How can bend backwards for an old actress

Actresses hardly get old...at least in their own eyes. That Maharashtra government was forced to change the name of prominent award is testimony to this fact. All this just for the sake of an actress's sake.

Bollywood icon, who was the top actress in the Amitabh era and still appreciated for her long lasting beauty, Rekha refused to make any compromise on her image of an evergreen actress. About a fortnight ago, the state government announced to honour her with the Raj Kapoor Jeevan Gaurav award (Lifetime Achievement award in memory of first showman Raj Kapoor). But officials of the state cultural ministry were in for a shock when Rekha told them to change the name of the award. According to her, Lifetime Achievement is supposed to be given to someone who has spent his entire life in the service of the industry. But she thinks she is still active in the field.

To honour her sentiments, the government has now amended the title of the award to "Raj Kapoor Pratiba Gaurav" (Raj Kapoor Talent Award), putting an accent on the creative aspect of the artist.

Now, the renamed award will be presented to the actress on the occasion of 46th Maharashtra state film award distribution ceremony slated for May 30 in the city.The fact was disclosed by none other than the Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Harshwardhan Patil। It is also to be noted here that the state government has also doubled the award amount this year to Rs two lakhs. The award ceremony is to take place on May 30.

Now, the question arises should government have give in before an old actress, who is now 55 years old? This is one of the flagship award of the state government. Earlier, actors like Rajnikant have received this award without any fuss. After that, he went on to create new records with the release of Sivaji-the Boss. So who is Rekha to make such a demand and can government just nod with her? Was not there anybody else as worthy and less exacting? One can understand if someone extracts the benefits when he is in prime. But to throw tantrums even after fading away to natural oblivion is an act that only Bollywood can do. Only the minister can tell what type of cultural activity this is.

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Happy Birhtday…..Boss!

He reigns supreme in the hearts of those who, with a stomach for reverence and thirst for entertainment frequent the darkness of the film theatres. His mannerisms have survived the criticisms of the detractors and the onslaught of the time. Through thick and thin, from touring talkies to multiplexes, Tamil superstar Rajnikant rules the box office and the minds of cinegoers alike. This is not a new eulogy in the light of the recent success of the Sivaji the Boss, but a time tested praise the actor deserves most.

Rajnikant is celebrating his 58th birthday today. As I write this, he would be celebrating this occasion with the same modesty and charm that he is always known for. He will retreat to one of the holy places that only he knows, visit some orphanages or old people’s home, distribute some sweets or meal to students and many other charity deeds he do often. But for the millions of his fans worldwide, 12th Dec. is the day for commemoration every year. The reserved attitude of their idol notwithstanding, they will also be involved in welfare activities.

Why Rajnikant holds this charisma and influence on so wide an audience is a question that a large no. of critics and viewers have pondered on alike. I would hardly like to add this leaf in the already heavy pile of life stories available on the net. What I would like only to add here, besides wishing him Happy Birthday of course, is that whenever an enjoyment-hungry man will take his place in the darkness of the theatre or in the comfort of his home moving his eye on the TV screen in search of the stuff that he wants, the brimming activities of Rajnikant will be there to amuse him.

People call him desi James Bond or Amitabh Bachchan of the South India. I think and insist that it is passé. Rajnikant is Rajnikant…his own citations of Superstar and Style King fail to appropriately describe his personality. So, the best thing we can do is to watch his movie and say………Repeat


Wish him again Happy Birthday Rajnikant.

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Rajnikant : The new movie icon of India

The new frontiers

As the monsoon has set in the this nation, which is stretched from Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, the news of Sivaji-the Boss conquering one after another box office records are also pouring in. In the hitherto untreaded parts of the country, where regional films were strictly a no-no till now, the film is marching ahead to say the least. Not only in India, but even in overseas markets also it saw even the Hollywood blockbusters in the fray bite the dust in top ten charts. It seems that whole of India is rediscovering this Style King often derided for his mannerisms which many others have tried to ape but fail the produce the charm that Rajni has.
That also made the reigning Superstar of North India (devotees of Big B, please excuse me, but that’s the kind of address more often than not used in Tamil and other South Indian press) to attend a special screening of the film. The Boss was also there with him. And even BigB praised Rajni on the occasion. He has already praised the Thalaivar as the emperor of Indian cinema.

The next question

Now, question arises: Is Rajnikant the next movie icon of India? What Rajnikant has achieved is undoubtedly one of the biggest feats in movie industry in India as well as overseas. First of all, he climbed to the stardom in spite of any real backing from the industry. He has proved his mettle through his talents and mannerisms and most of all, his unparalleled ability to churn out films successively single handedly. In likes of MGR and Shivaji Ganeshan, not least Kamal Haasan, he created a place for himself that was unique in every sense. After appearing in some remakes of Amitabh Bachchan, he was described as Amitabh of Tamil movies.
Then in 1983, just eight years after he made his entry on silver screen, Rajnikant starred in the Hindi movie Andha Kanoon, which had Amitabh himself in what was said to be a `guest appearance’ role but extended to a large part of the film, convincingly. That success set up a train of some flicks, some of them making hay on box office while some bringing tears to the producers and distributors. Rajni then satisfied himself with some petty side roles in Bollywood while consolidating his position in his home (?) industry. But even so, his popularity and fan following in rest of India continued to grow. His image as an maverick was also reinforced through the new media like internet, even though there he was more present through the odd jokes.
But to speak of it, Rajinikant was the only non-Hindi actor to gain a large audience in the northern parts of India. His predecessors, like MG Ramachandran never quite entered in this specter, or some like Shivaji Ganeshan could only appear in one or couple of flicks. They never really have a base here. Even Kamal Haasan, who entered Hindi films with a bang through Ek Duje Ke liye (1980), could not make a mark here barring some odd films and a distant admiration from critics. (It was very later, in late ‘80s that Kamal made his re-entry through films like Appu Raja.) Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, and Nagarjun…all these heroes came and went but except for registering their presence, they could hardly do anything. In that sense, Rajnikant was the first and only southern hero who could navigate the box office.

A large vacuum to fill

Now with Sivaji, Rajni has arrived on the centrestage and with what role, a man single-handedly taking the system by the horns. Many a Bollywood heroes had their careers built on this his image but in the last few years, in an era of globalization, Bollywood has largely discarded this category giving way to some ice-candy floss cinemas. While the former category of heroes and cinemas might appear old fashioned to some, in India these types of films do really capture the imagination of the people. That’s why actors in these types of films are more endeared to the public. This is the large vacuum, that now only Rajnikant can fill.
The process seems to have already started with Sivaji-the Boss gaining foothold even in non-Tamil speaking parts of India. If Rajnikant can bring the Tamil (or for that matter South Indian movie industry) with Bollywood, he will be the first to have this type of accomplishment. The day might be not far away when Bollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood would be amalgamated as one industry. The process has been already started with many a Tamil and Telugu films featuring prominent Hindi and Marathi artists in increasing numbers. And it will also be noted that the process was started by Rajni films whereby his Hindi films were dubbed in Tamil and vice versa (when the trend was almost non-existent.) His Dalpathi had Amrish Puri as the main villain.
In a nutshell, Rajnikant is set be a movie icon for the new India. Sivaji-the Boss’s collection records in UK and phenomenal rush it witnessed in Chicago, Muscat and Malaysia…you name it and he have it…only points to this fact. So toast to this new Sultan of the Indian Movies!

