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Wolff previously broke into the horror and thriller genres with My Friend Dahmer and Hereditary

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As multiple states have moved to further restrict access to abortions during the pandemic, a powerful new dramatic film follows a 17-year-old girl as she travels from her small town in Pennsylvania to New York City to get an abortion without having to notify her parents. "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" director and writer Eliza Hittman joins us to discuss the making of the film, which is being distributed online while cinemas remain closed in most states due to the pandemic.

With 6,000 cinemas closed, 200 film shoots stopped in March, more than €150 million already lost and more than half of the population signed up to a streaming service, film critic Lisa Nesselson speaks to Eve Jackson about the effect of the coronavirus on the French film industry. They also talk about the revival of the drive-in in these social distancing times and the release of Terrence Mallick's "A Hidden Life" on VOD.

This week we took a look at Iran's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the troubles that lie ahead for prisoners on early release due to the coronavirus and China's "mask diplomacy". We also investigate how Covid-19 is affecting the French cinema industry and the role of US forces in the Sahel region's war on terror. 

English dub cast includes Joey Richter, Merit Leighton, Sarah Williams, Michael Johnston

The Magnificent KOTOBUKI film's dialogue recording completed

New release date yet to be announced

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the only actors who knows how to keep his fans and followers happy and elated. He has been entertaining everyone for the last 30 years and 2019 was the only year ever since his debut that we didn't see any of his films in the cinemas. His last few films may not have fared the way he and the fans wanted, they are still excited about his next.

In yet another #AskSRK session that he held on Twitter, he spilled the beans on almost everything, even the colour of his toothbrush. Yes! Some of the questions and answers were terrific. One of the first ones was expectedly about how the actor is spending time amid the lockdown. This is what he replied- "Inspite of contributing to the population boom, having three kids to be with is a treat. They r in all shapes and sizes, so the day goes by being with them each for a couple of hours. Then spend rest of the day cleaning up their toys!" (sic)

Have a look right here:

Inspite of contributing to the population boom, having three kids to be with is a treat. They r in all shapes and sizes, so the day goes by being with them each for a couple of hours. Then spend rest of the day cleaning up their toys! https://t.co/WrG0ppqMoL

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 20, 2020

The next one was about his next film and this is something all his fans are desperately waiting for. He tweeted- "It's obvious I will do some films...it's obvious they will be made..and it's obvious you all will know." (sic) Read it right here:

Don’t tire yourself. It’s obvious I will do some films...it’s obvious they will be made..and it’s obvious you all will know. https://t.co/kxUNExGoQJ

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 20, 2020

A fan wrote- "SRK movie a day keeps Corona away." To which he said- " Hope we overcome the virus...faster than the number of movies I have done. Insha Allah." (sic):

Hope we overcome the virus...faster than the number of movies I have done. Insha Allah https://t.co/FYai9ZYx07

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 20, 2020

And lastly, when someone asked him to choose between Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan, the man wrote- "Wow both are awesome and I have met them...but Raju apna sa lagta hai...nahi?" (sic):

Wow both are awesome and I have met them...but Raju apna sa lagta hai...nahi? https://t.co/EuSsrTHtx5

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 20, 2020

Was this an announcement on the sly that his next director could be Rajkumar Hirani? We are waiting for the next session and an official announcement!

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Fact that Aparshakti Khurana has emerged as one of the ultimate social media buzz makers amidst the lockdown. After initiating digital antakshari, he started interactive Instagram Lives, brand collaborations, musical series called #InstaMusic and even featured in a special Lockdown Anthem video alongside various YouTubers.

With so much on, it won't be wrong to call Khurana the most entertaining and engaging celeb on social media currently. Taking his creativity to another level this time around, Aparshakti has shared his first-ever audio short film - Hisaab Barabar on Instagram which he wanted to present back from his Radio days.

The plot revolves around a girl called Suhani and her schoolmate Rinku, revealing how after disliking each other all these years during school, they end up falling in love with each other. Hisaab Barabar is already winning hearts, thanks to its beautiful storyline and Aparshakti's brilliance at storytelling. He does not just leave you smiling but makes you believe and see these two characters when you're just hearing about them. Well, that truly is the real art of narrating stories on audio.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aparshakti Khurana (@aparshakti_khurana) onApr 18, 2020 at 3:30am PDT

The multi-talented star shared Hisaab Barabar on his handle saying, "For those who don’t know, I was working at a radio station 5 years ago and was working on a pilot of my new audio show but destiny had other plans and Dangal happened (which I am grateful of till date), because of which I had to leave the pilot midway. The idea of this audio show was so close to my heart that it continued to linger in my mind for the last 5 years. One of the segments was to be called YEH DILLI HAI MERE YAAR, where in I would have released one audio short film every Friday. Coming up is a story called Hisaab Barabar which is written and voiced by me. Just FYI, I might not have patience and energy to write and voice more stories but I shall try only if you like this one [sic]."

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Having done actioners like "Force", the "Commando" franchise and "Junglee", actor Vidyut Jammwal, who is known for his high-octane stunts on screen, says his next "Khuda Hafiz" is a hardcore romantic film.

"'Khuda Hafiz' is a romantic movie. It's a true story of a man who is madly in love with his wife, and gets married in 2009 during the recession. They go abroad and get a job. (The story is about) how this girl gets picked up and how the guy gets her back. It's a hardcore, true romantic movie with a little action," Vidyut told IANS.

The shooting of the film has taken place in Uzbekistan, Mumbai and Lucknow.

Directed by Faruk Kabir, the romantic-action-thriller co-stars Shivaleeka Oberoi, who recently made her debut in "Yeh Saali Aashiqui", opposite late Amrish Puri's grandson Vardhan Puri.

The film is produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak and co-produced by Sanjeev Joshi, Aditya Chowksey and Murlidhar Chhatwani. It will be distributed pan-India by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Panorama Films.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha on Wednesday paid homage to legendary late filmmaker BR Chopra on the occasion of his birth anniversary. The 74-year-old actor took to Twitter to pay tributes to the late creator of iconic TV series 'Mahabharat.'

"Homages, tributes & prayers for the great filmmaker, par excellence legend in the true sense, producer, director, late & great, pioneer, #BRChopra on his birth anniversary," Sinha tweeted. The 'Naseeb' actor also remembered some of the classic films that the legendary filmmaker has given to the Indian cinema industry.

Sharing an emotional video, on the last day of the shoot of Mahabharata, with his late & great son#RaviChopra who had co directed the serial. Profound regards to his family. Birth anniversary 🕉💐 pic.twitter.com/x2cjTCXBCM

— Shatrughan Sinha (@ShatruganSinha) April 22, 2020

"He has left behind an enormous legacy of several hit films & immortal gems for us to cherish for a lifetime Naya Daur, Ek hi Raasta, Waqt, the first song less, film Kanoon, Ittefaq, to name a few His films mostly dealt with concepts well ahead of the times," he tweeted.

"He worked with mostly all the leading artists of his time. He was a rarest of rare human being & was equally successful with his most watched & popular tv serial the epic 'Mahabharat', written by the famous intellectual, writer, late & great #Dr.RahiMasoomRaza," the tweet further read.

BR Chopra was an iconic figure in the Indian cinema industry and was also a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Some of his most successful movies include 'Naya Daur,' 'Humraaz,' and 'Sadhna.'

He is best known for his iconic TV series 'Mahabharat'.

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Radhika Madan was heartbroken when Angrezi Medium — a film that she had dedicated the past four months to — ran in theatres for only a day, before the shutdown of cinemas came into effect from March 14. But good things come to those who wait. The Irrfan-starrer was recently released on Disney+Hotstar and has been winning viewers' hearts.

"I feel the movie is getting its due finally," says the actor, relieved that their labour of love has reached the audience. Though producer Dinesh Vijan initially toyed with the idea of releasing the comedy again after the situation returns to normalcy, the makers did a rethink. "We understood that the pandemic and its repercussions were far bigger than our individual interests. As a team, we reflected that we had made the film because we wanted to share the story and make people smile. So, it didn't make sense to delay the digital release. We did not want to wait and re-release the movie because there [is a backlog of] too many films."

Madan believes that viewers are able to identify with the father-daughter story more strongly today because the current scenario has made them value their relationships more than ever before. "People have written to me about the scenes they liked in the film. It was adorable to see fathers and daughters watching the film together and bonding over it. People are re-evaluating their priorities because of the lockdown. Now that I am away from my parents, I value them so much more, and the film highlights that emotion."

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If you liked Ajay Devgn's 2018 mystery thriller Raid, then you will love this bit of news! It's being reported that Devgn's film will soon get a sequel, as the actor and producer Bhushan Kumar are already said to be working on it. Plus, according to a report, Raid will be turned into a multi-film franchise. Excited yet?

A source close to the development informed Mumbai Mirror, "The franchise seeks to bring into the public eye heroes who work closely with intelligence agencies to track white-collar crimes. To this day, nobody knows the identity of the officer on whom Ajay's Amay was modelled. Raid 2 will also be a tribute to men who don’t wear the uniform."

Bhushan Kumar, who produced the first film, told the publication, "It will be a huge multi-film franchise and Ajay Ji and I, along with Kumar Mangat ji, are looking to take Raid forward. The script of Part 2 is being developed. Since the original was a much-loved film, the sequel is a huge responsibility. After the super success of Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, there's a lot of pressure on this collaboration to live up to the expectation. We have always aimed at creating high concept films."

