Aryan spent 6 days in the NCB custody, followed by 20 days at Mumbai’s notorious Arthur Road Jail.

On October 21, Shah Rukh stepped out publicly for the first time after his son’s arrest to meet him at the jail.

While Salman Khan visited SRK’s residence ‘Mannat’ soon after the arrest, Hrithik Roshan was the other big name to publicly come out in support.

Timeline of Aryan Khan’s Drug case

• October 2: NCB conducts raids at the Cordelia Cruise, which was set to cruise from Mumbai to Goa. 10 people are detained. Early reports emerge that a ‘superstar’s son’ is one among the detained.
• October 3: The NCB confirms that Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha have been arrested and remanded to NCB custody.
• October 4: Aryan is produced before a city court. The NCB claims to possess WhatsApp conversations between Aryan and international drug peddlers. Court gives NCB his custody till October 7.
• October 7: Several arrests are made, including a foreign national. Aryan is sent to judicial custody for 14 days. He seeks bail immediately.
• October 8: Magistrate court rejects the bail. SRK’s son is sent to the dreaded Arthur Road jail, where he will be given the same treatment as hardened criminals. Request for home cooked food is rejected.
• October 9-14: Aryan’s advocate seek urgent hearing of his bail plea. The court reserves its order for October 20.
• October 20: Special NDPS court rejects bail – raising fears that Aryan could spend the Diwali week – which includes his father’s 56th birthday on November 2nd – in the jail. The court rejecting the bail also raises questions on whether the judge sees merit in the case and on whether Aryan could be in deeper trouble than previously expected.
• October 21: Shah Rukh makes his first public appearance after the arrest, visits his son at the Arthur Road Jail. On the same day, media begins reporting a NCB raid at SRK’s residence Mannat, which later turns out to be a visit to get some documents. Aryan’s lawyers move the Bombay High Court for bail.
• October 26: High Court begins its hearing.
• October 28: High Court grants bail to Aryan Khan, 27 days after the NCB detained him.

Even though the bail has been granted and Aryan is a free-man for the time being – the legal battle will continue in the months to come.

There have been media reports that Shah Rukh’s family is expected to put Aryan under ‘house arrest’ as his moves will be tracked closely by the NCB as well as the media.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh has put his work on hold for the time being. It will be relief for the family and him that the bail was granted before the court goes on a week-long holiday for Diwali.

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The film releases in theatres next weekend.

Check out the making of the action in Judwaa:

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Starring Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Arshad Warsi, Tushar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Prakash Raj, Sanjay Mishra, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Mukesh Tiwari and Vrajesh Hirjee; Golmaal Again is scheduled to hit theatres on October 20.

“Is Diwali, Logic Nahi, Sirf Magic” the announcement video says.

The Golmaal squad is back with new members added into the family, get ready for an extra dose of fun, this Diwali! #GolmaalAgain @ajaydevgn pic.twitter.com/0ztSRH5aeJ

— Golmaal Again (@GolmaalMovie) September 18, 2017

Golmaal Again

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R K Studio houses the logistics of the R K Films production company, both established by and named after veteran actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor.

P S Rahangdale, the chief of the Mumbai fire brigade, said “The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, decoration equipment in the 100×80 sq ft area on the ground floor of the building,” he said.

Sources say, the fire was first detected at around 2:20PM Indian Standard Time on Saturday afternoon.

There are also reports that the fire broke out from the sets of dance reality TV show “Super Dancer Season 2”

“Luckily, no one was injured as the set of the Sony Entertainment Television show was locked and no one was shooting…. We shot at the location last week, and the next shoot was scheduled for September 29 or 30” a person was quote as saying.

#Mumbai | Watch: Major fire at #RKStudio in #Chembur
Video by Sachin Haralkar pic.twitter.com/ZQ27CKdQ7L

— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) September 16, 2017

Sad A major fire broke out at RK StudiosWe have lost the iconic Stage 1 Thankfully no casualties nor injuries. All your concerns appreciated

— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 16, 2017

Feeling terrible about the #RKStudio fire. Have unbelievable memories and life lessons about the legendary studio. Hope people are safe.

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) September 16, 2017

Sad about the fire at #RKStudio! Hard to see history in flames. Hope all are safe….that's what matters. Even the great RK would wish that.

— Boman Irani (@bomanirani) September 16, 2017

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Story: Kishen Mohan Girhotra (Farhan Akhtar) is a young man who belongs to Moradabad, a city in Uttar Pradesh. One fateful day, Kishen gets accused of murder which lands him in Lucknow Central Jail where he�s awaiting his High Court trial for a death penalty. Meanwhile, a diligent NGO worker Gayatri Kashyap (Diana Penty), is compelled to form a Band of Prisoners for the band competition which is to be held in the dreaded jail of �Lucknow Central� that year and this is how Kishen�s and her paths cross. Kishen befriends four other inmates and hatches a sinister plot which might ruin all of their lives. Is he successfull? You need to see the film to know.

Screenplay and Direction: Director Ranjit Tiwari has made a film which works on many levels but a lack of detailing coupled with baffling loopholes can take the viewer out of the film. The setup of the lead character’s fate of landing up in jail wrongly takes too much time and the film takes too long to get going. But when it gets going and when the other side characters are introduced, Lucknow Central becomes engaging. But, unfortunately, the climax takes too long to fully come through without becoming overbearing. The climax doesn’t work even though logically it should have worked.

Miscellaneous and Music: Lucknow Central has been given a realistic treatment in the film because the sets (even though it was shot in sets made in a studio) are believable and don’t look too studio-ish. The cinematography maintains a sense of cramped urgency. The editing could and should have been way tighter. Music is one of the positive parts of Lucknow Central because the songs take it up a notch (as they should in a film about a band). Kaavan Kaavan, Rangdaari and Meer-e-Karwaan all make a mark in the movie.

Acting: Lucknow Central may have been billed as an ensemble cast movie, but it relies squarely on the shoulders of Farhan Akhtar. Sadly, he’s again miscast in his role after last week’s Daddy. His histrionics and accent feel amateurish and too artificial even though his expressions and body language are sincere. Ronit Roy nails his part as the pan chewing jailor. Diana Penty gives it her best shot as the NGO worker. Gippy Grewal, the Punjabi superstar, brings a sense of masochism to the movie. Innamulhaq and Deepak Dobriyal are both brilliant in their roles. Rajesh Sharma and Ravi Kissen play their parts with utmost gusto. Lucknow Central deserves all the points for getting the casting right (except for the lead character).

Conclusion: Lucknow Central is working with ideas that have been seen in films for ages. Prison break movies are nothing new but to give it a different twist and make it watchable for the Hindi audience takes a lot of innovation. And unfortunately, the makers of Lucknow Central come up short. That’s not to say it doesn’t work. There are quite a few sequences which require a lot of sync and they work on screen too. Eventually, Lucknow Central works in bits and spurts. It can make for a decent one time watch.

Pros:

• The casting is well put together
• The music is good
• The cinematography and set design is detailed

Cons:

• Farhan is miscast
• There are quite a few loopholes in the story and the first half takes time to setup
• Doesn’t work all the way through with a prolonged duration and overstretched climax

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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Famous for conceptualising the ancient city of ‘Mahismati’ in ‘Bahubali’ and ‘Bahubali 2’, the filmmaker will be flown to London in the coming weeks for his inputs to Foster and Partners firm.

The Chief Minister will visit the firm in London on October 25 to finalise the designs, during his tour to Britain and United Arab Emirates.

According to a statement from the chief minister’s office, he was happy with the waterfront, the layout and the interior designing of the legislative assembly. He, however, felt the facade can look much better to reflect world-class architecture.

The High Court designs too, will be revisited, and the firm will present their next draft in the following weeks.

Earlier this year, ‘Bahubali 2’ became the highest grossing film of all time in India.

The post S.S. Rajamouli to give inputs for architecture in upcoming Andhra capital Amaravati appeared first on .

