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There could not be a more apt name for a debut movie. Announcement of David Dhawan’s son Rohit Dhawan to direct a movie titled Carry On Pappu set me thinking whether selecting such a name was just a coincidence or a deliberate decision manifesting David Dhawan’s funny bone..

And this also set me on a trail of sons of the directors who have carried forward the baton successfully or not-so-successfully.

Few names that come to mind of sons of big guns and daughters of illustrious fathers :

Rahul Rawail
Raj Kumar Santoshi
Ravi Chopra
Ketan Desai
Ketan Anand
Suneil Anand
Rajiv Kapoor
Randhir Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Asim Samanta

Aditya Chopra
Pooja Bhatt
Meghna Gulzar
Rohit Shetty
Hriday Shetty
Farah Khan
Sajid Khan

(Note: This list is not comprehensive but representative)

All these abovementioned guysn girls had an advantage of home environment that encouraged their choices or automatically fixed them..Still some of them could not make it or make it big.

Seeing such a long list one may be deterred to follow one’s …

It does not rain,it pours..It is not one isolated case of a mobile battery exploding..One explodes and there is a barrage of incidents involving the same..It so happens that one train accident is reported and suddenly the toll mounts and the count surges of similar accidents..One Prince falls into a deep hole..suddenly there is reporting of a queue of supple bodied, flexi-limbed kids taking a plunge..At times I wonder what is happening! Is it all coincidental or a phenomena of critical mass or deliberate attempt to manipulate and influence reality?

It is more apparent in Bollywood’s culture of controversies..Are they for real or carefully constructed products? Even if one is cynical enough to brush them aside as cunning and conning creations does it really steer people away from the issue that has been raised? I doubt because no matter how unbiased one may try to be one willy-nilly joins the …

A story and an anecdote..To put across my hypothesis:

Once upon a time there was an innkeeper who was unable to make ends meet even though he did his very best to draw customers by making the inn comfortable, the service cordial, and the prices reasonable.So in despair he consulted a sage..
The sage told him to change inn’s name.
Impossible! said the innkeeper. ‘ For generations it has been known as Seven Stars and is well known all over the country.’
No,’ said the sage firmly. ‘you must now call it the Five Bells and have a row of six bells hanging at the entrance.’
Six bells? But that’s absurd! What good would that do?
Give it a try and see, said the sage with a smile.

Well the innkeeper gave it a try. And this is what he saw..Every traveller who passed by the inn walked in to point out the mistake, each …

Rajat Kapoor is flush with Rs 20 crores from PNC..The deal to make six films.

Farhan Akhtar inks a deal with Studio 18 for Rs 230 crores..The deal is to make six films.

Indian Film Company to invest the money raised upto 50million pounds to make 40-50 films.Six of them have been announced.

Planman motion pictures is accelerating its film production business and ready to roll out its six projects.

The number six is coincidental..

What is essential is the announcement of so many projects by these production houses..There is nothing new in films being treated as a project..Because film is not only creative inputs, it requires so many other elements to be put together and tied up properly to bring it to the screens,monitors, LCDs, or mobile screens(in near future).

If ever there was any doubt about Bollywood being business, it is scotched with entry of corporate production houses,makeover of indie producers into …

24 frames = 1/1/2 feet

1/1/2 feet in 1 second

90 feet in 60 seconds/1minute

900 feet in 10 minutes

12000 feet in 120minutes

Shooting ratio : 1 to 4

Raw Stock:48000 ft

400 feet = 1 Can

48000 feet = 120 Cans

Final Film Length :12000 feet = 3634 meters approx in 2 hrs

Block Lenses-40mm/50mm/75mm/100mm

Wide Angle Lenses- 24mm/28mm/35mm

Telephoto Lens- 135mm/200mm/400mm

Zoom Lens- 70 to 300mm

Arrie 235, 435, 35BL, BL2

Film Format- Super 8/16mm/35mm

Film Stock- Vision 2 500T 7279/7218/ Vision 2 220T/250D/100T/100D………

As I was cranking up these numbers Oz comes along and says what is this blabber about..What’s the purpose of this post?

