MARVEL FILM AND AMITABH BACHCHAN-STARRER TO DOMINATE BOX OFFICE THIS WEEK

As expected, the three releases of last week – Phone Bhoot, Mili and Double XL – failed at the box office. Now, all eyes are on the next three weeks of November as it is expected that the collections will improve since some very promising films are up for release. Here’s an analysis of the films releasing tomorrow, that is, November 11.

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER: It is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has a huge following all over the world, including in India. There’s a curiosity to see the film as the one who played Black Panther till now, Chadwick Boseman, is no more and the film is going to play on this factor. This is the second Black Panther film; the first part was released in 2018 and opened at just Rs. 5.25 crores. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, however, can open in the range of Rs. 10-14 crores. If the word of mouth is positive, it can grow over the weekend and then sustain on the weekdays. However, if India reaches the T20 World Cup final, the Sunday collections will be affected though it might also mean that on Saturday, the collections will be better as viewers will watch the film on the second day instead of the third.

A double digit opening will be good news for the industry since films nowadays are struggling to open well. For the Marvel brand, however, this can be a little worrying since the first-day collections are dropping with each film. Spider-Man: No Way Home opened at a huge Rs. 32.75 crores. The next film, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, also had a great opening at Rs. 28 crores. The last Marvel film, Thor: Love And Thunder, opened at Rs. 18.25 crores. And now Black Panther will open at less than Rs. 15 crores, as per the estimates. One might reason that Black Panther is not that popular among moviegoers and hence, it’ll take such an opening. But then, even Doctor Strange wasn’t that popular ever but it got the goodwill of Spider-Man’s super-success. Nevertheless, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever makers don’t have much to worry about, especially since the reports from the West are very positive.

UUNCHAI: It is directed by blockbuster director Sooraj Barjatya, who’s known for making films about families. This time, however, he has made a film which celebrates friendship. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Parineeti Chopra, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Danny Denzongpa along with Neena Gupta and Sarika. The trailers and songs have generated minimal hype. The makers have gone for a very tight release, in less than 500 screens, and are hoping to increase prints once the demand rises. It’ll open in the range of Rs. 1-2 crores.

ROCKET GANG: It marks the directorial debut of choreographer Bosco Martis. It stars Aditya Seal and Nikita Dutta and is a unique horror-comedy-dance film. However, the hype is negligible and it’ll have a poor opening.

THAI MASSAGE: It stars Gajraj Rao and Divyenndu and is produced by Imtiaz Ali. Again, the awareness is low and it seems that the makers have shown too much in the trailers. Just like Rocket Gang, Thai Massage will also have an opening of less than Rs. 30 lakhs.

YASHODA: It stars Samantha and is originally a Tamil film. The dubbed Hindi version will get a limited release. Many are not even aware of this film. But the trailer is promising and if the word of mouth is positive, it can surprise like many South films have this year.

Aditya Seal is quite relieved that he has finally recovered and tested negative for COVID-19. The Student Of The Year 2 actor, who had tested positive last month, was worried about breaking the news to his mother considering his father succumbed to the virus last year. Aditya, who will next be seen in choreographer Bosco Martis’ directorial debut, Rocket Gang, talks to BT about battling the virus, how his girlfriend Anushka Ranjan helped him through the phase and his thoughts on taking the relationship to the next level. Read on…

On the night of my birthday (March 22), when I got together with a few of my friends, I started feeling a little uneasy, so I left the party early. The next day, I had a massive headache, and I got myself tested. The results were negative. A couple of days later, I got tested again after a co-actor on the sets of Rocket Gang tested positive. While the results were awaited, I began with my digital project. I was getting ready in the vanity van and was about to start the shoot when the results arrived, stating I was COVID positive. I rushed home and quarantined myself.

When I tested positive, I immediately called up my sister, as I didn’t know how to break this news to my mom. When my sister informed my mother, she panicked and was in tears. I spoke to my mother over the phone and assured her that I was feeling absolutely fine. While I was locked in one of the rooms of our house, my mom took good care of me. I felt blessed. For those 14 days, I missed being around her, so after testing negative, the first thing I did was give her a big hug.

This year, we sold off our home in Bandra and moved into a new house, which is in the same building where Anushka lives with her family. Given that my work involves a lot of travelling, I didn’t want my mom to be alone. My mom gets along with Anushka’s family, so moving to this house has worked out very well. When I was under quarantine, I was happy that my mom had Anushka and her mother around. Through my quarantine phase, Anushka and I were constantly in touch with each other through phone calls.

