Bollywood Films Bring Qawwalis Back

The trademark topi, sadri (sleeveless jacket) and the rumaal (handkerchief) come alive once again in Bollywood. With more and more music composers weaving the magic of qawaalis with a new twist in the film's music, the qawwali numbers that are creating a buzz among music lovers.

Tayyab Ali Pyaar ka Dushman
Film: Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara
Qawwali tadka: Actor Imran Khan adds a new-age twist to the Tayyab Ali Pyaar ka Dushman track, which was once made popular by Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh starrer Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977.

Duma Dum Mast Kalandar
Film: D-Day
Qawwali tadka: Nothing can go wrong with a Duma Dum Mast Kalandar version. Mika Singh's voice for this version, adds the sufi qawwali touch to this already beautiful track. Music composers Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa and Ehsaan Noorani add their style to the track and make it something you would want to play on a loop.

Karle Jugaad Karle
Film: Fukrey
Qawwali tadka: Young, funky soundtrack with a qawwali twist, the song's quirky lyrics and uptempo music has caught on. Music director Ram Sampath's idea was to make a young and funky soundtrack that represents the youth of India who don't have money or connections. Well, the song kept the essence of qawwali not just in the music but also in the four actors get-up which included the glitzy topi, sadri and rumaal.

Allah Meherban
Film: Ghanchakkar
Qawwali tadka: Qawaali meets electro-pop. The track, Allah Meherban is a sufi qawwali composed by Amit Trivedi. Interestingly, this is Emraan's first qawwali number. The peppy andenergetic song also has a promotional video. According to director Rajkumar Gupta, the song adds to the quirkiness of the story and makes Emraan's character identifiable.

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Film: Policegiri
Qawwali tadka: A feel of sufi qawwali along with Sanju Baba's dance moves adds to the song. Unlike the usual set-up of a qawwali track, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom comes across as a dance number with a feel of a sufi qawwali, minus the topi, sadri and rumaal. Sanjay definitely adds the star value to the song, as he grooves with Prakash Raj.


Other's inspired by Qawwalis

David (2012) - Duma Dum
Ishaqzaade (2012) - Jhalla
Tees Maar Khan - Wallah re Wallah (2010)
Main Hoon Naa - Tum se Milke (2004)

Lootera starts Off Well At Box Office

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Thanks to the widely spread positive word of mouth around the film, Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha's 'Lootera' has received a good response at the box-office. 

Vikramaditya Motwane-directed Lootera, produced by Balaji and Phantom, opened to a strong domestic collection of Rs. 5.15cr on Friday. Even before its release, a positive word of mouth on the film was floating across on social media and within the industry which helped the film take a good initial. 

Positive reviews continued which resulted in a steady rise in the business in the range of 25-30% over the weekend. Early estimates indicate that the opening weekend collection would be in the range of Rs 19 cr; exemplary for a film with a defined audience and given a controlled urban multiplex release. 

Business has been particularly strong in the territories of Mumbai, Mysore, West Bengal and Punjab. The gross collections in the opening weekend in the international markets are already in excess of $700,000. 

Made at a total cost of 32cr (including P&A), while major recoveries have happened through non-theatre sales, theatre revenues have kept the regional sub-distributors happy and hugely augmented the film's profitability. 

The other release Policegiri, Sanjay Dutt's first big release after his recent jail sentence, is a larger-than-life South remake and clearly targeted at the multiplexes but even there the business isn't anything to rave about. 

The coming week has several small films lined up for release but the most prominent release happens to be Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Akhtar in the role of Milkha Singh. The recent trailers of this biopic received an encouraging response and the film hold's immense promise. The only prominent small release of the week happens to be BA Pass starring Shilpa Shukla of Chak De India fame. 



Top Hindi Films this Week 



Film: Lootera 

Position: 1 

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane 

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha 

Upside: Good performances, poignant direction, melodious old-world music, fairy-tale romance 

Downside: Shallow story, a little long and stretched 

Running Week: 1 

Trade Comments: The collection on Friday was around Rs 5.15 crores and the business showed a steady rise over the weekend with the unanimous positive word of mouth. Early estimates indicate that the opening weekend collection is in the range of Rs 19 crore. 



Film: Policegiri 

Position: 2 

Director: KS Ravi Kumar 

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Prakash Raj, Prachi Desai 

Upside: Sanjay Dutt trying his best to revive his action star image 

Downside: Over-the-top action, Sanjay Dutt's pairing with the much younger Prachi Desai, absolute formula, nothing new to offer 

Running Week: 1 

Trade Comments: The larger-than-life film is clearly targeted at the single screens but even there the business isn't anything to rave about. 



Film: Ghanchakkar 

Position: 3 

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta 

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Gupta, Namit Das 

Upside: Decent performances, interesting premise 

Downside: dull humour, stretched second half, gets repetitive after a while 

Running Week: 2 

Trade Comments: After the initial hype fizzled out, the business showed no rise. Being unanimously panned by audiences and critics alike, the film at most will recover its cost. 



