Pakistan Film Censor Board bans Dhanush-Sonam Kapoor starrer Raanjhanaa

Earlier the Censor Board had also banned films like Ek Tha Tiger, GI Joe, Agent Vinod for their controversial themes and 'anti-Pakistan' sentiments.

The Pakistan Film Censor Board has banned the exhibition of Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor starrer Raanjhanaa because of its alleged "controversial theme".

The Central Board of Film Censors in Pakistan banned the film shortly before its scheduled release, Chief Executive Officer of IMGC Global Entertainment Amjad Rasheed, the importer of the film said.

Earlier the Censor Board had also banned films like Ek Tha Tiger, GI Joe, Agent Vinod for their controversial themes and "anti-Pakistan" sentiments.

Chief Executive Officer of IMGC Global Entertainment Amjad Rasheed, the importer of Raanjhanaa, told that he received a letter from CBFC with directives to shelve the film's release.

"The letter from CBFC states that the film portrays an inapt image of a Muslim girl (played by Sonam Kapoor) falling in love with a Hindu man and having an affair with him."

Anand L Rai's Raanjhanaa's release in Pakistan was scheduled during the last week of June. Pakistani singer Shiraz Uppal has also lent his voice for the title track of the film, composed by AR Rehman.

The Bollywood film's plot portrays Muslim girl Zoya (Sonam) falling in love with Kundan (Dhanush) and later Jasjeet Singh (Abhey Deol). The film starts with pundit's Hindu Brahmin son Kundan falling for Zoya at first sight. He follows her to school, after school, in the market — almost everywhere.

After getting slapped 16 times by Zoya, Kundan finally gets to know her name, but his hesitation that she will reject him because of his religion leads him to introduce himself as Rizwan. She agrees to meet him behind a temple, but the meeting does not turn out well as Zoya finds out that he's Hindu.

As the story unfolds, Zoya also develops feelings for Kundan, however, her parents find out about it and send her off to Delhi in order to protect the family's honour. Later in Delhi, Zoya falls in love with Jasjeet Singh, a student leader who also leads a political party.

Raanjhanaa grossed INR1.31 billion in its second week of release.

Raanjhanaa dreams a splendid 68 crore reality worldwide

The film has so far grossed a total of Rs. 59.50 crore (Net collection Rs. 45.68 crore) and overseas Rs. 9 crore in 10 days.

Produced and distributed by Eros International worldwide, Raanjhanaa released across 1400 screens in India and 220 plus screens overseas.

Ambikapathy, the Tamil version of the film released across 300 screens in India last Friday and has grossed an impressive Rs. 2.95 crore at the box office during the opening weekend with a net collection of Rs. 2.05 crore.

Speaking on its successful run, Nandu Ahuja, Sr. VP, Distribution, Eros International Media Limited, "This beautiful small town love saga with exemplary performances by its lead actors has won the hearts of audiences. The tremendous response has been very encouraging with both single screens and multiplexes indicating good box office results. The footfall on Monday was higher than the Friday of the opening weekend. Tuesday's numbers surpassed Monday's clearly indicating its increased acceptance with audiences. It is noteworthy that the second weekend collections are more than 50% of the first weekend. With the fabulous word of mouth, we are looking at the film continuing its rock steady performance through its run".

Commenting on the overseas success, Pranab Kapadia, President- Marketing and Distribution, Eros International Plc, "Raanjhanaa has done equally well in the overseas markets. The chemistry of Dhanushand Sonam combined with compelling screenplay and soulful music is a winning combination. With the film holding up so well in its second week too, we expect the film to continue entertaining audiences and enjoy a good run at the box office."

Raanjhanaa stars National Award winning south actor Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles and is directed by Aanand L Rai. Music of the film is composed by Oscar winning musician A. R Rahman.

Swara Bhaskar: After 'Raanjhanaa', I've got 8-10 marriage proposals

Mumbai: Swara Bhaskar, who played Dhanush's friend Bindiya in 'Raanjhanaa', reveals that the audience has loved her character so much that she has already got a lot of marriage proposals from fans.

"I have already got 8-10 marriage proposals. A lot of people have left me messages on the Facebook and have written 'Kundan was mad, marry us and we are serious'," Swara said here Friday in an interview.

"Some even said that we are not mad and not stalkers, we will take care of you. So anything else happens or not, I will definitely get settled in my personal life," she added.

After the success of 'Raanjhanaa', Swara admits there is a challenge to only do better work now.

"There is a challenge that after 'Raanjhanaa', I don't want to step back, instead I now want to do only better work. After you do good work, your journey becomes even more tough because after that the audience's expectations also rise. I don't want the audience to say in a pitiful manner, 'This is what she has done after 'Raanjhanaa',' Swara said.

