Despite Ekta Kapoor forgoing salary for a year, sources say Balaji announces 20 to 50 per cent pay reduction for employees for three months
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; April 22, 2020)

Almost a month into the Coronavirus lockdown, it has become increasingly difficult to keep the wheels of the economy turning, and several companies are resorting to pay cuts to stay afloat. Closer home in Bollywood, Ekta Kapoor, founder, Balaji Telefilms, had announced on April 3 that she was forgoing her annual salary of Rs 2.5 crore so that "my co-workers don't have to take a hit during this period of crisis."

Despite her best intentions, it has been heard that the studio — which has ALT Balaji and Balaji Motion Pictures as subsidiaries — is having to implement a three-month pay cut for its employees.

A source reveals, "On Monday, the staff was apprised of the decision. Those with annual salaries of up to Rs 12 lakh will have to take a 20 per cent pay cut while those in the Rs 12 lakh to Rs 36 lakh bracket are looking at a 25 per cent pay reduction. A 30 per cent pay cut is being implemented for those with annual pay packages between Rs 36 lakh and Rs 60 lakh, and the senior management will take only half their pay. The variable pay that is disbursed at the year-end is likely to be delayed as well."

mid-day reached out to Kapoor, who did not respond till press time.

Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 6, 2019)

Days after the trailer of Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Dream Girl released, the makers have been accused of plagiarism by Janak Toprani (right). Toprani argues that his 2017 release, Call For Fun, bears resemblance to Balaji Telefilms' production, which sees Khurrana slip into the appearance of a woman. He claims to have approached Balaji with his script on two occasions but was turned down. "After they let go of the project, I got a financier and [made] the movie last year," he says, quick to add that Ekta Kapoor was not part of the discussion he had with the production.

He took action after a friend intimated him about the resemblance between the films. "After the trailer released, we took a week to consult a few lawyers. Then, I tried to call Nachiket Pantvaidya [CEO, Balaji] but he did not answer my call," says the director, who has shared the subsequent e-mails he wrote to Balaji, with mid-day. "If Dream Girl is similar to my film, I will file a legal case. I want credit as the writer and royalty rights."

When contacted, Dream Girl director Raaj Shaandilyaa (left) took ownership of the film's concept. "The idea belongs to me and my co-writer since 2010. We have also registered it. If the concerned director's film was not commercially successful, why would anybody replicate his idea?"

Ekta Kapoor's production house says Mental Hai Kya encourages people to embrace their uniqueness after Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) writes to CBFC for change in title, threatens to move court
Rupsa Chakraborty and Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 20, 2019)

A day after the release of the poster of the movie 'Mental Hai Kya' starring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, the Indian Psychiatric Society has written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), accusing the title of stereotyping mental health. The group has demanded changing the title, describing it as discriminatory, stigmatising and degrading to people suffering from mental disorders. In the letter, sent on Thursday, they have also requested CBFC to cut off any part that might be seen as violating and humiliating for people suffering from mental illness.

'Mental Hai Kya' is a comedy film produced by Ekta Kapoor and directed by Prakash Kovelamudi and is slated for a June 21 release. The poster of the movie was released on Wednesday, showing Ranaut and Rao with a blade on the tip of their tongues. Several psychiatrists have raised their eyebrows at the poster.

Taking cognizance of the issue, the Indian Psychiatric Society, which is one of the biggest psychiatric societies of the world with over 7,000 members, has written to Prasoon Joshi, the chairman of CBFC. "We take serious objection to the title of the movie, which is discriminative, stigmatizing, degrading and inhuman in projecting mental disorders and persons suffering from mental disorders. We strongly demand the title to be removed with immediate effect, preventing further damage to the modesty of mental health service users," reads the letter.

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Vijay Kumar, general secretary of the society stated that the movie also violates many sections of the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017. "The blade on tip of their tongues is scary. It is triggering and reflects self-harm, which reflects the ignorance of people suffering from mental disorders. In India, hundreds of people suffer from such illnesses, who need to be respected rather than being humiliated and taken for granted. As artists and producers, they should take this issue more seriously," he said, adding, "If the producers don't make the required changes, then we would move to court.

Several other psychiatrists are also protesting the poster on social media and via emails to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Dr Pavan Sonar, consultant psychiatrist took to Twitter requesting Kapoor to change the name of the movie. "Yes, I am upset with the title 'Mental Hai Kya'. It doesn't acknowledge the pain of being affected by mental health issues, stigma around mental health. #NoFun #MentalHealth #MentalHaiKya #Stigma," he tweeted.

