Posts Tagged ‘Govinda’

Once upon a time there was a filmmaker called Nikhil Advani who directed Kal Ho Na Ho. And the rest, as they say, is all history. Salaam-e-Ishq, Chandni Chowk To China, Patiala House. And looking at his history, some say KHNH wasn’t that Advani but might have been that Johar. If that wasn’t enough, he has signed Akshay Kumar for one more film. And somewhere in between is the Delhi Safari.

It’s a 100 minute 3D animation feature which involves 7 main characters voiced by Govinda, Akshay Khanna, Urmila Matondkar, Boman Irani and Prem Chopra. And here’s a trailer of the film..

And if you are still curious about the film without thinking much about Rango, Rio or Kung Fu Panda2, here’s the synopsis of the film…

The animals of the national park in Bombay welcome a bright sunny morning, birds singing, animals running, Sultan the leopard and his young cub Yuvi, playing by the lakeside. The jungle has an air of joy and peace. Until, a distant thunder breaks the silence and a closer look reveals the jungle being raided by man and machine, destroying everything in its path. Sultan tries to fight a futile battle and ends up losing his life. A sign announcing a proposed apartment complex is hammered into the ground where Sultan has fallen.

That night, a group of frightened animals gather to discuss their fate. Yuvi, Sultan’s cub, tries to reason with the elders, urging them not to give up their homes. Asking them to do what his father would have wanted. The hot headed military monkey, Bajrangi, wants to declare a full scale war, but the anger management Guru, Bagga the bear, has a more civilized suggestions. He believes that all problems could be sorted out through peaceful discussions. Saying the best way to get back their homes is to have a dialogue with the humans and win their hearts. The only problem being that animals can’t speak to humans. Then, Air India, a pigeon with short term memory loss, remembers meeting a parrot who spoke human.

With hope in their hearts, Yuvi, Bajrangi, and Bagga set out and ultimately find Alex, the talking parrot, in his luxurious golden cage. However, their hope turns to despair as Alex is not interested in helping the barbaric animals with their cause, since this would mean leaving his life of luxury. Also Alex is sure that such issues would need to be addressed in the parliament at Delhi.

The motley crew manage to coerce Alex to join them and they begin their journey across the mountains and rivers of India, hitching rides in trains and trucks, to take their petition to the leader of the humans in Delhi. Along the way they discover that not only are their homes in jeopardy, but the homes and lives of thousands of other animals on the way. Their exciting journey becomes one where enemies become friends and an unlikely family comes together to fight for what rightfully belongs to them – A HOME.

Tip – Jhandubaba Chinchin

raavanFor as long as we can remember, the film has been in the making! And its still making headlines for all the wrong reasons! Incidents, accidents, cast and crew replacements, animal welfare board, notice, arrest, permission issue,  rains, schedule getting delayed, health problems – just think of any problem that can happen to a film and Raavan had it!

The recent news is that Bipasha Basu is out of Raavan! For more details click here. First, her casting came as big surprise. From the beginning, it was not mentioned anywhere. And by july-august, the cast and crew members happily announced that the film is almost complete. Suddenly Bipasha’s name pops out! We are sure it must be for an item number. Cant be more than that. And now, she is even out of it!

Before Bipasha, it was DOP Manikandan who left the film and Mani got his good friend Santosh Sivan behind the camera. Recently they had shooting problem because of the heavy rains in the Malshej Ghat area. Before that it was elephant scare, notice from animal welfare board, permission issue in the jungles of kerala and Ratnam’s heart attack.

And Mr Asif, where are you ? Asif, who ? Asif from this post who thought we were putting out fake news! Earlier we had put a post on the rotal mess of the shooting schedule of Raavan.  Click here to read our earlier post.

The hindi version of the film has Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Govinda & Vikram. In the tamil version, Vikram potrays Abhishek’s role and has Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj and Priya Mani in the lead.

If its going like Apocalypse Now, we sincerly hope that it turns out to be one Apocalypse Now! We want to get rid of the memory of his last film corporate film on Reliance which was masked as Guru!

Wake Up SidTwo big hindi releases this week. Wake Up Sid is directed by 26 year old Ayan Mukherjee and stars Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. The film is produced by Karan Johar. So, will Sid wake up this friday ? As I tweeted on wednesday evening, think it will score between 3-3.5/5.  Some of the reviews so far…

Anupama Chopra ( NDTV) – Finally then, Wake Up Sid can’t match Dil Chahta Hai, which even eight years later remains Bollywood’s gold standard for coming-of-age movies. I’m going with a generous three stars and recommending Wake Up Sid with reservations – 3/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, WAKE UP SID is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday – 4/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – It has its heart in the right place and it marks the breakout of a bright, shining star who has come into his own so early in his acting career. Watch it, and be awestruck by Ranbir – 3/5

