Showing posts with label ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Show all posts
Sequel to M S Dhoni - The Untold Story on the anvil?
8:24 AM
Sequel to Sushant Singh Rajput starrer Dhoni biopic to focus on former skipper's T20 wins, 2015 World Cup
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; July 4, 2018)
After enjoying the biggest hit of his career so far in M S Dhoni - The Untold Story (2016), Sushant Singh Rajput is ready to hit the cricket pitch again.
Given Mahendra Singh Dhoni's spectacular career, it's not surprising that industry folk feel his journey in the world of cricket warrants a sequel. We hear, Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Films is producing the second instalment that will see Singh reprise the role of the former Indian cricket team skipper.
With rumours about the second edition hitting headlines yesterday, a source close to the actor revealed that the film will focus on Dhoni's achievements post India's victory at the 2011 World Cup. The winning of the coveted title was where part one concluded. "There is the [Dhoni-led Chennai'] thrilling win against Bangalore at the T20 [this year, that can be depicted in the film]. Apart from that, India's steady run, up to the semi-finals, at the 2015 World Cup will find a place in the narrative," says the source, adding that milestones from his personal life — which includes becoming father to daughter Ziva — are likely to make it to this instalment.
Like in part one, this edition will see "a fair share of involvement from Dhoni, particularly during the scripting process," the source reveals. Expected to go on floors next year, the film may take precedence over Rajput-starrer biopic on Paralympic Games hero Murlikant Petkar. Even though the director for the sequel is yet to be decided upon, the actor is expected to resume his cricket lessons soon. mid-day reached out to Screwvala who remained unavailable for comment.
Sad that a self-made woman can be degraded to a ‘Mandakini’-Anushka Sharma
7:56 AM
Anushka Sharma opens up about being labelled a ‘distraction’ for boyfriend Virat Kohli
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; May 12, 2015)
In her next — Bombay Velvet — Anushka Sharma plays
Rosie Noronha, a jazz singer. Now that she is done with that, she wants
to do a biopic. “I feel like doing a biopic. I have been offered a
couple of them but nothing has really excited me. I would like to play a
singer or an actor – a performer. Actually, I am open to anything,
though I would like it to be about a performer or an athlete perhaps,”
says the actress. She recently saw La Vie en Rose, a French and Canadian
biographical musical on the life of French singer Édith Piaf and loved
it. Closer home, she was impressed with Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s Bhaag
Milka Bhaag with Farhan’s performance in the film.
When asked if something like a biopic on the life of Meena Kumari that filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia is making with Kangana Ranuat would interest her, she shakes her head, “Isn’t that based on Vinod Mehta’s book? I want to do a fully researched biopic. Something extra than what everyone already knows... and I can bring something more to the table.” Anushka explains.
She plays a jazz singer in BV, but has no singing aspirations, like her contemporaries like Alia and Shraddha. She reveals, “I can sing but it is not something that I am thinking of. Tomorrow, if my director says ‘there is a song in a film that I would like you to sing’ then yes, I would do it for fun. But not otherwise.”
Deviating from her professional life to personal, I ask her about the recently concluded World Cup, where she was blamed for being a distraction for boyfriend, Virat Kohli. Although Kohli spoke about being upset for Anushka being blamed for his poor performance at some matches, she maintained her silence. Why? She shrugs, “I don’t know what to make out of it. It is upsetting, no doubt. To be targeted and bullied by goons, if I call them that. It was very hurtful. It is sad that a self-made, successful woman, can be degraded and downgraded to nothing more than a distraction or a ‘Mandakini’ who is destroying someone’s concentration.”
She further adds, “At the same time, you are doubting the credibility and passion of one of your brightest players. Who I know, has so much passion for his game, that he went and performed in a match on the day his father died. People don’t understand the enormity of that. For them, it was just about someone playing a match they don’t realise what all goes on behind that. We put in a lot of struggle to reach a certain position. People just see the good parts, and they think it is okay to say mean things. It’s sad. We need to have some basic sensitivity towards everyone, but I think intelligent people — I am not saying educated because even they behave quite stupidly — evolved and civilised people know how to behave in such situations and I don’t really think the others have any significance in the society in any case,” she concludes.