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Bollywood in the dock again

After seeing the most successful year in terms of business, the bollywood is again feeling the heat this year. Big stars, expensive sets and locations or media hype...almost everything has proven unsuccessful for the industry to churn out a single superhit in the first half of the year. What's more, the industry is staring at a big threat by down south to its monopoly over audience.
Barring just one 'Guru', directed by the veteran southern directior Mani Rathnam, no film has seen cash registers ringing. By the end of the June, Rajnikant's Sivaji has surpassed all the Hindi films in business. Even in the north cicuits like Delhi, it has made profits unseen by any southern film before. Even a Amithabh Bachchan starrer like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom failed to offer much resistance to the onslaught of Sivaji and now it seems the Kollywood express has much more steam than expected.
Last year, riding on the multiplex boom and a strong economy, many Bollywood films registered stupendous successes. Lago Raho Munnabhai, Krishh, Dhoom2..those were the movies that gave dose over doses of adrenaline to the producers. Nothing that sort of the thing happened now. In comparison, analysts said, the turnover in the first six months of 2007 was just a fourth of about $55 million collected during the same period in 2006.
Analysts are blaming to the weak scripts for the failures. "Where are the good stories? You can't get away with only star appeal and foreign locales," said Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Guru was successful beacuse of its good script as well as hype that sorrounded it. The fact that the film was associated with the life of Reliance Group's founder, Dhirubhai Ambani, also gave the film an extra impetus. Compared to this one hit, the list of doomed big-budget films with top stars is long: "Salaam-e-Ishq," "Eklavya," "Nishabd," "Tara Rum Pum" and "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom," and many more.
This summer, Bollywood is also feeling the heat from Hollywood blockbusters. This week, five Bollywood films were beaten to dust by "Ocean's 13".
No Bollywood film was released on May 4, the day "Spiderman 3" hit the screens. Moreover, the distributors of the films tried to make dent in the traditional and emerging film markets by dubbing the film in Bhojpuri and other five languages. This films has become the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India, overtaking "Titanic."
Considering the heavy business Sivaji the Boss is doing and non-tamils are throngiing the cinema halls, a new curiosity might arise for the southern films which have hitherto been ahead in terms of content and technology than Bollywood. (Two of the blockbuster films from down south, Pokkiri and Gajini are being remade with Salman Khan and Amir Khan respectively.) So much so that going by the response to the Sivaji-the Boss, plans are in the pipeline to rehasp some old Rajni films and market them.

From that account, even if Bollywood successfully faces the onslaught of Hollywood, its real nemesis lies in south named Kollywood and Tollywood.

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Sivaji reigns, as always, but…

Sivaji-the entertainment personified
· Rajnikant’s latest flick Sivaji-the boss has hit theaters. After watching the movie seven days after its worldwide release, one is bound to be thrilled. The same emotion grips me as I remember the last night’s venture. First of all, I must say the film did not let me down. All the Rajni theatrics and elements were there to give every value for my money. It was down and down a Rajni movie and the whole three hours and twenty minutes of the movie does not allow you to forget that any moment. Rajni means entertainment…and the Boss shows that in the most entertaining way in his inimitable style and styles.
Sivaji-the director’s dilemma
· One has to remember also that it is Director Shankar’s film who has given us such memorable hits as Gentleman, Kadhalan, Jeans, Indian and the best of all Anniyan. Sadly though, in Sivaji, Shankar has failed to live upto his name. It is as though, he has reeled under the stature of Super Star Rajni than making the movie his own. All the scenes, barring those song pasteurizations where classic Shankar touch props up unstopping. The breathtaking locations, much larger than life exquisite sets, the zing thing orchestrations …you name it and Sivaji have it. But in the movie, right from the story no traces of director’s skill are evident. For once, comedy is the Rajni’s bastion and it does not take Shankar to make the comedy sequences memorable. Vivek and Rajni steal the show in their comedy scenes in the first half of the movie.
Sivaji-the momentous moments
· What overcomes the failings of the director have been compensated by the some very fast, really brilliant and full confrontation scenes wherein whole experience of watching the movie assumes new meaning. For example, the scene where Rajni blackmails Adisheshan (Suman) for his black money. You have to see to believe the unchallenged confidence of Rajni on the screen while he orders Bhajia and Tea for the twosome. After finishing the taling and (eating), he tells Adi, “Pay the bill for all this. We will settle it from 100 Crores.” Wow! Man! That sets the screen on fire. Equally astounding scene is in climax, where the students vying for the falling money trample Adi. That’s what we want to see in a Shankar movie. A social message, a kind of common man’s revenge in a very symbolic way, in a manner fit for the commercial flicks.
Sivaji-the unsung movie
· One big letdown of the movie is the music score by AR Rehman. One expects from the ‘Isai Puyal’ a thumping, vibrant and humming songs, the kind of which were present in Muthu and Padaiyappa. Even Baba score would fare better in comparison with the Sivaji. Except for Vaji Vaji song, no song clings to the nerves. Even the background score also do not match to the stature of Rajni film.
Sivaji-the boss of box office
· What Sivaji has achieved will be the subject of discussion for long in future. But it has indisputably bought to Indian regional cinema to the notice of the world cinema. After all when did you saw big queues lined up outside the theaters in the north India for a Tamil movie? When did you saw multiplexes in Mumbai increasing their no. of shows for a Tamil film in its second week? When did we saw a Tamil film finding its place in the top 10 films in UK? As I write this from Pune, five multiplexes and one single screen are running 16 shows daily for Sivaji, which is a feat for any regional film. It has wakened up to the fact that good or quality successful films are not the monopoly of the Hollywood or Bollywood. It has also shown the world that Rajnikant is not a subject of internet jokes only, but that he has far more substance than any other actor/hero in this country. In that sense, I think he is the most underestimated hero in India. Please check this and this to prove this point.

Sivaji-fumbled fairy tale
· Shankar seems to have fumbled while transferring the story from the storyboard to celluloid. While most of the half is spent in portraying the love story of the hero and heroine, second part tries to deal with three menaces at one go…i. e. black money, bribery and the menaces in the education system. That has created an unnecessary burden on the cinema as well as hero. Shankar’s earlier films centered on one theme and that ensued a big success for the flicks. Gentleman handled the problem of commercialization of the education system as Indian handled the bribery system of the country. Anniyan focused on the lawlessness in the citizens of India. It seems Shankar has tried to bundle all these themes in the one film. To be fair, he has succeeded in not making the affair a repetitive one. But it would have been better had he handled the one subject in this film. For that matter, one again thinks that had Mudhalvan been done with Rajni, we could have a movie of the lifetime. Sivaji leaves a lot to be wished.

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Two for tango, humble tango

Shivaji the Boss is a hit now. There is no doubt about it. But before the release of the film, some mediamen went on to ask Rajnikant about his comparion with Amithabh Bachchan. And Rajni, in his classic humble manner went further to say that Amitabh is Emperor.
I could not but put this interview on my blog.

You can also watch interview on NDTV here
Now, the same bollywood giant Amitabh Bachchan has gone on record to praise Rajnikanth as the undisputed superstar, the emperor of the Indian cinema. Read the article here...

