BOMBAY TIMES (March 31, 2019)

Bollywood will soon see another biopic on one of our brave soldiers. Himesh Reshammiya has bought the rights of the biopic on Bishnu Shrestha, who fought against 40 armed hijackers in a running train (Maurya Express) on September 2, 2010. Bishnu had fought single-handedly against the hijackers, and saved the passengers for which he won the bravery award.

The cast and other details of the biopic will be announced soon. The screenplay of the film has been written by senior journalist Praful Shah.

Apart from the biopic, Himesh will announce four more films, in which he will feature as an actor, by next month. The line-up includes the sequel to The Xposé (2014), titled The Xposé Returns. That’s not all. He will also start shooting for a TV show, on which he will be seen as a judge. The promos of the show are already on air.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 13, 2015)

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; June 19, 2014)

MID-DAY (May 29, 2014)

Actor-producer Himesh Reshammiya and director Ananth Mahadevan are not stopping at celebrating the box office success of their latest release, The Xposé. They are already thinking ahead by planning to start work on a sequel to the film. But it has emerged that they are on different tracks.

Reshammiya wants the sequel to remain true to the mystery thriller zone while continuing with the character Ravi Kumar, which takes inspiration from yesteryear star Raaj Kumar. He wants to take the ’70s era story forward from where he left it in the first film. On the other hand, Mahadevan wants to make it a Rajesh Khanna biopic where he wants Reshammiya to play the star.

Says a source, “Himesh wants to reprise Ravi Kumar’s character because he thinks that the thriller zone has worked for him once and it will work for him again. Along with Ananth, he wants to announce the sequel at the film’s success party.” So to end the deadlock, it seems that both have decided to get the two scripts written. “They will then decide which of the two will be a worthy sequel to take the franchise forward,” says the source.

When contacted, Ananth Mahadevan confirmed the news. “It’s true that we are developing two different scripts. Himesh will be accepted a hundred times more as Khanna. Although Ravi Kumar has won many people over and taking his story forward is the easiest and safest option I have, I would go with the biopic than The Xposé sequel.”

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 27, 2014)

Elated with the response to his recent murder mystery The Xpose, which has netted Rs 18 crore till date, actor-producer Himesh Reshammiya is now planning a sequel. But there's a roadblock.

Buzz is, the film's director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan has asked for a 60 per cent hike in his fee. And the demand has not gone down well with the film's producers.

According to a source close to the production, if Ananth does not relent, the producers will replace him.

When contacted, Ananth argued that his demand is justified. "I was told to make the film at a cost of Rs 9 crore and I did not go over by even a rupee. And irrespective of what you've heard, I think I will direct The Xpose 2."

However, according to creative producer Rakesh Upadhyay the dispute was far from over. "Himesh is yet to take the call on Anant's demand for a hike."

BOMBAY TIMES (May 22, 2014)

WILL HIMESH SUCCEED AS AN ACTOR WITH THE XPOSE?

The Xpose never made any noise while it’s being made. But it caught everyone’s attention the moment its theatrical trailer was out. Most of them ridiculed the promo and lead actor Himesh Reshammiya’s appearance (he has lost oodles of weight and indeed looks a bit odd) and his dialogue delivery. Also, the design of the poster and Himesh’s ‘cheers’ moment immediately was dubbed a copy of Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Great Gatsby. But Yo Yo Honey Singh, who is seen as the villain, was appreciated and few songs of the film too picked up fast enough.

The Xpose is set in the 60s and revolves around a murder of an actress. The film industry serves as a backdrop and the makers have attempted to incorporate several real life instances and character inspirations in the film. The film’s leading heroines, Zoya Afroz and Sonali Raut, are shown to be rivals and reportedly, they have taken their rivalry off-screen as well and fought with each other during promotions. It seems like a bad publicity stunt and thankfully didn’t have the ‘breaking news’ honour. Sonali also does a Zeenat Aman’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram stint by wearing a white saree in the film. Sadly, the scene has been shortened by the Censors.

