Shah Rukh Khan Has A Contingency Plan For His Film, Zero

Said to be mounted on a budget of Rs 200 crore, Zero finds pride of place in Shah Rukh Khan's filmography as his most expensive film to date. While the mammoth budget would give sleepless nights to most producers, one can count on Khan's astute business skills to ensure that the project does not spell losses for him. With over two months to go before the Aanand L Rai-directed venture hits screens, trade sources indicate that the superstar has already recovered approximately Rs 130 crore through telecast rights, music rights and in-film branding. A trade source reveals, "The satellite rights have apparently been sold at a whopping sum to Sony Pictures. Plus, Shah Rukh's standing collaboration with Netflix has helped him bag a lucrative deal with the streaming giant for the film's digital rights."

Filmmaker Kabir Khan’s next directorial venture 83 is set to go on floors from June 5 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The film features Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, captain of the World Cup-winning Indian cricket team of 1983.

The team will shoot at a local cricket club in the Scottish port city for a week, followed by other popular locations like Dulwich college in London, Edinburgh cricket club, Nevill Ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent and the Oval cricket ground.

“Since it’s a real-life story, this film involved a lot of training and research. Now that it’s going on the floors, starting with the Glasgow schedule, everyone’s excited to recreate a journey that made history, all thanks to our cricketing heroes of the 83 team,” Kabir said in a statement.

The film will chronicle India’s win under Kapil’s captainship when the team defeated West Indies in the final to clinch their first-ever World Cup trophy in 1983.

The film, presented by Reliance Entertainment, also features Pankaj Tripathi, Saqib Saleem, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jatin Sharma, Ammy Virk and Hardy Sandhu.

Ali Abbas Zafar spent several days thinking about a perfect name for the lead character of his upcoming film and the director says he even delved into mythology until he got a perfect title in Bharat. The film, which is scheduled to release on June 2019, is a remake of Ode To My Father. Ali says he was extremely impressed with the 2014 Korean drama but the adaptation had to be in sync with the Indian sensibilities. "I didn't want to call it 'Ode to My Father.' I wasn't looking only at the promise he makes to his father but a lot of other things. I told Salman I'll make the film as not only his but the nation's journey. But I needed to know what the character should be called," Ali told PTI. The director said since Salman was headlining it, the film had to be "completely re-written", while simultaneously finding an ideal Indian name for the hero. "I thought Ram is an ideal hero from mythology. Could the character be called Arjun because he is doing it for his dharma, karma? Or should he be called Karna, a selfless hero. What do I call the film? "I felt if he is synonymous with what the nation has been over the generations, he should be named after the country. One night at 3AM, I was tossing on the bed, thinking hard, and then I had it: Bharat," he said. He immediately shared the name with Salman and producer Atul Agnihotri. "Producer Sajid Nadiadwala had the title registered under him so I told him about our film. Both Salman and Atul also jumped on it. Once I found the title, I started writing the film." The writing process for Bharat lasted almost a year and a half and Ali said, of all the Salman films, this one has gone through severe drafting. He said, "To bring out an emotion is the most difficult thing in a film. If you can crack that code, crack the reason you're making the film and how the audience will react, everything else becomes peripheral. Once I understood the emotion we were trying to show the film was set." 'Bharat' is solely a film on relationships. That was a new territory for me. At 36, I wanted to explore a man at 70. I pushed myself," said Ali. The film features the 53-year-old superstar in several looks, depicting changing decades, and Ali says Bharat has "six Salman Khan films in it." "The soul is the same throughout every look but every chapter is like a story, with a beginning, middle and an end. Like the thin moustache he sports is a hat tip to the Guru Dutt era. As we evolved, the look changed with bell bottoms, the language changed- from Urdu it become Hindustani and few English words came in. Along with the language graph, the visual tone also changes." Ali credited Salman for giving his best in the film. "If I'm calling Bharat as old as the nation, he needs to look like that, someone who has seen everything and evolved. Salman had no apprehension. He understands his audience really well. He thought that the old man look will get the maximum impact. He is bang-on in that look and with his performance," the director said.

