Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 27, 2017)

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which opens on Friday, had to ​suffer the Fast & Furious 8 effect. It​ was​ certified by the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) in all three languages ​as late as Monday afternoon.​ The CBFC decided to minutely go through the dialogues of the dubbed versions of Baahubali 2 to ensure no religious or cultural sentiments are hurt.

This is an aftermath of the dubbed Hindi version of Fast & Furious 8 where crass, vulgar dialogues were discovered at the last minute.

Says an informed source, “The CBFC had cleaned out all the obscenities from Fast & Furious 8 including a reference to ‘boobs’. Everyone presumed the Hindi version would behave itself until an alert board member heard women’s breasts being described in the dubbed Hindi version as ‘Bade bade angoor’. All hell broke loose.”

The CBFC has decided to clamp down hard on all dubbed films. The first casualty of the extra-vigilant censorship code for dubbed film is Baahubali 2.

Confirming these developments censor chief Pahlaj Nihalani says, “We’re being very cautious with the dubbed versions of the film, as there was a near-catastrophic experience with the Hindi version of The Fast & Furious 8. We’ve realised that the visuals of different dubbed versions of a film may be identical. But the language changes in translation and within the cultural context of the region into which a film is dubbed. We’ve decided to be very careful with the language of all the dubbed versions of a film.”

Baahubali 2 and The Guardians Of Galaxy 2, which open in multiple languages in the coming two weeks have to bear the brunt of it.

The Fate Of The Furious (released in India as Fast & Furious 8) is sure to blow one’s mind with its action scenes and the grandeur. There are so many characters in the film but each of the principle character is used so well – nobody is forced in the narrative. To do that and weave an intriguing story and also some kick-ass action is no easy feat and hats off to the makers and writers for pulling this off! Of course there are lots of cinematic liberties but that is obvious in this franchise, especially after 7 films! Vin Diesel surprisingly has a lesser screen time than the previous parts but of course, he makes his presence felt. The entire bit as to why he betrays his ‘family’ is nicely done. Dwayne Johnson rocks the show with his one-liners, fight and especially with his entry. Jason Statham is much better here than in Fast & Furious 7. The actor is quite popular and loved and this is evident by the way he was greeted with whistles and hoots in his entry scene! He is sure to win hearts this time and how! Michelle Rodriguez’s brutal yet sensitive performance is lovely. Charlize Theron does very well as the villain. Helen Mirren makes an impact in a cameo. Action as expected is the highpoint. The prison scene and submarine sequence are outstanding but watch out for the New York chase scene – it’s just terrific! There are some nice surprises in the end that enhances interest. The 3D is nothing great but the film deserves to be seen on as big a screen as possible (IMAX will be ideal). This one is a sure-shot hit!

My rating - **** out of 5!

WILL FAST & FURIOUS 8 BREAK ALL RECORDS OF FAST & FURIOUS 7?

For a long time, 2012, released in 2009, was the indisputed no 1 Hollywood grosser in India. Films like Avatar, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers etc failed to break its record. Finally, Fast & Furious 7 in 2015 broke the record of 2012 in just one week and went on to collect 95 crore. It was the first film whose humongous business made people in the trade and industry realize that Hollywood can be a major competition.

Fast & Furious 7 worked big time for a multiple reasons. Firstly, it’s a big-screen extravaganza riddled with mind-blowing action and a simplistic storyline. Hence, it’s easy to understand because of which it has a pan India appeal. Secondly, it came at a time when viewers were craving for entertainment – the past few significant releases before it were Hunterrr, NH10, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Badlapur etc all of which weren’t massy films.

Co-incidentally, Fast & Furious 8 also can work for the same reasons. The action in the film is better than the previous parts, as evident from the trailer. Moreover, the past few weeks have seen underperforming films releasing like Trapped, Phillauri, Naam Shabana etc. Most of the viewers haven’t seen a film since Badrinath Ki Dulhania which released more than a month ago. Therefore, Fast & Furious 7 couldn’t have come at a better time. The distributors have understood this and have given the film arguably the widest release ever for a Hollywood flick. The film has paid previews starting today as early as from 3 pm. Moreover, it has a full release from tomorrow (Thursday) itself. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice also had paid previews and it collected around 3.75 crore. Fast & Furious 8 can do double the business with paid previews. Fast & Furious 7 also released on a Thursday, a day before Good Friday and still managed to earn 12 crore. Fast & Furious 8 can also hope to reach that number and it will be difficult but not an impossible task.

Fast & Furious 8 faces competition in the form of Vidya Balan-starrer Begum Jaan but it won’t serve as a real threat. Coincidentally, Fast & Furious 7 had clashed with Detective Byomkesh Bakshy and the latter could do nothing to thwart the competition. Something similar is going to happen with Fast & Furious 8-Begum Jaan.

With Fast & Furious 8 releasing today and Baahubali 2 2 weeks later, the dry period finally will be over at the ticket window. Happy movie watching season!

Joginder Tuteja (DNA; May 6, 2016)

It’s all happening! With India taking Hollywood a lot more seriously than ever before (and vice versa), release dates of biggies are being finalized much in advance so as to avoid any clash whatsoever. Well, it seems like there is some planning put into place a year in advance, what with the date of Fast 8 (of the Fast & Furious franchise) being announced as April 14, 2017. The trouble ahead? Well, inarguably India’s biggest and most awaited film till date, Baahubali: The Conclusion, is also slated to arrive on the same date next year.

“This is one clash that just can’t happen,” declares a trade guru, “Yes, globally the Fast & Furious franchise is hugely popular. However, the build up towards Baahubali: The Conclusion too has been unparalleled. Part 1 of the SS Rajamouli film was hugely successful and raked in over Rs 500 crore. Even in Hindi, it became the first dubbed film to cross the Rs 100 crore mark. On the other hand Fast & Furious 7 was the first Hollywood film to enter the Rs 100 crore club in India. Both set the records for being the first ever for the Indian market and if the two clash, it would be catastrophic.”

As plans stand today, those backing Baahubali: The Conclusion could well be aiming to release the film across 5,000 screens across the country as they are looking to make it accessible to one and all, from north to south. On the other hand Fast 8 too deserves a record release in India due to its franchise power, which means a release across 3,000 screens is a given. Now since India is expected to have only around 5,500 notable screens at its disposal a year from now, the coming together for both films together is hardly a possibility.

“Which means it won’t be a bad idea for Fast 8 to release a week earlier on April 7,” the trade guru opines, “It has happened even before when Hollywood films have released earlier to avoid clash with Bollywood biggies. Recently, The Jungle Book released a week earlier so that it doesn’t have to struggle for screens with Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan. Look how wonderfully well it managed to perform due to this strategic decision, and is now on course to cross the Rs 175 crore mark. Universal Pictures, which is distributing Fast 8, could well do the same. It would be a win-win situation for all.”

With the world wants to know why Katappa killed Baahubali, guess there isn’t an iota of doubt around where the loyalties would lie if the two films indeed decide to clash.