The buzz for the film is moderate and hence, a moderate opening can be expected. That it releases tomorrow (May 16) which is a counting day won’t affect the film much. After all, not everyone will be glued to their TV screens to check the election results and they can always do so on their smartphones and tablets. Moreover, majority of people watching the film in the morning shows especially are youth who might not be very inclined with the election results. However, a section of moviegoers are going to stay miles away from the film and this can affect the film, especially if reports are bad. On the positive side, the budget is reasonable (Rs 15 crore) and hence, recovery won’t be a big issue.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE XPOSE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

DNA (May 15, 2014)

Cleavages, which have been an integral and almost essential part of Indian cinema since Bindu and Padma Khanna heaved their way into the bosom of fame, may well be things of the past.

According to sources from the Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) the board, so far very liberal with cleavage display, has decided to clamp down heavily on the same.

The first casualty of this newly-discovered disregard for a woman’s modesty in the upper half of her torso is new actress Rupali Krishnarao who plays a prostitute in Ashuu Trikha’s Koyelaanchal. Her cleavage has been blurred by the censor board at several places where the board members found the flesh display too ample.

Considering how much cleavages are part of our Bollywood culture, director Trikha can’t stop grinning over the sheer hypocrisy of this sudden flash of modesty. “The cleavage was blurred as per the censor board’s instruction. I argued with them saying cleavage is an integral part of Bollywood culture. Besides, my heroine plays a prostitute. Years ago in Satyam Shivam Sunderam Zeenat Aman had displayed a lot more than cleavage in a temple sequence.”

Trikha argues his heroine’s anatomy was not open to kids. “My film is for ‘Adults Only’. And adult audiences are mature enough to handle some cleavage. But I saw no point in arguing beyond a point. I just blurred the blouse.” But the director says he has no complaints against the board. “They have become cautiously advanced as opposed to defensively regressive.”

Meanwhile, a sequence in Ananth Mahadevan’s The Xpose showing a starlet in a transparent white sari has been trimmed by the board. Ironically, the same pose by Zeenat in Satyam Shivam Sunderam was allowed to go scot-free.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 15, 2014)

When Himesh Reshammiya approached Ananth Narayan Mahadevan to direct The Xposé, his prime condition was to stick to the budget. “Himesh told me that if I couldn't make this film in the stipulated budget, it wouldn't be made. At the same time, he didn't want to compromise on quality," says Ananth.

The two began their professional association over 20 years ago, on the small years ago, on the smallscreen. “I have acted in all television serials produced by Himesh. Later, after he started composing music for films and I entered direction, we worked together in Dil Maange More and Aksar," recalls the director.

So, when the composer-singer-actor approached him with The Xposé, it was like revisiting old days. “When he said it's a thriller set in the Bollywood of 1960s, I was fascinated. Though Himesh has written the story as well, he was open to how I visualised the movie," the director says.

Careful not to spoof on yesteryear actors who have inspired the characters, the cast was made to put in a lot of hard work. “Himesh had to lose 20 kilos. Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh plays a music composer, so in a way , he was on home ground. Along with debutantes Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013, Second Runner-Up) and Sonali Raut, workshops were held even for experienced actors like Irrfan and Adil Hussain," says Ananth.

The director is also acting in the film, produced by Vipin Reshammiya. “Initially , Himesh simply suggested that I play filmmaker Subba Prasad. I refused as I didn't want additional burden. But after much persuasion, I agreed," he signs off.

REAL VS REEL
In December 1970, it was rumored that to ensure a successful run for Johny Mera Naam, Gulshan Rai created illwill for Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker. A similar clash will be seen in the film when Chandni's (Zoya) Reena Mera Naam and Zara's (Sonali) Ujjwal Nirmal Sheetal releases on the same day. The former's producer will use black marketeer Alec D'Costa (Irrfan) to sell the latter's tickets at a lesser price.

