Didn't expect families to see 'Vicky Donor': Director Shoojit Sircar

New Delhi: Shoojit Sircar's 'Vicky Donor' has struck gold with critics as well as the box office but the director says he never expected the film would be lauded so much, especially by the general audience. 'Vicky Donor' was Shoojit's first release six years after 'Yahaan' came and the filmmaker says before its release he was quite sure only college goers would turn up for a film on sperm donation.

"I never imagined that families would turn up to watch Vicky Donor. When a person hasn't had a release for six years, he cannot imagine such a success. I was very pessimistic about it. It's a quirky film, not a mainstream one. But now

youngsters are asking their parents to go and watch the film," Shoojit told PTI.

Made on a budget of about five crores, the April 20 release starring veteran actor Annu Kapoor and newcomers Ayushmann Khurana and Yami Gautam, has reportedly earned 22 crores at the box office so far.

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And the director puts the success down to the unusual subject and the honesty of the story.

"Unusual subjects attract, but cannot sustain the film. To my knowledge, what worked was the story and the honesty of the characters. Nowhere did we try to make it dramatic. The cultural clash and the progressive characters worked."

The film, set in Delhi, shows an unemployed young Punjabi who turns into a sperm donor and falls in love with a Bengali divorcee.

Box Office: 'The Avengers' scores over 'Tezz'

Mumbai: For someone who has been a crowd-puller with his comedies, it seems director Priyadarshan has got it wrong with his action film Tezz this time. Meanwhile, trade experts refer to Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi as a non-starter. However, this week's Hollywood import The Avengers not only opened with good numbers, but looks to sustain for another week as well.

Pegging the first three day's India net collections of Tezz at Rs 11.25 crore, Komal Nahta, veteran trade analyst says, "That's usually the numbers from the first day of a star film. Tezz didn't look like a thriller, it was rather laidback in its approach." Nahta predicts that the film will lose more than Rs 20 crore.

Girish Wankhede of a national multiplex chain adds, "The occupancy of under 35 per cent is not enough for a film from a reputed banner and with a strong cast. The promotions didn't catch on to draw in a sizeable audience either."

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On the contrary, last week's releases Vicky Donor and Hate Story fared better. Delhi-based distributor Sanjay Ghai enthuses,"The word of mouth praise for Vicky Donor is very good, and that has helped it in the second weekend. It should do a lifetime theatrical share of Rs 15-16 crore, which means an India net of about Rs 30 crore. Further, he feels that multiplexes haven't been as kind to Hate Story. Nonetheless, the Vikram Bhatt scripted film featuring Paoli Dam, Gulshan Devaiah and Nikhil Dwivedi has done well in single screens. As Indore-based distributor Aditya Choksi tells us, "Hate Story has done reasonably good business in the solo theatres."

While Nahta pegs the first three days of The Avengers at Rs 15 crore India net, Ghai predicts it will yield a theatrical share of Rs 20 crore. Wankhede attributes the superheroes flick to hype, critics' raving reviews and the ongoing summer vacation. "Monday morning and afternoon shows were strong too. So there's no doubt why it won't continue to rake in the moolah," he sums up.

Rumours about Salman don't bother me: Katrina Kaif

New Delhi: Actress Katrina Kaif, who is teaming up with Salman Khan again in 'Ek Tha Tiger', says she is not bothered about the gossip that goes around regarding her and the actor. Katrina reportedly dated Salman when she started off her career in Bollywood but later separated. And their new movie has got the rumour mills spinning again. She was last seen with the 'Dabangg' star in 2008 movie 'Yuvraaj'.

"When we start working for a movie we go in as professionals. I am here to do my job and if people want to highlight baseless stories then it's up to them. I don't think that these stories will have any affect on my work and the film.

"I am never bothered about such stories. Why should I? I think it's what every actor goes through. When you start working in the industry, people taking about you becomes a part of your life. Why analyse it so much?" Katrina told PTI. The 27-year-old actress, who first starred alongside Salman in 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya', said she is excited to work with him again.

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"I am excited about the film, it's shaping up good. Salman is working with Yash Raj for the first time and it's my second film with them. It's always fun working with Salman, he makes everything very comfortable on the sets," she said. Katrina is also working in another Yash Raj film opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The untitled film will mark the comeback of veteran director Yash Chopra after a gap of eight years.

Why Prasoon Joshi opted out of Aamir's 'Talaash'

Mumbai: We all know that Aamir Khan and Prasoon Joshi are quite a team. Khan was keen to have Joshi write the lyrics for his next big film, 'Talaash', but since Farhan Akhtar was producing the movie, the project went to Javed Akhtar.