Film: Raanjhanaa 

Position: 4 

Director: Anand L Rai 

Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Swara Bhaskara 

Upside: Dhanush's charming performance, Sonam's matured act, good direction, good music, not the regular love story plot 

Downside: Goes off-track in the second half 

Running Week: 3 

Trade Comments: Hit 



Film: Fukrey 

Position: 5 

Director: Mrigdeep Singh Lamba 

Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh, Varun Sharma, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha 

Upside: Interesting story, crazy characters, refreshingly real life humour, good performances 

Downside: Ali Fazal's cliched track 

Running Week: 4 

Box-Office Verdict: Hit 

Lootera earns Rs.19 crore over weekend, Sanjay Dutt's Policegiri falls flat

Excellent reviews from critics and word of mouth helped Vikramaditya Motwane's Lootera earn Rs.19 crore over the first weekend.

Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha-starrer opened to an average box office collection of Rs.5.15 crore on Friday but Saturday and Sunday saw 25-30 percent jump in the collection mainly due to word of mouth.

Read: Lootera's review

Lootera was made at a total cost of Rs.32 crores. Balaji gave the film a contained and focused release essentially in the urban centers knowing that the film would primarily find audience in premium multiplexes of the country.

 

Co-produced by Phantom Films and Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures, Lootera is the story of unrequited love, set in the era of 1950s.

Sanjay Dutt starrer Policegiri fell flat and has earned Rs.8.25 crore over the weekend. With limited release and lack of promotions, the film couldn't perform as expected.

 

The film directed by K.S. Ravikumar also stars Prakash Raj, Om Puri and Prachi Desai in the lead.

PoliceGiri Movie Review

Director: KS Ravikumar

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Prakash Raj and Prachi Desai


Deputy Commissioner of Police Rudra Aditya Devraj (Sanjay Dutt) comes into this South Indian town called Nagapuram and takes up cudgels against the reigning don Nagori Subramaniam (Prakash Raj). The don has the top policemen and politicians in his pocket but somehow Rudra manages to outwit and outpunch him. He also finds time to woo and marry a pretty girl Sehar (Prachi Desai), whose only contribution to the film is to be the eye candy.

Policegiri is supposedly a remake of Vikram starrer Saamy (2003). That film allegedly started a trend of tough cop films down South. It’s a remake which has come a decade too late as all its punches have already been seen in films like Wanted, Rowdy Rathore and Singham. Ten years ago, Sanjay Dutt was lean, mean and agile and had a definite sex appeal. Now, he looks middle-aged. As a die-hard fan of Baba I cringed every time he had those romantic moments onscreen with Prachi Desai. Because you could see he wasn’t comfortable. And this was the actor, mind you, whose bare-bodied act in the item number Baarish ka bahana hai from Yalgaar is more talked about than Nagma's jhatkas.

He was slightly better in action scenes. Slightly, because he does retain some of his screen presence. Slightly, because the action scenes were so silly and over-the-top that even Jackie Chan wouldn’t have given them a measure of plausibility.

What Dutt is good at is when he stops taking his character seriously and lets go. His comic timing is still impeccable and his stand-off scenes with the villain Prakash Raj are the saving grace of the film. Prakash Raj is too brilliant an actor to play the patented villain in all these action flicks. He should stop doing it before he gets burnt out. He does seem to be having the time of his life and his comic punches do manage to instil some life in the film but that shouldn’t be the case, right. If all that the viewer gets to look forward to are the villain’s wisecracks then there is something wrong with the film.

Yes, it’s all very massy and catering to the front benches. It might even do well in B and C centres and single screens, but it doesn’t leave the impact of a Dabangg or a Singham. I’m sure Sanjay Dutt doesn’t want such films as a part of his legacy. So for the love of god and movies, he should say no to such proposals in the future. He should stick to Gandhigiri and not policegiri.

POLICEGIRI Music Review

Policegiri Music Review

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The fight between the virtuous and wicked has been the staple diet of several Indian movies since eons. Although the trend of remaking South Indian films in Hindi was widespread in the 1980s, it got an impeGHAJINI [2008] and WANTED [2009] in the last decade. Now veteran producer T.P. Aggarwal joins the growing list of film-makers remaking a winning South Indian film. The film in question is the Tamil hit SAAMY, which was subsequently remade in Telugu [LAKSHMI NARASIMHA].

Although a remake, POLICEGIRI brings back memories of DABANGG [Salman Khan] and SINGHAM [Ajay Devgn]. Like the above named films, the protagonist in POLICEGIRI is a cop, delivers thunderous dialogue, bashes up scoundrels like we swat flies and takes on the [corrupt] opponent in the closing stages. No prizes for guessing who wins!