Raid, directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, starred Ajay Devgn an IRS officer, Amay Patnaik. While Devgn and Bhushan Kumar are already collaborating on Bhuj: The Pride Of India, news of them reuniting for the Raid series is much welcome for fans of the film!

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Alaya F made an everlasting mark in the heart of the audiences with her debut in Jawaani Jaaneman. The audiences and critics alike loved how she aced her character. Being stuck at home in lockdown, Alaya being a learner and lover of consuming things that make her grow as an actor is making the most of her time watching films to grasp more knowledge.

Alaya is a lover of old school classics and is watching films that have where she can learn a lot in terms of acting, feel, speech delivery, body language and much more. This will certainly help the actress in refining her skills. Some of the classics that Alaya is watching include:

The film 'Platform' has radical and thought-provoking content. It's a socially relevant and extremely well-made film. Next, is the 1955 classic 'Devdas' by Bimal Roy, followed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas. Adding to it is Anurag Kashyap's Dev D. What's interesting here is how one subject has been treated in such unique and different ways, in terms of direction and performance.

The next one being Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black' which received a lot of critical acclaim for its intriguing storyline and the phenomenal performances by the actors. Another one being Super Deluxe, which is the perfect blend of nuanced performances and impeccable writing. Vijay Sethupathi is a treat to watch and Raasukutty's character shines throughout the movie.

The list ends with Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Howrah Bridge and other Madhubala classics. Clearly, the girl of the moment is enriching herself with all these films and learning as much as possible. Apart from seeing films, Alaya is making the most of her time staying indoors and indulging in a variety of activities.

Alaya F made her silver screen debut this what which hit the screens on 31st January 2020 where she shared the screen worn Saif Ali Khan and Tabu, yet moved all the audience and the Indian film industry with her performance.

Back in 1992, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon, Gulshan Grover, Naseeruddin Shah, and Rekha were all set to collaborate for India's most expensive film- Time Machine and to be directed by Masoom and Mr. India director Shekhar Kapur. Yes, it was supposed to be mounted on a lavish scale and made on an unheard budget. However, destiny had other plans and the film never saw the lights of the day.

Just like Mr. India, it was based on the genre of Sci-Fi and on the lines of the Hollywood classic Back to the Future. But given the scarcity of technology and budget constraints at that time, the producers decided to shelve the film. It was the story of a man who travels back in time with the help of a machine to meet his parents he has never seen. A similar concept was used by Vipul Shah in his 2010 film, Action Replayy.

And now, taking to his Instagram account, Gulshan Grover shared a still from that film and it's your perfect Flashback Friday picture that could cheer you up. Because during this lockdown, these nostalgic pictures are our best stress-busters.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Aamir Khan @_aamirkhan and me in an unfinished Film #TimeMachine , directed by @Shekharkapur . Raveena Tandon @Officialraveenatandon was the leading lady

A post shared by Gulshan Grover (@gulshangrover) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:10pm PDT

After the success of Bandit Queen, Shekhar Kapur migrated to Hollywood, and Time Machine could never be revived. The cast may have moved on, but it would have been great to at least see a glimpse of what the makers wanted to achieve at a time when no filmmaker had the audacity to even imagine such a theme.

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Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan's daughter, Suhana, may not have yet entered Bollywood, but she still is a well-known star kid who has a huge fan following already. Suhana Khan recently made her acting debut in a short film titled The Grey Part Of Blue, written and directed by Theodore Gimeno. In the film, Suhana is cast as a happy young girl.

Now, in a series of BTS photos and videos shared by Gimeno on Instagram, you can see that Suhana Khan had a lot of fun while shooting for her debut acting venture. She can be seen laughing and just having a good time with her co-star and crew.

Sharing the BTS footage, Gimeno wrote, "I just released the BEHIND THE SCENES video to my short film The Grey Part of Blue. You guys highly requested it so here it is! It is live now!"

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I just released the BEHIND THE SCENES video to my short film The Grey Part of Blue. You guys highly requested it so here it is! It is live now! (LINK IN BIO) Here are some teasers btw! This video is super special to me as I now finally share how we made The Grey Part of Blue. The real thing! So yeah, rush to my bio. Show as much love as you want, share it around! Everything! And maybe you’ll want to watch the short film again 🙃 Love you guys, take care during these weird times! Big love to the whole crew, the team, the friends❤️ #thegreypartofblue

A post shared by Theodore Gimeno (@theodoregimeno) onApr 22, 2020 at 9:11am PDT

The Grey Part Of Blue is about a couple, played by Suhana and her co-star Robin Gonella, who set out on a two-day road trip to meet Suhana's parents. During the trip, certain situations force them to face truths about life, love and their relationship. The 10.05-minute fiction film was released on YouTube.

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Farhan Akhtar is a multifaceted package of entertainment and his skills know no bounds. The actor has given the audience of the Indian film industry several memorable characters on-screen that. The audience saw one of the actor's most meaningful and poetic characters in Bollywood in the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He donned the role of an advertising copywriter. His character in the film was given to all things art and delivered to us mesmerizing poetry which captured the essence of the film in it and gave a meaningful message out to the viewers.

In the sports biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Farhan Akhtar played the eminent role of the world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh. His character was inspirational to watch on screens and certainly gave the motivation they required to chase their goals. 'The Sky Is Pink' saw Farhan playing the intense role of a husband and a father in the biographical dram film, proving his versatility and his ability to play characters from one end of the spectrum to another.

The actor has won several accolades with his remarkable roles in his films and those films are known to gain commercial popularity as well. However, this time around Farhan is all set to step into the boxing ring with Toofaan where he won't be pulling any punches or leaving any stones unturned with his acting skills.

Farhan's previous noteworthy roles promise the audience an even more pre-eminent character on-screen.

The film is scheduled to release on the 18th of September 2020, presented by Excel Entertainment and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

Toofaan is an Excel Entertainment Production in association with ROMP Pictures. So be ready to be blown away by a storm in Toofaan!

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Ateet
On: Zee5
Director: Tanuj Bhramar
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Priyamani, Sanjay Suri
Rating:  

This is how the premise of the new film on Zee5, Ateet, has been described- 'When Captain Ateet Rana goes missing and is declared dead by the army, his colleague Vishwa Karma steps forward to marry Ateet's wife and take care of his daughter. Things take an unexpected turn when Ateet returns after a decade to reclaim his family.' A majority of the filmmakers would opt to make a sloppy and screechy melodrama out of this, but writer Harsshil R Patel and director Tanuj Bhramar add a supernatural and spooky element to it, making it or intending to make it a chilling watch. It's anything but!

Three talented actors- Rajeev Khandelwal, Priyamani, and Sanjay Suri, struggle with one-note characters. The South Indian actress surprisingly delivers such a cold and charmless performance that not even once you feel any sort of empathy for the lady. A scene that involves all three of them, she angrily states that it doesn't matter whom she chooses between them, but that she can leave both of them for her daughter. It wasn't supposed to be funny, but I was left amused. That's what Ateet is basically, unintentional comedy. In another scene, when she declares she saw her daughter talking to someone unlike a human, Vipin Sharma, who plays an army doctor, quips- "You're talking nonsense." Again, the scene wasn't supposed to be funny, but I cracked a smile this time too!

But it isn't entirely unwatchable, there are moments of shock and surprise, and you may jump on your bed or your sofa or wherever you watch this drama-cum-horror. The scares aren't the kind you normally witness in a Bollywood horror film, yes, there is some display of tacky prosthetic but the director keeps the worst for the last. The execution and editing towards the early portions give the film an eery feel and so does the pace of the narrative. But all hopes go for a toss once the plot has opened all its cards.

Watch the trailer right here:

To worsen what was already beginning to get mediocre and mundane, characters take their own time to communicate and draw long pauses between one dialogue and another to show how intense this drama is supposed to be. It's also upsetting to see an actor like Khandelwal, who made a gripping debut in Aamir, stuck in the same hero-in-horrified mode. He plays an army officer but his heroism is displayed in barely one war scene that's embarrassingly choreographed and ends even more appallingly.

The scene comes when we are close to knowing the truth of these clandestine characters hiding some demonic truths, so who cares about the action set-piece that preceded it? Ateet messes up a delicious plot and makes its central characters appear lost and limp, and this time, I'm not laughing.

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"Writing a book is no joke," starts off Divya Dutta, whose last published work, Me and Ma, hit the stands in 2017. Trying to meet her publisher's deadline, the actor has already begun work on her next book amidst the lockdown.

The actor agrees that it takes up most of her time. "I think people liked my nostalgic journey [in Me and Ma] and it's beautiful to express what you feel and find a connect with the readers," says Dutta, as she makes writing her priority. She reveals that being in the film industry for almost two decades has provided fodder for her book. "I am writing a memoir on the film industry. It will chronicle my journey in cinema, but I wouldn't call it a biography," says the actor as she explains that the earlier book was also a chapter of her life, but through the eyes of her mother. "This is going to be different from what I have written or shared before," says Dutta of the yet-untitled book.

Dutta's next, Sheer Qorma, is a story on the LGBTQAI+ community. She credits her impulsive nature for her choice of films. "I am called a risk-taker because I am impulsive about my choices. I go by my intuition when I get a script. The story of Sheer Qorma moved me as it talks about acceptance by the people you love unconditionally," says the actor, adding Fire (1996) was ahead of its time.

"I hope this film will help normalise something that we make an issue out of."

