Category Archives: Movie Review

Battle intensifies for showcasing distribution between Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Gadar 2, and OMG 2; Karan Johar steps in to retain the screens

Sunny Deol’s return as Tara Singh has taken the industry by surprise as the movie has recorded excellent advance booking trends. While there is joy all around the industry as a blockbuster seems to be in the offing, Karan Johar and Viacom 18 have a reason to worry. “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is doing very good business in the national multiplex chains, however, seeing the extraordinary response to the advance booking of Gadar 2, major multiplexes are looking to replace Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani from the prime time shows and allot it to Gadar 2 this Friday onwards.

While Dharma Productions was confident to retain 40 percent of the show count in the Independence Day week too, the multiplexes at the moment don’t have the capacity to allot anything more than 20 percent to Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. “This has led to a war of words between Viacom 18 and the national multiplex chains. They believe the multiplexes would be unfair to them by giving away such a vast showcasing to Gadar 2, more so because their film is holding very well. Karan Johar has personally picked up the calls on the top heads of plexes and is trying to resolve the showcasing of his directorial,” the trade source told us further.

This development however has not gone down well with the Gadar 2 distribution team. “Zee Studios and Sunny Deol believe that their film has already been impacted by OMG 2. The buzz for Gadar is massive and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani got 2 clear weeks to do what it had to. They are wanting to get most of the shows in their name, as they are confident of facing capacity issues on the weekend. Zee is on the front foot to take more showcasing and it believes that Viacom 18 has to figure out the showcasing of their two films – OMG 2 and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, without diluting the release of a third-party film,” the trade source shared insider information.

At the moment, Viacom is not willing to sacrifice showcasing OMG 2 for Rocky Aur Rani and that leaves Karan to bargain only on better deals from plexes by letting go of some prime time shows for Gadar 2. The reason to not compromise on OMG 2 is the fact that OMG 2 is already seeing a limited release. The battle is intensifying between Rocky Rani, Gadar 2, and OMG 2. All eyes on the showcasing now.

Rocky Aur Rani…’ box office collection Day 2: Alia-Ranveer’s film sees huge jump

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh witnessed a good jump on Day 2. The film has been directed by Karan Johar.

In Short

'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani', led by Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, released on July 28.
The film saw a good jump at the box office on Day 2.
It has been helmed by Karan Johar.

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, had a decent start at the box office on its opening day. As per pre-release early estimates, the film was expected to mint somewhere between Rs 12-15 crore on Day 1. However, the collection stood at Rs 11.10 crore. Day 2 numbers are here and it can be seen that the film saw a good jump in its collection on its first Saturday.
‘ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI’ DAY 2 BOX OFFICE

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ received great reviews from the audience and fans alike. While Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh’s film earned Rs 11.10 on Day 1, the opening weekend will only determine if the film is a profitable venture for the filmmakers. Day 2 figures estimates are here and it suggests that the film saw a good jump.

The film’s figures soared to Rs 16.05 crore on Saturday, taking the total box office collection to Rs 27.15 crore. The film had an overall occupancy of 33.68% at the theatres.

ABOUT ‘ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI’

‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ is a romantic comedy film, directed by Karan Johar and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan and Sumit Roy. The film is produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film also stars Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, worked as an assistant director on the film.

The film was shot in Mumbai, New Delhi, Russia and Jammu & Kashmir. The music of the film is composed by Pritam and cinematography is handled by Manush Nandan. It released on July 28.

Israel ambassador disturbed by ‘trivialisation of Holocaust’ in ‘Bawaal’

Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, expresses concern over the “trivialisation” of the Holocaust in the Hindi movie ‘Bawaal’, calling out its poor choice of terminology and symbolism. The film has sparked controversy for using the Holocaust as a backdrop for a story of marital discord, prompting calls for its removal from the streaming platform.

In Short

The Israeli Ambassador to India has expressed concern over the "trivialisation" of the Holocaust in the Hindi movie 'Bawaal' released on Prime Video.
The movie has faced controversy for using the Holocaust to tell a story of marital discord, with a Jewish group calling for its removal from the platform.
The Israeli embassy urged those unaware of the Holocaust to educate themselves and stated that although no malice was intended, there was a poor choice in the use of terminology in the movie.

Israel Ambassador to India Naor Gilon has voiced concern over the ‘trivialisation’ of Holocaust in the Hindi movie ‘Bawaal’, released on Prime Video, saying it had ‘poor choice of terminology and symbolism’.

The Varun Dhawan-starrer has stirred up a controversy for using the Holocaust to tell a story of marital discord as earlier in the week a prominent Jewish group slammed the movie and called for its removal from the OTT platform.

The Israeli embassy in India on Friday issued a statement, saying it was ‘disturbed by the trivialisation of the significance of the Holocaust’ in the movie, directed by Nitesh Tiwari of ‘Dangal’ fame.

“I did not and will not watch the film ‘Bawaal’ but from what I have read, there was a poor choice of terminology and symbolism. Trivialisation of the Holocaust should disturb all,” Gilon wrote on Twitter.

‘Bawaal’ follows a high school history teacher, Ajay Dixit (Dhawan) and his wife Nisha (Jahnvi Kapoor), as they go on a Europe tour where they visit prominent World War 2 sites, including Auschwitz and Anne Frank’s home in Amsterdam.

