Arunava Sinha's 'The Laboratory'
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Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
When Dhanush revealed Aanand L Rai put in his own money to hire him for Raanjhanaa: ‘They didn't have the right kind of budget for me'
Dhanush, a force to reckon with in the Tamil film industry, made a memorable Bollywood debut with Aanand L Rai's 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa. He played Kundan, a Varanasi boy who goes from being an unrequited lover to a key political voice in New Delhi. The actor revealed last month on the film's 12th anniversary that he almost didn't do the film because of budgetary constraints. 'At that time, they didn't have the right kind of budget for hiring me as the lead actor. But this man's (Aanand L Rai) passion was so strong that he just wanted me to play Kundan. He could have offered any actor this part and they would have happily come on board. After all, it's such a great part,' said Dhanush at a special fan screening of Raanjhanaa. 'But he went against all odds. I don't know I am supposed to say this and I don't care! He invested his own money as well. He went all out (to cast me). He saw Kundan in me and he stayed true to his vision,' added Dhanush. The actor confessed that he didn't feel as nervous on his debut Tamil film as he did on his first Hindi film, for the same reason. 'I was not scared during my first film. When I was written off, I was not scared. That's how I am. But for the first time, I was scared. I felt responsible. So, I was praying so hard to God that 'Somehow save this man,'' said Dhanush, adding, 'They made a cult classic. It is not the story of Kundan and Zoya. It is the story of two mad men who believed in this.' Also Read: Eros denies Aanand L Rai's stand on re-release of Raanjhanaa, says using AI to present 'a respectful creative reinterpretation' of original Raanjhanaa also stars Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. Last year, in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Aanand L Rai also revealed he initially planned to cast Ranbir Kapoor for Kundan's role. 'An actor who keeps himself simple and lets himself blend into the crowd, which is a difficult thing, I believe Ranbir Kapoor is like this, but he was not available at that time and as we were searching for such an actor, we found Dhanush,' said Rai, who went on to collaborate with Dhanush in the 2021 film Atrangi Re and the upcoming movie Tere Ishq Mein, which is from 'the same world as Raanjhanaa.'
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Sarzameen: Ibrahim Ali Khan's terrible film accidentally gets you to root for a terrorist to kill an Indian soldier, and you can't even deny it
In Sarzameen, a stern military man allows his only son to be murdered by terrorists in Kashmir because… nation comes first or something. You often hear about parents who proudly declare that they are willing to sacrifice their children for the country, and perhaps Prithviraj Sukumaran's Vijay Menon is cut from the same cloth as those folks. The only difference is that his son isn't a soldier on the front-lines, but a child for whom he feels no love. Played by Ibrahim Ali Khan, the child's name is Harman, and the only reason his father hates him is that he isn't like the other boys; he's timid, he can't play sports, and he speaks with a stutter. Bizarrely enough, Sarzameen implies that Vijay wouldn't have let his son die had he conformed to the 'norms' of boyhood. If Harman didn't have a speech impediment, the movie suggests, he'd likely have lived. It's an astounding thought that struck absolutely nobody in the Dharma writing incubator that coughed up this script, which relies almost exclusively on contrivance, convenience, and coincidence to keep the plot moving. Sarzameen expects us to root for a reunion of some kind after it reveals that Harman miraculously survived a bullet to the head — nobody dies in this movie, even after being shot at point-blank range — but unintentionally gets us to cheer for a terrorist to kill a member of the Indian Army. Also read – Nadaaniyan: Ibrahim Ali Khan makes one of the worst debuts in years; is Karan Johar determined to set fire to his career before it even begins? Only a complete failure in storytelling can send a viewer so wildly off track. Sarzameen is directed by Kayoze Irani, who showed such promise with his heartfelt short film in Ajeeb Daastaans. For him to have selected this as his feature debut makes no sense; as it is, it feels like he wasn't involved in the conceptualisation and execution of the action scenes at all. His focus, presumably, was on the drama. And it's drama straight out of a poor '90s movie; you can imagine how competent Sarzameen is when you realise that even Netflix, which gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to Nadaaniyan, drew the line. As with that film, it feels like every line of dialogue here has been dubbed in a booth and not performed on set. Hindi isn't Prithviraj's mother tongue, and acting doesn't come naturally to Ibrahim. He shows up only after the first act, when Harman inexplicably escapes from the clutches of his captors and reappears in his parents' lives. For some reason, his mother, played by Kajol, is still married to Vijay, even after he abandoned Harman and left him to die. Had Sarzameen shown us what happened during those eight years, her decision would've made sense. But because it doesn't, you're