I don't even wish to forewarn my readers about the essence of POLICEGIRI, since, I presume, most of you must've guessed it by now thanks to its high octane promos. Sure, it relies on the tried-tested-trusted recipe from commencement to conclusion, but I do wish to add that the packaging is polished, with a new brand ambassador endorsing this masalathon. But the unfortunate part is, haven't we visited similar themes in the past? What novelty does it offer?

Rudra [Sanjay Dutt] is a tough Deputy Commissioner of Police of a town. His mission is to clean up the town from gangsters and make sure that the public live in peace. Rudra adopts a new policy of adjusting with the local goons so that he can serve the people in an effective way. How he gets even with Nagori [Prakash Raj], a corrupt politician, forms the crux of the story.

Much like the iconic Chulbul Pandey in DABANGG, Rudra in POLICEGIRI is the present-day Robinhood, with a heart of gold. The cop here is *not* pristine white, but grey. He is *not* conscientious either, but accepts bribes and payoffs [of course, he offers an explanation and even produces receipts subsequently!], also calls himself a goon… as a matter of fact, he uses the law to his advantage. But the problem with the film is that it appears more of a collage of skillfully-filmed action sequences than anything else. The premise is archaic and the director relies too heavily on action to take the story forward. In fact, constituents like romance and comedy look forced in the scheme of things.

Director K.S. Ravikumar, who has a plethora of successful films in South, garnishes the film with features that the masses take pleasure in. The conflict between good and evil is riveting too and so is the pacing [rapid], but with not much newness on platter, the film comes across as the usual cop versus politician fight. The soundtrack is strictly okay, with 'Robinhood' [before the climax] having a catchy tune and energetic choreography. Action, one of the high points of the enterprise, is slick and the dash of Southern masala makes it all the more palatable. Dialogue are aimed at the masses and will be greeted with whistles and applause from fans of desi masala movies, especially those delivered by Sanju.

Sanju is absolutely at home in this out-to-please-the-junta character. In addition, it's the kind of role that the fans take to instantly and Sanju plays the game well. The antagonist, enacted by Prakash Raj, is equally buoyant. He tends to go slightly overboard at times, but it's a job well done by this proficient actor. Prachi Desai looks appealing, but doesn't get much to do.

Om Puri goes over the top. Manoj Joshi is as usual. Rajpal Yadav and Rajat Rawail's comedy track doesn't evoke mirth. Ehsaan Khan and Kishori Shahane Vij [as Prachi's parents] get limited scope. Mukesh Tiwari, Raju Mavani and Murli Sharma are passable.

On the whole, POLICEGIRI is aimed at the single screen audience mainly.

Source : Bollyood Hungama.com

Review By : Taran Adarsh

Jadoo Ki Jhappi belongs to Sanjay Dutt: Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez, who has done an item number Jadoo Ki Jhappi in Prabhudheva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya, is hoping to hit the bullseye with the song, which is inspired from the line popularised by Sanjay Dutt in the Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. series.

"I don't think that anyone can take away the phrase from him. He is the original and first person to have created this line. We are hoping our song will become as popular as his (Sanjay Dutt) line," Jacqueline told reporters here at the song launch.

"I was apprehensive to do the song as I had not done an earthy song before. It was out of my comfort zone. But when I heard the song I liked it. Also it was an opportunity to dance with Prabhudheva which I couldn't let go," she said.



 The Sri Lankan beauty rehearsed the song for a week before matching up to Prabhudheva's energy. She had a tough time with the ace choreographer-director, who is also a part of the song.

"A day before we shot for the song, I showed it to him... He was not happy and felt it was robotic. He told me to add heart and soul to the song, so I kept rehearsing," she said.

This is her second item song, and Jacqueline says she is not the item queen yet, as she is yet to do many more songs to get this tag.

Its Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Kajra Re that is Jacqueline's favourite item song.

Sanjay Dutt to watch Policegiri with inmates at Yerawada jail

The makers of Policegiri are apparently planning a screening of Sanjay Dutt's film within the walls of the Yerawada Jail. 

Sanjay Dutt is serving his jail sentence just like every regular prisoner. And thanks to a particular jail policy, he will soon join fellow inmates to watch his upcoming cop caper inside the jail premises. 

Producer Rahul Agarwal is apparently trying to arrange for a screening of his new film starring Sanjay at the Yerawada Jail in Pune.

A source says, "Sanjay had raced against time to finish the filming of Rahul's next. Now, it's the makers' turn to do something for the actor." Rahul says, "Yes, we were told that the inmates are allowed one movie screening each month. We hope we get permission soon."

Policegiri - Official Trailer

Policegiri is a Bollywood action comedy film. The film marks the debut of director K.S. Ravikumar and is produced by T. P. Aggarwal and Rahul Aggarwal. The film features Sanjay Dutt, Prachi Desai and Prakash Raj as Nagori Subramaniyam in lead roles.The theatrical trailer was released on 28 May 2013, and the film will be released on 5 July 2013. The film is a remake of the 2003 Tamil film Saamy, directed by Hari.














WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW :