Showing posts with label Merry Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Merry Christmas. Show all posts
Nobody gives you a chance just because they love you-Sanjay Kapoor
8:02 AM
Amid resurgence of many ’90s stars, House of Lies actor Sanjay Kapoor says only those who were focused throughout their career have reclaimed their place in the movies
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; June 7, 2024)
Merry Christmas, Murder Mubarak, and now House Of Lies—Sanjay Kapoor has had a release every two months in the year so far. That’s a lot by any standard. To the actor, it’s a reaffirmation that perseverance always pays off.
“It’s not by chance that I did Bloody Daddy [2023], Made In Heaven 2, Merry Christmas, and so on. I have worked my ass off. It’s 30 years of experience, focus and perseverance [at work]. In the last one year, I have worked with directors Sriram Raghavan, Zoya Akhtar, Neeraj Ghaywan, Prakash Jha and Homi Adajania. People are happy even if they get to work with two or three such directors in their lifetime,” says the actor, who leads the Zee5 murder mystery.
The industry is witnessing a resurgence of several ’90s stars. While Bobby Deol made an assured comeback with Aashram and Animal (2023), Manisha Koirala recently headlined Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Kajol and Raveena Tandon have fronted web series. How does Kapoor view this revival of sorts?
“These actors haven’t got work today by chance. Manisha had done great work even before, be it Bombay [1995] or 1942: A Love Story [1994]. Sometimes, you go through a transitional phase—you aren’t young enough to play a youngster, nor old enough to play an older character. With OTT, people are getting more opportunities. Also, you never heard anything wrong about all the actors you’ve mentioned. You heard their names only with regard to their work. These actors never lost hope or confidence in themselves. Bobby has spoken about it himself. It’s not that all the ’90s actors have made a comeback. There were others who lost their focus. Nobody is here to make your life; you have to build your own. Nobody is giving you a chance just because they love you.”
It’s certainly a wise lesson that his daughter Shanaya Kapoor, who is foraying into movies with Mohanlal’s Vrushabha, can benefit from. Kapoor says his journey has taught Shanaya the importance of being dedicated.
“Shanaya is intelligent. She has seen that this industry is not a bed of roses; you have to work hard. I don’t have to advise her, I’m always there for her. She is focused. During the pandemic, she was taking diction and dance classes. She didn’t waste that time. Mentally, she will be strong because she has seen my journey in the industry.”
2024's first quarter is decent; Shaitaan is the true bonafide hit in the first three months
8:43 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
The industry has seen a pretty decent first quarter as the exhibition sector fared the worst as the biggest film of the quarter FIGHTER did not live upto expectations. But its been a steady run post FIGHTER and some films have managed to make a mark.
There is an issue with very little content. There are just ten films which have gone over 10 crore nett which is hardly a number and they are below. These will be the films with some sort of awareness or face value that were released in the first quarter.
The classifications of those ten main films are as follows.
Merry Christmas (FLOP): A mystery thriller film with vey little for theatres and a film that would only do well in Mumbai city even if liked. These sort of filsms will be available in hundreds for audiences on television at home.
Fighter (AVERAGE): The film is the highest grosser of the year but could not fair well in mass circuits. Its not about the planes or anything but the landscape has changed in these areas and its about raw and rustic films driven by the storylines rather than Hollywood type of action. TIGER 3 also had a similar struggle and Hollywood films are finding it tough going in the Hindi circuits. FIGHTER had stars and music but the appeal remained limited and its a lot to do with how much these mass circuits have changed post pandemic. If we take the fact that it did not release in Gulf then, there was an outperformance overseas. However, the final number does not suggest that as its without Gulf.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Ulja Jiya (SEMI HIT): The film did very well for its genre driven by the music. The music was not blockbuster but the fact that it had music and it was good enough which is more than what most films have. The was pushed by the buy one get one offer but it does look that offers will not help if the audience is not with the. So, the benefit of the offer is probably very limited.
Article 370 (HIT): The first HIT of the year which proved a SUPER HIT in Mumbai circuit. The film did extremely well for its budget but it was a costly acquisition and with streaming likely to be in house it was about India theatrical for recovery. Nevertheless, the film actually pulled it of very well.
Crakk (DISASTER): The heavily budget action film for the face value but this sort of action content is just not relatable to the mass centres where it has to score.
Laapataa Ladies (FLOP): A ladies film looking by its name and which has trended well in its run holding well every week but it just could not find much of an audience. The trending of the film can be called respectable. However, that hardly matters when there are no overall numbers.
Shaitaan (HIT): The true bonafide HIT of the first quarter which did well all over. The film was a psychological/horror film but the family sentiments worked strongly for the film. The box office today is about reaching the mass and it's basically going back to the 80's. What happened here was when the big budgets were not there, the films catering to family sentiments emerged winners at the box office. Today, any genre will work as long as it has these family sentiments as this is where the reach will come from. SHAITAAN was devoid of music which is the other way to push the reach but still did the trick.
Yodha (FLOP): A urban action film on a hijacking and when a FIGHTER struggled for reach with the mass audiences, it was always going to be tough for this film. Action films made in Hindi for urban audiences have never done well although there maybe some exceptions but those will be very few if any.
Madgaon Express (FLOP): A Goa holiday/trip film which pretty much seals the fate in most of the country with the trailer itself. For some reason, the industry actually had hope for the film. The film did better in Mumbai circuit but even there, the numbers were still poor. Rest of the circuits were very dull.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (FLOP): A film on a Maharashtrian political figure which had no scope outside Maharashtra. The plus is that it will do around 15 crore nett in the state of Maharashtra which means some sort of acceptance here. But its a Hindi film and rest of India is extremely dull with practically no collections.
Crew (SEMI HIT/AVERAGE): The last release of the quarter which has done pretty well. The film has scored very well in North (NCR and East Punjab) and along with SHAITAAN is the only other film to do so. The film will have shortened run due to Eid which will hold back the numbers. It has had decent run nevertheless and is an out performer in Overseas.
Outside the organic Hindi movies, the dubbed SOUTH film HANUMAN proved to be a HIT while GODZILLA x KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE was also a HIT. The latter was just AVERAGE in Hindi circuits but the business in the South took it to HIT status.
I was not expecting the same love for Merry Christmas that Andhadhun got-Sriram Raghavan
8:54 AM
Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan opens up about the mixed reception of his latest Katrina Kaif-starrer film
Sugandha Rawal Tagra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 3, 2024)
Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan was far from shocked when the audience called his last film, Merry Christmas (2024), slow. Raghavan, who collaborated on the film with actors Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, admits that he knew the film would not appeal to everyone.
“Every film is just like your first, and you learn something with every project. When it comes to my vision, I try to look for a variety in subjects that I pick, even though they may all be in the thriller genre,” the filmmaker shares, adding, “For instance, Merry Christmas was a love story in the guise of a thriller — that got me excited.”
Opening up about the film’s mixed reception, the director shares how he never expected it to perform like the commercial hit and Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer Andhadhun (2018).
He says, “I was not expecting the same love that Andhadhun got. But it was the success of Andhadhun that encouraged me to do something experimental and riskier. Yet in my heart, I hoped the film would work on the big screen. That being said, it has its value, and I am fine with the response that the film got.”
Recently, Raghavan also curated the thriller section for the upcoming multi-genre Red Lorry Film Festival in Mumbai.
Talking about the event, he says, “The primary job of a film festival is to collect film lovers, so that there’s communal viewing and interaction. That was my intention with this one as I focussed on curating thriller films across different eras.”
Experts feel 2024's first quarter was average
8:27 AM
As we wrap up the first quarter of 2024, here is a look at Bollywood’s report card as shared by industry experts
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 2, 2024)
Four months into 2024, the Hindi film industry has been on a bumpy ride. Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was expected to ring in the year with eye-popping box-office numbers, but slowly inched towards the Rs. 200 crore mark. On the other hand, films like Crakk, Yodha, All India Rank and Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay left us wanting. In comparison, 2023 was a blockbuster one with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan setting the tone for the rest of the year.
