Hype? Yes Hit? No

big bollywood has flopped big time in the first few months of 2010. “this has been one of the worst years for the industry with major films failing to match up to the pre-release hype,” says mumbai-based trade analyst taran adarsh. t2 lists nine big films that were full of sound and fury signifying nothing...

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PYAAR IMPOSSIBLE

Budget: Rs 25 crore (approx.)

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Uday Chopra

Director: Jugal Hansraj

Tall claims: Promoted as a ‘beauty and geek’ love story, producers Yash Raj Films tried filming this Priyanka Chopra-Uday Chopra starrer on the lines of a Hollywood rom com. “I have a feeling that Pyaar Impossible will be one of the biggest grossers of the year,” Uday — who turned scriptwriter with this film — announced to all and sundry in the run-up to the January release.

Promo madness: Not really a topline Yash Raj production, Pyaar Impossible didn’t witness an OTT publicity blitzkrieg. But fresh from the success of Kaminey and flush with the excitement of a National Award, Priyanka — in an eye-catching bob and sexy shirt-dresses on every TV channel — forced you to give her a 10 on 10 while the peppy Alisha had every nightclub grooving.

Why: Uday as hero (even though he was playing a geek!) was one of the primary reasons why the audience decided to stay away. Formulaic and boring, Priyanka did her best to justify her Rs 6 crore fee, but still found it impossible to save Pyaar Impossible from tanking at the box office. According to www.boxofficeindia.com, PI collected a mere Rs 6 crore in its three-week run.

Viewer voice: “Uday Chopra made a mess of a promising story. Priyanka looked like a dream though,” says college student Surbhi Joshi.

t2 suggestion: Can you imagine how much fun a geeky Ranbir Kapoor could have infused into this yawnathon?

DULHA MIL GAYA

Budget: Rs 35 crore

Cast: Sushmita Sen, Fardeen Khan. Plus, Shah Rukh Khan

Director: Mudassar Aziz

Tall claims: Sushmita Sen and Shah Rukh Khan together after Main Hoon Na with Fardeen Khan in a supporting act in a film produced by Viveck ‘Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman’ Vaswani sounded like a dream project on paper. “This is one film that has not aged despite the delay in shooting. When I look at the finished product, the entire wait was entirely worth it,” was what Sush had to say weeks before the release. Well, the handful of viewers did age a few decades sitting in the audi where DMG was being screened!

Promo madness: Conscious that they had a potential loser on their hands, the makers went all out to promote DMG as a Shah Rukh Khan film, despite the Bollywood Badshah having only a guest appearance. As a result, SRK distanced himself from the promotions, even going as far as announcing that he would never make a special appearance in a film again!

Why: Poor direction and a dated script ensured that Dulha Mil Gaya was nothing more than old wine in an old bottle. Sushmita lapsing into Archana Puran Singh mode time and again, Fardeen’s deadpan expressions and Shah Rukh’s bored look did nothing to help. Boxofficeindia.com reported that the film earned just Rs 3.5 crore, labelling it a “disaster”.

Viewer voice: “Dulha Mil Gaya had a 60s storyline in a 2010 packaging. Sushmita Sen’s Shimmer was a real headache-inducer,” says software professional Mainak Duttagupta.

t2 suggestion: Fardeen Khan shouldn’t be seen within 200 yards of a film set. And director Mudassar Aziz, next time get a script!

VEER

Budget: Rs 55 crore (approx)

Cast: Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Jackie Shroff, Sohail Khan, Zarine Khan

Director: Anil Sharma

Tall claims: In pre-release interviews, Anil Sharma described Veer as a “mass entertainer”, while Salman crowned it “Bollywood’s biggest epic yet”!

Promo madness: Salman turned scriptwriter for Veer and went all out to promote it — from riding a horse at the Mahalaxmi Race Course to walking the talk at his Being Human fashion shows.

Why: Numerous historical fallacies apart, the unintentionally comic Veer was a test of the audience’s patience. Salman tried his best to breathe (read snort) life into his character of a braveheart with Mithun lending able support, but to sit through three hours of this mangled mess of a movie was just asking for three much. Zarine was dubbed Fat Kat, with ample reason. Veer’s total losses amounted to nearly Rs 40 crore!

Viewer voice: “I laughed at even the supposed serious scenes,” says banker Kaushik Mitra.

t2 suggestion: Trimming the film to less than two hours and retaining only the Salman-Mithun scenes would have been the only way Veer would have managed to be a little more Wanted.