Swara was also seen in Aanand L Rai's previous directorial 'Tanu Weds Manu'. She later played the lead in off-beat film 'Listen Amaya'.

Raanjhanaa collects Rs31.5 crore worldwide on opening weekend

With critics calling the film 'heady wine and its effect will only grow', Raanjhanaa is expected to go strong at the ticket window.



Raanjhanaa, the movie that celebrates love, is enjoying a positive response at the box office as the love saga has grossed Rs31.5 crore worldwide on its opening weekend.

Anand L Rai directed film, said to be made at a budget of Rs35 crore, released Friday across 14,00 screens in the country and 220-plus screens abroad and on its opening weekend, it has grossed Rs.26.5 crore at the Indian box office and Rs5 crore in the overseas market.

The film's high points are its Varanasi flavour, mind-boggling music by AR Rahman, Dhanush's convincing portrayal of a worshipping lover and the earthy side of Sonam Kapoor, who also shows her acting skill.

The Dhanush-Sonam starrer is wooing the audience in India and offshore alike.

Praising the film, trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: "A film that touches the core of your heart. Not to be missed!"

If the film has garnered positive reviews, the word of mouth publicity through social networking sites has helped the film in a big way.

The film is so good that celebrities are also talking about it on the social networking sites with megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeting: "In celebration (of India's victory at the Champions Trophy) sawRaanjhanaa... loved the premise, the execution the performance, and the UP (Uttar Pradesh) atmosphere. Wishing it all success!"

Written by Himanshu Sharma, the film is produced by Krishika Lulla under the banner Eros International and the star cast also includes actors like Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar and Mohammed Zeeshan.

If Sonam gave her style diva tag a miss to play Zoya, she also made her character believable and the actress is getting praises from all quarters for her acting skills.

Renowned novelist and columnist Shobhaa De tweeted: "Sonam can act, saala!"

Vicky Donor fame actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who will be seen with Sonam in the Yash Raj Films' untitled project, said, "She has got a great sense of fashion and style and that had eclipsed her acting talent in the past, but I think by doing films like Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, you will discover her earthy side and an actor in her."

Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan said: "Mostly youngsters are coming to watch the film. They are appreciating Dhanush's acting and are really pleased with his performance."

"Sonam, represents the youth of the country, so people are coming to watch her as well. There is a buzz about her performance in the film and the audience are coming to see it," he added.

With critics calling the film "heady wine and its effect will only grow", Raanjhanaa is expected to go strong at the ticket window.

Beauty soap Lux now for couples; Brand ropes Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor to whip up some lather

MUMBAI : The bath-tub moves to the ghats of Benares as legacy soap brand Lux finds its calling in the lead pair of the just-released Bollywood film Raanjhanaa.

As the world moves to a more metrosexualavatar, its best-selling soap that started off as a feminine skin and beauty soap in 1925 has decided to be brave once again and roped in the Kolaveri lad Dhanush along withSonam Kapoor to endorse the soap.

Lux — derived from the word luxury — has always used successful film actors of the time such as Madhubala, Hema Malini, Kareena Kapoor to endorse the product.

"We always tried to be a little ahead of the game, and along with roping in established stars, we also try to rope in tomorrow's stars. Sonam is a great style icon and Dhanush is an authentic romantic hero," said Sudhir Sitapati, general manager — skin cleansing atHindustan Unilever, adding that he first noticed a unique chemistry by the unconventional jodi two weeks ago while watching the film promo.

With the pairing, the Raanjhanaa duo now shares a common link with Shah Rukh Khan-Katrina Kaif and Abhishek-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan pair, who also sold the soap as a couple in the past.

While the unlikely pair has caused some buzz at the box office, the question is can they whip up some lather for a venerable brand? "The risk obviously is that the recognisability may not be as high compared to established stars in smaller towns. But the reward is that you surprise the audience with a couple that they didn't expect," adds Sitapati.

While Sonam Kapoor endorses premium brands such as L'Oreal Paris, Electrolux, and Mont Blanc, the Tamil star is mostly associated with mass brands such as Tata Nano and Marico's Parachute.

Experts feel that HUL has been tampering with the product positioning in the market place more often now with increasing competition in the Rs12,500-crore soap market.

A leader in its category among the Rs1,000-crore plus luminaries in HUL's Top 10 brand quiver, Lux has been facing intense competition from Wirpo Consumer's Santoor and ITC's Vivel which have been gaining market share much faster.

"It's a double-edged sword for HUL and could prove to be a big hit or a big flop. It's a dramatic change — the brand is slowly moving away from a beauty soap for a star to a soap for couples," said chairman of SK Advisors, Sunil Alagh.

While the overarching Lux celebrity quotient has remained intact since 1929 when Leela Chitnis promised smooth skin through Lux, the brand positioning has shifted. The over 90-year-old brand Lux is the county's second-largest selling soap, which has been extended to a range of body, hair wash and deodorants products so far.