Another psychiatrist, Dr Harish Shetty, took to Instagram to express his disapproval. He wrote, "The title 'Mental Hai Kya' is provocation and in my opinion, alarming. It appears funny and deriding of the mentally ill. In an era where one is fighting the stigma against mental health and are helping accept the term mental health, the title comes as shock. It may sound cool but the feeling isn't."

The Other Side
When mid-day reached out to Kanika Dhillon, who has written the movie, she said, "It wouldn't be fair to comment without understanding the context in which the complaint has been registered."

Balaji Motion Pictures, the producers of the movie said in a statement, "On the contrary, the makers of the film believe the movie will encourage people to embrace their individuality and distinctiveness. The movie marks the coming together of some of the most talented and responsible media personalities, who in no way intend to hurt anyone's sentiments. The makers would like to maintain that 'Mental Hai Kya' is a fictional thriller genre feature film meant to entertain audiences and it does not offend, discriminate or disregard any person. In fact, the film is a mainstream entertainer which makes a larger point."

- Inputs by Mohar Basu

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; March 17, 2018)

As Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam Kapoor starrer Veere Di Wedding enters post-production, producers Rhea Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor are devising ways to escape the Censor Board’s scissors. At a recent internal meeting between the producers and director Shashanka Ghosh, it was apparently decided that the makers will bid for an ‘A’ certificate, instead of compromising on their content for the ‘U/A’ nod.

A source associated with the film reveals, “The movie revolves around four girls of this generation. In keeping with the characters’ tone, the film has a bit of expletives and sexual innuendos. The makers themselves came to a consensus that it isn’t exactly meant for kids, but is aimed at college goers and upwards. To avoid any disagreement with the CBFC, it was decided that the film be pitched for an adult certificate.”

Slated for a June 1 release, the film will be sent to the Censor Board for review in the next few weeks. “Rhea and Shashank are clear that they don’t want to change the slant of the story at all, neither do they want to get into a tussle with the CBFC.”

When contacted, the spokesperson of Balaji Motion Pictures said, “We’re in the process of editing the film. So, conjecture on the censorship is premature. We’re going to be shooting some portions at the end of the month. The rumours are all baseless.”

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 15, 2017)

It's not entirely uncommon for casting agents to discover that imposters are using their name to fleece aspiring actors off their money. But this time around, TV czarina and film producer Ekta Kapoor has found herself in a similar predicament. The film producer has been alerted about a certain Yashpal Kapoor, who has been claiming to be a casting agent for Balaji Motion Pictures and luring industry hopefuls in the process. midday has learnt that Ekta will be lodging a complaint with the cyber cell today in this matter.

Sharing a snapshot of the flyer that the imposter is using to promote his services, a livid Ekta wrote on her Twitter account, “Avoid all the fake casting calls!!! Loads of people used. Sycophants feeding on the need of struggling actors # beware!!! We will call the cops if you take advantage or abuse our company name.”

A production house insider tells mid-day that the development came to light when an actor approached the studio, stating he had been selected by their casting agent for a role. “The so-called casting agent promised a small-time actor a role in one of her shows. When the actor directly got in touch with us to discuss further details, he realized that he was coordinating with a fake casting agent all along. That’s when we got a whiff of these developments. The guy was blatantly promoting himself as the prime casting agent for Ekta’s television shows. Ekta directed her marketing team to take up the matter with Facebook and they have already reported the page for the time being.”

When mid-day reached out to the agent, who identified himself as Yashpal Kapoor, he denied any involvement with Balaji. “I have never used Balaji’s name. I have a daughter whose name is Ekta Kapoor as well. She too is a television actor in Mumbai for the last 12 years. I have neither duped anyone nor have I extorted money from anyone. Balaji is defaming me unnecessarily.”

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 30, 2017)

Diljit Dosanjh romanced Kareena Kapoor Khan in his first Bollywood film, Udta Punjab and Anushka Sharma in his second, Phillauri.

Buzz was, he was cast for Kaneda, which stars Anushka as well. Diljit admits that director Navdeep Singh came to him with the script, “It’s very different from what people have seen me doing. I loved the story of Kaneda. Bahut hi powerful hai story iss film ki.”