CHANCE PE DANCE

Budget: Rs 20 crore (approx)

Cast: Shahid Kapur, Genelia D’Souza

Director: Ken Ghosh

Tall claims: Touted as an autobiographical take on Shahid Kapur’s real-life struggles. “Chance Pe Dance is a film everyone will identify with. The young and old will flock to see the film,” Shahid had claimed in many a pre-release interview.

Promo madness: Post the Kaminey frenzy, director Ken Ghosh decided to do chance pe dance and piggyback on Shahid’s red-hot status. Apart from the usual brand tie-ups, a series of unique promotional activities followed with Shahid and Genelia even spending an entire night cooped up in a car — just as Shahid’s character does in the film!

Why: Thanda story, thanda direction, thanda performances. Even though this was his mentor’s film, one could tell clearly that Shahid’s heart was not in Chance Pe Dance. The Shahid-Genelia cute rom com moments failed to rise above the mediocre script. The promos didn’t pique audience interest and the string of negative reviews sounded the death knell for Chance Pe Dance which managed to earn only a third of its investment.

Viewer voice: “I love Shahid and Genelia but still couldn’t sit through more than an hour of the film. I liked Shahid’s moves on the dance floor though,” says college goer Samir Agarwal.

t2 suggestion: Only a good cast doesn’t a good film make. How about getting a credible script the next time around? Even a love triangle would have spiced up this dance pe failed chance a wee bit.

KITES

Budget: Rakesh Roshan’s Filmkraft sold Kites to Big Films for Rs. 105 crore

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut

Director: Anurag Basu

Tall claims: Now this was one film that made far more news before release than after. From the fallout between director Anurag Basu and producer Rakesh Roshan to the hot-hot Hrithik-Barbara offscreen vibes, the Roshans went all out to keep the Kites interest flying high for months.

Promo madness: With premieres at London and New York, Kites was promoted as “Bollywood’s first international project”. The entire PR machinery of Kites worked long and hard in highlighting the Hrithik-Barbara chemistry. Stories of Hrithik’s wife Sussanne walking out of the Roshan home because of Barbara were fed to the media months prior to the May 21 release date.

Why: Stylish locales, beautiful people and a distinct international feel were there all right, but somewhere the makers forgot to spare a thought for the script. Ticket rates hit the roof, but after a frenzied weekend, footfalls plummeted miserably. Team Kites has been unable to take the failure, with papa Rakesh blaming biased reviews and beta Hrithik tweeting vociferously against those who have given them the thumbs down.

Viewer voice: “Hrithik looked hot but Kites was a huge bore,” says college goer Pavitra Joshi.

t2 suggestion: A total remake.

RANN

Budget: Rs 30 crore

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Riteish Deshmukh, Sudeep

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Tall claims: Touted as an expose on the murky goings-on in the media world, director RGV claimed Rann was “the most hard-hitting film of the year”. Well, what can we say apart from the fact that Rann did hit the unsuspecting viewer. Hard!

Promo madness: Innovative movie marketing got a strong fillip with Rann. Bachchan went all out to promote friend RGV’s latest, even reading out the primetime bulletin on news channels!

Why: Sensationalistic and over the top, Rann turned out to be a little too hyperbolic for the audience’s taste. Bachchan tried to salvage matters towards the end but it was a case of too little too late.

Viewer voice: “Rann had a promising theme let down by poor execution. I thought Sudeep was good in certain scenes but sometimes he overacted too,” says homemaker Mita Sengupta.

t2 suggestion: Needed: A hard-hitting, no-holds barred treatment of the subject. Not needed: the weird camera angles, the eardrum-bursting background score, the caricaturish performances.

TEEN PATTI

Budget: Rs 25 crore

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sir Ben Kingsley, R Madhavan

Director: Leena Yadav

Tall claims: Boosted by the to-die-for opportunity of casting Big B and Sir B in the same film and backed by Hinduja money power, director Leena Yadav went all out to promote Teen Patti as a Bachchan-Kingsley classic. “The conversations between them are dynamite,” Yadav told t2 in the run up to the release.

Promo madness: Led by Bachchan, the lead cast left no card unturned in promoting Teen Patti, just stopping short of organising gambling sessions! But the racy promos failed to translate into a racy film.

Why: Cryptic and confusing, the much-touted Bachchan-Kingsley interactions were as cold as a slab of ice. Yadav tried to pack too many things into Teen Patti, making it an unbearable watch.