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The Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan starrer Ta Ra Rum Pum stood out as a sports-drama that was set against the backdrop of car racing in the USA with Saif playing a racing prodigy. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film had a lavish shooting schedule in the United States and Rani has some very fond memories of shooting this project. Today, as the film completes 13 years, the actress speaks about almost everything that you'll love to read!

"Ta Ra Rum Pum was a very, very lovely shooting experience for me because we shot in America, in New York, for nearly 3 months. I was there for 3 months at a stretch and it was lovely living in New York around that time shooting the film. We had two little angels - Ali and Angelina (who played the roles of Priya and Ranveer – Saif and Rani's on-screen kids) and I was single at that point of time but to actually play a mother of these 2 children really got my motherly instincts out," says Rani.

The talented actress adds, "Today when I look back and watch the film when I have Adira with me, it just feels so amazing. When Ta Ra Rum Pum released, I had a lot of children and parents really watching the film with a lot of love. I still get a lot of people telling me that they watched Ta Ra Rum Pum and it's one of their favourite films because it has car racing and it has the story about the children."

Rani feels the film's universal theme of family coming together to overcome all odds is what connected with the audiences. "It's a very nice warm lovely story and I think I connected with the film and the story a lot at that time. It was a very sweet story about this couple who has children and how they fight the odds. I think crisis like these brings families closer and I think that's a very special part of the story," she says.

Rani thoroughly enjoyed the animation in the film which was hailed as a cut above as far Bollywood standard back then was. "Of course, it had the animation song (Ta Ra Rum Pum) with the teddy bears which is one of my favourite songs. I think they had done a lovely job and the animation was one of my first animation songs which I did!" the actress adds.

Rani had a blast acting with Saif, with whom she also delivered the blockbuster Hum Tum, and her co-stars in the film. "Of course, having Saif with me as a co actor was wonderful! Also, Victor Banerjee played my father in the film and it was wonderful having him on set and to be working with him. It was overall a great experience and I remember being really, really happy on the sets of Ta Ra Rum Pum!" she says.

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Santosh Kumar Shah

Virar resident and former film distributor Santosh Kumar Shah, 48, has lived through what can only be described as a tragic Bollywood plot, thanks to a landlord and policeman from hell.

Trouble began in January 2013, when he decided to move from Andheri to Virar. Shah had been a distributor for films such as Mahasangram (1990) and Insaaf (1997). He got a 1BHK apartment on a rent of Rs 2,700 and Rs 15,000 deposit, owned by one Ravikant Patil in Virar East.

No amenities
Shah was assured of every possible amenity in the house. But when he moved in, he found out that there was neither electricity nor any water supply. Shah said he complained to Patil about this and was assured it would be sorted out in a few days, but that never happened. He realised Patil had cheated others in the same flat, so he registered a complaint at the Virar police station. Patil was served a notice under Section 149 of the CrPC.

Soon after, Shah alleges Patil verbally threatened and abused him, asking him to withdraw the complaint and vacate the house. Patil then came to the flat with a woman and builder Bhushan Patil. Shah called the cops and went to the police station, when he saw Patil and the builder there. Shah said he was slapped by PSI Asif Baig. Shah's case was transferred to API DF Patil, following a robbery attempt in his flat.

PSI denies allegations
Baig denied all the charges. In fact, he said he would receive complaints against Shah from other society members, as he never paid his utility bills on time, resulting in the disconnection of his electricity and water. He would also call senior officers now and then for every problem.

Meanwhile, Shah alleged that in June 2014, he was assaulted by the accused and some more people. He called the cops, but nobody turned up. Shah attempted to meet Thane SP Rajesh Pradhan, but fainted before he could do so. The SP ordered his team to take Shah to the hospital and file an FIR against the accused.

Framed and locked up
When Shah came back to the police station to register the plaint, the cops ended up arresting him under charges of molestation and the POCSO Act. He ended up spending 20 months in prison for a crime he didn't commit. A court acquitted him and he was released on January 13, 2016. All cases against him were dropped in June 2017.

Shah then went back to the flat to collect his belongings but found nothing there. To his surprise, another tenant was residing there. His car was also missing.

Currently, Shah has no job and little money. He eats food at religious shrines and sleeps at railway stations. Last month, he approached current Thane SP Manjunath Shinde, who has asked Virar police to look into the matter. Palghar district PRO said, "We have received an application from Shah and ordered Virar police to investigate."

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It's been 35 years since over 2,000 Muslims were killed in the town of Nellie and its surrounding villages in Assam, and 34 years ago, the country was burning in the flames of anti-Sikh violence. In the semblance of the peaceful times we live in, these tragedies have been relegated to the dusty pages of history. But only when lessons are learnt from the past can there be the hope of history not repeating itself. Remembering/Forgetting, a screening of documentaries on the two tragic events, organised by the Godrej India Culture Lab, aims to do that by starting a dialogue between the audience and filmmakers, who will be present at the screening.

"When I visited the Sikh Widows Colony in West Delhi to speak to its residents, I chose to not meet them during October-November, when politicians visit them. It's only when they were sure that I had no political motive, did they start opening up about how they struggled and coped with the loss," recalls Teenaa Kaur Pasricha, whose documentary, 1984, When the Sun Didn't Rise, won the National Award for Best Investigative Film this year.
She adds that the number of cases that stand in court against the perpetrators of the 1984 violence have drastically come down over the years because people have given up hope for any justice to come their way.

Teenaa Kaur Pasricha

For Subasri Krishnan, making her documentary, What the Fields Remember, was an exercise in piecing together her own faint recollection of the word Nellie, which she had heard as an eight-year-old when she lived briefly in Assam. "In 2006, I came across an article on the Nellie massacre.

A still from What the Fields Remember

Later, when I started my research and came across very little material on it, I wanted to know why there is public amnesia about it," says the filmmaker, for whom the idea of citizenship has been an intellectual pursuit. The concern becomes even more relevant with the ramifications of being excluded from the National Register of Citizens, which forms the subject of her next documentary, Shadow Line.

Subasri Krishnan

"The history of minorities, written by the powerful, is always suppressed in the public eye," laments Pasricha — something that is as relevant in the case of the Nellie massacre, where the reality of Bengali-speaking victims in the already-neglected region of the North East only grows more complex.

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In what can be called as a shocking incident coming from thane, a 34-year-old man was apprehended for allegedly filming people bathing. Police said that the accused is a student who is pursuing higher education from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay.

The molester, identified as Avinash Kumar Yadav, is a Thane-resident who has been arrested under section 354 (any man who watches or captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act in circumstances where she would usually have the expectation of not being observed) of the Indian Penal Code.

"A woman filed a complain that she found a mobile phone on the bathroom window while she was bathing on Friday night. She alerted her husband who confiscated the phone. The couple saw the accused fleeing from the place," a Kapurbawdi police station official said.

"The accused was nabbed by other residents. The mobile phone had clips of men and women, mostly residents of the same building, bathing," he added.

In another incident in Thane, a 36-year-old man was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a local court for raping a married woman in his neighbourhood. District Judge Kavita D Shirbhate convicted Bablu Lakhan Shaha under section 376 (rape), 385 (extortion) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and also imposed a fine of Rs 9,000 on him.

(With inputs from PTI)

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QSQT - perhaps the first Hindi film to be referred to by its abbreviated title - finished 30 years of its release this week

If you think about it, the reason the girl (Juhi Chawla) can't be with the boy (Aamir Khan) in Mansoor Khan's directorial debut Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) - path-breaking romance for its time - is rather simple. Years ago, the boy's father had killed the girl's uncle. This is because the uncle had impregnated the boy's aunt, but forced to marry someone else - abetting her suicide.

Now, why this uncle and aunt couldn't get together isn't quite clear in this adaptation of Romeo And Juliet. Unlike the couple in Sairat (2016), both belonged to rich, neighbouring families, from the same (Rajput) caste. The thorn in their backsides was the khadoos patriarch (Goga Kapoor). He enjoyed the sole right to decide who his son (and later his grand-daughter) would marry. Also, that girl had slept with his son out of wedlock.

For a movie mirroring such rigid, patriarchal values, it's amazing that it remains, up until 2018, a rare occasion where the heroine (Juhi) falls for first, and actively chases the hero (Aamir) - a sign of ultimate gender equality (to my mind), making it one of the most feministic films I know. QSQT - perhaps the first Hindi film to be referred to by its abbreviated title - finished 30 years of its release this week. Aamir, who also shared writing credit for the movie, organised a special screening with cast and crew to mark and discuss the moment.

I just saw QSQT myself, after several years, to observe with much relief that the film hasn't aged much (certainly not as much as humans have, since), although it's not as young as the all-time favourite, Mansoor's Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander (1992), which still looks as fresh as last Friday's catch.

One of the things that Mansoor revealed after the QSQT screening, which is rather ironic given the film's subject, were the constant creative differences/fights he would have with his late father, producer-writer Nasir Husain, during the making, making others worry if they could ever move on. That way, QSQT is full of ironies.

To begin with, for a 2-hour, 43-minute movie, there are only four-and-a-half songs. This, coming from Nasir, king of Bollywood musicals, who produced, among other great soundtracks, the 10-minute-plus medley in Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977; best piece of music ever).

Once, being told that a track in QSQT had been composed, while it hadn't been, Nasir decided to hop over to the studio of music composer sons of Chitragupta, Anand-Milind, giving them only a 15-minute heads up. In that interim, Anand-Milind came up with the song, Aye Mere Hum Safar.

