in first production
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (BOMBAY TIMES; July 22, 2009)
Horror has just got glam. PPC Horrortainment, a division of Percept Picture Company, in association with Glorious Entertainment, is all set to spook Indian audiences with its horror film 8 starring hot Bollywood debutante Sheena Nayar. Believing that a horror film opens doors to a scary world without actually being in danger, Navin Shah, CEO Percept Picture Company, said, “The idea of choosing a new face came from the script requirement. Our understanding is that a fresh face has no baggage and hence is more believable. PPC Horrortainment will specialise in horror films. The idea is to identify gaps in the space and explore it to the full potential. We are also producing Grrrr… directed by Priyadarshan.”
Sheena, meanwhile, said the film will give her the perfect launch platform as even its director, Wilson Louis, felt that her character is a very intense one that only a serious minded actor would be able to pull off. “Nowadays, when trends and clichés no longer work in the film industry, I thought picking up horror as my first film will create intrigue and interest not only in the film but also in me,” said the debutante.
Sheena, meanwhile, said the film will give her the perfect launch platform as even its director, Wilson Louis, felt that her character is a very intense one that only a serious minded actor would be able to pull off. “Nowadays, when trends and clichés no longer work in the film industry, I thought picking up horror as my first film will create intrigue and interest not only in the film but also in me,” said the debutante.
Hollywood has always gone in for horror films because they offer good box office returns. In the last ten years, the market share of horror films in Hollywood has dramatically increased from three to eight per cent, clearly indicating a strong consumer trend. In Bollywood, however, the story has been quite different. In the Sixties, horror was a part of mainstream cinema with super hits such as Madhumati, Woh Kaun Thi, and Mera Saaya running to packed houses. However, over the years, horror got stuck in the B grade. But in 2002, the genre made a stunning comeback with the super hit Raaz. And in 2007, it got a required shot in the arm with Priyadarshan’s blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiya. The recent successes of Phoonk, 1920 and Raaz 2, has set horror on an upswing in Bollywood, and it is into this spine chilling milieu that PPC
Horrortainment steps in with its maiden film 8. Ready to get scared?
