Has Hero Been Postponed?
There's a strong rumour in the film trade that Sooraj Panscholi-Aathiya Shetty's debut film Hero, being produced by Salman Khan, may not release on July 3 as announced. The makers seem to believe that the film should release after the release of Salman Khan-starrerBajrangi Bhaijaan. According to sources, a decision will be taken after Khan returns from Kashmir, where he is shooting for Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
PS: Those who have seen the rushes or the trailer ofHero are raving about the chemistry between Sooraj Panscholi and Aathiya Shetty. Since we all know that if the chemistry of the lead pair in a love story is perfect, there's no stopping the film at the ticket counter. Here's wishing both newcomers, Sooraj and Aathiya, tons of luck!
Story Of Floor No 2
It's probably not the first time that a filmmaker has blocked an entire stage in a studio for several months but it's sure making ripples. And no prizes for guessing who's behind this - the man with the Midas touch Sajid Nadiadwala.
Nadiadwala has booked Floor No 2 in Mehboob Studio for months and he will be shooting not one but four of his forthcoming films on this set, one after the other. The first film to be shot here is Tiger Shroff'sBaaghi, which will start rolling on June 12. This will be followed by Varun Dhawan-John Abraham's Dishoom, followed by a song picturisation on Saif Ali Khan-Katrina Kaif for Phantom. And last but not the least, a shoot for Imtiaz Ali's next Tamasha featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.
PS: This is the same floor where Sajid Nadiadwala's directorial ventureKick was shot extensively and since this film was a money spinner, history will definitely repeat itself with these four upcoming releases.
Omung Kumar Confirms
Last week, Box Office India told you that Rensil D'Silva and Omung Kumar had teamed up to make a film. The director confirmed this, saying, "Yes, it's a thriller, which I will mostly start after Sarabjit. It's too early to talk about the film but it's on the lines of what Rensil writes. It's a thriller. Now that I have decided to direct, I have so many stories to tell that I am writing down everything and whatever shapes up well and shapes up first, I will helm that."
The director also plans to turn producer and is talking to a few directors. Apart from a thriller, he also has a story on World War II and a sports biopic.
Milan Luthria Signs
Director Milan Luthria is putting the final touches to his next filmBadshaho, which goes on the floors in September. But Luthria also has production plans and has signed three to four directors, who he will be launching. Confirming this, he said, "Yes, we are working on a few scripts and I will be producing them. One of them is Karan Rawal's, who has been my associate on films like The Dirty Picture and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Then there is a film with Bugs Bhargva, who is an actor, who will make his debut as a director. And another director I will be launching is Aditya Upur. All these projects will start rolling next year, after Badshaho releases."
Four-Film Deal
We have heard of corporate houses asking exhibitors to sign two-film deals with them and making sure they get a good chain of cinemas and also an ample number of shows. But Eros seems to have gone one step ahead and is striking four-film deals with exhibitors across India.
This four-film deal will start with Tanu Weds Manu Returns, which is scheduled to release next week. The other three movies are Bajrangi Bhaijaan (due in July), Hero (August) and Bajirao Mastani (December).
PS: Since Eros is planning to release Bajirao Mastani on December 18 and has already started locking cinemas, will Rohit Shetty's Dilwale, which is also due on the same date, find sufficient cinema halls?
It's Called Kal Jisne Dekha?
Excel Entertainment will be launching Nitya Mehra, who has been an assistant director to Farhan Akhtar on movies like Lakshya andDon. Mehra is all set to make her debut as a director and has signed Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif to play the lead. We hear that the film is now titled Kal Jisne Dekha.
We also hear that the film was to start rolling by mid-June but might get postponed to the end of the year or early next year. Reason: Katrina Kaif's Jagga Jasoos shoot has been postponed to June-July and Siddharth Malhotra is currently shooting for Shakun Batra's next.
No Fukrey 2
Mrigdeep Singh Lamba's Fukrey released in 2013 and became a hit. Since then, there was talk that the director would be helming a sequel. He did work on the sequel for a year but it seems no one liked the script at Excel Entertainment. So the director started working on another script, which is an out-and-out comedy and he will direct it under Excel Entertainment. Casting for the film is underway and the film will feature some known faces. Lamba confirms, "Yes, as of now, I have put Fukrey 2 on hold as we couldn't find an apt story to tell. But we have locked another script, which I will start in the middle of this year."
Laila Majnu Hunt Is On
Box Office India was the first to tell you that Imtiaz Ali's brother Sajid Ali had been signed by Balaji Motion Pictures to direct a film which will be co-produced by Preeti Ali. The film is called Laila Majnu, a folk-based dance drama. Now we hear that the hunt to play Laila and Majnu is on and the makers are visiting colleges in every city in the country to look for the leading pair since they want a fresh face. Imtiaz Ali is the creative director on the project. He is closely involved in the scripting and is keeping a close eye on the casting of the film.
PS: In the meantime, we also hear that JA Entertainment is planning to release Sajid Ali's film Banana(working title) in September. His debut movie, it will be set in Jamshedpur.
Guess Who?
It is said that when an elephant falls, many small creature are crushed underfoot. That's a cause of concern at this studio which very recently delivered an expensive dud despite a stellar star cast. Concerned at the repercussions on their careers, the blame game has begun among studio executives and fingers are being pointed both internally and externally to pass the buck and take the monkey off their individual backs.
Well, filmmaking is a risky business and the biggest of names have been known to get it wrong, so one could perhaps have one disaster as an aberration. However, the problem is that when one's track record is littered with many more failures than successes, it becomes slightly difficult to digest that someone else is always to blame. So will the powers continue giving the executives the benefit of doubt? We will soon find out!
Guess Who?
Having confidence is one thing but overconfidence is quite another! Having faith is one thing but making it your zid is quite different. This budding filmmaker seems to be overconfident about his ability to judge a script and since he's the only one who believes in it and feels it will be another blockbuster sex comedy and in his zid, he is hell-bent on making this film.
It seems he's besotted with this script, which he believes will be another Grand Masti, but he's the only one in his production house who believes in the script. So he decided to get a script doctor who could prove he was right. But the writer felt the film made little sense. In no time, this filmmaker replaced the writer with someone else.
But the new writer was very smart. Since he knew his predecessor on the project had been replaced for speaking his mind, he took up the project, cleared the script without changing a single word, and scooped up his money. Smart writer!
Somewhere down the line, this filmmaker realised that he was wrong but it was too late to backtrack. He is going ahead with the film and has teamed up with another production house to produce this film. He has also shifted the location to Uttar Pradesh so that he can get a subsidy. And all this to pump up his already inflated ego!
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