Anushka and I are very different from each other. She has a much stronger personality than I do. Her thought process is clearer, and she is an exceptionally good speaker. We are very different in a lot of ways, but together, we are right for each other. We met three-and-a-half years ago. I was invited to an event hosted by her family, and that’s where I met her for the first time. We clicked pretty well that day and chatted a lot, even after the event was over. Then we started hanging out together. It took a while for us to get into a relationship, but eventually, it happened.

We have a lot to do before we think about settling down. There is a lot to achieve and prove. I don’t want to get married at a time when I am not completely satisfied with where I am in terms of my career. Yes, it’s shaping up well, but if I want to enter that phase of my life, I would want to do it when I am more comfortable than rush into it.

Discussing the music-making process he most enjoys, Gunjan Saxena composer Amit Trivedi speaks of his partnership with Sharan Sharma
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; August 17, 2020)

Having first come across the playful Mann ki dori from Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl on Armaan Malik's Instagram feed, we were certain that the track would serve as an all-purpose background score — dish-washing sessions, roti-making routines, late-night story-writing sessions, and, eventually, as an addition to our travel playlist, (whenever travelling is again a possibility). But having watched the Janhvi Kapoor-starrer a day after its release, it was easy to see that there was no other situation in which Amit Trivedi's creation fit like a hand in glove, as it did in the movie. It would be safe to say that the subsequent offerings too — including the quirky Rekha o Rekha, and the tear-jerker, Dori tutt gaiyaan — lift each sequence in equal measure. Imagine our surprise then when Trivedi tells us that he did not have access to the rushes of the film when creating the songs, having simply worked on them based on the brief given by director Sharan Sharma.

"All the songs were created before the film was shot. The only exception being [Arijit Singh-rendered] Bharat ki beti, which was created after watching about 80 per cent of the film. The most exciting part of every project is working with different directors, and analysing their distinct tastes. That discovery is a beautiful process. My biggest take-away from this project is how fantastic Sharan is, as a filmmaker. His sensibility, when it comes to selecting a tune for a situation, is bang on. And, just like he knows what he wants, he is well aware of what he does not want too," says Trivedi, whose YouTube channel is for a music aficionado, what a candy store is for a kid.

Since he launched his independent label A T Azaad, three months ago, Trivedi seems to have got a new lease of life. While he cherishes the opportunity to compose songs devoid of the trappings of commercial cinema, he isn't one who can celebrate this period of solitude that has been forced upon us. "As someone who enjoys travelling to different countries, or even merely to Goa when making music, being cooped up at home is not conducive. My [best] creations have been worked on in planes, in cars, or in hotel rooms. So, doing it in such an environment is tough."

Up next for the composer is Anurag Kashyap's offering, tentatively titled Doing Love Story, which "has a dance-oriented soundtrack". It will be his second attempt at creating a dance film after the upcoming Rocket Gang, a discussion on which instantly lifts his mood. "I cannot tell you how much fun I had while working on Rocket Gang," he says of choreographer Bosco Martis's directorial debut, an out-and-out dance venture. "Bosco's energy is likely to get you charged-up. People will discover a new side of me via this soundtrack because I haven't attempted a dance film before. Often, in the studio, Bosco would show me the set where the dancers would perform, and would also start dancing to depict the moves on which songs must be created," he says, adding that work on the five-song playlist has wrapped up.

Choreographer Bosco to film his directorial debut using virtual reality to enable smooth shoot amid restrictions
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 10, 2020)

In March, the construction of a lavish set for Rocket Gang — choreographer Bosco Martis's directorial debut — was halted due to the Coronavirus lockdown. Now, as filmmakers have to shoot in a controlled environment and with minimal crew, Martis has chanced upon a novel idea to take his project forward. In a first in Bollywood, the director will film portions of the movie using real-time virtual reality (VR). The advanced technique — recently employed in The Jungle Book, and the live-action remake of The Lion King — not only provides an interactive experience to the audience, but also enables a director to shoot a film without the responsibility of erecting an elaborate set.

"We need to start shooting soon because the film has kids [as the principal cast] and if we wait too long, they won't look the part. An international team specialising in visual effects gave us a presentation about virtual reality that Zee Studios [producer] and I were kicked about. The process will save us time. Earlier, the actors were to perform against a chroma set. But with the VR headset, I can visualise the scene beforehand. After the shot, the actors too can see how the sequence looks, which will help improve their performance," explains the director.

Martis says he will kick off the VR schedule in a few months, followed by an on-set stint of the dance horror comedy. "Almost 40 per cent of the film will be shot in VR. The idea is to lend a fantastical feel to the story."