And I submit with utter humility…Do you think I am liking it? Do you think I enjoy this arithmatic in such an arty field? If you can torture our patience with this mystery of 1 for so many days, I think cinephiles and my fellow PFCites can bear with this spiel at least for few moments.

Just …

It starts with an odd news item in print media..About the movie..About the movie’s story or some salacious gossip..And then gradually the swell is created..Promos are cut..Hype is generated..Marketing strategies are evolved..As if it is war out there (Actually it is war out there, if one goes by wisdom of Al Ries and Jack Trout)..To go for a blitz or carpet bombing…To make Charge of the Light Brigade with entire cavalry (Meaning 900 plus prints) or to go for guerilla attack (100 minus prints)..To go for merchandise or serve plain malai!! Tie-ups with channels…Tie-ups with sponsors..Tie-ups just for the sake of tying up! Media partners..Mobile partners..Mortgage partners..Mafia partners!!!After courting so many partners, reasons for partnership are sought.. promotional tools are explored..In-film branding..product endorsements..Billboards, FM radio, Road shows,One for the road!!!! Hard Talk with the Hero..Soft Talk with the Heroine..Direct Talk with the Director..Everyone talking of ‘Hatkey’ role and …

Without wasting any time on the prologue let me take you straight through a fascinating journey spanning almost forty years of Hindi Films with some very interesting films and facts that plotted Hindi Films’ evolutionary march and became milestones in their own right by contributing something extraordinary and distinct to cinema’s ever expanding reach.

Late Sixties : Year 1969 : SAAT HINDUSTANI :

A movie based on true incidents during Goa’s liberation struggle enumerating the real life adventures of a band of revolutionaries with a tagline– A love story of a nation. This film was written,produced and directed by a maverick Khwaja Ahmed Abbas who lived and died upholding his own set of …

‘Aur tu kya kar raha hai aaj kal.’
‘Bas kat rahi hai Airtel waale ki tarah.’
‘Tere uss projekt ka kya hua’
‘Pata nahin yaar, kab shuru hoga,uparwaala jaane.’
‘Toh phir ho kya raha hai?’
‘Struggle.’

‘Kal ki picture dekhi?’
‘Haan, mast thhi.’
‘Pakka saala koi na koi issey copy karneywaala hai.’
‘Main bhi yehi soch raha thha.’
‘Ye copy karkey hit ho jayenge aur hum strugglers yunhi festivals dekhte reh jayenge.’

‘hi boss,wassup’.
‘Nothing much.’
‘When are you going on floor.’
‘Trying to get funding yaar.’
‘Are you trying corporates or private producers?’
‘I am looking for corporate funds man. This private ones are so filmy.’

These were few of the comments overheard by me at a recently concluded French Film Festival held at Fun Republic,Andheri,Mumbai. Just because the passes for the day’s film were strictly on first-cum-first-served basis, the serpentine queues started forming almost two hours before the show timings and provided enough masala worthy of many short films.

This post is not about the review …

“I have suffered enough abuse and torture in my childhood and that hampered my normal growth. I do not know when my troubles will end.”

This is Sanjay Dutt speaking fourteen years ago after being incarcerated in year 1993 under TADA.

He laid all the blame on his past, his childhood and his boarding days.

It’s not a figment of my imagination. But a first hand account by a crime reporter- cum- investigative journalist– Baljeet Parmar. Writing in DNA dated 01.08.07 he gives an account of his interaction with Sanjay Dutt and his illustrious father Sunil Dutt.

Read what Baljeet Parmar has to say about Sunil Dutt…” I saw a Dutt,who was complete antithesis of his public image..He would flare up over trivial issues. He came across as dominant and short tempered, often hurling choices Punjabi eptithets on …

Mumbai rains played truant almost throughout July..Then suddendly today it started raining again..Not raining..But pouring..It hardly drizzles in Mumbai.

