Showing posts with label Chhatriwali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chhatriwali. Show all posts
A good film will find its audience; everybody knows that Shershaah was a hit, or everybody was talking about Freddy-Rakul Preet Singh
8:36 AM
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; February 27, 2023)
Rakul Preet Singh clocked in five releases in 2022 and one at the beginning of 2023. It’s obviously a busy time in her career. Lately, the actress has also been making news for matters of the heart as she is dating actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani. Rakul, who is enjoying this phase of her career, believes that her work will speak for her. Excerpts from a chat with the actress:
Right after the pandemic, you had five releases (in 2022) — Attack, Runway 34, Cuttputlli, Doctor G and Thank God. What do you think is working in your favour?
I don’t put much thought into what I have done right because I always live in the present. The moment my films release, it becomes the past. My energies are always on what I need to do next and how I can do better projects and grow as an actor. I am grateful that things panned out the way they have. I am also grateful to all the makers who believed in me as I got to do diverse films — from a commercial movie like Cuttputlli to a thriller like Runway 34 and the campus comedy Doctor G, in which I played a small-town doctor. What’s most important is the love of the audience because box-office numbers are driven by too many factors.
You have been doing South films long before the audience started consuming them widely across the country, the way they are now. Lately, there has been a lot of debate about the content of South films being better than Bollywood.
We are creating a debate where there is none. It’s just an outcome of there being so many platforms and the fact that everyone has an opinion on social media. South Indian cinema has been celebrated for the longest time on Hindi GECs (general entertainment channels), where people watch these films. It’s the influx of too much consumption during the pandemic, which is why it became a talking point, and I am glad because those films needed to be celebrated. Regional and Hindi cinema both are a part of the Indian industry, so there is no comparison. Today, if a film is good, it will find its audience. We should rather speak about the amazing time that we are in, where a great exchange of content, artistes and directors is happening, and the fact that we can make such great international-level cinema using talent across the country.
There are a lot of films releasing directly on OTT these days. Do you think your film Chhatriwali , which was released on OTT, would have done well in theatres?
No, I haven’t had that thought because it was never meant to be for the theatres. Today it’s not about which medium the film releases on. Everybody knows that Shershaah was a hit, or everybody was talking about Freddy. A good film will find its audience, whether it’s through OTT or theatres. Sometimes, good movies like Runway 34 get way more appreciation on OTT. Of course, the box-office numbers matter when a film is released in the theatres, but I think we understand that we are going through a re-correction phase currently, and the box office alone does not define whether the film is good, or whether you are good.
But it does matter when it comes to cementing your position in the industry, right?
Fortunately or unfortunately, it does to some extent. There has been a backlog of films for two years. Films are being released every week; sometimes, there are two releases. How do you expect the audience to come and watch every film? It’s an expensive affair. In the South, there is a cap that the government has on the pricing of the tickets, which you do not have here. So, they pick that one film a month but that doesn’t mean that your movie is bad. It just means that people possibly don’t have money right now. This can be one of the factors. While numbers give you a positioning, the industry realises that it’s a sensitive time today. So, your work is possibly not just looked through the prism of your box-office numbers.
You aren’t hiding your relationship with actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani. Recently, there was buzz about your marriage…
The thing is that I have always been vocal and whenever that conversation happens, I will be open. Given the films I am shooting and the ones Jackky is producing, where do you think we have the time? Whenever it happens, I will be the first one to announce it. As of now, we are extremely busy with our work.
(Crisp) Movie Review: CHHATRIWALI by FENIL SETA
12:06 PM
Chhatriwali, which was released today on Zee5, is initially similar to the Nushrratt Bharuccha-starrer Janhit Mein Jaari. Thankfully, the second half of Chhatriwali is different. Moreover, the first half has a few interesting sequences that keep the viewers hooked. The second half is far more impactful and the makers make an important comment. Also, viewers will root for the protagonist and that’s a good sign for any film. The film, however, could have been funnier. Also, logic takes a backseat in some scenes. The songs are also forgettable. Speaking of performances, Rakul Preet Singh delivers one of her best performances. She has never looked so cute, at least in a Hindi film. Sumeet Vyas, as always, gives a fair performance. Rajesh Tailang is memorable and the scene where he quickly and embarrassingly completes the sex education chapter is very realistic. Satish Kaushik is likeable while Prachee Shah Paandya leaves a mark. Her track adds a lot to the film. Rakesh Bedi is funny. Kajol Chugh, Riva Arora and others are fine. All in all, Chhatriwali is worth a watch.