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Simran has the looks and feel of an English indie film because of the cinematography and the costume design which is accentuated by the fine production design. If director Hansal Mehta wanted the indie look for his film, the crew has delivered on that count perfectly. The editing of the film is decent although Simran has a tendency to feel overlong even at a mere 2 hours of running time. The songs of Simran are decent and give the treatment of the film nice little touches. 1 song should have remained on the cutting floor.

Simran Review by Bollywood Hungama

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

SIMRAN has a decent beginning. The first 10-15 minutes are spent in character introductions and also the Las Vegas sequence and it makes for a nice watch. But as soon as Simran turns into a habitual gambler, the film falls and never goes up again. There?s no logic to her actions and it gets bewildering after a point as to what?s going on in the film. One doesn?t feel any empathy for Praful. Neither does she seem to be a smart badass, if that was the intention of the makers. Besides, there?s too much of English and Gujarati in the film that dilutes the commercial element of the film. There are too many cinematic liberties in the movie which takes the audience for granted. Even the audio isn?t clear in certain scenes and hence certain English dialogues aren?t even audible. SIMRAN comes across as a show reel for Kangana Ranaut ? notice how she is there in every scene!

Simran Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First things first. If anyone had any doubt that an Indian leading lady cannot carry a full film on her shoulders, banish that thought. Kangana Ranaut drives from the front seat, and everyone else follows. While that is an entirely wonderful thing, that also becomes a failing. Because there?s altogether too much of Kangana in the film: the story gives her enough to do in the first half, and we are fully engaged and absorbed. And, then it slides into slushy territory. That?s called too much of a good thing.

Simran Review by Manjusha Radhakrishnan on Gulfnews

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The introduction of Soham Shah as the eligible suitor with a strong moral compass complicates it further. But Shah and the supporting actors do their bit in allowing Patel to shine. It?s Ranaut?s show all the way. But the movie suffers from over-crowding of genres. There?s humour, there?s tragedy, there?s violence and there?s drama, but it may not always come together as a whole. The songs that are inserted to highlight Patel?s plight are overdone. Just like its grey heroine, the film is studded with hits and misses. Reserve this for a one-time watch as it?s incredible to see Ranaut play a self-destructive rebel. But if you are looking for a cohesive cinematic piece, then you are looking at the wrong film.

Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

When the trailer was out, it had a strong resemblance to Queen. The story of a free spirited female who lives her life on her own conditions is what Kangana’s portrayal in Simran is. Director Hansal Mehta is a brilliant director who handles such a simple story with great conviction. The film might lack on an extraordinary plot but it has the funniest of dialogues. The hook point of the film is when she turns into kleptomaniac.

Review by Meena Iyer on The Times Of India

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The only one who is having a good time here is Kangana. Whether she’s docile or daring, the actress goes about her screen business with a flourish; getting her mannerisms pat. However, there are occasions when even she gets carried away with the constant focus. But then again, is she really to be blamed? The filmmaker doesn’t even have another noteworthy star on celluloid to share the limelight. Simran’s parents and her fiancee, Sameer (Sohum) and other actors–foreign and desi–don’t quite add up. Frankly, you can’t emotionally invest in Simran or root for her as much as you might want to. But when you watch the film, you will find yourself warming up to her occasionally, because she’s all you’ve got. Let’s give Kangana her due.

Review by Mohar Basu on Mid-Day India

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Director Hansal Mehta and his writers ? Apurva Asrani and Kangana, herself, give a novel spin to this dark and twisted story. They borrow the title from DDLJ, making a realistic parody of how women have changed since 1995. ‘Jee le apni zindagi’ is no longer about finding the man of your dreams. It’s about achieving what one’s heart desires. The narrative is layered with deep-rooted optimism, giving it the edgy fairytale feel. And they achieve all of it without romanticising or glorifying Praful’s crimes. It must’ve been tricky but therein lies the power of the plot. Despite being ridden with several clich?s, the effort to be inventive is unmissable. A special mention here is for the dialogues ? which are bound to leave you in splits. The beauty of Hansal’s direction is that the story has its grim, poignant, heartbreaking and a few high-strung emotional moments but he never lets the humour go missing.

Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

There was so much to like in Simran, yet it left me disappointed. It felt like my favorite Diwali cracker that flickered for a good 20 seconds promising a big blast, before suddenly going all phuss. More like, much ado about nothing!

Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Weighed down by the pressure of carrying this film on her slender shoulders, Kangana Ranaut’s Praful seems like one who can’t tell ‘frank’ from ‘cocky’. Agreed, a character who chooses to lead life on her own terms shouldn’t be bothered to process her thoughts or engage in internal monologue. But Kangana’s Praful is also consistently high-on-life and supremely docile. When a suspicious man with dreadlocks ushers you to a corner and lobs wads of cash at you to continue gambling, you don’t respond with, “You give me money, you’re a nice person.” That the actress puts her back-and-a-half into it is evident, and having played many a emotionally warped females in films, this one would seem like a dhokla-walk. But while she delivers to a certain extent, her character is written with barely enough depth to justify her actions. Kishore Shahane and Hiten Kumar as Praful’s obsessively protective and overbearing parents are near-flawless and carry the weight of their character’s concerns and regrets in every frame. Almost like a feminist comeback, Sohum Shah’s dispensable love interest role seems like an afterthought. Director Hansal Mehta, whose realistic and cinematic portrayals in films such as Aligarh and Shahid have proven the deft and detailing of his work, fails to straddle genres here and Simran seems like a classic case of too many cooks pickle the undhiyo.

Review by Suhani Singh on India Today

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Unsurprisingly Ranaut is the centrepiece present in every frame to demonstrate Praful’s many frailties and charms. Her Gujarati accent is far more credible than the one heard from an actress in a Europe-set romance. Ranaut is entirely invested in the character, often at the cost of laughing loudly and alone at some poorly constructed jokes. Ranaut brings flippancy to the character that often feels misplaced given Praful’s circumstances. The remains of Queen’s Rani are evident throughout, be it in the breakdown that Praful has in a public space (casino), dancing like nobody’s watching at a wedding or her willingness to make a fool of herself, but the result is not as engaging or charming.

Review by Sarita A Tanwar on DNA India

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Kangana Ranaut is the star of the film. Literally. Apart from her, there is not a single actor you can name. She is delightful in every scene and in character throughout. Only problem is that she seems to have played a messed up character many times before. But still, another noteworthy performance from her. Sonam Shah plays the role of the good boy rather well.

Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Based loosely on the story of the Bombshell Bandit – Punjabi girl Sandeep Kaur, Simran could either be a great comic caper or a tragic story of greed gone wrong. It’s neither.

Review by Tushar P Joshi on Bollywood Life

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The best thing that works for Simran is also it?s biggest flaw. Kangana?s character overshadows every other character in the film. Most of the supporting characters seem to be written to serve Kangana and further showcase her acting chops. It gets boring and becomes uni-dimensional early on. Also there is a bit of fatigue that sets in with Kangana?s performance. She needs to take a break from playing identical characters. Back in the day she was typecast as the problem child, who has a dark past, now she?s trapped playing the bohemian wild child with an unpredictable personality. Kangana?s earlier performances ? be it Queen or Tanu Weds Manu ? have appealed also because they were backed by a solid supporting cast which is clearly amiss in Simran. Kangana delivers yet another award-worthy performance. But we wish the plot did more justice to her versatility. Simran is only a one time watch.

Review by Ritika Handoo on Zeenews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Kangana is funny, fiesty and full of life. The audience will surely be amazed at the kind of versatility the actress has shown. There are a few songs but not the ones which you will take home after the film gets over. The title track ‘Simran’ by Sachin-Jigar is nice and breezy. You must watch ‘Simran’ only for appreciating the brilliance of ‘Queen’ Kangana Ranaut.

Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Something else I liked about the film was that the makers did not delve in her marital past and come up with a sob story for her divorce in order to garner sympathy for her character. Also, Praful?s bitter-sweet relationship with her parents is quite real and relatable, unlike the way parents and their kids are portrayed in regular Bollywood films.

