Showing posts with label Main Atal Hoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Main Atal Hoon. Show all posts
In the season of general elections, political thrillers grips the nation’s psyche
8:08 AM
Mimansa Shekhar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 7, 2024)
Bollywood’s love for political stories is not new, but with the upcoming general elections, there is an increase in political dramas. The year started with Pankaj Tripathi starrer Main Atal Hoon, biopic on former Prime Minister, late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Several other political thrillers, including Article 370, Emergency, Bastar - The Naxal Story, Section 108, The Sabarmati Report, The Delhi Files, are set to hit the screens as filmmakers vie to present intriguing stories on political leaders and key events. But what makes such films click?
The Tashkent Files (2019), The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Vaccine War (2023) filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri says, “A film industry that isn’t making a political film, is dehydrated. Every film should address socio-political issues because it touches our life.” The filmmaker is helming The Delhi Files, which is reportedly based on the 1984 Sikh riots in New Delhi.
In the past, filmmakers like Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Shyam Benegal, Prakash Jha, Sudhir Mishra, among others brought socio-political commentary in their films. And this genre continues to be a loved by the current crop of filmmakers.
While Yami Gautam Dhar‘s Article 370 is set against the revoking of Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status; Emergency, headlined by Kangana Ranaut, biographical historical drama based on Indian Emergency during former Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi’s term.
Another reason political thrillers pull in the crowds is the relatability factor. Even if not directly, several movies have subtle political undertones. Pointing at films such as Inquilaab and Aaj Ka MLA (both 1984), Gadar 2 (2023) director Anil Sharma asserts that politics is an integral part of our cinema, “Even today, if you go to the rural areas, people discuss politics sitting under a tree. Political films are a popular sentiment in India, hence it works with the audience.”
Actor Adah Sharma, who spearheaded The Kerala Story (2023), will be seen next in Bastar - The Naxal Story, that traces the Naxal movement in Chattisgarh. The 31-year-old says the final verdict of a film is in the hands of the audience: “In 2023, the biggest movies were Jawaan and Pathaan, which weren’t political thrillers, [but] The Kerala Story was part of the top films. Since time immemorial, movie watchers have embraced all genres equally. Bastar... is a political thriller, if the audience decides it’s well made, it will work.”
With Rang De Basanti (2006), Raajneeti and Rakta Charitra (both, 2010), Aarakshan (2011) and Maharani (2021), we’re seeing an upswing in this genre. The crux remains that important stories are told from every lens and aspect of the political spectrum because that’s what makes the nation think.
Experts share their views
Trade expert Atul Mohan says, “The political thrillers releasing this year don’t have an edge as the audience knows that it can only be agenda driven. Poore desh ka mahaul election ka hai, so news mein zaroor reh sakti hain, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they will do well at the box office also.”
Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi says, “It’s tough to avoid cricket, cinema and politics in our country. People might say a film is right-leaning, like The Kerala Story or The Kashmir Files, but we’ve also had films like Mulk (2018) or Article 15 (2019), which spoke from the other side of the political leaning.”
Producer and film expert Girish Johar says, “Bheed (2023) was released at the perfect time, but didn’t do well as audiences seek both relevance and entertainment. [For political films], it’s topical as everyone is talking about elections.”
I don’t want to know my movie’s collections-Pankaj Tripathi
8:34 AM
Choosing his films based on their intent over commercial returns, Pankaj discusses how Vajpayee’s biopic Main Atal Hoon has been a soul-searching project for him
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 20, 2024)
Main Atal Hoon is one of those rare films wherein Pankaj Tripathi was initially unsure whether he could do justice to the role. Portraying the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after all, is a big responsibility. So, what made him give his nod to the biopic? Intent, he says.
“The man’s intent supersedes everything else about him. He believed in democracy. Since he was a writer-poet, everything was approached with empathy. He could oppose someone, but there was never any bad blood. He was loved by everyone, and the core of such a man is important to know in today’s divisive times,” states the actor.
The producers and director Ravi Jadhav have often said that they wouldn’t have made Main Atal Hoon if Tripathi turned down the role. The actor admits the film required him to do soul-searching. He didn’t take up any other project, as he was fully invested in understanding the leader.
“You can’t mimic such a glorious man. So, I met my drama school teachers to understand how to go about this. The film gives you an insight into who he was, how he thought and why he did what he did. Main Atal Hoon is not a fictional tale, you need to be loyal to who he was. There is an added responsibility because a national leader’s vast life is being put into a two-hour film.”
In the past, he has shouldered films as the leading man, including the hit OMG 2 (2023) and Kadak Singh (2023). Tell him it’s his mainstream hero moment, and he says he cares little for such terminologies.