Says a source, "Aamir was keen to have Prasoon write the lyrics for 'Talaash', as they share an excellent creative rapport. But Farhan stood his ground.”

Joshi candidly admitted, "I was supposed to be a part of 'Talaash', and Aamir and I had discussions about it. But it's an Excel production, so Javed saab did the lyrics, which is understandable. Beta apne baap ke saath hi toh kaam karega,” says the lyricist.

However, Joshi is part of the creative team and will be working on the posters, etc. At the moment he is immersed in giving poetry for Khan's ambitious television show Satyamev Jayate.

He says, "The theme song captures the essence of what Aamir is trying to achieve with the show. He showed me the footage that he had shot all over the country and I immediately wrote the first four lines of the song. He loved them and shared all his ideas with me on the places that he had seen and the problems that he came across. I finally came up with the lines — ‘Mujhko khud ko hi hai tatolnaa, agar hai kami to bolnaa…’ If something bothers you about your country why not do something about it? I was able to express my love for my country through the show.”

What's wrong in being a 'desi girl': Sonaskhi

Mumbai: Fashion designer-turned-actor Sonakshi Sinha has charted the road to success within a short span of time in Bollywood. With four films slated to release this year, she defends her Indian girl image, her old-world appeal and the conservative 'samiksha' within which she operates.

You star in four major releases – 'Rowdy Rathore', 'Joker', 'Son of Sardar' and 'Dabangg 2' — in 2012. Where do you expect to be by December 31 this year?

Hopefully, somewhere good. I feel fortunate that the Hindi film industry has accepted me in a big way. But I don’t think of reaching some predetermined goal; I like to live in the moment. I am feeling excited and positive right now. It was a big day when Dabangg released, nothing was certain and I didn’t know what to expect. Now, I am experiencing the same feeling that I had before Dabangg.

It's a bit of a feast-after-a-famine situation — after 'Dabangg' there was an 18-month gap before your second release. How did you handle the phase away from the spotlight?

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I was not sitting at home. I was busy. I was performing at award functions and also did some shows. I did interviews and photo shoots for magazines. I never felt out of the industry.

Your films are opposite stars such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn. But that means they are all male-oriented. Do you expect to be nominated for any of these movies?

I don’t think these films will help me grab awards. But that is not the criteria when I sign a film — I have to like the character. I am trying to portray different roles but I am still new and there is a lot of time for me to explore different genres of cinema.

Bachchans trust me a lot: Ram Gopal Varma

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan and Ram Gopal Varma have united again after a gap of two years, for their upcoming action film 'Department' and the filmmaker feels that the megastar has a lot of faith in his directorial skills.

"He (Bachchan) trusts me a lot as a director. So I think so far it has not happened like that where I had approached him (for a role) and he said no. Somewhere he knows my commitment and seriousness," Varma said.

RGV and Big B first teamed up for 'Sarkar' (2005), a dramatic thriller set in the world of politics. The film did average business at the box office.

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Then came 'Nishabd' (2007), where Bachchan played the role of a 60-year-old falling in love with his daughter's 18-year-old friend. Their next venture was 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag', a remake of 'Sholay'. Both bombed at the box office. This was followed by 'Sarkar Raj' (2008), a sequel of their earlier film, 'Sarkar'. It was a commercial hit. However, their next, 'Rann' (2010) which focused on Indian media, was panned by critics.

Masand: 'Tezz' is an awfully boring film

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Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kanagana Ranaut, Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Sameera Reddy, Boman Irani

Director: Priyadarshan

Perhaps it's appropriate that Priyadarshan no longer refers to himself as director of his films, choosing instead to go with the credit "Filmed by Priyadarshan". The extent of his involvement on 'Tezz' for one, hardly qualifies as anything more than mere 'filming', given that it's an unapologetic rip-off of the popular Japanese film, 'The Bullet Train'.

Ajay Devgn stars as an engineer in London who's deported home to India when the authorities discover he's been flouting immigration laws. He returns to England four years later, determined to seek revenge for being separated from his wife Kanagana Ranaut, who for reasons unknown stays back and pines for her husband instead of catching the next flight to India and joining him there.

I don't want Emraan Hashmi in every film: Mahesh Bhatt

Mumbai: Actor Emraan Hashmi is Mahesh Bhatt's discovery and the filmmaker now feels that he need not lean on their blue-eyed boy anymore, as he has become a 'safe' Bollywood star and it's time they focus on potential talents like Kunal Khemu. It was Bhatt who gave Emraan his first break in 2003 with 'Footpath' where he played a supporting role alongside Bipasha Basu and Aftab Shivdasani.

