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When love is in the air and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> is bound to come up with a <keyword id="24069" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="romantic-comedy">romantic comedy</keyword>. But when ad film-maker <keyword id="1612592" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vinil-Mathew">Vinil Mathew</keyword>’s directorial debut <keyword id="1520199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hasee-Toh-Phasee">Hasee Toh Phasee</keyword> hit the screen a week before <keyword id="4167782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-day">V-Day</keyword> (February 7), it turned out to be a better love feast than the run-of-the-mill romances. Much of the credit goes to the lead duo – <keyword id="562349" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Parineeti-Chopra">Parineeti Chopra</keyword> and <keyword id="1320874" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sidharth-Malhotra">Sidharth Malhotra</keyword> – and the <keyword id="303" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Director">director</keyword>, of course, who tweaked all the usual Bollywood masala into an earthy and sharp reality without stripping the flick of its dream elements. And going by the <keyword id="2034852" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-office-numbers">box office numbers</keyword>, we dare say that the audience loves those experiments garbed in the feel-good raiment. In other words, this Parineeti-Sidharth starrer has different offerings at different levels – whether you take it as an arty-commercial experiment or just another love story, with some nuances that can push you out of your comfort zone. 
 So how has the film fared at the box office so far? The Rs 25 crore <keyword id="1636016" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="rom-com">rom-com</keyword>, jointly produced by <keyword id="3778" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karan-Johar">Karan Johar</keyword>’s <keyword id="62161" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dharma-Productions">Dharma Productions</keyword> and <keyword id="7929" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anurag-Kashyap">Anurag Kashyap</keyword>’s <keyword id="1352720" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Phantom-Productions">Phantom Productions</keyword>, hit about 2,000 screens across the country and grossed around Rs 17-18 crore at home during the first weekend, according to industry estimates. <keyword id="1861689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="overseas-collection">Overseas collection</keyword>s stood at a little over $1 million. The <keyword id="2014761" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Occupancy-rate">occupancy rate</keyword> was 50-80% during the opening weekend and stayed at 50% on the crucial Day 4 (February 10) in the domestic market, bringing in around Rs 6 crore. Overseas collection on the 4th day was around Rs 1.5 crore. However, the movie is expected to do much better at the box office during the <keyword id="2054858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-Day-week">V-Day week</keyword>. 
 
Karan Johar is also happy with the way things are going. “Thank you for the immense love and appreciation for Hasee Toh Phasee, a film I am extremely proud of,” he tweeted on Sunday. 
 
The rom-com is expected to ride on critical acclaim and we feel that is justified to some extent. For one, director Vinil Mathew (best known for his Cadbury: Kuch meetha ho jaye commercials) knows how to tell a good story, blending reality with cinematic magic. And writer <keyword id="1989065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Harshvardhan-Kulkarni">Harshvardhan Kulkarni</keyword> has aptly supported him. The film is essentially a quirky love story between <keyword id="19563" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="meeta">Meeta</keyword> (Parineeti) and Nikhil (Sidharth) – a modern-day take about life, love and relationships. Consequently, you see a runaway professional and a turbulent soul in Meeta, who has brains but takes drugs, steals money from her family and tries to whisk off her sister <keyword id="5405" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karishma">Karishma</keyword>’s (<keyword id="16234" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adah-Sharma">Adah Sharma</keyword>) fiancé who is also a long-time friend of Meeta. Sidharth, on the other hand, is a more staid character with his commitments firmly in place. The resulting story weaves the chemistry between the odd pair while <keyword id="6362839" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manoj-Joshi">Manoj Joshi</keyword> does some good work as Meeta and Karishma’s father. 
 
But one still wonders why all the soul-searching and putting life into order need to happen immediately before a crucial marriage, à la Mere Brother Ki Dulhan? Only this time, we have a runaway bridegroom, instead of the bride walking away from the mandap as is the Bollywood wont. But Parineeti is the real star cast here – bright, gorgeous, self-willed and passionate – and wins hearts in spite of her over-the-top acting. Sidharth, too, is out on a self-quest and looks laudable. But it’s the cliché plot that mars the good efforts. There are nice elements, but they come in bits and pieces, and finally, Hasee Toh Phasee remains a commercial candyfloss. 
 
One just wonders what would have happened if Parineeti and Sidharth went through the same experiences post the marriage between Adah and Sidharth. But that might have been too much off the track for Bollywood and the Indian audience who did not receive the offbeat theme of Nishabd well. Let us see if Hasee Toh Phasee can join the 100 crore club. 
 
 
 
<keyword id="805778" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Heartless">Heartless</keyword>: Commendable efforts lose steam, again Medical thrillers are pretty rare in Bollywood and we pinned our hopes on <keyword id="17186" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shekhar-Suman">Shekhar Suman</keyword>’s directorial debut Heartless, starring his son <keyword id="20393" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adhyayan">Adhyayan</keyword>, along with <keyword id="20398" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="deepti-naval">Deepti Naval</keyword>, <keyword id="6381489" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Om-puri">Om Puri</keyword> and newcomer <keyword id="1935232" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ariana-Ayam">Ariana Ayam</keyword> (she hails from New York). The movie also released on February 7 and hit about 800 screens all over the country. But unlike Hasee Toh Phasee, this one had a poor start in spite of a great storyline – essentially borrowed from the American crime/supernatural/conspiracy thriller <keyword id="106100" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Awake">Awake</keyword>. Surprisingly, the box office numbers are not officially available yet but according to one estimate, Heartless has grossed a little over Rs 1 crore in the opening weekend. That is, indeed, shocking. 
 A close look at the movie, however, confirms our fear that it could be a box office flop. Rich boy <keyword id="138003" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aditya-Singh">Aditya Singh</keyword> (<keyword id="6354939" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Adhyayan-Suman">Adhyayan Suman</keyword>), who needs a <keyword id="6397601" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="heart-transplant">heart transplant</keyword>, falls in love with fortune-hunter <keyword id="80068" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ria">Ria</keyword> (Ariana Ayam) and secretly marries her before the surgery. But once he is under the knife, all hell breaks loose. There is conspiracy going on to kill him with a <keyword id="2054863" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Poisoned-transplant">poisoned transplant</keyword>, so that the wife can pocket the insurance money. Adhyayan’s friend and <keyword id="6382875" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="surgeon">surgeon</keyword> <keyword id="2054864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dr-Sameer-Saxena">Dr Sameer Saxena</keyword> (Shekhar Suman) is also in cahoots. 
 During the surgery, the truth dawns upon the hero as he goes into <keyword id="2054865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anaesthesia-awareness">anaesthesia awareness</keyword>, a medical condition where the patient is conscious enough to understand everything, but cannot move. Finally, his mother <keyword id="489622" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gayatri-Singh">Gayatri Singh</keyword> (Deepti Naval) commits suicide to make the transplant happen; Om Puri, as <keyword id="2054866" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dr-Sanjay-Trehan">Dr Sanjay Trehan</keyword>, manages to save him and all the baddies are arrested at the end. There’s nothing wrong with the story except for the fact that medical thrill becomes hilarious comedy during the second half and Adhyayan still looks pretty stiff although the mother-son relation has been played out well. Maybe the BO numbers will pick up as soon as the audience gets used to the comical activities that take place in the OT. But can it still be touted as Adhyayan’s comeback movie? 
 
<keyword id="1977299" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Babloo-Happy-Hai">Babloo Happy Hai</keyword>, <keyword id="828628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ya-Rab">Ya Rab</keyword> fail to make the cut The other two releases of the week also failed to make the cut at the box office in spite of some serious themes. Directed by <keyword id="475774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nila-Madhab-Panda">Nila Madhab Panda</keyword> (of Jalpari and I am Kalam fame), Babloo Happy Hai has a meaningful message about <keyword id="19472" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="aids">AIDS</keyword> and how people can still live a full life. But the movie has a <keyword id="110559" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Limited-release">limited release</keyword> and hit only about 350-plus screens. It has grossed a little over Rs 15 lakh on the opening day, according to TalkingMoviez.com. 
 
Hasnain Hyderabadwala-directed Ya Rab depicts the eternal conflict between <keyword id="70629" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Humanity">humanity</keyword> and <keyword id="2054867" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Parochial-attitude">parochial attitude</keyword>, and how <keyword id="1013184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="religious-fundamentalism">religious fundamentalism</keyword> can lead to <keyword id="6358165" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="terrorism">terrorism</keyword>. But once again, lack of promotion has failed to create buzz for this movie, co-produced by <keyword id="6370367" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mahesh-Bhatt">Mahesh Bhatt</keyword>. Made on a budget of Rs 2.5 crore, the movie has been released in 300-plus theatres and the Friday collections stood in the range of Rs 20 lakh-plus. Overall, <keyword id="434916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-box-office">Bollywood box office</keyword> hasn’t witnessed too many ripples even now but movie-goers are having a gala time, sampling different genres. That’s definitely a big plus and we are waiting for more. 
 
Images: Indiatimes

Box Office: Hasee Toh
Phasee Wins Hearts; Heartless Fails To Retain The Thrill

The <keyword id="6354977" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> will hear on May 15 a plea against the <keyword id="28504" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="kerala" source="Orion">Kerala</keyword> High Court order refusing to stay the release of the controversial multilingual film "The Kerala Story". Senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Tuesday mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice <keyword id="445662" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="d-y-chandrachud" source="Orion">D Y Chandrachud</keyword> and Justice <keyword id="3330333" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="p-s-narasimha" source="Orion">P S Narasimha</keyword>. When the bench inquired whether the high court has passed an order in the matter, Sibal said it has refused to stay the release of film. "We will keep it on Monday (May 15)," the bench said. On May 5, the high court refused to stay the release of the movie and said the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. The high court noted the producers' submission that they do not intend to retain an "offending teaser" which contained a statement that "32,000 women" from Kerala were converted and joined a terrorist organisation. It said the <keyword id="388113" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="central-board-of-film-certification" source="Orion">Central Board of Film Certification</keyword> (CBFC) has examined the movie and found it suitable for public exhibition. The high court also noted that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie which specifically says it is fictionalised and a dramatised version of events and that the film doesn't claim accuracy or factuality of historic events. "The Kerala Story" starring Adah Sharma was released in cinemas on Friday. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/air-india-gives-more-time-to-pilots-to-accept-revised-compensation-structure/articleshow/100093565.cms">Air India gives more time to pilots to accept revised compensation structure</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/rohit-sharmas-struggle-with-the-bat-is-mental-not-technical-virender-sehwag/articleshow/100093507.cms">Rohit Sharma's struggle with the bat is mental, not technical: Virender Sehwag</a>

SC to hear on May 15 plea against HC order on 'The Kerala Story'

<ul><li>As it celebrated it 4th anniversary recently, <keyword id="6245082" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee5" source="Orion">Zee5</keyword> revealed that its monthly active users (MAU) rose to 101.9 million and global daily active users (DAUs) touched 9.6 million in December 2021.</li><li>Moving forward, the OTT platform is working on ensuring it goes deeper into the country, into Tier II &amp; III markets, and is also working on strengthening the platform on the technology front, to make sure even people with low-end phone or patchy networks can access it without any difficulty.</li></ul><keyword id="6372205" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zee" source="Orion">Zee</keyword>5, the over-the-top (OTT) platform from the house of Zee, has plans of doubling down on its investments on original content production this year. The platform is also working towards building one of the best regional content library in the country, <keyword id="1164639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="manish-kalra" source="Orion">Manish Kalra</keyword>, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India told us. As it celebrated it 4th anniversary recently, the platform revealed that its monthly active users (MAU) rose to 101.9 million and global daily active users (DAUs) touched 9.6 million in December 2021. It also said that its users watched an average of 201 minutes of content per month during the last quarter, and it released 51 shows and movies, including 11 originals during the period. “We are fundamentally a highly customer-obsessed business and our success lies in more and more users using our platform. In December, globally, Zee5 crossed the 100 million MAU benchmark which was very exciting for us and we want to keep going from strength to strength. In 2020, we had almost seen a 2X increase on our user base on subscription side and even in 2021, we have seen high double digit growth in subscriber base. We’ve almost doubled our subscriber base YoY which has been very rewarding for us. We are also seeing a lot of people moving to connected devices, there’s been an increase in users coming in from regional languages. So it's been a rewarding journey for us so far,” shared Kalra. Currently, close to 80% of Zee5’s users are Tier I and metro-focused, but this year, the platform wants to go deeper into Tier II and Tier III cities. “Our strategy would be to go local with the right content offerings. We have some big investments planned in regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Bangla and Punjabi, along with Hindi. We will come up with real, relatable stories that will connect with the masses. We want to ensure we go deeper into the country and acquire and take care of this audience in a much more significant way,’ he added. To celebrate its anniversary, the platform had granted access to a select few of its premium web series and movies to everyone for free. It also announced ZEE5 Spark, an initiate aimed at bolstering the platform’s AVOD content library further by introducing some popular web series like Holiday, Ready 2 Mingle, Dude, The Great Indian Wedding, Happily Ever After, featuring actors like Aahana Kumra, Amol Parashar, Adah Sharma, Priyank Sharma and Naveen Kasturia. Zee5 will also add short films like Baarish Aur Chowmein, Half Full, Khujli, Kheer and many more, starring actors like Taapsee Pannu, <keyword id="6354338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="naseeruddin-shah" source="Orion">Naseeruddin Shah</keyword>, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff amongst others that will be available for AVOD users under Spark. On some of their key areas of focus for the year, Kalra said, “We want to ensure we become the best-in-class on technology from the platform perspective. We want to become more intuitive and drive a more personalized and customized interface for every user. Secondly, we want to invest on having the best-in-class regional content library because that's our strength and forte. We don’t want to compete in the English genre. So staying focused on our rules, our strengths and investing on a class content library for Indians and the languages that they connect with would be super important for us. We also want to ensure that we stay rooted and connected with India. So, we want to ensure we are available even for consumers who are on low-end devices and do not have great network. So you will soon see some innovations from us on offline viewing and on closed network,” concluded Kalra.

This year, we will focus on ensuring the best-in-class regional content library and technology on the platform and aim at going deeper into Tier II & III markets: Manish Kalra, Zee5

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Box Office: Hasee Toh Phasee Wins Hearts; Heartless Fails To Retain The Thrill

Sanghamitra Mandal

SC to hear on May 15 plea against HC order on 'The Kerala Story'

PTI

This year, we will focus on ensuring the best-in-class regional content library and technology on the platform and aim at going deeper into Tier II & III markets: Manish Kalra, Zee5

Samarpita Banerjee

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