Showing posts with label Gowarikar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gowarikar. Show all posts
Saturday, September 05, 2009
All well between Ashutosh & Rahman
A. R. Rahman is a musician with whom every filmmaker wants to work over and over again.
So, when Ashutosh Gowariker decided to break away from the collaboration after successes like Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar, speculations were rife that the two had fallen apart.
However, Ashutosh clarifies that they are still good friends.
"Why I could not work with Rahman for What's Your Rashee? was because I wanted to finish this film quickly. But he was already booked for months for films like Slumdog Millionaire and Delhi 6 then. I would have required a lot of time considering I needed 13 songs for the film. So we decided that we shall skip it this time," he says.
"But I think I have got great music from Sohail (Sen) in this film as well. His father had introduced me to him and asked if I would like to listen to his son. And I was very impressed with his capability," adds the director.
Courtesy: indiatoday.intoday.in
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Gowariker picks new composer over Rahman for...Rashee?
After working with Oscar-winning music maestro A R Rahman in three of his hits—Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar, director Ashutosh Gowariker has roped in Sohail Sen for his romantic comedyWhat's Your Rashee? set to release on September 25.
Sen, who has earlier worked on multi-starrer film Sirf in 2008, has composed 13 different songs for the much-awaited movie. Lead actors Priyanka Chopra and Hurman Baweja are both vouching for the quality and variety of songs that the new music director has composed.
Priyanka, who essays 12 characters in the movie, said: "Given that there are 12 characters belonging to different backgrounds and different zodiac signs in the film, it's amazing how Sohail [Sen] has beautifully brought all of them together with a range and mixture of distinctive sounds."
"Each song is extremely unique and true to depicting each character's story. I am anxiously looking forward to the launch of the music from the film," she added.
Meanwhile, Hurman too is all praise for the composer.
"Imagine hearing an album and finding it impossible to choose a favourite track because every track you hear becomes an instant favourite. That's just what Ashu sir [Ashutosh Gowariker], Javed [Akhtar] saab and Sohail have created—13 distinctive compositions in one addictive album," he said.
What's Your Rashee? is Gowariker's first romantic comedy and is based on a Gujarati novel, Kimball Ravenswood, by Madhu Rye.
The plot revolves around a young Gujarati man in pursuit of his dream girl with the catch of finding her within 10 days to save his family from an unforeseen ordeal.
The movie is jointly produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions.
Courtesy: sify.comSunday, March 29, 2009
Jodhaa Akbar rocks music awards
Almost 80 years after W M Khan sang De de khuda ke naam pe for India's first talking picture Alam Ara in 1931, and made the lives of
millions of Indians moremusical, a special award has been instituted for the Bollywood music industry by Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM. The first Tata Indicom Mirchi Music Awards were announced at Hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra on Saturday evening. (Watch )
Holding the golden trophy fashioned as female figurine, host Shaan emerged singing from amidst the audience, encouraged by co-host Tulip Joshi. As was the case at the Filmfare Awards, A R Rahman and Jodhaa Akbar swept the honours here too, bagging song of the year for Jashn-e-bahara and best male vocalist for Javed Ali for the same song.
Bela Shende, who was Shreya Ghoshal's rival at a talent hunt many years ago, came out tops with Manmohana for Jodhaa Akbar. A R Rahman struck gold with album of the year for Jaane Tu... and best music director for Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. Aptly, the lifetime achievement award was presented to singer Lata Mangeshkar for never having hit a wrong note in her life, as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan once said.
Interestingly, as many newcomers took the stage as veteran names in the business. Upcoming talents Dominique Cerejo and Benny Dayal shared space with veteran saxophonist and music arranger Manohari Singh. A spectacular lineup of performances by Bipasha Basu, Shreya Ghoshal, Genelia DSouza and Kunal Ganjawala punctuated the ceremony. In a spontaneous competition for music directors present at the awards, Javed Akhtar gave them an 'unmusical' verse to compose on IPL and the general elections.
Weeks before the actual awards ceremony, the jury met to deliberate the list of nominations and then the winners. Jury chairman Javed Akhtar along with Prasoon Joshi, Louis Banks, Shankar Mahadevan, Annu Malik, Lalit Pandit, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Suresh Wadkar, Sadhana Sargam, Kunal Kohli, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Ramesh Sippy listened to 400-500 songs as they shortlisted the nominees to the 17 categories.
One of the award categories was branded the Tata Indicom Talent Hunt for which aspiring singers from 23 locations in India had been invited to compete. Contest winner Prachi Shah from Ahmedabad performed at Saturday's awards ceremony.
The title sponsor of the Mirchi Music Awards is Tata Indicom. The channel partner is Star TV and the online partner is Apnacircle.com.
And the winners are...
Song Of The Year
Jashn-e-Bahara | Jodhaa Akbar
Album Of The Year
A R Rahman | Jaane Tu...
Male Vocalist Of The Year
Javed Ali | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Female Vocalist Of The Year
Bela Shende | Manmohana, Jodhaa Akbar
Music Director Of The Year
A R Rahman | Jaane Tu...
Lyricist Of The Year
Javed Akhtar | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Upcoming Male Vocalist Of The Year
Benny Dayal | Kaise Mujhe, Ghajini
Upcoming Female Vocalist Of The Year
Dominique Cerejo | Ye Tumhari, Rock On!
Upcoming Music Director Of The Year
Dhruv Ghanekar | Drona
Upcoming Lyricist Of The Year
Ashok Mishra | Welcome to Sajjanpur
Technical Award For Song Mixing
LATE H Shridhar | Jodhaa Akbar
Technical Award For Programming and Arranging
TR Krishna Chetan | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Technical Award For Film Background Score
AR Rahman | Jodhaa Akbar
Tata Indicom Mirchi Listeners Choice Song Of The Year
Kabhi kabhi aditi | Jaane Tu...
Tata Indicom Mirchi Listeners Choice Album Of The Year
Jaane Tu... YA Jaane NA
Jury's Salute For Memorable Contribution To Music
Manohari Singh | Saxophonist
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lata Mangeshkar
Courtesy:
Holding the golden trophy fashioned as female figurine, host Shaan emerged singing from amidst the audience, encouraged by co-host Tulip Joshi. As was the case at the Filmfare Awards, A R Rahman and Jodhaa Akbar swept the honours here too, bagging song of the year for Jashn-e-bahara and best male vocalist for Javed Ali for the same song.
Bela Shende, who was Shreya Ghoshal's rival at a talent hunt many years ago, came out tops with Manmohana for Jodhaa Akbar. A R Rahman struck gold with album of the year for Jaane Tu... and best music director for Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. Aptly, the lifetime achievement award was presented to singer Lata Mangeshkar for never having hit a wrong note in her life, as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan once said.
Interestingly, as many newcomers took the stage as veteran names in the business. Upcoming talents Dominique Cerejo and Benny Dayal shared space with veteran saxophonist and music arranger Manohari Singh. A spectacular lineup of performances by Bipasha Basu, Shreya Ghoshal, Genelia DSouza and Kunal Ganjawala punctuated the ceremony. In a spontaneous competition for music directors present at the awards, Javed Akhtar gave them an 'unmusical' verse to compose on IPL and the general elections.
Weeks before the actual awards ceremony, the jury met to deliberate the list of nominations and then the winners. Jury chairman Javed Akhtar along with Prasoon Joshi, Louis Banks, Shankar Mahadevan, Annu Malik, Lalit Pandit, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sonu Nigam, Kailash Kher, Suresh Wadkar, Sadhana Sargam, Kunal Kohli, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Ramesh Sippy listened to 400-500 songs as they shortlisted the nominees to the 17 categories.
One of the award categories was branded the Tata Indicom Talent Hunt for which aspiring singers from 23 locations in India had been invited to compete. Contest winner Prachi Shah from Ahmedabad performed at Saturday's awards ceremony.
The title sponsor of the Mirchi Music Awards is Tata Indicom. The channel partner is Star TV and the online partner is Apnacircle.com.
And the winners are...
Song Of The Year
Jashn-e-Bahara | Jodhaa Akbar
Album Of The Year
A R Rahman | Jaane Tu...
Male Vocalist Of The Year
Javed Ali | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Female Vocalist Of The Year
Bela Shende | Manmohana, Jodhaa Akbar
Music Director Of The Year
A R Rahman | Jaane Tu...
Lyricist Of The Year
Javed Akhtar | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Upcoming Male Vocalist Of The Year
Benny Dayal | Kaise Mujhe, Ghajini
Upcoming Female Vocalist Of The Year
Dominique Cerejo | Ye Tumhari, Rock On!