Viewer voice: “I couldn’t really understand much of Teen Patti. But whatever I could understand was pretty bad,” laughs college student Antara Dasgupta.

t2 suggestion: Yadav should have exploited the Bachchan-Ben jugalbandi to the hilt. Also, would have made more sense to prolong the bare-back fest in the Neeyat number. That was far better than the rest of Teen Patti put together.

BADMAASH COMPANY

Budget: Rs 25 crore

Cast: Shahid Kapur, Anushka Sharma, Meiyang Chang, Vir Das

Director: Parmeet Sethi

Tall claims: In pre-release interviews, director Parmeet Sethi claimed that he had written the Badmaash Company script in six days flat. Well Parmeet, it showed!

Promo madness: Shahid and Co. did not go on a massive promo binge, but in the days before the release, their faces were plastered on every television channel. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi girl Anushka’s hotbod in a teeny-weeny yellow bikini top was massively promoted. We weren’t impressed.

Why: A hastily put together script and lacklustre performances summed up Badmaash Company. A disinterested Shahid only made matters worse. Despite a decent first weekend, Badmaash Company was a major loser at the box office.

Viewer voice: “For a con film Badmaash Company was pretty boring. I lost interest midway through the film,” says school student Ishaan Singhania.

t2 suggestion: Er, how about taking a little more time to write a more gripping script? And how about a little bit of badmaashi between Shahid and Anushka?

HOUSEFULL

Budget: Rs 45 crore

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Riteish Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan

Director: Sajid Khan

Tall claims: With weeks to go for the release, Sajid Khan promised producer Sajid Nadiadwala that Housefull would rake in upwards of Rs 60 crore at the box-office.

Promo madness: From the IPL matches to the Roadies finals to the T20 World Cup, team Housefull was just about everywhere. Led by the director, the cast even landed up at the doorstep of unsuspecting fans urging them to watch the film.

Why: Cringe-inducing humour and the lack of genuine laughs was the chief complaint against Housefull. Though not a flop by any standards, Housefull failed to meet audience expectations. It shattered many a box-office record in its opening weekend, but negative reviews and poor word-of-mouth slowed down its box-office run.

Viewer voice: “People slapping each other at random doesn’t make me laugh. The laughing gas gag at the end only made matters worse,” says homemaker Shweta Sareen.

t2 suggestion: A little less toilet humour, a little more script-sense. A little less of the prolonged climax, a little more genuine laughs. A little less of Lara and Riteish, a little more of Boman Irani’s Gujju papa and Chunkey Pandey’s Aakhri Pasta.

My image has changed after two hits: Sajid Khan

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With both his films, Heyy Babyy and Housefull, declared super hits, anchor-turned-director Sajid Khan feels he might have outgrown his image of the funny-guy-next-door and may not be able to fit the comic host role any more.

"Success is a very important thing. Till now people perceived me as a friendly anchor, a compere who used to crack jokes, a boy-next-door kind of a person. But after my directorial ventures, my image has changed. In fact, I feel I won't be able to fit in that comic, host image now," Sajid told IANS in an interview.

Known as the comic host of TV shows like Ikke-Pe-Ikka and Sab Kuch Ho Sakta Hai and various award ceremonies, Sajid received acclaim as a full-fledged director for his 2007 venture Heyy Babyy. It featured Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan and Vidya Balan. Shah Rukh Khan was seen in a special appearance in the movie.

He followed the success of his debut film with the 2010 hit Housefull, again a multi-starrer. He repeated Akshay and Riteish along with Arjun Rampal, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan.

"I am at the scripting stage of my third film," said Sajid, brother of choreographer-director Farah Khan.

When asked whether his third film will also star Akshay, the 38-year-old said: "I would love to take Akshay in the film, but right now I can't confirm because this film is just at its scripting stage right now."

With two back-to-back hits, Sajid believes good film stars are as important as a good script.

"Script and star cast - both are important for a good film. Today is the age of packaging, if you package your product well and if you have star power in it, it gets more viewers," he said.

After humorous films, can the audience expect a dark, action thriller from Sajid?

"I follow what is a hit at the box office. I want to provide full entertainment to my audiences because I know that's what is liked. So I really don't know whether I will be able to make a film like that or not.

"I believe that children are a very important part of film viewing. It is the children who take their parents or other family members to watch the film with them. So I make films that interests the whole family," he told IANS.