The year “hasn’t begun well” agrees trade analyst Taran Adarsh, adding, “We didn’t have a Pathaan kind of film, a Rs. 500 crore grosser, or even a film that touched Rs. 50 crore on day one. Fighter was a well-made film, but it didn’t live up to the expectations.”
DEARTH OF GOOD FILMS?
Films that took the industry by surprise with their performances were genre benders like actors Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan, Yami Gautam Dhar’s Article 370 and Shahid Kapoor’s Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. Their box-office collections show that they did exceedingly well.
Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India, remarks, “2024’s first quarter has been average, with no major hits; films like Shaitaan worked. I feel 2023’s first quarter was much better and a hit like Pathaan is still awaited. There are good titles coming up in 2024, which are a mix of Bollywood biggies and those from the south.”
Aditya Datt, director of the actioner Crakk, is proud of his film. But with “disappointing” footfalls in cinema halls, he is ready to move on. “Response to the film’s new age idea and action was amazing,” he says, as he’s feeling “optimistic” for its OTT debut. “The magic we crafted will more eyes watching and appreciating it.”
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Another film which was praised by critics, had a big star cast, but still underperformed at the box office was Merry Christmas, featuring actors Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. Producer Ramesh Taurani who bankrolled the film, elaborates, “We were expecting more in collections. Nevertheless, it’s okay, things happen. We did get a lot of praise and critical acclaim.”
HIGHEST GROSSERS of ’24 till NOW (All India collections according to trade estimates)
Fighter- Rs. 199 crore
Shaitaan- Rs. 137 crore
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya- Rs. 81 crore
Article 370- Rs. 72 crore
Crew- Rs. 41 crore (still running in theatres)
Manjummel Boys to Merry Christmas, filmmakers are going beyond borders
3:21 PM
The pan-Indian movie has gone beyond dubbing or casting the odd crossover star. A new breed of directors is making cinema that reflects India’s linguistic diversity
Shruti Sonal (THE TIMES OF INDIA; March 24, 2024)
In 1991, when Kamal Hassan-starrer Tamil psychological romantic drama ‘Gunaa’ hit the box office, it had an average run. However, over the next few years, the film achieved a ‘cult status’, with its song ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ — composed by the legendary Ilaiyaraaja — becoming a rage. The film’s most lasting contribution, surprisingly, was something else. Parts of the film were shot in the hill station Kodaikanal, including a cave known back then as the Devil’s Kitchen. The notoriously dangerous cave became so popular as a tourist spot as a result that it began to be known as ‘Guna Caves’.
Over three decades later, Kamal Hassan, ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ and Guna Caves have gripped the imagination of cinephiles again, this time through a Malayalam film. ‘Manjummel Boys’ is a dramatic re-telling of the real story of a bunch of friends whose trip to the caves in 2006 turned into a disaster after one of them got trapped in it. The film — stripped of any ‘star’, songs, or even a female lead — has sprung a surprise and emerged as the first Malayalam film to enter the Rs 200 crore club.
A fourth of that has come from Tamil Nadu. Ruban Mathiavan, managing director of Chennai-based G K Cinemas, says even after five weeks, some shows are running housefull. “It has already earned equal to what films with Tamil superstars earn. Kamal Hassan and the Ilaiyaraaja song have been a huge factor in it,” he says.
Not just in this particular film, but in multiple movies and web shows today, linguistic and state boundaries are blurring. From dialogues to pop culture references, filmmakers cater to an audience that’s increasingly multi-lingual, mobile, and more comfortable with subtitles than ever before.
REGIONAL DELIGHTS
Big star-led blockbusters such as ‘KGF’, ‘RRR’ and ‘Baahubali’ led the way, but have now opened the floodgates for more experimental forms of content, says Harshit Bansal, founder of Humans of Cinema, an online community of cinephiles that has nearly four lakh followers on Instagram. “Audiences are now more comfortable with the cinematic languages of different regions. From action sequences, songs and background music, to how women are portrayed... Everything differs. A Marathi film looks very different from a Tamil film. Audiences are realizing that they don’t need to turn to Hollywood or Korean cinema in order to get something different,” Bansal says.
What this means is that ‘pan-India’ content today has dived deeper, moving away from lazy remakes, television re-runs with oft-hilarious and unsynced dubbing, or merely putting together stars from different regions in order to broaden the appeal.
For instance, two different versions of Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Merry Christmas’ were simultaneously shot in Hindi and Tamil. In an earlier media interview, Raghavan said he didn’t want any of the versions to ‘sound dubbed’. While the story of the slow-burn romantic thriller was almost identical, the references were carefully tweaked: the Hindi version had references to Rajesh Khanna, the Tamil one had Kamal Hassan. Two different teams of writers were hired for the languages, and original songs were composed for each! Bollywood’s Katrina Kaif and Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi were leads in both versions, but the secondary cast differed.
However, some things remained the same. Both the versions were dedicated to director Shakti Samanta, and Sethupathi’s credits referred to him via his popular Tamil title ‘Makkal Selvan’ (people’s treasure).
In last year’s biggest hit ‘Jawan’ too, references to an old song being played at a pivotal point in the film differed in each version. The Hindi one had ‘Bekaraar Karke Yun Na Jaiye’ (Bees Saal Baad, 1962), the Tamil one had ‘Paattu Padava’ (Thennilavu, 1961), and the Telugu one had ‘Ee Mounam’ (Doctor Chakravarthi, 1964).
In ‘Manjummel Boys’, director Chidambaram didn’t shy away from letting the audiences know his inspirations. Illustrations from ‘Kanmani Anbodu’ play in the background as the title credits come on screen. The boys buy a CD of the film and play the song on the trip. They refer to the caves as the ‘place where the Kamal Hassan song was shot’. And, perhaps most fittingly, the love song plays in the climax itself, with the lyrics now spotlighting the power of friendship instead.
“The idea to put the song in the climax was in my head even before I started writing the film. I asked my team to get the rights to it before the production started. I told them if we can’t get them, then I won’t make the film. Everything else was written around it,” the director says.
Interestingly, the second half of the film has more Tamil dialogue than Malayalam, which Chidambaram says is ‘organic’ because of the setting. “Lingual boundaries are blurring. Even if one has to make a movie in Bengaluru, the characters can’t just speak Kannada. There will be a mixture of Kannada, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu. Similarly, Malayalam content also has to change. That’s how our country is today,” he adds.
ACCENT KHICHDI
In the world of OTTs too, different settings are being explored in order to offer something fresh to the audiences. From characters speaking a mish-mash of different languages to stories being set in far-away locations, creators are opting for it all. Netflix India’s dark comedy ‘Killer Soup’, for instance, is set in a fictional hill station in South India, and has dialogues in Hindi, Tamil, and Dakhni. Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Konkana Sen Sharma as the leads, it is based on a 2007 murder case in Telangana, and has emerged as a sleeper hit.
Harshad Nalawade, one of the writers of the show, says the fictional setting allowed them to also create more eccentric characters that spoke in peculiar accents and mannerisms. “We didn’t want to make yet another show that is set in a small town in north India. I think a section of the audience is tired of content coming from the north, and there’s no fresh world that they are seeing. So this was the opportunity to actually explore that,” he says.
Raj and DK’s hugely popular shows ‘The Family Man’ (season two) and ‘Farzi’, which featured a few Tamil dialogues alongside Hindi, made it easier for the audience to consume more of it in subsequent shows, the writer adds.
One thing is clear. For more and more viewers in India today, language is no bar. As South Korean director Bong Joon-ho said in his 2020 Oscars acceptance speech: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
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MAKING UP A REEL LANGUAGE FOR REAL
Others are creating a whole new language themselves. At the global boxoffice, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s scidrama ‘Dune’ has earned accolades for offering viewers a glimpse into the fictitious Chakobsa language, created by a group of linguistic experts who borrowed from real-world languages.
In India, grim survival drama ‘Kaala Paani’ has managed to do the same. Set in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, it traces the journey of tourists and officials who try to tackle the outbreak of a mysterious disease.