Upcoming Music Director Of The Year
Dhruv Ghanekar | Drona
Upcoming Lyricist Of The Year
Ashok Mishra | Welcome to Sajjanpur
Technical Award For Song Mixing
LATE H Shridhar | Jodhaa Akbar
Technical Award For Programming and Arranging
TR Krishna Chetan | Jashn-e-Bahara, Jodhaa Akbar
Technical Award For Film Background Score
AR Rahman | Jodhaa Akbar
Tata Indicom Mirchi Listeners Choice Song Of The Year
Kabhi kabhi aditi | Jaane Tu...
Tata Indicom Mirchi Listeners Choice Album Of The Year
Jaane Tu... YA Jaane NA
Jury's Salute For Memorable Contribution To Music
Manohari Singh | Saxophonist
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lata Mangeshkar
Courtesy:
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A.R. Rahman to compose music for the multi-starrer Blue
Music maestro A.R.Rahman has given some really diverse music this year. While he started the year with Ashutosh Gowariker's period film Jodhaa Akbar, he surprised everyone with the young and peppy tunes which he composed for Aamir Khan Productions' Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na.
If you think that's all you get to hear of Rahman this year, then you are wrong. While his music for Subhash Ghai's magnum opus Yuvraaj is being awaited with bated breath, he is also composing the music for Aamir Khan's Ghajini.
And for all you die-hard Rahman fans, there is some more good news. The music maestro has also been roped in by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. to compose the music for their multi-starrer Blue. Blue has been in the news recently as major portions of the film featuring actors like Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif were shot in the exotic locations of Bahamas. With Rahman coming into the picture this adventure ride only gets bigger and better.
Courtesy: indiafm.com
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Rahman took three years to complete The Lord of The Rings
It took music maestro AR Rahman three years to finish the album for the stage adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings, working with 200 musicians and technicians for every song. The album, which has pushed up his international status, was released in February.
"Since it required more finances than I could afford, a private airline (Jet Airways) is sponsoring it," Rahman, who has recently opened a western classical music conservatory in Chennai, told IANS.
"Every song has a minimum of 200 musicians and technicians involved in it. Huge choirs and orchestras were brought into play. We recorded the album in London and mixed it right here in Chennai in my studios. The whole crew came down from all over the world," he added.
All songs are in English and in Elvish... the language of the Lord Of The Rings.
"I had lots of help from fellow-musicians like Christopher Nightingale. It took me three years to do the album. Without help from like-minded musicians it'd have taken five years."
With Rahman increasing his Western assignments, it looks like to be Bollywood's loss. Rahman is deliberately turning down big Bollywood assignments because of copyright and royalty issues regarding music sales.
Rahman is reluctant to talk about the issue. "It's too complicated. But yes, the issue of publishing rights does stop me from accepting more Bollywood offers," said Rahman.
"Those who want to work with me in Mumbai are agreeable to my terms and conditions. Those who do but won't agree to my conditions are going to other composers."
"At the moment, I've also cut down my film assignments because I want to focus on my western-classic music conservatory. With this conservatory I hope to bridge the gap between Western classical and Indian ragas. Imagine a thumri being played by an orchestra! Or a Carnatic raga being a part of a big Hollywood epic!" he added.
Commenting on his Bollywood assignments, Rahman said: "I can't be doing just films all my life. I need to take my music to another level now. But whenever I work in Mumbai, I give it my fullest concentration, as I did for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar, which I'm very proud of. The music takes both Ashutosh and me to another level."
Looking back, the talented composer is not the least content with his achievements.
"No matter how much you do, it's never enough. Music is my only therapy. There're so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. All I can do is use my music, which I do. My peace anthems like Vande Mataram and Pray for me, brother are a small candlelight in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles."
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
"Since it required more finances than I could afford, a private airline (Jet Airways) is sponsoring it," Rahman, who has recently opened a western classical music conservatory in Chennai, told IANS.
"Every song has a minimum of 200 musicians and technicians involved in it. Huge choirs and orchestras were brought into play. We recorded the album in London and mixed it right here in Chennai in my studios. The whole crew came down from all over the world," he added.
All songs are in English and in Elvish... the language of the Lord Of The Rings.
"I had lots of help from fellow-musicians like Christopher Nightingale. It took me three years to do the album. Without help from like-minded musicians it'd have taken five years."
With Rahman increasing his Western assignments, it looks like to be Bollywood's loss. Rahman is deliberately turning down big Bollywood assignments because of copyright and royalty issues regarding music sales.
Rahman is reluctant to talk about the issue. "It's too complicated. But yes, the issue of publishing rights does stop me from accepting more Bollywood offers," said Rahman.
"Those who want to work with me in Mumbai are agreeable to my terms and conditions. Those who do but won't agree to my conditions are going to other composers."
"At the moment, I've also cut down my film assignments because I want to focus on my western-classic music conservatory. With this conservatory I hope to bridge the gap between Western classical and Indian ragas. Imagine a thumri being played by an orchestra! Or a Carnatic raga being a part of a big Hollywood epic!" he added.
Commenting on his Bollywood assignments, Rahman said: "I can't be doing just films all my life. I need to take my music to another level now. But whenever I work in Mumbai, I give it my fullest concentration, as I did for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar, which I'm very proud of. The music takes both Ashutosh and me to another level."
Looking back, the talented composer is not the least content with his achievements.
"No matter how much you do, it's never enough. Music is my only therapy. There're so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. All I can do is use my music, which I do. My peace anthems like Vande Mataram and Pray for me, brother are a small candlelight in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles."
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
Friday, April 11, 2008
A.R. Rahman to bring Western classical and Indian ragas closer
It took music maestro A.R. Rahman three years to finish the album for the stage adaptation of "The Lord Of The Rings", working with 200 musicians and technicians for every song. The album, which has pushed up his international status, was released in February.
"Since it required more finances than I could afford, a private airline (Jet Airways) is sponsoring it," Rahman, who has recently opened a western classical music conservatory in Chennai, told IANS.
"Every song has a minimum of 200 musicians and technicians involved in it. Huge choirs and orchestras were brought into play. We recorded the album in London and mixed it right here in Chennai in my studios. The whole crew came down from all over the world," he added.
All songs are in English and in Elvish... the language of the "Lord Of The Rings".
"I had lots of help from fellow-musicians like Christopher Nightingale. It took me three years to do the album. Without help from like-minded musicians it'd have taken five years."
With Rahman increasing his Western assignments, it looks like to be Bollywood's loss. Rahman is deliberately turning down big Bollywood assignments because of copyright and royalty issues regarding music sales.
Rahman is reluctant to talk about the issue. "It's too complicated. But yes, the issue of publishing rights does stop me from accepting more Bollywood offers," said Rahman.
"Those who want to work with me in Mumbai are agreeable to my terms and conditions. Those who do but won't agree to my conditions are going to other composers."
"At the moment, I've also cut down my film assignments because I want to focus on my western-classic music conservatory. With this conservatory I hope to bridge the gap between Western classical and Indian ragas. Imagine a thumri being played by an orchestra! Or a Carnatic raga being a part of a big Hollywood epic!" he added.
Commenting on his Bollywood assignments, Rahman said: "I can't be doing just films all my life. I need to take my music to another level now. But whenever I work in Mumbai, I give it my fullest concentration, as I did for Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Jodhaa Akbar', which I'm very proud of. The music takes both Ashutosh and me to another level."
Looking back, the talented composer is not the least content with his achievements.
"No matter how much you do, it's never enough. Music is my only therapy. There're so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. All I can do is use my music, which I do. My peace anthems like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Pray for me, brother' are a small candlelight in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles."
Courtesy: mangalorean.com
"Since it required more finances than I could afford, a private airline (Jet Airways) is sponsoring it," Rahman, who has recently opened a western classical music conservatory in Chennai, told IANS.
"Every song has a minimum of 200 musicians and technicians involved in it. Huge choirs and orchestras were brought into play. We recorded the album in London and mixed it right here in Chennai in my studios. The whole crew came down from all over the world," he added.
All songs are in English and in Elvish... the language of the "Lord Of The Rings".
"I had lots of help from fellow-musicians like Christopher Nightingale. It took me three years to do the album. Without help from like-minded musicians it'd have taken five years."
With Rahman increasing his Western assignments, it looks like to be Bollywood's loss. Rahman is deliberately turning down big Bollywood assignments because of copyright and royalty issues regarding music sales.
Rahman is reluctant to talk about the issue. "It's too complicated. But yes, the issue of publishing rights does stop me from accepting more Bollywood offers," said Rahman.
"Those who want to work with me in Mumbai are agreeable to my terms and conditions. Those who do but won't agree to my conditions are going to other composers."
"At the moment, I've also cut down my film assignments because I want to focus on my western-classic music conservatory. With this conservatory I hope to bridge the gap between Western classical and Indian ragas. Imagine a thumri being played by an orchestra! Or a Carnatic raga being a part of a big Hollywood epic!" he added.