Review by IANS on Sify

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Director Hansal Mehta has taken oodles of cinematic liberty to create situations and trying to pass them as existent. Praful’s character, however, is a well-etched one. He manages to make the lives of the Indian diaspora – their values, struggles, fears look real. The film is racy and although the second half seems a tad long, it never really lets you stifle a yawn. Laced with abundance of humour, some straight- faced and witty dialogues, Kangana essays Praful Patel with her characteristic panache.

Review by Sweta Kaushal on Hindustan Times

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

With Simran, Hansal took a detour from his own style of cinema – dark, real tales of mostly marginalised people. Perhaps, he wanted to make a happy, light-hearted film that celebrates an independent-minded woman. However, what we get to see onscreen is a messy mocktail of a star and a well-written, strong character gone wrong in a narrative that fails to keep things from falling apart.

Review by Vaihayasi Pande Daniel on Rediff

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you have never seen Kangana Ranaut on screen before (like me) and instead know more about her in real life and the spirited controversies and feuds that seem to happily follow her about, you realise that the actress puts a lot of herself into a screen role or at least this role. The feisty, mooh-phat, ‘frank’, fighter Praful/Simran has similarities with the Kangana The Rebel that you read about. The dialogue that comes out of the mouths of the rest of the cast in Simran are enjoyably salty too and archetypical.

Review by Rajeev Masand on News18

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

There?s ample meat in the story, yet the writing itself is weak. The film?s second half feels particularly sloppy, and don?t even get me started on the caricaturish villains. But it?s a testament to Kangana?s full-blooded performance that Simran works despite these complaints. She?s in excellent form, an artiste at the top of her game, as she gives us another indelible character in the perplexing Praful Patel. Come to think of it, the movie?s no slog. Mehta keeps the pace going, and delivers some terrific moments that?ll make you smile.

Review by Vishal Verma on Glamsham

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

As the idea behind the title of this film SIMRAN demands an extra dose of patience, tolerance and imagination, Hansal Mehta had an interesting badass women robber – the bombshell bandit to churn into an intriguing piece of cinema like his previous SHAHID and ALIGARH which were based on characters from real life but this time in order to turn a bit quirky it turned murky resulting in a lost bet.

Review by Meeta on Wogma

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The various facets of Kangna Ranaut’s character push you to dislike her. The commentary on financial mismangement and general irresponsibility of the millenials seem exaggerated and yet, ring true. The struggle of Indian parents and children in America to be both American and Indian at the same time isn’t new. But put together, they make the film a rich experience that cannot be slotted into one genre. My heart leaped with joy at the climax. If only, the 20-30 minutes in the second half didn’t distance you from the film.

Best Rated Films in 2017

• Sachin A Billion Dreams – 3.7 stars
• Baahubali 2 – 3.5 stars
• Lipstick Under My Burkha – 3.5 stars
• Anaarkali of Aarah – 3.4 stars
• Trapped – 3.4 stars
• Shubh Mangal Saavdhan – 3.2 stars
• Mom – 3.2 stars
• Hindi Medium – 3.2 stars
• Jolly LLB 2 – 3.2 stars
• Poorna – 3.2 stars
• Kaabil – 3.2 stars
• Gurgaon – 3.2 stars
• Rangoon – 3.1 stars
• Badrinath Ki Dulhania – 3 stars
• Haraamkhor – 3 stars
• Bareilly Ki Barfi – 3 stars
• The Ghazi Attack – 2.9 stars
• Raees – 2.9 stars
• Mubarakan – 2.9 stars
• Toilet Ek Prem Katha – 2.8 stars
• Raag Desh – 2.8 stars
• Partition: 1947 – 2.7 stars
• Jagga Jasoos – 2.7 stars
• Dear Maya – 2.5 stars
• Meri Pyaari Bindu – 2.5 stars
• Noor – 2.5 stars
• Ok Jaanu – 2.5 stars
• Naam Shabana?- 2.5 stars
• A Gentleman – 2.4 stars
• Phillauri – 2.4 stars
• Running Shaadi – 2.4 stars
• Simran – 2.3 stars
• Indu Sarkar – 2.3 stars
• Tubelight – 2.3 stars
• Shab – 2.3 stars
• Mirror Game Ab Khel Shuru – 2.3 stars
• Maatr – 2.3 stars
• Behen Hogi Teri – 2.2 stars
• Dobaara See Your Evil – 2.1 stars
• Baadshaho – 2 stars
• Commando 2 – 2 stars
• Irada – 2 stars
• Raabta – 2 stars
• Half Girlfriend – 1.9 stars
• Sarkar 3 – 1.9 stars
• Mona Darling – 1.9 stars
• Kung-Fu Yoga – 1.9 stars
• Munna Michael – 1.8 stars
• Bank Chor – 1.7 stars
• Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana – 1.6 stars
• Coffee With D – 1.5 stars
• Guest In London – 1.4 stars
• Machine – 1 stars
• Aagaya Hero – 1 stars
• Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha – 1 stars

The post Simran Reviews by Critics appeared first on .

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Director Ranjit Tiwari has made a film which works on many levels but a lack of detailing coupled with baffling loopholes can take the viewer out of the film. The setup of the lead character’s fate of landing up in jail wrongly takes too much time and the film takes too long to get going. But when it gets going and when the other side characters are introduced, Lucknow Central becomes engaging. But, unfortunately, the climax takes too long to fully come through without becoming overbearing. The climax doesn?t work even though logically it should have worked.

Lucknow Central Review by Bollywood Hungama

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Ranjit Tiwari’s direction is simple but with such a flawed script, there’s nothing much he could have done. Few scenes are well handled but they all get overshadowed by the many bad scenes. Aseem Arora’s dialogues however are fine, especially the ones mouthed by Ravi Kishan. Farhan Akhtar delivers a decent performance and manages to carry his duty of a leading actor. But this performance is no way close to his other memorable performances. Diana Penty looks pretty and doesn?t get much scope. After such a crucial role in Happy Bhag Jayegi, it?s disappointing to see her in such a weak part. Deepak Dobriyal as always is dependable and gets the Bengali accent right. He is quite moving in the scene where he meets his father. Rajesh Sharma also proves his worth and performs ably. Inaamulhaq gets a raw deal and could have done better. He rocked the show in Filmistaan and also in Jolly LLB 2. But here he just doesn?t work. Gippy Grewal gets a chance to shine despite the presence of so many actors. A fine performance and his look is quite interesting! Ronit Roy is menacing as always but his performance suffers due to bad writing. Ravi Kishan (Pawan Singh Chaturvedi) takes the film to another level with his cameo appearance. His dialogue on Donald Trump will be loved. Robin Das (Kishan’s father) is okay. Manav Vij has intense eyes and is alright. Virendra Saxena (IG) does fine. Manoj Tiwari plays himself and there?s nothing much to talk about his act.

Lucknow Central Review by Sukanya Verma on Rediff

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central comes alive in their combined chemistry and culminates fruitfully in Jee Karda, a spectacular recreation of the Monsoon Wedding original. The film doesn’t make any significant statements on the legal system or rehabilitation beyond tedious displays of violence or stray moments, like when the out-on-parole convicts realise they are unwelcome, unfit for the world that has moved on without them. Of course the harmless temper and measured fervour of Lucknow Central’s key players insists they are not all bad. And for a while, you believe it too!

Lucknow Central Review by Ankita Chaurasia on Bollywood Life

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central isn?t a fun watch, it isn?t enlightening, says nothing new and wants you to root for its protagonist without making any effort to help you connect to him. As a film, it fails in its purpose of making an impact. And yet, the novelty of seeing inmates being offered a chance at reformation is refreshing. We certainly need more such stories but yes, they need to be told better too.

Review by Rohit Bhatnagar on Deccan Chronicle

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Farhan Akhtar is good in his emotional and intense scenes but he looks repetitive. His performance could easily remind you of the Rock On franchise. Diana Penty looks sober but she has nothing much to do in the film. Any heroine could have pulled this role off. Inaamulhaq brings out the comic element in the film and he is too good. Deepak Dobriyal is a visual treat like ever before. Gippy Grewal looks as apt for his role as he performs quite well being primarily as a singer. Ronit Roy is good to watch. Ravi Kishan is satisfying as a whacky CM with his funny dialogue deliveries. Lucknow Central is a riveting tale of prisoners with an interesting premise and some sparkling performances but similarities with Qaidi Band will surely affect the film in every possible way.