Don't know if the pressures were equally high throughout, for I recently discovered the track, Return To Alamo (1977) by The Shadows, which even by Bollywood's liberal standards for 'inspiration', seems shockingly lifted, note for note, even tempo intact, for the number Akele Hain Toh Kya Gham Hai. The only stroke of genius being that a war-cry has been turned into a romantic melody!

In 1995, Mansoor and Aamir teamed up to unofficially remake Kramer Vs Kramer (1979), even picking up scenes from the original, while one of the main songs was copied from The Godfather score. I once asked Aamir if he thought this was a complete, creative low. He didn't agree.

What young Mansoor, and indeed Aamir, did with one foot firmly on traditions and family customs/values, and the other on relatively modern sensibilities/outlook with QSQT, is take baby steps out of the shadows of the veteran Nasir Husain. This is very similar to how the Barjatyas' reticent scion Sooraj, 25, made his directorial debut with Salman Khan in Maine Pyar Kiya (MPK, 1989), and Yash Chopra's son Aditya, 24, smartly, gently pushed the mainstream bar with Shah Rukh Khan in his first film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ, 1995).

Together, with soft romances involving hardened parents, the three newbie Khans invaded Bollywood, gradually extricating it from the '80s 'Angry Young Man' hangover, rape-avenger actioners, and family melodramas driven by baffling sensibilities of the money-making, assembly line movies, adapted from the South. QSQT, originally titled Nafrat Ke Waaris, was as much 10 years ahead of its time, as comforting for mainstream audiences from 20 years before. I remember older family members (and teenage girls alike) being struck by Aamir and Juhi, who were formally "introduced" in the film, although Aamir had earlier already starred in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984).

Leading up to QSQT's release, a hoarding teaser campaign had been launched across Mumbai (and perhaps other cities), with just the question, "Who's Aamir Khan? Ask the girl next door!" The billboards turned into QSQT's posters upon the film's release. Yup, it's been 30 frickin' years. Of course, we know who's Aamir Khan. What film-buffs have always been curious about ever since, and for good reason, is what's he up to next! We always inevitably remember his last film. Which is why, I suspect, QSQT, unlike MPK, DDLJ, if you think about it, hasn't actually got its due.

Mayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture. He tweets @mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

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A still from Bioscopewala, featuring Danny Denzongpa in the lead

When we dial up Danny Denzongpa's number on a Friday evening, we are greeted with a faint "hello". The network is choppy, his voice drifts in and out. "I am in a cool place," he says, referring to Sikkim, where the actor is at the moment. His film, Bioscopewala, based on Rabindranath Tagore's renowned story Kabuliwala, is prepping for release, but Denzongpa chooses to stay far from the hustle and bustle of promotion. "I like it here," says the man of few words.

The 70-year-old actor was a little boy when he saw the Balraj Sahni-starrer Kabuliwala (1961). He had also seen the Bengali film earlier, starring Chhabi Biswas. The Sahni film, however, had an impact on him altogether. "I remember our teacher had taken us to see the film and I was howling in the theatre," Denzongpa says. When he first read Tagore's story in school, he made a drawing inspired by it. "There was a man with a pagdi, standing in a hilly backdrop. There was a stream flowing by, and across it, was a little girl." Bioscopewala, he tells us, was originally supposed to star Amitabh Bachchan. "But somehow, that did not materialise. I have always been a huge fan of the film, so, when Sunil (Doshi, producer and co-writer) approached me, I jumped at the chance," he says.

Doing the film was like going back to his college days. "Most of the crew was from my film institute (FTII) — the director, writer, sound designer Resul (Pookutty). I was the senior most among them. I remember when we were shooting in Ladakh, and I would go jogging at early morning, they'd be surprised and tell me 'you're supposed to rest for two days'. But, I am from the hills!" laughs Denzongpa. He also knew his co-actor Geetanjali Thapa, who plays Minnie, well. His other co-actor Tisca Chopra also doubled up as his Afghani tutor. "I had a tutor on sets to correct my diction, but I would always turn to Tisca. She has stayed in Afghanistan for over 10 years and is fluent in the language."

Unlike the original film that was set in the 1940s, Bioscopewala comes forward in time, in the '80s, during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Having also wrapped up shooting for the Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarni: Queen of Jhansi, where he plays an army general who was like a father to the queen, the actor is now enjoying the quiet. He is not Mumbai-bound anytime soon, not even for the premiere of Bioscopewala. "This is the person I am. I'm very shy, I don't party, I stay away from events, I have not had a PR in 45 years. You don't see me talking to the press either, nor I am on television. It's not on purpose. I just don't like attracting attention towards myself." And of course, he's not on social media either. "The only thing I am on is my phone, and that also I forget about at times," he laughs.

Also Read: 7 Memorable Roles Of Danny Denzongpa

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Last Sunday evening, nearly 400 people made it to Juhu's Novotel Hotel to watch a screening of Pulp Fiction. What made the evening special was that the "seats" i.e. the gaddas were laid by the pool, with cool breeze blowing in from the Arabian Sea.

It was the first film screening in the city organised by SteppinOut Movie Nights, which has presence across Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore. Ojal Kulkarni, the brand head for the firm, says they chose Novotel for its cool vibe and plan a movie night at the venue every two months.

In a city that's brimming with cinephiles it only makes sense to have non-commercial venues that will screen the classics as well as the indie films. And, Novotel promises to be a killer of a venue. Tickets will range from Rs 300 to Rs 400 and the movies will be chosen after a poll is conducted on their FB page.

But, if you can't wait until then to catch a screening of some well-curated films, along with other lovers of cinema, here are the some of the other venues in the city to watch out for.

RD Burman composed for more than 300 films in a career spanning 30 years

This weekend, a group of music enthusiasts is going to deconstruct the thin line between imitation and inspiration at a talk on Hindi film music. The works of RD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishan and OP Nayyar will be discussed at the event.

Shankar-Jaikishan ruled from 1949 to 1986

“Many tried to imitate a sound that worked well with listeners in that period. In fact, film producers would encourage music directors to do so. The music of Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Kalyanji-Anandji was close to the sound created by Shankar-Jaikishan and Burman,” says Ramesh KV, one of the speakers. “If you listen to the orchestration of a song, you will think it belongs to Burman, but it actually is by someone else,” he adds.

The full panel includes R Balaji, Shankar Iyer, Archisman Mozumder and Subramanian Iyer.

On: April 15, 7.30 pm
At: Pitaara – The Art Box, Yashwant Nagar, Goregaon (W).
Call: 9820393001
Entry: Rs 250

Traipse through America
Sunset Cinema Club (SCC) is holding a Travel Movie Night in association with travel start-up Unpland. The movie to be screened is Into The Wild, a 2007 film about a young man who decided to renounce his possessions and hitchhike across America. "We have hosted several themed movie nights in the past. This time, we wanted to do something travel-centric. We ran an online poll to pick the movie for the screening," says SCC co-founder Sanchit Gupta.
On: September 3, 8.30 pm
At: The Barking Deer, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel. log on to insider.in
Entry: Rs 312 (includes a beer or mocktail)

Understand the works of Renaissance masters
This evening, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, in collaboration with Alliance Francaise de Bombay, is showing three documentaries on Renaissance painters by filmmaker Alain Jaubert. The first film delves into Grünewald's painting Retable d'Issenheim (Altarpiece of Issenheim), while the second focuses on Baldassare Castiglione (Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione) by Raphaël. The third film is about Le Repas Chez Levi (The Meal at Levi's; in pic) by Veronese. If you walk in after 5.30 pm, entry is free.
On: Today, 6 pm to 7.30 pm
At: Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Byculla East
Call: 23731234

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Zero

U/A: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director: Anand L Rai
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma
Rating: 

For a couple of decades now, relentlessly citing exceptions like Swades (2004) and Chak De India (2007), viewers (and fans) of actor Shah Rukh Khan have often complained about how he plays SRK on screen, regardless of the script, which pretty much is designed around him playing himself, in some form or the other, anyway.

Alert to this obvious feedback, and with audiences, in general, upping its expectations, even from wholly star-driven pics—demanding a certain level of authenticity in stories regardless—you find SRK trying hard to up his own game. Which is great, of course. Raees (2017) and Fan (2016) are relatively good examples on that front. With Zero, as actor-producer, he appears to be trying a bit too hard, I suspect.

For one, this SRK film doesn't star SRK at all! He plays a Meeruthiya, uneducated 'bauna' (dwarf) Bauua Singh, obsessed with two women, almost simultaneously. Both ladies seem out of his reach. One's a fully celestial Bollywood heroine. That's Katrina Kaif. Tells you a lot about this film that she comes across as by far the most credible character around—a heart-broken drunk, dumped by a certain superstar with the surname Kapoor, who "pretends to be a misunderstood, shy type, but is actually a full-on ch*****."

Check out the trailer here:

The other woman (Anushka Sharma), strangely modeled on Stephen Hawking, in a high-tech wheelchair, her mouth contorted, wrist twisted and shaking, is a space scientist. She meets the vertically challenged dude through an odd, offline version of a matrimonial site. What she likes about him is that he can overlook her disabilities and see her as the person she is, rather than somebody one must simply sympathise with.

There is much banter between the two. This is tricky stuff. I understand that all humour is at the expense of some person/group or the other, and we mustn't get all too sensitive about such matters. But I just felt slightly discomfited throughout—mostly in anticipation of a poor joke, punching downwards, rather than one that actually occurs (expect tonnes of think pieces on the web soon though!).

