As theatres remain shut, talks of reintroducing the concept of drive-in theatres in India are revving up
Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 28, 2020)

Ever thought of watching a film under the open sky? Well, that could soon be a reality as the concept of drive-in theatres seem to be vrooming ahead in India. As per reports, while PVR Cinemas is readying to launch its first drive-in theatre in Mumbai, Carnival Cinemas has “identified three locations in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kochi.” It’s believed that the latter plans to kick off some operations “in the next two months”. A realty consulting company is apparently in talks with an Indian firm for drive-in cinemas around various places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Punjab.

Novelty factor
So, are drive-in theatres the next big thing? “It could be a big market if planned properly. They could also be the ‘big-screen experience’ in a totally new way. Also, after multiplexes, we haven’t had a new addition in the space of movie consumption, so this could shake things up,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who remembers watching numerous films at a drive-in theatre in Bandra in the 70’s.

Experts feel the investment on a drive-in theatre could be anything between ₹3-5 crore depending on the location/size of the property, facilities and the capacity of vehicles. Drive-in theatres used to be popular in places such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru but lost its appeal due to the multiplex boom. They, however, are still very popular in European countries as well as the US.

Economically viable
“For audiences, it can be a totally new, unique experience. But the most critical part is that it has to be planned and executed in a manner wherein it’s financially feasible – in terms of earmarking properties, ticket prices and number of shows etc. – in every way possible,” says exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi, adding: “However, in India, where we are under-screened, drive-in theatres could also be a great, novel way to add screens. Especially, in tier-2 and tier-3 towns, where the land prices are reasonable/affordable, it can provide people new ways of entertainment.”

At the same time, industry insiders feel “very limited number of shows” [only post-sunset], higher ticket prices [including car parking fees] as compared to regular theatres and India’s extreme weather pattern could be a few reasons why drive-in cinemas may be a challenge. “Safety is also a huge concern. Back in the day, at Bandra’s drive-in theatre, patrons’ safety became a problem due to incidents of looting and attacks on vehicles. Such things have to be taken care of on priority,” says Manoj Desai, executive director of the G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir.

Safety & privacy
Experts agree that at a time when social distancing and lockdown have become a part of life, drive-in theatres are likely to attract audiences in a big way. “For me, more than watching a film, drive-in theatres would be all about enjoying that special experience,” says filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who watched many movies at a drive-in theatre, as a kid in Mumbai.

He adds: “Now, with high-end technology such as Bluetooth, great sound systems, LED screens etc., let’s see how things go. I’m sure besides the younger generation who haven’t experienced it yet, there are going to be many like me who would want to have that experience all over again.” Adarsh puts things in perspective: “This concept may sound appealing to people considering the times [Coronavirus pandemic] that we are living in.”

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; June 9, 2020)

Three years ago, filmmaker Bharatbala (known for his National Anthem videos among others) embarked on a mission, Virtual Bharat, to capture the essence of India through 1,000 short films of under 10-minutes each. However, he didn’t know he would end up shooting the country virtually, one day. When the national Coronavirus lockdown was announced on the night of March 24, his team and he decided to film the historic chapter in modern history on camera. The lockdown continued for nine weeks, and so did the filmmaker’s efforts.

Titled Uthenge Hum, the film had a pan-India team of over a 100 people, and it captures the emptiness and the silence of the lockdown across villages and cities in 14 states.

Bharatbala roped in the filmmaking crew that he had assembled in the last few years while making about 85 films for his ‘Virtual Bharat’ project across the country. He was stationed in Mumbai with his team while supervising shoots across India through virtual video calls.

Bharatbala says, “This film, which took off when the lockdown began, is for posterity. I went ahead with an idea, not knowing how it will shape up. Srinagar, Guwahati, Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai — we went all over the place. We sought permission to move around. On a single day, I have shot portions in Lucknow, Varanasi and Guwahati. It’s sad to say, but this was a unique chance to capture the silence and emptiness in a nation of 1.3 billion people.”

