Baahubali untouched! Rs 300 cr in 9 days while Bajrangi Bhaijaan makes Rs 100 cr on Eid weekend

It's official: Bajrangi Bhaijaan is Salman Khan's 8th film to cross the Rs 100 crore mark. What most films take weeks to earn, Bajrangi Bhaijaan has earned in a single weekend.
There was some speculation about how Bajrangi Bhaijaan would fare at the box office, coming right after SS Rajamouli's magnum opus Bahubali. According to this India Today report, the film's Telugu version has made Rs. 257 crore in the first week. The dubbed-in-Hindi version has crossed Rs. 50 crore in two weeks. That's a record for a dubbed film, but it's nowhere close to Bajrangi Bhaijaan's weekend collections.

Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

However, while there's no questioning Khan's dominance over the Hindi film market, it's interesting to see how Bahubali has been able to tap into the pan-Indian market with its dubbed versions in a way that Bollywood hasn't managed. Bahubali was released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. For centres like Bangalore, the film had English subtitles. Net result: Bahubali's multiple versions made Rs 100 crore in 2 days, and its total earnings stood at Rs. 300 crore after eight days, reports Forbes magazine.
That's a high benchmark and despite Bajrangi Bhaijaan's record-breaking opening, as a Hindi film rather than a pan-Indian film, it will struggle to compete with Bahubali's numbers.
One of the most encouraging aspects, though, is that both films are doing good business, rather than pulling one another down.
The Hindi version of Bahubali  may not have broken any records, but it seems to be steadily inching towards a standalone Rs. 100 crore collection. By its ninth day, the Hindi Bahubali had collected Rs 54 crore, and this IB Times report has mentioned that even though trade analysts were worried about how both films would effect each other on the first weekend of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, there seems to be no stopping the collections.
Baahubali is officially the first South Indian film to reach such colossal box office collections, beating its predecessor, Rajinikanth's Enthiran, reports NDTV. Bajrangi Bhaijaan may be speedily rising up the box office charts,  but it's quite evident that Bahubali's decision to dub the Telugu original into three other languages has been an epic success.

Why We Think Shahid Rocks!

Shahid Kapoor’s career, though still relatively young in the scheme of things, has shown the actor in an incredible range of roles and genres. With each new film he has grown as an actor and has proven himself to be one of the best in Bollywood. Coming up this Friday is the love story Mausam, which also stars Sonam Kapoor. Directed by his father Pankaj Kapoor, the actor dedicated all of his time over a period of two years, to make it a film that he hopes will blow audiences away. Since we think Shahid rocks, we thought we would take a look at some of the pivotal and best moments in the actor’s career!

Ishq Vishk: Of course his debut film has to be mentioned. He burst on the scene with that adorable baby face and fabulous screen presence. He did a great job as a newcomer and though in some scenes his acting skills were still raw, there were some really great moments. The cute chemistry between him and Amrita Rao also made the film feel real, young and it was just to good. Ishq Vishk was a movie that was like a breath of fresh air and audiences loved it. His performance won him the coveted Filmfare Best Male Debut Award.

Fida: With his second role, Shahid proved that he was not going to be content being typecast as the cute young college guy. It was a complete 180 from Rajiv, and fans and critics were stunned at his transformation. He proved he was an actor to look out for in the future.

Shikhar: This is another role that showed he wanted to stretch as an actor. His performance is a favorites for one of our writers: “I loved Shahid in Shikhar. He portrayed his character, Jai, so well, going from an innocent boy to a guy lost in the world of money and ambition.” His performance was critically praised and it earned him a Star Screen Award for Best Actor nomination.

Vivah: Once again Shahid was paired with Amrita Rao, but this was a different time, a different story, and a completely different actor. Vivah is a beautiful yet simple film full of emotion and romance. Shahid proved he could be quiet and still make audiences literally feel his emotion coming off the screen. The scene in the hospital when he marries her and puts on her sindoor (sighhhh) is one of the best moments in the film. Vivah ranks as one of his finest and most nuanced performances and definitely one of our favorites. Fans and critics agree and Vivah went on to be one of his biggest hits.