My rating - *** out of 5!
My rating - *** out of 5!
I hadn’t seen a single south movie, but I was conditioned against doing them-Rakul Preet Singh
8:51 AM
Admitting that lack of exposure had made her biased against south industry, Chhatriwali actor Rakul on chasing versatility by doing content-driven films across languages
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; January 18, 2023)
Almost nine years after making her debut in Bollywood, Rakul Preet Singh seems to have found her groove. In 2022 alone, she had five releases, balancing mainstream entertainers like Thank God and Runway 34 with a relevant social drama in Doctor G. Her upcoming release, Chhatriwali, belongs to the latter category.
“There is an intention to do content-driven films, but a lot depends on luck as well. You can only choose from what you get. The intention is to show my versatility. I want to do song-and-dance films, as well as movies like Chhatriwali and Doctor G,” she begins.
The ZEE5 movie joins the growing list of social comedies in Bollywood. Tejas Deoskar’s directorial venture, also starring Sumeet Vyas and Satish Kaushik, sheds light on the importance of sex education.
“It’s important to talk about women’s [reproductive] health because so many women don’t know about protection. Talking about the human body and addressing its different parts with the right names is [unfortunately] considered uncool.”
Going forward, Singh has Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan, and a yet-untitled romantic comedy with Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar. Juggling different industries comes easy to her now, having done a host of Tamil and Telugu films. But the actor admits that before she set foot in the industry, she was biased against south films.
“I had been offered a south film right after school. At the time, I [refused] it as I wanted to do Hindi films. I hadn’t seen a single south movie, but I was conditioned against doing them, believing that they were small films. But when I was exposed to that world, I realized they were lavish movies with great scripts.”
She is happy that south films are getting their due now. “The judgment [that people had] was due to lack of exposure. It changed during the pandemic as people started consuming regional cinema.”
She emphasizes that now is the time to celebrate regional cinema, as RRR has brought international glory.
Chhatriwali is not sleazy or something my own family cannot watch-Tejas Deoskar
2:46 PM
Set to make his Bollywood debut with Rakul Preet Singh’s Chhatriwali, writer-director Tejas Deoskar of Bucket List fame on bagging two films in the south
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; January 15, 2023)
You know it’s an empowering time to be a storyteller, when people ask what’s the story, not which state one comes from or what language one speaks in. Having helmed popular Marathi films including, 'Bucket List' featuring Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Baba, and Premsutra, among others and now making his Hindi feature debut with the Rakul Preet Singh-starrer 'Chhatriwali', filmmaker Tejas Deoskar says he has already received offers to make two films in South.
“I have got calls from South to make a film—in languages that I don’t even know. They approached me on the basis of the work I have done. It is a great [time] to collaborate, as the audience is accepting, producers are open [to work with different storytellers], and OTT platforms are inviting filmmakers,” says the director thrilled that work is now offered on the basis of merit, not the “camps you join.”
Deoskar, who is eagerly waiting for the release of the ZEE5 film 'Chhatriwali', that is scheduled to air on January 20, explains that he came aboard the social comedy because of its content. “The story had humour, but it was not a subject that is often discussed by people. [Having said that], the film is not sleazy or something my own family cannot watch. I felt [the topic] was fantastic and should be told [in a film format]. It ticked all the right boxes, for me.”