The filmmaker adds, “This film brings out the stark social divide without me saying a word. We need to rethink and rebuild our systems. The lockdown had everyone on their knees and it proved that everything can wait.”

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; September 10, 2019)

He made his Bollywood debut with Karwaan alongside Irrfan last year. While the movie was critically acclaimed, it did not exactly fare well at the box office. Now, Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salmaan, who got rave reviews for his maiden Hindi outing, is gearing up for his next, The Zoya Factor. Based on Anuja Chauhan’s book by the same name, the movie will see him play a cricket captain. The day we met the actor, he had come straight from the airport, having flown in from Kerala. The 33-year-old opened up about his role in the film, how the market since the time his superstar father Mammootty did Hindi movies has changed for South actors, and why he has no qualms being part of a project that revolves around the female lead.

You made your Bollywood debut with Karwaan, which was not a mainstream commercial film...
(Cuts in) Yes, but, I have done stuff like that in other languages, too. When I hear different ideas, I gauge how much I like the script and the concept. I don’t particularly think how big or commercially viable the film is. If there is honesty in an idea, I like to do it. I wasn’t planning on entering any industry in that sense. Even OK Kanmani (2015) for Mani Ratnam was a small Tamil film. I look at content. The Zoya Factor has great content, which is also commercial. Even in Malayalam, some films are small and not mainstream, while the others are. I try to balance it out. I go by gut instinct. I don’t think too much about a debut film. If it’s good and people like it, they will like you. If they don’t like the movie, they won’t like the performance either.

Was it disappointing when Karwaan didn’t work at the box office?
No, we were not pitching it like a big film. It was a small sweet idea and we never expected it to do commercial film numbers. But, it was received well, and critically liked. It did decent numbers, we were all happy — not shocked or surprised. It has got a lot more love now when it released on a digital platform recently.

In The Zoya Factor, you are opposite Sonam Kapoor aka Sonam K Ahuja, who is a big name in Bollywood. Didn’t you have apprehensions that the film would be more about her than you?
No, I don’t mind. I did Mahanati (Telugu) with Keerthy Suresh, which is the biopic of South actress Savitri. The film is only about the girl, but I loved that my character had so much to do. He was kind of grey, almost negative in some scenes. Sometimes, I look at how good the project, as well as my role, are. Finally, the movie is the hero. If it does well, viewers will watch it and in turn, I will be seen. Sonam has a bigger fan base, so more people will watch the movie and I will be introduced to more audiences. So, I don’t take it negatively. I think it’s a plus.

What prompted you to sign the movie, to begin with?
I liked my character. I felt there was lot of scope for me to perform. I’ve never done a sports film before, it’s the first time I’m playing an athlete of any kind, so that was interesting. There’s a nice graph to it. Sonam’s and my character are opposites — she believes in luck and he believes in hard work. I liked all that. I felt it’s different from what I’ve done.

Did you read the book before signing the film?
No, I hadn’t, though I had it in my bookshelf. When they signed me, they said if you haven’t read the book, don’t. Because we want you to hear the screen adaptation. So, I read it after hearing the script initially. It is more detailed. It’s good that I didn’t read it before.

How interested are you in cricket?
You can’t ignore it in India. I have grown up around it. Street cricket is happening everywhere. I shifted from Kochi to Chennai when I was seven and the first thing I saw was kids playing cricket all the time. I made a lot of friends in the neighbourhood like that. And even in school, the sport was big. I went to college in America and there were a lot of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. It was nice to get together, watch cricket and support different teams.

Is your role fashioned on any cricketer?
No, we have not based it on any cricketer, but in Anuja’s writing there are some glimpses of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. My character’s got qualities of the best captains. The production got me a lovely coach and I would train with him when I was in Mumbai. Even when I would go to Kochi for my Malayalam film’s shoot, the coach would come down there and we would practise.