Along with his directorial work, Sajid has donned another hat too -- this time of a judge. He will be seen judging the second season of the reality show India's Got Talent along with Kirron Kher and Sonali Bendre on Colors.

"I was offered two-three reality shows while I was shooting for Housefull, but that time I was busy. But when Colors offered me this show, I got interested and took it up," said Sajid.

"My focus in the show will be to bring out the most unique talent in the show and I will say whatever I feel. I won't manipulate my words," he added.

Publicity rules

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What do Badmaash Company, Housefull before that and Kites, the next biggie on the anvil, have in common? Besides being big-ticket releases, the movies have made news for myriad reasons that have little to do with filmmaking and more with film publicity. The larger gamut of publicity fell into three broad categories: a) rumoured romance between the lead pair b) alleged differences between team members (producer, director, actresses etc) and c) opening collections for the first two films.

Of course, with Kites, the buzz has predominantly been about the smoking hot chemistry between Hrithik Roshan and his co-star Barbara Mori. Mori, during her visit and stay to promote the film, was nonchalant about the rumours, dismissing it as the standard practice followed by the filmi media the world over.

Hrithik too seems unruffled when questions about their link-up are raked. Was the story a figment of the media’s imagination? Or a time-tested promotional gimmick created by the publicity machinery? Well, nobody will quite know. Truth be told, link-up stories between co-stars are old hat and a pretty convenient way to keep the auds guessing. The production house bosses, publicists and producers are all part of this trickery. Another convenient gimmick trotted out concerns spats between co-actors. This works particularly well when two or three actresses form part of the team.

A young actor who was linked with his co-star before the release of his movie fessed up that the production house had circulated the stories even though he had made his discomfort about it known. For yet another film, the link-up tactics were abandoned in favour of news about a senior actor on the team and the youngster in question sharing cold vibes!

Frankly, these rumours hardly ever bother hard-nosed producers willing to try just about any trick in the book to make movies work.

One such producer scoffed when I pointed out that such rumours could damage personal relationships and reputations. “Everyone in the industry knows these are publicity stunts. It doesn’t affect anyone,” he reiterated.

However, he took umbrage to the fact that the media was recklessly quoting astronomical star prices resulting in stars making unreasonable demands!

“These claims of multi-crore deals are rubbish and planted by the stars themselves. The media should verify these claims,” he retorted.

Yet another oft-used gimmick is that of declaring a movie as ‘super-hit’ with box-office figures that just don’t add up. One would have imagined that the introduction of corporate practices would result in greater transparency. But no such luck. Collection figures for most movies remain (to use a favourite cliché) shrouded in mystery. Fantastic weekend collections announced by production houses are often dismissed by trade analysts and industry insiders as bogus. Some feel that such premature declaration of a hit is a preemptive measure to safeguard business against scathing reviews or poor word-of-mouse (posts on the Internet). Now, this is the part that could affect the aam aadmi, particularly those who have invested in the media and entertainment companies. Reading between the lines for the stakeholders would certainly be a good idea.

Akshay Kumar flick Housefull in weekend; revenues at Rs 32 cr

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New Delhi: Beating trade and critics’ expectations, Akshay Kumar's latest flick Housefull has emerged as the second-highest box office grosser in the opening weekend only behind 3 Idiots collections. Between the last Friday and Sunday, Housefull raked in around Rs 32 crore catapulting it to the top of the list of releases, this year.

The movie is expected to rake in around Rs 50 crore from the first week collections, film trade experts said. In its march towards becoming a commercial success, box office collections for Housefull has surpassed opening collections of hits like My Name Is Khan, Ghajini , Love Aaj Kal and Singh Is Kinng among others, trade data shows.

“Yes, Housefull has managed to receive a good weekend collection because for the previous six weeks, there was no good content in the theatres. Also, the film has great starcast, locations, music and comedy—that has worked in its favour,” Vinod Mirani, managing editor, Box Office India told FE.

The film may manage Rs 50-crore collections in the first week as no big-budget films are expected to hit the theatres till May 21 when Hrithik Roshan’s much-awaited film Kites is scheduled for a worldwide release. According to a trade analyst, Kites, is expected to get the biggest openings of the recent times as its release is awaited for the last 8-10 months.



Housefull has also raked in big moolah in the overseas markets, especially in the United States and UK . For the weekend, Housefull generated over Rs 10 crore in the overseas market. Within the country, the film opened to packed houses in north, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Maharashtra and Western India .