As a viewer, you are rarely made to look beyond the fact that she suffers from cerebral palsy. More so, that he's about a foot shorter than usual, a man-child at the centre of this film— in his late 30s, wholly jobless bloke, blowing up his father's money. You can't tell if he's a duffer or just a dwarf. As if the two were even vaguely related. He is supposed to be a die-hard romantic. Your heart must melt for this simpleton still.

It's hard, if not impossible, to feel anything for such a parody of a person, as Zero jerkily jostles between heartland, rustic realism (Aanand L Rai's Tanu Weds Manu), and a far-out romantic fantasy, vaguely along the lines of SRK's wonderfully sorted Om Shanti Om (2007), also partly set in show-biz. You're in fact bored rather than bothered by all the travels on screen.

The only take-away is how tough it must've been to pull this off. Which is true for films of this massive scale—regardless of the emotional payoff. The VFX work, cutting down SRK's size, is by itself a work of art. And that's just a fraction of the craft and cost involved in a picture perennially on a flight of imagination—whether the penny drops, or not.

Guess it'd be impossible for filmmakers to attempt a leap of faith so high, without quite convincing themselves that they're on to a masterpiece. One hopes (for them), others feel so too. Clearly, I didn't.

Also Read: Zero Movie Interview: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif And Anushka Sharma Reveal All

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The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
Dir: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Chris Pratt, Tiffany Haddish
Rate: 

The Lego universe gets a sequel intended to keep the young fans happily engaged, but the film fails to come close to being entertaining, even if we whittle down expectations and limit them to their target audience.

The novelty that the first Lego movie had going for it, has, of course, worn off. First-off, the script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Raphael Bob-Waksberg goes intergalactic in its attempt to give Lego Batman a life-partner. Their resulting union is meant to spread the message of peace and love in the universe. That's a place where no Batman sequel has gone before, and therefore, seems a little too contrarian and far-fetched to stomach. Even the threat to Bricksburg by Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, seems like a marketing gimmick rather than a believable story idea.

The usual characters Emmet (Chris Pratt) and Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) end up having to confront an alter ego that appears more sinister and powerful than it seems at first glance. The belief that kids from kindergarten and pre-primary school will relate to this sort of story ideation is preposterous. That they make it all link to everyday family friction may seem commendable, but the consequent labelling is not something to be proud of.

The ideation here is musty, the characters are no longer likeable, and the story is too tortuous to be considered engaging. Garishly coloured animation, sentimental live-action montages meant to connect the dots, and musical numbers (including a not so catchy, Catchy Song) make it all the more off-putting. There's over-abundance of elements here, which makes the experience jarring for the senses. The puns being bandied (including Ourmomageddon) about are silly and patronising.

The stray humour sputters to life in intermittent gurgles, but it's too little to be entertaining. This sequel reeks of commercialisation, and there are no two ways about that!

Check out The Lego Movie 2 trailer here:

Also read: Fun facts about The Lego Movie 2 we bet you didn't know 

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Amavas
U/A: Horror
Dir: Bhushan Patel
Cast: Sachiin Joshi, Nargis Fakhri
Rate: 

The experience of watching a Ramsay Brothers horror is unique. It's almost synonymous to buying a ticket for a comedy. Dealing with Amavas, is pretty much the same. It's the modern-day equivalent to a Ramsay product. Do you love it? Yes, to bits! It's a laugh riot. But, that's not how director Bhushan Patel designed it to be, which is why, it's disappointing.

Patel, who previously directed the Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover-starrer Alone, takes the tomfoolery a notch higher with this film. We are introduced to the familiar 'praacheenkal' knowledge of 'bhooth-pret'. There is a haunted mansion - resembling a cross between that in The Conjuring and Sushmita Sen's Vaastu Shastra.

Familiar tactics - creaking doors, spooky scores and shadows - are employed to evoke fear. Yet, the idiocy on display doesn't occupy my mind. What does is the fact that viewers could have been spared from the goings-on had the cast simply travelled to Paris. Let me explain. Karan Ajmera (Sachiin Joshi) is coaxed by girlfriend Aahana (Nargis Fakhri) to take a trip to the former's Brit mansion, instead of taking off on a romantic getaway to the French capital. On arriving, skeletons begin to tumble out, and they learn the reason behind the house being locked up for eight years. All hell breaks loose.

Even the slightest mention can be a spoiler in a horror, so we'll leave the details aside should you wish to catch this one. But, we can reveal that this uninspiring story ticks every clichéd check box in the horror rule book, including possessed bodies, hapless spirits, barren trees, a grave and temple bells. In addition, there's a half-faced doll, and a bored ensemble of supporting actors who look more clueless than the doll in question. As lovers, Joshi and Fakhri certainly lack chemistry. In fact, the latter's visible disinterest even overshadows Joshi's ineptness.

What is really horrifying is the depiction of the psychiatrist, played by Mona Singh. 'Calm down' or an increase of medicinal dose, are apparently appropriate responses to paranoia and migraine. While the boyfriend battles serious issues, the girlfriend busies herself by exploring the estate, and playing hide-and-seek.

The incoherence is baffling, and one is only compelled to wonder why a team of qualified artistes would create this kind of cinema. But since the movie doesn't take itself too seriously -the quality of VFX and continuity being obviously ignored - it is best relished as a comic caper.

As for Fakhri, who makes a comeback of sorts to Bollywood with this film, she had more meat in her five-minute act in the American thriller, Spy (2015) than she does here. Pro tip for the writers - Just send them to Paris next time. It's always a good idea!

Also Read: Nargis Fakhri annoyed with press prying into personal life; leaves Amavas promotions midway

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Badla
U/A: Thriller
Dir: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh
Ratings: 

Sujoy Ghosh takes us back to the basics with his latest offering. Badla, as the title suggests, is a revenge-drama loosely based on the Spanish thriller, The Invisible Guest. Like with the original, it's not too difficult to decipher the end a good while before we get there.

Yet, Badla isn't predictable. What it certainly does lack, though, is the smarts that could be expected. Ghosh designs this film as more than just a whodunit. He lays out his cards neatly, unfolding one incident after another. So, it's all about cracking codes in the wobbly story, narrated by Naina (Taapsee Pannu), a top-notch businesswoman embroiled in a murder case.

She was found injured in a hotel room, with her lover lying dead on the floor. There is no sign of anyone else entering or leaving the room. Naina maintains, she didn't kill her lover. The film revolves around a single meeting with her potential lawyer, Badal Gupta.

Badla soars because of its unpredictability before we arrive at the end. The key lies in the names of its lead characters - Naina (eyes), a play on how truth depends on whose point of view is being considered. There is an inherent Rashomon philosophy in the narrative. Badal's name is a play on the film's title itself. Ghosh uses these props to confuse his viewers, create mirages that they are frequently misguided by in their tryst to keep the guessing game going.

At one point in the midst of this rigmarole, we look towards the screen and wonder why Bollywood doesn't exploit the terrific Amrita Singh enough. As Bachchan and Pannu battle it out in a verbal duel, it's Singh who does the emotional heavy lifting. Of course, both Bachchan and Pannu are terrific actors, but Pannu's Naina is played in a rather single note. Naina wins awards, is intoxicated by power, and is guilty about her affair. But the required nuances demanded by the narrative are missing from Pannu's act. There are a few genuine shockers, but it is largely a simplistic tale put together in a complicated fashion.

As admirers of thrillers, we are not failed by Ghosh. The tapestry of tension that he weaves is unparalleled. The camerawork by Avik Mukherjee deserves a mention. Set in Glasgow, the setting plays a part that's as essential as the characters. I was sold to the ride that Badla took me on; but, does it live it up to the thrill of Ghosh's Kahaani? Nah, that will need cleverer writing. Yet, this is worth a watch.

Also Read: Exclusive - Taapsee Pannu on Badla: I am a very vindictive person by nature

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Milan Talkies
U/A: Drama romance
Dir: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Ali Fazal, Shraddha Srinath
Ratings: 

This film is so inherently inconsistent, uneven in its storytelling that you feel like rooting for it still, simply because of the scattered set-pieces full of humour and insights/mannerisms of a small town, north India that you encounter once in a while.

It's almost like spotting diamond among the roughs - whether that be the local uncle breaking into nostalgic songs after a few pegs of whisky, or the street goon, wannabe Vidhayak (legislator) - both being the same - desperate to test his skills as a Hindi film star.

We're referring to Uttar Pradesh in particular, and Allahabad (now Prayagraaj) to be more specific - effectively a land of bakchods (blabber-mouths), with tonnes of tashan (exhibition of bravado) dictating mofussil male lives.

I know this isn't as true anymore, but another aspect that has geographically remained common to Indian towns is the cinema hall (or talkies) as the all-important landmark (there are usually two or three max in a district), where both the rich and the poor, predominantly young, but also the old, merge for their movie entertainment, and other accoutrements that naturally surround it.

Check out the trailer here:

Milan Talkies, that the film is named after, is one such adda/theatre in Allahabad where a young dude spends most of his time in the projection room, aspiring to become a Mumbai filmmaker when he isn't shooting low-budget films with neighbourhood talents himself. One assumed this would be some sort of a version of Giuseppe Tornatore's Italian classic Cinema Paradiso (1988) - ultimate tribute to the movies.

Hell, no. This is a full-on, wannabe-classic romantic story about that boy, and the girl with an authoritarian dad, and the fact that they can't get together - even as the film doesn't care to explain exactly why. And the two are happy to elope - not once, but several times in a row, and oh my god, 'will they, won't they,' just go on, and frickin' on.