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Sivaji-the spoiled status

Thank God, 'Sivaji the boss' is here. The total success of this film has lost its relevance for me and now, one has to resign himself to the fact that the movie has hit the halls. Till now we were only treated to the news of various hurdles coming in the way of this magnum opus of Tamil cinema. In the way, there was so much hype built up by media and Rajini fans that it was hard to forget the film for even a moment. So much so that some news channels had gone overboard to portray this film as the only offering from down south.
Now that the `Sivaji the boss' has just started to make waves in theatres, is it not time to ponder whether this film should have been given a fair treatment in terms of the publicity? First of all, the thing that played all over in the hype-trail of Sivaji was the amount Rajini fetched for this film. Some have quoted this amount to the tune of 16 Crores (160 million) Indian Rupees while others have went ahead to predict the amount to be some 20 Crores. Not dwelling much on this subject, one can only say that how can an actor’s remuneration be an attraction of the film. The expense occurred in the making of a film is not a sure guarantee of the quality for the film. This fact was more than evident in the case of Devdas (2002) starring Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. That Sanjay Leela Bhansali, director of the film managed to get away with a success was a case apart. But the fact remains as it is.
As many ardent fans of Tamil movies and Rajinikant himself know, this is not the first time that Rajini has got this much big amount for his presence in film. He has constantly seen his price soaring to sky after the `once-in-a-lifetime’ success of his `Baasha’ in Tamil. The movie catapulted him to the new heights of superstardom and since then he has never looked back. He is since long been the numero uno of the Tamil movie industry. He commands and receives such prices, because distributors and producers believe in him alike. But that amount created ripples in North and people were awestruck with it. How can someone other than Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh Khan get this much money? Surely, Director Shankar and AVM Studios, the producers of the `Sivaji the Boss’ must have gone mad, was the common refrain. But that refrain gave way to a remote curiosity, by which the angle of viewing has got twisted.
A Rajini film is a complete entertainer. We have seen this in films like Muthu, Baasha, Padaiyappa and many more. One has to keep in mind while waiting or watching Sivaji. But now people throng and muse themselves, “Hey, let’s see this film. Come, let’s see why this guy has been paid so much for this film?” The reputation of director Shankar, a man known for his extravagant but socially relevant films like Gentleman, Indian (Hindustani), Kadhalan (Hum se Hai Mukabala) and Mudhalvan (Nayak), have been washed away by a wave named Rajinikant, whose own reputation as an actor has been faded away by the new image of highest paid actor in India.
With this background, can one expect a helthy discussion on Rajini’s performance, storyline of the film or music or any other aspect. Rarely one sees a hoopla hijacking a film’s credentials so overwhelmingly. With this background, one only hopes that Rajini’s status as an actor, and not as a highest paid actor be established through Shivaji.
(At the moment this post is written, Sivaji has arrived with a bang and with some rave reviews. In Pune, from where I am writing, the film is scheduled to arrive on 22nd June 2007. It means one has to wait one more week to see Rajini in action. Till then, we have to be satisfied with reading the reviews of the film.)

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Shivaji: How many hurdles?

There is a song in the movie Padayappa. That song literally means : There are a thousand hurdles in life, but for you, these hurdles are only a step. That fits well in the real life of the movie's hero Rajinikant as well.

At the one hand his 'Shivaji the boss' is creating much expexctations from all quarters. At the other hand, the perk and rumenaration that Rajni got has created a lot of buzzword. In Indian moviedom, there is hardly any actor at this moment to match his popularity and stature. Be as it may, rajinikant still faces some hurdles and as is shown in his many a films, he conquers them all. This time he has an uphill task ahead in his real life and every eye is on him now.Shivaji is directed by Shankar who gave us many hits like Kadhalan, Gentleman, Mudhalvan, Jeans and Indian. He is a stylish director but any director working with Rajini must bear one of the most daunting task and that task is to fulfill the public's expectations. And this task is compounded this time from the very first day of announcement of the 'Shivaji-the boss.' The difficulties faced by Rajinikant that I mentioned above starts from this severity. Rajini is not only the flagh bearer of Tamil film industry, he is an icon for millions of his rasigans. He might have enjoyed their fierce loyalty and unconditional love for over two decades, he also has to respond to their anticipations. That he does so time and again must be credited to his uncanny down-to-earthness.If he by chance misses the bus, a debacle is sure to follow as was proved at the time of Baba.To add to the woes of the Superstar, some external elements chip in, which make the outcome of a Rajni movie more thrilling than the movie itself. This time also, as the talk was on of Shivaji being a launch vehicle for the Rajini to his political career, there were many who contributed to the saga of Shivaji. First one was the Tamilnadu government itself which, fearing an onrush of the crowd and thereby encashment of the popularity by distributors, assumed all rights for the control of theatre ticket rates in Tamilnadu. As if it was not enough, VIjay T. Rajinder, an influencing personality in the Kollywood, cautioned against the hike of the ticket rates and declared that he will not sit quietly if the rates are increased.Then surfaced Rajinis' old nemesis, Pattali Makkal Katchi which raised its head again to oppose the Shivaji. It particularly targeted a song 'oru koodai sunlight, oru koodai moonlight,' on the pretext of using English words and sentences in the song. The party workers (or leaders?) even have shown readiness for an agitation for this cause. Pattali Makkal Katchi people have a history of opposing to Rajini, first time showing their trait at the time of release of Baba. But this time, Shivaji has faced resistance from one more quarter, and that is an unexpected one. A certain trade union in Thanjavoor has opposed some references to the Kaveri river in a song in Shivaji and they too seem ready for an agitation. What is funny in all this episode is the statement given by this union, in which it is said that Rajini has kept mum many times on Kaveri water dispute. That's why, according to this union, he has no right to use Kaveri's name in any song in his movie.As Shivaji-the boss has rewritten some records in the movie history of India, it has also has to face an unprecedented hurdle now. The Kannada Rakshan Vedike, an organisation specialing in isolating the Kannada peolple from neighbouring states, has decided to oppose the release of Shivaji-the boss in Karnataka. It is unusual development. Usually, even when non Kannada movies were banned or withheld from Karnataka (pls see some of my previous posts), Rajini films have been given the go. But this time now, the case is different. WIth the Kaveri tribunal award going in favour of Tamilnadu, Kannada Rakshan Vedike is full swing and to show its opposition to Tamilnadu, it has decided to play with Shivaji's prospects.

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Pokkiri : Vijay has one more success