Priyanka Chopra has a new role, as tech Investor

In one of her first acts as a startup investor, actress Priyanka Chopra recently toured the San Francisco home of her new portfolio company, a coding education company called Holberton School. The campus resembles a WeWork more than a school, with open-plan rows of desks, decorative neon lights and meeting rooms named after famous people. The school uses projects and group learning instead of more traditional courses, to teach software development. “You just hang out and you’re learning,” Chopra said. “It’s amazing.” Chopra, 36, has been doing a lot of hanging out and learning in technology circles lately. In between presenting at the Emmys, sitting in the front row at New York Fashion Week, celebrating the birthday of her fiancé, Nick Jonas, in Texas, and darting to her native India to act in a movie, she has squeezed in meetings with startup founders and lined up future investments. “Geeks are taking over the world,” Chopra said. “If they haven’t already,” she quickly added. There’s no shortage of celebrities investing in tech startups. So far, deals from male actors, athletes and musical artists have garnered much more attention than those from famous women. Ashton Kutcher is a regular at tech conferences; Carmelo Anthony and Nas have their own funds; Leonardo DiCaprio has been an adviser to at least three venture firms. Tyra Banks, Beyoncé and Demi Lovato have participated in startup deals. But few women have built robust portfolios. Chopra said she did not yet know how many deals she will do or how much money she would invest, but she does plan on building a portfolio. On Wednesday she announced her second investment, in Bumble, a dating and social media app founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, one of the most prominent startup founders in tech.Chopra plans to help promote Bumble’s launch in India in the coming months. Chopra was introduced to tech investing by her manager, Anjula Acharia, a founder and angel investor who spent time as an entrepreneur-in-residence and partner at Trinity Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Acharia has worked with Chopra since 2010. Acharia was the first investor in ClassPass, a fitness booking startup; she made a return on the company’s most recent round of funding. She’s also invested in Bulletproof Coffee, Health-Ade Kombucha and The Muse. She said Jimmy Iovine, a mentor who backed her entertainment startup, DesiHits, taught her how to anticipate cultural trends. Acharia has straddled Hollywood and Silicon Valley says that, as an Indian woman, she has been a rarity in both worlds. On weekends, at the Hollywood parties she has frequented with Chopra, Acharia noticed they were often the only South Asians in attendance. Then, on weekday meetings with entrepreneurs and partners at Trinity Ventures, she was often the only woman. “I was always a minority,” she said. With Holberton involvement, Acharia and Chopra are making an effort to help change the tech industry’s gender disparity. After the musical performer Ne-Yo invested in Holberton and began to promote the school to his fans, applications from underrepresented minorities increased. Now, two thirds of Holberton’s students are people of color, and 30 percent are women. Chopra plans to promote the school to her fans as well. “If one day, because of Priyanka, it became 100 percent women, I’d be cool with that,” Acharia said. Founded in 2015, Holberton teaches students to code for free, then charges 17 percent of their paycheck for 3 1/2 years after they graduate. All of its graduates have found jobs. Chopra’s investment is part of an $8.2 million round of funding for Holberton which closed in April. She will join the company’s board of advisers. Chopra emphasized her support for Holberton’s mission to educate people from underprivileged backgrounds. Her investments will skew heavily toward companies with an element of social impact, and companies founded by women. “I don’t want to just be one of those people who’s like, ‘Yeah, I want to be on the tech bandwagon — how are they making so much money,’” she said, surveying the Holberton workspace in a cream pantsuit and snakeskin stilettos. “It’s not about that.” Chopra has worked with UNICEF to advocate for children since 2006, focused mostly on developing nations. But a dinner conversation with Acharia around the time of the 2016 election turned to education in America. That led Acharia to introduce Chopra to the Holberton School’s founders. “I think Holberton was the gateway drug for Priyanka,” Acharia said.

What Deepika Padukone Thought Of Ranveer Singh The First Time She Met Him

Despite the swirling wedding rumours, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have not yet admitted to their relationship. Though they are said to wed in November, there is no announcement. On Friday, the two were asked about their wedding at an event in New Delhi. Ranveer quipped that they would tell the world when it happens. Fans were quick to point out that since they are not denying the nuptials means it is happening. Dippy also revealed at the event that when she first met Ranveer, she felt he was not her type. Talk about opposites attracting each other.

Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have been all over the headlines recently for their stunning appearance at the Met Gala 2019. Both the actresses walked the red carpet perfectly suited for the theme of "Camps: Note on Fashion". However, no one could stop gazing at Priyanka Chopra who made jaws drop with her spooky attire. Another Bollywood actress, Kangana Ranaut is all set to make her second red carpet appearance at the prestigious Cannes film festival in France. The actress has opted for leading celebrity stylist, Ami Patel to style all her looks at Cannes this year. Reportedly, the actress will wear a unique saree which will bring the forgotten weaves to the fore so that the world is more aware of India's rich fabrics and culture. Talking about her Bollywood counterparts Deepika and Priyanka dazzling the red carpet at the Met Gala 2019, Kangana said that it's wonderful how Priyanka and Deepika are making their mark there. However, the 'Manikarnika' actress said veteran actor Rekha really defines the real meaning of ‘Camp’ in India. On the work front, Kangana Ranaut will be next seen in 'Mental Hai Kya' starring alongside Rajkummar Rao. The film is slated to hit the screens on July 26.

Thoughts ON HUMANITY

It’s happening! Salman Khan’s Kick 2...

Saaho Story: A huge empire, crores at stake and too many villains. No one can be trusted. So will the balance of power be restored and can one man do whatever it takes to restore the balance of power and defeat the bad guys?

REVIEW: You probably know the answer to the above question, but writer-director Sujeeth takes you through a maze of twists and turns before he gets there. Pegged as India's biggest action thriller, 'Saaho' gets into the action mode pretty early on. The film begins with signature wide angles of massive structures and grim-looking men, who mean serious business. All through the first half, the narrative travels through cities trying to connect high-stake robberies in Mumbai and the search of a missing black box that is the key to a fortune. Enters the film's leading man, Prabhas, with a loud, high-octane fight scene that sets the stage for many more such confrontations. With his towering screen presence, Prabhas fits the bill perfectly in this larger than life role. However, if you're expecting his 'Baahubali' charm to rub off again, then his avatar in this one is a far stretch. His dialogue delivery seems deliberately slow, but for most part, the way his character unfolds, it keeps the viewer guessing. Shraddha Kapoor looks glamorous, but her character is poorly sketched. Introduced as a tough-talking cop, she soon becomes a damsel in distress, who often needs to be saved rather than she saving the world. Even the chemistry between the lead pair is missing.
Among the many villains, Chunky Pandey as Devraj stands out with a very convincing portrayal of his evil character. The rest come off as mere caricatures, who fail to make an impact. The songs are untimely placed in the narrative, only adding to an already long runtime. Attempts to infuse humour fall flat as none of the jokes land.
'Saaho', surely delivers well as an action extravaganza with a climax that compensates for its many flaws. Thanks to the action choreography by internationally acclaimed stunt directors like Peng Zhang and Kenny Bates.
The film's second half picks pace, but is marred by a weak narrative that requires constant suspension of disbelief. Also, the special effects and CGI often lack the finesse that a film mounted on such a grand scale deserved.
Overall, 'Saaho' attempts at being a potboiler that fires in all directions to entertain the audience. There are so many twists and turns that it leaves you more exhausted than excited.

Batla House Story: ACP Sanjay Kumar goes under intense scrutiny after his team conducts an operation killing two alleged IM operatives and arresting one at Batla House in Delhi. And there are two more who managed to escape and are on the run. While the media, activists and politicians allege it’s a fake encounter will he be able to prove otherwise?