“We saw 100% bookings in a number of our shows on Saturday and Sunday for Housefull, probably the first time since IPL began. Even the weekday shows are running with 40-45% advance bookings,” said a senior executive of a leading multiplex chain in Gurgaon.

Some film analysts feel that the collections for Housefull will fade away after the first week mainly due to the release of Yash Chopra’s Badmash Company and also because of the high distribution costs for Housefull . The film, directed by Sajid Khan, was released with over 750 physical prints and around 1,000 digital prints, the cost of which will become high to sustain against the diminishing returns from second week...

Housefull – How big a loser are you?

Akshay Kumar, depressed with his life, swims for a very long time, until he gets tired and tries to commit suicide by drowning himself. Deepika Padukone, just like Clint Eastwood in Spaghetti Western films, comes out of nowhere, lifts him up and carries him towards the shore that is some miles away. And we call Akshay Kumar a Khiladi!!!!

The film starts with the most hilarious disclaimer of the decade. Sajid Khan mentions the names of 5 very important directors in Bollywood who have influenced him to direct films. And that includes Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Heyy babyy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee? HouseFull and Hrishikesh Mukherjee? Ohhhh, that was joke as the film is supposed to be a comedy. Such is the humor in the film that you yourself would need to find out the humorous moments if you want to laugh as the film hardly is humorous.

This is hardly an Akshay Kumar kind of comedy. If you want to watch Akshay Kumar kind of comedy, I think you are better off watching Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai. He manages to make you laugh more in his two and half minutes special appearance than this two and half hours long film. Being a fan of his comic timings and his work in films like Mr. and Mrs Khiladi, Garam Masala, Bhool Bhulaiya, this one surely is a disappointment. The film mainly belongs to the ‘Timepass’ genre films which Sajid or Farah makes. While Farah tries to spoof The Matrix, Karz, Madhumati, Youtube videos in her films and manages to get some laughs, Sajid Khan straightaway copies them with no intention of even spoofing if he can’t get original. He plays the game of wife swapping in the film, something we just saw 6 months ago in All The Best. The game is not even half as funny in Housefull as in All The Best.

Five years ago, filmmakers in India started to feel that a film that does not have the King Khan has to have an item song to make it a hit. The latest trend in ‘Timepass-Filmmaking’ says a film has to have some gay humor in it. Housefull tries having both of them. And since it is a Sajid Khan film, he does not even try putting in efforts in the item song. Instead he simply took up an old Bollywood hit number and remixed it. Though it is wonderfully sung song by Mika, IMO, who manages to keep the craziness alive in the song, the video is very disappointing, thanks to the Arjun Rampal. For most of the film Arjun Rampal plays an angry man with one expression on his face, and for once he was asked to enjoy and he ends up ruining a song, How can one fail to get the right expressions in that song? It should have come out naturally given that song is so crazy. The video really missed the craziness I was expecting it to have.

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Housefull Movie reviews thread

TOI Review by Nikhat kazmi

Critic's Rating:

Story: Akshay Kumar, the proverbial loser, believes he can ward off his bad luck by finding true love. But each time he falls in love, misfortune strikes and his girlfriend walks out on him. This time, hope begins to float...He finds Deepika Padukone who does love him. But how does he convince her military-man brother, Arjun Rampal and extract himself from the web of lies his friends, Riteish and Lara, have built around him? Movie Review: Sajid Khan returns after the success of Heyy Baby, a spilt milkfood and soiled diaper soiree that did manage to tickle your funny bone with its infant histrionics. With Housefull, he doesn't stray much and tries to create a similar riot of hilarious episodes, centred around two couples -- Akshay Kumar-Deepika Padukone and Riteish Deshmukh-Lara Dutta. Trouble lies not so much with the couples as with their relatives: Lara's estranged Pappa, Boman Irani and Deepika's angry brother, Arjun Rampal. Can the boys manage to win their beloved's parivar walas? Not an easy task, specially when both are losers of sorts and don't have the mandatory big house, big money, big lifestyle.... The film begins on a funny note, with Akshay trying to seek refuge from his bad luck by moving in with his best buddy, Riteish and his wife, Lara. A vacuum cleaner turned awry and a tryst with a tame tiger on the sofa are some of the spoofs that showcase Akshay Kumar in his quintessential comic act: deadpan humour by the I'm-just-a-simpleton hero. You do settle down for some fun and games, but sadly, the film peters off into a not-so-funny middle with Akshay serenading Jiah Khan and the viewer having to endure a prolonged Chunky Pandey cameo as Aakhri Pasta, an Italian hotelier who actually makes you want to howl than laugh. Thankfully, he is bundled off, but the muddlesome middle has already taken its toll on the film by putting the brakes on comedy. The second half picks up again as the foursome rent a house and the relatives -- Boman and Arjun -- arrive. The game of subterfuge and mistaken identities begins with Akshay reluctantly pitching in as Lara's husband and Deepika's boyfriend and trying his goofy best to win over both Boman and Arjun. It's literally slapstick humour, with a lot of slaps flying around between simians and humans, humans and humans. Nevertheless, it makes you laugh, provided you don't go looking for artistry and intelligence. Also, you'll find the usual jokes about homosexuality and Gujarati incredulousness, made famous by Kal Ho Na Ho. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's audio track has a few peppy numbers which however do not promise to end up as chartbusters, except Mika's `apni to jaise-taise...' The rest of the songs are good while they last. Period. Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh share a better chemistry between themselves than they do with the girls. Wish the Boman Irani and Lilette Dubey track had been explored further. It did have great potential. All said and done, Housefull might not set the summer scorching, but it does create a ripple after a prolonged lull at the multiplexes. Let the summer begin to simmer, then sizzle.... A word about: Performances: Akshay Kumar never laughs in the film, yet manages to make you laugh with his `loser' act. Riteish and Akshay share a combustible chemistry which is much more than we can say about Akshay and Deepika: quite thanda. Dialogue: Simple and slapstick. Story: Revolves around the usual formula of a comedy of errors and mixed-up identities. Cinematography: Vikas Sivaraman keeps his camera mostly indoors, except when it moves to Italy. Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy do not come up with an inspired track. They just fit the bill, except when they reinvent the popular Laawaris number `aapka kya hoga, janab-e-wali'. Styling: Both Deepika and Lara sport the urbane and chic look with their skimpy dresses. Jiah Khan oscillates between the traditional and the oomphy image by donning both the salwar kameez and the bikini. The boys -- Akshay, Arjun, Riteish -- are cool and casual.

Housefull - Loser Song Promo

I may turn director too in few years: Akshay Kumar

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He had written “Namastey London”, turned producer with his Hari Om Productions and has of course acted in umpteen actioners and comedies. Now Bollywood star Akshay Kumar says he may wield the megaphone as well after a few years.

“I wrote ‘Namastey London’ I had given the concept of ‘Waqt -- The Race Against Time’ I don’t sit and write a story. I meet people and if their stories touch me, I try putting them on the big screen. In ‘Namastey London’, the character is real. He is a friend of mine from Jalandhar. It happened to him,” Akshay told IANS in an interview.

Talking about his directorial plans, he said: “As of now, no. But you never know. Three years back, if you would have asked me whether I will produce a film, I would have said no. But then I became a producer...anything can happen in this industry. After three-four years, I might direct a film as well.”

Akshay’s next film “Housefull” releases Friday and director Sajid Khan presents him as “the world’s unluckiest guy”. But the actor says he has been quite lucky in real life.

“I have been lucky with my life. I made a good career. I didn’t have any godfather in the industry. Whatever I have achieved in life is because of my luck and a little bit of hard work,” Akshay told IANS.

“I am playing a very unlucky man in the film. He believes his luck will change when he finds true love and gets married. So he starts searching for the right girl. It’s total entertainment,” the actor said.

Shot in Britain, Italy, Hong Kong and India, the film also stars Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh. Akshay says he’s never given a thought to why most comedies are multi-starrers.

“I never sat down to analyse why it’s like that, but a lot of people want two, three actors together when they make comedies. Nowadays when you are doing a comedy, you are not a hero, you become a character. That’s the best part about doing a comedy. You have to act not only as a hero but also as a comedian and as an entertainer. There may be more points in it, so they choose to make it a multi-starrer,” said Akshay.

From his first film “Saugandh” (1991) to “Housefull”, Akshay has come a long way and in his almost two decades-long journey he has tried every genre, but feels he still has cope to explore.

“There are a few genres, which people can actually do. But these genres, be it comedy or tragedy, are so vast that more you explore it, you realise there is something you have yet to do. Comedy has different angles, romance has different angles; so it’s never ending. I would like to do a horror comedy,” said Akshay.

