Poll: What are your expectations from CHAK DE INDIA?

• Shimit Amin is one of the finest filmmaking talents ever to emerge in Bollywood. He struck everyone with awe with his first directorial venture, AB TAK CHHAPPAN. His razor-sharp execution compelled us to enter the world of encounter cops. He made us uncomfortable by creating realistic situations. Then, certainly, expectations from his next are very high.
• Shah Rukh Khan, I believe, is one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. No I don't belong to his "fan club" nor do I believe in the "fan club" system. I simply praise his acting skills. People, I mean, his hater critics decry him by saying that he doesn't work without a Johar/ Chopra backing. They still say it even after MAYA MEMSAAB, KABHI HAAN KABHI NAA, CHAMATKAR, DDLJ, SWADES, PAHELI - which easily rank amongst the best performances ever in any Hindi cinema. Why did everyone hated his "character" in KANK? Only because he made it look real. It's a pity that he is "still" underestimated as an actor. "Oh-SRK-is-so-commercial!" is the reaction he gets. He is a natural performer. He is still underutilised. Don't you agree?
• Yash Raj, though is a full-blood mainstream Bollywood studio, had decided to swim against the tide in the film, KABUL EXPRESS after producing a total crap like DHOOM:2. Normally the expectation are there that YRF would make another path-breaking film.

So what happens when we put all them together? In mathematical language,
(LHS.) Shimit Amin + Shahrukh + Yashraj = Chak De India (R.H.S.)

The movie revolves around the story a hockey coach for a girl's team and a young Sikh girl who wants to join the hockey team but does not get the approval of her parents. You may already know that SRK is the coach here. The storyline sounds very similar with BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (which is again a good film). But I hope (and trust them) that a director like Shimit won't come up with a remake of a hit "Indian" film. So it "has to be" different!

Now come to SRK's looks. He has been given a beard and is made look old. But, he looks very attractive. If poster is anything to go by, I think he will put forth a strong performance. Look at his eyes! They convey so much! I think I won't be disappointed.

There were alleged cold vibes and wars between YRF and SRK even a year ago. But the truth has spoken himself. The shooting began from August, 2006, after they both "parted their ways". Now the same media reports that Aditya Chopra's next will star SRK.

But will the film be a "COMMERCIAL HIT*? Probably NO. This kind of films don't work in Bollywood. Just look at Kabul Express! Just as because there were no "dancing-round-the-trees" and bad script it flopped. But just look at craps like DHOOM:2, VIVAH! The latter is still in theaters.

Even SRK, a crowd-puller has said,

I don't think CDI will be a grand commercial success. I can tell before a film's release if it will work at B.O. The same happened for Swades. I told Ashutosh(Gowariker) that the script was great but it wouldn't be a hit. But he didn't think so. Now you have the results.

But I "WILL DEFINITELY" watch this movie. I hits theaters on AUGUST 10.

Now tell me,

• ARE YOU LOOKIN' FORWARD TO THE MOVIE THE WAY I AM?
• WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
• DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE A BLOCKBUSTER?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY ARTICLE?

Feel free to comment!

Additional Scoop: From the 1st week of July, I'll start a regular segment on CDI, where I'll post exclusive videos and behind-the-scenes of CDI. Just wait till June 15/17 when you'll get the first theatrical of CDI online on BUwH.

"SPIDER-MAN 3" Creates HIstory; Sets World Box-Office Afire . . . . . . . . . .

Very good news for all Spidey fans!! It was expected! The box-office result of Spider-Man 3 is out. That too for 1 day!

It's broken the all time opening day record.

Spider-Man 3 cast the widest web ever—over 10,000 screens at 4,252 theaters—and nabbed the all-time biggest gross for a single day: an estimated $59 million on Friday.

The previous title holder, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, drew $55.8 million on 8,500 screens at 4,133 theaters, contributing to a record-breaking $135.6 million weekend last July.

Distributor Sony projected Saturday morning that Spider-Man 3 would generate from $135 million to $145 million for the weekend (Friday to Sunday). The studio claimed a $258 million production budget for the Marvel Comics sequel, compared to $200 million for Spider-Man 2 and $139 million for Spider-Man.