REVIEW: On 13th September 2008, serial blasts shook the city of Delhi killing 26 people and injuring over 100.A week later, on the morning of 19th September 2008, a narrow bylane in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, was rattled by the sounds of gunfire exchanges. Officially known as Operation Batla House, this was Delhi Police Special Cell’s shoot out with the alleged terrorists responsible for the Delhi blasts holed up in a flat, in the now infamous Batla House.This is perhaps one of the most controversial chapters of the Delhi Police as several questions were raised on the arrests and killings, including that of martyred encounter specialist and Delhi Police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma. The operation was spearheaded by then ACP and now DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
‘Batla House’, the film is a fictionalized account of the operation and the controversies that followed.
Told through the eyes of an upright ACP, Sanjay Kumar (John Abraham), Nikkhil Advani’s ‘Batla House’ attempts to balance out the narrative without taking any apparent sides. And yet packs in the right dose of patriotism with the story of an honest ACP at its center. Paced as a thriller, for most part the film stays true to the genre. Batla House plays out as a taut film with the tension entwined throughout, leaving you with knots in the stomach.The brilliantly choreographed action and chase sequences ensure several edge of the seat moments. Where Batla House falters is in the second half, when the proceedings slacken with the court room drama slowing it down further. Despite some clap worthy dialogues making it there. And some of the complexities and nuances are filtered down. Nora Fatehi’s dance number seems a force fit in an otherwise grim narrative, though her character is weaved in well.
But there is no doubt this is John Abraham’s film all the way, he is well cast in the role of a committed ACP, who is a man of few words, and arguably gives his career’s best so far.Even his strained relationship with his wife Nandita (Mrunal Thakur) and his internal angst are etched out effectively. It’s an all-consuming role and John Abraham nails the body language and the intensity.Ravi Kishan as Inspector Kishan Kumar Verma and Mrunal Thakur are well cast though Rajesh Sharma as the defence lawyer (in a wig that is an eye sore), comes across as over dramatic.
Despite some of the flaws, 'Batla House' makes for a gripping, intense watch.

Mission Mangal Story: A team of Indian scientists at ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) take on the extraordinary task of successfully sending a satellite into the orbit of planet Mars in a country's maiden attempt.

REVIEW: A dream doesn't become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work to make it come true. That's what Indian scientists at ISRO have gone through for the past five decades, leaving behind their personal lives, making their families second priority and propelling themselves into a pursuit of scientific achievement. One of the glorious chapters in their success story was the 2014 Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), more popularly called the Mangalyaan Mission. Against all odds, India became the first country in the world to break many space and Earth barriers and reach the distant planet in its first attempt. 'Mission Mangal' is a film that dramatises and recreates this glorious chapter in Indian history. This deeply patriotic film takes a few cinematic liberties along the way, while doing that, it delves into the lives of the scientists who made this almost-impossible dream come true. The film throws light on how scientists who go through the humdrum of everyday life, when at work they show grit, gumption and tremendous drive to achieve the unthinkable. The focuss on human drama is endearing, but we would have like to see more action happening at ISRO, which we know very little of.
The story picks up in 2010, when a team at ISRO is led by Rakesh (Akshay Kumar) as they launch a rocket into outer space. But that launch mission ends up in unexpected failure when a technical error forces the rocket to veer towards earth. The ill-fated error happens under the watchful eye of one of the mission directors Tara (Vidya Balan), but during the media-fuelled fiasco later on, Rakesh takes the blame for it. As a result, Rakesh is assigned to the far-fetched Mars Mission at ISRO, which other scientists at the organisation believes is nothing but a flight of fancy. But, the patriotic Rakesh and the industrious Tara decide to fight the odds and put India on the space map, again. Dealing with minuscule budgets, scrutiny from their peers and pressure from all quarters Rakesh and Tara, make a team of junior scientists from ISRO with the intention of putting the Mars Mission into space within 24 months.
Writer-director Jagan Shakti's film takes complex scientific jargon and simplifies it for the common man. The narrative also cleverly makes use of logic, home science and alternate science to add quirky entertainment into the mix. The storytelling is backed by solid characters in the MOM team, who have scientifically thought out solutions for their real-life problems, too. MOM's team comprises of five strong women Tara, Eka (Sonakshi Sinha), Neha (Kirti Kulhari), Kritika (Taapsee Pannu) and Varsha (Nithya Menen) who wrack their brains and come up with innovative, low-cost solutions for the Mars mission. Part of the same team are Parmeshwar (Sharma Joshi) and Ananth (HG Dattatreya).
Moments of heightened drama in the screenplay are tailor-made to please the audience, especially those who don't have a knack for theories, equations and numbers. Mission Mangal simplifies its complex subject so that viewers of all ages and backgrounds can engage with the story and the characters. On the flipside, the simplicity does get a bit too convenient on more than one occasion. The narrative could have focused more on the nuances of the mission and the authenticity of the mission control at ISRO. At times, the characters get a bit over-the-top and then on occasions the screenplay gets a bit pedantic. Even the CGI is pretty average. But then, the feeling of patriotism and national pride does eclipse the minor pitfalls of this mission.
The performances by the ensemble cast are strong. Akshay Kumar leads the cast with Vidya Balan as the parallel lead. Both actors team up to give measured and engaging performances as scientists who give their heart and soul to realise India's dream of being a big player in the international space race. They are ably supported by Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menen. Their team also has Sharman Joshi and senior actor HG Dattatreya, who bring in some moments of levity to the drama. Sanjay Kapoor in a brief cameo, looks outrageous at best. Dalip Tahil, who plays the NASA-return scientist with a half-American half-Indian accent doles out more laughs than advice for the other characters.
Under the vision of creative director R Balki and an average execution by filmmaker Jagan Shakti, 'Mission Mangal' makes good with its emotional highs and drama. In the end, when you see India's scientists celebrate their hard-earned victory with the Mangalyaan orbiting Mars, you can't help but cheer for the triumph of a nation and its scientific success. Despite the ups and downs, this story does make you believe that dreams do come true, especially in the vast expanses of the outer space.