Review by Renuka Vyavahare on The Times Of India

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Based on true life events, Lucknow Central is a feel-good, human, prison-break drama that succeeds to manipulate you emotionally, despite being predictable and filmy in portions. While the peg is somewhat similar (barring the undertrial element) to the recent Qaidi Band, Lucknow Central has a distinct execution and is way more evolved.

Review by Rohit Vats on Hindustan Times

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Ravi Kishan and Dobriyal, Lucknow Central could bring in some humour. The support cast saves the film from going totally wayward. Lucknow Central fails to utilise its resources, especially Diana Penty, and loses out on a chance to become a really engaging film. Like Prison Break, it never reaps the benefits of a promising start.

Review by Sonil Dedhia on Mid-Day India

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central will make you laugh and cry, and will leave you with memories that last long after the film concludes. The scene where Kishan experiences the immanent deathly circumstances that await him as a jailor gives him a tour of the premise, is impactful. Though commercial in approach, Tiwari keeps his film unpretentious and thus, relatable. Akhtar, with an accent that’s spot on, put on an appreciable performance.

Review by Manisha Lakhe on Nowrunning

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

This brings us to the band. How Farhan’s simple singer manages to figure out where all the guns and patrol cops are located and where the electrical switches as though he were James Bond is not explained. How he manages to find out which prisoner is good at what skill is a puzzle too. But we suspend our disbelief and watch Farhan survive bullying by the prison heavy Tilakdhari (a scary Manav Vij), and collect his crew, both for the band and the escape. Deepak Dobriyal, Imamulhaq, Rajesh Sharma and Gippy Grewal are a motley crew, and it’s a miracle they manage to crack a tune.

Review by Lokesh Dharmani on Masala

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central packs some interesting performances, especially from the supporting cast. Ronit Roy and Ravi Kishan are in top form. They give gravitas to their lines and characters, creating just the right amount of disgust and danger. Deepak Dobriyal, Inamul Haq and Rajesh Sharma show promise yet again. Diana Penty aces one expression in the film. She looks mostly annoyed?.with the script or her character, we couldn?t say! Farhan Akhtar is another weak link. He is too South Mumbai to pass off as someone from Moradabad. His emotions are intact but he falters big time in getting the dialect right, as he turns ?time? into ?tame? and ?crime? into ?keeraaime?. His delivery is as superficial and contrived as his knowledge of taal in the film. He slips in ?Taal Dadra? or ?Taal Deepchandi? often, in case we forget his musical dreams. Wah kya character consistency hain! His rustic background leading to a powerful, raspy stage performance made me feel that it could have been better titled as Rock Milkha Rock.

Review by Kunal Guha on Mumbai Mirror

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A possible struggle for Farhan Akhtar would’ve been to internalise this hinterland hero without allowing his Rock On mojo to surface even for a flashing moment. But grooving to Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari’s numbers, Akhtar is fairly convincing and even manages to evoke empathy for this character when situations turn against him. Slipping into cotton kurtis, Diana Penty mouths shuddh Hindi but seems like an intern with a glam mag who has been suddenly shoved into the reporting team of a city tabloid. When a lone tear drop slithers down her creaseless face, she could pass for a dainty damsel playing a human rights activist in a fancy dress competition. As the abominable jailor, Ronit Roy effectively channels an avatar that seems like a natural extension to many he’s played in the past ? consistently grim, alert and suspicious. From the supporting cast, the impressive Deepak Dobriyal has been largely wasted here, while Gippy Grewal’s scorned lover is quite unlike the romcom leads he usually plays in Punjabi films.

Review by Vishal Verma on Glamsham

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Farhan Akhtar is fair but nothing great to talk about. Diana Penty looks beautiful but she is handicapped by a poorly written role. Deepak Dobriyal, Inaamulhaq, Gippy Grewal, Rajesh Sharma prove their worth but they don,t get proper meat in their role to add to the band’s beat in favour. Same with Ronit Roy who is honestly menacing in whatever the role has offered. Other actors like Robin Das (Kishan’s father), Manav Vij, Virendra Saxena, Manoj Tiwari chip in with valuable support.

Review by Tushar Joshi on DNA India

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central had the potential to become an entertaining film with its realistic premise and eclectic ensemble, but thanks to a weak plot and incoherent direction it fails to connect with you on several levels. Despite a unique take on the story of a prisoner, the film falls flat because it doesn’t attempt to do anything different. The supporting characters including Kishan are all stereotypes we have already watched in other films. Diana Penty stands out like the odd man out in this performance heavy cast. The jokes and gags are weak and the focus is more on creating a wave of sympathy for Kishan and his band rather than letting us feel for them organically. Director Ranjit Tiwari feels lost in translation with the kind of film he’s set out to make. Post-interval, the story not only gets predictable but the way the climax unfolds just fails to hold any interest for you.

Review by Jaidev Hemmady on Movietalkies

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

As for the plot itself, though it somewhat mirrors what we saw in Qaidi Band, it is evident that Lucknow Central has been made intelligently with a proper balance between realism and entertainment. The rivalries between the factions in the prison have been effectively portrayed and the final escape scene has some tense moments. The dialogues are real enough and the doses of humour help cut the tension in the air.

Review by Shubhra Gupta on Indian Express

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

It is the supporting cast which is spot on, especially Sharma and Dobriyal: is there anything the latter can?t do? But more than anything else, it is the mawkish sentimentality which overcomes the story-telling. When it is not that, then we find our fine conspirators being much too dramatic. When will Bollywood learn the value of letting silence create drama? You don?t need to drown everything with background music: that is certainly not jailhouse rock.

Review by IANS on Sify

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Lucknow Central sucks is into its human drama. It gives a flying hoot about commercial trappings, keeps the frames stark , bare and daunting. No concession is made to glamorous props.And if Diana Penty playing a kind of self important activist prison-reformist that would otherwise seem satirical, happens to be naturally glamorous, it’s just too bad. Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray looks for corners and crevices in the human heart to shoot feelings behind prison walls. When in the second-half the flexible narrative moves effortlessly into a philosophical mode we are prepared for the transition much in the same way that Kishen prepares himself for prison life.

Review by Rajeev Masand on News18

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

To begin with, the makers of this film spend more than an hour on set up. Introductions, back-stories, new rivalries in prison…frankly it?s exhausting. The band is finally set up just moments before intermission, so there?s a long way to go until we find out if they?re able to pull off their audacious plan. Surprisingly one of the film?s big weaknesses is its leading man Farhan Akhtar, who appears so invested in playing ?hero? that he forgets to play the character. Both his toned physique and his physique-accentuating costumes look out of place in this movie. Casting Ronit Roy as the nostril-flaring jailor who inspires dread in his inmates has got to be the laziest decision, and Diana Penty is just blah in the role of an NGO worker convinced that forming a band and performing at an inter-jail concert will help reform these hardened criminals.

Review by Meeta on Wogma

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

While the first half is full of what you would expect, the only variety from other ?prison? films is the intensity and type of torture of fist-fights between inmates. The second half brings in some edge-of-the-seat moments leading to one of the two possible climaxes, making the end largely predictable.