Whether it becomes Shanghai or not one thing is for sure, Mumbai scores over it in terms of rainfall. It receives almost the double the amount in Shanghai.For your gyan the average annual rainfall of 2120mm is almost double of Shanghai’s 1143 mm. Moreover no other global cities match Mumbai’s average.

‘Another unique aspect of Mumbai rains is that no other city handles as many intense rainy spells. Hongkong and Shanghai get six to seven months of rain, while Mumbai piles up its staggering average in just three very wet months.’ So much and such muck for Mumbai rains.

You might wonder what is the link between Mumbai rains and Bollywood.It’s said that Mumbai ki barsaat aur producer ki baat ka kabhi bharosa nahin kiya ja sakta( Mumbai rains and producers’ claim can’t …

At the age of 10 a boy who has migrated from Lahore to Delhi in year 1947 watches a Dilip Kumar starrer Shabnam at Minerva talkies and decides that he will one day become a Hindi Film Hero and vows to adopt Dilip Kumar’s character name from that film.

In 1956 at the age of 19 years this boy named Harikrishan Goswami lands at Mumbai with two dreams. One to become a Hero and second to earn Rupees Three Lakhs in life. One lakh for his parents, one lakh for his brothers and sisters and one lakh for himself.

And the journey to accomplish his two point mission is no smooth ride.During his struggle days he makes use of his penchant for writing(since school time) and writes for movies being made at Ranjit Studios, Dadar. He gets Rs.11 per scene as a ghost writer! Around that time he is joined by another …

In a typical David Dhawan fashion this post does not have any structure and still it makes sense.

Hitch released in India and in no time Partner was announced.
Derailed arrived on Indian screens and soon The Train got signalled.
Cellular got connected to Indian shores and within a month Speed was launched.

I am not talking of all the remakes and copies and inspirations that rocked the Indian masses big time from Fanaa, Rang De Basanti, Black to Kaante.
I am not talking of some obsure,B grade or a turnip of a movie that was recycled with lot of hoopla from Naqaab, Anthony Kaun Hai, Ek Ajnabi to Bheja Fry(which was released without any hype) et al.

My point is not about the copies but the speed with which they are copied. Watching Hitch, Derailed or Cellular I am sure few of wannabe filmmakers like you and me and many commercial directors would have thought …

Ever since SRK has been honoured by French Government with its highest cultural award, my doubts are confirmed that there is French Connection which neither Gene Heckman knew of nor Anees Bazmi could fathom with his stolen French Kiss.

And the connection lies in Bollywood’s association with Marquis De Sade. Yes the same guy who propounded that pain and cruelty enhanced sexual pleasure. Sade’s pervert thesis gave him immortality by listing in dictonary sadism,sadist, sadistic as words that symbolised in generic terms, getting pleasure out of pain–regardless of its nature.

Films churned out from Bollywood production houses in year 2007 uptill now, have inflicted so much pain on the weak and willing audiences that there is no rational explanation except blaming it on genes or supernatural influence like ghost of ‘de Sade.

I am one of those who makes it a point to watch practically every Hindi movie released in a theatre, not …

An open letter to Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri:

Dear Naseer and Omji,

This is in reference to your comments made at Nehru Centre, London where both of you were felicitated for your contribution to Indian and British cinema.I could not believe it! Fortune telling corrupt cops Pandit and Purohit of Maqbool once again coming together and being honoured by the British! Its like hauling coals to Newcastle.First accept my heartiest congratulations.