The film, which tracks how the couple resolve their differences, goes into graphic recall of the Holocaust in several scenes. It was released on Prime Video on July 21.

Noting that there was a ‘poor choice’ in the utilisation of some terminology in the movie, the Israeli embassy said, “Though we assume no malice was intended, we urge everyone who may not be fully aware of the horrors of the Holocaust to educate themselves about it.”

“Our embassy is constantly working to propagate educational materials on this crucial subject, and we are open to engaging in conversations with all individuals to foster a better understanding of the universal lessons derived from the Holocaust,” the Israeli embassy said.

On Tuesday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, released a statement, criticising the film for ‘outlandish abuse of the Nazi Holocaust as a plot device’.

The film features ‘scenes in which the protagonists enter a gas chamber in Auschwitz and are suffocated while wearing striped clothing’, the organisation said.

“Hitler is used as a metaphor in the movie for human greed, with the main protagonist, saying to his wife: ‘We’re all a little like Hitler, aren’t we’?”

“Auschwitz is not a metaphor. It is a quintessential example of man’s capacity for evil,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action.

“By having the protagonist in this movie declare that ‘Every relationship goes through their Auschwitz’, Nitesh Tiwari, trivialises and demeans the memory of 6 million murdered Jews and millions of others who suffered at the hands of Hitler’s genocidal regime,” Cooper said.

PTI reached out to Prime Video and Tiwari for comment but they did not respond.

Adipurush box office collection Day 9: Prabhas’ film fails to show any growth

Adipurush features Prabhas, Kriti Sanon in the lead roles as Ram and Sita. The film failed to bring the audience to the theatres.

In Short

Adipurush features Prabhas, Kriti Sanon in lead roles.
The movie was directed by Om Raut.
Adipurush shows no sign of improvement during the weekend.

Prabhas’, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan reprise the roles of pivotal characters from Ramayana in Om Raut’s ‘Adipurush.’ The film opened to a huge box office number on the first three days but poor reviews and lopsided VFX and dialogues affected its overall business tremendously.
BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS

‘Adipurush’ hasn’t been able to show any sign of growth since the first working week. Even on the weekends, the collection has been poor and in single digits. On Day 9, the film managed to earn Rs 5.25 crore across all languages. The collections are poor considering the star cast and the production costs involved. The overall collection of ‘Adipurush’ now stands around Rs 263.5 crore.

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Meanwhile, in order to revive the collections, the makers even slashed the ticket prices to a mere Rs 150. Om Raut and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir even reworked the dialogues to attract more audience. However, despite everything, the film continues to tank. The box office figures are alarming given that the film was mounted on a huge scale.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke box office collection Day 22: Vicky and Sara’s rom-com remains steady

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke stars Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles. The film is enjoying a good run at the box office.

In Short

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke features Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles.
The film is directed by Laxman Utekar.
The box office collections for the film have been encouraging.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke features Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles. The film, directed by Laxman Utekar, is one of the most surprising hits of the year. The rom-com continues its steady run at the box office on Day 22 of its release.
BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS

As per box office collections, the film earned Rs 1.45 crore on its 22nd day. By next week, the film will complete a month of its run at the box office. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has earned Rs 72.54 crore so far. The film saw a 12 per cent occupancy on June 23, 2023.

ABOUT THE FILM

For those unaware, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is about a couple who want a house of their own to stay away from their family. They get a divorce to use the Indian Government’s flagship program Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to get a flat. Set in the small town of Indore, the storyline of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke follows two college lovers, Kapil (played by Vicky Kaushal) and Saumya (played by Sara Ali Khan) who are madly in love with each other.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke box office collection Day 21: Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan’s film shows slight growth

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke minted Rs 1 crore on June 22. The Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan-starrer remains steady at the box office.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke stars Sara Ali Khan and Vicky Kaushal.
The film released in theatres on June 2.
It is directed by Laxman Utekar.

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke is about a couple who want a house of their own to stay away from their family. They get a divorce to use the Indian Government’s flagship program Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to get a flat. The film has ben holding steady without massive growth at the box office for the past week. On June 22, it minted Rs 1 crore, taking the total to Rs 72 crore. However, this was a slight growth compared to its previous day’s collection.

ZARA HATKE ZARA BACHKE BOX OFFICE COLLECTION

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke was released in theatres on June 2. On its first day, the film earned around Rs 5.25 crore at the box office. It received relatively mixed reviews from the audience. On Day 21 though, June 22, the film showed a slight growth as it is estimated to have earned nearly Rs 1 crore nett at the domestic box office. The 21-day total collection now stands at Rs 72.46 crore in India reportedly. Meanwhile, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke had an overall 16.57 per cent occupancy in Hindi on June 22.

Watch the trailer of the film here:

After wedding, they stay with Kapil’s family and are often interrupted by relatives while they struggle to romance or even have a privacy of their own. To get away from their family, Kapil and Saumya try to get a flat through the Indian government’s flagship program, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). However, in order to be eligible for that, they have to get a divorce. What follows later is a comedy of errors.