B'wood's hodgepodge of entertainers
By IANS
Aug 02, 2004, 15:02

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New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) A motley of films ranging from laugh riots to paranormal spine-chillers to comic book adventures will hit the marquees in August, even as real life dramas of tinsel town spill out of the closets.

After a series of sex films, comic caper "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" that was released Friday to rave reviews will set the tone for a spell of good clean entertainment in the month ahead.

Bollywood will, however, make up for the absence of sex and sleaze onscreen with the unfolding court drama involving filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who has been accused of rape and intimidation by struggling actress Preeti Jain.

With starlet Amisha Patel dragging her parents to court for allegedly mismanaging her earnings and an imminent trial by media to unravel what led former Miss India and model-turned-VJ Nafisa Joseph to commit suicide, the entertainment world would provide sufficient fodder to engage audiences.

Onscreen, the latest David Dhawan offering -- "Mujhse Shaadi Karoogi" -- marks the return of the filmmaker to his true element. The film, starring Salman Khan-Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra, manages to tickle audiences, bringing back happy memories of "Biwi No. 1", "Bol Radha Bol", "Coolie No. 1" and "Hero No. 1". Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film is likely to do well nationwide.

Sex has been the buzzword at the box-office of late. Former Miss India Neha Dhupia's act as a no-holds-bar commercial sex-worker in "Julie" had many takers as the film packed in full houses in multiplexes as well as centres like Bihar.

Films like "Julie", "Murder", and "Girlfriend" have lead to a spurt of sex-oriented subjects with as many as 65 such films, including "Bikaoo" (a film resurrected after Preeti Jain became a cynosure for the media), "Mirchi-It's Hot", "Jackpot", "Hottest Mail.Com" and "Fun Can Be Dangerous" -- have been pumped into production and circulation, say trade watchers.

The only other successful theme was comedy -- as in "Masti" and "Main Hoon Naa". It is hoped that "Mujhse Shaadi Karoogi", made at a budget of Rs.250 million, would strike gold.

Fantasy adventure "Taarzan: The Wonder Car" will be a significant release of the month. The film's main protagonist is a futuristic car "Taarzan", designed by Dilip Chhabria for Gordhan Tarwani. It does everything, except romancing and singing duets. Directors Abbas-Mustan have left the romance part to Vatsal Sheth and Ayesha Takia.

The most-awaited film will be "Kyun! Ho Gaya Na" starring Aishwarya Rai, Vivek Oberoi, Amitabh Bachchan, and Suniel Shetty. Directed by Sameer Karnik, the Boney Kapoor film has music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The success of this film will give a fresh breath of life to the genre of romantic musicals, which have been facing a drought at the box-office and are more or less on their way out.

The immediate benefactor will be "Fida", a Ken Ghosh film starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. The film also stars Fardeen Khan and is slated to release after "Kyun! Ho Gaya Na".

Another film generating some interest is the Salman Khan-starrer "Phir Milenge". The film is based on the subject of HIV/AIDS, which has never been tried in mainstream Hindi cinema. The film by Revathi also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty.

Abhishek will be seen in another film -- "Dhoom" -- that is incidentally set to hit the marquees on the same day as "Phir Milenge". The Yash Raj Films production is directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and also stars Uday Chopra, John Abraham, Esha Deol and Rimi Sen.

Another interesting film that is likely to see the light of the day soon is "Rakht", which is drumming up interest on account of its sizzling dance numbers on TV. The film is about tarot card reader Bipasha Basu who is enlisted by school principal Sanjay Dutt to help trace his missing fiancée, pop singer, Amrita Arora. It also stars Neha Dhupia and Dino Morea.

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With many films jostling for space in the month ahead, filmmakers are understandably going the extra mile to make their wares stand out. So, while producer Sajid Nadiadwala decided to decorate the entrance of several theatres across the country as well overseas to look like marriage halls for the release of his film -- "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" -- the makers of "Taarzan: The Wonder Car" will zip around Mumbai roads.

Producer Gordhan Tarwani will parade the sleek car designed by Dilip Chhabria and costing a whopping Rs.20 million on Mumbai roads. The car, which is the hero of the film, will also be showcased at some important locations of Mumbai.

Incidentally, innovation hit another high with Yash Raj Films linking up with broadcaster ESPN-STAR Sports as part of marketing effort for its next venture, "Dhoom", during cricket matches.

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In a major departure, Bollywood's king of innovation -- Ram Gopal Varma -- will sign up southern music director Illayaraja for his next film "Vaastu Shastra". The director initially wanted A.R. Rehman. When this did not work out he is aiming for an "even better replacement", reports say.

Renowned Illayaraja takes up work very selectively and is very particular about the producers and projects he works for. Varma would need all the luck in the world to nail this deal.


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