But he dismisses all talk about being offered the Karan Johar-Salman Khan production venture starring Akshay Kumar. “That’s not true. I have not been offered that film at all,” he says.

He is excited about Super Singh, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures. “I’m very excited to start that film because it is the first Punjabi superhero film. Balaji is backing it. That is again a very interesting script,” he signs off.

DNA (September 3, 2016)

A poorly researched and ill-informed article which appeared online and claims film studios in India are shutting down, has the film industry up in arms. While some studios have indeed decided to stop production for a while, it is to review and access the situation, rather than shut shop. Says a trade analyst, “In fact, studios are finally understanding the business and changing the way they are working. While some studios have killed the market by offering actors crazy amounts of money, and grabbing over-priced films lest they lose their business, most like Sony are making one film a year and controlling the budgets of their films.” Says an industry insider, “The article claims that the studio took on Piku but had no faith in the film. Why would Sneha Rajani, who heads the studio make a film, she had no faith in? In fact when she began the film, she declared that they would make at least Rs 100 crore worldwide. And they crossed that amount.” Meanwhile Eros too hasn’t shut shop. While there has been news of Disney stopping production in India, they will continue to have a presence here. And Siddharth Roy Kapur is soon going to make an announcement of where he is going. Balaji Motion Pictures too is not shutting shop. They are going ahead with Half Girlfriend which is on the floors and Veere Di Wedding which starts next year. Don’t write off the studios just yet.

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani says, left to him, he wouldn’t have allowed the Shyam Benegal-led committee to come in
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 27, 2016)

Pahlaj Nihalani’s 20-month tenure as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been rife with controversy and it would be safe to say that he has made more enemies than friends in his current capacity. In an interview with hitlist, Nihalani opens up about the controversies that he has courted and accusations that are flung at him every other day. Edited excerpts from the chat:

Did you feel unnecessarily vilified when you were blamed as censor copies of Udta Punjab and Great Grand Masti were leaked online?
A. I am a government servant doing a job assigned to me. I don’t care what people think about me.
I kept calm because I was certain that the CBFC had nothing to with the leaks. I don’t blame the producers; CBFC has become a soft target.

Do you feel DCP, an encrypted format for submitting movies, will help filmmakers and curb piracy?
It is password-protected, so the chance of a leak reduces manifolds. The copy is guarded even if it lands in the wrong hands. It’s cost-efficient too. Instead of Rs 80,000 for the earlier format, producers will have to spend only Rs 30,000 for DCP. If there’s better technology, we must shift to it instead of resisting change. In any case, our job is to watch films; a producer’s job is to protect his/her film.

What’s your take on the recommendations of Shyam Benegal-led revamp committee?
If it were in my hands, there would’ve been no need to bring in the Shyam Benegal committee. The problem is simple — an old law (The Cinematograph Act, 1952) is unable to meet demands of the new wave of cinema. An elaborate grading system will reduce our dilemmas. Let the new Act be passed. In any case, total freedom of expression is a myth; no country in the world can allow it. To protect the country’s culture and ethos, some restrictions are necessary.

Are you saying you are in favour of censorship?
All I am saying is if the government wants to protect the culture, we must adhere to laws laid by them. Else, there would be utter anarchy. Personally, I am in favour of controlled censorship so that no one can damage our values and culture. At my position, individual opinions don’t matter and cannot be instrumental in making decisions. Laws are supreme and we will follow the guidelines of the new Act to the T, just like we are following old rules now. Ultimately, our lawmakers know what’s best for this country’s cinema.

You stormed out of a recent CBFC meeting following disagreement with other members.
The Board doesn’t authorise me to speak about my colleagues or our issues so irresponsibly. I am aware that a lot of them do, but I refuse to be like them. The annual Board meeting saw a lot of debates and a few disagreements but whatever we have decided for the coming year is in the industry’s larger interest. CBFC stands united when it comes to carrying out our responsibilities.

Your tweet in support of A Flying Jatt took everyone by surprise. Did it have anything to do with your son, Chirag, working for Balaji Motion Pictures (the film’s producer)?
Anything I post from my personal account are my own views. I am a professional and so is Chirag. The decisions at CBFC cannot depend on my son’s films. We’ve have been harsh to Balaji’s previous films — Kya Kool Hain Hum 3 and Udta Punjab. My tweet for A Flying Jatt shouldn’t be seen as a bid to salvage relations with the production house or create a favourable situation for my son at his workplace.

