FINDING FANNY VS CREATURE!

This Friday will see the release of 2 medium-budget films trying their luck at the box office. My views:

FINDING FANNY: It’s an English-Konkani film (and will be released in a dubbed Hindi version as well) and stars Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapur. It is directed by Homi Adajania who gave us the very usual and intriguing Being Cyrus and the 2012 film Cocktail. The storyline is quite interesting and the theatrical trailer is hilarious and clicked with the moviegoers. All actors look great and are trying to do different from what they have done before, especially Dimple whose bum in the film has become the talking point! Songs are very well shot, particularly Shake Your Bootiya. That Ranveer Singh features in a cameo and that he plays Deepika Padukone’s husband has added to the excitement surrounding the film.

However, the film has quite a few challenges. It’s an English film and though it’ll be dubbed in Hindi, it is difficult to say whether it’ll make a mark in the hinterlands. Though the film is reasonably priced (Arjun and Deepika charged less than their market price for the film…hats off!), it needs to make a mark at the box office and this can happen with a positive word of mouth. The premiere of the film was held 12 days before release and press shows too have taken place so early, which indicates that the makers are confident about the film. Finding Fanny looks different and here’s hoping it works well!

CREATURE: Vikram Bhatt is back with another 3D extravaganza, Creature. It’s probably India’s first monster thriller film and stars Bipasha Basu and Pakistani actor Imran Abbas in leading roles. The theatrical trailer looks interesting and it indicates that the film can be a great horror adventure. Bipasha looks great while Imran seems dashing. Interestingly, the creature hasn’t been fully shown by the makers.

The obstacles in the way of Creature are immense. The film has failed to create a positive buzz. Many found the VFX tacky and the entire idea of an unknown creature creating havoc as amateurish or inspired. Songs are soulful but just haven’t picked up. Moreover, it has competition from Finding Fanny and even last week’s Mary Kom. But then, few of Vikram Bhatt films have become surprise hits, despite lack of buzz or lack of star power simply because of the horror element. Raaz, 1920 and Haunted arrived all of a sudden and had worked big time at the box office. So it won’t be a surprise if Creature manages to leave a mark at the ticket window!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FINDING FANNY OR CREATURE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!