The film is directed by Allahabad boy Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster), who whether he likes it or not is probably better known for the dialogue, "Jab tak Hindustan mein saneema hai, log c****iye bante rahenge," that he delivered as an actor in Anurag Kashyap's iconic Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). Such is how crisp dialogues (like tag-lines in ads) work on us anyway.

Whether this film itself is part-autobiographical or not, Dhulia got noticed as a filmmaker with his debut Haasil (2003) - at the time a rare, robust insider's account of his home-town, and campus politics in a north Indian small-town. Over the years, that script (or the premise, if you may) has been milked so much to death, that it's turned into a tiring genre of its own.

Ali Fazal (similarly seen as a UP ruffian in the Amazon Prime series, Mirzapur) plays the protagonist here - a role that I'm told has been through several replacements (Imran Khan, Shahid Kapoor, etc) in the past. Although at some portions he sounds/behaves a lot like Dhulia himself, Fazal is competent to the core (no doubt). As is the female lead (Shraddha Srinath), making her Hindi film debut.

The film itself though does little to the genre, besides deliberately revisit some old-world Bollywood cliches. Maybe there's some subversion (that I'm unable to see). Maybe a full-blown, big-screen romance hinges much on the scale, for effective suspension of belief, which is sadly missing. Either way, one suspects, much of this movie pretty much remains in the filmmaker's imagination/head. Rest of it, quite honestly, gave me a bit of a headache.

Also Read: Sonu Nigam's soulful voice in Shart from Milan Talkies will tug at your heartstrings

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U/A: Drama romance
Dir: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra
Ratings: 

Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox, achieved international success six years ago, and despite two international projects (one with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda) along the way, Batra comes home again, to his comfort zone. He has on offer here, a rather chaste story of kinship, bordering on romance between two acutely lonely souls. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

While the construct here is similar to The Lunchbox, it doesn't garner a matched significance because of the inherent familiarity in the set-up. This time around he takes on an unlikely pairing of opposites — Sanya Malhotra as Miloni, a CA foundation-course topper from a typically repressed middle class gujarati home, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rafiq, an impoverished photographer, overburdened with familial responsibilities.

Romance for Batra is not about heavy emotion and carnality. It is a process of revealing your innermost fears without putting them into words for someone you can share them with. Both Rafiq and Miloni experience loneliness in varying degrees, and for diverse reasons. Rafiq is impoverished, shares his one-room tenement in a slum colony with fellow photography peddlers.

Check out the trailer here:

In comparison, Miloni is well-heeled; on her way to being considered successful in life. They come from different social strata, and if they spent time thinking about it, they would never have entertained the fanciful notion of getting together. It's a random connection at best, which is made further intriguing by the lie it gets embroiled in. Repressed emotions find an outlet for Miloni in this covertly rebellious action. For Rafiq, they become an aspirational pursuit bordering on hope.

Batra focuses his viewfinder on the warmth that develops between the two characters. It is quite clear that they are drawn to each other based on their individual needs. The timely play of Bollywood songs heightens the possibility of romance for a bit. Peter Raeburn's sweetly compelling score lends nuance to some of the quietly definite moments in the film.

The narrative is an assemblage of beautiful events shot with breath-taking lucidity — by cinematographers Tim Gillis and Ben Kutchins. Mumbai beckons hauntingly as the two central characters make this seemingly fleeting tryst last a lot longer than what seems possible in real life. Photograph is the emblematic representation of that connection we seek in these disconnected times. It speaks to us, but not as much in words as in the moments that warm our hearts.

Also Read: Ritesh Batra's Photograph gets a thumbs up from critic

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Mere Pyare Prime Minister
U/A: Social drama
Dir: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Cast: Anjali Patil, Om Kanojiya
Ratings: 

What's the first thing you wonder about this film, given its title, and the fact that no head honcho of a democratic state in world history has ever had as many biopics - shorts, docs, features, web-series - simultaneously being made on him/her, even while they're still in office?

So, well, no, this isn't really a film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Or it is, only by suggestion, since a boy writes a letter to the PM, which would be Modi (who else), but we don't see his lookalike on screen (unlike Uri, and many others in the pipeline).

Be that as it may, a film that focuses on the problem of urban, open defecation, the eradication of which should be on the agenda of every corporator/legislator, and of course the PM (current, or ones to follow), belongs to proper public service advertising/announcement (PSA) space, rather than propaganda of any kind.

Why are your suspicions slightly legit still? For it's hard to explain why the filmmakers would go ahead with this PSA script (unless they're genuinely struggling, or been forced into coming up with one), when every element here has been dished out plenty of times before, and there is no attempt to top any of it either.

Check out the trailer here:

And you could go right from trying to meet, or connect, with a head of state (I Am Kalam, My Name Is Khan), to detailing life among kids in a Mumbai slum (Salaam Bombay, Slumdog Millionaire), or in general, the Mumbai slum itself (Dharavi, Gully Boy), to addressing head-on how the poor in India (men, but women, in particular) have to bear the burden of shitting in the open, because there are no frickin' loos, which is what the rather entertainingly done, recent Akshay Kumar picture, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, was all about.

Even as a peek into the lives of Mumbai slum-dwellers, who constitute about half the metropolis, the Iranian Majid Majidi's Beyond The Clouds (2017) seemed a far more perceptive, original and thought-provoking take, than this local, thoroughly distant, predictably upper-class view of the lives of the downtrodden others, with every conceivable cliche that must dictate it - rape, domestic violence, drunken males, and Sheela Ki Jawani, Baby Doll type of Bollywood songs/entertainment as the only route towards momentary escape.

This is the sort of film that ideally aims to ride on its supposedly noble intentions alone, rather than engaging characters or story, the gist of which is that there's a little boy (a wonderfully cast Om Kanojiya), who does odd jobs selling newspapers, condoms, etc.

He shares a lovely bond with his single mother (Anjali Patil). He writes a letter to the PM hoping for a public toilet in his slum. That the right to shit in peace must involve a petition to the PM, no less, is tragic enough. That you don't feel for anyone in this film (let alone, the issue), with the camera hovering around a bunch of parallel songs/story-lines, aimed to extend a simple short film into a full-length feature, is perhaps worse.

Also Read: Watch video: The fun-filled making of Mere Pyare Prime Minister's title track

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Junglee
U/A: Action
Director: Chuck Russell
Cast: Vidyut Jammwal, Pooja Sawant, Atul Kulkarni, Akshay Oberoi
Ratings: 

There may be a relevant message lying at the heart of Junglee's story, but the wafer-thin plot renders director Chuck Russell incapable of translating it into a thought-provoking film. Poor execution and bad acting makes this Vidyut Jammwal-starrer a mere comedic watch.

This wildlife adventure revolves around Raj (Jammwal), a vet working in Mumbai. He shows his extraordinary Kalaripayattu skills by taking on a bunch of goons who are torturing a stray dog. While his relationship with his father may be strained, the two harbour a shared passion - their love for elephants. Raj's trip to the elephant sanctuary owned by his father turns all the more interesting when he meets female mahout Shankara (Pooja Sawant) and a journalist-animal rights activist (debutante Asha Bhat). However, our mighty hero has little time for romance - trouble looms large over him as he has to protect the elephants from poachers (led by Atul Kulkarni) who trade their ivory tusks for moolah. How Raj saves the pachyderms from the hunters forms the crux of the story.

Watch the trailer here:

Russell appears to be well-acquainted with the strengths and weaknesses of his protagonist. So, you have a script that has little plot and more frills. You will be sold at the good ol' hand pummeling, as Jammwal spices up the desi maar dhaar with mixed martial arts. As for the rest of the cast, Kulkarni's poker-faced bad guy act is something one doesn't expect from a seasoned actor. Sawant is convincing while Bhat as the babe in the jungle is completely wasted. Akshay Oberoi as the forest ranger and Makrand Deshpande are sincere.

On the upside, Mark Irwin's cinematography keeps you hooked to the screen. He captures every moment in the lush jungles with sincerity. But that doesn't save the film from sinking. With a runtime of 115 minutes, this thriller feels longer than it should. You will miss the deft direction that Russell displayed in his previous outings, The Mask and The Scorpion King.

Also Read: Chuck Russell on Junglee: Made film keeping Vidyut Jammwal in mind

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The Tashkent Files
U/A; Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Mandira Bedi, Pallavi Joshi, Rajesh Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, Vishwa Mohan Badola, Prakash Belawadi, Achint Kaur, Prashant Gupta
Ratings: 

Based on true incidents, director Vivek Agnihotri's Tashkent Files, is a fictionalised film with cinematic liberties. In form, it is a blend between a courtroom drama and an online game with different task levels. In purpose, while seeking answers to the mysterious death of India's second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, who died on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent, it implores you, as a citizen of the nation, to question for, "your right to truth".

The film has a kind of stark simplicity: Apart from a brief set-up and a briefer epilogue, a major portion of the film takes place within the four walls of an inquiry commission which is so akin to a jury room, as nine prominent and responsible citizens headed by politician Shyam Sundar Tripathi (Mithun Chakarobarty) debate on the "common conspiracy theory", that surrounds Shastri's demise.

It is an open fact, and no denying it, that there have been various theories surrounding the mysterious death. The Shyam Sundar Tripathi Commission is set up after the investigative journalist Raagini Phule (Shweta Basu Prasad) is coerced by an anonymous well-wisher cum source, into writing an article that digs into the nation's past.