The fact that it featured tourists from multiple parts of the ‘mainland’ made the use of a multilingual setup necessary, says creator Sameer Saxena. However, the main challenge was to create a fictional language spoken by the ‘Oraka’ tribe featured in the show.
“We got language scholars from across the world, and made a guidebook from scratch, with all the alphabets and pronunciations. We didn’t want it to sound similar to any of the existing tribal languages,” Saxena points out.
The end product was rather finessed, as opposed to the often-derogatory representations of tribal languages that have existed previously. (Think : the jhinga la la hoo hoo songs in the past.)
I recorded an audition tape for Anushka Sharma's character in Zero; it moved Aanand L Rai-Katrina Kaif
8:51 AM
Bollywood’s unlikeliest top heroine, Katrina Kaif, on two decades of stardom
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; March 2, 2024)
Surely, you’ve seen the film Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). “If I’m not mistaken, it was Ranbir Kapoor’s second film, and his first for Yash Raj [Films],” Bollywood star Katrina Kaif informs us.
Now, there were four women in that movie. Three you know: Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Minissha Lamba. The fourth was? Katrina!
The film was, in a sense, a goal unlocked for her—she had been “vying for a Yash Raj production” for some time. Except that once she met producer Aditya Chopra, he said, “The script was getting too long—so we had to snip the fourth female part.”
Katrina recalls, “It was a limited role, yes. But I was, like, you gotta be joking! Shortly thereafter, Aditya called me to offer another film.
“He’d already taken me off a big commercial release. My response to the new offer was—he’s instead offering me a small, artsy film, with no songs, scale, dance, and with Kabir Khan, who’s a documentary filmmaker? I was not happy about it!”
Salman Khan convinced her to do the role. He had met Kabir before, discussing his debut, Kabul Express (2006), and was impressed enough—although they worked together on Ek Tha Tiger (2012) much later.
The Katrina film in question is New York (2009), a political drama, set in post-9/11 America. She says, “I walked begrudgingly on to that set, looking disdainfully [in my head], biting my teeth: such a small crew, where are the lights, cameras… I had just come off Singh Is Kinng (2008), that had been so massively loved by audiences.”
Cut to the wrap-day of the film’s shoot in New York, and she was crying: “Nobody wanted the shoot to end. Up until this day, New York remains the most amazing and eye-opening experience of my life in films.”
“The closest friends I have in the industry are from that film. It played a bit of a role in the journey of my life, thereafter. Kabir gave me the confidence to have my own voice. Something I hadn’t even considered.”
Until then, Katrina confesses, she went by a simple Bollywood playbook on sets: “Do as told. Quietly.” If you scroll through her filmography thereafter, full of male superstar-driven money-spinners otherwise, you do sense a particular pivot, post New York.
Next stop: Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti (2010), the Mahabharat, adapted into the heartland of India’s politics: “I mean, what an experience, what a shoot!”
Katrina remembers, “There was this sequence in Bhopal, where my character’s husband dies, and I take centre-stage. I look before me. There are 2,000-3,000 people, for as long as your eyes can see. I’m supposed to give a speech in front of them, like a politician, and with the film’s entire cast [on the podium]. My hands were trembling. I remember Nana [Patekar] Sir telling me, it’s going to be fine; just go ahead and do it. And it was fine!”
From here on, we can cut further to multiple parts in Katrina’s thoroughly mainstream career, with enough meat for her to juice out as an actor as well—Zoya Akhtar’s ensemble road-trip, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011, easily my favourite), to Bharat (2019), a synchronous history of contemporary India, told through the lives of its protagonists, with Katrina paired opposite Salman.
But she wants to zero-in, instead, on Aanand L Rai’s Zero (2018). TIL: Before Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) got onboard that picture, it was titled Katrina Meri Jaan, with Katrina playing a double role!
Well, to clarify, “That was a different script. It changed thereafter. But when Anand Sir was narrating me this [new script to play Babita Kumari], my ears and eyes kept perking up to the other female role [of Afiya, suffering from cerebral palsy].”
“Anand Sir said he had someone else in mind for it. I went home that day and recorded an audition tape on my iPhone for the part. I went back and showed him the recording on my laptop. It really moved him. That gave me hope, and we kept circling on it, for days.”
“I was so attached to the part [eventually played by Anushka Sharma] that I couldn’t even care if there was anything good in what was being offered to me.”
“It was Shah Rukh who said I was getting too emotionally attached, and that I should trust him, and do the film. That’s how I got a chance to do [Babita]. It’s one of the best roles I’ve ever done.”
These intercuts into some of Katrina’s more challenging parts are essential. If only to explain how she’s delivered arguably her finest role in films thus far.
That of Maria, in Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas (2024), squarely shouldering a tough, tight plot, primarily set in a South Bombay apartment, flitting between a couple of male characters, while the camera stays on her, almost throughout a stunningly claustrophobic murder mystery!
It is, in many ways, a culmination of sorts. The person you’d instantly think of in that role is probably Tabu. Katrina agrees, “I think Tabu is fabulous, anyway. But I loved her in [Raghavan’s] Andhadun.”
That said, when Sriram and his co-writer, editor Pooja Ladha Surti, first narrated Merry Christmas to Katrina, she found herself asking several questions to do with the motivations of her character: “It’s at the end of this meeting, Sriram Sir said I should write the backstory of Maria—oh, no, wait, it’s been a while, it wasn’t him.”
“After that narration, I actually wrote down Maria’s backstory on my own, at home. This was during the lockdown. I emailed it to him, and he loved it. We achieved a more in-depth story, based on that. He’s the kind of filmmaker who gives you that space.”
And yet, if you go through a series of interviews with Katrina before the release of Merry Christmas, she appears to repeat one aspect of her time filming the suspense-drama—that she was crying so much, before and during the filmmaking. Strangely, none of the interviewers seem to ask her, why? Sounds awful—why would she have to cry so much?
Katrina laughs, “Some of the crying [during the shoot] was part of the script.” Clearly, that’s not all. Let’s revisit the timeline again then. “Firstly, there was a major time gap from the narration to when the film went on floors, which was literally three and half weeks after I got married [to actor Vicky Kaushal].”
“You’re in this celebratory, jubilant space. There was COVID in between. All I wanted to do was spend time with my husband that we hadn’t had together. Since I’m obsessed with my work, diving into this intense and darker film was getting difficult. In my head, I wasn’t in that zone. But once you realize it’s happening, you just have to dive into the deep end.”
The other thing, Katrina confesses she has, is a loosely streaming sense of “selective memory”: “Now, Sriram Sir had told me, and this got reconfirmed by my manager—but I had totally passed it over my head—that we had to shoot the film, separately, in Tamil as well!”
“One of those things about ignorance being bliss, but it can land you in trouble. Even Sriram Sir hesitated from bringing it up, until four days before he had to remind me, to start the film’s sequences in Tamil; after shooting in Hindi.
“I tried to convince him not to do it. I went so far as asking him to cast another actress for the Tamil part.” Why so scared? “I’ll tell you why: if this was any other film—take my last four releases—doing it in Tamil all over would be fine.”
“But this is a very conversational film. There are scenes, where there are 15 minutes of only dialogue. That much of talking, when it has to happen again in Tamil is different. That’s when the tears started.”
“The tears of quietness [before that] were for the Hindi portions. Three days, I cried a lot. I was working myself up as well. My [Tamil] dialogue coach, Deepa Venkat, came in, to drop the stress: ‘The moment you hear action, do not think; force yourself; trust what happens!’”
I’ve watched the Hindi and Tamil versions of Merry Christmas. She’s pulled off both breezily, looking equally effortless.
For most Indians, the mental image/portrait likely to emerge, once they hear the name, Katrina Kaif, is likely to be the unabashed dancing queen from Chikni Chameli, or Sheela Ki Jawani, aimed at the nation’s front rows, looking for carefree, ‘paisa-vasool’ entertainment.
In 2009, Leo Mattel modelled the Indian Barbie on the 10-on-10 Katrina, with a tote bag; then in her mid-20s. She’s been at the top of Bollywood blockbuster scene for two decades.
