Are the four characters of 'Badmaash Company' picked from real life?

Not many are aware that Parmeet Sethi, the actor turned director of BADMAASH COMPANY, wrote its entire script with dialogues in six days flat. Yes, you read it right: Six days only. And the four characters in the film - Karan, Bulbul, Chandu and Zing - are known to Parmeet; they're based on real-life characters.

Anushka Sharma, who has a lot of hopes pinning on BADMAASH COMPANY, feels that the film would connect big time with the youth of today, who resort to an easy route to attain name, fame and riches overnight. "That's what attracted me to the film. Honestly, I wasn't even aware that Parmeet had written the script and was supposed to direct it, since Adi [Aditya Chopra] just asked me to go through it. It was much later, when I read the script and expressed my eagerness to be a part of the film, that Adi revealed the director's identity," Anushka tells me.

Parmeet reveals that he got tired of television and was keen on pursuing film direction. "There's a little of me in each of those four characters," Parmeet says, who approached Yash Raj with his script the moment he was ready. The fact that Adi liked it and signed a 3-film deal with Parmeet, says it all.

Parmeet feels that BADMAASH COMPANY offers loads of entertainment, but narrated in a new format. "Even the choice of actors proves that I didn't want to take the predictable path," he says. What about Shahid? He's known to act 'difficult' with his directors. "That's not true at all. Not once did he interfere or throw starry tantrums. In fact, he pushed his father's film MAUSAM ahead to accommodate BADMAASH COMPANY. That says it all," Parmeet refutes the rumour.

LINK

Badmaash Company Movie Still

"Ayaashi " - (Longer Version) - BADMAASH COMPANY

"Ayaashi" Badmaash Company Song Promo

Anushka Sharma in YRF's next with a new hero!

Yash Raj Films' TV shows sputter, advertisers unhappy

Yash Chopra’s small-screen debut with YRF TV on Sony Entertainment Channel has met with lukewarm response from viewers. Of the five shows Chopra launched, the reality show Lift Kara De, hosted by Karan Johar, and action thriller show Seven, hit the tube on January 1; their viewership ratings are 1.3 and 1.1, respectively.

According to TAM Media Research, the third show, Mahi Way, which first aired on January 2, has a 0.9 rating between 9 pm to 10 pm. “The ratings have been disappointing. And, there is no scope for the ratings to grow in the weeks to come,” said a key figure from a media buying agency.

During the same time band, (8 pm to 9:30 pm), other general entertainment channels like Zee and Star Plus witnessed ratings between 2 and 5.5. For instance, Star Plus’ Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai (8:30 pm to 9 pm) on January 1 had a viewership rating of 3.1, while Zee TV’s Jhansi Ki Rani had a rating of 3.8 on January 1 between 8 and 8:30.

Also, during the time band when Mahi Way was introduced, a show on Star Plus Music, Ka Maha Muqqabla, had a viewership rating of 3 (9 pm to 10:30 pm).

The initial ratings are certainly a cause for concern among advertisers who have bet high. Each of the four fiction shows have a sponsor on board for almost Rs 2 crore each. Advertisers had high hopes for the 20-week celebrity show, Lift Kara De, since the 10-second ad spots were estimated to deliver viewership ratings in the range of 3-4, according to sources. “It’s too early to comment on what advertisers will do now. We will consider data of the first two weeks before taking a call,” said H Vishwanath, National Trading Head, MediaEdge.

Read more HERE.

Pradeep Sarkar film for Yash Raj Films on schedule

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Bollywood's premier production house Yash Raj Films has rubbished reports that their next project with director Pradeep Sarkar has been postponed.

"We are happy to announce that the film started shooting on Jan 2 and it is on schedule," Rafiq Gangjee, vice president of Marketing and Communications of Yash Raj Films, said in a statement released Wednesday.