The well-wisher dishes out nuggets of information via a telephonic conversation which appear like stages of an online game.

Soon, Raagini is also roped into the Commission for being a journalist who has done a lot of investigation on the subject. She propels the narrative and drives home her point based on the Mitrokhin Archive II, which is a collection of handwritten notes made secretly by the Russian KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin.

Dedicated to the journalists of India, the film, on the face of it appears balanced, but the tone and texture of the narrative definitely appear slanted. Sample this; "Gau bhakt, topi pehnewala baba, kaun the?" This question subtly and surely ignites a sense of underlying brotherhood that forces an ignorant viewer to seek the truth.

And so, on the pretext of speaking the truth, the narrative digs out the bitter and indigestible political history of our country. Also, while smirking at our democracy and our education system, the film makes each one of us feel guilty as it opens a Pandora's Box but shows us nothing that we are not aware of. And the last frame, stating that the facts mentioned in the Mitrokhin Archives have not been proved or verified till date, clearly shows that the plot along with the dialogues, is clever and manipulative.

This is a film where tension comes from personality conflict, dialogue and body language, not action. The drama within the confines of the claustrophobic room appear forced and staged.

On the performance front, the film is Shweta Basu Prasad's canvas. She is effective as the ambitious, yet vulnerable Raagini. She holds her steady against the dynamic Mithun Chakraborty, who gives an equally new and varied dimension to his Shyam Sundar Tripathi.

The duo are aptly supported by an ensemble cast which includes; Pankaj Tripathi as Gangaram Jha, Mandira Bedi as the social activist Indira Joseph Roy, Pallavi Joshi on a wheelchair as the historian Aiysha Ali Shah, Rajesh Sharma as a prominent government contractor Omkar Kashyap, Vishwa Mohan Badola as the aging Justice Kurian Abraham, Prakash Belawadi as the senior bureaucrat GK Anantha Suresh and Prashant Gupta as Vivendra Pratap Singh Rana, all members of the commission.

Naseeruddin Shah as the master brain politician PKR Natrajan and Vinay Pathak with a scarred visage as Mukhtar, the person who helps Shweta unearth the mystery in Tashkent, have their moments of onscreen glory.

Mounted with ace production values, the visuals of the film do not boast of any cinematic brilliance. The songs with the lyrics, "saare jahan se achcha" and "sach jalta hain" are lost in the narrative.

Overall, with aggressive pacing, the film is well-researched and potent in nature. But with the timing of its release and the undertones in its messaging, this film appears to be a propaganda film that neither ignites any patriotic fervour nor journalistic appeal.

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri's The Tashkent Files lands in legal trouble

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Rishi Kapoor became a heartthrob and a sensation after the blockbuster success of Bobby, his launchpad in Hindi Cinema that was made by his father and the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor. It was the year 1973 and the songs of this film are as fresh in 2020! One of the romantic saga's most memorable melodies was Main Shayar Toh Nahin, which he paid homage to in 2004 in the film HumTum.

But just imagine for once that the song features Karan Johar instead of Kapoor and he is the one who's coyly singing. The filmmaker, judiciously, and hilariously using the face-swapping feature, uploaded a video on Instagram where we could see his face plastered on Rishi Kapoor's body.

See what happened then:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

... Raj Kapoor was one of my all time favourite film makers!!!! and Rishi Kapoor is my all time favourite actor!! This is a present to me by Sandeep @2ouringsandy I’d like to thank him for this gift, one that I will always treasure!!!! I also want to tell all of you to please go ahead and laugh!!! You are totally allowed to!!!! artist @sanjaytrimbakkar

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onApr 27, 2020 at 3:01am PDT

Not being able to control and contain their laughter and excitement, a lot of his friends from Bollywood came out with their comments on his post. First in line was Abhishek Bachchan, who commented with a face-palm emoji, Aditi Rao Hydari had her heart for him, Maheep Kapoor called the video fab and also had some laughing emojis, Tahira Kashyap wrote- "See your father always knew about your talent and looks! You should have listened to him." (sic)

That's not all, there were some more comments! Karan Wahi wrote- "What a debut KJO." (sic) Pooja Hegde had this to say- "Woahhhh...that's amaze." (sic) Ranbir Kapoor's sister Riddhima Kapoor shared the laughing and the clapping emoji. Good friend Kajol left as many as seven laughing emojis and three clapping emojis in the comments section. Shilpa Shetty wrote- "Faaaaaaabbbbbb!" (sic) Manish Malhotra commented- "This is so good and Raj Kapoor was my favourite film maker to." (sic) Also commenting with laughing emojis was Preity Zinta but she couldn't help but amalgamate it with the clapping emojis too.

This has to be his best and the most commented video to date and let's see which Bollywood classic and Hindi film hero he puts his face on next! And given Rishi Kapoor himself has a great and sometimes a wicked sense of humour, how would he respond and react to this?

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Irrfan Khan, who was undergoing treatment for Neuroendocrine tumour for the last two months, passed away at the age of 53 on April 29, 2020. The talented actor was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital for a colon infection, and on Wednesday he breathed his last.

Irrfan in an interview on the chat show Son of Abish opened up about his 1993-release Karamati Coat. "I was very happy because one just wants to work in cinema. Everyone kept appreciating me in television but I wanted to become a cinema actor. No one was offering me roles, even though everyone was appreciating me. But I got this part. So I was very happy and I thought that this is my big break," the actor was quoted by Hindustan Times.

The Piku actor had even designed his own outfit for the film. "For this, I got so excited that I made my own costume, chose the colours and everything. And the film had a walking shot; out of the three minutes, one and a half minutes was just the walking shot," he said.

Irrfan then went on to give stellar performances in films such as Haasil, Maqbool, Paan Singh Tomar, The Lunchbox, Piku and Hindi Medium. His international projects include Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World and Life of Pi. His last release Angrezi Medium too gathered critical acclaim.

It's not just Bollywood, but Irrfan Khan also took over the West with his talent and impeccable acting. In his almost three-decade career, the actor established himself as one of the most dependable performers in the Indian film industry as well as in Hollywood.

You'll be truly missed, Irrfan!

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On January 9, 2018, producer Honey Trehan along with debutant director Hitesh Bhatia reached at the residence of Rishi Kapoor for a script-narration of their upcoming film, "Sharmaji Namkeen". The legendry actor is excited on hearing the script, he decides to sign the film.

"I am that youngster who watched, admired and loved Rishiji on-screen. There are several films that I call my favourite, and 'Chandni' always topped the list. So it was nostalgia and excitement rolled into one when I went to narrate the film and cast him in the project," recalled Honey, one of the producers of the film along with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, while speaking to IANS.

Trehan recalls that Kapoor fell sick within a few days after the start of shooting, and he flew to the US for his treatment.

"We stopped the film and waited for him to come back. He is the DNA of the film and we cannot imagine anyone else to play Sharmaji. They stayed in touch with him and he was so eager to come back and get on to the film set. So naturally, when things started rolling, his energy and high professionalism were driving us," said the producer.

After Kapoor returned to India, shooting was scheduled to resume on January 15, 2020, in Delhi. Unfortunately, Kapoor lost his sister Ritu Nanda, and on January 14 had to travel to Delhi to attend to his family amid emotional crisis.

Keeping the situation in mind, the producers decided to reschedule the shooting.

"However Rishiji said, 'bakwas maat karo, what happened is personal but work is my profession. I am equally responsible for both. The show must go on. This is what my father taught me'. You see, under such circumstances where he lost his sister, he did not forget the high professional value that he learnt from Raj Kapoor saab. Rishi sir knew that the responsibility of the film is on his shoulder as he played the title role of the film. He knew that the unit will suffer if we stop the shooting and there comes his spirit and energy to encourage us saying, 'the show must go on, mujhe call time bataao'," Trehan recalled.

Remembering the affectionate nature of the legendry actor, he added: "On January 15 in the Delhi winter, our call time was 9 am. When I reached the set around 8:45 am, I find him ready -- not even sitting in his vanity but standing there, on the set! He smiled at me saying, 'Tu T-shirt pehna hai, thand nehi lagti? Jacket kyun nahin pehna?' That's Rishi Kapoor for you. Loving, affectionate towards everyone around him."

"Sharmaji Namkeen" also features Juhi Chawla.

Does he feel the pressure of the fact that this will be counted as Rishi Kapoor's last film? "A film with Rishi Kapoor is always special. But this one is 'sadly' special, and this is not why a film should be special. Hitesh and I are really not in the frame of mind to think about how we will finish the film. We need time. We are sad, deeply sad" Honey signed off.

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Actress Adah Sharma says she is picky when it comes to signing films and that she tries to pick something that is different from what she has done before. "Yes, I am picky when it comes to choosing films. I try to be part of films that I would want to watch. I also try to pick different roles from what I have done. I started with '1920'. I am very fortunate, the actresses in our industry for years don't get a chance to do what I got to do in my debut," Adah told IANS.

Adah made her Bollywood debut 2008 with the film "1920". She was later seen in films like "Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke", the "Commando" franchise, "Bypass Road" and "Phhir". She also worked in the southern film industry. Adah says she likes to surprise the audience.

"I try with each film to do something different because the audience also waits to see 'what different is Adah Sharma going to do' and if I do the same then they are like 'anyone can do that!'. So nowadays even if it is a short film like I just did 'Tindey', 'moh' or a music video... I try to pick something that is different from what I have done and others have done as well," she said.