Apart from a scene inspired by Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Sonali's biggest challenge was to shoot an intimate sequence with industrialist Ranjit Desai (Bharat Dabholkar). Only Ananth and cinematographer Maneesh Bhatt were in the room when the shot was canned. Afterwards, the actress was overheard telling someone, “That was for real. I actually felt him all over me."

Though his character Ravi Kumar is inspired by yesteryear actor Raaj Kumar, Himesh has copied Salman Khan in the way he holds his cigarette.

The film will also remind one of Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah. The film, which didn't open well, picked up after the untimely demise of lead actress Meena Kumari. Reportedly, a voice message - recorded by Padma Khanna, but passed off as Meena Kumari's last message - also helped the film run to packed houses. A similar method is used by the producer of Zara's film after her death.

The scene of a radio presenter asking Zara about her affair with Kenny Damania aka KD (Honey) is rumoured to be based on Ameen Sayani asking Zeenat Aman about her relationship with Sanjay Khan.

The Xposé, produced by HR Musik, releases May 16.

MID-DAY (May 15, 2014)

Himesh Reshammiya’s film, The Xpose, may be releasing on the election results day but the musician- turned-actor-and-producer is not worried about his film’s fate at the box office. If anything, he appears very confident about his film.

One reason behind his confidence is the fact that he has already sold the satellite rights of this film.
The film’s rights have been sold for Rs 8.5 crore, but with certain conditions in place.

Says a trade insider, “Himesh has been told that if his film does a business of Rs 15 crore or more, his film will fetch a satellite price higher than Rs 8.5 crore. In fact, he was offered Rs 10 crore initially without the incentive clause, but Himesh is sure of his product. He believes that the film will do very well and hence, he has decided to go ahead with the incentive clause.” Whether this move will pay higher dividends or not is something that only time will tell. Either way, the film has already recovered its total cost of Rs 15 crore; this includes the production cost of Rs 9 crore as well as costs for publicity and advertising that amount to Rs 6 crore.

The film has recovered its costs through sale of satellite rights, music rights, overseas video rights and other royalties. “With this arrangement, all the revenue earned from theatrical releases in India will add to the film’s profit. The film’s music is anyway a hit and it has helped Himesh in recovering the entire cost,” says the source.

The Xposé releases in theatres on May 16.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 12, 2014)

While most producers steered clear from the general election results day ( May 16) as their film’s release date, Himesh Reshammiya has decided to release his film, The Xpose, on this very day. The film was initially slated to release on May 23, but its release has been pulled ahead by a week.

The music composer-turned-actor is willing to take the risk of having his film hit the big screen on a day when the country will be glued to news channels to know the outcome — whether the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi attains the magic number. News channels are expecting maximum viewership not only on that day, but over the weekend as well.

Rakesh Upadhyay, creative producer of The Xpose, says, “We are aware that May 16 is counting day, but by afternoon, the results will be known and people will step out after that. Also, the election staff that has been tied up for the last several months will be looking forward to some relief after all these months. I am sure our film will provide them the much-needed entertainment quotient.” Another factor that dictated the change was the Indian Premiere League (IPL) schedule.

Upadhyay adds, “We had initially announced May 23 as we were unaware of the detailed schedule of IPL’s cricket matches at that time. Later, we realised that from May 23 to 25, there are qualifying matches for the semi-finals and there are two matches on a day, so we decided to pull forward the release.” Apart from Himesh, the film stars Honey Singh, Irrfan and newcomers, Zoya Afroz and Sonali Raut.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 11, 2014)

Who murdered sex symbol Zara Fernandes (played by Sonali Raut)? That’s the mystery that plays out in the musical suspense thriller The Xposé. Set in Bollywood of the 60s, the film shows that everyone who crossed her path — 11 suspects in all — had motive to kill her.