left to assume that the only reason she stuck around is because she has a job to fulfil in the film's third act. Unlike Brody from Homeland, who was closely monitored by the CIA after he returned from captivity tried to begin his life afresh, Harman is simply allowed to go home to his parents. They barely recognise him. He no longer has a stutter, and he seems more confident than he used to be. Vijay is convinced that he's an imposter — the fact that he believes Harman would be the same person who 'died' eight years ago is bananas. Vijay knows that Harman was living with terrorists; he knows that Harman was probably tortured and brainwashed. And still, he welcomes Harman into his house without having him cleared first. Sarzameen seems to think that the dramatic conflict of these scenes rests in whether Harman is Vijay's son, and not whether he's a terrorist. The more suspicious Vijay becomes of Harman, the more you want to lean in and remind him that it's all his fault. Consequently, you root for the kid to shoot him in the face. This almost happens in the pre-interval scene, by the way. But the scene ends with a twist so wild that its sole purpose, seemingly, is to disarm you for the further insanity that Sarzameen has prepared for the climax. Let's talk about it. It is revealed that Harman was, indeed, a militant brainwashed against his father, who, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume, is the living manifestation of India. The villains didn't have to work too hard; Vijay did have him murdered, after all. The movie would've been far more complex had Harman come from a loving home, or if it had shown Harman commit a terrible crime before resurrecting himself. It's almost as if the most interesting chunk of the story — the eight years that Harman spent away from home — was deliberately edited out. Read more – Ae Watan Mere Watan: Heartbreaking, the worst film you've seen just made some strong political points Vijay, of course, has an awakening. But nothing can redeem him; he's like the dad from Udaan, but if he was also a child-killer. The real twist — and Abbas Mustan would be so proud of Kayoze — is that Kajol's character was a double agent all along. It's like they're gifting the Saiyaara generation with their own version of Gupt: The Hidden Truth. She was sent to spy on the Indian Army, but she fell for Vijay and had a child with him. Why she fell in love with a man like him isn't something that the movie feels confident enough to explain. And, having seen what sort of guy he is, it's impossible for the viewer to fill in the blanks either. Sarzameen is, after all, a movie that paints an Army officer as the villain and projects militants as morally justified in their actions. So, why can't it be appreciated like the scores of films made about America's war crimes after 9/11? Why does Sarzameen have more in common with Kajol's own Fanaa — the film's Harry Potter connections deserve a separate article — than it does with something like The Forever Prisoner, a film that understands the difference between empathising with a wrongdoer and actively cheering them on. By relying on trivial tropes, the movie does a disservice not only to its own characters, but also a very real geopolitical issue.
Mint
19 minutes ago
- Mint
Saiyaara Box Office Collection Day 10: Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda's movie earns ₹75 crore in 2nd weekend
Saiyaara Box Office Collection Day 10: Ahaan Pandey and Aneet Padda's debut movie, Saiyaara, has continued its dream run right into the second weekend at both the domestic and worldwide box office, minting an excellent ₹ 75 crore. With this, the Mohit Suri directorial, which is already the biggest opener for debutants in Hindi cinema's history, has become one of the biggest second weekends ever. From multiplex audiences to single screens in mass circuits, Saiyaara is enjoying exceptional word of mouth across demographics. This dream run is expected to continue for Saiyaara till at least August 1, after which it will face some competition from Dhadak 2 and Son of Sardaar 2. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Saiyaara witnessed a 17.66% jump in its earnings on Sunday, minting an impressive ₹ 31.18 crore net on its second Sunday. With this, Saiyaara has minted ₹ 75.18 crore on its second weekend, which is only 10% less than what it earned during its opening weekend. The outstanding second weekend numbers indicate its 'long legs' at the box office. Saiyaara's 10-day total now stands at ₹ 248.43 crore net in India. It will possibly achieve ₹ 300 crore net by the end of the second week. Sacnilk reported that Saiyaara is performing exceedingly well in North America, the UK, the Middle East, and Australia. After 10 days, Saiyaara has grossed approximately ₹ 370 crore worldwide, of which around ₹ 120 crore gross came in the second weekend. Saiyaara is now just ₹ 7 crore away from the lifetime gross of Shahid Kapoor-Kiara Advani's Kabir Singh ( ₹ 377 crore), which would make it the highest-grossing romantic Indian film of all time. It will likely surpass it by Monday. Ready for its ₹ 400 crore gross feat by Tuesday, Saiyaara now eyes the ₹ 500 crore milestone. Saiyaara is a romance-drama about Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday), a budding musician, and Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda), a shy writer. Through their relationship, the film explores love, loss, and drama.