By shattering the opening day record, Spider-Man 3 followed the path of the first two movies in the franchise as Spider-Man's $39.4 million and Spider-Man 2's $40.4 million set new benchmarks. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, those days would equal around $45 million and $43 million, respectively.

Additionally, Spider-Man 3 raked in $45 million overseas on Friday. Combined with domestic's $59 million, the sequel pulled in $104 million worldwide, the highest-grossing day ever for a single picture.

Eventually, in India too, where *only* Bollywood films reign, it has surpassed all its Hindi competitors. It has taken the best start of the year in India. It's opening rangeg from 90% - 100 %. No film this year (or any foreign language film ever) has done it before.

Are you going Ta Ra Rum Pum this weekend?

Tara Rum Pum
Originally uploaded by Santosh Dawara.

Well, last week Kya Love Story Hai released. Tomorrow we will have the last release of April. 1/3rd of the year has already passed by. But only 2 films reached the status of HIT (not everywhere though). Multi-starrer biggies like SALAAM-E-ISHQ, EKLAVYA, NISHABD have failed miserably at the box office.

There will be a solo release tomorrow - Ta Ra Rum Pum. This film is by Yash Raj Films and stars Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee in lead roles. (Storyline here) Veteran actors like Victor Banerjee, Javed Jaffery also share screen space in thsi film. This film is about the strength of family bonding in the time of adversities. This film has racing as its main theme. It also seems to be a family entertainer. So genuine emotions, action, visual treat, good acting....that's all we expect from this flick. This film also boasts of a good animation to attract little eyes.

A few weeks ago, we talked about the box-office prospects of the film. Now it seems that this film will fetch a good opening since it's the solo release this week. There's no Bollywood release till May 11. Meanwhile, a tough competitor named SPIDER-MAN 3 invades the theaters a week later. So there isn't much to worry about. There are other reasons too! People are not watching World Cup due to India's dismal exit from WC. The nation-wide examinations are over now. So naturally, the students will want to spend their leisure with some cool summers flicks. The mercury of thermometer is rising day by day. So it's obvious that everyone will seek a nearby A/C movieplex to get themselves 'cool'.

So what say? Do you agrre with the above reasons? Are you going to rush to cinemas with your friends? Tell me!

DDLJ celebrates 600th week in Indian Cinema..

On Friday, 13th April 2007, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, or DDLJ as it is fondly called, is entering its 600th week of continuous play in theatres। The love story of Raj and Simran continues to strike a chord with audiences, as they keep coming back to Maratha Mandir theatre (in Mumbai where DDLJ continues its uninterrupted run) to fall in love once again with one of the most evergreen stories told on the silver screen.

The movie, which cemented the super star status of the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol pairing, opened to packed houses and rave reviews way back on 20th October 1995. Indians all over the world instantly fell in love with this simple yet eloquent story. It bridged the perceived divide between the NRI and Domestic cultures, and effortlessly wove Indian Tradition and Western Trends into a unique brand of “Indian-ness”, which is often copied, but yet to be rivaled.

Director Aditya Chopra’s directed his first film, DDLJ, at the young age of 23. Released in 1995, DDLJ became one of the largest grossers in Indian film history. While remaining popular with the masses, DDLJ also garnered critical acclaim from all quarters. The film swept that year’s Filmfare Awards, picking up every single award of consequence, and propelled Aditya Chopra as one of the most influential young voices in Indian Cinema.

In 2001, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ broke the continuous-exhibition record, established by the movie ‘Sholay’ at Minerva Theatre (5 years: 1975 – 1980). DDLJ remains the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema, as it passes one milestone after another, and is presently running in its 12th year.

AWARDS
NATIONAL AWARD:
Best Film – for popular and wholesome entertainment.