Best Rated Films in 2017

• Sachin A Billion Dreams – 3.7 stars
• Baahubali 2 – 3.5 stars
• Lipstick Under My Burkha – 3.5 stars
• Anaarkali of Aarah – 3.4 stars
• Trapped – 3.4 stars
• Shubh Mangal Saavdhan – 3.2 stars
• Mom – 3.2 stars
• Hindi Medium – 3.2 stars
• Jolly LLB 2 – 3.2 stars
• Poorna – 3.2 stars
• Kaabil – 3.2 stars
• Gurgaon – 3.2 stars
• Rangoon – 3.1 stars
• Badrinath Ki Dulhania – 3 stars
• Haraamkhor – 3 stars
• Bareilly Ki Barfi – 3 stars
• The Ghazi Attack – 2.9 stars
• Raees – 2.9 stars
• Mubarakan – 2.9 stars
• Toilet Ek Prem Katha – 2.8 stars
• Raag Desh – 2.8 stars
• Partition: 1947 – 2.7 stars
• Jagga Jasoos – 2.7 stars
• Dear Maya – 2.5 stars
• Meri Pyaari Bindu – 2.5 stars
• Noor – 2.5 stars
• Ok Jaanu – 2.5 stars
• Naam Shabana?- 2.5 stars
• A Gentleman – 2.4 stars
• Phillauri – 2.4 stars
• Running Shaadi – 2.4 stars
• Lucknow Central – 2.3 stars
• Indu Sarkar – 2.3 stars
• Tubelight – 2.3 stars
• Shab – 2.3 stars
• Mirror Game Ab Khel Shuru – 2.3 stars
• Maatr – 2.3 stars
• Behen Hogi Teri – 2.2 stars
• Dobaara See Your Evil – 2.1 stars
• Baadshaho – 2 stars
• Commando 2 – 2 stars
• Irada – 2 stars
• Raabta – 2 stars
• Half Girlfriend – 1.9 stars
• Sarkar 3 – 1.9 stars
• Mona Darling – 1.9 stars
• Kung-Fu Yoga – 1.9 stars
• Munna Michael – 1.8 stars
• Bank Chor – 1.7 stars
• Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana – 1.6 stars
• Coffee With D – 1.5 stars
• Guest In London – 1.4 stars
• Machine – 1 stars
• Aagaya Hero – 1 stars
• Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha – 1 stars

The post Lucknow Central Reviews by Critics appeared first on .

Salman tweeted “Leaving Abu Dhabi after a great schedule of 50 days for �Tiger Zinda Hai�, had a wonderful time,�

Leaving #AbuDhabi after a great schedule of 50 days for #TigerZindaHai, had a wonderful time .

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) September 14, 2017

The director of the film also said “Long and super hectic day of shoot over, thank you all the authorities from #Abu Dhabi government to make it happen :) #action madness.”

He also attached a slo-mo video of a helicopter:

Long and super hectic day of shoot over, thank you all the authorities from #Abu Dhabi government to make it happen :) #action madness. pic.twitter.com/osjYrBarVC

— ali abbas zafar (@aliabbaszafar) September 14, 2017

The movie has been shot in various locations, including Morocco and Abu Dhabi. The prequel ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ was shot mostly in Istanbul and Havana.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Yash Raj Films, the most awaited film of the year ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ releases in theatres on 22nd December 2017.

The post Salman Khan wraps Abu Dhabi schedule of ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ appeared first on .

Check out the song:

Song Video: Simran
Singer: Jigar Saraiya
Music: Sachin-Jigar
Lyrics: Priya Saraiya

The post Simran Title Song Video appeared first on .

The teaser shows Vidya practising for her late night radio show but as she does so, the onlookers look shocked as she says the dialogue seductively.

The teaser says ‘Sometimes you don’t need wings to Fly’, this perfectly describes Vidya’s role in the movie.

‘Tumhari Sulu’ directed by Suresh Triveni and produced by T series and Ellipsis Entertainment, will hit the theatres on December 1st 2017.

Check out the teaser:

The post Tumhari Sulu Teaser appeared first on .

Story: Simran is about Praful Patel (Kangana) who is a Desi immigrant living in the USA and is a divorcee. She is full of spunk but there are complex layers brewing in her character. One find day she wins at a game of Baccarat and wins a lot of money which she conveniently splurges on high lifestyle items. She ends up gambling more and more and with each turn, she ends up losing a lot more money. To compensate her losses she resorts to a life of crime where she robs banks in Atlanta. Is she finally caught? Watch the film to know.

Screenplay and Direction: Simran is a movie which is inspired by the real life exploits of one Sandeep Kaur who resorted to bank robberies to sustain her high lifestyle. Director Hansal Mehta and writers Apurva Asrani and Kangana herself, tread the prickly matter with a matter of fact touch and make it lighter. Simran had the tailor made idea to be a thriller but instead ends up being a comedy thriller which is neither a good comedy nor a good thriller. It is a mismatch of genres which could have worked in theory really well but unfortunately the execution falls short on various levels. A handful of boring sequences don’t help the entertainment quotient of the film either.

Simran has the looks and feel of an English indie film because of the cinematography and the costume design which is accentuated by the fine production design. If director Hansal Mehta wanted the indie look for his film, the crew has delivered on that count perfectly. The editing of the film is decent although Simran has a tendency to feel overlong even at a mere 2 hours of running time. The songs of Simran are decent and give the treatment of the film nice little touches. 1 song should have remained on the cutting floor.

Acting: Simran feels like a showreel for the acting talents of Kangana Ranaut. She delivers and how. She is full of bravado in times of adversity. She doesn’t lose grip of her character throughout the film but there are a few scenes where her acting comes across as too experimental or spontaneous and sometimes even repetitive. But whatever she does, it works. Sohum Shah who plays her fiance has the looks to carry of his character and does a dependable job. Hiten Kumar and Kishori Shahane who play her parents are good actors but they don’t have more than one dimension in their roles.

Conclusion: Simran is a film which had a gem of an idea behind it (thanks to the real life drama of one Punjabi girl in America) but trying to make it light and giving it a comedic touch doesn’t work for the betterment of the film. Simran wastes one of the better Kangana Ranaut performances because it isn’t quite sure what type of a film it eventually wants to become. It won’t be wrong to say that writer Kangana has ruined a great performance by the actress Kangana.

Pros:

• Kangana’s amazing performance
• The production design, costume design and cinematography make it feel like an indie film
• The background music is decent

Cons:

• Mismatch of genres
• Has quite a few boring moments
• Takes time to fully come into its own

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The post Simran Movie Review appeared first on .

In between, the banner has several interesting films and their line-up looks much better than some of their films in the last few years.

Rani Mukerji will return to the silver screen for the first time after her wedding to YRF’s head-honcho Aditya Chopra. Her comeback film has been titled ‘Hichki’. It will be YRF’s first release of 2018.

Their second film of 2018 will mark the reunion of ‘Ishaqzaade’ stars Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. The film will be directed by�Dibakar Banerjee, who has previously directed critically acclaimed films.

Before the ‘Diwali’ biggie, Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma will team up for ‘Sui Dhaaga – Made In India’ which will be directed by�Sharat Katariya of ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ fame.

To sum up, this is their line up:

• Tiger Zinda Hai (Salman, Katrina) – Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar – Releases 22nd Dec 2017
• Hichki (Rani) – Directed by Siddharth Malhotra – Releases – 23rd Feb 2018
• Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (Arjun, Parineeti) – Directed by�Dibakar Banerjee – Releases 3rd Aug 2018
• Sui Dhaaga Made In India (Varun, Anushka) – Directed by Sharat Katariya – Releases 28th Sept 2018
• Thugs Of Hindostan (Amitabh, Aamir, Katrina, Fatima) – Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya – Releases 7 Nov 2018

Which upcoming Yash Raj Films in the next two years will you watch? Vote and pick upto 3 films!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Yash Raj Films forthcoming films

Tiger Zinda Hai release date

Hichki release date

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar release date

Sui Dhaaga Made In India release date

The post Yash Raj Films Upcoming Films in 2017 – 2018 appeared first on .

Directed by Suresh Triveni, Tumhai Sulu is scheduled for theatrical release later this year.

The makers have promised to show the first look on September 14.

Check it out:

Tumhari Sulu First Look

The post Tumhari Sulu First Look appeared first on .

“I feel honoured to work with him (Shah Rukh) and I will take some time for the film to move forward. I will take another year and a half. We are targeting 2018 December”

The director, who produced the recently released ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’ under his banner, also said they would be announcing the title of the film shortly.

“Nothing has been decided yet but we will announce the title very soon” he said.