He is known for doing all stunts himself. Asked if he ever felt scared, he said: “I fear doing every stunt. I think one should fear because then you take double care of your safety. There is a good fear and a bad fear. There is a good fear with me, which tells me to do the stunts but safely.”

Summer Fiesta - A look at upcoming BW releases

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From politics to mythology and animation and comedy, bollywood’s summer of 2010 has something for everyone

With many parts of India gasping under record temperatures, Bollywood is gearing up to offer some respite to movie buffs this summer. What’s more, filmmakers are offering a variety of movies to suit the tastes of filmgoers. So from politics to mythology, there will be generous sprinkling of romance, comedy, glitz and glamour.

There’s Housefull, a romantic comedy by director Sajid Khan, whose first film Heyy Babyy was a runaway success. Khan repeats three of his lead actors for the second time (Akshay Kumar, Boman Irani and Reitesh Deshmukh)and joining the laugh riot are Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal and Jiah Khan. The film revolves around Arush (Akshay Kumar) whose quest for love ends him up in not one or two, but three marriages releases on April 30, 2010.

If Housefull looks at the story of a man caught in a sticky situation because of three marriages, Gurinder Chadha’s new offering, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is a comic romp about a typical Punjabi mother obsessed with a desire to get her overweight daughter married. Like her previous films, Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, Chadha’s new film, too, will be released in Hindi and English on May 7, 2010. Explains Sandeep Bharagava, chief advisor of Indian Films, the company releasing Chadha’s film: “It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is essentially an international release but we have dubbed the film in Hindi too.”

In fact, a lot of films are getting released in more than just one language. Kites, one of the most awaited films, starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, a Mexican model, made at a budget of Rs 55 crore, according to film trade analyst Komal Nahata, has been shot in Hindi as well as English. The Hindi version has been shot by director Anurag Basu, while the English version has Hollywood director Brett Ratner, who has also worked on the Rush Hour series and X-Men: The Last Stand. The story revolves around Roshan, an artiste who plays fast and loose with two women, Kangana Ranaut and Mori. The film has been in-the-making for some years now and will finally see a worldwide release on May 21, 2010.

Nahata adds, “Due to the nine week dispute between multiplex owners and producers last year, the film industry lost around Rs 80 crore. This year, collections from some big budget films like Kites, Raavan (Rs 35 crore) and Rajneeti (Rs 40 crore) are expected to be good.”

Going by the initial trailers of films like Rajneeti and Raavan, Nahata has a point. Rajneeti, written, produced and directed by Prakash Jha, will have Katrina Kaif in a completely new avatar. The political thriller with an ensemble cast, including Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor, revolves around a set of characters who fight violent battles to attain power. Rajneeti, believed to be influenced by Mahabharata, releases on June 4.

If Rajneeti takes a contemporary look at the Mahabharata, Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, starring husband-wife duo Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, is a modern-day interpretation of Ramayan. Raavan releases on June 18.

Milan Luthria’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, too, resonates with political undertones. The film is based on the life and times of underworld Don Haji Mastan, Starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut, it’s been produced by Balaji Telefilms and will release on July 30.

Releases are incomplete without a Yash Raj movie and this summer the production house has Badmaash Company lined up. The movie stars Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Vir Das and newcomer Meiyank Chang (former contestant on reality show Indian Idol). The story looks at the journey of four youngsters who start a successful business venture. The twist in the tale comes when they’re forced to shut shop. How they manage to survive and jump back to script another success story is the focus of the film. Badmaash Company will be Sharma’s second film after Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and it’ll be interesting to see whether she lives up to the audience’s expectations. It will also be critical for Kapoor, after his films Chance Pe Dance and Paathshala, have already been labeled as flops this year.

Bollywood is also ready with animated movies like Koochie Koochie Hota Hai and Toonpur Ka Superhero. With Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is all set to recreate the magic of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Toonpur Ka Superhero, on the other hand, will have voiceovers by Ajay Devgn and Kajol. Dharma Production’s will also release I Hate Luv Storys, starring Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan release on July 2. Kapoor will also be seen in another film, Ayesha.

It’s time to bring on the bucket of popcorn, then.