Yet, if you sit down to casually chit-chat cinema, series, etc—her eclectic palette could surprise you, sometimes.
For instance, in a clip sent over to me by a friend, before I meet Katrina for this edition of Sit With Hitlist, she’s seated with Vijay Sethupathi, her Tamil co-star from Merry Christmas—casually talking up Vijay’s films, Super Deluxe (2019), and 96 (2018).
Both movies would be considered prohibitively avant-garde by desi-commercial standards. Is that the ‘Vicky Kaushal’ effect on her, I gently tease—referring to how her husband, who made his debut with Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan (2015), could be exposing her to another world within Indian cinema!
Quick to respond, she says, “As a wife, I do pull Vicky’s leg about how he’s such an art-house film buff. And he’s, of course, totally in tune with all the latest shows and films, and what’s being made. That’s where he comes from.”
But, no, so far as the film 96 is concerned, “I got to see it, because I was approached for its Hindi remake.” Super Deluxe is her late-night OTT, as with any other movie-binger.
Even as an actor, Katrina says, “It’s not like I’ve lived in my own different land. I’ve always been in touch [with all other cinemas].”
“For example, Dibakar Banerjee’s films. It’s another matter that [a film together] couldn’t work out. That was because of me. And that’s destiny. But we’ve been in touch. Until about a year and half ago, I was regularly meeting [director] Vasan Bala, discussing ideas.”
Either way, what’s undeniable with any relationship, let alone marriage, is how one tends to inevitably expand interests and friends’ circles, as a result of the partner. With Vicky (they got married in December, 2021), Katrina says it’s been more with the meeting of large families.
“I have six sisters. He has a huge family still back in Punjab. Besides, he has a large circle of friends, from college—I think about 20 of them. Some of whom live in New York, so we meet them, when we’re there…”
Vicky’s father, Sham Kaushal is, of course, an old Bollywood hand—one of the city’s top action directors over decades, who’s equally straddled multiple movie universes within Mumbai; from Black Friday (2004) to Krrish 3 (2013).
Once you probe further, you realize Katrina isn’t as hung up in her head over off-stream and mainstream—the distinction isn’t as marked, or she hasn’t cared to creatively define it.
For instance, she says, “I want to portray myself in a new way now. I don’t wish to repeat myself too much. In several scenarios, I myself feel repetitive and bored. I’m pretty sure, the audiences will, too. I’m no more the 19-year-old, who entered this industry.”
At the same time, she’s clear, her big, 2023 release, Tiger 3, the commercial hat-trick instalment of the Salman blast-fest checks all of those novelty boxes: “Tiger 3 belongs to the amazing franchise—the space that gives me joy. It’s not repetitive at all. I found the way [director] Maneesh [Sharma] explored [lead character] Zoya’s backstory was really brave, within an action blockbuster. That’s a side of me close to my heart—I love the female action genre.”
Likewise, with dance, she adds, “When I walked into Dhoom 3, those songs, and dancing to them as a circus performer, looking athletic—that’s been my dream and passion; maybe it’s not someone else’s. Rehearsals in those dance halls is my solace. That’s who I am.”
The film New York indeed provided her a fresher “milieu”, but the film that brought her up to skill as an actor, a gamechanger of sorts, she reasons, was Vipul Shah’s Namastey London (2007): “Even though it was comical, with a romcom tone to it; it was such a great character, and story. Not the typical East meets West.”
In Namastey London, Katrina paired opposite Akshay Kumar, the other co-star, besides Salman, she’s delivered a string of roaring commercial successes with.
She thinks she’s done more films with Akshay than Salman; starting to count them on her fingertips, while this can be googled in a second. Quick search results in a tie, Salman: 7, Akshay: 7.
Besides the obvious longevity of their respective careers—both Salman and Akshay have been maxing mainstream box-office for over three decades—something she can lay claim to herself, I ask Katrina to decode these two superstars, in terms of how different they are to be on set with, as actors.
She says, “It’s just the morning and night thing—who you see more daylight with. With Akshay [a morning person], I just have to request him for a later call-time on the set. With Salman, it’s the opposite.”
“I have to ask Salman, ‘Please come early, no?’ That apart, they’re two totally different individuals. While it doesn’t look it, Salman is always thinking of the larger story of a film, rather than the scene at hand alone. With Akshay, there’s a lot more improvisation.”
Either way, her own riffing off the actors’ energies on shoot doesn’t change: “I’m not focused on what my co-actor is doing. I come prepared to the set. That’s what I do on my own. And then I incorporate that with the director and co-actor.”
To be honest, I tell Katrina, I was a little apprehensive myself, stepping into this interview. Not for the lack of prep, of course. And she’s perfectly genial, even genuinely happy/goofy, to converse with.
It’s just that she may not be the most giving of all interviewees, when it comes to delving further into her life, outside films, or her world, before films.
Even as the intention isn’t to pry on a private life; only to shine a better torch on a public figure. And so be it. A decade ago, I tell her, I had been commissioned by Caravan, a magazine of longform journalism to write a 7,000-word piece (way over twice the size of this profile) on Katrina.
I was drawing a complete blank, for days. Choosing therefore to fill up the space with more of context-setting, instead—history of Anglo-Indians in Bollywood; shift from silent cinema to talkies; the anatomy of the Hindi film dance; a growing expat sub-culture of heroines in desi-mainstream, etc.
While I had chatted with Katrina for a few hours for the piece, there were no expository personal anecdotes, at all. I had asked her then if I could speak to her British mother (Suzanne Turquotte), about her growing up years. She texted back, “Could we rather not?” Totally respect that, of course.
Yet, for a desi pop-culture story, there is none that matches Katrina’s scale—for someone who landed in Bombay, from London, in her late teens, with a friend.
Had only watched one Bollywood film (SRK-starrer, Asoka; 2001), until she made her own film debut, a couple of years later. She knew no one in town, upon arrival. She knew not a word of Hindi, before aspiring to be the quintessential Hindi film heroine, and inching towards the top-spot, soon after.
No, seriously, how? Let’s attempt a step-by-step, still. Even before she got a movie gig, Katrina had landed a contract with L’Oreal, which means she was a successful model, already. But, she says, “My heart was always here, in films. I don’t know how.” Target set, surely what followed was perseverance.
She says she would start her day at 6 am, to attend kathak classes, until noon, in a “small, non-AC room, with Guruji Veeru Krishnan—Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta were the seniors [in class].”
With Hindi, actor Jackie Shroff advised her to master the Devnagari script: “On the set, those days, often you’d be handed the dialogues, right before shoot. I didn’t want to be in a position, where I’m wondering what to do. The base in Devnagari saved me. There is then nothing complex [in the learning of the language].”
But beyond all of the above, it was, as Katrina puts it, “Naivete and innocence of the times. Barely at 17, I saw nothing as difficult back then. Today, I would say impossible to the same things. Which is strange. I guess that’s what happens when you have nothing to lose. At this point, of course, I have other goals—but I’ve achieved all that I’d set out to do. Yet, criticism would hurt and affect me far more.”
When she was starting out, though, “An instance, I remember, from a South Indian film, with Venkatesh [Malliswari, 2004]— I was shooting a song, and there was someone on the set, yelling, ‘This girl can’t dance.’ I’ve had people telling me to my face: ‘You will not make it. You won’t succeed.’ Somehow, I wasn’t pained. Never felt sensitive about it. For me, it was about taking in the info. It didn’t penetrate me to stop.”
“I would sit and cry, but believe in the process in the healthiest way; work a little harder to perfect my craft. Eventually, I worked with all those same people who said, ‘We won’t take you in our films!’”
In Bollywood, David Dhawan’s Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya (2005) was her second film, and her first hit (Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar must count as a cameo).
She debuted disastrously with Kaizad Gustad’s Boom (2003), the year’s most anticipated movie—albeit a film so deliciously bad, that it must rank up there among the greats.
As always, bad movies make for the most fun reviews—essentially, stand-up comedy on text/print. That review fetched me the job as a permanent film critic, I tell Katrina, off-record. Unwittingly, I owe her one!
