<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45900517.cms" />The New Year started with a bang as far as the Bollywood <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> is concerned. PK got the cash ringer ringing, and as per the <a href="http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/box-office/special-features/id/421">reports</a>, has managed to get collections to the tunes of Rs 632 crore (worldwide). We were expecting the same effect to continue as we stepped into 2015 with the release of <keyword id="1969424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tevar">Tevar</keyword>. 
 
In 2014, we saw action-romance movies did pretty well and Tevar too fitted in this category. On top of it, the movie has a fresh pairing of Sonakshi Sinha and Arjun Kapoor. The rumours of their off screen relationship were expected to help the movie to get off to a good start. 
Unfortunately, Tevar was off to a lofty start. The movie just managed to collect Rs 7.05 crore. Things did not change much over the weekend and the total ticket collections for the opening weekend of Tevar were <a href="http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/boxoffice/id/718510">recorded</a> at Rs 22.05 crore. 
 
The movie is directed by Amit Sharma and has been made in a budget of Rs 45 crore. As per <a href="http://www.koimoi.com/box-office/tevar-1st-monday-box-office-collections/">Koimoi.com</a>, Tevar has managed to collect Rs 29.25 crore till Wednesday (January 14, 2015). 
 
We just hope that the things are not the same for the movies releasing in the coming week. There will be four movies trying their luck on January 16, which include Alone, Crazy Cukkad Family, Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene and MSG: Messenger of God. 
 
With the movie Alone, television heartthrob Karan Singh Grover will be making his debut in Bollywood. Starring opposite him in this movie is Bipasha Basu. It is a horror movie, which is directed by Bhushan Patel. Patel has been accredited with movies such as 1920: Evil Returns and Ragini MMS 2. 
There have been speculations about Karan Singh Grover and Bipasha Basu being the next “it” couple, but from the promos we don’t see any sizzling chemistry between the two. In addition, there seems to be nothing new that we think that the movie will offer to the audience. 
Coming over to the other release of this Friday, MSG: Messenger of God, which is the story of Ram Rahim Singh. There are already plenty of controversies around this movie but if all goes well, then the movie is likely to get a good opening at the box office.

Box Office Collections Of
Tevar

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45525345.cms" />

	 You must remember <keyword id="6354526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword> and <keyword id="89958" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shraddha-Kapoor">Shraddha Kapoor</keyword> showing their singing prowess in the recent past, with movies like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Ek Villain, respectively. This seemed to be a new trend in the <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> circuit. However, actress-singer <keyword id="22532" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shruti-Haasan">Shruti Haasan</keyword> has broken this trend by singing for a contemporary actress, <keyword id="62210" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sonakshi-Sinha">Sonakshi Sinha</keyword>, in the upcoming movie <keyword id="1969424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tevar">Tevar</keyword>.


	Going by the name Joganiyan, the newly released track has been composed by Sajid-Wajid and is gaining popularity among the masses.


	This new move by Shruti Haasan is being truly appreciated by one and all, and goes on to show that some things are above competition. Starring <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword>, Sonakshi Sinha and <keyword id="15439" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manoj-Bajpai">Manoj Bajpai</keyword>, Tevar releases on January 9th, 2015. 
 
Image courtesy: <a href="http://static.moviecrow.com/marquee/shruti-hassan-shakes-a-leg-with-arjun-kapoor-for-tevar/42265_thumb_665.jpg">MovieCrow</a>

Shruti Haasan Sets A New Trend With Joganiyan

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45095668.cms" /> 
 We all love to hate Facebook, but love it nonetheless. However, actors <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="62210" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sonakshi-Sinha">Sonakshi Sinha</keyword> are more into <keyword id="2590668" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tevarbook">Tevarbook</keyword> these days. 
 Confused? So were we, when we first saw people mentioning <keyword id="1969424" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tevar">Tevar</keyword>book on their Facebook timelines. As far as we knew, Tevar is the name of an upcoming movie starring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha, but regarding TevarBook, we have had no idea whatsoever. 
 
However, once we logged in to Tevarbook, we were amazed to see Arjun and Sonakshi on our Facebook timelines, commending our profile pictures, cover photos and being as goofy as they could be. 
 
