Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; July 4, 2014)

Since her childhood, Tamannaah Bhatia had been wanting to get herself a dog, but her mother did not want a pet at home, so she had to do without one. But while shooting for her upcoming comedy, It's Entertainment, her feelings got revived when she got to work closely with a dog, whose name incidentally is 'Entertainment' in the film. We have learnt that this time she couldn't resist fulfilling her wish and has got herself a dog, who she has named Pebbles. Well, Pebbles certainly owes a big thank you to Entertainment.

BOMBAY TIMES (May 20, 2014)

Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; May 16, 2014)

Upala KBR (DNA; April 24, 2014)

They hadn’t come face-to-face since their films clashed at the box-office last Eid. Given how ugly the competition got between Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express and Akshay Kumar’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara, it was surprising for onlookers to see them behaving so warmly towards it each other.
Last week, on the last day of shooting of Akshay-starrer It’s Entertainment, directed by the brothers Sajid-Farhad, there was a visitor from the neighbouring set. Rohit, who was shooting close by for Singham 2, dropped in to say hello to the director duo, who are also the co-writers of Singham 2. Co-incidentally, Rohit had also dropped in on their first day of shooting. When Sajid heard Rohit was shooting close by, he invited him over. Rohit promised to visit. Once he arrived, it was heartening to see him and Akshay spend some quality time together.

A source from the set reveals, “Akshay and Rohit sat together for almost 45 minutes. This was the first time they were meeting post the fracas during their respective releases. It was good to see them laughing and joking. It was almost like everything was forgiven and forgotten.”

Sajid confirms, “Rohit had come to meet us on the sets on the last day. It’s such a coincidence that he was present on the first day during the mahurat shot and also the last day of our shoot. Rohit has always been a guiding force and like family for us. On the sets, he met Akshay too and they had a good chat. He just dropped by as he was shooting for Singham. It was a warm gesture on his part. While his film releases on August 15, It’s Entertainment releases a week before.”

On the subject of the Eid release hostility between Rohit and Akshay, he says, “I don’t think Akshay or Rohit think anything like that now. Rohit is all about his work and doesn’t get involved in anything apart from that. After having worked with Akshay, I can tell you that he is such a good guy — a super human being and bahut bhulakkad. He’s a sweet, work-oriented guy who must have forgotten all about it.”

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; April 4, 2014)

Sajid Nadiadwala is planning to make the third installment in his hit Housefull series. The producer-turned-director is apparently in talks with writer duo Sajid-Farhad to direct this film. Nadiadwala, however, chooses to not reveal much right now. “You will know about it within a few days,” is all he’s willing to say right now.

But sources tell hitlist that the filmmaker has asked Sajid-Farhad to write the screenplay of the film; it may be pointed out that the duo had also written Housefull 2 for him.

A source says, “Nadiadwala is impressed with the writer duo and wants them to get into direction. Housefull 3 may not be their first directorial venture but the duo are quite excited about working with Sajid Nadiadwala.” Interestingly, the duo will be marking their directorial debut with the Akshay Kumar-starrer, It’s Entertainment, and is thus known to share a good rapport with the actor. Apart from Akshay, the other actor to be finalised is Riteish Deshmukh. Both Housefull and Housefull 2 were directed by Sajid Khan, but apparently Khan’s recent comment on resurrecting Akki’s career was not received too well by the actor.

With most filmmakers opting to cash in on long weekends and festive occasions, coinciding release dates have caused many clashes in the industry
Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; March 21, 2014)

Bollywood and festivals seem to go hand in hand. More often than not, production houses want to slot their film releases during festivals or on long weekends. The most popular release dates fall on Eid, Diwali and Christmas. All three festivals make for an extended holiday season and thus promise higher box office revenue.

But the catch here is the fact that producers are not too keen at the thought of other films trying to cash in on the festive fever.

Most want their film to be the only big release on a given day. And when this doesn’t happen, the battle for more screens tends to escalate. Trade expert Taran Adarsh says, “Yes, it is becoming an issue in the industry now that people slot release dates even before finalising their film’s cast. Producers seem to be working in the reverse gear these days. We are following the Hollywood trend now. But releasing films on the same day splits up the number of screens for each film, their collections and it also creates differences between the actors and producers.”

Superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are known to have their films release during festivals. Gaurav Verma, executive director — theatrical distribution, studios, Disney UTV, that is distributing the Aamir Khan starrer, PK, says that a film’s release date holds a lot of significance. “With the release date locked in, we can decide on the promotional strategies and market the film well. These days a lot of films are being made and the release date also depends on when the film gets completed. Our consumption habits have now changed, so a long weekend will you give an added advantage,” he says. However, he refuses to say anything about the clash between PK and Anurag Kashyap’s film, Bombay Velvet. “It would be unfair for me to comment on this,” he says.