Her bitter rivalry with Chandni (played by Zoya Afroz, Miss India 2013 second runner-up) is reason enough for the latter to be suspected. Eccentric superstar Ravi Kumar (Himesh Reshammiya) holds a grudge against Zara, even as he tries to solve the case. Kenny Damania aka KD (Yo Yo Honey Singh) becomes a prime suspect as his fling with her makes news. His wife Shabnam Rai (Jesse Randhawa), too, is under the radar as she’s aware of KD’s affair with Zara. Her reel director Subba Prasad (played by Xposé director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan) too has a reason to gain from her death. Another suspect is Subba’s rival Bobby Chadha (Ashwin Dhar), who plans to destroy him and Ravi. Caught between his co-star Zara and his ex-flame Chandni, Virman Shah (Nakul Vaid) also becomes a suspect for siding with the latter after the two women get into a catfight.

Underworld don Rajan Anna (Adil Hussain) is under suspicion as he was associated wth her rival Chandni’s film Reena Mera Naam. And blackmarketeer Alec D’Costa (Irrfan in a special appearance) for his association with Zara’s film. Inspector Grover’s (Rajesh Sharma) involvement is doubted after he arrests an innocent man for Zara’s murder. Also under the radar are actor Ronnie Mukherjee (Kunal Thakur), Zara’s matron and landlady Mrs D’Silva (Kanika Dang) and industrialist Desai (Bharat Dabholkar).

The Xposé, produced by HR Musik, releases May 16.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 10, 2014)

After their recent catfight, debutante actresses Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013 Second Runner-Up) and Sonali Raut have decided against jointly promoting The Xposé, which will release on May 16. The two had clashed while shooting for Kapil Sharma’s television show Comedy Nights With Kapil, as part of the film’s promotional campaign. Lead actor Himesh Reshammiya tried to broker peace, but in vain.

Interestingly, the girls had first locked horns while shooting a similar scene for the movie. Back then, Himesh had managed to calm them down. This time around, we hear, Kapil is also attempting a truce between Zoya and Sonali. “He is planning to host a dinner for them so that they can resolve their differences,” says a source.

While Kapil remained unavailable for comment, Zoya maintains, “Kapil’s show was the last instance where Sonali and I promoted our film together. Henceforth, I’ll only be promoting it with Himesh. I’m not interested in patching up with Sonali.”

Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; May 7, 2014)

Sunil Bohra’s film, Mastram, slated to release this Friday, has run into trouble with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The examining committee of the Censor Board has referred the film to the revising committee, as there was a difference of opinion among members over its certification.

A source says, “Some members felt that film should be given an A certificate, while others felt that it should be referred to a higher body due to its adult content. Some others want to deny it a certificate. The revising committee screening is likely to take place today and they will take a call on the film’s certification.”

The film’s producers, however, are confident that the committee will pass the film. But of course, this last-minute hitch due to ‘silly reasons’ is something they are happy about. A source says, “The producer gave us a copy of the film on Monday; their earlier copy had some glitches. I don’t think we are at fault here. As per the rules, the producer is supposed to submit his film three weeks in advance.” hitlist takes a look at earlier instances where adult content made the censor board see red…

Certification blues
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar had to accept an A certificate for his film, Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji. He says, “My film has a scene where a girl asks Ajay Devgn about when he lost his virginity. Plus Emran Hashmi’s character is shown having an affair with a mother and daughter, and they are not biologically related. I even told the censor board that this was not very different from Sai Paranjpe’s film, Katha, where Farooq Sheikh has an affair with Mallika Sarabhai and Winnie Paranjpe. But I had to take an A certificate for the film as I wanted it to release on time.”

A source from the censor board points out that producers are only too ready to accommodate changes as they are eyeing commercial gains. “Producers don’t want an 'A' certificate as it adversely affects the film’s business. For instance, it’s rather foolish of producer Sanjay Khandelwal to make changes and keep approaching the censor board every few months in a bid to get his film, Vatsayana Kamasutra, a U/ A certificate. When a film is certified, six members have arrived at this decision. It’s easy for filmmakers to say call them ‘silly cuts’ but the truth is that members often try to be lenient while certifying a film. We do not wish to take away from the filmmaker’s vision, but we also want the film to be sensitive to an audience as diverse as ours,” says the source.