While exiting the timeline, they asked us to wait for the trailer of their upcoming movie Tevar, which releases today. 
 
So, now we know for sure that the role Facebook plays in the lives of Indian youth has forced the makers to plan their marketing campaigns accordingly. 
 
As we all know, Facebook has more than a 100 million users in India, and it is turning to be an amazing platform for moviemakers to promote their movies, but this kind of promotion is unheard of as of yet, and we appreciate the thought behind this. 
 
Another digital campaign for Tevar is being done in the form of the hashtag #Tevarrific, a word play on Tevar and terrific. This again is a thoughtful step, and we are sure that taking cue from this, many movies in the future would include Facebook in their promotional campaigns. 
 
Image courtesy <a href="http://www.tevarbook.com/">Tevarbook</a>

Logged In To Tevarbook Yet?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50284136.cms" /> 
 Like every year, 2015 was also an important year for <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>, seeing several major releases, some of which went on to become super hits, both critically and commercially. 
 
However, like every year, 2015 too saw some duds at the box office. While some of them deserved it, owing to poor direction and performance, some movies that looked promising couldn’t do well at the box office. 
 
Here are some of the movies that proved to be disasters at the ticket windows. 
 
<hr />
[Figures mentioned have been taken from various websites]

Yearender 2015: Box office disasters that Bollywood saw this year

Mumbai, May 12 () The Maharashtra government andthe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the BombayHigh Court on Tuesday that they will inform the court byFriday whether vacant tenements in Mahul in suburban Chemburwill be used for quarantining suspected COVID-19 patients,including inmates of Arthur Road jail.The authorities made the submission before a bench ofChief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Amjad Sayed via videoconferencing.The bench was hearing a public interest litigationfiled by Sharda Tevar, the mother of an undertrial at ArthurRoad prison, and by NGO Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan.The petitioners, through advocate Ronita Bector,submitted that as per news reports, state authorities werecontemplating using two buildings in Mahul as quarantinefacilities.However, all buildings in the said area, built forrehabilitating those whose homes were affected by various BMCdevelopment projects, have been considered uninhabitable byBombay HC and NGT previously."We told HC that these buildings were consideredunsafe by the Supreme Court too due to the toxic pollution inthe area because of refineries and industries. Now if suchpeople who are suspected to or are suffering from COVID-19 arebrought to such an area that is heavily polluted and posesfurther health risks, then the very purpose of quarantine getsdefeated," Bector said."Also, as COVID-19 patients have severe respiratorydiseases it would be improper to quarantine them in Mahul,"she said.As per the petition, Mahul is a heavily industrializedbelt and home to refineries of Hindustan Petroleum CorporationLimited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, RashtriyaChemicals and Fertilisers, and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.The HC, on September 23 last year, stopped projectaffected persons from being rehabilitated in these buildings.Bector also told the court that some news reports haveclaimed that the state government had temporarily rescindedits decision and, hence, it must issue a clarification on thesame.Government pleader Poornima Kantharia and senioradvocate Anil Sakhare, for BMC, sought time to takeinstructions and inform the court at the next hearing on May15. AYABNM BNM