How do you look at your tenure at the CBFC so far?
I feel I have achieved what I set out to. I have been going to CBFC since 1967, when I first stepped into the industry. I am proud that the Board functions with more transparency, there is more accountability and no corruption.

Benegal on revamp route

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal was handed the responsibility of revamping the guidelines in CBFC with numerous established names such as Kamal Haasan and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra among others in the committee, in January this year. The committee submitted its report in April, urging the government to lay down a “holistic framework for certification of films.”

After a trio of films didn't live up to expectations, Balaji CEO Sameer Nair reveals that focus will now be on digital, TV, newcomers and budgets
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 30, 2016)

Balaji Motion Pictures has had five releases this year starting with the third instalment of the Kyaa Kool Hain Hum franchise, followed by the Azhar biopic, Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab, Great Grand Masti and the recently-released Tiger Shroff-starrer, A Flying Jatt. None of the films lived up to box-office expectations and now buzz is, the production house has decided to put film making on the back burner for now. Sameer Nair, group CEO of Balaji Telefilms refuted the rumour but admitted that they have grown more conscious of cost and feasibility.

"We are not shutting down, we have productions on the floor but will take stock of projects more closely now keeping commercial viability in mind. We have been trying to be more cost effective for some time now given the market conditions. The move wasn't prompted by the last few films, we have got more stringent over the last six months," insists Sameer.

He rues the leak of the censor copy of Great Grand Masti three weeks ahead of its release resulting in huge losses.

"Ditto Udta Punjab, though it did reasonably well. Azhar broke even, A Flying Jatt has just released and Half Girlfriend is next in line. It's business as usual but we will be cautious now," he admits.

Did roping in stars like Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab escalate the budget? Will they now focus on newcomers to control revenues?

"Yes, we would like to do that like everyone else. It's about finding the right combo of director, actors and content. For us content has always been king," reasons Sameer, adding that for now the focus is on ALT Balaji, the digital off-shoot of the company which will be launched by the year-end.

Sameer reveals that TV will continue to be the company's core competency. "Ekta has been breaking new ground on TV. Naagin was very successful and had record-breaking ratings. On weekends only format shows work but Ekta came up with a new genre for the slot. Brahmarakshas is doing really well," he exults.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 8, 2016)

It is an extremely unfortunate state of affairs when a reputed production house like Balaji Telefilms, owned by Shobhaa Kapoor and her TV Czarina-daughter, Ekta Kapoor, has to deal with one of their biggest franchise films, Great Grand Masti, being leaked online, for no fault of theirs. It comes as a bigger shock since this leak comes only three weeks after the censor copy of another Balaji co-production, Abhishek Chaubey's second directorial, Udta Punjab, was leaked online two days before its release. In the case of the Masti franchise the leak was 17 days before and led to the release being advanced by a week, from July 22 to July 15.

While several celebs took to the social media in support of the makers, one of the leading actors of the adult comedy, Vivek Oberoi, along with veteran actor Jeetendra, has been calling friends in the I & B Ministry to take the film off all online sites. Aman Gill, CEO, Balaji Telefilms, reiterated that it was an unfortunate state of affairs, and the production house hopes that the leak would slip under the radar.

Sympathising with the producers, North-Eastern distributor, Arun Mehra who is distributing the film in Bihar and seven states in the East, noted that exhibitors have a valid reason now for their reluctance to showcase the film. "Balaji understands this and have wisely brought the release ahead to July 15," he says, adding that it's a clash now with Hollywood animation-biggie, Ice Age: Collision Course. "The government can get pirated DVDs off the shelves, but getting the leaked copies off sites is difficult. It's up to the audience now to watch a legal print."

Former MVP distributor and film critic, Danish Bagdadi points out that when a film is leaked, the price drops by 30-40 per cent and the makers have to recover costs through satellite, DVD and music deals.

Exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi recalled that Masti had been one of the highest grossers of 2004 and its sequel made over Rs 100 crore in 2013. "The leak problem needs to be nipped in the bud as not just exhibitors, even the government loses a lot in entertainment taxes," he reasons.

Well, will someone please launch an investigation, ASAP?