Jab We Met: Of course this HAS to be on the list. It is on almost every Bollywood fans list of “Movies I Love” and “Bollywood movies everyone should see”. Starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid, the two were a perfect foil for each other. Shahid was pitch perfect both as the depressed, lost Aditya who slowly comes to life in the presence of Kareena Kapoor’s Geet to the one who has to bring life and happiness back to her all the while concealing his love. Each moment was done with a delicate touch, full of emotion, energy and light that proved that Shahid as an actor had come into his own. He made every girl fell in love with him…all over again!

Kaminey: Once again he changed it up and went in a new direction, this time taking on two roles in the Vishal Bhardwaj directed dark drama. The dexterity with which he played both characters is worth a mention and then some. We gave it 4 stars and our reviewer raved about Shahid’s performance, “Shahid Kapoor has found himself in the role of a lifetime. You’ve seen him as the lost Aditya Kashyap in Jab We Met and then the shy Prem in Vivah and while he has been incredible in both roles, his portrayal of Charlie and Guddu is his best till date. While he’s mean as Charlie, he’s totally cute as Guddu. And the amount of work it must have taken to swap between stuttering and stammering is only imaginable and is visible on screen. The distinction between both brothers is clear and Shahid comes out a complete winner.” Need we say more?
A couple of special mentions: Though not a success at the box office we do feel that Shahid was really good in Dil Bole Hadippa. He played his role perfectly and his chemistry with Rani was fabulous. Did the film work? Well, not really but Shahid certainly did!
Then there is his dancing, which has to get its own special recognition. He started out as a dancer in the industry and his first big screen time was as a backup dancer in Taal. He has got the moves that puts many a Bollywood hero to shame and he is considered one of the best! Though Chance Pe Dance was not a hit, his dancing was and it showed off his incredible skill. We do love to watch that man move!
Time will tell if his performance in Mausam will rate good enough to make it on our list but we have a feeling it will be! The romance hits theaters on September 23rd!

Rascals Music Review

Rascals is an upcoming comedy directed by David Dhawan, starring Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn as con-men competing to win the affections of Kangna Ranaut’s character. Described in the promotional material as a “mega-comedy”, if you’ve seen any of the trailers or even the poster, you’ll know immediately if the film is worth your pocket money: David Dhawan’s brash and energetic, super-colourful, super-loud, in your face brand of comedy isn’t for everyone, but it undoubtedly has its fans.
Vishal-Shekar have certainly created a soundtrack to fit the Dhawan brief with the Rascals soundtrack – and by that, I mean that this album is basically an onslaught of high-energy noise from start to finish.
The short album consists of four original tracks and two remixes; the entire album is heavily hip-hop and dance based. It’s definitely not one for old-school Hindi film music purists or fans of the rustic desi style currently making a resurgence.
The title song sung by Neeraj Shridhan is…well, it’s what you expect from the title song in a David Dhawan film. It’s high energy and pounding and repetitive, and it’s full of funny sound effects, and a verse sung in chipmunk voices. It will either be hilarious while and after seeing the film (and this is totally the point of a song like this – it’s not really meant to be listened to in isolation, it’s meant to introduce the characters) or you will absolutely never – and I mean NEVER – want to hear this track ever again, unless you are actively trying to drive people out of your house.
Just in case you DO have an odd urge to not only listen to the title track but actually get up and dance to it, the album includes Rascals (Dance Mix), which mercifully eliminates all the gimmicky effects (and the chipmunks) in favour of Neeraj Shridhan singing it properly over a paced up dancey backing.
Pardaah Nasheen is a pounding, percussive wall of sound from the get-go, with Neeraj Shridhar belting out his vocals anthemically over the thumping, repetitive beats. Sunidhi Chauhan features all too briefly, adding a touch of sweetness – and we get the hint, all too clearly: this album is meant to be played full volume.
There’s some crazy mixing going on in Tik Tuk – and I actually kind of like this one! There’s a hint of a bhangra beat and desi drums mixed in with choppy dance synths, sirens, sweet vocal samples from Monali Thakur and hip hop. Daler Mehndi’s repetitive staccato refrain anchors this hot, hypnotic mess, which might not be massy enough to be a huge hit but might just be different enough to make waves.
If I’m honest, I have to say I found the rap in Shake It Saiyyan off-putting. Personally, I prefer the hiphop in the Breakaway soundtrack, which features some desi AND international hiphop integrated pretty seamlessly into a Hindi soundtrack. Hearing the awkward sounding rap in this track was like hearing a audible step backwards. The rest of the track is sparsely instrumented, thumping, loud, Sunidhi Chauhan sounds like she’s singing at the top of her comfortable range for a lot of it, and the overall effect is just kind of grating. I just didn’t like this one at all.
There’s a “Hip Hop Remix” of the song is…misnamed, and manages to be even more irritating with the addition of handclaps and synthesisers. I basically never want to hear anyone ever implore me to “Swag it out” ever again.
The Rascals soundtrack might be perfectly suited to the movie, and it might be ideal music for when you need some energetic background noise – but it’s ultimately filler. There’s not a lot of depth, originality or heart to it: in the end, it is just noise.
A horribly disappointing effort from the normally solid Vishal-Shekhar; here’s hoping they saved their A game for Ra.One.