It was like bullying and regressive-Anushka Sharma on World Cup semi final fiasco-Anushka Sharma
8:03 AM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; May 8, 2015)
Anushka Sharma is the only
actress who can claim to have been directed by both a Yash
Chopra and a Rajkumar Hirani. The best part of her stardom is that she does
not have the trappings of a star. She may be emotional and feisty, but
she is also sorted and has today a grip on her emotions. At the core,
she is simple and has simple fundas that she follows. Ahead of her
upcoming romantic period film Bombay Velvet, she talks to Bombay Times
about her real life romance with Virat Kohli, what makes them so similar
and why football fans outside India are more loyal than cricket fans in
India. Excerpts:
Ranveer Singh recently said how you now have a grip on your emotions that you did not have earlier, and how you are a sorted person. Has that change really happened?
Yes, there is a change. It just happens with experience and age. I want to evolve as an actor, but most importantly, I want to evolve as a person. I want to be in control of how I feel. When I came into the industry, I wasn't ready for either the adulation or the scrutiny. I was anxious when I had come in but was very confident about my work. Over time, you start understanding what is really important for you. I have always had a strong family support and have always lived with my parents and brother. Also I was very clear about my career and knew the films I wanted to go after. So the nonsense gets cut off as I am clear about the fact that I don't want to be No 1. I don't have to be present in all kinds of faltu things. I want to be relevant for the work I have done and not for how popular I am. It's great that with this I get popularity also. But once you realise what is important for you and let go of things you don't want, you can take decisions like doing an NH10 as it comes with stability in your head and conviction. So my security really comes from what I don't want to do. And now I am becoming sure of even what I want to do and that development is taking place. Also what really can be important for you in your life is either your work or your personal life. And I get stability from both.
Anurag Kashyap is really impressed with the way you have learnt to control yourself and be calm. In fact he fondly said how Virat's presence in your life has brought this change and he, in fact, wants to learn from you. Do you feel that Virat has brought about this change?
I don't think I would have been open to a relationship had I not been feeling stable already. In fact, I would not have taken on a relationship at the level I am with Virat, if I myself was not feeling like a proper person. It's only because I started feeling sorted two years back when I met Virat that I was open to the beautiful relationship that we have right now. So it came together at the right time, but also, it is true that people do that to one another. When you respect and love each other for the right reasons and for the real reasons, that's when you bring that stability and calmness in one another. Why do we say that our family and friends bring us stability? They bring stability as they love us for the real reasons. They are not seeking anything from you. I can't stress the importance of the 'real' part enough. Virat is family to me and we want each other to be happy. If my parents or brother or Virat were upset, it would upset me but those are the only people who are important for me and can change my mood. Earlier I would give that power to anybody, but that power is today only with them. Now no one else has the power over me.
Virat told me how the quality he likes the most in you is your honesty and simplicity and that you are real as he too, is like that. What do you like about him the most?
I like the exact same things that he likes about me. Not many people know that me and Virat are very similar and we are actually the same people. It's very scary as it is actually like that. He is also someone who right from the beginning of his career knew what he wanted and I can say the same thing about myself. We keep thinking that shit it can't be more similar. We are both kids who come from middle-class backgrounds and are both kids who did well on our own. Nobody helped us or opened that gate for us to say aao andar aao. And we didn't follow the beaten path and we took the beating for not following the beaten path. He went through the same things as I. He was judged on his tattoos, his aggression that today people celebrate. Both of us are clear today about what we want.
However strong you could be, no one can remain insulated from what happened during the World cup this time.
It was obviously very harsh. But you have no option and you have to find a way of dealing with it. It was very nasty what was being said. It was like bullying and regressive. And it is sad to know that this is how people think about women being these kind of Mandakinis who are there to distract men rather than the contribution they make to society. With both Virat and me, individually, we know where we stand with each other. We know what impact both of us have on each other and no one else needs to know that. And whether people know the wrong or the right thing has no bearing on our relationship. We are both very good at cutting that chatter out and such things only test you and in a way and it has only made us stronger and closer. I come from an army background where my father always taught me to be brave and a young confident woman so this was wrong at every level. On the other hand, I felt very bad for Virat as here is a guy who went and played a cricket match for his team when his dad passed away and then went for his last rites. I know Virat's passion, even passion is a lesser word to describe what he feels towards his game and when I see that and see how people reacted, I felt very hurt for him. But then it's like the same when your one film does not do well people say all kinds of things but that is only till your next good Friday. With him too that is true only till his next 100.
Did you feel proud as a girlfriend when he held your hand proudly coming out of the airport? He told us that for him, it was about respecting his relationship.
