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March 14, 2000
5 QUESTIONS |
Govinda, who fancies No 1 in the titles of his starrers, is now aiming to become No 1 in another field. The star has jumped into the distribution arena (in Bombay) and will be releasing Hadh Kar Di Aapne -- which has Rani Mukherjee opposite him -- on April 14. Know what he has named his distribution concern? Govinda Yashvardhan No 1 Distributors! Yashvardhan, his partner, is his four-year-old son! It would be interesting to watch if Govinda proves lucky in distribution with the No 1 tag. A nice gesture
Tax free, at last While on tax exemptions, wonder what made the Maharashtra government drag its feet over granting a similar status to Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Although all national award-winning films are granted tax-free status by the government of Maharashtra, it took them one year to put its seal on the tax-free order for Kuch Kuch...Well, kya kya hota hai!
The jingle of ringing cash registers is sweet music to any producer's/hero's ears. And so it must be to Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan as well. But what happens when the jingle of money comes together with constant ringing of the telephone? Ever since the release of Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai, the Roshans have been flooded with telephone calls from friends and acquaintances from all over India and abroad. And from innumerable fans, of course. The callers compliment them for the grand success and also enquire after Roshan Sr's health (remember, he was targeted by the underworld and then had to undergo a bypass heart surgery?). Since the overseas calls come mostly in the middle of the night, Rakesh often keeps awake all night. The producer-director of the superhit film has, therefore, done the best thing one could: he has got his old phones disconnected and opted for new numbers. Fans would now need to ask their heart-throb and his dad, "Kaho naa...naya telephone number kya hai?" Satellite gains The satellite market for Hindi films is looking up. With newer satellite channels opening up, the demand for films to be telecast on the channels has increased dramatically. B4U, the channel in US and UK, is starting operations in India too. The Adhikari Brothers, one of the premiere producers of television software in the country, are soon starting a full-time channel. Sahara channel is already on air with trial runs. Producers are having a field day because they are getting the best bargains. A clear case of the more, the merrier! Pulling a fast one
Hrithik fever: will it last? The question uppermost on everyone's mind is whether Hrithik Roshan will be able to live up to the euphoria surrounding him. His next two releases will be Mission Kashmir and Fiza. Both these films are not the usual boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love dramas. They are rather stark and realistic films. If Hrithik is able to hold his own in these different films too, it would be great. His fourth release would be Subhash Ghai's Yaadein. That, of course, will exploit Hrithik's lover-boy image to the hilt. But Ghai's film will roll next month and is expected to hit the screens only after 10 or 12 months.
After Shool, what? Raveena Tandon has now signed a film called Khajuraho. For those who do not know, Khajuraho is a place in India known for its temples depicting erotic sculptures. Bachchan, Indra Kumar strike deal Amitabh Bachchan and Indra Kumar were supposed to come together in a film which the latter was to direct for ABCL. The project never took off. But AB and Kumar did strike a deal of a different sort. ABCL had the Hindi remaking rights of a Tamil film, Gulabi, which it has sold to Indra Kumar. Since ABCL is not producing films, it readily parted with the rights when Kumar evinced interest in the film. The remake will start shortly with Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles. Going public A whole lot of producers are planning to go public. There is frantic activity in production offices these days with several top producers toeing the Zee line and contemplating raising funds from the market by public offerings. Cinevista, a television software company, recently offered its shares to the public and the issue was greatly over-subscribed. Let's see how some of the top film production banners of the country fare in the capital market.
A look at the week
Komal Nahta edits the popular trade magazine, Film Information. Do tell us what you think of this column
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It is heartening to note that some state governments have granted entertainment tax exemption to a well-deserved film like Pukar. That Boney Kapoor's ambitious project tackles the Indo-Pak enmity rather boldly and bluntly is laudable. The exemption of entertainment tax by the Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments underlines the fact that all is not lost for purposeful films with a message. A couple of other states are expected to follow suit. Wonder what these tax-exemptions must be making the Censor Board feel. For, the board had, while passing the entire film, objected to a hard-hitting scene in it. The scene mentioned Pakistan as the mischief-maker which the Censors felt was too bold for comfort. It was due to the intervention by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister that the Censor Board reconsidered its decision. The film has now been granted tax exemption with that scene.
Perils of success
It's strange how some makers like to drag their films in cinema halls just to satisfy their egos. Ajay Devgan's home production, Dil Kya Kare, may have bombed, but that hasn't stopped the guy from letting it run in one cinema or the other in Bombay until it celebrated silver jubilee this week! Phew! When films with merit find it difficult to complete 100 days, does Ajay think people are foolish enough to believe that a flop like Dil Kya Kare celebrated a jubilee? Another bomb, Thakshak, has completed 100 days. It is a pure coincidence that both the films star Ajay in the lead. And both have been distributed by Devgan himself in Bombay where they have 'celebrated' silver jubilee/100 days.
Raveena in Khajuraho