DNA (June 8, 2016)

The aftermath of the ongoing tussle between the makers of Udta Punjab and the Censor Board is an apparent fall-out between the film’s co-producers Phantom and Balaji Motion Pictures. It seems Balaji wants to take the cuts advised by the Censor Board while Phantom, helmed by Anurag Kashyap, wants to put up a long battle. Says a source close to the development, “Jeetendra and Balaji Motion Pictures are ready to go by the Censor Board’s cuts as long as the film gets to be released on time on June 17. On the other hand, Anurag on behalf of Phantom won’t accept a single cut and is ready to fight it out with the censors for as long as it takes.” There is a growing possibility that Balaji may back out of Udta Punjab, if they cannot see eye-to-eye with their co-producers.

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; May 20, 2015)

Kangana Ranaut was reportedly to play the lead in Sujoy Ghosh’s next film, which is an adaptation of the Japanese novel, The Devotion Of Suspect X, but if the latest buzz is to be believed the actress is no longer a part of the project. Apparently Kangana was never signed for the film opposite Saif Ali Khan. “It’s true that Kangana was approached for the film and later finalised, but due to uncertain reasons she walked out of the project,” says a source.

“Also, there were a lot of issues relating to the budget and casting of the film. A while ago, Sujoy’s presence at a leading production house’s office further fuelled speculations around the budget issues,” adds the source. It is known that Balaji Motion Pictures has the rights for the romantic thriller, which is based on Japanese author Keigo Higashino’s book.

Kangana says, “I’m not sure if I can walk out of a project I am not committed to. I haven’t signed a contract and there’s no commitment made from my side. I have some projects lined up, but I don’t know the order in which they will be shot. Also, after these challenging and busy few months I need a major break. So I’ll take a month or two off.” While Sujoy says, “You need to speak to Balaji. They are the right people.”

The producers of the film, Balaji Motion Pictures, did not respond to our text messages.

Apparently, Anurag Kashyap-led Phantom Films chose to team up with Ekta Kapoor over two other studios for 'Udta Punjab' due to past differences with them
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 27, 2015)

The makers of 'Udta Punjab' were on an intense hunt for a production partner until Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures came on board.

If industry sources are to be believed, two major studios had been engaged in a tug-o-war to produce the thriller starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Punjabi actor Diljit Dosanjh. However, Anurag Kashyap-led Phantom Films, which was backing the project right from the beginning, apparently did not want to team up with any of them.

"Phantom wasn't keen on collaborating with Fox Star Studios as the latter is yet to release a part of funding for Anurag's 'Bombay Velvet'. In case of Eros International, there were some differences over the marketing strategy of 'NH10'," says a source.

Since 'Udta Punjab' deals with a dark subject of drug abuse in Punjab, the makers felt it would be best to go with Balaji for their 'strong' marketing skills, suggests the source.

Anurag denies the story.

BOMBAY TIMES (March 16, 2015)

From its moment of inception, Udta Punjab has been a talking point in the trade circles for its subject matter and star cast. The film has Shahid Kapoor (fresh from the success of Haider) opposite the effervescent Alia Bhatt, and the absolutely dependable Kareena Kapoor Khan with Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh, who is making his debut here. It gained more momentum when it got the backing of the enterprising and astute producer Ekta Kapoor.

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, Udta Punjab marks the coming together of two creative powerhouses, Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films (helmed by Madhu Mantena, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl). Word has it that Ekta was totally blown away with the concept when she heard it and promptly called Madhu to discuss a partnership. It is also being said that in spite of being in talks with several other studios, Ekta's keen interest for the project made the deal swing her way! Commenting on their association, Vikramaditya says, “Balaji partnered with us on Lootera earlier, our very first film. Therefore, it's an emotion al relationship for us and we're delighted to be collaborating with them once again on Udta Punjab. It's a script, a director and cast we're very happy with and we're excited about the way it has come together.“ Ekta adds, “Udta Punjab is one film I'm most excited about. I've always admired the work Phantom does and collaborating with them on a project, that boasts of such fantastic talent, is exciting.“

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 26, 2014)

The last month of 2014 has seen a filmy shuffle of unusual proportions.

Tanuj Garg, the Chief Executive Officer of Ekta Kapoor's production house, Balaji Motion Pictures, has left the organisation. "It's great to see where the company has reached as when I joined, we pretty much started from scratch. I'm yet to decide where I'm moving to," said Garg who has been in the business for nearly 12 years. During Garg's tenure, the company produced hits like The Dirty Picture, Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, Ragini MMS 1 and 2 and more recently Ek Villain.