The ‘Dwarf’ film marks the return of the ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ cast of Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The film releases in theatres next year.

The post I feel honoured to work with Shah Rukh Khan: Aanand L Rai appeared first on .

The collections of the film in the second weekend was more than the first weekend business of films like ‘Poster Boys’ and ‘Daddy’ – both of which are big failures at the box office.

‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’ could end with lifetime business of more than 40 crore, as the trend suggests the film could sustain well even in its 3rd weekend.

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan	Collections	Growth / Drop
Day 1 (Friday)	2.71 crore	-
Day 2 (Saturday)	5.56 crore	+ 105%
Day 3 (Sunday)	6.19 crore	+ 11%
Day 4 (Monday)	2.53 crore	- 59%
Day 5 (Tuesday)	2.85 crore	+ 13%
Day 6 (Wednesday)	2.12 crore	- 26%
Day 7 (Thursday)	2.07 crore	- 2%
First Week Total	24.03 crore
Day 8 (2nd Friday)	1.54 crore	- 26%
Day 9 (2nd Saturday)	2.95 crore	+ 92%
Day 10 (2nd Sunday)	3.34 crore	+ 13%
Day 11 (2nd Monday)	1.04 crore	- 69%
Day 12 (2nd Tuesday)	1.02 crore	- 2%
Day 13 (2nd Wednesday)	0.93 crore	- 9%
Day 14 (2nd Thursday)	0.91 crore	- 2%
Week 2 Total	11.73 crore
Day 15 (3rd Friday)	0.65 crore	- 29%
Day 16 (3rd Saturday)	1.26 crore	+ 94%
Day 17 (3rd Sunday)	1.51 crore	+ 20%
Day 18 (3rd Monday)	0.50 crore	- 67%
Day 19 (3rd Tuesday)	0.48 crore	- 4%
India Total Collections	40.16 crore

The post Shubh Mangal Saavdhan Box Office Collections: 2nd Weekend appeared first on .

Anil, 60, revealed his look in the film via social media. He looks dapper, proving that age is just a number.

He posted two images of himself in his character as Fanney Khan on Instagram, and captioned them: “Think you who know Fanney Khan is? Think again! This is just the tip of the iceberg… With Fanney, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected!”

In another post, he wrote: “Fanney Khan has many faces, but don’t be fooled by his appearance… He’s hiding a whole world of secrets under that silver hair!”

“Fanney Khan” is a musical comedy film which also features Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao in lead roles.

Anil, who had earlier featured with Aishwarya in “Taal”, will play on-screen father to her in the new film.

“Fanney Khan”, produced by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, KriArj Entertainment and T-Series, is an official remake of the Oscar nominated Dutch 2000 film “Everybody’s Famous!”. It is scheduled for a worldwide release on April 13 next year.

Anil Kapoor ook in Fanney Khan

The post With ‘Fanney Khan’, the only thing you can expect is the unexpected: Anil Kapoor appeared first on .

A. We have already seen that a film released during IPL (April end) has crossed 500 crore in Hindi and a film that released during Eid has fallen short of even 150 crore. So it’s not just about the weekend, but the star cast, budget and more importantly the concept and treatment of the film (which has to be universal). Akshay formula of making low budget films, shooting them in quick time, without a popular female star.. is not going to generate enough excitement all over. Also, inspite of his big success in the last couple of years, his films haven’t really opened to a big response. Both ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ which had the worst campaign in recent times (nothing worked except one or two songs) and ‘Tubelight’ took significantly better opening. The case was the same with ‘Jolly LLB 2’, what with the trade expecting 15-20 crore opening, but the film falling well short of that. So unless the opening numbers of 20-25 crore come, those big grossers will be out of reach. A film can’t get from 12 cr on Day 1 to 250-300 lifetime.

Q.�Tiger Zinda Hai, Robot 2.0, Thugs of Hindostan, Srk dwarf�.. which is the biggest and safest movie?

A. The biggest among these in terms of budget is ‘Robot 2.0’. None are safe because the budgets are high and they need to be good films to work. The Dwarf film is the riskiest.

Q.�You said that Remo is not a good director but his movies like Faltu, both abcd were fairly entertaining and very popular among youth. And nowadays big directors are failing and average directors are punching above weight. So don�t u think u are underestimating Remo?

A. We can only state our opinion here. ‘Faltu’ was a decent film, ABCD 1 and 2 can’t be called well-directed films, it worked because of dance and the second had a good star cast too. ‘A Flying Jatt’ was a terribly bad film. It’s not true that average directors are producing good films. The bigger directors have failed because of the type of films they have been choosing. We think Abbas-Mustan were better choices and we hope they do not compromise somewhere to get the film ready for Eid next year. Even though ‘Race’ is a big franchise and safer than the previous film that Remo and Salman were planning, it would still need to be a good film. Thrash will be rejected these days, a fairly entertaining film will survive.

Q. Is the buzz of Judwaa 2 decreasing due to total copy of old film ?

A. It’s the same old case of a good trailer being ruined by songs. The songs clearly haven’t worked the way they were expected to and a section of audience is disliking the songs. But we still think ‘Judwaa 2’ is too big a film to do anything less than 70-80 crore at the box office. It has a lot of holidays, so the film should be through in the first extended weekend itself – unless the opening is well below expectations.

Q.�Deepika is huge female superstar but her own movies not opened well at the box office so in terms of stardom is Varun bigger star than Deepika?

A. Definitely bigger. Female stars in the industry, with all due respect to them, are not crowd pullers. Anushka is one of the top stars we have, but her film ‘Phillauri’ opened at 4 crore and even that was driven by Diljit Dosanj’s popularity in the north. Punjab was the biggest earner for the film, above Mumbai which was the biggest circuit. Even Delhi/UP was better than Mumbai. And all this was because of Diljit’s presence. We don’t mean to take any credit away from the actresses in the industry, they add tremendous value to the big films.. but crowd-pullers on their own is something they aren’t.

Q.�Can Tiger Zinda Hai be the highest grosser of all time?

A. No point asking such questions, they cannot be answered. If it’s an extraordinary action film, it definitely has chances of beating Dangal. There is tremendous potential for the action genre in India.

Q.�Who was the superstar or came close to being a superstar? Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt?

A. Sunny Deol, by some distance as compared to others. He was a major star, who, given the fact that he still looks good, had the potential to achieve a lot more Post-Gadar. Choice of films let him down and his films simply didn’t appeal to the newer multiplex generation.

Q.�Why is it that Anurag Kashyap is overly rated in media and Rohit Shetty undermined? I mean a lot of people love Rohit rather than Anurag but why is media so cruel?

A. That’s the problem with the section of media and journalists who consider themselves to be a part of the elite group of intellectuals. There’s a big disconnect between them and those leading normal lives. �They think their intellect is far too superior to like films that Rohit Shetty makes, which the audience likes. But the thrash that Anurag Kashyap produces is called a masterpiece, which the audience doesn’t even relate to. The style of filmmaking has to be Indian. The audience that want to watch films that Anurag / Imtiaz etc make, can watch superior films from Hollywood and other international film industries. After all, a month long subscription of Netflix has far better rom-coms as compared to ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’. The point of watching that film is Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, but 99% of the audience do not like watching them in these romantic comedies with ‘world-appealing’ treatment. The industry in general needs to stop wasting money on filmmakers like Anurag, Vishal Bhardwaj etc.. the likes of Shoojit Sircar and Aanand L Rai are far better.

Q. What is the current status of Baadshaho? Can it emerge a hit? What is your worst case scenario analysis on this?

A. Baadshaho is below average / flop.

Q.�Ajay Devgn said he never had a low phase in his career. Your take?

A. It’s true. For some actors, the success ratio makes no difference. One flop for Salman or Shah Rukh or Aamir is discussed and remembered for months, whereas actors like Ajay and Akshay move on very quickly from failures. It could be because of lower budgets, faster pace of working and signing new films. Shivaay and Baadshaho have failed, but Ajay now has a big film like Golmaal Again, which should work and all will be well again. If the next two after Golmaal don’t work, he has a Singham to bank on.