If one prefers only to look at entertaining value of a film, Pokkiri stands quite a good chance. In Mumabaiyya parlance, it is a paisa vasool film. Coming from the ‘Ilaiy Dalpathi’ Vijay, it has all the elements that make Tamil films dear to every film buff. One expected a thrilling, action and romance saga for Vijay, who had been on a search out for a hit for a year or so. The initial response and thereafter also has shown that his search is over now and there is talk now of his being the next superstar of Kollywood. Undoubtedly, Pokkirri makes all Vijay fans happy with its stylish treatment, eye-catching stunts, an out of the blue story and witty dialogues. There are many plus points in the Pokkiri. The most prominent being that it does not hide violence. It does not either hide its intention of being a violent story. It takes us through the dark and sullen underworld where killing is the thumb rule.
This is a remake film and it shows all through the film. But adding some true blue Vijay elements like stunts and comedy, Prabhu Deva has done it refreshingly new. Why he has kept some ‘overt’ features in the movie is an open question. The opening scene of Vijay dreaming of being a batsman and the lady in the villain gang fascinating herself with Vijay was such scenes. Thank god, the number of such scenes are limited.
Vijay shines in the movie from the word go. He was the same, dancing, acting and fighting the way he does. We are entertained like we do always. Still there was something missing this time in Pokkiri. As the one who relished and relish even today the Ghilli in 2004, this film is stops short somewhere near the expectations. While in Ghilli, Vijay carried the film on his shoulders, in Pokkiri, the film sways somewhere between the action and romance genres. I watched this film expecting it to be a action thriller. Thriller it is, but not the usual action thriller. The thrilling scenes come in as a concession the director has agreed to give to viewer so as not to make the film a run of the mill kind.
Prabhu Deva has tried very much to make Pokkiri as spicy as possible. But he has failed to keep a balance between the romance of lead pair and magnetic fight scenes of Vijay, the lead protagonist. One more flaw is in storyline itself that the sudden twist in the tale comes very late. A basic opportunity to dwell on this twist and make use of it, to stuff it in the confrontation scenes between main protagonist and villain is lost in the process. To say the least, there are not a single confrontation between Vijay and Prakash Raj after the latter learns Vijay’s true identity diminishes the entertainment value of the film. Even the protective element of Vijay for Asin is used only as a vehicle to make the film running. No use of this angle is done from the angle of Prakash Raj.
While watching Pokkiri, one is always reminded of Ghilli. Even some indications to that effect are provided in the film here and there. As if Sivakasi and Thirupachi never happened. Even some actors in that film appear here in different roles. That’s why a kind of anticipation was built as if this was the second part of Ghilli. But whereas in Ghilli, Trisha was shown harassed, hounded and sought by villain, in this film, the hero covertly does all this. In Ghilli, the story had ingrained human angles making it dear to all and sundry. In Pokkiri, when the main hero himself is ruffian, the human emotion are bound to take a back seat. As a effect, his tantrums also fell off. In the ruthless criminal world it it only bullet and guns that do all the talking. To compensate this loss, a separate comedy track is imbibed in the form of Vadivelu and he does it with a large effect. This part of the films gets 100 per cent marks. Especially are the comic scenes where Vadivelu tries to urinate in front of a wall and one where he opens the water tanker mistakingly.
Heroine Asin looks good throughout the film. She looks the perfect match to hero Vijay and glamour girl for the audience. But this romantic angle overshadows many times other happenings in the film. She acts like she has no clue of what’s going on screen in her absence. This comes out so starkly when the Inspector comes and harasses her mother, or when he sends goons to her house. Even when she knows that Vijay appreciates her and is ready to do anything for her, she not once tells Vijay about all this. This is a very weak character in the film and its only justification seems to be filling the need of glamour in the story.
Pokkiri seems to be one of the biggest successful films in Kollywood. It might come second only to Shivaji-the Boss starring Rajinikant, which will be released in April. Till then, it will bask in the glory. That is the thing I fear most. Since Vijay has tasted success with two of the remade Mohan Babu flicks, he might go for a third one. That will be really sad for the Tamil audience. Because he has the capability to deliever original hits which he have proved in the past. So let us hope that his ‘Alagiya Tamil Magan’ will be an original and as engrossing film as we are accustomed to. That will be the real success for Tamil filmdom’s next superstar

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Chiru...the eternal hero

The megastar of Telugu films Chiranjeevi recently completed 29 years of his film career. A function was organized to celebrate the occasion wherein his friend and another Telugu star Nagarjuna was present. Being one of the superstar’s quartet, (Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal and Rajinikant comprises other three in this club) Chiru, as he is fondly called by his fans, is undoubtedly the most prominent figure of the Indian movies. The word Chiranjeevi in Sanskrit means 'one who live on eternally.' Chiranjeevi's feats on screen and in movies make him really live eternally in the mind of the viewers.
Chiranjeevi was as Siva Sankara Vara Prasad Konidela, on 22 August 1955 at Narasapur, Andhra Pradesh, India
He was a student of the famous Madras Film Institute and later became a professional film star. His first public performance was in a government parade ballet at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 1976.
He started his professional career the film "Punadhirallu" in 1978. Though Punadhirallu was his debut, his first success came up with a negative role in the film 'Intilo Ramayya Vidhilo Krishnayya' which was released in the year 1981.
His roles in movies such as Abilasha, Adavidonga, Chantabbayi, Challenge, Gang Leader, Master, Kondaveeti Donga, Kodama Simham, Indra, Tagore etc. were all block busters in Tollywood. In the pre-90s, Chiranjeevi was first seen on Hindi scree. His first Hindi film released was Pratibandh (1990) with Juhi Chawla as his heroine. The films was a blockbuster and Rami Reddy, the main villain in the films also received much attention in the film. The success of Pratibandh prompted producers to make another movie with Ciranjeevi, exploiting his macho man and angry young man image. This films ‘Aaj Ka Gundaraj’ (1992) was a remake of Telugu hit Gang Leader. Meenakshi Sheshadri was the heroine in the film. As this movie minted money on the Box Office, Chiranjeevi’s popularity also soared.
Though his subsequent films could not recreate the magic that is Chiranjeevi is known for, his charisma as an actor remains in place as is shown by the number of dubbed movies. These movies appear in small cities and run to packed houses as well as in CDs and DVDs which have a good run on Cable cicuit. Besides Telugu, Chiranjeevi commande a huge fan following in Tamilnadu also.
He is married to Konidela Surekha on February 20, 1980 and is blessed with two daughters Susmita and Sirija, and one son Ramcharan Teja. His brothers Nagendra Babu and Pawan Kalyan are both into movies as well.
Chiranjeevi is the founder of the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust, which is the state's largest recipient of Eye and Blood Donations. With the help of Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust more than 20,000 people have donated blood and more than 10 lakh people have pledged their eyes. Chiranjeevi also assists people for medical expenses in genuine cases.

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Tamil Films facing closed doors in South

It was not long ago that Kannada film industry, apparently raged over the diminishing collections on account of copetition with Tamil films, demanded to the State government to restrict release of non-Kannada films in Karnataka for the six weeks. The state government subsequently conceded on account of which non-Kannada films were barred entry for the first six weeks of their release in Karnataka. That decision affected all other languages films as well. On account of that step alone, Karnataka witnessed a high number of remakes in Kannada from Tamil and Hindi films. It did not though brought any worthwhile trend of original stories or new concepts in Kannada movies. Some trade bodies even went to the Supreme Court against this order in 2004 and now recently state government has denied having issued any such order.
These trade bodies feared that neighbouring States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala will be provoked to take similar decision against release and exhibition of Kannada and other language films in their respective states. Though these apprehension were not realised owing to the little popularity of Kannada films in other regions, it has came into existance for Tamil films. The same situation aroused in Andhra pradesh some time ago. Some Chiranjeevi films having failed to garner collections to the level they once did, at the same time Rajinikant's Chandramukhi dubbed in Telugu making records in collections and Santkozhi, Thimiru, Aanai etc. films making waves on box-office gave sleepless nights to the industrywllahs. Faced with a lacklustre performance of a majority of Telugu films and Tamil dubbed films making hay one after another, the film producers association there demanded a ban on Tamil films dubbed in Telugu. But this demand, arose as did subsequently vanished without a whimper and no concrete decision in this matter has not been taken till now.
After the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, it is the turn of the Kerala now to try to halt Tamil films at its border.
Tamil films, actor, actresses and songs have a huge fan following in Kerala. Anyone watching Asianet or Surya TV can vouch for that. Even Malyalam actresses have a harvest time now in Kollywood. Asin, Nayanthara are two heroines who can prove this point. Sometimes Tamil songs have more buzz than the Malayalam songs in Kerala. Old horses like Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan command a big fanbase with young guns Vijay, Surya and Vikram following the suit. So much so, that though Prithviraj is a face to reckon with in Tamilnadu, he is a big craze in Kerala girls. A distributor in Palghat has the bought rights for Shivaji-the boss for a whooping amount of Rs. 35 Crores, which is considered a record in Kerala.
It is hardly surprising then that Mollywood's insiders are alarmed at the pace at which Tamil films are gaining ground. To contemplate on this situation, some financiers in Mollywood recently had a meeting. It was decided in this meeting that Tamil films should be released in Kerala few weeks after their release in Tamilnadu. Even so, this restriction is less likely to affect the films starring Rajini, Kamal, Vijay etc. These films will be released simultaneously in Kerala.