COVID-19: Maha, BMC to inform HC about Mahul status by Fri

Mumbai, May 15 () The Bombay High Court Fridaydirected the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) not touse the vacant resettlement buildings as quarantine centresfor suspected COVID-19 patients without prior permission fromthe court.These buildings, meant for rehabilitating peopleaffected by the BMC's several development projects, have beendeclared uninhabitable by the high court and the NationalGreen Tribunal owing to the large-scale pollution in the area.A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and JusticeAmjad Sayed restrained the civic body from using the premisesfor quarantine facilities without its nod after the BMC toldthe HC that it had decided that three vacant buildings at theEversmile Complex, the Mahul Project Affected Persons' Colony,will be used as quarantine centres only as a "last resort".The civic body submitted in an affidavit filed in thehigh court that as per its estimates, the number of COVID-19positive cases in the M West ward, where Mahul is located,would rise to around 2,946 by May 30.And since there already existed a shortage ofdesignated quarantine centres, it had decided that if thosefrom the ward, who need to be admitted to quarantine centrescould not be accommodated anywhere else in the M-West ward,they would be taken to Mahul, the BMC submitted.The bench was hearing a public interest litigationfiled by Sharda Tevar, the mother of an undertrial at ArthurRoad prison, and by an NGO Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan.The petitioners, through advocate Ronita Bector,submitted that as per news reports, the state authorities wascontemplating using some buildings in Mahul as quarantinefacilities.However, all buildings in the said area, built forrehabilitating those whose homes were affected due to theBMC's various development projects, have been considereduninhabitable by the Bombay HC and the NGT previously.According to the petition, Mahul is a heavilyindustrialised belt and home to several major industrialunits, including refineries of Hindustan Petroleum CorporationLimited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, RashtriyaChemicals and Fertilisers, and Bhabha Atomic Research Centreas well as private industrial units.The high court on September 23, 2019 stopped projectaffected persons from being rehabilitated in these buildings."The proposed facility at Mahul would be utilised onlyas a last resort in the event that the number of cases risesand the number of high and low risk contacts persons thatrequire to be quarantined cannot be kept on the otherquarantine facilities made available in the vicinity," BMCsaid in its reply.However, the court said that said before the stategovernment or BMC takes a decision to shift people to Mahul,they will be required to take the court's permission and willalso have to submit all relevant data, advocate Bector said. AYANP NP

Don't use 3 Mahul buildings as COVID-19 facility sans nod: HC

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50368303.cms" /> 
Even though 2015 didn’t start on a good note, with both Tevar and Alone taking a dip at the box office, it’s been a good year for <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> in terms of box office collection of a handful of movies. 
 
Who can forget the enormous collection that <keyword id="2411684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bajrangi-Bhaijaan">Bajrangi Bhaijaan</keyword> did, or how Baahubali, for that matter, awed both Indian and international audience. 
 
Here is a look at the highest grossing Bollywood films of this year, which won big bucks at the box office.

Yearender 2015: Highest grossing Bollywood films

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48376841.cms" /> <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>, who has turned producer to launch protégé <keyword id="1623055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sooraj-Pancholi">Sooraj Pancholi</keyword> in his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Hero-The-saga-of-rebels-love-and-freedom/articleshow/48085855.cms">upcoming movie Hero</a>, is making sure that the debut venture is a roaring success. 
 
From training Sooraj in building his physique to being with him at movie’s press conferences, Salman is using his experience in the industry as well as his star-status to create buzz for the movie. 
 
A few days back, images of Salman in a recording studio went around the internet, forcing us to think if the ‘<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Salman-Khan-scolds-Twitter-followers-like-a-Bhai/articleshow/47612143.cms">bhai</a>’ of <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> has lent his voice to the film. This has indeed happened, as confirmed by a teaser of Salman singing a love song, which would make the title track of the movie. 
 The song is ‘Main Hoon <keyword id="7029" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hero">Hero</keyword> Tera’ and would feature the lead actors of the movie. The teaser was shared by Khan himself, on the social networking site Twitter. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Yeh dekho <a href="http://t.co/jL4wBrUXkm">http://t.co/jL4wBrUXkm</a> . Special preview on 7th Aug at 8:59pm IST on Star Network, Star Gold &amp; Hotstar . <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MainHoonHeroTeraTeaser?src=hash">#MainHoonHeroTeraTeaser</a>
	— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeingSalmanKhan/status/628922284275662848">August 5, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The last time we heard Salman singing was for the song Hangover, from the movie Kick. However, it’s for the first time that Salman has sung for someone else, and in fact, he is the only Bollywood actor of his times to have done so. In the past, we have seen Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan singing portions of their songs for themselves. 
 
Earlier, Shruti Haasan had <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Shruti-Haasan-Sets-A-New-Trend-With-Joganiyan/articleshow/45525300.cms">lent her voice</a> to Sonakshi Sinha for the song Joganiyan from the movie Tevar. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indian-Actresses-WhoSang-Their-Own-Songs/articleshow/38011124.cms">Also read: Indian Actresses Who Sang Their Own Songs</a> 
 
The movie has been directed by Nikhil Advani (the director of another upcoming movie <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Meet-the-commitment-phobic-Payal-and-the-lover-boy-Maddy-From-Katti-Batti/articleshow/47675125.cms">Katti Batti</a>) and is the remake of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 film of the same name. In the main lead, we would see Sooraj Pancholi, the son of yesteryear actor Aditya Pancholi, and <keyword id="928985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Athiya-Shetty">Athiya Shetty</keyword>, the daughter of actor Sunil Shetty. 
 
Image courtesy: BCCL

Salman Khan lends his voice to protégé Sooraj Pancholi for Hero

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47721005.cms" /> 
 In the capital to launch a personal grooming range by Philips, actor <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword>, who endorses the said brand, admitted to have done some really big grooming blunders in the past. 
 Recalling one such event, he admitted to have gone to actress <keyword id="6354850" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Katrina-Kaif">Katrina Kaif</keyword> to work out a solution for his huge unibrows, which made the actress pluck out excess hair from his brows. After this, the actor didn’t step out for some days fearing the downfall of his career even before it began. The actor went on to claim that for a good few days, his brows looked better than most ladies, including the actress herself. 
 While <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword> motivated the Tevar actor for shedding the extra kilos and get in shape, we now know that Salman’s ex-flame Katrina also played a role in making Arjun the hunk he is today. 
 
Arjun Kapoor is all set to start shooting for his yet-untitled film for R. Balki, in which he would be seen as the husband of Kareena Kapoor Khan, whom he is a self-confessed fan of. In the popular chat show Koffee With Karan, Arjun had admitted of being a fan of Kareena Kapoor and ranked her as the number one actress in <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>, from a list that included names like Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. 
 
When asked about his dream of being a director before he became an actor, the Kapoor lad said that he has not thought about direction for a long time, and is currently enjoying the various facets of acting. However, he also said that he hasn’t completely given up the plan and would surely like to go behind the camera several years down the line. 
 
Before becoming an actor, Arjun has served as an Assistant Director on the sets of Kal Ho Naa Ho and Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love. He even acted in a scene in the latter, which was chopped off at the editing table, thereby, making Ishaqzaade his debut 5 years later. 
 
Image courtesy: Philips and BCCL

When Arjun’s eyebrows looked better than Katrina Kaif

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47830635.cms" />June is at the fag end and we almost have a mid-year report card of Bollywood. Though the year started on a dismal note, it picked up towards May and June. 
 
This year, January was like a drought month and even movies starring big names did not interest the audience. As Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha starrer-'Tevar'- failed to take off, even the Horrex (horror + sex) formula did not work out for ‘Alone’ and ‘Khamoshiyan’. 
 
Other movies that released in January and failed to make a mark included Sonam Kapoor-starrer ‘Dolly Ki Doli’, 'Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene', ‘Crazy Cukkad Family’, ‘Hawaizaada’ among others. 
 
The only respite that the Bollywood lovers got was from Akshay Kumar’s ‘Baby’, which also became the first movie of 2015 to enter the Rs 100 crore club. 
 
But the jinx did not end in January as February continued to bring more bad news for the industry. 
 
The big shocker came in the form of ‘Shamitabh’. The movie, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush, was directed by R Balki, the maker who has given us movies like Pa and Cheeni Kum. 
 
Later in the month, ‘Roy’ released, which recorded a good start but by weekend the movie fizzled out. Most trade pundits pegged the crucial India-Pakistan match at the World Cup as the reason for the drop of sales on Sunday but the movie could not recover much post this phase also because of negative word of mouth. 
 
Thankfully, later in the same month we had movies like ‘Badlapur’ and ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’. Both managed to gather decent collections at the Box Office. In fact, ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ was a complete surprise package and managed to pull crowds even in its third week . 
 
March threw a mixed bag as Anushka Sharma starrer 'NH-10' received critical acclaim. April again was a dry month as Bollywood had nothing to offer that could have clicked with the Bolly buffs. 
 
However, Bollywood saw a turnaround in May. It started on a high note with Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Gabbar is Back’, which went to collect Rs 86.55 crore at the Box Office. This was followed by Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan’s 'Piku', which struck a right chord with the audience and collected Rs 111 crore worldwide. 
 
Later in the month, Kangana Ranaut wowed the audience with her spectacular acting in ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. As per reports, the movie managed to collect Rs 190.87 crore worldwide. Given that the movie was made with Rs 31 crore budget, it stood out and is the most profitable movie of 2015 till date. 
 
But, the disappointment came from ‘Bombay Velvet’. Everybody had high hopes from Ranbir Kapoor’s flick but it fell flat. 
 
The momentum seems to continue with ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and ‘ABCD 2’. ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ has managed Rs 37.05 crore in the first weekend and is holding the fort well. Also ABCD 2, sequel of ABCD, managed to get the biggest opening for 2015 and continues to do a good business over the week. 
 
The later half will see a slew of big- starrer movies such as Salman Khan starrer ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, Vikas Bahl of Queen fame’s ‘Shaandaar’, ‘Singh is Bling’ featuring Akshay Kumar, Nikhil Advani’s ‘Katti Batti’, Aishwarya Rai’s comeback movie ‘Jazbaa’ and also ‘Dilwale’ in which fans will see Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol paired together. In addition, there will also be a third installment of ‘Hate Story’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Kya Kool Hai Hum’ to look forward to. 
 
Commenting on the movie sentiment of 2015, Komal Nahata, Trade Analyst shared, “It has been a good 2015 so far. Sure there were some upsets in the start of the year but May has been extremely kind and the rest of the year looks really promising." 
 
We hope that the forthcoming movies get the cash ringer buzzing for Bollywood and we continue to see some entertaining movies in the latter half of the year. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Mid-year assessment: It was a roller coaster ride for Bollywood

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49184177.cms" />

	They say there is no business like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Mid-year-assessment-It-was-a-roller-coaster-ride-for-Bollywood/articleshow/47830513.cms">movie business</a> and indeed every Friday we have at least one new movie tossed at the audience. And by Sunday, we get to know whether the movie will be a hit, a miss or just an average fare. 
	 
	So far, 2015 has been quite an interesting year from Bollywood’s perspective. Why I say so is because on one hand we had magnanimous opus like Baahubali achieving great success and on the other, there were small budget movies such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Relive-the-90s-with-Dum-Laga-Ke-Haisha/articleshow/46395043.cms">Dum Laga Ke Haisha</a>, NH10 and Badlapur, that managed to swoon the audiences and the critics. 
	 
	Sequels like Tanu Weds Manu Returns managed to outshine their last offering and then we had Piku that conveyed human emotions in a brilliant way and also got the cash register ringing.
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				Movie Name</td>
			<td>
				Budget</td>
			<td>
				Earning</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dum_Laga_Ke_Haisha">Dum Laga Ke Haisa</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 15 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 100 Crore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlapur_(film)">Badlapur</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 25 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 119 Crore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NH10">NH10</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 13 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 32.1 Crore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanu_Weds_Manu_Returns">Tanu Weds Manu Returns</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 30 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 252 Crore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piku">Piku</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 42 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 141 Crore</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baahubali:_The_Beginning">Bahubali: The Beginning</a></td>
			<td>
				Rs 120 Crore</td>
			<td>
				Rs 600 Crore</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

	So should we conclude that the era for clichéd, formula-based movies, is coming to an end? 
	 
	Not really as in 2015, we had movies like Hero, Tevar, Roy, etc that banked on the predictable story line to woo the audience and managed to garner mixed acceptance. 
	 
	But, if we see a larger picture, new concepts with small budgets and strong script are doing well. 
	 
	The success of Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and last year’s Queen hinted that directors and storytellers should venture with newer concepts to engage and entertain the audience. 
	 
	To this trend, Komal Nahata, trade analyst, said, “I would not like to say that there is a trend shift that is happening. From the past three-four years we have seen some small budget movies doing pretty well. The market for such films is also growing. Earlier they used to do well only in certain multiplexes, then it grew to few cities but now in pockets pan-India, they do well.” 
	 
	While it is true that there are quite a few experimental movies that are being screened, but multiple sources in the industry, on conditions of anonymity, told us that about 60-75% of the movies that go on the floor never see light of the day. 
	 
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49184213.cms" /> 
	 
	A lot of these movies are actually finished products but fail to make it to cinema halls as the distributors are unwilling to buy them or the producer has lost confidence in the movie and does not want to spend more money in promoting them. 
	 