But it was 'Murder' a year later that brought him into limelight.

He continued to work with the Bhatt camp in 'Zeher' (2005) 'Gangster' (2006), 'Awarapan' (2007), 'Jannat' (2008), 'Raaz The mystery continues' (2009), 'Tum Mile' (2009) and 'Murder 2' (2011). Most of his movies did well at the box office and earned him the tag of serial kisser.

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"Emraan post 'Murder 2' may now look like a safe proposition because till then it was not like that. Post 'Jannat' he was emerging but still not finding takers.. people were accepting but media was not after him."

"With 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbai' and 'Murder 2' he has had phenomenal success. Today he is a major star. Having created a monster we will not let this monster devour us. Otherwise what is the point of saying that we will not work with stars," Bhatt told PTI.

Bachchan group to build college in Aishwarya's name

Barabanki: A girls college in the name of Bollywood star and Amitabh Bachchan's daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan would be set up in UP by the mega-star's Sewa Sansthan instead of actor-turned-politician Jaya Prada's Nishtha Foundation.

The Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Girls College would be constructed at Daulatpur village in Fatehpur tehsil, Rishikesh Yadav, representative of Amitabh Bachchan, said.

The responsibility for construction of the college has been taken over from Jaya Prada's Foundation and given to the Amitabh Bachchan Sewa Sansthan set up by the villagers, Yadav said.

He said that village head of Daulatpur Amit Singh has been appointed as the manager of the Sansthan and the land deed executed in its favour.

A cheque of Rs five lakh from Amitabh Bachchan for the construction of the college has also been given to the Sansthan, Yadav said.

'Agent Vinod' was never a dream project: Saif Ali Khan

New Delhi: Actor Saif Ali Khan, whose debut home production Agent Vinod failed to create magic at the Box Office, says he never considered the film as his dream project. The 41-year-old star was riding high on his solo project

before it's release, which also starred real-life girlfriend Kareena Kapoor.

"To be honest I didn't really look at 'Agent Vinod' as a dream or anything. It was a film which came with a lot of intellectual ideas. I wanted to bring a new facet of the actor in me which has played quite a few comic and romantic characters in the past.

"The idea was to play a hero of a different kind and produce a quality product. That's the kind of offering I wanted to come with," Saif told PTI. The actor, who has signed three films - "Race 2", "Cocktail" and "Judwaa 2", feels this is an exciting period in his career as he has many interesting projects in his hands.

"These are exciting times and there are quite a few interesting films that I would be kick-starting soon. 'Race 2' is turning out well and with Abbas-Mustan at the helm of affairs, it is going to be a stylish and fun affair.

"Then there is Judwaa 2' which is going to be quite a challenge as it gets me into an altogether different zone when compared to some of the films that I have done in the recent past. However, after letting my hair down in 'Pungi', I am confident that the audience will accept a different side of me," Saif said.

"Judwaa 2" is a sequel to the Salman Khan-starrer 1997 film.

Tusshar Kapoor to strip in 'Kya Super Kool Hain Hum'

Mumbai: Not many of us can easily forget John Abraham's introductory sequence from Dostana. He emerged out of the water, wearing a pair of tiny yellow trunks, which he tugged down just a little! And guess who hopes to replicate that exact same scene. Well, Tusshar Kapoor believes he can pull off something like that in his forthcoming comedy flick, and is prepping for it too.

The scene will be shot in Goa next month and Tusshar is already working on a six-pack for bare body sequences.

It is learnt that this particular shot is part of the scene where Tusshar is trying to impress his lover Neha Sharma in the film. "It comes after the scene where Riteish Deshkmukh giving Tusshar 'macho' tips to impress the girl he likes," says a source.

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Interestingly, the actor shared the idea with John recently during the shoot of their gangster flick. Needless to say, the Dostana dude was absolutely amused.

Our source adds, "John was cool about it and understood that Tusshar was in a way paying him a tribute through the scene. In fact, he even suggested that Tusshar needn't worry and must go all out filming it."

It's good to be bad, says 'Hate Story' villain Gulshan Devaiah

Mumbai: After 'Shaitan', actor Gulshan Devaiah will once again be seen exploring his negative streak in forthcoming film 'Hate Story'. Unlike others, Gulshan doesn't fear getting typecast and says he is enjoying playing the bad guy.