Jabariya Jodi Story: Abhay Singh (Sidharth Malhotra) runs a syndicate of kidnapping greedy grooms, who demand dowry in Bihar’s Madhopur. He then, forcefully marries them off to the girl, calling it a ‘surprise party’. But when his childhood sweetheart Babli (Parineeti Chopra) re-enters his life, he must choose between love and his long-term ambitions.

REVIEW: Prepaid kidnappings followed by Shotgun shaadis – this is the dowry central of Bihar where grooms and goons are the only two, who mint money. Abhay Singh is at the top his game ensuring no dulha demanding dahej is spared of becoming a Jabariya Jodi (forced couple) – a real problem in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where it’s called pakadwa shaadi. Director Prashant Singh and writer Sanjeev K Jha try to tackle these serious societal issues with a pinch of humour. They succeed in making you chuckle quite a few times in the first half with hilarious punches like ‘rukawat ke liye khed hai, tumhara kidnap prepaid hai’ and ‘yeh toh emotion ka loose motion lagta hain’. This ensures that the first half remains breezy and light, even though a lot of it doesn’t make much sense. However, the writing in the second half is all over the place and banal. The story becomes increasingly melodramatic, robbing the film of its humour or the impact for the message that it tries to deliver.
Film’s leading man, Sidharth Malhotra makes the frame look good, but feels like a misfit in the role of a small town gunda. Even with colourful shirts, dark scarfs and tacky sunglasses, he doesn’t quite make the cut as a menacing goon that he is supposed to be. Ditto for Parineeti, who is always glammed up in chic designer wear, even when she’s in an emotional turmoil. Her character starts off being quite feisty, earning the moniker ‘Babli Bomb’ for publicly beating up her boyfriend, for being stood up. But her transition from a ‘bomb’ to a bechari isn’t convincing at all. While both the actors put in their best, with Parineeti getting the Bihari accent bang on, the writing is what eventually lets them down. Among the character actors, Javed Jaffrey and Sanjay Mishra are impressive and entertaining. Aparshakti Khurana, as the forever friendzoned lover is decent, but his character seems way too good to be real.
Jabariya Jodi starts on a promising note, but loses steam along the way. It tries to throw light on serious issues with lighter moments, but gets tangled in a melodramatic and unrealistic narrative that doesn’t feel all that jabardust.

Several of his friends and filmi folks, who haven't seen him on the big screen in four years, have been congratulating him for attempting to play a teacher who speaks shudh Hindi, a tribute to his father Dharmendra's character in 'Chupke Chupke'. Now that the film, which centres around vasectomy, is all set to hit the screens, the actor will start looking at the other projects he has been offered. For Bobby, his dad has always been a huge inspiration. He says, "I am hungry for work. I want to collaborate with good directors on interesting scripts. I am happy that Poster Boys has got me back on everyone's minds. I am looking forward to new subjects and roles." The upcoming comedy, the remake of a Marathi film of the same name, also features macho Sunny Deol as one of the victims of a campaign that promotes vasectomy. The reason an actor with a repertoire of action films agreed to be a part of this light-hearted project is that today, meritorious content seems to have outshined big-budget projects. 'Poster Boys', produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Sunny Sounds Pvt Ltd, Shreyas and Deepti Talpade, releases on September 8.