IPL fever grips Big B at 8:24 PM

IPL fever grips Big B

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan cheered up Preity Zinta's Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab by giving a short TV bite on her behest.

"Preity had called last evening for a request - her IPL team was hugely depressed and she was wondering if I could do a small TV bite to cheer them up. I did that and I hope it makes them happy," Amitabh posted on his blog.

The two actors featured together in films like Veer-Zaara, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and The Last Lear.

The second season of the IPL is starting April 18 in South Africa.

Commenting on the upcoming Twenty20 series, Amitabh wrote: "Cricket has become so big and important. And the T20 series, now shifted to South Africa due to security concerns and concerns of its reflection on the elections, is a sheer delight."

8 X 10 Tasveer joins A-list duds in 2009 at 8:20 PM

8 X 10 Tasveer joins A-list duds in 2009
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There were huge expectations from Akshay Kumar-starrer 8X10 Tasveer, but the supernatural thriller has failed to impress audiences and fallen flat at the box office.

Releasing after a lean period of almost two months, the film was expected to be a box-office saviour -- instead it turned out to be another A-list flop.

Despite being the first and only Bollywood film that opened in the second quarter year, it is Akshay's second big-budget dud in the year after Chandni Chowk To China that opened the first quarter for biggies this year.

It is also director Nagesh Kukunoor's second endeavour gone wrong at the box office in terms of commercial cinema post Bombay To Bangkok(2008).

"The reaction to Tasveer is not at all up to the mark. It is in fact very disappointing. Neither the public reaction nor the collections are good -- considering the fact that it is an Akshay Kumar starrer and that it opened as a solo release over a long weekend due to Ram Navami," said Sakshi Mehra, an exhibitor and president of the Motion Pictures Association of Delhi-Uttar Pradesh.

"The business for the film started falling from Sunday onwards, when otherwise, it should have soared. And with the bad word of mouth now, there is no chance even for it to improve at the box office," he added.

Released on April 3, 8X10 Tasveer also stars Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Jaffery, Girish Karnad, Anant Mahadevan and Benjamin Gilani in pivotal roles.

It is the story of a young man Jai (Akshay) who has a supernatural gift to look into the past of dead people by looking at their 8x10 photographs.

A PVR official said on the condition of anonymity that "the film has managed to collect 40 percent over the opening weekend despite holidays." He further added that the collections are slow.

Made on a budget of approximately Rs 600 million, 8X10 Tasveer released with around 1,500 prints worldwide and the least hype for any Akshay starrer since the last four years. The actor too was reported to be underplaying the promotion of the film.

Trade analysts are not even excepting more than the initial business for the movie. "The film is dull and shatters all hopes from a director like Nagesh Kukunoor. People had high expectations from the film, as it was after a long gap that a big-budget movie was hitting the screens but it all went wrong," said an industry source from Mumbai.

"Whatever audiences it managed to draw over the weekend was courtesy Akshay and the supernatural element. However, due to its horrible packaging, it is going to suffer a bad word-of-mouth. It is not likely that the movie will survive more than a week or 10 days at the maximum," he added.

Utpal Acharya, Vice-President (programming and distribution) of Inox Leisure, added: "It's a different movie altogether and not an in and out masala commercial cinema but due to Akshay's fan following, people have visited the theatres and it has been a good weekend with around 45 per cent occupancy overall."

"The movie has done good and has been liked by the multiplex audience. However, it doesn't have a life more than around two weeks," he added.

Meanwhile, with the ongoing confrontation between the producer and distributors on one side and the exhibitors on the other over revenue sharing for forthcoming projects, April is again in the dry mode with only low-budget films on the anvil.

Shah Rukh and Aamir come together for ‘fair rights for Friday nights’ at 8:19 PM

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai, April 07: Bollywood has come forward with a united front to resolve the tiff between the film producers and multiplexes over revenue sharing. Advocating a partnership of equality, Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan spoke at length about the stalemate.

In a press conference at Mumbai’s JWT Marriott, Aamir spoke on behalf of the producing fraternity, saying, “It should be a partnership of equality. Fifty percent sharing is fair. Distributors and exhibitors have to find a way to make it a viable business within their fifty percent. Within my fifty percent I have to make it profitable.”

"This is one industry and we all can survive only when each sector will earn a healthy share. We are here to find a solution to this," added Aamir.

Supporting Aamir’s point of view, Shah Rukh Khan stressed on the point of utilising the press meet as a platform for finding a solution, rather than making it a power show.

He clarified, “This is not a power show. We haven`t gathered here to threaten multiplexes. It`s a show of coming together.”

True to his witty self, SRK quipped, “We are here for fair rights for Friday nights.”

Producer-director Karan Johar introduced the speakers and co-ordinated the meet. Apart from the superstars, industry veterans like Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Bhatt Ramesh Sippy, Yash Raj, Sandeep Bhargav and Karan Johar were also present, among others.

The tiff between the producers and multiplexes started early February. And after several failed discussions, the producers decided to go on strike. From April 4 they have stopped giving release rights of new big-budget movies.

The strike has given way to a dry-season where no movies are being released as producers have refused to release any new film. The year had a damp start with a majority of flicks bombing at the BO, hence making it a dark first half for the entertainment industry.