MULTIPLE FILMS TO RELEASE TOMORROW!

Here comes another Friday which is riddled with releases of small and moderately budgeted films. Sadly, not a single film stands a strong chance of being a commercial success. My analysis:

BANJO: It marks the Hindi debut of Marathi director Ravi Jadhav. The film stars Riteish Deshmukh and Nargis Fakhri and as the title suggests, it deals with the story of banjo players. It is a rare film produced by Eros International single handedly. The trailer is decent and the song Udan Choo has caught attention. But there’s hardly any hype and this will affect its opening day collections. The film might do slightly better in Maharashtra due to the local flavor.

PARCHED: The film was shot almost 2 years back and is ready since almost a year. It is directed by Leena Yadav and makes a strong comment on women emancipation. Set in Rajasthan, it is produced by Ajay Devgn and his presence has surely given slightly more prominence to the project. The film also got in news for wrong reasons when a sex scene of Radhika Apte got leaked. Also, the film is out on torrent websites since a month and this is not good news for any film. Anyways, it’s a niche film and hence, it’s not going to get a huge turnout. But with the leak, its prospects will be further narrowed down. However, the film is carrying excellent reports and hence, it can still work at the ticket window.

WAH TAJ: Starring Shreyas Talpade and Manjari Fadnis, this is a comedy that deals with an interesting topic – a couple from Maharashtra claiming that Taj Mahal was made on their ancestral land and they move court to get their property back! The trailer however doesn’t give out the impression that it would be a laugh-a-minute-riot. Also, the awareness is hardly there. The makers tried to go for innovative publicity by coming out with ‘Taj Mahal Closed’ posters, causing a lot of trouble for them.

DAYS OF TAFREE: This is a remake of the super-hit 2015 Gujarati film Chello Divas and deals with college students having the time of their lives in their final year of graduation. Chello Divas didn’t open with a bang but slowly and steadily, made its mark. Days Of Tafree sadly won’t have that advantage as it’s a Hindi film. The opening will be low but it can grow amongst the youth. But chances are very remote as the film just doesn’t have star value or hit music or great promotion.

WHICH FILM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

DNA (August 10, 2016)

A legal notice has been sent to the makers of Wah Taj, starring Shreyas Talpade and Manjari Fadnis in the lead. To promote the film the makers had put up posters all across Agra saying, “Decision on Maharashtra’s Tukaram Case. Taj Mahal to be closed for the tourists from 23rd September, 2016 by the Honorable Court’s order.” The legal notice has been sent to the makers of the film Wah Taj by social activist Madan Mohan Sharma. Also, a case was been registered at a police station in the Capital against producer Abhinav Verma, director Ajit Sinha and actors Pawan Sharma, Shreyas and Manjari for creating a havoc in Agra and “spoiling the image of the country.” The police is investigating the matter. Shreyas says, “I got to know that there has been a legal notice sent to the makers of the film, but it was just a part of the movie promotions and marketing strategy, I don’t understand why is it taken to another level by blowing it up.”
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Makers of a long-stuck Shreyas Talpade-starrer sued after promotions surrounding the Taj Mahal go wrong
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; August 10, 2016)

After censor woes, the makers of a long-completed film, Wah Taj, have waded into fresh trouble with a group of Agra residents baying for their blood. Controversy erupted after the marketing team of the Shreyas Talpade and Manjari Phadnis-starrer decided to paste promotional posters across the tourist city, declaring that the Taj Mahal will be shut from September 23, coinciding with the film’s release. Irate locals have sent a legal notice for “maligning” the monument.

The film’s director, Ajit Sinha, said, “It [the poster] was my idea. There’s a scene where Shreyas claims that the Taj Mahal belongs to his forefathers; the court rules in his favour and asks authorities to keep the monument out of bounds for tourists. So, we decided to put up those pamphlets. We hadn’t imagined it would upset locals. I am now consulting with my legal team to decide on our next course of action.”

The film had earlier run into censor trouble as the hero is shown as Hindu whereas the Taj Mahal had been built by Muslim king, Shah Jahan. “The film was stuck for six months, and they asked me to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, which eventually cleared it,” adds the director.