“I’m grateful for the love and accolades we got for OMG 2. But fame, commerce and love are by-products that may or may not come one’s way. What matters to me is the sincerity with which I do a film. I don’t want to know my movie’s collections. Its presence doesn’t give me joy, and its absence doesn’t dishearten me either. I’m an actor and all I know how to do well is act.”
Up next, Tripathi has two films and Criminal Justice 4; but before that, a well-deserved vacation. “I am feeling a sense of fatigue that can be rectified only by taking off and exploring the world. Now, I will take two weeks off, and after Criminal Justice is completed, I hope I can take some time off to restore work-life balance.”
(Crisp) Movie Review: MAIN ATAL HOON by FENIL SETA
2:44 PM
Main Atal Hoon attempts to touch upon several important events in the life of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The film is mounted on a huge scale and technically, it is great. However, it never makes viewers involved as the makers hurriedly keep jumping from one episode to another. Most of these events are not properly explained and some aspects are even left abruptly. The narrative is even disjointed. Pankaj Tripathi, however, is terrific and makes the film watchable. Ekta Kaul (Rajkumari) leaves a mark. Piyush Mishra is dependable in a cameo. Raja Rameshkumar Sevak (Lal Krishna Advani) is fair, though he is over the top in some scenes. Payal Nair (Indira Gandhi) is okay. Pramod Pathak (Shyama Prasad Mukherjee), Daya Shankar Pandey (Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay) and Haresh Khatri (Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru) are decent. All in all, Main Atal Hoon is disappointing and worth watching only because of Pankaj Tripathi.
My rating - ** out of 5!
My rating - ** out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 813
11:12 AM
WILL MAIN ATAL HOON SUCCEED AT THE BOX OFFICE?
Last week’s big release Merry Christmas failed to entice the audience despite appreciation. It opened at Rs. 2 crores and it was expected to see a jump on Saturday and Sunday. While collections jumped to Rs. 3 crores on Saturday, on Sunday, the jump was minimal as it collected Rs. 3.25 crores. Then, there was an expected drop in the weekdays. The first week's collections are expected to be around Rs. 12-13 crores. This week, the competition is minimal and hence, the makers should hope that the film can cross the Rs. 20 crore mark for a respectable lifetime total.
Hanuman’s Hindi version arrived with very limited promotion and noise. But it emerged as a surprise. It also opened at Rs. 2 crores. The collections then saw a rise – Rs. 3.75 crores on Saturday and Rs. 5.75 crores on Sunday. The Monday and Tuesday collections were Rs. 3.75 crores and Rs. 2.50 crores respectively. In short, the weekday collections are more than that of Friday. This shows that the film has been accepted. It’ll get a huge number of shows in the second week. While the first week's collections are around Rs. 22 crores, the second week's earnings might be more. At this rate, Hanuman’s lifetime can be in the range of Rs. 50-60 crores or even higher.
Meanwhile, the new release this week is Main Atal Hoon. It stars Pankaj Tripathi in the role of the ex-Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Famous Marathi director Ravi Jadhav, who also made Sushmita Sen-starrer Taali, helms the biopic. The trailer of the film is intriguing and Pankaj seems to have done a great job. Though there’s a lot of awareness about the film, the excitement is minimal. The ticket sales until now have not been encouraging at all.
As a result, the opening might be around Rs. 1 crore or even less. But such films can go anywhere. If it gets political support like The Kashmir Files, then the collections can jump significantly. Moreover, it releases in the week when the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be inaugurated. This can also benefit the film in some way. On the other hand, it’ll have just six days to score as the big release of the month, Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan, will release next Thursday.
Last week’s big release Merry Christmas failed to entice the audience despite appreciation. It opened at Rs. 2 crores and it was expected to see a jump on Saturday and Sunday. While collections jumped to Rs. 3 crores on Saturday, on Sunday, the jump was minimal as it collected Rs. 3.25 crores. Then, there was an expected drop in the weekdays. The first week's collections are expected to be around Rs. 12-13 crores. This week, the competition is minimal and hence, the makers should hope that the film can cross the Rs. 20 crore mark for a respectable lifetime total.
Hanuman’s Hindi version arrived with very limited promotion and noise. But it emerged as a surprise. It also opened at Rs. 2 crores. The collections then saw a rise – Rs. 3.75 crores on Saturday and Rs. 5.75 crores on Sunday. The Monday and Tuesday collections were Rs. 3.75 crores and Rs. 2.50 crores respectively. In short, the weekday collections are more than that of Friday. This shows that the film has been accepted. It’ll get a huge number of shows in the second week. While the first week's collections are around Rs. 22 crores, the second week's earnings might be more. At this rate, Hanuman’s lifetime can be in the range of Rs. 50-60 crores or even higher.