I have always done what is right for me and he has always done what is right for him. We are not people who have thought if that was socially the right thing to do. For us all these things were very normal and organic, it was not a statement we were trying to make to anybody. People say I don't know why celebrities don't open up about their relationship, you please tell me, do people know how to respect people in a relationship? And whatever people might say, we will continue being the same with each other and that is something we both have understood. And it's something we have prepared ourselves with. It used to happen earlier in small small ways, with the World Cup, it happened in a big way but we now know that it is a part of life. And if it happens 17 more times it doesn't make a difference. At the end of the day, these are some really silly people saying some really silly things.
Since you have seen the world of cricket through Virat as an insider, how does a player feel when his loved ones feel the impact of his performance on the field?
In India, whether it is cricket or anything else that India loves a lot, be it your husband who first beats you at night and then in the morning claims to love you, that's really the relationship that people have. But that's not love. If you talk about sportsmanship and when people say that this is my favourite football team or club outside India, those fans cry with their players when they lose. That's team loyalty, but thinking that we are with you only when times are good, what loyalty is that?
Ranveer Singh recently said how you now have a grip on your emotions that you did not have earlier, and how you are a sorted person. Has that change really happened?
Yes, there is a change. It just happens with experience and age. I want to evolve as an actor, but most importantly, I want to evolve as a person. I want to be in control of how I feel. When I came into the industry, I wasn't ready for either the adulation or the scrutiny. I was anxious when I had come in but was very confident about my work. Over time, you start understanding what is really important for you. I have always had a strong family support and have always lived with my parents and brother. Also I was very clear about my career and knew the films I wanted to go after. So the nonsense gets cut off as I am clear about the fact that I don't want to be No 1. I don't have to be present in all kinds of faltu things. I want to be relevant for the work I have done and not for how popular I am. It's great that with this I get popularity also. But once you realise what is important for you and let go of things you don't want, you can take decisions like doing an NH10 as it comes with stability in your head and conviction. So my security really comes from what I don't want to do. And now I am becoming sure of even what I want to do and that development is taking place. Also what really can be important for you in your life is either your work or your personal life. And I get stability from both.
Anurag Kashyap is really impressed with the way you have learnt to control yourself and be calm. In fact he fondly said how Virat's presence in your life has brought this change and he, in fact, wants to learn from you. Do you feel that Virat has brought about this change?
I don't think I would have been open to a relationship had I not been feeling stable already. In fact, I would not have taken on a relationship at the level I am with Virat, if I myself was not feeling like a proper person. It's only because I started feeling sorted two years back when I met Virat that I was open to the beautiful relationship that we have right now. So it came together at the right time, but also, it is true that people do that to one another. When you respect and love each other for the right reasons and for the real reasons, that's when you bring that stability and calmness in one another. Why do we say that our family and friends bring us stability? They bring stability as they love us for the real reasons. They are not seeking anything from you. I can't stress the importance of the 'real' part enough. Virat is family to me and we want each other to be happy. If my parents or brother or Virat were upset, it would upset me but those are the only people who are important for me and can change my mood. Earlier I would give that power to anybody, but that power is today only with them. Now no one else has the power over me.
Virat told me how the quality he likes the most in you is your honesty and simplicity and that you are real as he too, is like that. What do you like about him the most?
I like the exact same things that he likes about me. Not many people know that me and Virat are very similar and we are actually the same people. It's very scary as it is actually like that. He is also someone who right from the beginning of his career knew what he wanted and I can say the same thing about myself. We keep thinking that shit it can't be more similar. We are both kids who come from middle-class backgrounds and are both kids who did well on our own. Nobody helped us or opened that gate for us to say aao andar aao. And we didn't follow the beaten path and we took the beating for not following the beaten path. He went through the same things as I. He was judged on his tattoos, his aggression that today people celebrate. Both of us are clear today about what we want.
However strong you could be, no one can remain insulated from what happened during the World cup this time.