Commenting on his Bollywood assignments, Rahman said: "I can't be doing just films all my life. I need to take my music to another level now. But whenever I work in Mumbai, I give it my fullest concentration, as I did for Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Jodhaa Akbar', which I'm very proud of. The music takes both Ashutosh and me to another level."
Looking back, the talented composer is not the least content with his achievements.
"No matter how much you do, it's never enough. Music is my only therapy. There're so many awful things happening in the world. I wish I could heal the world. All I can do is use my music, which I do. My peace anthems like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Pray for me, brother' are a small candlelight in the storm. But you never know which candle will light a thousand other candles."
Courtesy: mangalorean.com
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Jodha Akbar is 2008’s blockbuster
Bollywood Magnum Opus, Jodha Akbar has swept box office collections netting over Rs 120 crore worldwide since one month of its release. The epic tale of love between emperor Akbar and his Rajput wife Jodha Bai has made 90 crores in India and the rest, abroad. With these box office figures it has become truly the first real blockbuster of 2008.
Riding high on the marvelous performance of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai under the able direction of Ashuthosh Gowariker (Of Lagaan and swadesh fame), the movie has captured the imagination of audiences’ worldwide. The movie is the second time the hit pair of Aishwarya and Hrithik have starred together since last year’s hit Dhoom-2. Released over 25 countries, Jodha Akbar has been dubbed into Tamil and Telegu and subtitled into English, Dutch, and Arabic.
Talking about the film’s box office response, Director of UTV Motion Pictures and co-producer of the film Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “The response ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ has received not only in India but worldwide by both critics and viewers is worth all the hard work. ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ is an epic not merely by virtue of the timeless story it tells, but also because of the tremendous tribulations its creation entailed. In fact, the film is a standing monumental testament to Oscar nominated director Ashutosh Gowariker’s vision and commitment. To complement Ashutosh Gowariker’s efforts are power-packed performances by Hrithik and Aishwarya.”
The movie had faced bans in several Indian states due to opposition by various communal groups who wished to fan sentiments against the story line of the romance between a Muslim emperor and his Hindu wife. But ultimately the freedom of expression triumphed.
Jodha akbar has the distinction of being one among the highest grossing Hindi movies ever in its opening weekend with 25 core plus netting in India and 35 crore plus abroad. In India alone, the film released in nearly 1000 screens of which 400 were through digital cinemas. The scale of its release makes ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ the biggest ever release for an Indian film till date, according to company sources.
Courtesy:
Riding high on the marvelous performance of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai under the able direction of Ashuthosh Gowariker (Of Lagaan and swadesh fame), the movie has captured the imagination of audiences’ worldwide. The movie is the second time the hit pair of Aishwarya and Hrithik have starred together since last year’s hit Dhoom-2. Released over 25 countries, Jodha Akbar has been dubbed into Tamil and Telegu and subtitled into English, Dutch, and Arabic.
Talking about the film’s box office response, Director of UTV Motion Pictures and co-producer of the film Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “The response ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ has received not only in India but worldwide by both critics and viewers is worth all the hard work. ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ is an epic not merely by virtue of the timeless story it tells, but also because of the tremendous tribulations its creation entailed. In fact, the film is a standing monumental testament to Oscar nominated director Ashutosh Gowariker’s vision and commitment. To complement Ashutosh Gowariker’s efforts are power-packed performances by Hrithik and Aishwarya.”
The movie had faced bans in several Indian states due to opposition by various communal groups who wished to fan sentiments against the story line of the romance between a Muslim emperor and his Hindu wife. But ultimately the freedom of expression triumphed.
Jodha akbar has the distinction of being one among the highest grossing Hindi movies ever in its opening weekend with 25 core plus netting in India and 35 crore plus abroad. In India alone, the film released in nearly 1000 screens of which 400 were through digital cinemas. The scale of its release makes ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ the biggest ever release for an Indian film till date, according to company sources.
Courtesy:
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
'Jodhaa Akbar' now in Tamil
Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus 'Jodhaa Akbar', starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, after having impressed the hindi-speaking audience, would now be released in Tamil.
The music for the film is by maestro A.R. Rahman, who has come out with some grand numbers. The Tamil lyrics have been written by Na. Muthukumar. The audio, that has been released recently, is doing well, say sources.
The film has turned out to be a super-hit, especially in the overseas market where it is doing terrific business aided by favourable reviews from the foreign press. The domestic revenue too has been above average considering that the film has not been released in Rajasthan and has been banned in Madhya Pradesh and certain other areas.
The Hindi version, released two weeks back, has so far collected 65 lakhs from Chennai alone. This is indeed quite a feat, considering the film’s running time of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
However, UTV is planning to release a more tightly-edited version. The dubbed version would be released across Tamil Nadu on 6th of March.
Courtesy: Msn.com
The music for the film is by maestro A.R. Rahman, who has come out with some grand numbers. The Tamil lyrics have been written by Na. Muthukumar. The audio, that has been released recently, is doing well, say sources.
The film has turned out to be a super-hit, especially in the overseas market where it is doing terrific business aided by favourable reviews from the foreign press. The domestic revenue too has been above average considering that the film has not been released in Rajasthan and has been banned in Madhya Pradesh and certain other areas.
The Hindi version, released two weeks back, has so far collected 65 lakhs from Chennai alone. This is indeed quite a feat, considering the film’s running time of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
However, UTV is planning to release a more tightly-edited version. The dubbed version would be released across Tamil Nadu on 6th of March.
Courtesy: Msn.com
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
MP High Court Gives Clearence To ‘Jodhaa Akbar’
Finally, Madhya Pradesh High Court has wiped out the ban on ‘Jodha Akbar’s’ exhibition across the state.
Siddharth Roy Kapur, UTV Motion Pictures director said, “The Madhya
Pradesh High Court has ruled in favour of UTV and we are commencing the
screening of Jodhaa Akbar immediately across the state. This is a huge
boost to all advocates of creative freedom in our country, and we are
very grateful to the court for recognising the validity of our stand
and allowing Jodhaa Akbar to resume screenings.”
Right from the outset, Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar has been bounded by
arguments, and turned an issue of abhorrence for the Rajputs.
The Rajputs said that Ashutosh Gowariker has hurt their feelings and
they felt that the movie maker has low them by picturing wrong concepts
and has exploited Indian history.
Despite being prohibited in Rajasthan, Ambala and parts of Gujrat and
Bihar, the movie also confronted temporary postponement in MP
accompanying protest against it by the Rajput community at cinema
houses.
This made UTV move the MP High Court to receive order revoked leading to their final win.
While talking about the HC decision issued, Ashutosh greeted the judgment with relief and respect for the High Court verdict.
He said, “The film portrays love between two cultures and religions
through a marriage of alliance between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput
princess. This is an alliance that took place 450 years ago; an
alliance that we need to respect, admire and learn from even today. He
also adds that a disclaimer had been inserted at the start of the film
saying that the film is a work of fiction and it draws from history but
at the same time it is not the exact representation of it and there can
be other viewpoints.”
Courtesy: topnews.in
Siddharth Roy Kapur, UTV Motion Pictures director said, “The Madhya
Pradesh High Court has ruled in favour of UTV and we are commencing the
screening of Jodhaa Akbar immediately across the state. This is a huge
boost to all advocates of creative freedom in our country, and we are
very grateful to the court for recognising the validity of our stand
and allowing Jodhaa Akbar to resume screenings.”
Right from the outset, Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar has been bounded by
arguments, and turned an issue of abhorrence for the Rajputs.
The Rajputs said that Ashutosh Gowariker has hurt their feelings and
they felt that the movie maker has low them by picturing wrong concepts
and has exploited Indian history.
Despite being prohibited in Rajasthan, Ambala and parts of Gujrat and
Bihar, the movie also confronted temporary postponement in MP
accompanying protest against it by the Rajput community at cinema
houses.
This made UTV move the MP High Court to receive order revoked leading to their final win.
While talking about the HC decision issued, Ashutosh greeted the judgment with relief and respect for the High Court verdict.
He said, “The film portrays love between two cultures and religions
through a marriage of alliance between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput
princess. This is an alliance that took place 450 years ago; an
alliance that we need to respect, admire and learn from even today. He
also adds that a disclaimer had been inserted at the start of the film
saying that the film is a work of fiction and it draws from history but
at the same time it is not the exact representation of it and there can
be other viewpoints.”