And now coming straight to heart of the matter. At this awards function,Sir both of you had taken severe objection to Indian Film industry and more specifically Hindi Film industry being called Bollywood . According to you Naseerji,this term is derogatory and humiliating. I could not believe this too!! I mean what else would you call a place where law of jungle prevails and predators prowl to prey on the sensibilities of gullible masses?Where audiences are like lambs to the …

Mcdonalds, Pizza Hut, Dominoes,Barista, Subway,Cafe Coffe Day–When these brands looked for franchise partners in India what was their main criteria for selection? Not the financial muscle,relevant experience,related expertise–nothing of that sort. In hospitality and leisure industry when five star or even budget properties are planned what is foremost on planners mind?And now when the retail chains like Walmart and homegrown ones like Pantaloon and Reliance are on the threshold of establishing and expanding their identity what are they actually looking for?

Giving due weightage to various financial,political,environmental and other risk parameters(that are generally taken care of ), all of them basically have three major conditions to set up their bases.. location,location and location. In ‘Where The Stars Shine Down’, Sidney Sheldon has woven a triangle love story against the backdrop of real estate business, and he talks of the most important part of any real estate investment …

On 07/07/2007 in Lisbon a new list of seven wonders of the world is going to be announced and our Taj Mahal is in the reckoning.The race is hotting up what with presence of Bipasha Basu amongst the hosts to announce the results! Suddenly everyone is having a rendevous with Taj–a bond, a relationship perhaps.

Its the same Taj that had been in news for all the wrong reasons in the recent past. …

When Apne go to make a movie with a backdrop of world boxing title at stake–first for redemption and then for revenge,you know you have exposed yourself to blows and bhaashanbaazi by not some ETs but your own Apne.

When Apne start talking nonsense in English and then switchover to Hindi to make some sense and Sunny Deol says Aa saale tujhe yahin gaarh doonga, you wonder whether its an arena or an akhaara.

When Apne in the boxing ring mouth more gaalis than land ghusaas at each other and a reigning world champion some Luca Garcia mouths I F*** you, and Sunny Deol echoes it to the tee and when the champion raises the bar a notch and shouts you motherf***** and Sunny gives him back a mouthful of motherf***** you dont wonder anymore –you simply feel f*****.

When Apne Dharam Paaji with his …

This is an exclusive transcript of a short film that has already been selected for the award in one of just-for-the-heck-0f-it festivals even before the competition section films have been finalised.I know it sounds really paradoxical and contradictory as any Bollywood messed up masalas . But what to do. Thats how the world is. And thats how the script is:
…

When PFC authors were busy blogging for movies(headed by ever dependable Manjeet Singh for Mumbai Meri Jaan)and my friends are actively pouring their opinions and comments about Jhoom Barabar Jhoom(JBJ), I landed a rare opportunity to interview Aditya Chopra-yes Adi!..Actually i had gone to YR studios just to look out for a blogging opportunity for the site but it turned out to be one way street of hogging the limelight–by none else than Adi himself..Without spending too much time –the way YRF does ,trying to build up and come to the story in a convoluted way, i straightaway got down to business by firing questions at Adi(as he is fondly called–honestly how he likes to be actually addressed, i have no idea).

So JBJ has not sent audiences into tizzy inspite of all that roller-coaster of a camerawork?
Adi: You must be keeping your eyes closed and ears open that’s …

It was dream come true. I was approached for a role that is usually reserved for and assigned to AB. I was replacing Big B! I was ecstatic. On top of the world.

Before I go bananas let me brief you about the background.

The other night I woke up to grapple with a scene for my debut film script. Sanjay Gupta,Sanjay F Gupta,Anurag Basu,Vikram Bhatt,Apoorva Lakhia and hithertoo unseen duo of Raksha Mistry and Husain Hyderabadwaala approached me.I thought that these new era whizkids of Bollywood may have formed a kind of company to finance and produce films of wannabe filmmakers.So I went into flashforward and visualised the unfolding of my film with funds taken care of. But i was soon brought to reality.

They wanted me to fight a case on their behalf!

They were sick and tired of being mauled by media and condemned by critics for their creative …