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Tell of Two Woods

The Telugu film industry, that was rocking for last so many years is now seems to face music. The Tollywood seems to have been entangled in the time wrap of its own heydays. This biggest industry of Andhra Pradesh has been facing hard days for some time now and going by its present performance, it will be futile to hope that Telugu films prove to be a treat for our eyes in the year 2007.
There are a number of films slated for release in coming months and they are worth Rs. 100 crores. There have been many upsets in the second half of the 2006, which include Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna starrers. These films have benn marred by the same storylines, inimaginative presentations. One senses as if the makers and performers of these flicks were taking audiences for a ride. This nullity or void on the part of makers has been aptly translated on the Box Office collections with only a handful of films making it in the hits category.
Traditionally Christmas time is considered as auspicious for the film releases as Diwali and in case of Telugu films, that period extends upto Sankranthi. Accordingly, this year from the December 14th, several films will try their luck. NTR Junior's ‘Rakhi’ has been released and it has been received well, if one goes by the initial reviews. Pawan Kalyan has been serching for a hit for last few years and he is throwing his hat with `Annavaram', joining them will be Allu Arjun's `Desamudhuru', Prabhas' `Yogi' which is a remake of Kananda blockbuster ‘Jogi’. Some reports cliam that ‘Yogi’ is to be dubbed in Hindi and one satellite channel has bought rights for the same. Also testing waters will be Balakrishna's `Maharadhi' whose release has been curiously postponed a couple of times now.
These films were bought for staggering prices, all put together are about Rs. 90 crores to Rs. 100 crores. But, given the penchant of formulas and clichés in Telugu films, it is feared that half of these films might bomb miserably unless they have something substantial to offer to the discerning viewers. Already distributors have burned their fingers with Chiranjeevi's `Stalin', Nagarjuna's `Boss' and Mahesh Babu's `Sainikudu', all of which failed to reach the expectations of viewers, though they have garnered good openings. On the other hand, it was the small budget films that made waves bringing happiness to distributors and viewers. Sunil's `Andala Ramudu' is said to have collected four times the investment. Jagapathi Babu's `Samanyudu', which started on a low key, has picked up considerably given its good content.

Says a report in the newspaper ‘Hindu’:

In the year 2006, only a handful of Telugu films hit the bull's eye and about hundred films bit the dust. Mahesh Babu's `Pokiri', Nagarjuna's `Sri Ramadasu', Siddharth's `Bommarillu', Sunil's `Andala Ramudu' and Venkatesh's `Lakshmi' were the only genuine hits this year while several big heroes, including Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna, were down in the dumps.

The biggest duds that incurred huge losses shattering all expectations include Pawan Kalyan's `Bangaram', Balakrishna's `Veerabhadra', NTR Junior's `Ashok', Nagarjuna's `Boss', Chiranjeevi's `Stalin', and Mahesh Babu's `Sainikudu'. Raviteja's `Khatarnak', Prabhas's `Pournami' that halted the juggernaut of producer M.S. Raju, Siddharth's `Chukkallo Chandrudu' were also on the flop list.
To make the matters worse, dubbed films from Kollywood and Hollywood rubbed salt on Telugu films’ wounds when they made a more money than these films. That prompted Telugu films producer’s association to take a drastic step. They decided to impose a ban on the dubbed Tamil films. This move also drew flank from some quarters, since it is many small producers, who use to dub and release the films. Many producers even went ahead as to question the rational behind this move and their argument was unambiguous: if big budget films can be remade and if they can have non-Telugu speaking artists, why can’t we have dubbed films in the first place.

While this year might end with a low note for Telugu films, in stark contrast stands the Tamil movie industry. Kollywood witnessed heightened activity and zeal this year, with many films turning out be profitable ventures. Especially pleasing thing for the industry is that many newcomers and dark horses proved to be winner. Kamal Haasan starrer 'Vettayadu Vilaiyadu' was the first success of the year. This film is still going strong in many parts of Tamil Nadu. On many centers, it has already completed 100 days. It is considered to be a blockbuster.Director K.S. Ravikumar, who had in past delivered hits like Muthu and Padayappa, give yet another hit film with ‘Varlaaru.’ This film initially was delayed much, so much so that nobody thought it would be released at all. But it was released and is running successfully. Its success might be gauged from the fact that after the packed houses run of the films in first few weeks, Superstar Rajnikanth called Ajith, the hero of the film and his wife Shalini on dinner and heaped praises on him. The film is now reckoned as the second coming of Ajith. Varlaaru got such a opening that it is considered to be the best opening a non-Rajini starrer can get.
One such film which kept cash registers ticking was ‘Imsai Arsan 23rd Pulikesi’. Though the film has comedian Vadivelu in the lead role, it enjoyed a good run at the box office. Besides these there are many films like Thimiru, Em magan and now Rendu, which were profitable and had an envious stint on the box office. That made the producers from AP to dub them in Telugu and various other films from Kollywood found themselves to be remade in Kannada. The reason for the success of these films, as I se it, is that they had some original storylines, some out of box presentation and above all, these movies brimmed with novelties. Indeed in the first half of the year, Tamil movie marked was flooded with underworld flick with the successive successes of Thalainagaram, Kokki and other movies. But fortunately enough the trend was averted in time and now industry is reaping bonuses. It is high time Tollywood take a leaf out of Kollywood and enjoy the gains that it truly deserve.

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Needed : Indian lesson for Stallone

It happens now and then. Especially in moviedom. Stars who are accustomed to arclights can not breathe `out of focus.' They try to prove the world that they can still grab the focus of the public. Many a stars and superstars have fallen prey to this attitude and some have really been sussessful in the endeavour. An actor after carving a larger than life image for himself, is assigned a measured time as his careerspan based on the experiences of past performers. Only a Amithabh or Rajnikant here or Marlon Brando there can outlong this careerspan. Examples of men who either proved to the world that they can overlive their prescribed and expected careerspan or perished in the process of attempting this can be found dime a dozen. But someone crying out loud to grab attention of public, and that too in Hollywood, was never heard of. And when that long unexpected thing happened, it could not become so curious as name of the person behind that cry. That man is Sylvester Stallone.

One who is nourished on a regular dose of Bollywood, Hollywood and all other flicks, needs no introduction of Sylvester Stallone. The 'Rocky' of the Seventies and 'Rambo' of the eighties someshow was overshadowed in Nineties and afterwards. This action hero is now 60 years old and feels sidelined in Hollywood. He thinks it's time to show people that careers of guys like him can last long after most people retire, and he sets out to prove it in his new movie, "Rocky Balboa." "People are living longer. They are healthier. They have more ambition, more energy, yet society is telling them to move aside," Stallone told Reuters. The movie "Balboa," will be released in US theaters on December 20. It is the sixth movie in 'Rocky' series that began with 1976's "Rocky." Stallone famously raised about $1 million to make that low-budget film based on a screenplay he wrote and would not sell to Hollywood's studios unless he was the star. It subsequently went on to become a cult hit and established Stallone as the Superstar even before Rambo appeared on the scene. It also gave birth to various copied movies in India and elsewhere, the notable being `Boxer' starring Mithun Chakraborthy and 'Main Intequam Loonga,' a Dharmendra starrer.