Q.�Indicine is 7 December 2018 is confirmed release date for Namaste Canada?

A. Yes. Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra.

Q.�Firstly congratulations as you�re back to your awesome predictions getting on target. Your site is probably the most reliable and accurate site like a gold standard :) I would want to know your opinion on Raees collections. Yes it didn�t perform as well as the distributor price was high, but don�t you think getting 139 cr in the month of Jan without a festive release, with a clash against a big movie is a MASSIVE achievement and also became a Semi Hit. Also is Raees still the highest grosser of the year? Thanks and keep rocking!

A. Raees is still the highest grosser of the year. It’s certainly a decent lifetime total, but for the kind of promos and pre-release hype, Raees had chances of crossing the 200 crore mark if it was a better film. It had the best promos in recent times and a terrific cast. The director was the problem.

Q.�Does Cricket Matches still affect films or is it just a myth now?

A. Big matches do affect film business, especially key world cup matches featuring India. It depends on the match itself and how exciting the contest is.. when television ratings for the cricket matches are high, footfalls at theatres are lower. It’s more significant for bigger films, which have seen a drop when cricket matches take place. The negative impact of IPL has reduced.

Q.�With audience becoming extremely choosy, do you think it will help big films like TZH, Golmaal 4 get extra audience and earn much more than they would have in normal circumstances?

A. The bigger films will definitely start getting higher share of revenue. It was the case before also, but now with the audience getting choosier, the better films will start earning more. If promos are as good or better than ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, it could get pretty crazy for ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’. The stills they have released are already looking brilliant, now they have to back it up with a big-impact trailer.

Q.�Hi guys! My first time asking a question. From Turkey! As an educated and business person I don�t understand how corporates and production houses in India can release some movies. I mean some of them are so bad that starting from scripting stage till acting and editing. Even music. I mean how do they approve the songs. Cant they say to music composers, no it is not good enough I want better� or do they think they are good. Some songs are sooo bad I cant see anybody paying and approving them� Or is it just easy to say than doing? I feel like most of the movies could have been done better with some well planned schedule and hard work!

A. Most of these corporates do not understand the Indian audience. When a film like ‘Rangoon’ is paid the kind of money it got, it’s surprising. What was even more surprising was Sajid Nadiadwala producing that kind of movie. It’s difficult to understand why, but even banners like Yash Raj Films headed by a very like Aditya Chopra is losing what we call ‘knowing the pulse of the audience’. This is the same director who made films like DDLJ and Mohabbatein and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It is the same banner that dominated the early 2000s with back-to-back hits. People would see YRF as the banner and go watch films. Now they are dependent on Salman and Aamir, who will obviously squeeze out the profits. None of their smaller films are working, in fact most are becoming major disasters. So when a banner like YRF is going wrong, it’s not even worth discussing the other corporate banners that are heading by professionals. About songs, not every song can be good, but we do not need so many songs in films and we do not need to show full 3 minute long song videos before release. But music rights is big money and companies like T-Series make money from the song promos. But when everyone sees their own benefit and plays safe, what is reducing is the value that a film ticket provides. All this results in reduced ticket sales. There is a year-on-year downfall in footfalls at theatres, 2017 is dismal without Bahubali 2.

Q.�It is a boring scenario. There is not much to talk about when there is no film recently released or will be releasing soon of any superstar. The fate of the other movies are almost sealed after the trailer is released. Most of the songs are remixed version of old songs, no chartbuster song in a good while. I do miss a good old romantic movies or a good action movie with a young hero. Someone with karisma. The heroes from young generation havent actually created the mass hysteria, and I think its too late for them.. I�ve loved indian movies, but now, I dont even bother to stream them for free. Not that I�ve lost interest, but there is nothing interesting to watch. Where do you see the industry in 10 years, if nothing changes?

A. You summed it up actually, none of the upcoming films look interesting or exciting is the biggest problem. The 10 year outlook is pretty bleak as the industry hasn’t yet produced someone worthy enough to be called a superstar after Hrithik Roshan (year 2000) and the guys who are ruling are those who made their debut 25-27 years ago. So the biggest are actually the oldest.

Just a look at Judwaa 2 promos makes everything clear. Watch the old promos, Salman was natural, charismatic and brilliant in the tapori character. Varun simply doesn’t match up, which wasn’t the case with his previous films but it could be because of the burden of expectations and obvious comparisons with Salman. The industry is still star-driven – the other smaller films that are called hits, aren’t watched by 99.9% of the population (i.e a film like Bareilly Ki Barfi was only watched by around 0.15% of the Indian population in theatres) – whereas a film like Bahubali 2 was watched by 9-10% of the population. That’s a massive difference between the biggest hit and the smaller hits. �So unless we produce big stars or massive films (which become very risky without bankable stars).. we aren’t quite sure how the industry will survive after Salman, Aamir, SRK, Akshay are done. They need to either retain their star power beyond the age of 60 or the industry needs to get its next sensation.

Q.�How much credit will be given to Akshay Kumar for the success and collections of Robot 2.0 in Hindi? He is the big face from North (presently the 3rd biggest crowdpuller), while some ppl claim it will be only Rajini film and not Akshay�s coz he is playing a villain. What do you say?

A. It’s unfair to call him the 3rd biggest crowd puller, when SRK will easily better him on Day 1 and even weekend with mixed word-of-mouth film. He is certainly the 3rd biggest star when it comes to current standing in the industry. That aside, the credit for the Hindi collections of Robot 2.0 will go to Akshay. South (Andhra/Karnataka and lower) obviously, it’ll be Rajnikanth’s show. How big can Akshay make the film in the North, Central and East of India will be what we’d be looking at.

Q.�What are the box office prospects of Lucknow Central? How is the buzz and how much can it collect?

A. Very poor, there’s no interest to watch the film. It’ll open slow, rest is content dependent.

Q.�I feel Akshay couldn�t attain those big numbers at b.o. due the quality which is compromised for the quantity of the film�s he does. If he reduce quantity and focus on more quality than now can he get big grossers . Your views please

A. Not every actor is into the number game, certainly not Akshay. When everything is going right and he has cracked a strategy that has him doing low budget films that can be completed in quick time.. he has no reason to change it. Increase in the quantity is of huge importance to the industry, especially the trade, exhibitors. If they had to made a choice, they’d pick 6-8 Akshay films in 2 years over 1 big Aamir film during the same period. It’s a no-brainer. It’s between Salman and Akshay at the moment actually, even without Akshay performing at record-levels. If Salman can sustain his level and do two films every year, there’s nothing better than that.

Q.�Buzz for Simran? Has Kangana�s �promotions� worked?

A. She has opted for quite possibly the most shameless form of film promotion in recent times. She has also used the media pretty well, but the audience is not dumb. They’ll come to theatres only if the film is worth a watch in theatres. However, if the film was good indeed good, Kangana probably would’ve have needed this sort of promotion.

Q.�Any confirmed news on KRRISH 4�s release date? And how big the �KRRISH� brand is? Hrithik should do a commercial movie now and probably Krrish is the best choice. Your comment please.

A. There’s nothing confirmed about Krrish 4, no release date yet. The brand is huge, especially at smaller centres. At major multiplexes and ‘class centres’ it’s probably weakened a little – if we compare Krrish 3 to the first two films in the series. With the right release date and budget, it would still be one of the biggest films of the year.

Q.�So now Indicine has started directly insulting directors and even the audience, giving them advice to watch �world cinema� at Netflix instead of Bollywood films.
Who the hell are you to give advice to the audience who likes class cinema?? Btw, Directors like Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar can do shit without big stars in their movies. It�s always a big star who saves their ass. Anurag Kashyap movies dont �connect� with the audience?? Yeah sure, and Rohit Shetty�s flying cars �connect� very well I guess?? Do you even know what does it means by �connecting� with the audience??