Several South superstars, including your father Mammotty, have forayed into Bollywood, but they haven’t been able to sustain. What do you think is the reason?
What happens with us is all of us come from a core market — I am established in Malayalam and somewhat in Tamil. So, it’s about how you weigh your options. If you have better scripts there, you do them. It all depends on what comes your way.

And sometimes, it’s difficult to say no to the progress you’ve made there. You can’t ignore that. Even now, if I take a long gap from Malayalam films, that can affect the progress I’ve made for so many years. So, that priority has to be there. When I do a film from another language, I try to find a movie that can be shot in two months. I don’t know who to compare myself with because I don’t know other actors who are juggling many industries.

Besides, the market has changed a bit now. It has become bigger, the number of screens has increased, there is OTT platform, worldwide markets, so it has helped us grow in terms of size, budget and viewership. You can push the film around the country even if it’s subtitled. We released Bangalore Days (his superhit Malayalam film) with subtitles across South and some stations in Mumbai and Delhi. It got that viewership. That is possible now. There are a lot of Malayalis everywhere, which was not the case earlier.

Prabhas has just made his Bollywood debut with Saaho...
Yeah, but that’s a bilingual movie, so, he’s not losing his focus there. It’s when you completely step away that it gets tricky. But I am trying to balance it.

Amyra Dastur on working and dancing with the desi Jackson in a psychological thriller
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 19, 2018)

Is it true that you have signed a Tamil film opposite Prabhu Dheva?
Yes, it’s still untitled but we’ve started shooting. It’s a psychological thriller with many twists and turns. I’ve never done a film like this before, be it in Hindi, Tamil or Telegu. It’s a difficult genre and our director Adhik has explained our characters and scenes to us in great detail. I have been reading up a lot on certain medical conditions and watching Hitchcock films. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you my character’s profession because that’s a major plot twist. What I can reveal is that she’s sexy, glamorous and intelligent, very different from the cute girl-next-door I have done before. The main challenge is for Prabhu Master because his character is definitely grey.

Nervous about shaking a leg with the Indian Jackson?
We recently started on one of the songs that required Prabhu Master to dance like a maniac. The whole unit just sat quietly and watched him perform. And when he was done, all of us just stood up and clapped and clapped. He is a natural born performer. I’m extremely nervous about dancing with him. I know I’m going to forget steps at least six times though I’ve been practising. To stand next to him and match his energy and swag, is terrifying.

Any favourite Prabhu Dheva film?
I loved Minsara Kanavu, his performance was so sincere and natural. Apart from his Tamil films, I’ve seen all his Hindi films as well.

Where are you shooting now and for how long?
We started in Kochi, the first schedule should be around 10-12 days. I think they’re planning to go abroad for the next schedule, somewhere in South-East Asia in December, but haven’t locked the city yet. So far it’s been a lot of fun. The paintings and art work on the sets are quirky in a creepy way. I was slightly disturbed on the first day of shoot but now I’m used to it. And I have to admit that I couldn’t recognise Prabhu Master in one of his getups. I walked past him 3-4 times that day and didn’t know it was him. Finally Master himself came up to me and said, “Good afternoon.” That’s when I caught on. It was embarrassing but full credit to his make-up man.

You maintain a very fine balance between Hindi and South films. What do you enjoy more?
I have to admit I am not well versed in any language apart from English and Hindi. But I’m good at memorising my dialogues down to the last full stop. As far as balance goes, down South the media asks me why I’m not doing more movies there and it’s the same here. I try to do content-based films, the script is the deciding factor. 

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 4, 2018)

Akarsh Khurana’s directorial debut Karwaan, with Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and Mithila Palkar as leads, features a song in which the trio will be seen rapping to a Malayalam number — the film revolves around a road trip through Kochi and its neighbouring cities.

Also featuring a smattering of English and Hindi, the song is written and composed by Slow Cheeta aka Chaitanya Sharma, who has also rapped for it. Incidentally, it was while working on a play directed by Akarsh a few years ago, when the musician met Masaan actress Shweta Tripathi, who he married last week in Goa. “Akarsh approached me for a fun rap song called ‘Dhai Kilo Bakwaas,’ it’s a play on the phrase ‘Dhai Kilo Ka Haath’ and talks about people who chicken out of fights,” he informed.

The song was filmed on the leads at a timber mill in Kochi. “We rounded up all the locals we could find in the crew and put them in a recording studio to get them to mouth Malayali slangs. So, we have Malayalam, a Hindi chorus, and rap bits in English, followed by Hindi rap, and back to Malayalam,” Chaitanya added.

Akarsh informs that the Malayalam bits in the song are sung by the film’s sound designer Anish John and executive producer Sanjeev Kumar Nair. “The rap is one of the most fun songs I’ve heard. I love some of Chaitanya’s singles and am trying to work with him wherever I can,” he said.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 20, 2017)

After a Bollywood debut with the ghostly Raaz: Reboot, followed by the comic Guest Iin London, Kriti Kharbanda will next be seen opposite Dulquer Salmaan in Karwaan, which marks the Bollywood debut of the Malayalam actor. The film produced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Akarsh Khurana also features Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palkar.

“Kriti’s role is an extended cameo and will appear at an important juncture in the film. She plays Dulquer’s love interest and will be flying to Kochi on Thursday to start shooting. Kriti is comfortable with Telugu and Kannada but her character in this film is required to speak a little Malayalam so there will be a trainer on the set to help her out. Despite working in the South film industry, Dulquer and Kriti have never met before,” informs a source close to the development.

“It’s a non-glam role and she will film in Kochi for three days before returning for the second schedule at a later date.” Dulquer and Irrfan who play friends on a road trip, began shooting with Mithila early this month in Ooty. It’s a 32-day schedule, followed by another one in Mumbai.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 15, 2016)

Saif Ali Khan who kicked off shooting for Raja Krishna Menon’s Chef 10 days ago in Kochi is aiming to wrap up the film before December to be by his begum Kareena Kapoor’s side when she delivers their first baby.

“We should be done by December but may leave a few scenes for later so that Saif gets a break to be with his baby” Raja informed Mirror, adding that it’s a difficult film to shoot as it involves travelling across the country. “We are filming all over as we reference the cultural aspect of food from different regions in India. After Kochi we will take off to Chingoli by road then, we’re off to Goa, followed by Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi.”

The filmmaker is quick to point out that his film isn’t an exact remake of Jon Favreau’s 2014 American dramedy of the same name.

“I found the story revolving around travel, food and a fatherson relationship touching and felt that I could adapt it and make it my own with my writers Ritesh Shah and Suresh Nair. My Chef is definitely not a remake, I’m adding my own experiences as a father with a growing up son,” says Raja.

Saif who plays the titular character had to undergo culinary training along with some of his co-stars. There were reports of a thumb injury that is believed to have delayed the shoot briefly but Raja denies this. “All my actors were all for the prep and trained with actual chefs for four-six weeks in Mumbai before shooting began. Saif trained under Himanshu Taneja, the executive chef at JW Marriot, in kitchen etiquettes in a professional setup. This included basic stuff like how to hold a knife, plate a dish as also the body language of a chef. We have chef Sandhya S Kumar and her team on the set to ensure everything looks authentic,” he reveals.

Raja may have given the film his own spin but has retained the father-son relationship element that forms an integral part of the original story. “The father’s quest to strike a balance between being a friend and a mentor to his son as well as a parent is the driving force of the film,” he asserts.

Point out to him that Kochi is a rather unusual location for a Bollywood film and he reasons, “The story doesn’t begin in Kochi but the place plays an important part in the narrative. Kerala has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to its food culture which is completely different from the rest of the country, which hasn’t been explored in Hindi films as much as its landscape,” he signs off.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 29, 2015)

Writer-director Bejoy Nambiar tied the knot with longtime girlfriend, actress Sheetal Menon, in a private ceremony at Kairali Heritage in his hometown Kochi. For the traditional Kerala-style wedding ceremony, which was held on December 25, the groom sported a white munda-veshti, while the radiant bride chose a cream-and-gold sari, with gold jewellery and mogra in her hair.

Joining the list of Bollywood star couples — Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli — who've jetted off to exotic locations to ring in the New Year, the newlyweds took off to Europe for their honeymoon the next day.

The couple's romance bloomed on the sets of Bejoy's Hindi directorial debut, Shaitan (2011), which featured Sheetal along side Kalki Koechlin, Neil Bhoopalam and Gulshan Devaiah. The director then roped her for his second production, David (2013), which is also Sheetal's last film.

Bejoy was earlier married to veteran actor Raj Babbar's daughter, Juhi. The couple separated in 2009.

Bejoy's upcoming film, Wazir, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Aditi Rao Hydari in central roles, is the first big release of 2016. The filmmaker is also working on his next, a Malayalam drama.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 22, 2014)

Filmmaker Priyadarshan and his wife Lizzy were gearing up to make an all-is-well appearance today in Hyderabad at their team Kochi Warriors’ semi-final match in the CCL (Celebrity Cricket League). But the couple was in for a rude shock when they got a call yesterday afternoon saying that their players had misbehaved on the flight to Hyderabad and been off-loaded.

The pilot took a U-turn mid-air and returned to the Kochi airport following complaints by irate passengers and cabin crew. Enquiries revealed that their team had misbehaved not only on board but also in the airport lounge.

Priyadarshan and Lissy quickly got their act together and arranged the tickets for the players to take the next flight and reach Hyderabad in time for the match.

A source told Mirror, “The Kerala Strikers were in a celebratory mood and started creating a ruckus within minutes of entering the airport. The authorities warned them before they checked-in. Yet, they continued to create trouble even after entering the aircraft."

After a stern warning by the cabin crew, they went quiet. But 15 minutes after they took off, the Strikers were back to their rowdy ways much to the horror of their co-passengers.

Said the source, "The cabin crew and the pilot discussed the matter and the latter decided to divert the plane back to Kochi and offload the team. After a brief stopover in Kochi, the plane took off for Hyderabad again, but without the Kerala Strikers.”

Admitting to the fracas, Lizzy who is the co-owner of the team told Mirror, “I don’t know what exactly transpired. I believe one of the airhostesses had a problem. But yes, the flight returned to Kochi and my boys were asked to disembark and take the evening flight. I will definitely have a word with them when I meet them in the stadium today.”
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Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; February 22, 2014)

Kerala Strikers, the cricket team that boasts of noted actors from the Malayalam film industry, is in the news for the wrong reasons. A source says that this team — a group of 27 people, including senior names such as Mohan Lal, Suresh Nair, Santhosh Sleeba and Prajod Kalabhavan — misbehaved with the Indigo airline staff and were then asked to disembark.

Rajeev Pillai, a member of the team, says, “We were travelling from Kochi to Hyderabad along with some senior members of the team. Soon after, two airhostesses walked in and just as they shared safety instructions, some team members started clapping. Having won our previous match and thus made it to the semis, we were in a cheerful mood and were busy cracking jokes. But these airhostesses went on to complain to the captain that we misbehaved with her. He then made an announcement that the plane would take off only if we disembarked from the flight.”

Pillai recounts that that the team repeatedly questioned the airline as to why they were being asked to leave. “The other passengers supported us as well; they even told the airline authorities that these airhostesses were arrogant. But the captain was adamant and we finally had to give in to their demands. We then had to wait for over five hours before we took another flight. We even missed our practice session because of this incident,” he says.

Anuj Rai, spokesperson of the Celebrity Cricket League, confirmed the story. “The team has been in high spirits due to its recent wins and the airline crew probably asked them to maintain silence. What followed was perhaps an ego clash and as a result, the team had to get off,” he said.