Increased film shoots in Lucknow gets the moolah rolling in
8:28 AM
Increased venue and local artistes prices and also number of shoots has led to the city getting a good revenue from shoots of films, web shows and television serials in the past year
Iti Shree Misra (LUCKNOW TIMES; October 9, 2022)
Cameras are back in motion in Lucknow as films, web series and television shows shootings are in full swing in the city that continues to be a hot favourite destination for the film makers. Post Coronavirus pandemic, as various sectors are back to work, so is the movie business. After a hiatus of two years, shoots are back in Lucknow with a bang, feel the stakeholders of the industry.
“Although the pandemic was a very dull phase for us work-wise as no shootings were taking place and those which had been planned also were postponed, yet the past year has been a very busy one for us,” says Aroon Singh Dicky, line producer in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh who’s worked on projects like the web show Mirzapur with Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Rangbaaz with Vineet Singh, films Uunchai with Sooraj Barjatya, Amitabh Bachchan and Bawaal with Varun Dhawan and Jahnvi Kapoor in recent times.
“It’s been a hectic year for us shoot wise,” says Ashish Jain, another line producer in Lucknow who’s managed shooting of Chhatriwali in the city.
With several projects being shot simultaneously, the tribe of line producers in the city has also increased. “Now it is not just films but also regional films, web series and television shows that are being shot in not just Lucknow but across the state. And because of that there is more demand for line producers and technicians in UP. That has led to a lot many people taking up the work of line producers,” says Yogesh Tripathi who has worked on projects like Kanjoos Makkhi Choos with Kunal Kemmu, Gadar 2 with Sunny Deol.
The increase in the number of shoots has also led to an increase in the revenue earned by the city from production houses. “There has been a marked increase in the prices of private properties that we shoot in,” says Ashish Jain. “Although the government has not increased its fees, private players have hiked the amount they charge from production houses,” says Dicky.
If earlier the fees charged for a single day shoot at a house in Lucknow was 20-30 thousand per day, it has increased to around 50,000 per day, depending on the project and the production house, say line producers.
“The fees of the local artistes has also increased in the past couple of years,” says Ashish. “Local actors can now charge anything from Rs. 3000 to 15,000 these day and the fees for a crowd for each person can range from anywhere between Rs. 800-1500,” he adds.
PROMINENT FILMS AND SHOWS SHOT IN LUCKNOW
- Bhaukal 2
- Khuda Haafiz 2
- Jamtara 2
- Bheed
- Chhatriwali
- Mirzapur 3
- Bawaal
- Rangbaaz 3
- Vikram Vedha
- Chhatriwali
- Gadar 2
- Jahan Chaar Yaar
- Dasvi
- Bhool Bhulaiya 2
There are only seven kinds of stories and nine emotions in the school of filmmaking-Rakul Preet Singh
7:38 AM
Saying that distinct stories are made from same elements, Rakul unfazed about Chhatriwali’s similarity with Janhit Mein Jaari
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; May 13, 2022)
Nushrratt Bharuccha is gearing up for the June release of Janhit Mein Jaari, a comedy that sees her as a small-town woman who sells condoms for a living despite societal resistance. Jai Basantu Singh’s directorial venture has an interesting premise, but may face a hurdle — incidentally, Rakul Preet Singh’s Chhatriwali is centred on a similar theme. In the Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar-directed film, Singh plays a condom tester.
Many would argue that Bharuccha’s comedy has the advantage of releasing first, but Singh is unperturbed. “I don’t look at it like that,” she says. “There are only seven kinds of stories and nine emotions in the school of filmmaking. How you do permutations and combinations [to tell a story] is up to you.”
It’s not unusual for two films to explore the same subject. About 20 years ago, five films were made on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, including Ajay Devgn’s The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002). Not too long ago, Devgn starred in Drishyam (2015), which was a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, and had glaring similarities with Keigo Higashino’s celebrated novel The Devotion Of Suspect X. That hasn’t deterred Sujoy Ghosh from attempting an adaptation of the novel with Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Singh has complete faith in Chhatriwali, which also stars Sumeet Vyas. Asserting that the treatment counts, she says, “We have been watching action for decades. It’s kicking, punching, hitting and so on, but in every film, it is treated differently. It ultimately boils down to whether the film is good or not.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)