"It is unfortunate that a leading publication has irresponsibly reported this morning (Wednesday) that Yash Raj Films next project with Pradeep Sarkar, starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone, has been postponed indefinitely," he added. Sarkar's last film with Yash Raj Films was "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag". Released in 2007, it starred Rani Mukerji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Abhishek Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Jaya Bachchan.

Exclusive Review -Rocket Singh : Salesman of the Year

Who is Shimit Amin? The one who directed Ab Tak Chhappan or the one who directed Chak De! India and Rocket Singh. After watching Rocket Singh, I began to think is Ab Tak Chhappan more of a RGV Factory product than a Shimit Amin film? Is Chak De! India and Rocket Singh more of Jaideep Sahni films than a Shimit Amin film? Does Shimit Amin adapt himself to the company he works for? When he was associated with RGV factory he gave Ab Tak Chhappan that always looked like a factory product. When he moves out and teams up with Jaideep Sahni, his style of making film completely changes. I am not blaming Shimit Amin for making himself look adapted to the company he works for, I am just trying to figure out how much is Shimit Amin, the director, involved in making films? I wouldn’t call Chak De! India or Rocket Singh as regular Yash Raj films but yes, they have Jaideep Sahni written all over them. And I appreciate Shimit Amin not taking the credit for the film alone. Instead he has made sure that Rocket Singh is as much his film as it is of Jaideep Sahni. The first stills that came out of Rocket Singh had Ranbir Kapoor, Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni in it which is quite surprising. That itself showed Shimit Amin respects Jaideep Sahni for his contribution to the film. I haven’t seen such immense respect given to a writer before in Indian Cinema. Gulzar and Anurag Kashyap have got recognition for their writing too but then they probably got it once they entered the field of direction. Jaideep Sahni on the other hand is getting himself recognized only because of his writing skills and capabilities. We never heard the name of Shimit Amin alone whenever there was talk about Rocket Singh. We always heard Rocket Singh is from the makers of Chak De! India or Jaideep-Shimit duo are back.

Rocket Singh, one of the awaited films of the year, especially because of the fact that it is from the makers of Chak De! India, is about a fresh graduate Harpreet Singh played by Ranbir Kapoor, who trying to adapt himself to the job of a salesman. It isn’t a stylish film that shows the extraordinary capabilities of Harpreet Singh as a salesman, nor does it glorify the job of a salesman. Harpreet Singh is very much like a common man working in an office, and about a man whose ethics do not synchronize with the company he is working for.

The story of the film can well be compared to the silent era comedies especially the ones of Charlie Chaplin where he played the honest person forced to take the wrong way due to the situations in his life. And Rocket Singh references it very well with a transition effect which was used in the silent films. We can see the reference in the image below.



The script written by Jaideep Sahni is really the true winner of the film. The subtleness and the realism he gives to his characters and situations should be applauded. The atmosphere shown in Rocket Singh is very much real and how well Jaideep – Shimit have shown the atmosphere in different places (HOME, PARTY, OFFICE) and distinguished them is commendable. The best part of Jaideep’s writing is he is very honest to his work and no doubt in the fact that Shimit Amin does complete justice to Jaideep’s script. Through his work, one can see the effort he makes to make a scene look very much real. The characters in the film do small things that work like wonders in giving the film look real. Like right at the start, we see Ranbir Kapoor winking to his God and then apologizing right after that and then Harpreet Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) giving body massage to his father. Jaideep – Shimit establish the character so well in the film through their mannerism and dialogs they speak. Characters in the film speaking regional lines like “Nakko Re” for “No”, Harpreet Singh’s(Ranbir Kapoor) father calling him ‘Sardar’ in a informal way, speaking regional language while at home, etc makes the film look real.

Read more from HERE

REVIEWS - Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year (Taran Adarsh, Raja Sen, Rajeev Masand, Nikhat Kazmi, Khalid Mohd., Baradwaj Rangan)

Taran Adarsh -


Some films absorb you instantly, from the very outset. But it takes time to get into the world of a salesman who thinks from his heart.