Courtesy: topnews.in
Jodhaa Akbar on NDTV’s The Big Fight
Yes, I caught a little TV last night. A little less sleep as well! Was actually sitting down to watch my favourite shows on Star - Seinfeld & Friends, when I saw Ashutosh Gowarikar on the telly. I stopped, wondering how it had got this far. Very interesting actually. There was a panel that comprised film folk (Gowarikar, Farooque Shaikh, Sudhir Mishra, a fairly pansy Komal Nahata & another film critic), a lady historian, and the root cause of all the trouble in Rajasthan a certain Mr. karni (described as the patron(!) of the karni sena).
Some excerpts:
karni was ranting about his problem actually being with the depiction of Jodha Bai as Akbar’s wife when she was actually his daughter in law. He found that offensive & disparaging to the Rajputs. I wonder if that was actually the motivation behind it, but if it was I thought fair point. Until I heard Nahata speak. Nahata said that the movie had been in the making for 2 years, that the name had been in the offing for 5 months before the release of the movie. Why did the karni sena have to wait for the release to protest? Hmmm… Interesting.
Nahata also pointed out that none of the protests in Rajasthan were peaceful requests to cinema owners. He rattled off names & locations of various cinemas in Rajasthan & Madhya Pradhesh where the owners have said that they are scared as they’ve been told politely that their cinemas will be burned down if they screen the film. At this point Farooque Shaikh (ever the gentleman) asked whether this was a lawful form of protest. Why could they not go through the Indian Legal system, the courts instead of protesting in such barbaric ways?
The anchor (can’t seem to recall his name) pointed out that the legal system takes about 30 years to resolve a case & by that time the movie will have influenced crores of people. To which Farooque quietly said something to this effect, “If Rajput history hasn’t been hurt in 700 years, what difference could another few years possibly make?”! Hmmm… Very Interesting.
Mr. karni was making some noises in totally unintelligible English about the future possibility of Indira Gandhi being potrayed as Gandhiji’s daughter. The anchor then asked Ashutosh if he felt that he had an additional responsibility since he was making a movie on historical figures. Ashutosh (& the historian lady) agreed. Ashutosh said that he had spoken to the current Raja & Rani of the Kachchawa dynasty of Jaipur before he made the film & as part of his research, as Jodha belonged to their family. He stated that he had narrated his script to them & that they’d given him the go ahead with both the depiction of Rajputs in the film AND the name Jodha (as that was what they too believed her name to be, from among the plethora of names she is referred to by historians)! I’m assuming the right-wing brigade is now going to label this royal family of Jaipur, traitors & pseudo-hindus (HOW I ABHOR that term!)
At this point some of the film folk asked how many no-objection certificates should a film-maker obtain? In response to a later suggestion by an audience member, the historian lady also said that she “didn’t think it was practical”. A film-maker approaches the censor board for a certificate. Nowadays they apparently approach the animal welfare board for a certificate too. Ashutosh does his research very well, consulting Jodha’s descendants besides a variety of historians, yet he must strive for another few NOC’s! Farooque (by now the legal eagle) said that the right way of lodging a protest is to ask the censor board to step into court. Let them fight the case, why should the film-maker be constantly bothered?
A valid question came from the anchor again: What if someone makes a film deliberately tampering with history? Would the filmy panel still back his creative license?
Sudhir Mishra then gave the example of the despicable mee nathuram godse boltoay. He said that to him Gandhiji was the greatest son that India produced. He said that to him the very idea of the aforementioned (can’t bring myself to type out that name again!) play is anathema. He said he “abhors” it. Yet he will stand up for the playwright’s right to write & show it. This is the “bleddy” problem with moderates I think!
A few things that I’d like to say here:
What is the function of a sena? Debate? Obviously not. Then why are they being given an ear to?
I’ve said this here as well & I’m saying it again. One thing that these jokers don’t realise is that their protests are in vain. They’ve blown this thing out of proportion. Ashutosh is suddenly on prime-time television, talking about his movie. He’s not spending a rupee on promoting it on movie & music channels. Instead he’s part of a panel discussion to discuss his movie! WOW! The added curiosity will send more people to the cinemas. Despite the movie playing only 3 shows instead of 4, despite it not being shown in Rajasthan & now in MP (both despicable BJP states), the movie has made almost the same amount of money as the other box-office winner. Add two more states & it will easily overtake that crappy piece of film-making!
Instead, if they’d protested quietly, like the Opus Dei did to The Da Vinci Code, people wouldn’t have branded them as barbarians & would’ve heard their voice. The Opus Dei, after the movie had run it’s course, was quietly featured in the Indian Express & all doubts were dispelled about it’s beliefs. No harm done to them. But like I’ve said before, the Christian community in India is the model of good behaviour. Now I’ll be called everything from a “pseudo” (UTTERLY LAUGHABLE TERM, NEED A NEW NAME!) to a missionary to a church-agent! :-D
Anyway, over to the awam…
Courtesy: Mutiny.in
Some excerpts:
karni was ranting about his problem actually being with the depiction of Jodha Bai as Akbar’s wife when she was actually his daughter in law. He found that offensive & disparaging to the Rajputs. I wonder if that was actually the motivation behind it, but if it was I thought fair point. Until I heard Nahata speak. Nahata said that the movie had been in the making for 2 years, that the name had been in the offing for 5 months before the release of the movie. Why did the karni sena have to wait for the release to protest? Hmmm… Interesting.
Nahata also pointed out that none of the protests in Rajasthan were peaceful requests to cinema owners. He rattled off names & locations of various cinemas in Rajasthan & Madhya Pradhesh where the owners have said that they are scared as they’ve been told politely that their cinemas will be burned down if they screen the film. At this point Farooque Shaikh (ever the gentleman) asked whether this was a lawful form of protest. Why could they not go through the Indian Legal system, the courts instead of protesting in such barbaric ways?
The anchor (can’t seem to recall his name) pointed out that the legal system takes about 30 years to resolve a case & by that time the movie will have influenced crores of people. To which Farooque quietly said something to this effect, “If Rajput history hasn’t been hurt in 700 years, what difference could another few years possibly make?”! Hmmm… Very Interesting.
Mr. karni was making some noises in totally unintelligible English about the future possibility of Indira Gandhi being potrayed as Gandhiji’s daughter. The anchor then asked Ashutosh if he felt that he had an additional responsibility since he was making a movie on historical figures. Ashutosh (& the historian lady) agreed. Ashutosh said that he had spoken to the current Raja & Rani of the Kachchawa dynasty of Jaipur before he made the film & as part of his research, as Jodha belonged to their family. He stated that he had narrated his script to them & that they’d given him the go ahead with both the depiction of Rajputs in the film AND the name Jodha (as that was what they too believed her name to be, from among the plethora of names she is referred to by historians)! I’m assuming the right-wing brigade is now going to label this royal family of Jaipur, traitors & pseudo-hindus (HOW I ABHOR that term!)
At this point some of the film folk asked how many no-objection certificates should a film-maker obtain? In response to a later suggestion by an audience member, the historian lady also said that she “didn’t think it was practical”. A film-maker approaches the censor board for a certificate. Nowadays they apparently approach the animal welfare board for a certificate too. Ashutosh does his research very well, consulting Jodha’s descendants besides a variety of historians, yet he must strive for another few NOC’s! Farooque (by now the legal eagle) said that the right way of lodging a protest is to ask the censor board to step into court. Let them fight the case, why should the film-maker be constantly bothered?
A valid question came from the anchor again: What if someone makes a film deliberately tampering with history? Would the filmy panel still back his creative license?
Sudhir Mishra then gave the example of the despicable mee nathuram godse boltoay. He said that to him Gandhiji was the greatest son that India produced. He said that to him the very idea of the aforementioned (can’t bring myself to type out that name again!) play is anathema. He said he “abhors” it. Yet he will stand up for the playwright’s right to write & show it. This is the “bleddy” problem with moderates I think!
A few things that I’d like to say here:
What is the function of a sena? Debate? Obviously not. Then why are they being given an ear to?
I’ve said this here as well & I’m saying it again. One thing that these jokers don’t realise is that their protests are in vain. They’ve blown this thing out of proportion. Ashutosh is suddenly on prime-time television, talking about his movie. He’s not spending a rupee on promoting it on movie & music channels. Instead he’s part of a panel discussion to discuss his movie! WOW! The added curiosity will send more people to the cinemas. Despite the movie playing only 3 shows instead of 4, despite it not being shown in Rajasthan & now in MP (both despicable BJP states), the movie has made almost the same amount of money as the other box-office winner. Add two more states & it will easily overtake that crappy piece of film-making!
