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Hype over Kaante begins to peak
Arnab Banerjee
July 20
Bigger Picture
Now that Devdas seems to have proved its point at the box office, the Mumbai film industry's attention is gradually veering towards another big-budget production, Kaante. Made on a budget of nearly Rs 40 crore, the Sanjay Gupta-directed film is the first Indian production to be shot entirely in the US.
Kaante will be unveiled next month with as many as nine premieres across the globe. Says the film's co-producer Pritish Nandy: "Special invitations are going out to film personalities everywhere." Featuring an all-male ensemble cast headed by the redoubtable Amitabh Bachchan, Kaante could perhaps initiate the buddy-buddy movie in Bollywood. The film has Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali, Kumar Gaurav and Mahesh Manjrekar playing characters that have deep shades of gray. "I am sure it will set a new trend in the country," says Nandy.
Is there any special reason for the hype that is being planned? "There is no special reason," says director Sanjay Gupta. "We wanted to revive the tradition of grand premieres, that's it. And since our film is big in every sense of the term, we wanted to make sure it gets the right kind of release and publicity worldwide."
"It's not just the money, it's the way the movie has been shot, which should be a lesson for our Bollywood producers - strict shooting schedules, organized crew with bound scripts and detailing to the last that was in fact quite an eye opener for all of us," says Nandy. Kaante, which has been inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, was shot in 26 days flat with the help of a highly professional international crew.
Isn't a Hindi film that has no female lead a bit of a risk? Nandy doesn't think so. "We are taking an exciting risk, with very innovative marketing strategies and no gimmicks. Given the current globalised scenario, Kaante ensures a win-win situation for us," says Nandy. The industry is hoping the mounting optimism bears fruit.
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