Vajir Singh, editor, Box Office India, points out that it all boils down to the fact that producers these days make huge investments and thus want to recover the money soon. “That’s the reason why people look to release their films during a long weekend. Nowadays, everyone is working backwards and even before the cast is decided, producers lock the film’s release date. Everyone wants to play safe now.”

Recent tussles

It was recently reported that Anurag  Kashyap is miffed with Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan for deciding to release their film, PK, on Christmas day. Kashyap had zeroed in on a Christmas release for his magnum opus, Bombay Velvet, months in advance. “All it would have taken is a phone call; I heard rumours about P. K. releasing on Christmas and called Raju to ask about the same. At that point, they said there had no such plans. But now when I hear about it, it hurts because I respect Raju as a filmmaker and as a person. He is a colleague and a friend and now if both films release on same day, business will be affected,” he had said at a recent press conference.

Inevitable clashes

However, Ramesh Taurani, whose film, It’s Entertainment, is headed for a clash with Singham 2, says that films releasin on the same day is not new. “It has been happening for years and will continue to happen in the future. It can’t be avoided in our industry as we have only 52 weeks in a year and we make about 125 films annually. This week, for instance, has four films competing against each other. The only thing that one can put off is taking on a big production,” he says. But Taurani adds that there is enough room for two big- ticket films to release during festivals such as Eid, Diwali and Christmas. “Ghayal and Dil released on the same day and both went on to be huge hits. Lagaan and Gadar too released on the same day and were successful at the BO,” he says.

Several big films of 2014 have already declared their release dates. Many of these films are pitted against each other; others are making the most of a long weekend.

hitlist gives you the lowdown on how big films are capitalising on long weekends this year:

KICK
Releasing on: July 27
Occasion: Eid
Competition: None.
Eid has always proved to be lucky for Salman Khan and it’s known that other producers do not wish to take him on by releasing a film on the same day.

SINGHAM 2 & IT’S ENTERTAINMENT
Releasing on: August 15
Occasion: Independence Day
Competition: Ajay Devgn’s film, Action Jackson, was supposed to release in the first week of August but it has now been delayed and its dates have not been announced. However, his other film, Singham 2, is clashing with Akshay Kumar’s film, It’s Entertainment.

PHANTOM & BANG BANG
Releasing on: October 2
Occasion: Gandhi Jayanti
Competition: It will be interesting to see a face-off between Phantom and Bang Bang as Katrina Kaif is the leading lady in both films. The actress seems to be caught in the middle and one wonders how she will go about promoting these films.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Releasing on: October 23
Occasion: Diwali
Competition: Diwali has always been King Khan’s day; several of his films have released during the festival of lights — be it Jab Tak Hain Jaan, Om Shanti Om or Don.

PK & BOMBAY VELVET
Releasing on: December 25
Occasion: Christmas
Competition: The clash between these two films has been in the news for quite some time. With Aamir Khan starring in Rajkumar Hirani’s P.K. and Ranbir Kapoor headlining Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, it remains to be seen as to who will rake in more moolah at the box office.

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; February 8, 2014)

Recent instances in the industry hint at the emergence of an unsaid rule where the duration of films is now being curtailed to around two hours and ten minutes. Films are apparently being cut short in order to ensure a wider and smoother release in cinemas. For instance, HitList has learnt that producer Mukesh Bhatt has asked director Hansal Mehta to stick to a running time of not more than two hours and fifteen minutes. “The shorter the length of a film, the more shows it allows us,” says Bhatt.

A source says that producers now insist on calling the shots as far as duration and rating are concerned. “It’s a part of the contract now. If the film has a middle-order star, then the producer wants less running time so as to make the film commercially viable. Bigger stars can get away with more screen time. Duration issues have been cropping up particularly for action, erotic horror and thriller films,” adds the source.

Ramesh Taurani, producer of the Akshay Kumar starrer, It’s Entertainment, says that his film won’t exceed a running time of two hours and twenty minutes. “A film’s length is decided upon after its first cut has been seen. I want my film to hold the audience’s attention,” he says.

Ajay Devgn’s film, Action Jackson, will also have a running time of around two hours fifteen minutes. Producer Gordhan Tanwani says, “Audiences in the age group of 15 to 30 don’t want to sit through a long film.” Anand Vishal of Fun Cinemas chimes in that shorter films are good for business. “Hasee Toh Phasee, which released on Friday, has a duration of two hours and ten minutes. Even films like Fukrey and Aashiqui 2 had the same running time,” he says.

Amrita Pandey, VP and Head of Theatrical, Television & Digital Distribution, Studios-Disney UTV, agrees. “A shorter duration does help a movie get a better release in cinemas. But it also depends on the content and storytelling; keeping audiences engaged and entertained is the main focus here,” she says. Four UTV films — The Lunchbox, Kai Po Che, Chennai Express and ABCD — have had an average running time of two hours and twenty minutes.