The original movie tells of a hapless boxer, Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa, who overcomes huge odds to better his life. It became a surprise smash hit, earning over $117 million at US box offices, ($362 million in today's dollars), winning the Oscar for best film, and making Stallone a worldwide star. Four other movies followed the Philadelphia boxer through various stages -- career success, family troubles and bankruptcy. Stallone said the lovable lug has been championed by fans because he is humble, can be self-deprecating and is sometimes fearful of what life offers. "He has an almost childlike naivete in the body of a very courageous fighter," Stallone said. Stallone said he wanted a nobler ending to the "Rocky" series than in 1990's "Rocky V," in which Balboa fights a young boxer he trained to help save himself from financial collapse. Stallone, who wrote and directed "Balboa," said he spent 6 1/2 years trying to get the movie made and most Hollywood studio executives scoffed at the idea. Eventually new management came in at the MGM studio which owns the "Rocky" films, and they helped Stallone raise $20 million -- a small amount by studio standards -- to make the movie.

People in India, especially those in media and movies, tend to teach us about the excellence of Hollywood. But apart from the unacademic lure of the Indian movies, developments like these show that Hollywood can take a leaf out of us. We have more than one persona who have showed time and again that they need not go through tests once their mettle is unarguably proved. Take Amitabh Bachchan for example. The man who ruled Hindi movie industry for more than two decades, is now 65. Full five years more than Stallone. But he is still busiest actor in country. And if Stallone was a king in the Ring, Amitabh was the Shahenshah of action. But after a point in his career, he remained out of glare of cameras for about two years. Then he came again. Not 'Don'ning his usual 'Angry Young Man' image but with a reinvented look of a sophisticated elder. Welded with the family dramas filled with Indian ethos, this elderly actor has now transgressed to yet unreached territories for Hindi cinema. Amitabh's resentful young actor might have been popular in Egypt and Mauritius, but his new avataar is now buzzword in places like Germany.

A second example is that of Southern superstar Rajnikant. This actor is playing almost unifocal roles for more than twenty-five years, and still going places. He is the second most paid star in Asia (Pay: Approximately two million rupees per movie.) He had also at times put off his movie assignments, but every time he did so, managed to return with a bang. And with a bigger bang for that. He has not altered his image for a long time, but has experimented with the themes in the same set ups. That has endeared him to the public more and more. He did not nor does not require to say to public, that he wants to prove 'a certain point' throgh his projects. Besides all these, Indian movie world is filled with people who have defied their age and set the screen on fire. Dileep Kumar, a stalwart in his own right, worked wonders in Saudagar in 1991, when he was more than 75 years old. Mohanlal, Mammooty, Chiranjeevi, Nagarajun...these are some of the actors in Indian films, who are past their forties and in some cases, even past their 50s but are not only have a footing in industry but also giving young performers a run for the money. They are playing usual Hero in the run-of-the-mill ventures as well as doing some memorable, so called 'meaningful' roles. That's why when Stallone claims to try to prove something, it sounds so unconvincing. And to return to his basic film for such an attempt is most fallacious. 'Balboa' might come out as a good movie. But to relate it to one man's attempt to gain a footholding sucks the enjoyment out of it. Instead of banking on such fallacies, he should go on striking and shooting, the way we all liked him till now. C'mmon man, show must go on.

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Billa makes a French Bang

It seems that Rajnikant’s magic is only spreading by each passing day. His 'Muthu' captivated the imaginations of Japanese audience. A certain French film, which is yet to be released, ‘Pret moi toi main’ features Rajnikant’s fight scene in Muthu. The scene is featured for 150 seconds where the main heoine of the film watches this clip. Then she tells her friend, “This is Muthu, a must watch Indian movie.”
Now it is the turn of 'Billa' to floor Western audiences. France’s deputy director of Film France Commission Nationale, Frank Priot, who was in Chennai recently, said the comedy sequences in Billa are particularly ‘‘very interesting and pretty good.’’ He has picked up a few DVDs of the same to watch it all over again with friends in France.
'Billa', which was a remake of the original Amitabh bachchan starrer Don, was released in 1980. It is hailed as Rajnikant’s second film coming and was a huge box office hit. Songs from this film are considered a hit even today particularly `My name is Billa’, is most famous. There are plans to remake the film, and Ajith may play Rajni’s role.Priot was also impressed with 'Dhool' and 'Ghajini'. He watched the Suriya starrer 'Ghajini' in a theatre and liked it so much that he has bought the DVD. Who knows, there may be remakes of those as well. Already, Anniyan, last year’s blockbuster was dubbed into French and it is the first Indian film to be dubbed in French.

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A Dubious Feat

Sometime ago while commenting upon an UNI story I had written, that dubbed films diminish enjoyment of a particular film. The better option will be to have subtitles instead. Those were my personal opinions and they did not required to be corroborated. On the contrary, I was aware of the fact that a large number of audienc go for such films. Particularly enjoyed from this lot are action movies! Now this fact is proved by a recent report from far south. A prominent English eveninger from Tamilnadu has reported that Telugu dubbed movies are gaining ground once again in the state. Here is an excerpt:
‘‘A decade ago, a host of Telugu films dubbed into Tamil flooded the theatres in the State. Movies of Dr. Rajashekhar, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna and Vijayashanthi were dubbed and released simultaneously. A handful of them managed a decent run.
Over the years, patronage for such films reduced considerably and virtually came to a standstill with remakes being the norm. In contrast, Tamil moves dubbed to Telugu started to rule the roost in Andhra. The success of Ghajini, Chandramukhi, Poguru (Thimiru in Tamil), 7G Brindavan Colony (7G Rainbow Colony in Tamil) is example.
The popularity of Tamil films being dubbed forced Telugu producers to contemplate a ban on the same. However, after a long gap, Kollywood seems to be veering towards dubbed Telugu films again. Three Telugu movies are ready for release in Tamil now. Chiranjeevi’s Jai Chiranjeeva, Mahesh Babu’s Arjun and Lawrence Raghavendra and Prabhu Deva-starrer Style are slated for release.
Jai Chiranjeeva stars Chiranjeevi, Bhoomika and Sameera Reddy while Arjun features Mahesh Babu and Shriya and the whole movie is set in Madurai. Mahesh Babu, Keerthi Reddy are playing brother and sister and Shreya is in female lead. Prakshraj and Saritha are in other roles. Most of the faces are familiar for Tamil audiences.
According to a prominent distributor, they are confident that these movies will do well. They all have big star cast and a story line, which would be to the liking of the audience. The fate of these movies will set a new path for several other Telugu films waiting to be dubbed Tamil.”
This pondering about the dubbed films did not catch my fancy until I watched Roja recently. This Mani Rathnam directed Arvind Swamy, Madhu starrer was a huge hit in about 1992. Originally released in Tamil, it was released later in dubbed versions in Telugu and Hindi. I was one of those who could not help but mesmerized by this flick in 1993 and there appeared no flaw then in the movie. Just last month I watched it on a channel and realized first time what a crime a dubbed film commits to original. Here I talk of Roja because it was a hit and never have I came across any comment about the quality of the dubbing in this film.
In the movie, the main protagonist Roja is a village girl. Draped in the scenic beauty of rural Tamilnadu, Mani Rathnam has etched out a visual poetry on the silver screen. Now when you see the movie, the girls wearing Pudavai, Selai and men wearing Veshti with elaan, sandalwood powder tilak seen prominently on their forehead are seen speaking in Bihari dialect and accent without slightest hesitation!