Does blurring or deleting work?
There are also cases where film scenes have been blurred out due to the censor board’s instructions. In case of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen, CBFC did not object to Lisa Haydon removing a bra and making Kangna wear it as a headgear, but it asked for the bra to blurred from the scene where it is kept on the table by Kangana. To this, the source from the board says that it has now decided to do away with the blurring of this scene. “We will give the film an A certificate or cut the scene altogether instead of blurring it,” says the source.

It may be noted here that in the upcoming film, The Xpose, lead actress Zoya Afroz appears in a bikini scene akin to Parveen Babi’s scene from a yesteryear film. Afroz’s bustline in this scene has been blurred; ditto for Sunny Leone’s cleavage in Ragini MMS 2. The source says, “Blurring does not serve any purpose these days. The censor board had instructed Dedh Ishqiya’s makers to blur out a scene where a semi-nude Arshad Warsi visits a brothel, but when one of the members of the board watched the film in a theatre, the scene hadn’t been removed.”

Audiences not ready?
Then there are films like D-Day and Grand Masti, which were replete with sexual innuendoes, but the revising committee cleared both the films. Why then is the board so iffy about sex scenes in a film? A censor board member says, “The problem is that filmmakers want to get away with showing sex in U/ A films. But we have to keep in mind that young impressionable minds have to be protected. Sex in films is usually gratuitous and that is not the manner in which younger audiences need to be introduced to sex. The CBFC is fairly broadminded when it comes to sex depicted in mature stories meant for an adult audience.”

This is interesting in light of what Ekta Kapoor had recently. In an earlier interview, the producer had said that the censor board should object to depiction of sexual crimes in films and that any movie that shows a man running behind a woman and pulling her dupatta shouldn’t be screened. “But if a woman is dancing and wearing a low-cut blouse, don’t blur or delete that because by doing that you are feeding a mentality that says that a woman must cover herself,” she had said.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 6, 2014)

Sonali Raut and Zoya Afroz (Miss India 2013, Second Runnerup), who are making their Bollywood debut with The Xposé, came to blows while making a promotional appearance on Kapil Sharma’s television show, Comedy Nights With Kapil.

It seems the two have a history — the situation had apparently turned ugly while shooting a catfight sequence for the film, featuring Himesh Reshammiya and Yo Yo Honey Singh. But back then, they were pacified.

Matters heated up once again when the two came face-to-face during the TV show. Says a source, “Sonali confronted Zoya in the makeup van and reminded her about their earlier tiff. She also asked her to behave well, saying she would otherwise hit Zoya.”

An infuriated Zoya apparently slapped Sonali, who retaliated. The source adds, “Himesh immediately intervened and brokered peace, but the two girls hate the sight of each other.”

While Sonali says, “I’m not scared of anyone,” Zoya is clear that she doesn’t want to comment. “Sonali should know how to behave,” is all she had to say.

Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 5, 2014)

Hindi films are synonymous with escapism. One reason could be the exotic locations they’re set in. From Switzerland to Shimla, our films have given an identity to the places that have served as a picturesque backdrop for their stories.