FILMFARE AWARDS:
Best Film – Yash Chopra (Producer)
Best Director – Aditya Chopra
Best Actor – Shah Rukh Khan
Best Actress – Kajol
Best Supporting Actress – Farida Jalal
Best Comedian – Anupam Kher
Best Lyricist – Anand Bakshi (Tujhe dekha to ..)
Best Playback Singer (Male) – Udit Narayan (Mehndi Lagake rakhna)
Best Dialogue Writer – Aditya Chopra / Javed Siddiqui
Best Screenplay Writer – Aditya Chopra

SCREEN AWARDS:
Best Film – Yash Chopra (Producer)
Best Director – Aditya Chopra

SRK proves his critics wrong; DON Celebrates Silver Jubilee in Indian Theaters

There's a news which would make all Shah Rukh Khan fans overjoyed. Shahrukh Khan's last film DON (Director: Farhan Akhtar) which was released on 2oth October last year is now celebrating its Silver Jubilee in Indian theaters. DON, which was a remake of 1978 Amitabh Bachchan film of the same name, was slammed by all the critics after the release. DON was listed at the top of every worst film list of every critic. But the critics could not refrain people from flocking into the theaters. As a result, it went on to become a blockbuster. Its domestic & overseas grosses feature in all-time blockbuster lists.

The film which was supposed to fall flat after the criticism it received on release goes into its 25th week running at Uday(4 shows a day) and Imperial (Matinee show) in Mumbai.


Collections follow:

India: $14,302,729 (till January 11, 2007)
USA: $2,223,961
UK: $2,826,980
Australia: $233,903
New Zealand: $52,556

To be frank, I am NOT a fan of any particular actor. As an unbiased viewer, I thought that the film was not a masterpiece, but it was quite good and entertaining. It was one of the best action/ escapist movie from Bollywood. SRK's demeanor and attitude made him look a perfect DON. The climax was the most awesome part of the film. In IMDb it has a 7+ rating. It has also won some public choice awards.

Could you explain why were critics so hostile towards this film? Were they biased? Feel free to discuss about the film. Do you support what SRK jokingly said by tampering a dialogue in the film after the release: डॉन के critic का सबसे बड़ा गलती यह है के वोह डॉन का critic है (The biggest mistake of Don's critic is that he is the critic of Don)?

Are you looking forward to TA RA RUM PUM?

Hello friends,

I am back after a while. Surprisingly I didn't get to watch a single movie after GURU. Now I wanna share my thoughts on TA RA RUM PUM with you. TRRP is Yash Raj Films' next musical release. It's gonna release on April 27, 2007. The makers have enough reasons to cheer as well as worry about a few thing regarding the release.

Will the film hit the jackpot like other YRF ventures too? Lets analyse a few things.

• The release date is right. Everyone's gonna kick off the summer with some cool flicks. The trailer (see below) indicates that it's pretty much cool.


• A day earlier YRF had enough reasons to reschedule the release. But today it seems unlikely. WHY? The India-Sri Lanka match. The defeat of India practically buried all chances of India getting into the next round. The final match is on April 28. Nowadays we are seeing the bollywood films biting the dust due to World Cup. Very few people will watch and enjoy the following matches. That paves the way for a great weekend of TRRP.


• The slick teaser has already aroused interest.


• YRF's last masala flick Dhoom:2 was the biggest blockbuster of the year


• Director Siddharth Anand's first film SALAAM NAMASTE was a huge domestic and overseas success.


• The theme (car racing) is first time in India.


• The music may also create a mark

But some flip points.....

• Actor Saif Ali Khan's past few releases were washouts in the box office. In spite of much critical acclaim and a rocking performance, his OMKARA failed to ignite the box office. Despite being a multistarrer biggie, his EKLAVYA was a huge flop. NEHLLE PE DEHLLA went the same way.


• Rani Mukherjee too had almost a same track record. The hardcore Indian masses rejected her playing of an adulterous woman in KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA. Probably for the KANK -effect she created, BAABUL too was declared a commercial failure. Same for TRRP?

Well, lets see what happens. This pairing created a flame in box office with HUM TUM in 2004 when both of them were going through a bad phase. Saif even didn't have a solo hit! So uncertainty is the key word for box office. The success of this film might cure the lonely, lovelorn heart of SAK- what say?

Watch the trailer!

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