This movie was not the only one doing such a thing. The same feat was achieved in the Kamal Haasan movie, Appu Raja where Apoorva Sahodargal was brought on Hindi screen with dubbed dialogues. The lead actor and actress in the film, Kamal Haasan and Revathi respectively, roam singing in the Nilgiri jungle, which has a distinct Southern view in it. But all the characters in the film refer to the place as Lonavala, which is a tourist spot in Maharastra. And all types of trees but Nigiris crowd Lonavala. The same fate fell on Muthu, which is an all time hit of Superstar Rajinikant. Its dubbing is so lackluster that an important aspect of the film is twisted in the process. In the original, the main villain of the film is the brother of the Jamindar’s mother, while in Muthu Maharaja; he is shown as a friend of the Jamindar’s father.
The state of the dubbed films being so, it is really surprising then that they are so popular in the territories where they are exhibited. Lack of quality films in the local language and an appetite for some good films on the part of the people in the region might be a reason for the same. I have seen this curious trend in Hindi nowadays with CDs and DVDs of films popular Southern actors like Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Balkrishna, Venkatesh, Vijay, Vikram, Arjun and many others are being sold. Footpaths of major cities in Maharashtra are full of these and they are being sold in no time.
As said above, quality of dubbing of these films is nothing said the better. Still audience tend to enjoy, at least it seems going by the way they are growing in numbers and people enquiring about them. There are people whom I know, who see these films regularly, and they swear that they do not get the stuff in Bollywood movies. That explains one way the success of dubbed ones. But that has not given recognition to the people concerned with original films as they have received in Telugu.
The dubbed films are in vogue for a long time in Andhra Pradesh where film industry is a major player in the whole of industrial sector in the state. There dubbed films as well as remakes continued to go hand in hand with the original ones and all these have competed each other without whining. But a recent decision of the leaders of the AP film industry might change this scenario. They have decided to impose a ban on the dubbed film releasing in the state and the decision is being implemented from 13th Nov. This year. The move is likely to have an effect not only on Hindi films, but also English, Tamil, Malayalam and other regional languages films as well.
Even James Bond films have been released in their dubbed avatar in the past and they have collected the money as much as Telugu ones. Last year, many Tamil films like Anniyan, Chandramukhi, Thambi, Thimiru, SandaiKozhi etc. were dubbed in Telugu and received more than warm welcome by the Telugu audience. The recent decision might hamper the prospects of new arrivals, but none the same it will surely pave the way for remakes. Already AP film industry is full of rehabilitated Bollywood actors, music directors and above all actresses. If the audience is ready to accept them as much as their own artists, how can artisans keep them at a hand’s bay?
This decision coming on the heels of the success of dubbed Tamil films, might be an attempt to save the Telugu industry from being washed away by the Tamil films, but it will certainly keep the audience with some options ready for them in the form of new films and that too good ones. An audience subsisting on a large number of half-baked stuff will always be worse than the one willing to have a limited but good material at its disposal.

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To make or to remake…

(Second part of the story The Remakes-Same Old Story)
Regional films coming to Bollywood screen and vice versa have acquired such a proportion that attempts to make a catalog of it have been already shelved. Sheer number of such projects is so huge that anybody trying to keep a record of it might feel ridiculous. A large number of films in such category have been represented in fairly good manner. An exception here or there will sound justified with the numbers involved. Now, these films have been in the circuit for a very long time and nobody cared a damn for them. Only now have people started to talk actively and in high decibels that makes it sound like it has come into fashion only recently. Or is it that they have been induced to talk in such a way.
Hoopla created at the time of making Devdas, Parineeta, Don and many others has only substantiated this suspicion. There is Priydarshan who can be credited with really most successful remakes in recent times. Since 1992 is remaking his old Malayalam and Tamil hits into Bollywood blockbusters and he has never talked about it. His foray into Bollywood was with the movie "Muskurahat" (1993). This was a remake of the original Kilukkam. His first successful Hindi film was "Gardish" 1994), that was a remake of the Kiridam.
Then again He made his second foray into hindi films with the remake of the acclaimed Kamal Haasan" starrer "Thevar Magan" Tamil) in Hindi. The film was titled "Virasat". He later directed a string of remakes including "Hera Pheri" a remake of Ramji Rao Speaking, "Hungama" , a remake of "Poochakkoru Mookkuthi", "Hulchul", a remake of "Godfather and "Garam Masala" 2005)( remake of "Boeing Boeing"). Priyadarshans has also made Saat Rang Ke Sapne, a remake of "Thenmavin Kombath" Malayalam, 1994); "Kabhi Na Kabhi" 1997), "Doli Sajake Rakhna" (1998) a ramake of Aniyathi Pravu; "Yeh Tera Ghar Ye Mera Ghar" (2002) a remake of Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam and "Kyonki" 2005) a remake of "Thalavattam". Some of the these remakes of Priyadarshan however failed to achieve boxoffice success. Some of these movies originally featured Mohanlal as the lead actor and any retrospective of this Malayalam Superstar will be incomplete without these. But only a handful of the Hindi moviegoers might know this fact. They take these movies as the originals ones. Still they are successful. So why this hype only over Don and Umrao Jaan.
One answer might lie in the statement given by Anandji Shah, one of the music directors of the original Don. Terming the remake of Don as purely a commercial act, he has said on record that makers of the new film had exploited the loop-holes in the Copyright Act to make money. “Listening to the remake of my song ‘Khaike Paan Banaraswala’ has hurt me immensely,” said Anandji of the Anandji-Kalyanji fame. “The first time I heard the remake of my song, I could only laugh.” The director of original film Chandra Barot has said that such remakes act as ‘nuisance value’ for the original filmmakers. “I would personally never go for a remake of any film. Why opt for a remake?” Barot questioned. He added that new film was aimed at making money and nothing else. Barot said, “I am worried if more and more Bollywood classics are remade. It will be a sad day when low budget remakes of classic films like Mughal-e-Azam are made.”
As a movie buff, personally I will say that bringing various regional films into Hindi or its reverse trend is a healthy practice. That gives a chance to viewers to appreciate artworks in another regions, which in India can be a tedious thing to do. One more thing is that movies that usually are remade go not only through the regional-Hindi mode but also one regional language to another one. That’s why Mohanlal’s Thenmavin Kombath was remade into Hindi as well as Tamil. In its Tamil version, Muthu, Rajnikant was the hero and this remade version was a bit different in its storyline as well as presentation to suit to Superstar’s image. This remade version superceded all the collection records of the original one and still has a unique reputation of being the biggest Indian hit in Japan. Though they did not give an ample idea of the talent that the original artistes, writers, music directors or any other who made the film tick, they give a reflected glimpse of the currents in the respective film industries. Many Hindi films in the 1980s and 90s were imported from the South and those movies provided enough indications of the film genre in vogue at that time.
As in Hollywood, many remade films also provided a base for the new crew to improvise on the original films and they did well. Money factor, a bane of Bollywood, for many decades, played an important role in the refurnishing of new creations and it showed in the films as well. That’s why some original regional movies fail to cast a spell to the extent that new, Bollywood hits could. Sometimes, a persona or an actor like Amitabh Bachchan would made it very difficult for others to recreate the magic. With the exception of Rajinikant, many others who tried to do such a trick paled in the effort.

(To be continued)

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An UNI story

Panaji : Watching Indian films is not at all a problem for the French as they do not want these films to be dubbed in their own language, according Serge Sobczynski, in charge of the 'Cinema du Monde'(Cinema of the World) section of the Cannes Film Festival. ''The French want to enjoy the original sound of Indian languages, so as to get a real feel of the work,'' he said. Mr Sobczynski is here at the of India International Film Festival to select Indian films for Cannes 2007 which would celebrate India's 60th independence day during its own 60th anniversary next year. He told UNI that in France, films are screened with only French subtitles as people feel that watching a dubed film destroys the original effect. ''Can you get a real Ingmar Bergman except in the Swedish language?'' said Mr Sobczynski.He said during the Cannes 2007 there will be two days entirely devoted to Indian cinema-- one day for art films and the second day for the mainstream cinema. ''I will try to see as many films as possible in the India Panorama section of the Goa film festival to make selections for the Cannes,'' he said.Replying to a querry, Mr Sobczynski said Indian films were beginning to be appreciated in France and of late the market was also opening up for them.