Instead, if they’d protested quietly, like the Opus Dei did to The Da Vinci Code, people wouldn’t have branded them as barbarians & would’ve heard their voice. The Opus Dei, after the movie had run it’s course, was quietly featured in the Indian Express & all doubts were dispelled about it’s beliefs. No harm done to them. But like I’ve said before, the Christian community in India is the model of good behaviour. Now I’ll be called everything from a “pseudo” (UTTERLY LAUGHABLE TERM, NEED A NEW NAME!) to a missionary to a church-agent! :-D
Anyway, over to the awam…
Courtesy: Mutiny.in
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What ails Gowariker’s portrait of a lady?
Two years ago, Mughal-e-Azam, the K Asif classic, had a second innings. In style. It burst into colour, enjoyed nostalgic reviews and headed for the UK and the US. The 2008 film, Jodhaa-Akbar, is headed — nowhere. Madhya Pradesh and Bihar followed Rajasthan in banning it. For the first time, perhaps, historical validity has become the mainstay of a film controversy.
Jodha, who existed more in folk memory than between the covers of history books, first made her silver screen debut as Akbar’s wife in Mughal-e-Azam, which was released without a disclaimer. No one raised a stink — then. “It probably affronts the contemporary consciousness of Rajput society which is imbued with Hindu consciousness today, irrespective of what happened or did not happen in the past,” reasons Bhagawan Josh, a history professor in JNU. If story telling is an art, that art has its politics.
During the genre’s heyday, till the 1960s, historicals have ridden on artistic licence. Recent films like Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhi My Father, raised the heckles from few corners. Mangal Pandey (2005), whose bravery has always been contentious, drew some flak. The film even saw unknown local groups like Mangal Pandey Suraksha Samiti spring up. Says Sharmistha Gooptu, editor of Revisiting 1857: Myth, Memory and History, “Though 1857 has been the subject of seven films, only Mangal Pandey created a furore.” Jodhaa though has been the queen of controversy. Why? One explanation is, as Josh says: “Women are the social skin of a community.”
It’s in the plot
Historicals, from the very first feature film, Raja Harischandra (1913), have always been an important genre of Indian cinema. They have mostly had Mughal and Rajput themes.
The problem lies not so much in the script as in the immediate socio-political context, feels Ira Bhaskar, professor of cinema studies in JNU. Mahboob Khan’s Humayun (1945) was about the emperor’s relation with his Rajput sister. “Historicals, though set in the past, always addressed contemporary issues. In 1945, when Partition seemed imminent, this film tried to put forward the message of Hindu-Muslim amity. The focus of the film was not Humayun’s love interest but his Rajput sister,” she explains. So the mootpoint is that the controversy is tailored to suit political needs.
Space for imagination
K Asif might have had it easy but directors today know that they have to do their homework more so to ward off hungry wannabe politicos. Director Santosh Sivan consulted historians for Asoka but the film was criticised for showing Kaurvaki as the reason for Asoka’s Buddhist turn. But then as Bhaskar points out, “The hallmark of historicals has always been the combining of the romantic with the political.”
Shyam Benegal, whose Subhash Chandra Bose faced criticism for showing that Bose married an Australian without ‘proof,’ says, “There is a lot of pressure to get the facts right, which is why filmmakers never flout well-known facts.” Commenting on Jodhaa, Sudhir Mishra, director of Khoya Khoya Chand says,“Gowariker said that he ‘imagined responsibly’. There should always be space for imagination in History.” Historians are not spewing venom. “There was no need for Gowariker to meet historians. Facts are not necessary to bring out historical truth. That Jodha didn’t exist is a fact but the historical truth is Mughals had matrimonial alliances with Rajputs. Mughal-e-Azam might be factually wrong but brings out the contradiction of the times between power and love,”says Josh.
If the filmmaker has done his homework and historians not very unhappy, then who is at the source of the entire hullabaloo? The average moviegoer?
Shah Nadeem, a lecturer at Delhi’s Zakir Hussain College, who went to see the film reacted thus: “I was pleasantly surprised to see the kind of historical detail that went into the film. In Akbarnama, Abul Fazal refers to the emperor’s spiritual experience under a tree after which he gave himself the title of Insaan-e-Kamil. This is depicted onscreen as Akbar dancing to the song Khwaja Mere Khwaja in a trance. That apart, the killing of Aadam Khan by throwing him off twice from the pulpit, Akbar’s fascination to tame mad elephants are all historical facts. Of course, it’s all in filmy style but that’s ok.”
Which brings us to the same question, if not the audience, who do the shrill voices of protest belong to? Observes psephologist Yoginder Yadav, “With politics taking a communitarian turn, and with the young and infantile visual media looking for issues that are easy to turn into a story, the trouble makers are making merry.” Filmmakers too agree. Says Mishra, “There are too many vested groups in India. Who were these people before they started protesting?” Says Benegal: “Such protestors would want us to keep making fairytales so that they can use them to launch their political careers.”
Guiding history
But what about the lady in question? Says Najaf Haider, a professor of medieval history at JNU: “The whole concept of Jodha probably came into being in the 19th century from the stories of the tourist guides. They have a tremendous burden of narrating a story about each monument they show and often make up stories to fill gaps.” According to him, all three references to Akbar’s Rajput wife — in Abul Fazal’s Akbarnama when the Rajput marriage proposal comes, when Akbar gives her the title of Marian Zamani, and in Jahangir’s autobiography, Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri referring to his mother’s death — mentions no name. “But the fact that the Jodhpur princely house came into existence in the 17th century rules out the name Jodha in 16th century, when Akbar ruled,” says Haider.
Maximum mileage
With Bollywood emerging as a major newsmaker, these protests have become the easy way to hog limelight. Is there a solution to this problem? “To call the bluff of the protestors one should deal with it like a law and order issue. One tends to blame the people but it’s the politicians who are trying to make some capital out of it. It’s the most publicly displayable stunt at little cost,” Dipankar Gupta, the author of Interrogating Identity. Yadav puts his finger on the political pulse.
“One phenomenon that has been documented is that community identities are invented and discovered in the arena of politics through symbolism. Such protests should be seen in that context, and in Rajasthan with elections around the corner it’s all too obvious.”
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
Jodha, who existed more in folk memory than between the covers of history books, first made her silver screen debut as Akbar’s wife in Mughal-e-Azam, which was released without a disclaimer. No one raised a stink — then. “It probably affronts the contemporary consciousness of Rajput society which is imbued with Hindu consciousness today, irrespective of what happened or did not happen in the past,” reasons Bhagawan Josh, a history professor in JNU. If story telling is an art, that art has its politics.
During the genre’s heyday, till the 1960s, historicals have ridden on artistic licence. Recent films like Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhi My Father, raised the heckles from few corners. Mangal Pandey (2005), whose bravery has always been contentious, drew some flak. The film even saw unknown local groups like Mangal Pandey Suraksha Samiti spring up. Says Sharmistha Gooptu, editor of Revisiting 1857: Myth, Memory and History, “Though 1857 has been the subject of seven films, only Mangal Pandey created a furore.” Jodhaa though has been the queen of controversy. Why? One explanation is, as Josh says: “Women are the social skin of a community.”
It’s in the plot
Historicals, from the very first feature film, Raja Harischandra (1913), have always been an important genre of Indian cinema. They have mostly had Mughal and Rajput themes.
The problem lies not so much in the script as in the immediate socio-political context, feels Ira Bhaskar, professor of cinema studies in JNU. Mahboob Khan’s Humayun (1945) was about the emperor’s relation with his Rajput sister. “Historicals, though set in the past, always addressed contemporary issues. In 1945, when Partition seemed imminent, this film tried to put forward the message of Hindu-Muslim amity. The focus of the film was not Humayun’s love interest but his Rajput sister,” she explains. So the mootpoint is that the controversy is tailored to suit political needs.
Space for imagination
K Asif might have had it easy but directors today know that they have to do their homework more so to ward off hungry wannabe politicos. Director Santosh Sivan consulted historians for Asoka but the film was criticised for showing Kaurvaki as the reason for Asoka’s Buddhist turn. But then as Bhaskar points out, “The hallmark of historicals has always been the combining of the romantic with the political.”
Shyam Benegal, whose Subhash Chandra Bose faced criticism for showing that Bose married an Australian without ‘proof,’ says, “There is a lot of pressure to get the facts right, which is why filmmakers never flout well-known facts.” Commenting on Jodhaa, Sudhir Mishra, director of Khoya Khoya Chand says,“Gowariker said that he ‘imagined responsibly’. There should always be space for imagination in History.” Historians are not spewing venom. “There was no need for Gowariker to meet historians. Facts are not necessary to bring out historical truth. That Jodha didn’t exist is a fact but the historical truth is Mughals had matrimonial alliances with Rajputs. Mughal-e-Azam might be factually wrong but brings out the contradiction of the times between power and love,”says Josh.
If the filmmaker has done his homework and historians not very unhappy, then who is at the source of the entire hullabaloo? The average moviegoer?