It was obviously very harsh. But you have no option and you have to find a way of dealing with it. It was very nasty what was being said. It was like bullying and regressive. And it is sad to know that this is how people think about women being these kind of Mandakinis who are there to distract men rather than the contribution they make to society. With both Virat and me, individually, we know where we stand with each other. We know what impact both of us have on each other and no one else needs to know that. And whether people know the wrong or the right thing has no bearing on our relationship. We are both very good at cutting that chatter out and such things only test you and in a way and it has only made us stronger and closer. I come from an army background where my father always taught me to be brave and a young confident woman so this was wrong at every level. On the other hand, I felt very bad for Virat as here is a guy who went and played a cricket match for his team when his dad passed away and then went for his last rites. I know Virat's passion, even passion is a lesser word to describe what he feels towards his game and when I see that and see how people reacted, I felt very hurt for him. But then it's like the same when your one film does not do well people say all kinds of things but that is only till your next good Friday. With him too that is true only till his next 100.
Did you feel proud as a girlfriend when he held your hand proudly coming out of the airport? He told us that for him, it was about respecting his relationship.
I have always done what is right for me and he has always done what is right for him. We are not people who have thought if that was socially the right thing to do. For us all these things were very normal and organic, it was not a statement we were trying to make to anybody. People say I don't know why celebrities don't open up about their relationship, you please tell me, do people know how to respect people in a relationship? And whatever people might say, we will continue being the same with each other and that is something we both have understood. And it's something we have prepared ourselves with. It used to happen earlier in small small ways, with the World Cup, it happened in a big way but we now know that it is a part of life. And if it happens 17 more times it doesn't make a difference. At the end of the day, these are some really silly people saying some really silly things.
Since you have seen the world of cricket through Virat as an insider, how does a player feel when his loved ones feel the impact of his performance on the field?
In India, whether it is cricket or anything else that India loves a lot, be it your husband who first beats you at night and then in the morning claims to love you, that's really the relationship that people have. But that's not love. If you talk about sportsmanship and when people say that this is my favourite football team or club outside India, those fans cry with their players when they lose. That's team loyalty, but thinking that we are with you only when times are good, what loyalty is that?
Blaming Anushka Sharma for our loss, my failure was hurtful-Virat Kohli
3:00 PM
CB skipper slams critics for holding actress girlfriend responsible for India’s failure in WC semis; says those blaming her should be ashamed of themselves
PTI (MID-DAY; April 11, 2015)
Kolkata: Deeply hurt with the attack on his personal life after India’s World Cup semifinal loss to Australia, Test skipper Virat Kohli yesterday let his emotions speak and lashed out at his critics for blaming his girlfriend Anushka Sharma for his failure.
An emotional-looking Kohli issued a statement after the conclusion of IPL match eve press conference and said everyone should take note of it. Kohli has already spoken about the issue at a promotional event yesterday morning, saying those who blamed Anushka “should be ashamed of themselves”, but the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper apparently felt the need to make an official statement a day before they begin their IPL campaign against KKR. “I just want to speak something on this issue and want everyone to take note of it and the stuff that happened after the semi-final after the World Cup,” Kohli said.
Disrespectful
Kohli was bold enough to mention the name of his actor girlfriend Anushka, a Bollywood heartthrob who was at the centre of controversy after his one- run dismissal in the semi- finals. “The way
people reacted to my personal life and Anushka in particular was really disrespectful. I wanted to put out there in public. At a human level, I was very hurt and I wanted to express that for quite a long time but I wanted to take a break for a few days,” he said.
“For people to react that way and to see whatever they did, blaming her for our loss and my failure was absolutely hurtful for me. It’s shameful to see that people can react like that to one loss,” he added.
Kohli said at the end of the day, they were also human beings and should be respected as such. “I just wanted to express that and get it out there because it’s very important for people to know how we feel about these things and that people should be respected more than they're in these sort of times," he reiterated.
Kohli was unusually open in his media interaction as he didn’t forget to mention his performance during the past five years. “In the last five years, the number of matches I’ve helped India, the consistency with which I’ve played is more than anyone else in the team. I don’t think there’s anybody else in the team who has done better than me,” Kohli said with the same swagger one finds in his batting.
Losing faith in people
Kohli feels that now he knows “whom to trust” after the public outrage over his poor show against Australia. “It makes you lose faith in a lot of people. It’s a good thing in a way. You get to know who’s with you and who’s not. It was not in my control,” Kohli said
Yuvraj Singh stands up for Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma
7:46 AM
DNA (March 31, 2015)
After India’s ouster from the World Cup in the semi finals, a barrage of
unflattering tweets and messages were floating all over social media,
blaming Anushka Sharma for the match’s outcome. The actress, who flew to
Sydney to watch the semifinals faced backlash for being present at the
venue. Though Anushka has chosen to not respond to this kind of
negativity, a lot of people from the sports and glamour world have stood
up in support for her. One of them is cricketer and Virat Kohli’s good
friend Yuvraj Singh. Yuvi pleaded with his fans and followers on his
social networking account to respect Anushka and Virat’s personal lives.