Mausam Movie Review

Ever since the first buzz of Mausam hit the news, it fast became one of the most-awaited films of 2011. Mausam brings with it two very promising firsts: A first-time director in the critically acclaimed actor Pankaj Kapur and a fresh new jodi in Kapur’s son Shahid Kapoor and star-daughter Sonam Kapoor. The intrigue and anticipation surrounding the film increased with the thought of the father and son duo jointly working on the same project for the first time. Over the past few months prior to release the movie has been caught up in a number of controversies. However, now that Mausam has finally hit the theaters, does it prove to be worth the wait?
Mausam’s story has been branded as and is a story about love that spans across a number of continents, years and, perhaps most importantly, through different seasons. Starting off in 1992, the film begins with Harry’s (Shahid) story. Harry is a young village boy residing in Mallukot and has a fascination with speed and trains. He is living his youth with his accompanying friends. When a neighbour’s (Supriya Pathak) niece, Aayat (Sonam) is forced to come and stay with her aunt from Kashmir as a matter of safety, Harry falls in love at first sight. The two share some sweet and heart-felt moments with one another before Aayat and her family are forced to move to Mumbai. Harry is left heartbroken but he is also seen to receive a letter about his entry into the army. What follows is a story whereby the two lovers meet at various intervals every few years in different places and under different circumstances.
It would be wrong to say that Mausam is your average, run-of-the-mill Bollywood love story. It is very much a movie which stands for everything Bollywood signifies about, minus the taaza masala. The first half of the movie is centred on the life of Harry and Aayat and their Mallukot activities, including the wedding of Harry’s sister and also the visit of Aayat’s refugee father. It can be said that this part of the film is probably the most watchable and this is because of the portrayal of innocence, mischief and sweet obsession that the two protagonists’ share with one another.
You’re reminded of a love story which could very easily have fit perfectly in the years it was set in and proved to be a huge success at the box office. However, hold your horses. The second half of the movie is a huge disappointment and doesn’t follow on as promisingly as the first half yearns for it to. Fate brings the two characters together a number of times but as each meeting happens, the plot becomes less and less realistic. Fate is thought to instigate these meetings but even fate wouldn’t work its wonder that many times.
Performance-wise, Shahid Kapoor is perhaps the films sole saviour. Arguably, the actor holds the whole movie on his own shoulders. Kapoor plays the role of a Harry with such perfection that you’re left feeling somewhat sad that the movie doesn’t quite live up to his immensely praiseworthy rendition. Sonam Kapoor as Aayat is believable but doesn’t quite seem to strike an uncritical chord. It’s difficult to pinpoint the reason for this but could possibly be because this is the first time she has tackled this kind of character in this sort of movie.
Pankaj Kapur, in his directorial debut, has given the kinds of settings and locations in Mausam which have huge significance in the “seasonal” look the movie needed. As Kapur has also written the movie, his understanding and vision seem to go a long way and this can be seen in the overall feel of the movie and the intricacies he has sought to show in each of his characters, both individually and in the relationships they have with each other. Overall, Kapur has achieved a very accomplished effort in his first movie and it is yet to be seen whether we will see this talent of his at the forefront again.
With Mausam, you are made to travel from Mallukot to Scotland and from Switzerland to Ahmedabad and you take with you Harry’s and Aayat’s pyaar. The biggest and most important aspect of Mausam is that the love story within should have been seen to resonate and it would have if it hadn’t been complicated with the various periods the two have to spend apart. It is this and the number of times that the two come together which gets tedious about makes what should have been a simple story unnecessarily long-winded.
If, like most Bollywood fans, you love a good love story then Mausam (minus the seasons) will make you want to fall in love again. However, if what you’re after is a story which you could list for years to come as one of the most touching love stories given by Indian cinema, I’m sorry to say that Mausam doesn’t quite hit the spot. Although a strong and impactful love story, the movie sadly seems to get lost in its own fat