She will next be seen in "Man To Man".

The film revolves around actor Naveen Kasturia's character falling in love with and marrying Sharma's character, only to realise she was biologically a man who became a woman after surgery.

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Last week, after Irrfan Khan, Bollywood lost another gem, as veteran actor Rishi Kapoor passed away after fighting leukaemia for two years. The actor was back home and shooting for his next flick "Sharmaji Namkeen" which is a production by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar's Excel Entertainment and saw Rishi Kapoor play the lead.

The movie was almost complete with a couple of days of shoot remaining and we have exclusive news from a trusted source on the proceedings of the film. The source shared, "Rishi Kapoor was the main protagonist of the film and major part was already shot with only a few days of shooting remaining for the actor. Being that it was Rishi Kapoor's last project that was near completion, Ritesh and Farhan are determined to make sure that the film gets released."

The source further shares, "The microscopic details of how Ritesh and Farhan intend to bring the film to completion are in the works but rest assured that the film will get completed and see a theatrical release."

Sharmaji Namkeen will see Rishi Kapoor in the lead along with Juhi Chawla. The film is produced by Excel Entertainment in association with Honey Teheran and Abhishek Choubey. The film will also mark Hitesh Bhatia's debut as the director.

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Mrs. Serial Killer
On: Netflix
Director: Shirish Kunder
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Jacqueline Fernandez, Mohit Raina
Rating:

Forget everything! Forget that filmmaker Shirish Kunder's last feature film was Joker, forget that the leading lady of his fresh film, Mrs. Serial Killer, is Jacqueline Fernandez. And just read this premise- A helpless and hapless wife takes the suicidal decision of going on a murderous rage and becoming a serial killer when her husband is arrested on the charges of brutally killing six unmarried and pregnant women. In short, a woman will go to any lengths to save her husband.

Any film with this plot can amalgamate its narrative with both thrill and tragedy. You first feel a sense of sympathy for the man who has been wrongly accused and unfairly imprisoned. You feel empathetic towards the woman who now has to fight what could be the most traumatic battle of her life. And then you feel the tension and thrill of wanting to know how she would execute all her murders! What unfolds is your perfect Bollywood potboiler, driven by drama and fueled by unpredictability. But what we see in Mrs. Serial Killer is a puerile and almost-preposterous telling of an unseen and unknown CID episode.

The performances are all ham-and-cheese, and not even worthy of being your enjoyable and entertaining guilty pleasure stuff. It's juvenile and joyless from start to finish. If Manoj Bajpayee played your perfect hero in The Family Man, Fernandez plays your loyal family woman in this film who readily agrees to become Mrs. Serial Killer to save her husband. Kunder does what no other filmmaker even imagined he would, he gives her more screen time than Bajpayee and let her have her moment of glory. To say she falters would be an understatement, she collapses ever before her mission has begun.

Watch the trailer of Mrs. Serial Killer

Her performance is both annoying and alarming and makes you smile more than scared and that too in all the incorrect ways and at the incorrect moments. Look how she reacts when a gatekeeper refuses to let her in, look how she reacts when a receptionist refuses to let her meet a gynecologist, look how she reacts when she successfully unlocks her husband's laptop, and look how she reacts when she's about to drug and almost kill her prey. And after a while, you stop looking at all. Kunder has certainly been unwise while casting someone deadpan for a deep role.

There's barely anything that works, not even Manoj Bajpayee. He's hardly there and dedicates all his screen time in hamming. A languid Mohit Raina nearly puts you off to sleep, and the climatic twist suggests nothing but the sheer limitations and lunacy of everyone involved in this Netflix nonsense. Kunder's debut, Jaan-E-Mann, although a commercial failure, was earnest in its craftsmanship and entertaining in its moments, but his repertoire has deteriorated ever since. Mrs. Serial Killer is his weakest film to date, worsened by its frustratingly limited leading lady. It does deliver unintentionally comical moments and there are plenty of them. Watch out for the implausible and innocuous climax where Bajpayee snarls, "Comedy Kahaan Hai?" It's right there, sir!

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With the lockdown having put the brakes on his plans of filming Bhoot Police, director Pavan Kripalani has gone back to the writing desk. The filmmaker, who had given Bollywood one of its few psychological thrillers with Phobia (2016), is giving finishing touches to the sequel. However, keeping the current scenario in mind, Kripalani has decided to develop it as a web-film.

"The current situation has changed the way the entertainment business functions. I am guessing that over the next one year, smaller films will [benefit] by having a direct-to-web release. So, Phobia 2 will most likely release directly online," he explains.

Pavan Kripalani

Close on the heels of the Radhika Apte starrer hitting the screens, it was heard that a male protagonist would take centre-stage in the second instalment. However, the director has had a change of heart. "I had written a male-centric story, but now, I [am pursuing] a different idea with a female lead."

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Hina Khan is the classic example of been there, done that. In a career spanning over a decade, the actor has dabbled in fictional shows, reality TV and web series. Now, she has appeared in her first short film, Smartphone, available on the Ullu App. The short film has her essaying the role of a homemaker. The actor believes the film's message of women empowerment drew her in. "Suman [her character] showcases true women power. The film highlights how one should not underestimate anybody," she says.

If the story struck a chord with her, working with Akshay Oberoi and Kunaal Roy Kapoor was an enriching experience as they fed off each other's creative energies. "There's always something interesting to pick up from the way your co-actor works on himself during a shoot. We all learnt something from one another whether it was during our rehearsals or over conversations about our respective characters."

Hina Khan

Few actors can boast an easy transition from legacy television to streaming, but Khan believes every medium has been instrumental in helping her grow as a performer. "Every medium has been kind to me. After television where I was a part of some amazing shows [including Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Kasautii Zindagii Kay], digital entertainment and films gave me a grand welcome with Damaged 2 and Hacked respectively. At the moment, OTT platforms are producing impressive content. The diversity [they offer] is enriching for an actor."

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Even as Lockdown 3.0 has been implemented, it is clear that the Govt is keen to get the economy back on track. Jackky Bhagnani commits to a completely sanitized film set to ensure the safety and health of its cast and crew whenever film shoot is allowed by the Govt after the lockdown is completely over.

Veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani believes that the new normal is here to stay and the sooner the fraternity readies itself for change, the better. "The film industry has come to a halt, whether in India or outside. Yes, parts of the world are showing signs of recovery from the virus and while India has done remarkably well to flatten the curve and keep fatalities low, we must now get ready to be back on the set. As and when the lockdown is lifted, we want to be in a position to resume work immediately. But this resumption will be as per health guidelines stipulated by the Govt. We don't want to take any chances."

Some of the ground rules Jackky Bhagnani is mulling include using larger tents with portable ACs for shooting, limiting people on the sets, sanitizing all common areas, making masks and gloves compulsory for all staff, continuously disinfecting equipment, medical assistance on the sets at all times among other things.

Jackky Bhagnani says that it is imperative that stringent measures are put in place. "If there is one thing the lockdown has taught us it is to value human life and our health. Nothing comes before that. Every person on the set will be looked after and given the same attention. We are also mulling closed door studios for those of our films that will go on the floors immediately. While it is available abroad, we need to see if the same can be replicated in India."

Deepshikha Deshmukh adds, "It is only natural that we take care of the team who are our family and ensure their safety while on the sets. I am quite sure we are not alone in realizing the first big lesson from this lockdown - health comes first. Every parameter will be double-checked before the cameras start rolling."

Pooja Entertainment has a slew of movies on its roster. From Coolie No 1 starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan which is complete and ready for release; it is also going to go on the floors with Bell Bottom with Akshay Kumar. There are many other projects that the production house is waiting to announce. With so much in store for the production house, prompting a set of guidelines in the current pandemic is not only vital but also judicious. Echoing the words of the Prime Minister, the founder of the ace production house, Vashu Bhagnani says, 'Jaan hai toh Jahan Hai' - perhaps indicating the thought process behind the charter.

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There is an offer to all the "risk-taking" casting directors! Ace filmmaker Karan Johar on Tuesday said that he is available to play "father roles." "I know my acting stint was scarier than the current virus but there is no harm in hoping for a second chance!" the 48-year-old director wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I know my acting stint was scarier than the current virus but there is no harm in hoping for a second chance! So to all enterprising casting directors ,to all risk taking filmmakers , to critics with a high threshold of pain and to easy to please audiences I have an announcement to make!!!! I AM AVAILABLE FOR FATHER ROLES! ( at 48 with a poor track record I promise i can’t afford to be choosy)

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) onMay 5, 2020 at 8:02am PDT

Sharing a selfie with his signature pout and with some visible grey hair, the director further wrote, "So to all enterprising casting directors, to all risk-taking filmmakers, to critics with a high threshold of pain and to easy to please audiences I have an announcement to make!!!!"

"I AM AVAILABLE FOR FATHER ROLES!," he added.

Wrapping up the post on a funny note, the 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' director also said that: "at 48 with a poor track record I promise I can't afford to be choosy."

The hilarious post grabbed several Bollywood celebrities' attention, who took to the comment sections to share their thoughts about the offer.

"Mere pet pe kyon laat mar rahe ho sir ..," wrote actor Anil Kapoor. Meanwhile, actor Kriti Sanon noted: "Father with the perfect pout!"

On the other hand, actor Shilpa Shetty is quite "liking" the director's new look. "Actually liking this look on you @karanjohar," Shilpa wrote in the captions.

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