Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; July 21, 2014)

It’s the last Friday before the 5-month long season of biggies kick in, with incidentally with the release of Kick! And it’ll see the release of 4 small-budget films which obviously have just a week to score at the box office. My views on these films:

PIZZA: This is a 3D horror film and a remake of an acclaimed Tamil film of the same name. It is directed by the debutant Akshay Akkineni and produced by Shaitan and David director Bejoy Nambiar. Akshay Oberoi features in the lead role as the pizza delivery guy who goes for a delivery in a haunted mansion and gets trapped. Parvathy Omanakuttan, Dipannita Sharma and Arunoday Singh are also seen in the film. The trailer is terrific. Most importantly, the Tamil original was loved and hence, Pizza can be one of the rare well-made horror films in Bollywood. Sadly, there is a very less awareness, forget excitement for the film. Its low costs might help but for that, it has to pick up on Day 2 after a low Friday.

HATE STORY 2: Hate Story (2012) caught lot of attention because of its erotic quotient in its promos and this translated into healthy box office numbers as well. The makers are now back with Hate Story 2, featuring an all new cast – Surveen Chawla, Jay Bhanushali and Sushant Singh – and a new revenge saga. Just like part 1, the theatrical trailer of part 2 was attention-grabbing and till date, has been viewed more than 1.10 crore times, which is huge. Music also worked, especially Aaj Phir Tum Pe. Surveen, a television actress, looks super-hot. And because of the erotica, Hate Story 2 surely will take the best opening this week. Sadly, the censor board has reportedly chopped off 2 lovemaking scenes. Also, if response is negative, it might dent the collections.

AMIT SAHNI KI LIST: It features Vir Das in a leading role who’s on the lookout for Miss Right. This seems like a sweet, slice-of-life urbane comedy but it has failed to build up the excitement. Viewers might eventually check out this film, but most of them sadly won’t do so in theatres.

RIYASAT: This is the last film of Rajesh Khanna and co-incidentally, it’s releasing on the second death anniversary of the superstar. However, the promos are embarrassing and Rajesh Khanna seems to be playing a role similar to Amitabh Bachchan’s act in Sarkar. Director Ashok Tyagi and co-star Raza Murad have been whining as to how distributors didn’t show interest in Rajesh Khanna’s last film. One look at the promos clears all doubts why the distributors would do so.

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OUT OF THESE 4 AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW! 

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 19, 2014)

Comedian-turned-actor Vir Das, who will be next seen in the Ajay Bhuyan-directed comedy Amit Sahni Ki List, had sent out a special request to his producers. While he could deal with the sweltering heat of May by resting in his vanity van, the actor insisted that his producers book an air-conditioned room exclusively dedicated to his co-star-a pug.

Revealed a source, "Yes, a room at Madh Island was reserved for the dog as it could not shoot for more than an hour in the heat and it needed those breaks. However, the same couldn't be arranged when the crew was outdoors."

Vir confirmed the news saying, "The treatment meted out to animals while shooting a movie is not always the best. I have a pet bulldog and understand how easily animals tire. I insisted the pug used in the film be kept in an air-conditioned area."

And what about the outdoor shoots? "Well, I had my AC vanity van which I shared with him whenever we were outside for long. The canine was the most taken care member in the unit. By the end of the shoot, I was almost jealous of the pug!" the actor laughed.

Sunanya Suresh (BOMBAY TIMES; January 8, 2014)

Stand-up comedianturned-actor Vir Das currently has as many as six films on his platter. From dark comedy and romcom to his first action drama, he has a mixed bunch of films lined up.

“There is going to be a lot of variety. I will start the year with my comedy festival Weirdass Pajama Nights, which will see 75 other comedians joining me. We will hold 100 shows across Mumbai. Along with this, I also have an interesting lineup of films,” he says.

About the movies, he says, “The first film is Shaadi Ke Side Effects, which will be followed by Revolver Rani. I’m more excited about the latter, as the audience may not like my character. There’s also Khanna Patel, where I act alongside Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. In the rom-com Amit Sahni Ki List, I have 12 girls for company. Soon, I’ll also begin shooting for a film called Saxxx Ki Dukaan, which the Delhi Belly audience will enjoy.”

Vir is equally excited about the theatre shows. He elaborates, “The idea struck me when I started thinking what people would do when they’re at home in their pajamas. So, if they’re into sports, then there’s Good Sports, that will look at the nation’s top sporting events with a comic touch. If one likes news channels, there’s Nation In Mourning, which will be a live mocking of that day’s newspapers. The Tandoor will be our own desi roast, where we will grill Ranvir Shorey and Vinay Pathak. And then there’s Masterfull, a stand-up comedy show, which will see Papa CJ and me teaming up for the first time.”