JULIE 2 GETS A SOLO RELEASE!

A lot of changes happened in the last eight days with regards to movie releases. The Hindi version of Justice League that was to release last week couldn’t arrive in theatres as it didn’t get a Censor certificate in time. The Hindi along with Tamil and Telugu versions of this Hollywood film will now release tomorrow. The English version has got a mixed response and this is bound to affect the business of the dubbed versions.

Moreover, Padmavati that was to release on December 1 has been pushed ahead indefinitely. The decision was taken after the protests didn’t stop and it became bigger by the day. Also, it was submitted to the Censor Board but they returned the film, citing incomplete application. The Censor Board would now want Padmavati to be in queue and won’t give it priority.

Also, the Censors have brought an old, unfair rule that states that a film will take around 68 days to get a certificate. The rule was never followed for obvious reasons but now it has come to haunt films up for release. Two of the films that were to release tomorrow – Kapil Sharma-starrer Firangi and Arbaaz Khan-Sunny Leone starrer Tera Intezaar – also didn’t get Censor certificates on time, just like Justice League, thanks to the new 68-day rule. With Padmavati not releasing on December 1, Firangi and Tera Intezaar makers were able to postpone their film by a week.

So this week, the only major Hindi release is Julie 2. It is the part two of Julie, which released in 2004 and made Neha Dhupia a sex siren. The director of both Julie and Julie 2 are same – Deepak Shivdasani. But the second part features Southern siren Raai Laxmi. The trailer is super-sizzling and it can work at the B and C centres. The cost of the film is also limited. Obviously, it won’t have a big opening on the whole as multiplexes will be poor. But still, the costs are reasonable and hence it can benefit the film. Surprisingly, this erotic film is presented by ‘sanskaari’ ex Censor Board chief, Pahlaj Nihalani. The film was to earlier release on October 6 but it had to be pushed forward thanks to a copyright infringement case filed by the producer of Julie, N R Pachisia. The court case was settled in the favour of Julie 2 makers and it was a blessing as now they have got a solo release.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE JULIE 2 AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

Justice League comes at a time when viewers have already been exposed to dozens of superhero films. Moreover, there’s nothing special or ordinary about this film in terms of storyline, performances or VFX. One expects that when the heroes come together to form their league, things will get better. But sadly, even that portion is strictly okay. The one-liners cracked by Flash shockingly fall flat. The Avengers meanwhile has made a benchmark of sorts in this genre and Justice League is nowhere close. It’s not even as good as DC’s last film Wonder Woman that was terrific in all respects. However, Justice League has its share of plusses – entry sequences of Wonder Woman and Flash are great, opening credits are terrific (in trademark Zack Snyder style), and the film never goes dull even for a moment. And it’s just 120 minutes long. Ben Affleck is quite likeable while Gal Gadot as expected looks stunning and delivers a brilliant performance. Henry Cavill has a crucial part to play in the film. Ezra Miller's character doesn't work while Jason Momoa is great but gets less screen time. Ray Fisher however is nice. This one is purely for the fans!

My rating - ** ½ out of 5!

Upala KBR (MID-DAY; November 17, 2017)

Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot’s Justice League may be packed with superheroes, but their superpowers can’t ensure the release of the film’s regional versions in India. While the original hits theatres today, the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions are yet to be granted a censor certificate.

A source reveals that Warner Bros (India), the distributors of the film, have been told that the Censor Board couldn’t watch the film as they have a backlog of movies to be censored. Says a trade source, “It’s outrageous that a film has been postponed because of a delay in the censor certificate. When people from the distribution company expressed their dissatisfaction, members of the Censor Board turned the tables on them and pointed out how they hadn’t submitted the film 68 days prior to its release. While the rule is a part of the 1952 Act, it has never been implemented.”

Considering a chunk of a movie’s collections are earned over the opening weekend, the superhero film will take a severe beating. “On an average, dubbed versions make for 40-50 per cent of a film’s earnings. This will have a huge impact on Justice League’s revenues. Warner Bros is staring at huge losses.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan points out that such a delay implies losses for the government too. “It loses out on 28 per cent GST for the projected business at the box office. The South is a big market for Hollywood films [with subtitles]. So it’s a lose-lose situation for all parties,” he says.

Denzil Dias (vice president and managing director, Warner Bros Pictures India) says, “We’re working with the CBFC to resolve the issue and get our regional language films censored at the earliest.”

Regional versions of superhero film miss release date as CBFC yet to certify them