Come to think of it, ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is about a simpleton, but the story of his struggle and accomplishment isn't the kind that would charge you or make you charter a similar path in life. Also, the story of an underdog who comes up the hard way should make you feel euphoric in the end, right? But ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR doesn't.

Frankly, ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is more of a documentary on the life of a salesman. It's a decent film, no two opinions on that, but the question is, [a] Is the story powerful enough to excite you and [b] Does it grab your attention in entirety? Sadly, the answer to both the questions is in the negative.

There's another problem and this is strictly from the point of those seeking entertainment. A Yash Raj film with Ranbir Kapoor [after AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI] essaying the title role, coupled with fun-filled promos ['Pocket Mein Rocket Hain'] might make you assume that it would offer loads of entertainment, but this has barely a song or two, as good as no romance and hardly any comic moments - the recipe for most Hindi movies.

In a nutshell, ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR is a dull and dry experience.

Harpreet Singh Bedi [Ranbir Kapoor] has just graduated and his marks are, well, let's say a little embarrassing. But marks never stopped him from dreaming of an exciting and adventurous career, and they never will.

He takes a deep, positive breath and dives into the world of sales, rumoured to be an ultra cool career. It's everything he dreamt of, with its smooth dressing, smoother talking men and women who can sell ice to an Eskimo, dreams to an insomniac and a lifetime mobile connection to a dying man. But soon, his idea of success begins clashing with the strange ways of these 'professionals' and 'bosses' he looked up to.

ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR may be based on a simpleton's life, but the viewer gets a hang of things only towards the second hour. The entire first hour is devoted to establishing the characters and also getting used to the way sales persons go about their business.

There's not much excitement in the first hour, barring a few attention-grabbing scenes that pop up intermittently. The story just flows, with the viewer not reacting much to the proceedings. But things change for better towards the post-interval portions when the protagonist and his colleagues' lives get complicated.

Read rest from HERE

Rocket Singh B.O Report - Opens to shockingly low response

B.O. update: 'Rocket Singh' opens to shockingly low response - Bollywood Hungama

Everyone was expecting ROCKET SINGH - SALESMAN OF THE YEAR to start with a bang, given the fact that Ranbir Kapoor's last two films, WAKE UP SID and AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI, had fetched a flying start. Also, the fact that Aditya Chopra, Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni had teamed up with Ranbir, only raised the expectations from the film. But the poor start of ROCKET SINGH sent shock waves within the industry. The film had a 20% to 40% start at certain plexes and at places, 10% to 15% start.

Read more from HERE

Rocket Singh Has Dull Start Paa Decent First Week - Box Office India

Rocket Singh - Salesman Of The Year had a dull start as it opened to around 30-40% and evening shows did not show major improvement at around 50-55%. Single screens had a low response. The film has fairly low costs so recovery is not a major problem but it remains to be seen what sort of theatrical business it can do. Delhi/NCR showed best improvement yesterday evening but not the sort of jump that makes a big difference.

For updated reports on Paa, De Dana Dana, and Radio click HERE

'Rocket Singh will be worth the wait' - Shimit Amin

Chak De! India team Shimit Amin, director, and Jaideep Sahni, writer, are back with their new film, the curiously titled Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year.

Starring Ranbir Kapoor and newcomer Shazahn Padamsee, the film is set for release on December 11.

Shimit tells Patcy N what it's all about.

Why was it necessary for Ranbir's character to be a sardar?

No, it was not. But this is how the character first came to me when I was thinking of the story. There is no reason why every protagonist in every Hindi film has to look like a hero.

Why is there no buzz about the film even though it is a Yash Raj project. Why is the marketing and publicity of the film so low-key?

Chak De did not have any buzz either. In fact, I am experiencing a sense of deja vu as people asked the same thing -- that why we weren't promoting Chak De when it had Shah Rukh Khan.

Why a film on the life of a salesman? What aspect of his life does the film stress on?

We have always made films about college life but never about life after college. This film is about life after college. When you are in college, you are always wondering what your office, colleagues or boss would be like.

We just found this phase very fascinating as one gets to discover a whole new world, and that is why we thought of making a film which explores this new world.

What made you select Ranbir for the film?

Ranbir was our first choice though we thought of him only after the script was ready.

It is actually a process where you think of everyone to make this film work. We wanted a young actor to play the part of a fresh graduate, and since only a handful of people in our industry fit in that group, we thought of Ranbir.

Plus, we wanted a person who could understand this kind of character better.

Read more from HERE

"Interview with the team" - Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year

Rocket Singh is the worst marketed film of the year

By Indu Mirani

Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year star Ranbir Kapoor, director Shimit Amin and writer Jaideep Sahni get together to answer a rapid fire round related to sales and marketing.


Before Indu Mirani and Namrata Bhawnani test their sales IQ, they emphatically state that Ranbir’s role of a Sardar is not an 'item' in the film and it is not because playing a Sardar is the in thing. Ranbir adds that though the year has been exceptionally kind to him, this is the one film he is really proud of.

Name one person who has the best assets

• Ranbir- Yash Chopra and Adi Chopra have YRF which is the best asset. It's a great endeavour, great body of work.

• Jaideep- I can't really judge.

• Shimit- Actually I am pretty much clueless about these things.

One person who has the best marketing skills

• Ranbir- Shah Rukh Khan

• Jaideep- ummmm… yeah pretty much, Shah Rukh Khan

• Shimit- Shah Rukh Khan

One person in the industry who needs marketing tips

• Ranbir- Shimit (laughs)

• Jaideep- Shimit

• Shimit- Yeah, me I guess. (All three laugh)

One of the best marketed films in recent times?

• Ranbir- Rocket Singh- Salesman of the year

• Jaideep- I think Ghajini and Om Shanti Om

• Shimit- Paranormal

One of the worst marketed films in recent times?

• Ranbir- Can I also say Rocket Singh - Salesman of the year (laughs)

• Jaideep- Yeah, Rocket Singh - Salesman of the year

• Shimit- Rocket Singh - Salesman of the year (laughs)

Read more from HERE

"YRF Television" - TV Shows - First Look Promo

Rocket Singh Website.

Read the story, See the stills, Listen to the music, Watch the promos on ROCKET SINGH WEBSITE

Send smilies from FLY A ROCKET to your friends.

Rocket Singh Vs 3 Idiots: Ghajini vs Rab ne reloaded?

Last year, a Yash Raj film [Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi] and an Aamir Khan starrer [Ghajini] were released in the same month - on 12th December and 25th December, respectively. Now Yash Raj is bringing its new release, Rocket Singh- Salesman Of The Year on the same day... well almost [11th December], while Aamir too is bringing 3 Idiots on 25th December.

Source here

Well, lets hope that these 2 flicks change the BO status of BW this year the way Rab ne and Ghajini did last year.

Shazahn Padamsee: Ranbir's new heroine for Rocket Singh

Meet the new face of YRF's Rocket Singh, Shazahn Padamsee, to debut with Ranbir kapoor in this upcoming flick. Bollywood's love affair with debutantes continue with the upcoming Rocket Singh. With Asin, Anoushka Sharma, both making their big debuts last year, this year has already seen some good fresh faces in Dev D, Gulal, Love Aaj Kal etc, now is the turn of Shazahn Padamsee to make her mark. Shmit Amin- Jaideep Sahni already have presented quite a handful of debuts in CDI in 2007, so they have experience of working with a new comer, I believe that Shazahn is in great hands to make her foray in BW.

Shazahn is a beauty no doubts, but in the presence of Priyanka, Katrina, Kareena, looks only can not keep you in the game, and how much she can act will be known once the movie release.


but for now we all can say, kya baat hai Ranbir, Deepika, Katrina, now Shazahn, thats one lucky boy.