Sukanya Verma (Rediff) – Wake Up Sid has its heart in place, but it still doesn’t have much of a plot or novelty to rely upon. That’s why the dialogues could have done with a little more quirk and nifty humour. Having said that, a superlative Ranbir makes it too darn hard to notice – 3/5

Gaurav Malani (ET) – It’s pleasing to see Bollywood warming up to fresh talents like Ayan Mukerji and waking up to compelling narratives like Wake Up Sid – 3/5

Anand Vaishnav (Buzz18) – When the veterans are royally messing up screenplays, Ayan Mukerji deserves full marks for his maiden effort. His conviction shows in every department. Wake Up Sid is easily the freshest film in the marquee – 4/5

Avijit Ghosh (TOI) – In the end, Wake Up Sid becomes a sort of template of how GenNow navigate their lives: deal with their own little rebellions, find meaning to their own definitions of independence and handle their own set of mistakes. It feels good when the two friends finally meet in driving rain under the grey skies by the sea. Refreshing and heart-warming, Wake Up Sid really puts you in the mood for love – 4/5

Kaveere Bamzai (India Today) – So wake up, and go watch Sid and Aisha’s sweet little prem kahani. It’s not as perfect as the decor in Sid and Aisha’s home but it’s pretty. Ad yes, the boy gets the girl, a career and his parents too (with their credit card) in the perfect little summation of our consumerist-driven lives – 3.5/5

Mayank Shekhar (HT) – If anything, this film is just as real if not more. Given the clichéd subject, most importantly, the coolness isn’t fake: something most films pretending to be for or about ‘youth’ don’t quite manage to grasp. You can immediately tell the writer-director (Ayan Mukherjee, a heart-felt debut) has lived though the material. So have the actors. I may not mind living through this again – 3.5/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – Ranbir has a charming vulnerability coupled with a cheeky insouciance that makes him superstar material, the kind of boy who is adored both by the dadi and her granddaughter. And thank the cinema gods for Konkona Sen Sharma. The talented actress once again puts in a nuanced performance, as we have come to expect from her. Well done, Sid – 3/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – Despite the obvious passages, Mukherjee shows he has a way of adding nuance to a scene. `Wake Up Sid’ is a promising first effort – 3/5

Do Knot DisturbThe other release of the week is Do Knot Disturb starring Govinda, Ritesh Deshmukh, Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen. The film is directed by David Dhawan.

Anupama Chopra (NDTV) – This is cinema as punishment. Steer clear – 1/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, DO KNOT DISTURB is a mass entertainer that keeps you entertained and smiling/laughing in most parts. At the box-office, this one lives up to the hype and expectations and that in turn should reflect very strongly in its business – 3.5/5

Gaurav Malani (ET) – Fun lies behind closed doors’ reads the tagline of the film. One would rather close doors to such farcical fun. It’s time directors DO NOT take the viewer for granted. Take the cue from the title. Do not bother to disturb yourself for this deafening drama – 1.5/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – It’s hard to believe this film was actually directed by someone. Was David Dhawan ever on the set at all? Perhaps Sushmita Sen ate him! That answers two important questions – 1/5

Anand Vaishnav (Buzz18) – Govinda and David Dhawan have made us laugh a lot more in the past. And this is certainly below par for them. Watch it if you are looking for handful a of chuckles. Do not expect more – 1.5/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – I think the real reason that Govinda is a much loved star is because of his looks or lack of thereof. To see a round, middle aged goofy looking man with clumsy hair and a huge smile flirt and hug former Miss Worlds is pure value for money, especially for all the fat men in the audience. If Govinda can, so can they – 3/5

As expected, Wake Up Sid is clear winner this week! And lets knot disturb the other.

raavanMani  Ratnam’s Raavan has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. And if a lil birdie from Kerala’s jungles is to be believed, the film’s schedule is in a royal mess!

Ratnam has already shot for more than 100 days and when he saw the rushes, believe it or not, it turned out to be only 20% of the film. He chucked the rest. Some 600 cans have already been exposed and with so lil output! Now Ratnam has decided to re-shoot major portions of the film.

Shooting permission issues in Kerala & Ooty, had a heart attack and then he wasn’t happy with Manikandan’s work. Everything went wrong. Manikandan has been replaced with his old favourite Santosh Sivan.

With Reliance’s big money, he surely doesn’t need to worry about the finances but the problem is with the actors’ dates. The hindi version stars Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Govinda & Vikram. In the tamil version, Vikram potrays Abhishek’s role and has Aishwarya Rai & Prithviraj in the lead. The actors have been asked to give fresh dates.

Ratnam is going back to the jungles of Kerala soon to re-shoot the portions. And after that, there is shooting schedule of more than 180 days to be completed. At this rate, they should rename the film as Such a Long Road to Perdition!