Meanwhile, the new release this week is Main Atal Hoon. It stars Pankaj Tripathi in the role of the ex-Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Famous Marathi director Ravi Jadhav, who also made Sushmita Sen-starrer Taali, helms the biopic. The trailer of the film is intriguing and Pankaj seems to have done a great job. Though there’s a lot of awareness about the film, the excitement is minimal. The ticket sales until now have not been encouraging at all.
As a result, the opening might be around Rs. 1 crore or even less. But such films can go anywhere. If it gets political support like The Kashmir Files, then the collections can jump significantly. Moreover, it releases in the week when the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be inaugurated. This can also benefit the film in some way. On the other hand, it’ll have just six days to score as the big release of the month, Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan, will release next Thursday.
Main Atal Hoon is the first film where Pankaj Tripathi called his acting teacher and took tips-Sandeep Singh
4:12 PM
Main Atal Hoon producer on how he got Tripathi’s nod for the biopic without a script in place; says actor watched the late Prime Minister’s speeches and spoke to journalists as part of his prep
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; January 17, 2024)
Few know that during his college days, Pankaj Tripathi aspired to join politics. After college, however, he found his calling in acting. But fate works in mysterious ways. Today, the actor finds himself playing the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of India’s most beloved prime ministers, in Main Atal Hoon. Producer Sandeep Singh says that Tripathi was among the first to join the Ravi Jadhav-directed biopic.
“While doing research for the project in 2021, we approached Pankaj. There was no narration as we hadn’t even written the story. I showed Pankaj an AI-created image of him as the character, but he couldn’t believe it was him. After I convinced him, Pankaj said yes to the film without a bound script,” recalls Singh, who then reached out to Jadhav to helm the movie.
“Ravi wanted to direct the film. But apart from him and me, everybody was against the decision. They felt, how can a Marathi filmmaker direct a story [largely set in] Uttar Pradesh?”
In some ways, Tripathi is an apt choice as he shares the late prime minister’s mild manners and affable nature. Singh says that the actor, a stickler for prep, did extensive research for the role as he knew it would be one of his most significant offerings.
“This is the first film where Pankaj called his acting teacher and took tips. He also watched all of Vajpayee’s speeches and interviews on news channels, and even met some of the journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and Prabhu Chawla, who had interviewed the late politician. Pankaj spoke to Atal ji’s adopted daughter, Namita Bhattacharya, and asked people whether they thought he could play this character with conviction. He felt that many actors, who did biopics, often ended up [doing] mimicry. He wanted to keep his role a mix of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and himself.”
As he played the politician and poet, Tripathi wanted to understand the leader’s mindset; the physical prep was secondary. Singh adds, “Pankaj would always say ‘Mujhe bahar se Atal nahin dikhna hai, mujhe andar se Atal hona hai.’ Atal ji’s favourite dish was khichdi. So, during the shoot, Pankaj started eating home-made khichdi as he wanted to get into the skin of his character. This film starts from Atal ji’s childhood when he was rejected as a poet in school, tracing how he went on to become a famous politician and orator, and ends in 1999.”
We were clear that had Pankaj Tripathi said no, we would’ve dropped Main Atal Hoon-Rishi Virmani
8:34 AM
Main Atal Hoon writer says only Tripathi embodies Vajpayee’s grace; discusses making a fitting biopic for late PM who put people first, on his 99th birthday
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 25, 2023)
It’s not easy to encapsulate late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s lifetime of work in a movie. Equally difficult was finding someone who could bring the much-loved politician’s warmth to the screen. On Vajpayee’s 99th birth anniversary today, writer Rishi Virmani recalls how director Ravi Jadhav and he pitched Main Atal Hoon to Pankaj Tripathi by narrating only the film’s first half-hour.
“Main Atal Hoon couldn’t have been a dry political movie. It had to be witty, entertaining and hopeful. In my first meeting with Pankaj sir, I was supposed to give him a narration till the interval point. But since the film was difficult to write, it took me time to [crack the script]. On the day of the meeting, I had only the first 30 minutes of the film. I went to his place, feeling like a student who didn’t do his homework. But by the time we ended the narration, the flavour was spot-on and Pankaj sir was happy,” he grins.
At a time when the world is torn between left- and right-wing politics, making a leader’s biopic can be tricky. But Virmani says the idea is to show the statesman who prioritised public welfare over everything else. “He wasn’t here to rule, win elections or be a Prime Minister. He was a fiery man, who was aware that this democracy must prioritize people over every other interest. He wanted to make a generational impact.”
The writer adds that the director thoroughly researched Vajpayee’s life, showing it not from the prism of right-wing politics, but from a place of empathy. “Ravi sir understood that the subject had to be handled with care. Ravi sir and Pankaj sir have depicted the story responsibly. Vajpayee stood for larger politics—the country’s ruling party is temporary, but the country and its people should be the top [priority].”