"There is a possibility that I might get typecast but I don't feel threatened. I am not bothered about playing negative roles. My role in 'Shaitan' was also negative but Siddharth in 'Hate Story' takes very calculative risk," Gulshan told IANS.

"I want to explore as many grey shades as I can. It's good to be a bad guy. You can do some crazy things and get away with it," he added.

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While, many newcomers struggle to get lead roles in films, Gulshan is happy doing negative characters.

"I believe there are far better guys, who can be heroes. They are much better than me who can woo women. I am happy with whatever I am doing presently," said actor, who was made his debut with Rohan Sippy's 'Dum Maaro Dum'. He was also seen in 'That Girl In Yellow Boots'.

Being a Khan doesn't guarantee success: Irrfan

Mumbai: Actor Irrfan was Bollywood's Khan with a difference, until he dropped his surname. He is unhappy with the way his decision is being talked about in the industry, and says being a Khan does not translate into success.

"I don't understand why you want to put all the Khans in one bag and mix them up. Had I been put together with them if my name was Irrfan Ali?" the actor said to a question about the dominance of Khans in Bollywood.

"Everyone has his own place and a surname doesn't benefit you, otherwise there would have been so many Khans roaming around in the industry," added the 49-year-old.

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Irrfan has been highly praised for his last movie 'Paan Singh Tomar', before which he dropped his surname.

But name and success have nothing to do with each other, he said, adding: "Khan is just a surname and it is up to you how much importance you give to it."

"Everyone is standing on his strength. If Aamir Khan's name had been something else, even then he would have been what he is today because your work counts more than the name."

Irrfan says 'Paan Singh Tomar' owes its success to the way public promoted it on social networking sites.

"The way people supported this film, and of course the media, as it received critical acclaim, mattered. But the manner in which people promoted it, especially on social networking sites, that benefited this film immensely," said Irrfan.

The actor has finished shooting for a European film 'Qissa' and also 'The Amazing Spider Man.' He will soon start shooting for Tigmanshu Dhulia's 'Sahib, Biwi aur Gangster Returns.'

Biggest burden on a film is its artists: Akshay Kumar

New Delhi: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar may be seen just as an entertainer, but he has got his finger on the pulse of movie business. He says the sure-shot success mantra is to either make your own film or go for profit sharing.

"I have a very simple solution - make your films, because when you make your film you will not include your remuneration and it takes off the burden from a film," Akshay told IANS in an interview.

"So, when you make a film for Rs 20 crore and release it, the profits - be it Rs 5 crore or Rs 10 crore or Rs 40 crore - is yours. It's all your luck. Also, your film won't flop because your remuneration is zero," added the actor, who makes film under his two banners, Hari Om Productions and Grazing Goat.

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For writers who rue that they do not get their dues, he suggested: "I am making three-four films and I pay my writers well. Again they can also go for profit sharing. If the film works well, they can ask for their cut in the profit."

According to a recent report, the remuneration of Bollywood's A-listers starts from Rs 10 crore and goes up to Rs 40 crore.

Masand: 'Bittoo Boss' is enjoyable until it goes off-track

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Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Amita Pathak, Ashok Pathak, Mohan Kapoor

Director: Supavitra Babul

It's hard to say for sure if it's his rakish charm or the lure of that video camera he wields that has the townsfolk seduced in 'Bittoo Boss'. A mini hero of sorts in his native Anandpur, no wedding is complete without his presence. Each time he swaggers into a shaadi, often hours late, he raises the spirits of tired relatives and spreads cheer when he points his camera in their direction, promising to take a "sesky shot". Bittoo (played by Pulkit Samrat) is no ordinary wedding videographer. As the film's nicely done opening sequences establish, he doesn't just shoot weddings... he creates memories.

It's unfortunate that the same surefootedness that debutant director Supavitra Babul shows in setting up the narrative, disintegrates into a trite, preachy affair in the second half. The tone shifts when the plot twist is introduced – humiliated by the girl he likes (Amita Pathak) for his simple ambitions and modest means, Bittoo takes the drastic decision to shoot pornographic videos to earn big bucks; he arrives in Shimla to secretly film honeymooning couples in hotel rooms.

I'd be giving away too much if I went into how this film ditches the quirky potential of its premise, and instead goes down a silly, sanctimonious path. It all comes undone when Bittoo, messiah-like, "rescues" the very couples whose privacy he's meant to invade: first, an under-age pair of students, then an awkward simpleton and his bindaas wife.