Practically everyone involved with Boom pelted eggs on it, in public, post-release. Not sure about Bo Derek (also in the cast), certainly Amitabh Bachchan; also, Salman Rushdie (his girlfriend, then, Padma Lakshmi, was in the film). Katrina hasn’t said a word on it since. And she continues to maintain that stony silence. Respect her choice, of course.
Was it Tolstoy, who roughly said, a great story is one of two things—a man sets off on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. Katrina is both those splendid stories.
I offer an unsolicited advice—that she should someday write that story. Totally unfiltered, just the way she saw it, with all those things she’s kept to herself since.
She says, “No, thank you. Let’s leave some things unwritten. What I want said is the work I have done, and the work that I hope to leave behind.”
I had to constantly message the music company for 7-8 days to credit me for Merry Christmas songs on YouTube-Varun Grover
8:58 AM
Leading from the front in enabling writers to get their due credit in the music industry, Varun Grover, as part of his association with The Indian Performing Rights Society, urges listeners to support artistes
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; February 19, 2024)
Via its nationwide campaign, My Music, My Rights, the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) launched the Raga to Rock event, aimed at initiating dialogue on the need to support creators for the establishment of a sustainable industry. Writer Varun Grover, who addressed questions on the means to create a system that’s viable for artistes, emphasized the need to help individuals who envisage a full-time career in the field. In this interview, he spoke of the importance of creating a future that ensures artistes earn a sustainable livelihood from their craft. Edited excerpts from the interview.
When we speak about just giving authority and ownership of music to its creators, do you believe there is one set of artistes who suffer more than the others?
Yeah, absolutely. I think lyrics writers within the music industry suffer the most because people are made to believe that a song [is created] on its own and only the singers get the love and credit for it, because they sing it across venues. For that reason, they have the same status as actors in a film do. I don’t have a grudge against their success because they have the talent and put in the hard work. But, mostly, a singer is credited for a song; a composer comes in the second [place] and then it is the lyricist. Nowadays, several composers have their own [labels], but writers are seen as dispensable. Also, given the nature of the music industry today, composers are considered the heads of departments, and have more power. So, writers end up getting the least credit.
Why do you think we have reached a situation where writers are not given their due credit?
It has always been like that. There was a time when even All India Radio would only announce the names of the singer and the composer, and wouldn’t name a lyrics writer. Then, Sahir saab [Ludhianvi] had to protest to get them to start including the names of writers. Even when the era of television began, only the singers, and, at times, the composers would be credited. It’s a fight that has been underway, and occurs when a new medium is created. Now, with streaming platforms becoming dominant, this must occur again.
Recently, I wrote the entire album of Merry Christmas, and had to fight, and constantly message the music company for seven to eight days to credit me on the YouTube videos of the songs. In the headline, they would only credit the singer and composer. I had to ask for it, even though I have written the entire album. I don’t know why there is this cultural mindset in India where writers are considered lesser artistes than other musicians. A lot of them, whom I know, are very mild-mannered and not aggressive. That’s why, people take advantage of them.
The fight we are involved in is on two levels—one is the moral rights, which is that credit should be duly given. That [requires] a change in the mindset of the common listener as well. The second is getting fair royalties for fair play.
When I became a writer 20 years ago, I did ghostwriting for a lot of people. They would tell me that they would pay me. But they wouldn’t pay me. In one scenario, I had asked the director of a show whose pilot episode I wrote for the payment, and he asked me how much I would pay to be associated with the project. That’s the unfortunate state of the industry.
Considering how predominant and wealthy this industry is, one would assume that the scope for such exploitation is limited. Why does this grey space exist when we have contracts?
Music is kind of abstract. Words are still solid and real, but music is abstract. Someone can change a couple of instruments and beats and call it different. While writers can still copyright our work, I don’t know if there is a way to copyright a tune, because music is so intricate. So, it’s a difficult scenario to deal with.
What were the measures you’ll discussed when it comes to dealing with this scenario?
I think young musicians must be careful when it comes to deciding who they choose to trust. If you are working in bad faith, that’s a sad scenario. Lots of bodies like the IPRS and SWA [Screen Writers’ Association] are trying to put together a good contract for newcomers and everyone else so that nobody is exploited. They should sign contracts before they submit any work so that they don’t reach a place where they would need to accuse someone of stealing something they submitted.
All the bodies came together to create this after we got inspired by how WGA [Writers’ Guild of America] got together to fight for their rights. I hope we don’t have to go on strike, but, if it comes to that, I’ll be very aggressive.
Who do you believe should have ownership of a song?
The authority, in terms of the intellectual property of the song, should remain with the composer and the author, who are the music director and the lyrics writer. At the third level should be the singer. So, these three people should perpetually retain it. Subsequently, whichever music company comes on board, they should license the song for a stipulated number of years, and then share profits. Anything that [results] from one person’s efforts should stay with them. Being a musician is a lifetime’s effort.
Is there something about this subject that you think we haven’t addressed?
Just that I wish that the public also supports the artistes. There are so many music apps that people listen to, right from the time they wake up. I hope they give thought to the artistes who make the music and support them in their fight to earn their rights. We only ask to be treated with respect. It is only in India that we must fight for these things. There’s no royalty system for writers.
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.
I am working with some of the best directors right now. They show a lot of belief in me-Sanjay Kapoor
8:26 AM
Thrilled to add Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas to his résumé, Sanjay on how his perseverance during low phase has led him to work with the best filmmakers today
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; January 16, 2024)
Sanjay Kapoor remembers meeting Sriram Raghavan almost five years ago at a party hosted by Shah Rukh Khan. All the two did was rave about each other’s recent work—he about the director’s Andhadhun (2018), and Raghavan about his performance in Lust Stories (2018).
“I think he had it in his mind that he would cast me in one of his films,” grins Kapoor. Things worked out perfectly for the duo as they teamed up for Merry Christmas, headlined by Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi.
In Raghavan’s deliciously twisted thriller, Kapoor plays Ronnie, who tries his luck with Kaif’s Maria after meeting her at a church. That his character, unsuspecting of the mayhem around him, was so well-written made it an easier yes for him.
“You want to work with a good director, but you also want your role to be good. Ronnie comes only in the film’s second half, but the story really starts with his introduction. Sriram was so keen on having me that after I said yes, he excused himself, went to his ADs and said, ‘Sanjay has said yes!’ There was so much excitement among them. That gave me confidence; that here is a director who could have cast anyone, but he was excited about me saying yes.”
Things have been looking up for Kapoor since he featured in Lust Stories. Soon, he will be seen in Homi Adajania’s Murder Mubarak, and Prakash Jha’s next. “I am working with some of the best directors right now. They show a lot of belief in me. It’s not that they have suddenly woken up to me. It’s [the result of] my perseverance. Even when I was in my low [phase], I didn’t lose focus.”
Does he feel these directors saw in him what the industry couldn’t back in the day? “I don’t want to blame those directors. I am better suited for the kind of work I am doing now.”
(Crisp) Movie Review: MERRY CHRISTMAS by FENIL SETA
11:44 AM
Merry Christmas starts on a slow note, making one wonder if it's worth a watch. But soon, things fall into place. The first half is used to build-up and all of a sudden, it goes on a high. A lot of amusing and thrilling moments take place in the second half which will make viewers look forward to what happens next. The finale is unexpected. Yet, since it comes from Sriram Raghavan, one does feel a bit underwhelmed as it doesn't reach the level of Andhadhun or Badlapur or Johnny Gaddaar. Vijay Sethupathi, as expected, rocks the show. He also gets to mouth the best dialogues and is apt for the role. Katrina Kaif, too, puts her best foot forward and delivers a strong performance. Sanjay Kapoor is entertaining while Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan and Ashwini Kalsekar leave a mark despite limited screen time. Tinnu Anand is fine; child actor Pari Maheshwari Sharma is cute. Radhika Apte and Luke Kenny do well in cameo appearances. All in all, Merry Christmas is an edge-of-the-seat thriller and is definitely worth watching.
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
My rating - *** ½ out of 5!
