Elina Nayak (BOMBAY TIMES; October 7, 2019)

A Telugu film inspired by the the bone chilling Sheena Bora murder case is on the cards and if all goes according to plan, looks like Raai Lakshmi will headline it.

The murder mystery is said to be based on the life of Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused, who is serving sentence for murdering her own daughter. “I have read the script and the central character, which they want to rope me in for, sounds a lot like Indrani Mukerjea. The makers will present this as a fictionalised account, though. It will be a gripping thriller,” reveals Laxmi.

The Julie 2 actress, however, hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet. “I am kicked about the story and the prospect of playing a role that’s negative. But after I heard the script, I felt it needs some more tweaking. I want the characterization and the story to be believable, more so because this murder case got talked about so much in the whole country. Therefore, I have asked for some changes in my character arc. I’m waiting for a re-narration of the reworked script. If all goes well, I will get on board and meet the director, Swaraj,” says Laxmi.

The actress adds that she’s keen on doing more challenging roles that will help her break out of the glamdoll mould. “I’m done doing glam, beautiful, homely and positive characters. I am so glad Swaraj approached me with this film. I want to experiment at this juncture in my career, so I’m game for everything,” she says, adding, “Sometimes, a negative character has a great impact on the audience and they remember it for long.”

JULIE 2 GETS A SOLO RELEASE!

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

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

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

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

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

Manishaa R (DNA; November 1, 2017)

After Priyanka Chopra, Richa Chadha and Dia Mirza, who voiced their opinion on the sexual exploitation of women, it is South actress Raai Laxmi, who has come out and spoken about how the likes of Harvey Weinstein are a common occurrence in the Indian film industry. Laxmi who is set to make her Bollywood debut Julie 2, said, “Men in power like Harvey Weinstein are dime-a-dozen in the industry. They get more strength to do and say sick things because they know that the top brass of people are doing it. Not everyone is like him but the fact remains that girls are often exploited in the entertainment industry more so because everyone is beautiful and well turned out,” she said, adding that not all filmmakers were like him, “There are some wonderful kind-hearted producers as well who work with utmost respect towards women,” she revealed.

‘I knew how to handle the situation’
When asked whether she had personally come across such people, Laxmi replied, “I have met quite a few, too, but I knew how to handle the situation diplomatically and walk out,” she said. According to her, the presence of social media today had made it difficult for people with a “Weinstein mindset” to get away unscathed, “With the social media boom, men like him will think many a times before asking for sexual favours,” she said.

Get the right team
The actress further states that a majority of young aspiring actresses found themselves at the receiving end because they did not have an able manager to handle their work, “If you have the right manager and team to handle your portfolio from the onset, the information never gets to you. Your team blocks all such people for you. The problem happens for those who don’t have a manager and personally meet everyone. Quite expectedly, a few people they meet do turn out to be rotten apples,” she said, adding that it was also important for actresses to make sure that others did not fall in the same trap, “I have always warned my friends from the industry every time I have encountered a lecherous man,” she said.

Laxmi, who will be seen in a bold avatar in Julie 2, said that the role excited her despite the skin show, “It is a bold film with a lot of skin show but one of the reasons I opted for it was its woman-oriented subject and the hard-hitting way it tackles this very issue, exposing this hidden aspect of the glamour world,” she said.

DNA (September 2, 2017)

In early 2000s, eroticas turned out to be a reasonably popular genre in Bollywood. The likes of Murder and Jism were the trailblazers and films like Julie and Aksar followed suit. In a matter of a few years, however, the genre died down though the only franchise that is still being popular is Hate Story.

Promotion spree
While one looks forward to the fourth installment of Hate Story, in a coincidence of sorts, two erotic films from the past — Aksar 2 and Julie 2 — now making a comeback, and that, too, on the same date. Both films are releasing on October 6. “In fact, the promotion has kick-started at the same time as well. While the theatrical trailer of Aksar 2 has just been unveiled, the teaser of Julie 2 was revealed on the very next day,” observes a trade expert.

Franchise facts
Incidentally, none of them feature its original cast. Aksar featured Emraan Hashmi and Udita Goswami. However, Aksar 2 has Zareen Khan and Gautam Rode. Similarly, Julie featured Neha Dhupia in the lead, but the second part has Raai Laxmi as the central protagonist. The directors are the same though. Ananth Mahadevan directed Aksar and Deepak Shivdasani was the man behind Julie. Both are coming up with the sequels now.

Music minded
Though Julie didn’t really have any chartbuster songs, Himesh Reshammiya’s music for Aksar, especially the track Jhalak Dikhla Ja, was the highlight of the film. Makers of Aksar 2 and Julie 2 are expected to emphasise on the music,” an insider comments.

What would stay on to be the key attraction though is the erotica quotient. After all, Zareen had shown that she can be uninhibited in Hate Story 3. On the other hand, Raai Laxmi has been known for her sensual act in Akira last year.

Box-office battle
“Clash of the two erotica is interesting since it gives the makers of both the films a good platform to publicise their films. It benefits both, since the films would be in news, now, and benefit from all the talks surrounding the sequel as well as the genre factor,” a trade expert opines.

Meanwhile, one wonders what would Saif Ali Khan be thinking currently, considering the fact that his Chef is slated to arrive on the same date as well.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; March 30, 2017)

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 14, 2015)

Seema Sinha (BOMBAY TIMES; April 18, 2015)