Kabali film review: Weapon of mass attraction Edit

The expectations from Kabali are as high as the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the setting for almost 80% of the movie, not least because it's a Rajinikanth movie. The reasons are varied: the audience need a taste of the Rajinikanth of yore, not a do-gooder Samaritan (Lingaa) or a CGI generated version of a warrior Prince (Kochadaiiyaan). Thalaivar fanatics just wanted him to have fun, which was rarely the case ever since Sivaji. The teasers of Kabalisuggested Rajinikanth is back to his glory days of Basha, Padayappa and Pedarayudu.
 
You wanted badass, you get industrial levels of badass in this Pa Ranjith movie. His previous film Madras had a delightful off-kilter sensibility. Sadly, here he spends too much time deifying his larger-than-life protagonist. And that makes the movie a giant 150-minute slog.
 
It opens with the erstwhile gangster getting released from a Malaysian prison after spending 25 years there. As soon as he steps out, he's apprised of how his rival gang (consisting of Kishore and Winston Chao) has grown from strength to strength and has turned the city into a teeming hub of drug abuse and prostitution.
 
Kabali starts cleaning up right away, while getting reunited with his daughter and wife along the way. You have to be punch drunk on Rajini mania to sit through the movie without dozing off or trying to play Pokemon GO at the cinema itself. The only saving grace is the man himself. The wizened visage hasn't lost a bit of its grace and infectious scowl.(more)

Filmy News

Allu Arjun, wife expecting second child

Telugu star Allu Arjun and his wife Sneha Reddy, who have been married for five years, are expecting their second child. The couple already have a son named Ayaan.

"Happy to share that my family is growing a little bigger. Another baby arriving soon," Arjun wrote on his Twitter page.(more)

Naseeruddin Shah impressed with son Imaad's performance in 'M Cream'

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is impressed with his son Imaad's performance in the film film "M Cream", which is all set to hit the screens this Friday.(more)

Anupam Kher remembers 'Pretty Woman' director Garry Marshall

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has remembered late Hollywood filmmaker Garry Marshall and said he had the "privilege" to meet him.

Anupam shared a photograph of himself with "The Princess Diaries" director, who died on Tuesday.(more)

Gaurav Arora's fan moment with Rajinikanth

It's a fan boy moment for Gaurav Arora. The actor will be travelling to Chennai to watch the first day first show of superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil action drama "Kabali" on Friday.(more)

'Kala chashma 2.0' is a party starter: Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar says the revamped and rejuvenated version of song "Kala chashma" in the film "Baar Baar Dekho" will leave behind "a huge smile on the face and a dance in demeanour".(more)

Movies & cricket serious business for Apple CEO Tim Cook's future India plans

Apple chief Executive Officer Tim Cook's visit to India, mixing plenty of leisure with work, has set off comparisons with other tech giants.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's trips to the country in 2014 and 2015 lasted for about two days. Microsoft chief Satya Nadella will come at the end of this month only for a day, the same as the duration of his previous official visit in November 2015.

Google's Sundar Pichai was in the country for two days last year. Bill Gates' first visit as the CEO of Microsoft in 1997 was short - barely two days.

Apart from limiting the number of days in an official visit to two or three, CEOs of large multinational corporations have mostly stuck to business on such trips - meeting business and political leaders, interacting with students on college campuses, and doing big-ticket launches.

Perhaps, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was a little out of the box as he went on a road show in a supply truck wearing a sherwani and waving a $2-billion note (that's the investment committed in the India market so far) in Bengaluru in September 2014. Bezos also spent almost a week in the country. But while onlookers may wonder how Cook had the time to experience even cricket and Bollywood, travelling thousands of kilometres within the country, those in the know pointed out it was more about business than just fun for the American tech giant executives.

If Apple is to stay in India, surely cricket and Bollywood cannot be ignored, seems to have been the thought behind Cook's just-concluded visit.

"He came to India with a very serious road map. Bollywood and cricket were surely on his mind for future business prospects," said film-maker Mukesh Bhatt, who was one of the people to interact with Cook when he was in Mumbai.

He said Cook spoke to everyone on the sets of Raaz Reboot, a film produced by brothers Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, with humility and like an ordinary man. "He was moved to see that Apple devices were being used in the shoot."

Read More.

Captain America: Civil War is MCU's best yet

With Captain America and Iron Man locking horns, the world of superheroes comes alive on screen

In March this year, critics had a field day pointing out how and why DC Comics and Warner Bros went wrong with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Less than two months later, Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War has hit theatres and this time there is little to complain about.