Tabu would have been my most obvious choice. Katrina was a break-the-mould casting, says Sriram Raghavan
10:37 AM
With Merry Christmas based on a French novel, director Raghavan on how he ensured that audiences didn’t know the plot beforehand; says thriller was made as a bilingual to reduce losses incurred in lockdown
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; January 12, 2024)
Sriram Raghavan stumbled upon a gripping story of one night when he read a French novel. Next, that meticulous mind of his—which has crafted some of Bollywood’s most entertaining thrillers— sprang into action. The filmmaker bought most available versions of the book because he was certain that he wanted to tell this story on the big screen. That’s how Merry Christmas began.
He recalls, “One-night stories are a challenge. I loved Yash Chopra’s Ittefaq [1969]. This story had shades of that. I bought off the books, only six of them were available. I bought as many Kindle versions as I could. What drew me to the story is that it’s nothing like Andhadhun [2018], Johnny Gaddaar [2007] or Badlapur [2015]. It is in that genre, but is a more emotional story.”
Raghavan considers himself a mainstream commercial director. After all, his last directorial venture, Andhadhun earned Rs. 457 crore globally. And yet, his films are set in a twisted world that’s rarely seen in mainstream Hindi cinema. The Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi-starrer too promises to be a wild ride.
“Commercial filmmakers must up the ante. When Andhadhun did fabulous business, my next step wasn’t to double the business. I’m fearful of f***ing up the original with a bad sequel. I wanted to make a film just as great, but entirely different from it. I’m easily bored of mundane stories. I’ve grown up on commercial cinema, and I wouldn’t be happy if I made a movie that people don’t get. But at the same time, I don’t believe in spoon-feeding my audience. In Merry Christmas, if you miss a conversation while checking your phone, then you might miss how it ties in at the climax.”
Having the backing of commerce allows him the liberty to take risks—from the unusual casting to the decision to go bilingual. With Merry Christmas, Raghavan has fulfilled his long-standing wish.
Raghavan says, “I wanted to make one Tamil movie in my life. Merry Christmas started off as a Hindi movie. When COVID [and the lockdown] happened, we had to break down the set in Mehboob Studios. We had time in our hand and that’s when we had the idea to take the Tamil route. It looked like a great way of opening up another avenue to cut down on our costs. Katrina was always on board. But Vijay’s casting was unusual. When we first met in Melbourne, he mentioned how he wanted to remake Badlapur. In that conversation, I felt Vijay could be the one, and then narrated the film to him on a Zoom call. After Vijay said yes, I had to convince Ramesh Taurani. I made him watch Super Deluxe [2019] and 96 [2018], and he was on board.”
With the Tamil version, came a new team to pen it. While the Hindi version is credited to Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti and Anukriti Pandey, the Tamil counterpart is written by Pratheep Kumar S, Abdul Jabbar, Prasanna Bala Natarajan and Lata Karthikeyan. Writing the film was like being in “parallel chess rooms”, says the director.
“The Hindi and Tamil teams worked independently. We gave them the reins to tweak [the scenes] to suit the Tamil audience’s taste. Sometimes, they would write such a brilliant scene that I would tell my team, ‘Let’s remove our scene and put theirs.’”
Even the casting was a blend of two different universes. How was it to have Kaif and Sethupathi work together on a set? “It was a whimsical casting move. They are strangers in the movie. I wanted to make them have lunch together, but they couldn’t talk to each other. With enough rehearsals, we soon found our equilibrium. Before shooting the most crucial scene, you would find Vijay eating vada pav; he would chill, not psych himself. But the moment he came on camera, he’d be bang on. Katrina studied to the T.”
A discussion on the cast brings us to the ones who weren’t cast. Much has been said about Saif Ali Khan being the first choice for the film. Raghavan clarifies it, stating, “I met him even before the script was ready. It’s like giving someone a present and then taking it away. It wasn’t nice of me.”
There’s another question that users on X want an answer to: Why was Tabu, who was smashing in Andhadhun, not cast as the lead in Merry Christmas? “Tabu would have been my most obvious choice. Katrina was a break-the-mould casting. I want to work again with Tabu, but we have to top Andhadhun when we pair up next!”
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 812
10:38 AM
WILL MERRY CHRISTMAS BE 2024’S FIRST HIT?
The first major film of 2024, Merry Christmas, is all set to release tomorrow. It stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead and is directed by Sriram Raghavan. The filmmaker has gone on a high with the success of Andhadhun. That film was a sleeper hit, collecting Rs. 73.37 crores. Hence, there are hopes from Merry Christmas that it can also surprise.
Merry Christmas is a bi-lingual film and also has a Tamil version. Interestingly, the supporting actors in both versions are different and the Tamil version is also slightly different than the Hindi one. The trailer is intriguing and thankfully, doesn’t give much about the film’s plot or its suspense. At the same time, the excitement for the film is limited. The songs haven’t worked. A few weeks earlier, it seemed like Merry Christmas would open at Rs. 4-5 crores.
Now, it seems like the thriller will have an opening of Rs. 2.50-3 crores. This shouldn’t be a problem because Andhadhun also opened at Rs. 2.45 crores and then collections jumped to Rs. 5 crores on Saturday as the positive word spread. Its Monday earnings were more than that of Friday. Merry Christmas can also similarly see a jump and can sustain even after Fighter’s release. However, if the film gets thumbs down, it’ll struggle.
The other major release is Hanuman, a Telugu film which has been dubbed in Hindi. The teaser was released several months back and caught attention. But the film hasn’t been able to make any noise in Hindi. It has got a wide release but the ticket sales are hardly there. It seems like it'll be another South dubbed film that will bite the dust.
The first major film of 2024, Merry Christmas, is all set to release tomorrow. It stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead and is directed by Sriram Raghavan. The filmmaker has gone on a high with the success of Andhadhun. That film was a sleeper hit, collecting Rs. 73.37 crores. Hence, there are hopes from Merry Christmas that it can also surprise.
Merry Christmas is a bi-lingual film and also has a Tamil version. Interestingly, the supporting actors in both versions are different and the Tamil version is also slightly different than the Hindi one. The trailer is intriguing and thankfully, doesn’t give much about the film’s plot or its suspense. At the same time, the excitement for the film is limited. The songs haven’t worked. A few weeks earlier, it seemed like Merry Christmas would open at Rs. 4-5 crores.
Now, it seems like the thriller will have an opening of Rs. 2.50-3 crores. This shouldn’t be a problem because Andhadhun also opened at Rs. 2.45 crores and then collections jumped to Rs. 5 crores on Saturday as the positive word spread. Its Monday earnings were more than that of Friday. Merry Christmas can also similarly see a jump and can sustain even after Fighter’s release. However, if the film gets thumbs down, it’ll struggle.
The other major release is Hanuman, a Telugu film which has been dubbed in Hindi. The teaser was released several months back and caught attention. But the film hasn’t been able to make any noise in Hindi. It has got a wide release but the ticket sales are hardly there. It seems like it'll be another South dubbed film that will bite the dust.
Pan-India films usher the era of cross-regional collaborations
8:23 AM
With Southern horizons embraced and stars shining beyond borders, it’s the new era of pan-India appeal and cross-regional collaborations
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 26, 2023)
Yes, 2023 has turned out to be a great year for Hindi films, with multiple hits coming in. But a crucial aspect related to films also underwent a sea change — we saw biggies turning to the south states for mega events, some deciding not to promote their film at all (we are looking at you, Shah Rukh, for Pathaan), and some (again, SRK) heavily promoting the film abroad. But the most significant evolution observed was the industry’s pivot towards engaging with the lucrative Southern markets.
IT SHOULD ALL GO SOUTH
Considering the tough competition regional language films give to Hindi films, it was only a natural step for us to explore the South markets. Makers of Shah Rukh’s Jawan realized that for a film to be called pan-Indian, it definitely needs to be accepted in those states. And hence, they organized a live show at Sai Ram Engineering College in Chennai, with the entire cast in attendance.
Varun Gupta, the founder of Max Marketing and the brain behind the promotions of almost all big films in the northern belt, including Animal and Adipurush, explains, “Actors like SRK and Ranbir (Kapoor) need no introduction, but they need to grow an audience base in the South. The idea with Animal was that the Hindi-speaking audience loves Ranbir; they would love to watch him in a never-before-seen avatar. But audiences in different languages might not have seen all their films.”
THE SUPPORT
A monumental shift was witnessed with the film Animal introducing an unprecedented pre-teaser marketing strategy previously unseen in Hindi cinema. The film gained support from renowned personalities like (filmmaker) S S Rajamouli and (actor) Mahesh Babu, indicating a collective industry effort towards extending its influence beyond conventional boundaries.
But Gupta feels not every film needs to practice this: “For me, as a marketing person, my job is limited till the opening weekend; I need to market the film in a way that people come in the first three days; after that, the content has to work. I am very proud that despite Adipurush not doing well ultimately, it still opened at around Rs. 37 crore.”
G Srinivas Rao, Managing Director of Shreyas Media (which is responsible for almost all promotions done in the Southern states), echoes Gupta’s sentiments, emphasizing the immense untapped potential of the Southern markets for Hindi filmmakers. He highlights the impact of localized promotions, citing instances like Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022), which ventured into Vizag, Andhra Pradesh with large-scale events, targeting diverse audience segments.
MORE IN THE PIPELINE
Producer Ramesh Taurani, whose film Merry Christmas is set for release, also has plans for an event in Chennai. “We have made two films: one in Hindi, and the same in Tamil. In the both versions, only (actors) Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi are the same; the rest of the cast is from the respective film industries. We have a big event planned for the first week of January,” he tells us.
Merry Christmas vs Yodha: Karan Johar's cryptic message triggers new debate
8:59 AM
Rishabh Suri (BOMBAY TIMES; July 19, 2023)
The trend of box-office clashes isn’t new in Bollywood. But a clash among filmmakers over a movie’s release date seems to be the norm. Filmmaker Karan Johar, who is producing the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Yodha that releases on December 15, recently said that studios and producers should “stand united in these tough theatrical times”.
The cryptic post hinted at Johar taking a dig at the makers of the Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Merry Christmas, which is also slated for a December 15 release.
Amused by Johar’s post, filmmaker Onir tweeted, “Big Bollywood releases get so upset when there is another big budget release the same day and they talk about how we should all care for each other in the industry, but don’t think for a second when they deprive a small budget indie film of a tiny number of good shows to survive (sic).”
Merry Christmas co-producer Ramesh Taurani says, “Mujhe nahin lagta mere liye bola hoga Karan ne.”
RAMESH TAURANI , CO-PRODUCER OF MERRY CHRISTMAS:
As far as clashes are concerned, there are enough screens in India these days. Also, both our films are completely different in terms of the genres, so both will do well.
TARAN ADARSH, TRADE ANALYST:
We live in a democratic country and no one has a monopoly on a date. I feel both the films (Yodha and Merry Christmas) are quite different from each other. I hope the issue gets sorted out.
ANIL SHARMA, DIRECTOR:
Gadar 2 aur OMG 2 (both will release on August 11) bahut alag hain. Main apni film ka second part paise ke liye nahin bana raha hoon. Back in 2001, Gadar and Lagaan also released on the same day (June 15).
VIVEK RANJAN AGNIHOTRI, FILMMAKER:
I am an independent filmmaker, so I am not into all that (his film The Vaccine War releases alongside Salaar on September 28). Had a Jawan released with it, you could call that a clash.
Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi to film final leg of Merry Christmas in Powai next week
4:27 PM
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 26, 2022)
Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi celebrated Christmas last year by taking Merry Christmas on floors. Several months and two extensive schedules later, director Sriram Raghavan is ready to call action on the final stint of the thriller, which will take place in Powai.
A source reveals, “A set of several houses is being built at Chitrarth Studios in Powai, where the actors will film the climax. Beginning from September 7, Katrina and Vijay have allotted the next 10 days for the shoot. The director has also lined up a two-to-three-day shoot in Pune, following which it will be a wrap.”
With Merry Christmas, Raghavan — known for his slick thrillers like Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Badlapur (2015) and AndhaDhun (2018) — apparently tells the story of a Christmas Eve that starts out uneventfully but soon turns the protagonists’ lives upside down. The film, slated for a December 23 release, marks his first collaboration with Sethupathi and Kaif. It also marks the south actor’s Bollywood debut.
Bollywood takes stock after the fire on the sets of Ranbir Kapoor's film
8:43 AM
Three productions come to a halt after the Chitrakoot Grounds fire; destroyed set of Ranbir-starrer to be built again, while Barjatya postpones song shoot to year-end
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 6, 2022)
A week since the massive fire broke out at Chitrakoot Grounds in Andheri, three major Hindi movie productions have come to an abrupt halt. The set of Luv Ranjan’s yet-untitled next, where the fire reportedly originated, stands completely destroyed. As a result, the shoot of the dance number, featuring leads Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor, has been deferred.
A source reveals, “Ranbir has moved to Animal’s shoot now. They will return to film the song after he wraps up the schedule of the Sandeep Reddy Vanga-directed crime drama, and 'Brahmāstra' promotions. That will also give the production design team enough time to rebuild the set from scratch.”
The blaze happened on July 29 in the early evening, claiming one. The fire brigade was reportedly alerted at 4.28 pm, after which 10 fire engines were sent to the site. Sooraj Barjatya’s production house lost two massive sets, erected for its coming-of-age film, to the blaze that was designated as Level 2. The yet-untitled movie marks the acting debut of Sunny Deol’s son Rajveer, Poonam Dhillon’s daughter Paloma, and the directorial debut of Barjatya’s son Avnish.
The source adds, “One set was a replica of Thailand streets. The unit was to start filming a song on August 3 that would go on till August 10. It was a lavish set-up that cost them almost a crore. The second set-up was to be used on August 27, 28, and 29 when the cast and crew were to can some crucial sequences. Sooraj sir was to be present for those portions.”
With both sets damaged beyond repair, filming of these portions is likely to be deferred to the year-end. “Avnish has lined up a Thailand schedule between December, and January 2023. After the recent turn of events, he may film the song in locations across Thailand. As for the talkie portions, they will be shot in Mumbai later this year.”
Sriram Raghavan had a set built for the Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi-starrer, 'Merry Christmas', at the other end of the ground. Though the set is fortunately undamaged, the director is exercising caution and will have his unit report to duty only after a few weeks.
Sooraj Barjatya (left) Sriram Raghavan has a set, which is largely undamaged, at the site
Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif celebrate Christmas amid Holi fever
8:29 AM
Set to play grey roles in Merry Christmas, Katrina-Vijay kick off second schedule of Raghavan’s thriller in Mumbai
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 19, 2022)
Sriram Raghavan found the perfect way to celebrate Christmas last year as he took Merry Christmas on floors with a week-long schedule. After a long break, south superstar Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif have reunited for the second schedule of the thriller. The actors, who are collaborating with Raghavan for the first time, recently kicked off the 45-day stint at Filmistan Studios in Goregaon.
The director of Andhadhun (2018) fame is known to craft slick thrillers, where the characters find themselves pushed into a corner, wriggling their way out by ingenious moves. Merry Christmas is no exception. A source from the set reveals that the crime drama tells the story of a seemingly uneventful day that turns the protagonists’ world upside down.
“The edgy thriller is about an event that takes place on Christmas Eve. For the current stint, the makers have built the set of a house. Over the past few days, Vijay and Katrina have been shooting their portions in the bathroom — it sees them having a dramatic argument. While they took a day’s break on account of Holi, the team will resume work today,” says the source. Happenstance is a staple in Raghavan’s movies, as are morally ambiguous characters. “Both actors play characters with grey shades,” adds the source.
Confirming the shoot, co-producer Ramesh Taurani says, “We will wind up the second schedule in April, after which the final leg will be filmed in May and June. The entire movie will be shot in Mumbai, on sets as well as at live locations.”