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Movie Review

Yash Raj is a production house that has given us some timeless classics and introduced many new directors. Once again, it brings us yet another with Ali Abbas Zafar in his debut film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Now with Rocket Singh and Dil Bole Hadippa being average fares, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has got its fair share of expections banked on it. Beyond the success of the films, the lead cast of Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif and Ali Zafar are all set out to try their luck again with each of their last films Delhi Belly, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Tere Bin Laden working well. But sadly, this is far from a classic that the production house is renowned for nor is it the best work of the cast. We do need to give the director credit for bringing Imran, Katrina and Ali to the screen and even though the story is pretty much evident from the title/trailer itself, it does have its good points. However, the film’s predictability and major loopholes tarnish the experience.
Ok, so we get right to the point and say it isn’t path breaking cinema of a story about a guy, Kush [Imran Khan] who sets out to find his NRI brother Luv [Ali Zafar] a bride. But by the time he finds the perfect one in Dimple [Katrina Kaif] and arranges the alliances, he realises that he loves her. From here, its a game of conspiracy as Kush, Dimple and their buddies in crime race against time to break the alliance Kush helped form without hurting the one whom he did it for, his brother Luv. Quite simple and unfortunately, quite plain as well.
In essence, the performances by the whole cast show their effort to convince the audience of this film. Imran Khan doesn’t let any lingering side effects of his Tashi from Delhi Belly come in sight as he plays film director Kush rather well. Yet you still wish he went all out where he could have instead of being so restricted. After all, he’s supposed to be a dutiful bhai, not a demure one. Katrina tries really hard to be a vivacious Dimple, a girl that is a rebel on the outside that strives to have her own fun but inside would feel bad if she did anything to hurt her parents. She succeeds to a degree but then becomes a cartoon for the rest of the time. Ali Zafar unfortunately, is not seen on screen enough for the natural performer that he is. Barring the fact of his blind faith in his brother that sees him exploited in comical manner, he fits the bill. The Kingfisher model-turned-actress Tara D’Souza needs to brush up her acting quite a bit. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyu is quirky but nice as the sidekick friend helping to break the alliance, Shobhit while Ajju played by Afreen Khan does well in the role of Dimple’s autistic brother. The rest, and there are a lot, make do with their scenes and add to the film.
Due credit must be given as the dialogue is written so that the supporting cast gets the best lines, not just the leads, and there are no obvious bad traits to scrutinize and discriminate against the lead characters, something often happens so the audience favours the main lead couple. But thats not to say the clichés arent there. From the so-called “connecting moment” Imran-Katrina and Katrina-Ali combos to how they get out of their situations, some things are so obvious, you simply get bored. After the interval block, where there could have been some major funny bits, there is a whole bunch of outdated gimmicks and questionable writing.

I guess what’s so disappointing is that with a fun soundtrack by Sohail Sen, great visuals by Sudeep Chatterjee and apt editing by Ritesh Soni, director Ali failed to capture and enhance the fun quotient in his writing for a tried and tested formula. Clearly logic isn’t on the agenda, but at least make the proceeding a little less predictable.
So while the music is great and the performances commendable, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan lacks originality and leaves one guessing what it would have been like without the loopholes.