Box office collection : Raanjhanaa collects 20 crore in opening (first) weekend

Mumbai, June 24 (TruthDive): Raanjhanaa, starring Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles has done an excellent business at the domestic Box Office, collecting Rs.20.08 crores in its opening weekend.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, “#Raanjhanaa collected approx Rs 20.08 cr nett in its opening weekend. Breakup:- Fri 5.12 cr, Sat 6.81 cr, Sun *est* 8.15 cr”.

The film also did well in the international market. Raanjhanaa garnered Rs.49,459 [Rs.45.22 lacs] in UK, A$ 23,235 [Rs.12.69 lacs] in Australia and in UAE & GCC the film earned AED 142,000(Thursday), AED 232,000 (Friday), AED 150,000 (Saturday) respectively.

Raanjhanaa, directed by Aanand L Rai, was released on June 21. On the opening day, the film raked in Rs 5.15 crore. The collection of the movie started slowly on Friday morning but on receiving good reviews from film critics and good word of mouth from audiences, the collections grew well and the growth was obvious in every show. The film finished a very good weekend.

On seeing the improvement of the business on Saturday, Taran tweeted, “#Raanjhanaa grew from strength to strength with each show, after an ordinary start. Data being compiled… Expecting further growth today!”

Raanjhanaa has acquired immense appreciation from the masses and so experts feel the film would surely hold on from Monday onwards. If this trend continues in this upcoming week, the film will finish with 30 cr nett in one week and hold a good place in cinemas for few weeks to come.

The film’s leads, Sonam Kapoor and Dhanush, have won praises for their performance. The peculiar chemistry between the unconventional jodi is being highly praised by the masses. However, the biggest compliment that Sonam received was from her father Anil Kapoor. Anil has said that there was not one false moment from her in the film.

Raanjhanaa will be released in Tamil version down South. As predicted by Taran, “Enthused by the super start of #Raanjhanaa, Eros to release its Tamil version #Ambikapathy in 200 screens across Tamil Nadu next Friday.”

Amitabh Bachchan regrets not being in 'wonderful' films like Raanjhanaa

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he feels jealous whenever he watches wonderful films likeRaanjhanaa, which he is not part of.

The 70-year-old veteran saw the Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor-starrer in celebration of India's victory at the Champions Trophy.

"It was a delight. I get so envious after seeing all these wonderful films, and lament and regret that I am not in them, even in a small capacity, for I love the immense talent and finesse that today's cinema with its young brigade brings to the world," Big B posted on his blog.

The actor also has a few movies in his "to-watch" list.

"I shall be seeing some other unreleased films given to me by Anurag Kashyap, by some talented directors and actors ... a joy always," he wrote.

On the big screen, Amitabh will soon be seen in Prakash Jha's Satyagraha.

Review of Raanjhanaa: Dhanush plays a perfect lover

Cast: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Swara Bhaskar, Kumud Mishra

Director: Aanand L Rai

The Indian Express Rating: ** 1/2

"Say you love me, or I will slit my wrists', Kundan threatens Zoya, and we know instantly that he means business. He is not saying this for a lark. Nor for a nudge-and-wink. He is saying this as if he means it. We know instantly that Raanjhanaa is a no-holds-barred love story, not your half-hearted romcom that passes for a romance these days in Bollywood. The riveting first half of the film lives up to its old-fashioned title, with a young lover whose chief driver is passion, the innocent young girl who is the object of his adoration, and the problems that keep them apart. Post interval, it comes unstuck, and squanders its gains. If Raanjhanaa had kept its tone intact, it would have been a great love story.

Kundan (Dhanush), the son of a Banaras panda, is madly, deeply in love with Zoya (Sonam Kapoor). He does the running. She keeps him at bay. Just as she is about to relent, the Hindu-Muslim never-the-twain-shall-meet angle comes in, and the two part ways. I should have said 'torn asunder', actually, because that is how it is shown, him desperately chasing the train that is bearing her away, both sobbing their hearts out. When she does return, several years later, her Banarasi swain is waiting, unprepared that the girl whom he loves may love someone else (Deol). Aanand L Rai who gave us an acute, well-observed small town sensibility in his first film Tanu Weds Manu, brings the same skill sets to Raanjhanaa.

It's been a while since I've seen Varanasi in the movies as a place where regular people live, not a Discovery channel shoot that peddles exotica. Anand L Rai knows the town, its people, and the lingo. Even Dhanush, whose south Indian accent is given a credible reason to exist in the film, says 'Banarasi launda' with a flourish. The actor who really nails it, no surprise here, is Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub, fresh off Gangs Of Wasseypur, who plays the hero's best friend.