COMING SOON

HOUSEFULL Cast: Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta Director: Sajid Khan Release Date: April 30 Budget: Rs 40 crore

KITES Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori Director: Anurag Basu Release Date: May 21 Budget: Rs 55 crore

RAJNEETI Cast: Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn Director: Prakash Jha Release Date: June 4 Budget: Rs 35 crore

RAAVAN Cast: Abhishek Bachchan Director: Mani Ratnam Release Date: June 18 Budget: Rs 40 crore

I HATE LUV STORIES Cast: Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor Director: Punit Malhotra Release Date: July 2 Budget: Rs 35 crore

Sajid Khan would never copy: Akshay Kumar

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Close to six months after the release of De Dana Dan, Akshay Kumar would now be seen in ‘Housefull’. A gap between two of his outings is a mini record in itself for Akshay who was seen in as many as five big films in 2009.

Now that the promos of this Sajid Khan directed family entertainer have caught full steam ever since they were unleashed first close to one and a half months back, one can't help but wonder if there are any similarities whatsoever with Garam Masala here. After all just like the Priyadarshan comedy which had Akshay Kumar juggling between three girlfriends, this time around he has an even bigger problem in hands with as many as three wives (Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan).

"Come on now, Sajid Khan would never copy anything", comes an immediate reaction from Akshay who is currently stationed in Canada and shooting for Anees Bazmee's Thank You, "As for the plot of Housefull, you have to seriously wait for the film to release and then find out that how a 35 year old man (the character played by him), who has never had a girlfriend before in his life, ends up in a very difficult yet entirely innocent three lady dilemma."

"You'll never guess how or why, so don't bother, because this can only be Sajid's magic mind at work", laughs Akshay.

Well, one tends to trust Akshay when he says that. After all along with Sajid, he has worked in Heyy Babyy, three years back which was the biggest ever hit for a debutant director at that time. One tends to ask the actor though that when Sajid came up with the idea of Housefull, was he game for it there and then or did he actually wait for him to come back with a complete bound script and then consent to the film.

"Na na, not at all", says Akshay in obvious fondness for the filmmaker, "My heart and soul is wherever Sajid's is. He had me completely sold on Housefull the first time he gave me just a solitary scene idea. That man is mad. He is not only the funniest guy that I have ever met; he also carries tremendous confidence with him. No one can touch him and even if you were to try and mess with his logic, he will whip the carpet from underneath you."

In awe of the positive energy that Sajid carries, Akshay adds, "He is someone who will never agree that the glass is half empty. Instead, he will fill it with rocks just to prove you wrong. Well, of course unless it's his sister Farah, he shuts the hell up. But then we all do when it comes to Farah!"

Now that the film is barely 10 days away from release, one gets an impression - as rightly conveyed throughout the promotion of the film - that Housefull is a 'class meets mass' affair. Is that the right way to describe it?

"I couldn't have put it better myself", smiles Akshay, "I know for a fact that kids are going to love it, boyfriends will totally get it, girlfriends will cry in all the right places, aunties and uncles will be on the floors, and mothers will be tickled pink. All said and done, if we can make the Queen of England laugh, I'm sure India will be in stitches. Well, see how Sajid Khan is rubbing off on me now (winks)."

Dhanno (Apni Toh Jaise Taise) Housefull Song promo

To Direct or Not To Direct - Lara Dutta

Lara Dutta turns director!

Lara Dutta’s dream to become a director is soon going to be realized. From the last two years, she had been working on a script, and now, her project will go on floors in July.

“It’s a small indie film and the script demands fresh faces. The actress recently met up with some newcomers and watched their screen tests,” said a source.

Lara’s spokesman said, “Yes she’s working on a script and is to direct a film. But there’s no set date as she’s very happy with the way things are working out. It will happen when the time is right.”

The announcement is expected to be made soon.

The film is a romantic drama and which is based on one night. Lara has still kept her script under wraps even her close friends are not aware of it.

“She isn’t rushing blindly into this. She has really worked hard on putting her script together. In between her shoots, she dedicated time to this project. She’s also watched lot of international cinema especially European films because she wants to be seeing the work of various lesser-known but talented directors,” said the source.

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Lara Dutta not directing any film

Bollywood actress Lara Dutta has shot down reports that she's set to don the director's hat.
“I'm NOT directing anything right now guys! Not equipped to do so! Maybe quite a few years from now. In the meantime happy in front of the camera,” she wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Reports suggested that Lara was planning to direct an independent film and has been working on the script for two years. The film was said to go on floors by July.
Meanwhile Lara is busy promoting her new film Housefull that also stars Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal.
The film is about a man named Arush played by Akshay Kumar who gets caught in crazy situations all because he has a deep secret - he has three wives. It will release April 30.

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Houseful new song promo - I don't Know What to Do!

Here it is - the next promo!

Stills from Akshay Kumar's Housefull