	Despite of the fact that some movies do well in global markets, they are not released in India. The movies that have found place in this list include Peddlers, The Coffin Maker, Dekh Indian Circus, etc. 
	 
	Mind you, not all of these shelved movies have lesser known faces as their star cast. The Coffin Maker stars Naseeruddin Shah while Nawazuddin Siddiqui features in Dekh India Circus. 
	 
	Siddiqui said, “It is rather unfortunate that a lot of content-oriented movies in India are still struggling to get funding in the country and there are a few completed projects that are not able to secure a release. Not just Dekh India Circus, there are a few more of my movies that are currently not released and I have started taking more commercial projects since last year with the hope that if I become a little more known face, it will be easier for my directors and producers to get the pending projects released.” 
	 
	And off-beat movies that managed to secure a release, had to face a tough time in the process. 
	 
	For instance, Shonali Bose’s “Margarita With a Straw”, which has Kalki Koechlin as the leading lady, garnered accolades at Toronto International Film Festival and Koechlin also bagged the best actress award at The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2014. After much delays, the movie finally released to Indian audience on April 17, 2015.
<div style="page-break-after: always;">
	&#xa0;</div>

	Unfortunately, not all the movies are lucky as this one. There are quite a few of these Bollywoods' lost children that fail to get a screen space in the midst of high-brow glitterati. 
	 
	I managed to see the world premiere of one such movie in the very heart of London’s film world. Being a movie enthusiast, I had heard a lot about London’s prestigious Raindance Film Festival and it was quite a coincidence that I managed to see a Bollywood movie listed as an `official selection’. 
	 
	Curiosity got the better of me and I reached just in the nick of the time to see ‘Peter Gaya Kaam Se’ (PGKS) (aka The Goa Run). The super plush Vue Cinema in Piccadilly Circus was almost full and the first theatrical screening for this lost Bollywood baby was a complete entertainment package. 
	 
	John Owens' action packed adventure tells the story of a motorcycle taxi driver from Goa (Rajeev Khandelwal) who falls in love with Mira, a beautiful and beguiling drug smuggler from London (Lekha Washington). This out and out commercial flick was originally produced by UTV Spotboys but got shelved and largely forgotten during Disneys' protracted takeover of the company. 
	 
	Director John Owen, who has worked in India for many years as one of MTV and Channel [V]’s head honchos, had penned and directed this story. The movie was shot extensively in Goa and took about a month to complete. It turns out that, the Raindance founder Elliot Grove took a personal interest in the film. 
	 
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49184195.cms" /> 
	 
	Says Owen, "Raindance loved the film and were determined to host the world premiere, especially as I am the first Brit to direct a Bollywood film. A fact that makes me very proud. So when Disney finally gave permission I flew over to Mumbai, finished the sound work we had pending at my cost, did the subtitles myself and had a high end digital print made. The quality of the screening was just superb.” 
	 
	Raindance is in its 22nd year and has become one of the world’s premiere film festivals and very highly thought of by the industry itself. 
	 
	Owen adds, "We didn’t have any money to promote the screening so it was all word of mouth and the buzz of social media. People came from all over the country, it was amazing." 
	 
	Ironically, on the very same weekend Disney's Khoobsurat was premiering in the UK and I could see a theatre just across the street in London's Leicester Square showing it. 
	 
	When I put this point across to Owen, he chuckled and said, "It's funny because Shashanka Ghosh and I have been friends since our MTV days. I stayed with him when I was over in Mumbai fixing up the film in September and we joked about him being Disney's loved and me being their unloved child.” 
	 
	Given the response this movie managed to get sans any promotion and that too in London, I was curious to know what plans Owen or Disney have for this movie. Owen shared that some high-flying industry folks were amongst the excited audience and they saw real potential for the film in the UK and the US. 
	 
	No wonder, UK distributors are showing interest in the movie. Even in India PGKS is well-liked amongst industry insiders who were given personal screenings by the director. After all, the film does come with some pedigree. Anurag and Abhinav Kashyap were `creative producers' and UTV’s top producer on the job at the time was the visionary Vikas Bahl (who has given movies such as Chiller Party and Queen). So, what happens now to Peter Gaya Kaam Se? 
	 