A sharp statesman and a talented poet, Vajpayee had the most important job in the country, but wore his responsibility with humility. Tripathi was the only actor who could have pulled it off, says Virmani.
“We were clear that had Pankaj sir said no, we would’ve dropped the film. Mr Vajpayee had a relaxed energy that only he could capture. What unites them is their grace and dignity. Pankaj sir is also a mass hero; look at his work in Mirzapur and Criminal Justice. He has mass appeal and the film projects him in that light.”
Main Atal Hoon is one of those movies that made me a better human being-Pankaj Tripathi
8:27 AM
Describing late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as man of ‘integrity and discipline’, Pankaj says playing him in Main Atal Hoon has made him a better person
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 25, 2023)
Until Main Atal Hoon came his way, Pankaj Tripathi saw former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a wise statesman and people’s leader. It’s only when he stepped into the titular role for the biopic that he discovered the man behind the politician. The actor, who recently wrapped up Ravi Jadhav’s directorial venture, shares that he did not take up any other project during the shoot.
“Before [beginning work on] this film, I watched all of Atal ji’s big interviews, and read books on him. It feels like I know so much that I can also write a book about him. For the 75 days that I was shooting, I did nothing else, not even an ad film shoot. I didn’t want to leave my character’s zone. After pack-up, I would read his poems, most of which he had written around his birthday on December 25. His mindspace was important to bring into the film,” says the actor.
Rarely does an actor get a role that brings about a shift in him. This was one such character for Tripathi, who counts the film among his most important projects.
“Atal ji was a man of integrity and discipline. [The film depicts] his brilliant journey—a man from a simple [background] who paved his way to become one of the country’s most loved prime ministers. He was a big believer of democracy. Reading about his life has changed me as a person. During research, I spent hours studying his beliefs and values. I can safely say that it’s one of those movies that made me a better human being.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee used poetry to convey state of mind-Pankaj Tripathi
11:38 AM
Bringing Vajpayee’s story to the screen with Main Atal Hoon, Pankaj on how the late PM’s love for literature struck a chord with him
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; June 23, 2023)
Half the battle is won for Pankaj Tripathi, whose look as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Main Atal Hoon has been appreciated. It is the other half, of convincingly becoming the former Prime Minister of India on screen, which will be a daunting feat. That’s why the actor dove headlong into six weeks of prep before kicking off Ravi Jadhav’s directorial venture.
Tripathi is currently shooting for the biopic in Lucknow. Before he stepped into the shoes of the statesman, the National Award-winning director gave him extensive reading material—chronicling Vajpayee’s early years, his rise as a politician, and interests beyond politics—that formed the foundation for Tripathi’s act. The actor also watched the former PM’s interviews, speeches and rallies to study his dialect and mannerisms.
“Pankaj’s idea was to imbibe Vajpayee-ji’s traits and characteristics to be able to portray him with honesty. At the same time, he had to ensure that it did not come across as a caricature. A month of extensive prep was followed by a special two-week workshop with the director,” says a source.
While Vajpayee was admired for his statesmanship, it was the politician’s artistic streak that struck a chord with Tripathi. The former Prime Minister harboured a deep love for literature, and had authored several poems in his lifetime.
“During my research, I also read about Atal-ji as a poet who had immense love for language and literature, apart from the politics and diplomacy that he is so widely known for. He used poetry intelligently to convey his state of mind. I could relate to that because good poetry, especially in Hindi, has a deep effect on me too. It was nice to know that there are poems and poets we liked in common,” says the actor.
Pankaj Tripathi’s new #workgoal: Maximum four projects a year
4:48 PM
Deep Saxena (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 15, 2023)
Pankaj Tripathi, known as a versatile performer, has expressed his desire to strike a better work-life balance. Amid his busy schedule, the actor has made the decision to limit himself to a maximum of “four film projects a year”, allowing him to focus on the quality of his work and personal development.
The 46-year-old shares, “I will complete Main Atal Hoon on July 7 and then on July 9, I will join the cast of Stree 2. I am shooting for 360 days in a year aur main asal zindagi mein itna vyast rehne wala aadmi nahi hoon.”
Tripathi attributes his ability to portray diverse characters to his background in theatre and is grateful that he has not been typecast. But, he acknowledges his limitations. “Acting is such an art ki aap utna hi kharch kar sakte ho jitna aapke andar jama hai. So, you need to refill your earnings (life experiences and observations) which I am not able to do at present,” says the actor, wishing to spend time with his family and a couple of months in his village doing farming.
Despite this newfound goal, Tripathi has an array of releases lined up. “I have around six projects slated for release this year, including OMG 2, Fukrey 3, Mirzapur 3, Murder Mubarak, Kadak Singh, Gulkunda Tales, Father and Metro... In Dino,” ends the actor, adding that “a gap of 15-20 days between projects is also important to prep better”.
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