Shah Nadeem, a lecturer at Delhi’s Zakir Hussain College, who went to see the film reacted thus: “I was pleasantly surprised to see the kind of historical detail that went into the film. In Akbarnama, Abul Fazal refers to the emperor’s spiritual experience under a tree after which he gave himself the title of Insaan-e-Kamil. This is depicted onscreen as Akbar dancing to the song Khwaja Mere Khwaja in a trance. That apart, the killing of Aadam Khan by throwing him off twice from the pulpit, Akbar’s fascination to tame mad elephants are all historical facts. Of course, it’s all in filmy style but that’s ok.”
Which brings us to the same question, if not the audience, who do the shrill voices of protest belong to? Observes psephologist Yoginder Yadav, “With politics taking a communitarian turn, and with the young and infantile visual media looking for issues that are easy to turn into a story, the trouble makers are making merry.” Filmmakers too agree. Says Mishra, “There are too many vested groups in India. Who were these people before they started protesting?” Says Benegal: “Such protestors would want us to keep making fairytales so that they can use them to launch their political careers.”
Guiding history
But what about the lady in question? Says Najaf Haider, a professor of medieval history at JNU: “The whole concept of Jodha probably came into being in the 19th century from the stories of the tourist guides. They have a tremendous burden of narrating a story about each monument they show and often make up stories to fill gaps.” According to him, all three references to Akbar’s Rajput wife — in Abul Fazal’s Akbarnama when the Rajput marriage proposal comes, when Akbar gives her the title of Marian Zamani, and in Jahangir’s autobiography, Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri referring to his mother’s death — mentions no name. “But the fact that the Jodhpur princely house came into existence in the 17th century rules out the name Jodha in 16th century, when Akbar ruled,” says Haider.
Maximum mileage
With Bollywood emerging as a major newsmaker, these protests have become the easy way to hog limelight. Is there a solution to this problem? “To call the bluff of the protestors one should deal with it like a law and order issue. One tends to blame the people but it’s the politicians who are trying to make some capital out of it. It’s the most publicly displayable stunt at little cost,” Dipankar Gupta, the author of Interrogating Identity. Yadav puts his finger on the political pulse.
“One phenomenon that has been documented is that community identities are invented and discovered in the arena of politics through symbolism. Such protests should be seen in that context, and in Rajasthan with elections around the corner it’s all too obvious.”
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
Hattrick for Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan with Jodha Akbar ?
Will Jodha Akbar / Jodhaa Akbar prove third time lucky in openings for Bollywood queen Aishwarya Rai and the superman Hrithik Roshan. The magical duo has already proved their magic in Dhoom 2 .
Aishwarya Rai ’s great run started with Guru opposite now husband Abhishek Bachchan and continued with Dhoom 2 where she lip-locked opposite Bollywood hunk Hrithik. And again with Jodha Akbar, can Aishwarya prove her worth ! Her Hollywood movies Pink Panther 2 and Singularity are still in post production but we doubt if the beauty queen needs to go back to Hollywood any more.
Hrithik Roshan has been magical right from his first movie Kaho Na Pyar Hain in his home production (Papa Rakesh Roshan ’s). And could deliver box office magic only in home productions which included science fantasy Koi Mil Gaya and sequel Krrish. But Hrithik has now three back to back Bollywood hits and much like Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan, he is among the most dependable stars today.
But due credit for Jodha Akbar goes to the Oscar nominated director Ashutosh Gowarikar for this epic movie. Not all historical movies work well in Bollywood as proved by Umrao Jaan ( Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan) and Mangal Pandey [corrected: thanks natalia] (Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee).
Jodhaa Akbar already earned Rs. 25 crores over the weekend all over India and is doing great abroad. The movie started slow but is already picking up in box office numbers. The controversies in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are still on. But as we have seen in the past, controversies help the movies to stay in the headlines and help box office statistics. Question remains if it can recover the huge investment and be declared a hit.
Courtesy: cityupdates.com
Aishwarya Rai ’s great run started with Guru opposite now husband Abhishek Bachchan and continued with Dhoom 2 where she lip-locked opposite Bollywood hunk Hrithik. And again with Jodha Akbar, can Aishwarya prove her worth ! Her Hollywood movies Pink Panther 2 and Singularity are still in post production but we doubt if the beauty queen needs to go back to Hollywood any more.
Hrithik Roshan has been magical right from his first movie Kaho Na Pyar Hain in his home production (Papa Rakesh Roshan ’s). And could deliver box office magic only in home productions which included science fantasy Koi Mil Gaya and sequel Krrish. But Hrithik has now three back to back Bollywood hits and much like Akshay Kumar and Shahrukh Khan, he is among the most dependable stars today.
But due credit for Jodha Akbar goes to the Oscar nominated director Ashutosh Gowarikar for this epic movie. Not all historical movies work well in Bollywood as proved by Umrao Jaan ( Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan) and Mangal Pandey [corrected: thanks natalia] (Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee).
Jodhaa Akbar already earned Rs. 25 crores over the weekend all over India and is doing great abroad. The movie started slow but is already picking up in box office numbers. The controversies in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are still on. But as we have seen in the past, controversies help the movies to stay in the headlines and help box office statistics. Question remains if it can recover the huge investment and be declared a hit.
Courtesy: cityupdates.com
I'm happy with the response: Ashutosh Gowariker
Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker said he was careful in preserving Rajput pride and dignity while making the period drama Jodhaa Akbar starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.
Excerpts of an interview:
Having made a film that does history proud, how do you feel about these sporadic protests?
You hit the nail on the head. These are sporadic incidents that appear much larger than they really are. While making the film, I did my best to go by the book. I consulted the best historians and went through the most rigorous research.
And there are different names used for Akbar's wife, Jodha being one of them. In fact, there's a disclaimer about the Rajput queen's name in the beginning of the film and to see that, the protestors have to see the film.
Most protests in our country are premature and based on insubstantial evidence.
Well, I want to say to people in the country and abroad that I've done deep research. Even the secondary characters like Shariffuddin, Bairam Khan and Mahamanga, which some critics have found filmy, are founded in history. That climactic combat between Akbar and Shariffuddin that I've shown really took place.
the trouble, do you think filmmakers should stay away from historicals?
No. We must make what we've to make, fearless of repercussions. I think you've to follow your heart. Of course, we must go back into the past, but after thorough research. I don't think there's any substitute for research. Since we're a multi-cultural and religious nation there're bound to be questions about historical movies.
We must be ready and equipped to handle these. I just hope more and more people come and see Jodhaa Akbar. The reports so far are very encouraging. What I want now is for the film to release in Rajasthan. Jodhaa Akbar belongs to Rajasthan. Let them see the movie.
Where did your imagination come in?
My imagination came in while describing what happened between Jodha and Akbar in the privacy of their chambers. There I had to get creative since no one knew what actually happened. That artistic licence apart, I haven't been jingoistic or fanciful in depicting history. In fact, I've been very careful in preserving Rajput pride and dignity.
Do you think the protests are politically motivated?
I wouldn't know. But it's a part of the Rajput community that's protesting against my film. So I've reason to believe the Rajputs are offended. I want to tell them that history books have given several names to the queen. I used the most popular of those names. But why focus on this issue? My intention was to show how the Rajputs made a difference to Mughal history.
Did you anticipate such loud protests?
Honestly, I did! After the release of Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey, there were protests about how he was depicted. So I feared this would happen.
Unlike my protagonists in Lagaan and Swades, Jodhaa and Akbar were real people. I delved into Rajput and Mughal history and prepared as much as I could. I also approached Jaipur royalty to get the facts, customs and traditions right.
And not once have you made Aishwarya Rai behave out of character!
Yes, I made sure of that. Only after the Jaipur royalty gave me the green signal to call my female protagonist Jodha did I proceed with my film. In anticipation of protests and controversies that are very much part of all our historical films, I decided to be very careful about historical detail.
Film personalities like Shyam Benegal and Raza Murad have hit out at the protesters.
I respect their opinion.
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
Excerpts of an interview:
Having made a film that does history proud, how do you feel about these sporadic protests?
You hit the nail on the head. These are sporadic incidents that appear much larger than they really are. While making the film, I did my best to go by the book. I consulted the best historians and went through the most rigorous research.
And there are different names used for Akbar's wife, Jodha being one of them. In fact, there's a disclaimer about the Rajput queen's name in the beginning of the film and to see that, the protestors have to see the film.
Most protests in our country are premature and based on insubstantial evidence.
Well, I want to say to people in the country and abroad that I've done deep research. Even the secondary characters like Shariffuddin, Bairam Khan and Mahamanga, which some critics have found filmy, are founded in history. That climactic combat between Akbar and Shariffuddin that I've shown really took place.
the trouble, do you think filmmakers should stay away from historicals?
