Entertainment
Lights, camera, little action: ‘Bell Bottom’, ‘Chehre’ yet to pull crowds

Two back-to-back big releases — Akshay Kumar’s ‘Bell Bottom’ and the Amitabh Bachchan star vehicle, ‘Chehre’, both well-received by critics — may have buoyed the spirits of film exhibitors, but their box-office collections have been far from encouraging.
‘Bell Bottom’, which was released on August 19, according to trade analysts, has grossed Rs 18.55 crore till date. Compare this with the Rs 64.99 crore collected in its opening weekend by ‘Good Newzz’ (with Diljit Dosanjh), Akshay’s last film before the first nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. And that was far less than the extended opening weekend earnings — Rs 97.56 crore — of the other big 2019 film, ‘Mission Mangal’.
A number of factors have contributed to this significant drop in earnings: cinema theatres are still under lockdown in Mumbai and Pune, depriving Bollywood of 25 per cent of its revenues; the requirement in a number of malls for patrons to produce double vaccination certificates before being allowed in, which is affecting attendance in theatres located in malls; and, significantly, the closure of 1,500 single screens across India because of the pandemic-induced economic stress.
On ‘Chehre’, which opened on Friday, the analysts were not very bullish about box-office figures. Karan Taurani of Elara Capital predicted that it would make a “lifetime collection” of Rs 5-6 crore because of its “niche” storyline that only a “discerning audience” would appreciate.
Taurani also pointed out that collections have been low because of “very low occupancy in morning shows and night shows not being allowed”. He also blamed the low occupancies forced by social distancing norms being in force. Also, over the last eight days, barring this past Sunday, which did see a spike in Delhi as a result of Raksha Bandhan festivities, attendance in theatres was at an all-time low across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Exhibitors, however, are cautiously optimistic about their business coming back to life, even if partially, because of ‘Bell Bottom’ and ‘Chehre’.
Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Limited, said in a conversation with IANS: “Post the reopening of cinemas after the second wave, ‘Bell Bottom’ was the first big Bollywood movie to have hit the big screen. And it has done reasonably well within the restrictions in capacity, show limitations and weekend closures.”
He also emphasised the lockdown still in place for cinema theatres in “major markets such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.”
The sentiment was share by Rajender Singh Jyala, Chief Programming Officer, INOX Leisure.
Speaking to IANS, he said: “We have always said that the industry needed a couple of mass entertainers to kick off the recovery process, and we are glad that these have arrive and are doing phenomenally well, despite the restrictions.”
“We positively hope that the momentum built by the fantastic response to ‘Bell Bottom’ in the week gone by, and the hype around ‘Chehre’, would mark the onset of our revival journey.”
For Dutta, more than the initial numbers, it is the momentum that matters. He said to IANS: “We are encouraged by the release of the long-awaited ‘Chehre’ today. Hope this will encourage producers from the Bollywood fraternity to announce their big films for theatrical release and get movie-goers back to cinemas.”
Bollywood
SRK, Salman Khan pay visit to Aamir Khan for his early birthday celebrations, special Iftaar party

Mumbai, March 13: Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan came together for an early celebration of Aamir Khan’s 60th Birthday with a special Iftaar party in the city.
On Wednesday, the director took to the Stories section of his Instagram, and shared a BTS picture from the set.
The picture shows his team member holding a clapper-board with details of the shot being taken. This will be Shanaya’s third project after she wrapped up ‘Aankho Ki Ghustakhiyan’, and ‘Tu Ya Main’.
Earlier, Abhay’s music video of ‘Pehla Nasha 2.0’ was released. The actor called it an ode to Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan.
The video features Abhay and Pragati Nagpal that perfectly captures the spirit of first love and pays tribute to Aamir Khan’s 1992 blockbuster ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’.
Talking about the song, Abhay Verma had said, “‘Pehla Nasha’ is not just a song. It has been like a love language for me. It’s an ode to my idol Aamir sir in my own little way. It was an absolute honour to recreate what these legends had done in a responsible and respectful way and I feel more than fortunate to present this tribute as the face of the song”.
Pragati Nagpal, singer & featuring artist in the music video, whose fresh voice adds a new dimension to the song made popular by Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam, shares these sentiments.
She said, “The tunes of the nostalgic nineties still play on in our memories. Singing for ‘Pehla Nasha 2.0’ was like revisiting the magic of that era. I had such a great time singing this melody and performing the video with Abhay who shares my passion for vintage hits”.
Bollywood
Sunny declares ‘main Jaat hoon’ as he has face-off with Randeep’s Ranatunga

