A Real Pain is the story of two American Jewish cousins with opposite personalities on a Nazi Holocaust tour in Poland. The film is just 90 minutes long and packs in a lot. It starts on a funny note but then the emotional and confrontational moments take over. The characters are also well-fleshed out. The major issue with the film is the pre-climax and climax. It is underwhelming and leaves a lot to be desired. Jesse Eisenberg is impressive not just as a director but also as an actor. Kieran Culkin, however, steals the show and is sure to win an Oscar nomination, if not the Academy Award. Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes lend able support. All in all, A Real Pain is a sweet and heartening film.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!

WILL CINEMA LOVERS DAY OFFER BENEFIT AZAAD, EMERGENCY AND HOLDOVER RELEASES?
 
Due to the dry period at the box office, the theatres have decided to once again have a Cinema Lovers Day on Friday, January 17. Usually, on this day, all cinemas sell tickets for Rs. 99. But this time, PVR Inox, Maxus and Miraj have priced tickets at Rs. 112 while MovieMax and MovieTime will sell tickets for Rs. 99. Nevertheless, Rs. 112 is also dirt cheap, considering the insane ticket prices nowadays and hence, the move will benefit.
 
The biggest beneficiary of this offer is usually the new releases. The Hindi films that will be released tomorrow are Emergency and Azaad. Emergency stars Kangana Ranaut and also features her as a director. She plays the role of the ex-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The film was all set to be released on September 6, 2024. But during the promotions of the film in August last year, Kangana made certain comments that led to controversy. The film was then minutely viewed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and they raised objections to certain scenes. The matter even reached the Court after which the film was cleared but with a few deletions.
 
The Court case ended around October but the makers decided to release in January as probably there were no other release dates. The film’s awareness levels are high but the excitement levels are not. As a result, the film’s opening will be minimal. The Cinema Lovers Day will hopefully benefit Emergency and it’ll open around Rs. 3-4 crores.
 
Azaad, meanwhile, marks the debut of Ajay Devgn’s nephew Aaman Devgan and Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani. It is directed by Abhishek Kapoor of Rock On and Kedarnath fame. Ajay Devgn also stars in the film in a dynamic role. The trailer and songs have failed to make a mark although the debutants have gone all out to promote the film. It is expected to open at Rs. 1-2 crores.
 
Last week’s releases, Game Changer and Fateh, have failed. Game Changer’s first week collections will be around Rs. 27 crores while that of Fateh would be Rs. 8 crores approx. They will get little benefit from the offer, especially Fateh since its tickets were priced at Rs. 99 and it also gave the audience the offer of Buy One Ticket Get One Free. A Gujarati film, Mom Tane Nai Samjay, was released last week and it’s doing huge business. Its shows have been increased and it’ll hugely benefit from this offer, compared to Game Changer and Fateh.
 
On the other hand, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which continues to be strong, will get considerable footfalls tomorrow. Right now, its ticket prices are around Rs. 149. With ticket rates slashed to Rs. 99 and Rs. 112, there’ll be even more motivation for the audience to turn up. Another re-release this Friday is Satya. The cheaper tickets might help the film emerge as a surprise success.
 
Two Hollywood films will also be released on January 17 - A Real Pain and Wolf Man. The awareness is limited and if other shows are full on Friday, the audience might buy its tickets.
 
Lastly, Pushpa 2 - The Rule will be released with an additional 20 minutes. It has done most of its business and it remains to be seen if people turn up to watch the extended cut.