Govinda 2If Manoj Night Shyamalan ever decides to make a sequel to The Sixth Sense, we would pray hard that Govinda gets the title role. Cole Sear can grow up into a chubby & funny man. Why ? Because Govinda is born to say that popular line – I see dead people! Believe it or not, but Govinda believes so.

Check out this story in today’s Mid-day. How Govinda and his brother Keerti talk to their dead mother. Ripley’s Believe It or Not or ROFL! For more colourful & bizarre Govinda stories, click here , here and here. All about Govinda slapping, abusing, cancelling shoots for the weirdest reasons you have ever heard.

And this is not the first time. The stories are many and here is one of your recent favourites. Govinda was in London shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s King Con, which he wanted to name Show Man. One day suddenly Govinda called up the dialogue writer close to him, slapped him hard and asked him why he is conspiring to kill him. WTF can be the only natural reaction of any normal being. The writer complained to Dhulia and walked out of the film.

That was just the beginning. Next day,  there was a metal pole by the roadside at the shooting location of the film.  Govinda demanded that the pole be removed or he will not shoot. Why ? Because the pole is giving bad vibes. Now how to explain to Govinda that London is NOT India and he can’t just remove anything from any public place because its giving you bad vibe. Pole remained there. Shoot cancelled. Location change.

And more such incidents followed. He felt that the name King Con is not lucky and when Dhulia decided not to change the title, Govinda walked out of the film. He also refused to shoot in front of the Buckingham Palace because he was a sitting MP then and so he would not dance in front of London’s Royal Family Palace. Hehehehehohohoho! He even refused to dance in front of a Queen’s lookalike. In this scenario, calling him “Insane” will be under-rating him.

Last we heard, Dhulia has patched up with Govinda and have decide to work together. Terms and conditions will be according to Govinda’s ghostly interpretations. Boo!

Here are some pics from the IFFA Awards Macau – 2009. Pics of Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Anil Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Mugdha Godse, Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Sonam Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Madhur Bhandarkar, Akshaye Khanna, Hrithik Roshan, Lara Dutta and Bipasha Bashu.

These are pics from various events at IIFA Awards Macau 2009 – the fashion show, green carpet, film workshop, unveiling of Bachchan’s wax statue ( again ??) , press conference of David Dhawan’s Do Knot Disturb and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Jail. Enjoy!

my_cousin_vinny

bandayehbindaashai2

20th century Fox has sent a legal notice to B R Films ( Ravi Chopra) on plagiarism charges. For copying their film My Cousin Vinny and remaking it in hindi as Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai.

Ravi Chopra’s story – Since quite some time, Ravi Chopra has been telling everyone that they have officially bought the remake rights of the film My Cousin Vinny.

Real Dope – B R Films didnt buy the rights of My Cousin Vinny. They mailed the producers of the film stating that their film idea is similar to My Cousin Vinny. Everything else is different. Since there is no copyright on idea, 20th Century Fox asked Ravi Chopra to go ahead with his film.

20th Century Fox’s story – Now that the film is almost complete, the studio guys realised that its not only the idea but the film’s story is exactly the same as My Cousin Vinny.  Only few cosmetic changes have been made.

Where it stands – 2oth Century Fox has moved to Bombay High Court against B R Films. It has also sought Rs 7 crore as damages. Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai has Govinda, Tabu and Sushmita Sen in lead.

So, thats the real dope!

bandayehbindaashai220th Century Fox has sent a legal notice to producer-director Ravi Chopra for blatantly copying their film My Cousin Vinny. Chopra is the producer of the film Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai starring Govinda, Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen. Its seems Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai is frame by frame copy of My Cousin Vinny and 20th Century Fox is asking for compensation of 7 crores.

According to Ravi Chopra, they already have the rights of the film and have everything in record. They will reply in a day or two. So, who is the Liar or is it just miscommunication ? Watch out this space. We will keep you updated. And copycats, BEWARE!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     raavanWhat we know : Mani Ratnam’s Raavan is modern day adaptation of the epic Ramayana.  Like Shakespeare’s Othello became Omkara, Raavan is set somewhere in the north and has a rural backdrop. Abhishek Bachchan plays the lead character ( Raavan) who kidnaps Aishwarys Rai ( Sita) and eventually Sita falls for him. Tamil star Vikram plays the role of Ram. Govinda’s role is inspired by Hanuman, Ravi Kissan plays Abhishek’s aide and Nikhil Dwivedi plays a cop.

raavan21What we just got to know : Priyamani, the national award winning actress from film Paruthiveeran plays the role of Shoorpanakha.

And actor Ashish Vidhyarthi plays the role of Abhishek Bachchan’s dad in the film.