My take: I fully agree with Mr. Sobczynski. The dubbed film really destroys the delight of the original ones. I have seen it in Roja and Muthu Maharaja (original Muthu). Subtitles are the best way for a foreign film to be appreciated. Hasving said thzat, one must note, ironically though, Tamil Anniyan is the first Indian film to be dubbed in French. Rajinikant’s Muthu will be featured in one French film, Pret Moi Toi Main for 120 seconds.

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The Remakes-Same Old Story

BOLLYWOOD has now entered a new age -The Age of Remakes. See the hype over Don, starring Shahrukh Khan, which is a remake of old movie of the same name, starring Superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Another remake, which saw the darkness of the cinema halls, was Umrao Jaan, with Aishwarya Rai playing the role that Rekha did years ago. ‘Don’ was not the first film that was remade with Shahrukh as the main protagonist. It was Devdas five years ago that Sanjay Leela Bhansali came with his Devdas, a caricature work compared to the classic and unforgettable two Devdas, played by K. L. Saigal and Dileep Kumar.
Why are Bollywood directors are going for remakes these days? One thing proposed is that they’re probably hoping to have the same success that the original movie did. Secondly, since we have advanced technical know-how now, these directors might have thinking that they can make a better version of the original. A third reason put forward (and which appeals to me nonetheless) is that they have probably run out of ideas for a new script. Let’s talk about all these reason and the hollowness of the claim in it.

There have been many films in Bollywood where the movie drew a hell lot of money when it was released. Sometimes actors in the film fetched accolades for their portrayals of the roles assigned to them. What made these films memorable were the acting, music and strong script of the film. Take the case of Don, which had Amitabh in the lead, Pran in a supporting role, which was nothing less than the main and it had music by Kalyanji-Anandji, a pair known for the versatility and experimentation. That’s why songs from the original Don are sung even today with as much enthusiasm as much as it were 22 years ago. ‘Khaike Paan Banaaras Walaa,’ ‘Jiska Mujhe tha Intzaar,’ these are the songs that have become a part of the Indian folklore. Now compared to this, recent Don has only more glitz to show while going on a lowly content. Shahrukh Khan might be a good actor (I have my own reservations on the issue), but he can never imitate Mr. Bachchan in any way. There are no technological obligations in the Don to show its unique advancement and really movie doesn’t try to show it either. The only thing in the new Don that identifies it as a new age movie are some sophisticated cars, bikes et al, which only serve to add machismo to the Heroism of the main actor. How can one forget that Mr. Bachchan had precisely flanked this same machismo by his sheer persona and without any automobile instrumentation in not only Don but also umpteen movies one after another?
The only thing that apparently might have driven the makers to remake Don is the box-office success that it enjoyed. Shahrukh Khan has a penchant for keeping his scribbling pals in good humour. Somewhere in the point of time, he got himself named King Khan even without proving its credentials on Box Offices. With Don, he has tried to ape Mr. Bachchan wherein Superstardom will only be a logical step for him. Everyone nowadays know perfectly that the Don-1981 and Don-2006 had a different turf to slog it out for tickets collection. In those days, when there was no channel to generate any hype for any sundry film, it was the name of Mr. Bachchan on account of which crowds thronged the theatres. Number of films that two Don were released with was also a factor determining the fate of the works.
As for as Umrao Jaan was concerned, the movie itself got a beating on Box-office and by critics as well. Aishwarya was no Rekha and that shows. In this case also, while watching this film, intention of J. P. Dutta does never seem to make another classic. On the contrary it smacks of cashing in the name of an old movie which has in the conscience of the moviegoers for the past two decades. The same story is going to take place for the third time I’m afraid with Ram Gopal Varma venturing out to re-make Sholay, that timeless classic which has nourished a whole lot of movie generation. News coming from the Varma camp makes all movie buff shudder to the spine. Choosing Nisha Kothari as Basanti might sound a great idea to RGV, but for the common cine-goers, it is more atrocious than any crime Gabbar Singh can commit. And What about Bhansali? He killed Devdas with such a pomp that Sharat Chandra would have never thought. That flashiness was the most tragic case for any Devdas.
It’s very, very difficult, nearly impossible actually, to make a film that’s as good as the original. If the first film was a big hit, for no matter what reason, that impression stays with the audience and they compare the remake with the original, mostly unfavorably. And in India, where film stars are next to gods, that taste of the original favourites sticks in throat and no matter how well the film is presented again, remade film does not match to that taste. This is not limited to the present crop of same language remake but also to those which have been transformed from one set up to another. India, with its multi-cultured environs and diverse localities as well as communities always provided an ideal ground for the remakes of the films. In literature, this is called translation. But when it comes to movies, one has to not only take the storyline but also actors, music and all other factors involved in film making to new set up.
From the days of Devdas, films in one language are being reproduced and represented in another language. Sometimes the film in question was remade several times. They got their
fair share of acclaim, but they lacked something that only the original had. And that is true of all remakes. An actor like Anil Kapoor in Hindi or Venkatesh in Telugu had remakes as their major hits in portfolio. People unknown to the original flooded to their hits one after another, sometimes in succession and enjoyed it unquestioningly. To be fair, these actors were talented without doubt and never let their fans down. But one who knew original scripts, finds it really hard to gulp down the fare they churn out. Thus ‘Ladlaa’ and ‘Jamai Rajaa’ (Anil Kapoor starrers) are very good and enjoyable films themselves, but having seen ‘Gharanaa Mogudu’ or ‘Jamai Majaka’ respectively, Megastar Chiranjeevi starrers, tests ones ability to praise the former two films. And consider the dilemma of one who, besides these two knows the really original ‘Mannan’ and ‘Mappillai’, knows that Style King Rajinikant has made these two films a part of the Tamil film history, that those films have a status of all time entertainers and really such are they. Then it really depreciates the appreciation one might have for the stuff brought in front. (To be continued)

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Pune fast becoming Pollywood
Pune : The city of pensioners has long become city of IT peoples. And now Pune is emerging as a rival to its neighboring city Mumbai. Yes, the Mayanagari of Mumbai is slowly but steadily moving to Pune and the trend is limited not only to Bollywood but to Hollywood and Kollywood also.
The month long sojourn by Brangelina for the shooting of ‘A Mighty Heart’ has put Pune on global entertainment map. In the frenzy and hype of this film, famous Southern director S. Shankar also canned some dance and song sequences for his forthcoming film ‘Shivaji-the Boss’. A Rajinikant starrer, ‘Shivaji-the Boss’ had its previous schedules in Spain and Japan also. Then the crew landed straight at Panshet Dam, a 25 KM or something tourist destination from the city. The shooting was also held at various places including ‘Magarpatta City.’
Ram Gopal Varma, Priyadarshan, Gautam Menon…these are some prominent names in Bollywood who have worked repetitively in Pune and continue to do so. What’s more, Ramu’s ‘Vastu’ was based solely on a bungalow near Lonavala.
There was a time when only Marathi cinema was produced in Pune and most of the Marathi producers were based here. Historic vicinity of Pune provided ample ambience and limited motion ensured cost-affordability. All the while, Hindi cinema flourished in Mumbai. The scene has changed in the last decade and major production houses, both of big and small screen varieties choose Pune as a favored destination. Increasing facilities of transport, closeness to Mumbai, relatively low cost of work is some of the reasons why Bollywood is increasingly coming to Pune.

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