A. The ‘connect’ with the audience means, films that do well at the box office. If films are liked, it’ll reflect in the collections because people are paying to watch. Sure, a Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar might need stars, but directors like Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Bhardwaj can ruin the career of stars.. like we’ve seen with films like Bombay Velvet and even Jab Harry Met Sejal. As for ‘who the hell are we to give advice’ – we are not advising them, but stating our opinion on our website �to our readers.

Q.�How is �Secret Superstar� shaping up to be? What is the actual buzz so far & how appealing can it be? How will it affect Golmaal�s collection?? & lastly 2 films in 2 months for Ajay Devgan.. Will it affect Golmaal much as far as Ajay�s core fan base is concerned?

A. The interest for the film is steady, not too high not too low. Perfect space for the film to take a decent opening on the strength of Aamir’s name and then take it from there. It’s a great release date for a film like Secret Superstar. It’s difficult to say if it’ll affect Golmaal collection. It shouldn’t, unless Secret Superstar is a masterpiece and Golmaal Again is trashy. It’s a similar scenario to Welcome and Taare Zameen Par.

Q.�Is Baadshaho is profitable to distributer?

A. No. They’ll lose around 8 crore.

Q.�Ayushman khurana is a Fantastic actor but he cannot termed as a superstar.What types of movie he had to do to be a superstar.

A. His films are limited to cities and are word-of-mouth dependent. The success of ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ and ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’ will help him, but ‘superstar’ is something that even far biggest crowd-pullers like Ranbir and Varun haven’t attained.

Q.�I m not going to participate in further QnA session if I not got my answer this time is their any film targeting Xmas 2018 along with SRK if yes then which actor?

A. How do we answer questions for which there are no answers? Right now no one has targeted. The release is too far away. For now it’s a solo release for Christmas.

Q.�INDICINE Plz reply! Who is most discussed actor in all Ask Indicine Sessions?? Plz answer otherwise it would be clear that you people r not replying to Pakistani Fans!!

A. It’s usually SRK / Salman. But in the last few months, lot of questions related to Akshay.

Q.�Does Shahid Kapoor has any advantage over any new comer as in Does he need to invent his career same as a newcomer in industry or his past has any advantage that can take his quality or accepted content movie somewhere . I feel he should have been doing film�s like bareily ki barfi and shubh mangal savdhan . Your views please

A. A lot has already been spoken about Shahid Kapoor in previous QnA’s. He’s always been promising talent, which explains why he continues to get films even though none of his films have even crossed the 70 crore mark. He’s struggling only because of his choice of films – which can make or break even a talented actor.

Q.�Why is it that good films like SMS and BKB struggle to collect big nos across India? Is it because Teir 2 and Tier 3 cities and villages prefer only to watch good films of BIG stars. Also these films have collected very well in Metros. Is it because Metro audiences are more willing to accept good content even with not so popular stars? Hence in totatility is it fair to conclude that if you want to have a big Pan india successful film STARS+CONTENT is mandatory and the presence of only 1 of the 2 will not ensure BIG success?

A. It’s because of lack of face value. You ask anyone if he / she would want to watch a film and the first question would be.. who are the actors. If their names are not appealing enough or sometimes unheard of, then people won’t spend on movie tickets to watch the film. That’s what differentiates the big stars from the rest. Toilet:Ek Prem Katha doesn’t really have a ‘big film’ feel to it, but because it features someone like Akshay Kumar, a larger section of the audience feels it is worth spending on his films. The same film with Ayushman and business would be cut by 75%. Even at multiplexes, people are reluctant to spend on films with smaller stars, unless the film is very good and falls in the recommended / must watch category.

Q.�How is the buzz if the judwaa 2 right now and can it touch 20cr opening and above 60cr weekend?

A. 20 looks difficult. With better songs and promos, it had a chance.

Q.�This is going to be a longish question, so bear with me. I�ve been a patron to this site and am deeply disappointed by some glaring inconsistency in your articles off late. Let me start �

1) Tubelight was sold at a price of Rs 135 crore. The recovery cost was estimated at around 250 cr. It bundled up under 115 cr, hence the distributor share was around 57 cr. One can clearly see the ginormous loss here. JHMS was sold at 70 cr. The recovery cost was estimated at around 150 cr. It wounded up under 60 cr hence the distributor share will be around 30 cr. The loss is definitely there but minimal as compared to Tubelight. Let me add, these are figures from trade websites only. Now in what universe is JHMS a disaster and Tubelight just a flop? You�ve yourself termed Tubelight a �colossal failure� in one of your articles, is that an euphemism for flop or disaster? In fact sticking to the same topic till date you�ve not written an article on the verdict of Tubelight but had been ultra quick to describe the debacle of JHMS. Why? In terms of money lost Tubelight is probably a much bigger failure than JHMS, then why is the latter a disaster and former a flop?

2) I�ve often observed you quoting figures of SRK and Salman films with a slight change of texture in your voice. In articles, more than one, I�ve seen you saying �FAN collected 19.52 crore on a partial holiday of Ram Navami, real value of which comes out to be 15 cr�. Why�s there a need to calculate the �real value� of a movie, let alone a SRK one? If thats the way to go why have I never seen you quoting the �real value� of Tubelight on Eid, which was a full-fledged holiday, released on a good 1000 screens more than FAN and ended up collecting almost 50 lakhs lesser than the SRK-starrer? In fact you factored in the Pre-Eid dullness and said the opening day value of Tubelight is actually 24 cr, a good 3 cr higher than what it collected. Now these kind of articles throw me off-guard because then I start questioning myself whether I�m being a fed a neutral narrative here or not.

Look, I�m a SRK fan but that doesn�t mean I�ve to hate and belittle any other actor. I�ve never done it and will never do so. I just don�t come from that school of thought. All I�m saying is that the above observations have baffled and saddened me in equal measure. I hope all my concerns will
be addressed with the same semblance of rationalism and sensibility that I tried to exhibit. Thank you!

A. We’d have to do an entire article for this, but we are going to keep it short. One, the economics of two films cannot be compared, more so when Salman covered a huge chunk of the losses and returned it back to the distributors. Jab Harry Met Sejal is a huge disaster every which way it’s looked at. The distributors lost huge money and purely from theatrical business point-of-view, a big star cast film, with the kind of money spent on producing it.. lifetime business of 60 crore is disastrous. Tubelight collected almost double of that.

About your second point on ‘real value’, it’s a norm in the industry. A full holiday can give films as much as 35-50% advantage. Ramzan or Pre Diwali release affects film business too. There’s no hate for SRK or any other actor here.

That’s the end of QnA for today. Thank you for joining us.

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The biggest lesson or takeaway from Akshay’s glorious career is the way in which he has handled failure. For an actor with limitations and back-to-back flops in the first half of his career, Akshay has become one of the most consistent and versatile actors in the country today.

The last couple of years beginning with ‘Airlift’ last year to ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ this year, have been glorious for the actor. The post ‘Bahubali 2’ phase has seen many actors and big films fall, the only exception being Akshay’s ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’ which is the only big success in the last 6 months.

The actor has also showed all-round improvement in the last two to three years. His choice of films have changed for the better, he is as fit as ever, critics like his films and the audience trust is now second only to Aamir Khan, even though he does six to eight times more films!

2018 could well be the best year of his career. The superstar has the north-south biggie ‘Robot 2.0’, followed by films like ‘Padman’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Mogul’. That’s one release every 3-4 months.

Here’s wishing Akshay Kumar a very happy 50th birthday. We hope he remains in the best of health and continues to entertain his fans for many more years.

P.S: Given the natural way he has led his life and his level of fitness, we wouldn’t be surprised if he doubles the numbers that he tweeted on his 50th birthday.

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Akshay shared the first look poster and said “Every cloud has a silver lining bt with ur love my clouds got a lining of Gold!As my age #TurnsGold,here’s the poster of a film close to my heart”

Gold is being directed by Reema Kagti, who last directed Aamir Khan in ‘Talaash’. The film is scheduled for theatrical release during what is turning out to be the Akshay Kumar weekend of the year – August 15, 2018.

The film also features television actress Mouni Roy.

Check out the poster and tell us what you think:

Gold Poster – Akshay Kumar

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