For years, Indian filmmakers have scanned the globe for unique destinations that complement the script and offer viewers a chance to visually experience places that may not (always) be on the tourist map. So fasten your seat belts as Bollywood takes you on a world tour:

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 29, 2014)

Himesh Reshammiya’s upcoming murder mystery The Xposé is set against the setting of the film industry in the 60s. While Himesh’s own character is modelled on the life of real-life cop-turned-superstar Raaj Kumar, Honey Singh’s is modelled on the iconic villain Pran. In the 60s film Jungbaaz, one of the reported incidents that took place on the set was a showdown between the maverick star Raaj Kumar and the dancing superstar Govinda. In a faceoff scene between the two actors, Govinda had to say ‘Mere paas akal hai’ and the late Jaani had to merely reply, ‘Aur mere paas taaqat hai’. But instead, Raaj Kumar added his two bits and said, ‘Aur mere paas taaqat aur akal dono hain’, leaving Govinda flummoxed and walking off in a huff. The Xposé will see the same scene shot with Himesh speaking Raaj Kumar’s lines and Nakul Vaid speaking Govinda’s lines. Well, it will certainly be fun to watch some of the iconic incidents recreated again after 50 years of them being shot first.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; April 24, 2014)

Encouraged by the response the film’s soundtrack has garnered, The Xpose will now be released a week ahead of its original schedule. We hear the suggestion was made by Anil Thadani, who has acquired the movie’s distribution rights.

A source said, “Seeing the success of the music of Aashiqui 2, Anil, who had distributed that movie as well, had recommended preponing its release. And the result was a boxoffice hit. Now that the music of The Xpose has become successful, he has made a similar suggestion. Also, there are six crucial cricket matches between May 23 and 25.”

Creative producer Rakesh Upadhyay confirms the development saying, “May 16 is a better date because there is only one cricket match that weekend.”

Directed by Anant Mahadevan and produced by Vipin Reshammiya, this HR Musik production was originally set to release on May 23. Featuring Himesh Reshammiya, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Zoya Afroz, Sonali Raut and Irrfan (special appearance), the musical thriller is set in Bollywood of the 1960s.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 22, 2014)

Recently, Margot Robbie admitted that she'd lied to her family about the X-rated scenes she'd shot for in The Wolf of Wall Street and how thinking about their reactions gave her the chills. Closer to home, debutant Sonali Raut is facing a similar predicament.

Her opening scene in the trailer of Himesh Reshammiya's The Xpose is difficult to miss. Mirror broke the story (April 2) about how the scene is a tribute to Raj Kapoor's1978 film Satyam Shivam Sundaram with Sonali aping Zeenat Aman in a wet white saree. On Saturday, the actress had a showdown with the film's director Anant Narayan Mahadevan. She wanted the scene deleted or toned down.

Sonali confirmed her reservations saying, "I've expressed my concerns to Ananth sir. I don't want to say anything more."

Ananth admitted that Sonali wants the scene to be cut but he is yet to take a final call on this. "As of now, I don't intend to tamper with the scene at all," he asserted. "Some of her cousins were shocked by the trailer and that rattled her."

He says she was kept in the loop at every point, shown stills from the original film and told this was her opportunity to recreate the iconic scene. He says, "I see no reason why I should comply to what she is asking for given that the scene was shot aesthetically and she knew exactly what she was doing." 

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; April 21, 2014)

If sources are to be believed, Irrfan is not keen on garnering publicity for films where he has minor roles; he has now started making this clear to his filmmakers. Before signing Vishal Bharadwaj’s film, Haider, he apparently told the filmmaker that he didn’t want his name or face to appear on the film’s poster or any other publicity material.

Says a source, “Even before Haider went on the floors, both Irrfan and Vishal agreed to not use the former’s name or face for the film’s promotions. Irrfan is doing a cameo in the film, so giving him prominence in the film’s publicity material is misleading for the audience. It was fair on Irrfan’s part to come clean on what he expected from his filmmaker.”

Recently, Irrfan also had a word with Himesh Reshammiya, after he saw his image played up in a poster of the latter’s upcoming film, The Xpose. The actor apparently pointed out to Reshammiya that his cameo shouldn’t be portrayed as something more than that. “ He clarified that he didn’t want his name or image to feature in the film’s posters or publicity material,” adds the source.

Bhardwaj and Irrfan, who is apparently shooting for Jurassic Park’s latest instalment in Hawaii, were unavailable for comment.