No. We must make what we've to make, fearless of repercussions. I think you've to follow your heart. Of course, we must go back into the past, but after thorough research. I don't think there's any substitute for research. Since we're a multi-cultural and religious nation there're bound to be questions about historical movies.
We must be ready and equipped to handle these. I just hope more and more people come and see Jodhaa Akbar. The reports so far are very encouraging. What I want now is for the film to release in Rajasthan. Jodhaa Akbar belongs to Rajasthan. Let them see the movie.
Where did your imagination come in?
My imagination came in while describing what happened between Jodha and Akbar in the privacy of their chambers. There I had to get creative since no one knew what actually happened. That artistic licence apart, I haven't been jingoistic or fanciful in depicting history. In fact, I've been very careful in preserving Rajput pride and dignity.
Do you think the protests are politically motivated?
I wouldn't know. But it's a part of the Rajput community that's protesting against my film. So I've reason to believe the Rajputs are offended. I want to tell them that history books have given several names to the queen. I used the most popular of those names. But why focus on this issue? My intention was to show how the Rajputs made a difference to Mughal history.
Did you anticipate such loud protests?
Honestly, I did! After the release of Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey, there were protests about how he was depicted. So I feared this would happen.
Unlike my protagonists in Lagaan and Swades, Jodhaa and Akbar were real people. I delved into Rajput and Mughal history and prepared as much as I could. I also approached Jaipur royalty to get the facts, customs and traditions right.
And not once have you made Aishwarya Rai behave out of character!
Yes, I made sure of that. Only after the Jaipur royalty gave me the green signal to call my female protagonist Jodha did I proceed with my film. In anticipation of protests and controversies that are very much part of all our historical films, I decided to be very careful about historical detail.
Film personalities like Shyam Benegal and Raza Murad have hit out at the protesters.
I respect their opinion.
Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
Did Ashutosh Gowariker really hurt the Rajput Pride.
Well, the verdict is still not out on it. There were reports that the Hritik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai starrer Jodha Akbar has not portrayed history correctly. The movie has now been released in 26 countries.
And now after watching Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai sizzle in the Ashutosh Gowariker movie what do the people feel ? Some say it is an epic and some say it is entertaining. The movie has received a warm welcome on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It is doing good business abroad. Back home in India, the state of Rajasthan has banned it. There is a demand to ban the movie in MP. Gujrat has seen some violence.
Ashutosh Gowariker says that he has done his homework correctly. He used the best possible research to make the movie. One cannot go back in history. As long as it does not hurt sentiments it should be fine. Finally movies are for entertainment and the certification board should decide before the release if a movie has crossed the lines or not. All the post release controversies just adds to more news articles like this.
Courtesy: Cityupdates.com
And now after watching Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai sizzle in the Ashutosh Gowariker movie what do the people feel ? Some say it is an epic and some say it is entertaining. The movie has received a warm welcome on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It is doing good business abroad. Back home in India, the state of Rajasthan has banned it. There is a demand to ban the movie in MP. Gujrat has seen some violence.
Ashutosh Gowariker says that he has done his homework correctly. He used the best possible research to make the movie. One cannot go back in history. As long as it does not hurt sentiments it should be fine. Finally movies are for entertainment and the certification board should decide before the release if a movie has crossed the lines or not. All the post release controversies just adds to more news articles like this.
Courtesy: Cityupdates.com
Jodha Akbar banned from Ambala, Haryana
Post the bomb blast in Maharashtra yesterday, the misfortune for Jodha Akbar continued up north in Haryana today. The film has now been removed from the Ambala district of Haryana effective Thursday.
Assorted groups had been protesting the film's release in Haryana, which is linked to a Hindu soldier turned leader Hemu. Hemu had won 22 battles in a row in mid-16th century, and for a brief period subdued the Mughal Empire out of power from Delhi. The locals believe he had been depicted incorrectly, and as an insulting caricature in Jodha Akbar.
The film had been screening in 2 prints in Ambala.
The loss adds to other centers where the screenings of the Hrithik Roshan - Aishwarya Rai Mughal saga has been evicted, led by from the state of Rajasthan.
Courtesy: Ibosnetwork.com
Assorted groups had been protesting the film's release in Haryana, which is linked to a Hindu soldier turned leader Hemu. Hemu had won 22 battles in a row in mid-16th century, and for a brief period subdued the Mughal Empire out of power from Delhi. The locals believe he had been depicted incorrectly, and as an insulting caricature in Jodha Akbar.
The film had been screening in 2 prints in Ambala.
The loss adds to other centers where the screenings of the Hrithik Roshan - Aishwarya Rai Mughal saga has been evicted, led by from the state of Rajasthan.
Courtesy: Ibosnetwork.com
Box Office: Jodha Akbar opening falls 11 crores short; 2nd week advance
UTV software has claimed a Rs 38.5 crore opening weeked gross (including overseas) claim for Jodha Akbar, 25 crores of which they claim are India grosses. These, notwithstanding disputes, are decent, not historic recordbreaking opening numbers that was being expected for the mega budget epic.
Below are the opening weekend distributor worldwide gross figures for some high profile films of last year whose distributors released their weekend figures:
Salaam-E-Ishq - Rs. 50 crore (Eros)
Partner - Rs. 42 crore (Eros)
Heyy Baby - Rs 41 crore (Eros)
Jodha Akbar - Rs. 39 crore (UTV)
Jab We Met - Rs. 12 crore (UTV)
These figures again are distributor claims, not independently verified. At times, ticket sales have been believed to be much less than advertised claims.
Meanwhile advance booking for 2nd week for Jodha Akbar has opened to an underwhelming response again Except for south which is better on limited screenings, bookings in Mumbai stand at 25% for its 2nd Friday despite a blank open week with no releases. That is below average for 2nd week. For reference, the film is trending worse than Hrithik Roshan's last non-hit at the box office, Lakshya.
Moreover unlike Lakshya, the film is still recording 0 collections from Rajasthan and looks to be heading for a washout from that territory, which means a loss of upto 6-7 crores, including in part the other centers where the screenings were stopped.
Pirate CDs have also come out in the market and videos are available on the internet.
At best, Jodha Akbar looks to be an above average/average film and having been forced out of the northwest, if the collections in other parts of India don't turn upside over the coming week, it can still be heading towards emerging the first big budget flop of 2008, a major loss of a film many were hoping would set new box office milestones across India for years to come.
Courtesy: Ibosnetwork.com
Below are the opening weekend distributor worldwide gross figures for some high profile films of last year whose distributors released their weekend figures:
Salaam-E-Ishq - Rs. 50 crore (Eros)
Partner - Rs. 42 crore (Eros)
Heyy Baby - Rs 41 crore (Eros)
Jodha Akbar - Rs. 39 crore (UTV)
Jab We Met - Rs. 12 crore (UTV)
These figures again are distributor claims, not independently verified. At times, ticket sales have been believed to be much less than advertised claims.
Meanwhile advance booking for 2nd week for Jodha Akbar has opened to an underwhelming response again Except for south which is better on limited screenings, bookings in Mumbai stand at 25% for its 2nd Friday despite a blank open week with no releases. That is below average for 2nd week. For reference, the film is trending worse than Hrithik Roshan's last non-hit at the box office, Lakshya.
Moreover unlike Lakshya, the film is still recording 0 collections from Rajasthan and looks to be heading for a washout from that territory, which means a loss of upto 6-7 crores, including in part the other centers where the screenings were stopped.
Pirate CDs have also come out in the market and videos are available on the internet.
At best, Jodha Akbar looks to be an above average/average film and having been forced out of the northwest, if the collections in other parts of India don't turn upside over the coming week, it can still be heading towards emerging the first big budget flop of 2008, a major loss of a film many were hoping would set new box office milestones across India for years to come.
Courtesy: Ibosnetwork.com
Tata Elxsi`s visual effects for ‘Jodha Akbar`
Focused on providing world-class, quality animation (2D & 3D), special effects, and gaming services to customers world wide, VCL has combined creativity and technology for Jodha Akbar, producing realistic and breathtaking images and creating the much required glory of the splendid Mughal era
Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi Ltd announced that it has rendered the exclusive visual effects for the most awaited movie of the year ‘Jodha Akbar’. A whole year of post production and over one hundred artists from VCL helped make give this epic drama a large scale canvas that has till now not been seen in Indian cinema.
Focused on providing world-class, quality animation (2D & 3D), special effects, and gaming services to customers world wide, VCL has combined creativity and technology for Jodha Akbar, producing realistic and breathtaking images and creating the much required glory of the splendid Mughal era.