While Tanuj's replacement is yet to be found, Ekta has promoted Tanveer Bookwala to the position of Chief Creative Officer. Buzz in trade circles suggested that Ekta was wooing industry veteran Ajit Thakur for the empty position, but Thakur, a former head of an entertainment channel is set to join Eros International as their Chief Executive Officer from January.

Meanwhile, Sandeep Singh, who served as the head of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production house, has moved on to form his own company, Greenlight Entertainment.

When contacted Sandeep said, "I've learnt a lot from Bhansali and that experience will help me in taking my own firm forward," adding, "I begin with Hansal Mehta's next starring Rajkummar Rao and Manoj Bajpayee."Singh has been instrumental in putting together films like Ram-Leela, Mary Kom and the upcoming Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone starrer Bajirao Mastani. 

Rachana Dubey (MID-DAY; April 9, 2014)

It’s been just a week since his second film, Main Tera Hero hit theatres and it seems Varun Dhawan is already on a roll. He has Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Sriram Raghavan’s next, and also a film to be directed by his brother Rohit, which co-stars John Abraham, on his plate—and now the buzz is that this Karan Johar protégé is all set to ink a multi-film deal with Balaji Motion Pictures who produced Main Tera Hero. 

“Ekta was extremely impressed with Varun’s work. She was quite happy with the way their association shaped up and it only made sense that they took it further,” said a source close to the development.

Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, said, “Varun is among the brightest young stars and Main Tera Hero has been a terrific experience. There is a definite plan to work together again on various projects.” When prodded on the genres of the films offered to Varun and whether his father David Dhawan was likely to wield the megaphone again for them, he said, “It’s too early to divulge any details.”

Mirror has it that Ekta is celebrating the twin success of Ragini MMS 2 and Main Tera Hero with a big bash at her Juhu bungalow tonight.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 6, 2014)

After garnering rave reviews for his Marathi films including the National Award-winning Natarang, the commercial hit Balak Palak and more recently, Timepass, director Ravi Jadhav is all set to make his first Hindi film.

Mirror has learnt that Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures is bankrolling Jadhav’s Bollywood debut, which will be an adaptation of Laila Majnu's love story. The film will be extensively shot in Kashmir where Jadhav is currently finalising the locations.

A source close to the development revealed, “Although there have been speculations about Jadhav directing a sequel to Timepass, it’s actually an epic love story on the lines of Laila-Majnu that he is planning next.”

The source further added that Imtiaz Ali will be the film's creative producer. “He has loved the script and will oversee the production. However, they are yet to lock the cast." Jadhav, couldn’t be reached for a comment, while Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, declined to comment on the story.

Seema Sinha (BOMBAY TIMES; February 27, 2014)

The producers of Shaadi Ke Side/Effects have come up with an innovative tactic to promote the film. They have made a couple of spoofy videos on the movie, which revolve around the comic events the lead characters — played by Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan — experience post-marriage.

The first video shows a yet-to-be-married couple enjoying a few cosy moments while watching the song Ooh La La from The Dirty Picture. But post-marriage, the couple is found in the company of family members, neighbours and even drivers, all glued to the television, watching Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

The second video shows how a guy, totally committed to his girlfriend, changes once she becomes his wife. In the confusion that follows, everyone — his friends, office boys, courier delivery boys, monks and even a lookalike of the Prime Minister of India — gets involved.

Alpana Mishra, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, says, “When the video filmmakers showed us what they had made, we gave them the go ahead. We also agreed to promote them on our official online channel.”

Shaadi Ke Side/Effects releases February 28.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 11, 2014)

If you want to see the trailer of the Sunny Leone-starrer Ragini MMS 2 on Youtube.com, you need to log in to confirm that you are above 18.

A click on the button 'Sign in to confirm your age' goes straight to the Gmail account to trace the user's IP address. This has taken producers Balaji Motion Pictures by surprise. Their earlier films, Love Sex aur Dhokha and Ragini MMS, didn't encounter any such roadblock.

The common industry practice so far has been to play a U/A certified trailer in the theatres and uncensored versions on the Internet for wider, unadulterated consumption.

The instruction for age proof was attached to the trailer on Sunday. A source close to the development said, "Balaji is not too happy with what has happened. But then, forbidden content creates its own curiosity among viewers."

Balaji's CEO Tanuj Garg confirmed the news. The trailer comes with an interesting disclaimer: "Some scenes might not contain nudity."