The Hindi-Tamil bilingual marks Sethupathi’s Bollywood debut. Heaping praise on the actor, Taurani says, “Vijay is a superstar, but off-camera, he is down-to-earth. I have worked with Katrina in Race [2008] and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani [2009], but you will see a different side to her this time around.”
Sanjay Kapoor team up with Sriram Raghavan in Katrina Kaif-Vijay Sethupathi starrer Merry Christmas
8:27 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 8, 2022)
Over the past few days, rumours were rife that Sanjay Kapoor is the latest addition to the cast of Merry Christmas, which brings together the novel pairing of Katrina Kaif and south star Vijay Sethupathi. While he initially remained tight-lipped about it, Kapoor has now confirmed the development to mid-day, describing his upcoming collaboration with director Sriram Raghavan as “special”.
“I am looking forward to working under Sriram Raghavan’s vision. He is one of the best filmmakers of Hindi cinema [today],” says the actor, who was recently seen in The Fame Game.
Little is known about the project, except that leads Sethupathi and Kaif began shooting for it in Mumbai last December. While Kapoor is unwilling to divulge details about his role, he admits that like every artiste in Bollywood today, he has long cherished the idea of being part of Raghavan’s sharply written thrillers.
“I have been in awe of his style of storytelling ever since I saw Badlapur [2015]. After I watched Andhadhun [2018], I was certain that I would like to work with him some day. He knows the art of making something so normal seem extraordinary on screen.”
Coronavirus third wave: After star-studded months, Delhi’s shoot calendar wiped clean
8:22 AM
Showbiz was in overdrive in the last few months, but shoots have come to a grinding halt amid rising cases, especially in NCR
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; January 10, 2022)
In the last few months, Delhi saw over 10 projects being shot and many big stars were flying in and out of NCR. Now, with the third wave of Coronavirus well on its way and a steep rise in cases, things have changed overnight. This month, a number of major films were supposed to be shot in Delhi, but now they are either on hold or planning to shift locations. Line producers in states like Punjab and Uttarakhand say that some projects have shifted there from Delhi and Mumbai and more might follow suit.
Not just Bollywood, film producers say that India has lost out on several international projects also in the last two years due to COVID.
SEVERAL BIG PROJECTS ON HOLD AMID THE THIRD WAVE
Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aaryan, Alia Bhatt and many other celebs have filmed in NCR in the last two-three months. This month, Salman Khan and Parineeti Chopra and others were expected to shoot in Delhi, but now the projects are on pause.
Line producer Ravi Sarin says, “Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai (starring Parineeti Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan) was expected to begin its Delhi schedule this month, as was Salman Khan’s Tiger 3, but both have been postponed. There was a big web series which was to be shot in Delhi, but due to night curfew, weekend curfew, and gathering limit, it has been relocated to Punjab.”
Sriram Raghvan’s upcoming film (titled Merry Christmas and starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi) was to start shooting in Delhi soon, as well as Action Hero (starring Ayushmann Khurrana); both have been rescheduled. Line producer Javed adds, “There were several web series and films scheduled for now and the impact of the third wave is visible. Currently in NCR, Noida has relatively less strict rules, but navigating around night curfew is an issue.”
Shoots in other parts of the country have been affected as well. Gynandera Singh, a line producer, who handles projects in Uttar Pradesh, says, “Currently in UP, only two-three projects are being shot in and around Lucknow. A couple of projects are scheduled for next month, however, it will depend upon restrictions.”
An industry source adds, “Shooting of several projects in Mumbai were recently halted because crew members tested positive.”
There were several projects scheduled to be shot in the northeast. Line producer James Handique says, “A Bollywood film was scheduled to shoot in Meghalaya and Assam in January-February, but it has been postponed. Another film from the south was expected to shoot in Arunachal Pradesh and action sequences were planned, but that has also been postponed.”
SHOOTS ARE BEING RELOCATED TO PUNJAB AND UTTARAKHAND
Nitin Pundir, a line producer who handles projects in Uttarakhand, says, “Currently, two web series are being filmed in Uttarakhand, one starring Himansh Kohli. We also got to know that several big projects are relocating to Uttarakhand. During the first wave, after film shoots in many places were cancelled, shoots shifted to Uttarakhand, and it is likely to happen this time also.”
Manish Walia, a line producer who handles film shoots in Chandigarh and the rest of Punjab, says, “As of now, there are no restrictions on film shoots in Chandigarh and the rest of Punjab. In fact, a big film director is currently shooting in Chandigarh. However, there is a lot of uncertainty. We got to know that some projects have relocated to Punjab from Delhi, Mumbai and more will follow, but things can change any minute. Diljeet Dosanjh will be shooting for his film in Amritsar in January end. Till now that project is still on.”
INDIANA JONES 5, SHANTARAM AMONG SHOOTS THAT INDIA MISSED OUT ON AMID THE PANDEMIC
The pandemic has affected multiple foreign projects which were scheduled to be shot in India. Producer Dileep Singh Rathore says, “We did location scouting for Indiana Jones 5 and it was to be shot in Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The film was to come to India at the end of 2020 and shoot till late 2021. However, it was halted due to the second wave and eventually, the location was moved to Morocco. It was a huge loss for those in India who were supposed to work on it.”
He adds that several other international projects are considering shooting in India, but the final outcome will depend on the Coronavirus situation.
Indian producers of foreign projects say that in countries like Italy, films were shot despite a high number of cases, but the same model can’t be replicated in India. Producer Pravesh Sahni says, “A seven-day mandatory home quarantine for all overseas travellers has been announced recently. Even earlier our quarantine rules were quite strict. If a foreign actor is coming to India for a shoot, they will not spend seven days in quarantine. Foreign crew members and actors are ready to get tested as many times as needed, but they don’t want to quarantine.”
Talking about projects that moved out of the country, he says, “A major project which couldn’t be shot in India was Shantaram. We created sets in Bhopal and the team was supposed to come to India in 2020. Now the series has shifted to Australia, and they made sets to show India. Dev Patel’s film, which was to be filmed in Mumbai, shifted to Indonesia and Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do With It, which was to be filmed in Delhi and Amritsar, has also relocated.”
Sriram Raghavan, Vijay Sethupathi & Katrina Kaif promise a thrilling Merry Christmas
8:30 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (December 25, 2021)
After Bhoot Police, Tips Industries announces its new project Merry Christmas in association with Matchbox Pictures Pvt Ltd. The festive thriller directed by Sriram Raghavan will be headlined by South star Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif. The film, which went on floors this week, will release on December 23, 2022. The first schedule of the movie is being shot extensively in Mumbai.
Vijay Sethupathi says, “I had never imagined that a chance meeting with Sriram sir and Sanjay Routray (producer) in Melbourne would land me this role. I am thrilled to work with the beautiful Katrina Kaif, too. This story will definitely appeal to a pan-India audience. It is a new zone for me as well, and for this, I would like to thank my producers Ramesh Taurani sir and Sanjay Routray.”
Katrina Kaif says that the script won her over. She shares, “Sriram sir is a master when it comes to narratives that showcase thrillers and it’s an honour to be part of a film that is directed by him. It’s also an absolute delight to collaborate with Vijay Sethupathi.”
Director Sriram Raghavan says, “I needed an absolutely fresh pairing for this story. Both Vijay and Katrina are icons in their respective areas of work. I hope we can give the viewers a unique experience.”
Producer Ramesh Taurani says, “Sriram Raghavan is one of the best directors in the country, and together, we hope to present a project that appeals to the audience across the globe. With Vijay Sethupathi leading the project along with Katrina Kaif, the thriller is a unique story that will intrigue the audience.”
Producer Sanjay Routray adds, “My team and I at Matchbox Pictures are very happy to be working with Tips Films and Ramesh ji for the first time. We are also very excited to work with Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi. We have been collaborating with Sriram Raghavan since Johnny Gaddaar in 2007. After Andhadhun, the expectations are bound to be higher, and we hope to rise to the challenge.”
Tips Industries Ltd in association with Matchbox Pictures Pvt Ltd present Merry Christmas. The film produced by Ramesh Taurani and Sanjay Routray will release on December 23, 2022.
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