Mumbai, March 11: The makers of “Jaat” on Tuesday shared a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming film, which will have an epic face off between Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda.
Sunny, in a collaboration post with Mythri Movie Makers, set Instagram on fire with a gripping video teaser. The clip showcases an intense showdown between Jaat and Ranatunga, promising an epic battle of brute force and willpower.
Sunny makes a powerful entrance, cigarette in hand, taking down a swarm of enemies with bone-crushing blows. And just when the tension peaks, as he intensely declares, “Main Jaat hoon” as he is set to locks horns with the ruthless villain, played by Randeep.
“30 DAYS TO GO for #JAAT’s supremacy at the box office. This Baisakhi, a blockbuster treat will entertain you in cinemas GRAND RELEASE WORLDWIDE ON APRIL 10th #BaisakhiWithJaat,” the post was captioned.
On March 10, Randeep shared a glimpse of his menacing and fierce character Ranatunga from the upcoming film “Jaat” starring Sunny Deol.
Randeep took to Instagram, where he shared a teaser video to introduce his character. The video begins with the actor sitting in the police station. He says “Mujhe mera naam bahut pyaara ha (my name means a lot to me.)”
He then announces his character’s name: “Ranatunga”.
“My name is #Ranatunga!! The stage is set for a ruthless face-off with the #JAAT
GRAND RELEASE WORLDWIDE ON APRIL 10th. #BaisakhiWithJaat Starring Action Superstar @iamsunnydeol Directed by @dongopichand Produced by @MythriOfficial & @peoplemediafactory A @musicthaman Mass Beat,” he wrote in the caption.
“Jaat” is directed by Gopichand Malineni. It also stars Vineet Kumar Singh, Saiyami Kher, and Regina Cassandra. Each actor brings their unique intensity and depth to their roles, ensuring a captivating viewing experience.
The film features the soundtrack composed by Thaman S composing the soundtrack and Rishi Punjabi behind the lens as the Director of Photography. The editing is done by Navin Nooli, while Avinash Kolla’s production design will transport audiences into the heart of the film’s gripping world.
Produced by Mythri Movie Makers and People Media Factory, the film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu on April 10.
Bollywood
Nana Patekar, Ganesh Acharya’s lawyer releases official statement on Tanushree Dutta case

Mumbai, March 10: Nana Patekar, Ganesh Acharya’s lawyer Padma Shkatkar has released an official statement over the sexual harassment case by former actress Tanushree Dutta and said that the “court has not taken the cognizance of the case as it was barred by the Limitation Act due to delay in registration of FIR.”
The statement, which went with the headline: “Finally justice served to Actor Nana Patekar, Choreographer Ganesh Acharya , Sami Siddhiqui ( producer) and Rakesh Sarang ( director)”, stated that Tanushree was targeting the lawyer’s clients.
The statement read: “The FIR bearing No. 448/2018 in Oshiwara police station filed on 10.10.2018 by complainant actress Tanushree Dutta primarily mentions of an incident dated 23.3.2008 which was false from day one targetting my clients. She later aggravated the issue on the string operation of Sami Siddiqui conducted on 5.10.2018 and the court has rightly concluded his innocence.”
Acocrding to the statement, the police officials thoroughly conducted the investigation.
“The Oshiwara police station officer thoroughly conducted the investigation and filed a ‘B summary report’ to the Hon’ble Andheri Magistrate court and the court has not taken the cognizance of the case as it was barred by the Limitation Act due to delay in registration of FIR.”
The lawyer mentioned that “the complainant failed to make an application for condonation of delay they even failed to prove the maintainaibility of their case and the court has dismissed their case.”
“Prima facie there was no sufficient evidence to prove her contention even when there were more than 100 people present at the set while shooting. My clients failed to understand the reason for coming up with these false allegations.”
“They have a large fan following due to their hard work and dedication and the present allegations were made merely to malign the images of my clients with an ulterior motive behind.”
“But some females take advantage and misuse law targeting big respected names of the industry which is wrong and unethical leading to the downturn of the career of veterans.”
The lawyer’s statement also stated that her “clients have faced a lot in these 7 years and had to undergo excessive trauma, stress and sufferings and I have seen this personally.”
“Today the Hon’ble Magistrate Court, Andheri has given the verdict dismissing the case of the complainant . This case is definitely a beacon of light for all those men being targeted with ulterior motives by the ‘Me too’ category of litigants. We had faith in law and order, judiciary and we are delighted with the outcome of the case today.”
-
Crime3 years ago
Class 10 student jumps to death in Jaipur
-
Maharashtra5 months ago
Mumbai Local Train Update: Central Railway’s New Timetable Comes Into Effect; Check Full List Of Revised Timings & Stations
-
Maharashtra5 months ago
Mumbai To Go Toll-Free Tonight! Maharashtra Govt Announces Complete Toll Waiver For Light Motor Vehicles At All 5 Entry Points Of City
-
Maharashtra6 months ago
False photo of Imtiaz Jaleel’s rally, exposing the fooling conspiracy
-
National News5 months ago
Ministry of Railways rolls out Special Drive 4.0 with focus on digitisation, cleanliness, inclusiveness and grievance redressal
-
Crime5 months ago
Baba Siddique Murder: Mumbai Police Unable To Get Lawrence Bishnoi Custody Due To Home Ministry Order, Says Report
-
Maharashtra4 months ago
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day
-
National News6 months ago
J&K: 4 Jawans Killed, 28 Injured After Bus Carrying BSF Personnel For Poll Duty Falls Into Gorge In Budgam; Terrifying Visuals Surface