Pankaj Khandpur, Creative Director, Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi said, “Ashutosh Gowarikar, the director and co-producer of Jodha Akbar, discussed the visual effects of the movie with Tata Elxsi way back in 2005. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced team of artists and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, VCL has been able to create realistic battle sequences in the movie and restore the long lost splendour of the 16th century Mughal dynasty.”
“Our team spent many months prior to the shooting to just test the feasibility of doing the shots in CGI. A team of modellers and texture artists was put onto the job to digitally restore the forts and palaces to look like they did in the 16th century. Wherever the structures were badly ruined Tata Elxsi went in and completely rebuilt them in CGI, and then using high-resolution digital images texture mapped the structures to blend in seamlessly with the existing fort or palace,” he further added.
Over 200 shots were meticulously planned during pre production in computer-generated imagery (CGI) for the 3 battle sequences in the movie. Wherever the camera movement was complicated and the existing layers proved inadequate VCL built the soldiers in CGI using crowd duplication software.
Additionally, all the arrows were hand animated in CGI and put into the battle sequences. Large tracts of ground had to be cleared of all modern day traces, most apparent being tyre marks of vehicles. Dust was added digitally to enhance the feeling of scale to the battle sequences and then the ground was strewn with dead bodies and vultures in the sky all done in CGI to show the devastation after a heavy battle.
Courtesy: Indiainfoline.com
Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi Ltd announced that it has rendered the exclusive visual effects for the most awaited movie of the year ‘Jodha Akbar’. A whole year of post production and over one hundred artists from VCL helped make give this epic drama a large scale canvas that has till now not been seen in Indian cinema.
Focused on providing world-class, quality animation (2D & 3D), special effects, and gaming services to customers world wide, VCL has combined creativity and technology for Jodha Akbar, producing realistic and breathtaking images and creating the much required glory of the splendid Mughal era.
Pankaj Khandpur, Creative Director, Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi said, “Ashutosh Gowarikar, the director and co-producer of Jodha Akbar, discussed the visual effects of the movie with Tata Elxsi way back in 2005. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced team of artists and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, VCL has been able to create realistic battle sequences in the movie and restore the long lost splendour of the 16th century Mughal dynasty.”
“Our team spent many months prior to the shooting to just test the feasibility of doing the shots in CGI. A team of modellers and texture artists was put onto the job to digitally restore the forts and palaces to look like they did in the 16th century. Wherever the structures were badly ruined Tata Elxsi went in and completely rebuilt them in CGI, and then using high-resolution digital images texture mapped the structures to blend in seamlessly with the existing fort or palace,” he further added.
Over 200 shots were meticulously planned during pre production in computer-generated imagery (CGI) for the 3 battle sequences in the movie. Wherever the camera movement was complicated and the existing layers proved inadequate VCL built the soldiers in CGI using crowd duplication software.
Additionally, all the arrows were hand animated in CGI and put into the battle sequences. Large tracts of ground had to be cleared of all modern day traces, most apparent being tyre marks of vehicles. Dust was added digitally to enhance the feeling of scale to the battle sequences and then the ground was strewn with dead bodies and vultures in the sky all done in CGI to show the devastation after a heavy battle.
Courtesy: Indiainfoline.com
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Hrithik Roshan's dervish dance wins hearts
The response to Jodhaa Akbar from critics may be mixed. But there is one extraordinary sequence in the film that has won the hearts of critics and audiences alike.
That sequence is when emperor Akbar ( Hrithik Roshan ) goes into a trance while listening to the qawwali “Khwaja Mere Khwaja”. Quietly, the emperor rises from his seat, walks into the whirling dervishes and begins to whirl with one hand pointed to the sky and the other pointed to the earth.
Now, we all know how good a dancer Hrithik is. But before shooting this sequence, even he was clueless. Though the whirling doesn’t require any complicated steps, Hrithik had to do it with genuine feeling so as not to make the dance look superficial.
And the conviction with which Hrithik conveyed the spiritual ecstasy of Akbar in that dance has won hearts.
None other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan had lavish praise for this particular sequence in the film.
In fact, Big B has reportedly stated that such an outstanding moment has not been captured in cinema since Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘A Space Odyssey’.
And almost every movie critic has complimented this very sequence.
For the song’s composer, A R Rahman , “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” is a very personal and spiritual number. Rahman originally composed the song three years ago only for himself. It was much later when Ashutosh Gowarikar approached him to compose for ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ did Rahman decide to use the song in the film.
Courtesy: Apunkachoice.com
That sequence is when emperor Akbar ( Hrithik Roshan ) goes into a trance while listening to the qawwali “Khwaja Mere Khwaja”. Quietly, the emperor rises from his seat, walks into the whirling dervishes and begins to whirl with one hand pointed to the sky and the other pointed to the earth.
Now, we all know how good a dancer Hrithik is. But before shooting this sequence, even he was clueless. Though the whirling doesn’t require any complicated steps, Hrithik had to do it with genuine feeling so as not to make the dance look superficial.
And the conviction with which Hrithik conveyed the spiritual ecstasy of Akbar in that dance has won hearts.
None other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan had lavish praise for this particular sequence in the film.
In fact, Big B has reportedly stated that such an outstanding moment has not been captured in cinema since Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘A Space Odyssey’.
And almost every movie critic has complimented this very sequence.
For the song’s composer, A R Rahman , “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” is a very personal and spiritual number. Rahman originally composed the song three years ago only for himself. It was much later when Ashutosh Gowarikar approached him to compose for ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ did Rahman decide to use the song in the film.
Courtesy: Apunkachoice.com
The most spectacular aspect about JODHAA AKBAR!
As expected, it is the track 'Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah' which has turned out to be visually most spectacular part about JODHAA AKBAR.
Ever since this A.R. Rahman track was heard first as a part of the film's theatrical promo, the bet was on that it would make for a breathtaking experience once seen on the big screen. The scale and magnitude of the number was such that it had to be complimented by lavish picturisation, grand choreography and great visuals.
As expected, Ashutosh Gowariker has made it happen with his technical crew as the number in appreciation of Jalaluddin Akbar, 'Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah', has turned out to be a grand outing. Going completely in synch with the elaborate mood of the film and the high-on-drama sequence where Akbar gets the acceptance from the people of his country for perhaps the first time ever, 'Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah' would easily be counted as one of the most impressive things about this Hrithik-Ash film.
Courtesy: Glamsham.com
Ever since this A.R. Rahman track was heard first as a part of the film's theatrical promo, the bet was on that it would make for a breathtaking experience once seen on the big screen. The scale and magnitude of the number was such that it had to be complimented by lavish picturisation, grand choreography and great visuals.
As expected, Ashutosh Gowariker has made it happen with his technical crew as the number in appreciation of Jalaluddin Akbar, 'Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah', has turned out to be a grand outing. Going completely in synch with the elaborate mood of the film and the high-on-drama sequence where Akbar gets the acceptance from the people of his country for perhaps the first time ever, 'Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah' would easily be counted as one of the most impressive things about this Hrithik-Ash film.
Courtesy: Glamsham.com
A Jodha-Akbar museum!
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Painstakingly crafted with a keen eye for detail, the sets of Jodha Akbar lent the much needed feeling of grandeur to the movie set around the prosperous Mughal and Rajputana empires. Now, that the movie has been released the sets that were built for the purpose can be dismantled. But the makers of Jodha Akbar seem to have something else in mind. After all it is not easy for anyone with a creative slant of mind to ruthlessly pull down a piece of art, that too one that has generated such a positive buzz wherever it has been shown on the big screen.
Yes, the magnificent sets of Jodha Akbar will not be pulled down, they will remain a testimony to the effort and time that went into their making. They will rightfully be opened up for the public get a first hand experience of how it looks. After all a 2 dimensional view on the big screen, however well shot cannot match the 3 dimensional experience of real life. The plans will be rolled out soon. Of course, the public will have to pay a nominal fee, but the perfection of the sets justifies that. The man behind the idea is the man who made the sets himself, Nithin Chandrakanth Desai of ND studios.
Hats off to him for turning the wheel of time to take us back to the times of Akbar and lets hope that this adds to the rich tourist attractions of our country.
Courtesy: Behindwoods.com
Yes, the magnificent sets of Jodha Akbar will not be pulled down, they will remain a testimony to the effort and time that went into their making. They will rightfully be opened up for the public get a first hand experience of how it looks. After all a 2 dimensional view on the big screen, however well shot cannot match the 3 dimensional experience of real life. The plans will be rolled out soon. Of course, the public will have to pay a nominal fee, but the perfection of the sets justifies that. The man behind the idea is the man who made the sets himself, Nithin Chandrakanth Desai of ND studios.
Hats off to him for turning the wheel of time to take us back to the times of Akbar and lets hope that this adds to the rich tourist attractions of our country.
Courtesy: Behindwoods.com
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