The Russo brothers (Joseph and Anthony) have taken the challenge of a superhero face-off head-on and succeeded in making an entertaining movie that completes the trilogy neatly. Take a leaf out of Marvel’s book, DC — this is how you make a clash-of-the-superheroes movie.

For the fans, the movie is a treat, with superheroes walking in and out of the frame. The very presence of so many Marvel characters meant that the movie ran the risk of being rushed and cluttered. The director duo, however, manage to keep things simple, the story and screenplay tight and the pace brisk.

In terms of screen-time, Civil War identifies Steve Rogers aka Captain America(Chris Evans) and Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) as the leads, each gaining depth in their character as the movie progresses. The rest of the cast — Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton aka Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson aka Falcon), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang aka Ant Man), Paul Bettany (Vision) and the others — come in, do their job and leave the screen.Read More

Disney's Jungle Book roars to Rs 100 crore in 10 days

Mowgli and his jungle friends are charting cinema history in India as Disney's The Jungle Book has entered the coveted Rs 100-crore club in only 10 days since its release. The film, which made its way to the Indian screens on April 8, a week ahead of its release in the US, has collected Rs 101.82 crore at the Indian box office.
It is only the second Hollywood import to do so, the first being last year's Furious 7, which collected Rs 106 crore in its lifetime in India.
Read more from our special coverage on "THE JUNGLE BOOK, DISNEY"

• Disneys on roll as Jungle Book premieres with $103.6 mn
• The Jungle Book gets over Rs 10 cr opening in India
• Disney goes gung-ho on Jungle Book as it sharpens focus on India

The Jungle Book was released in four languages in India - Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu, across formats like 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX. For the Hindi dub, the studio roped in Bollywood heavyweights like Priyanka Chopra (Ka), Nana Patekar (Sher Khan) and Irrfan Khan (Baloo), apart from recreating the famous title song of the famous Doordarshan show - Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai… The strategy paid off well, as 54 per cent of the film's total collections have come from the Indian languages.
Amrita Pandey, vice-president - studios, Disney India, says, "We are thrilled that our conviction in the movie has paid off. Right from the call to release it in India a week before (the US), to the way it has been marketed, things have worked out fine. I think this sets a precedent on treating Hollywood films in India. Of course, not every film will lend itself so seamlessly to localisation but if you pick the right film, there is a lot of scope for Hollywood films in India."

She adds that having a robust voice cast for Hindi has helped widen the audience scope, and encouraged repeat viewing of the film. "Many people who have seen the film in English want to see it a second time in Hindi. The film has a deep connect with India not only because the story is set here, but also because entire generations have grown up watching Mowgli's adventures on TV. In fact, multiplex properties that usually do not run Hindi dub prints of Hollywood movies have started multiple shows, seeing the response to the dub versions nationally," says Pandey. Read More.

Fan to release in 3,000 screens in India

After 3.5 years, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) is back with the studio largely responsible for his rise to stardom — Yash Raj Films (YRF), for the April 15 release Fan. Before this, Khan starred in YRF founder Yash Chopra’s swansong directorial venture Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012 which went on to make more than Rs 100 crore at the box office.

Times have changed now however, and a Rs 100 crore collection figure is no longer a recipe or assurance of profitability. In this case, the movie will need to cross the double century mark, since the cost of production and marketing is around Rs 105 crore. In order to make profits, Fan will need to make more than Rs 210 crore.

Releasing in 3000 screens in India and 700 screens abroad, analysts believe that the film can make around Rs 8 to 20 crore on the first day, it being a bank holiday and summer vacation time at schools and colleges. However collections from the second day will depend on word of mouth and social media response. If all goes to plan, the film should be able to make around Rs 55-60 crore in the first weekend say trade pundits.

Suniel Wadhwa, independent distributor and box office analyst says, “SRK-YRF are teaming up forFan after Jab Tak Hain Jaan directed by Yash Chopra. Fan is the fourth film under banner of YRF which is being directed by Maneesh Sharma. The teaser and main trailer have attracted the audience and looks promising as it has already created a buzz among moviegoers and diehard SRK fans.” This will beShah Rukh Khan first thriller after Don 2 which released in 2011. Fans and audiences in general seem to be looking forward to seeing King Khan in a role that is not only romantic and/or slapstick.

Shaaminder Malik, an independent distributor and trade analyst for North India, however is sceptical of the film’s chances. “Being the solo release on a festival weekend, the film will get a decent opening. But beyond that, it is tricky. Barring one song, the music hasn’t really taken off. With The Jungle Book doing so well, the content offering of Fan will have to be very good to draw more audiences. Let’s wait and see how it goes.”Read More.