He also said that a cricketer who had scored five tons in Australia and
had brought the team National glory does not deserve to be treated
poorly.
Someone who's scored 5 hundreds on Aus tour deserves much more respect and support from his fans !
— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) March 29, 2015
To all our real Indian fans who support us in our wins and loses ! Let's respect @imVkohli and @AnushkaSharma personal life
— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) March 29, 2015
Anushka Sharma flies to Australia to support her beau Virat Kohli at the World Cup?
7:59 AM
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; March 26, 2015)
A couple of days ago, Virat Kohli professed his love
for girlfriend Anushka Sharma on Twitter, telling us how much he loved
her last release NH10, watching it as soon as his schedule permitted.
Now, the actress has flown to Australia to support her beau in the final leg of the World Cup. The actress, who was overseas on a brand endorsement shoot, took a connecting flight Down Under. She landed on March 23. The same night, she was spotted having dinner at an Indian restaurant with Virat.
“Initially, she wasn’t sure about going to Australia as NH10 was releasing and she was on her promotional rounds. She couldn’t leave her film promotions mid-way so she decided to wait and watch. Luckily for her, she wrapped up her professional commitments and India has also now reached the semi-finals, so Anushka decided to fly to Sydney a couple of days before for the semi-final against Australia (which takes place today). Depending on whether India makes it to the finals or not, she will be back by either this weekend or the next. She is elated that the Indian team has come this far and she wanted to be there to cheer for the team and of course Virat, hence her presence at the matches,” our source reveals.
When we spoke to Anushka recently, she had said that though she wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it to the World Cup, she had said that if and when she does go, everyone will know. Now, we do!
M S Dhoni biopic director Neeraj Pandey to dedicate a song 'Phir Se' to Team India on Feb 15
7:42 AM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; February 12, 2015)
As we all know, the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2015 is being held in Australia and New Zealand with
India playing its first match against archrival Pakistan on February 15.
The Indian team will predictably have the World Cup 2011 winning
captain MS Dhoni leading the team. We have exclusively learnt that the
director of M S Dhoni's biopic, Neeraj Pandey, a cricket buff himself,
has directed a music video titled Phir Se that will be launched on
February 15, the day of the India-Pakistan match. Telling us about
it, he said, “Phir Se is an anthem, plea, prayer, dream all rolled in
one. M M Kreem sahab (music director) and Manoj Muntashir (lyricist) have
done this beautifully.“ Well, there is no doubt that a
billion hearts will be with Dhoni, praying and hoping that he will bring
back the World Cup phir se to India.
NH10 promotions to keep Anushka Sharma from joining Virat Kohli for better part of World Cup?
7:52 AM
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; February 6, 2015)
It has become almost usual to spot Anushka Sharma at the VIP stands during India’s cricket matches. So is watching her cheer for her beau Virat Kohli and blush whenever he blows kisses in her direction after a blitzkrieg knock. But all this will be missing in the upcoming cricket World Cup in Australia — at least for a month or so. For, Anushka is likely to give the first half of the tournament a miss with her maiden production venture NH10 set to release early next month.
A source says, “Anushka has already committed herself to the film’s promotions for one month. Apart from that, as the producer, she also has to look after other post production work. So she will not be able to fly in and out of the country too often.” India will take on arch rivals Pakistan in the World Cup match on February 15.
By the time Anushka’s film releases (March 6), they will be playing their fourth game. Another source says, “Anushka had been blamed for Virat’s poor form. So, when he bounced back with back-to-back centuries, he publicly declared his love for her by blowing kisses in her direction.
Even the actress would ensure that she be present to cheer for him at most of the matches. Many started considering her his lady luck. But, as things stand now, Anushka will be busy for the next one month and Virat will have to hold back his kisses.” Anushka was unavailable for comment.
Amitabh Bachchan to make his commentary debut at ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
7:47 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (February 2, 2015)
The ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 just got all the more exciting, thanks to Amitabh
Bachchan. The megastar is all set to make his commentary debut at the
India VS Pakistan match of the World Cup.
Star Sports, one of the leading sports broadcasters, and the makers of Shamitabh have brought about an interesting integration, which brings alive the story of the R Balki-directed film. The movie is about a mute and deaf young actor with impressive acting skills, who makes his mark in the world of films with the help of an old, fading superstar, who lends his voice to him. In sync with the film's story, Big B will lend his deep baritone for cricket commentary as he joins Kapil Dev, Shoaib Akhtar, Harsha Bhogle and other commentators on February 15.
A campaign, announcing his debut, was launched during the tri-series final between Australia and England yesterday. The promos feature Kapil and Shoaib, who sound like the superstar after they pop a lozenge called Shamitabh - thus combining their cricketing expertise with Big B's inimitable voice.
Says Bachchan, “This country's emotions are ruled by two things - cricket and cinema. For me, it's an exciting time on both fronts. My movie is releasing on February 6 and then, I have the privilege of making my commentary debut.“
The India-Pakistan match of the ICC Cricket World Cup airs on February 15 at 8.30 am on the Star Sports network.
Star Sports, one of the leading sports broadcasters, and the makers of Shamitabh have brought about an interesting integration, which brings alive the story of the R Balki-directed film. The movie is about a mute and deaf young actor with impressive acting skills, who makes his mark in the world of films with the help of an old, fading superstar, who lends his voice to him. In sync with the film's story, Big B will lend his deep baritone for cricket commentary as he joins Kapil Dev, Shoaib Akhtar, Harsha Bhogle and other commentators on February 15.
A campaign, announcing his debut, was launched during the tri-series final between Australia and England yesterday. The promos feature Kapil and Shoaib, who sound like the superstar after they pop a lozenge called Shamitabh - thus combining their cricketing expertise with Big B's inimitable voice.
Says Bachchan, “This country's emotions are ruled by two things - cricket and cinema. For me, it's an exciting time on both fronts. My movie is releasing on February 6 and then, I have the privilege of making my commentary debut.“
The India-Pakistan match of the ICC Cricket World Cup airs on February 15 at 8.30 am on the Star Sports network.
Hero’s release postponed to June owing to Cricket World Cup, IPL?
7:50 AM
Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; December 8, 2014)
Nikhil Advani’s remake of Hero was earlier set to release a day before Valentine’s Day in 2015. But now the buzz is that film launching two star kids — Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya and Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj — will release in June. Apparently, the makers made this decision because of World Cup and then Indian Premier League (IPL).
While the makers and the director remained unavailable for the comment, a source from the industry revealed that the they are planning to postpone the release, as the makers fear that a love story of that kind will find no audience when the cricket fever is on.
Hero is said to be almost done except for a little bit of shooting which is expected to be get done by the first week of January next year. Also, a song is to be shot in Romania which is expected to be wrapped up in eight days.
The project, a remake of the 1983 film Hero, starring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri and directed by Subhash Ghai, is being produced by Salman Khan Productions.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy postponed to April to avoid clash with Ind VS Pak match?
7:48 AM
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; December 8, 2014)
It is an ironical coincidence that Sushant Singh Rajput starts shooting for his biopic on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but it is cricket that has pushed the release date of his own film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy to another date. The film was initially slated to release on February 13 but now pushed to April 10.
According to an informer, the decision was taken after the announcement of dates for the Cricket World Cup 2015 was made. “The weekend match is between India and Pakistan which is bound to affect the collection of the film as February 15 is a Sunday and if India and Pakistan plays on that day, footfall is expected to drop.” Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, the film is a contemporary interpretation of war-torn Calcutta during the 1940s. The eponymous film looks at the first adventure of an immensely popular character, sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi.
Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says that the decision to push the release date is entirely commerical. He says, “Sunday’s business contribution to the business of any film is about 40 per cent of the total weekend collection. Besides, cinema business has always got affected because of cricket especially after the one day format gained popularity and if it is a India Pakistan game, then watching a movie at that time would be the audiences’ last priority.”
Anand Vishal of Fun Cinemas adds, “ Shifting of the date makes sense since Sunday provides nearly half of the revenue.”
Cricket expert Hemant Kenkre points out, “An India-Pakistan match will definitely affect the business of a film — as it’s always a point of discussion one day before and after the game — it’s bound to have a ripple effect on the business of a film releasing around that time. Besides, World Cup Cricket is one of the most marketed event so anything that attracts mass audience will definitely get affected.”
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