	Owen picks on a philosophical note and shares, "It's all about love and timing. PGKS came along at the wrong time in the marriage of UTV and Disney. So, it’s the unwanted child. A bit like how Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire was for Warner Brothers. Warners’ just didn’t like the film so they let Danny go off and find a new home with Fox Searchlight. Fox loved the film, supported Danny, and made Slumdog a massive box office success. The film industry does not work like a science. Sometimes it comes down to personal taste. When I get depressed about the whole thing I think of Danny and Slumdog and get inspired all over again.” 
	 
	While Owen never had the resources or connections to find buyers for PGKS, on its own, he is looking to crowd funding and other ways to get this movie to be released.
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	It is noteworthy, that UTV Spotboys was the pioneer of small budget, content-oriented movies in India. 
	 
	Khosla Ka Ghosla was one of the first movies in this genre that was produced under UTV Motion Pictures. Later between 2008 and 2009, under the UTV Spotboys banner, they released movies such as Dev D, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Welcome to Sajjanpur, A Wednesday, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Aamir. All these movies managed to get a fair share of success at the ticket window. 
	 
	<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49184205.cms" style="height: 372px; width: 800px;" /> 
	 
	Another coincidence worth pointing out in the case of Peter Gaya Kaam Se is that it went on floor almost at the same time as Paan Singh Tomar. 
	 
	The latter, too, was produced by UTV Spotboys and managed to get a release on March 2, 2012, almost four years after it was complete and it managed to be a box office success largely due to word of mouth. 
	 
	The bigger coincidence is that Paan Singh Tomar, too, was premiered at the 2010 British Film Institute London, almost two years before its domestic release. 
	 
	We spoke to Rucha Pathak on why it was such a challenge to make a movie like Paan Singh Tomar. 
	 
	Pathak was the associate producer of Paan Singh Tomar and Sr. Creative Director at UTV (now Disney India) when this film was being made and is now Head of Creative &amp; Development at Fox Star Studios. 
	 
	“The main challenges we faced while trying to make Paan Singh Tomar was that because it was probably the first time a film like this was being made people did not realise what it was going to be like and it was therefore completely against the trend in those days,” she said. 
	 
	Also we could not help ask her if is it really possible to get any small budget movie out there in the market to which she answered, “It is difficult to release small and medium budget films these days but not impossible. I think if one can find the right marketing budget and the right target audience that you want to reach out to, then it’s possible to release a film. It is really critical these days to make films at the right budget and market films at the right budget. Once that is under control then I believe one can get a film out to reach an audience that it is meant for.” 
	 
	While Pathak emphasised on the budgeting bit, Nahata feels, “Exhibition or the release strategy is very detrimental to the business of content driven movies. The moment there is a big movie coming in, they are thrown out. Most such movies need time for the word of mouth to pick up.” 
	 
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The distributors today are looking for instant gratification. They would expect the movie to have 80 to 90% occupancy rates for its release Friday itself. If the movie does not show results by Sunday, then on Monday it is thrown out. This was not really the case earlier. I still remember when Maine Pyaar Kiya released, it had just one cinema hall in Mumbai, later when the word of mouth spread, the movie was given more space and it was a such a huge hit,” shares Ami Shah, co-founder and creative director of IntelliAssist (a company that has handled social media mandates for Bollywood movies). 
 
Indeed, distribution is one big challenge for small budget, content-oriented movies in India. However, Director Onir mentions that it is not the only one. Just to give you a perspective, Onir is an Indian film maker, who has churned out movies such as 'I AM, My Brother Nikhil’ and Bas Ek Pal. He had crowd funded his movie I AM, which released in 2010 and also bagged the national award for the same. 
 
Ask him if given a chance would he again crowd fund a movie or give any other director struggling for funds the same suggestion and he replies, “No it is one thing to make a movie and altogether another to get it to the cinema. Marketing a movie, especially a content-oriented one is a hard job.” 
 
I would agree with his point that it is tough nut to market a movie that does not have bankable stars. Like, Filmistaan, the 2014 movie was an endearing tale of wannabe actor, who gets kidnapped by terrorists and held in the home of a Pakistani who deals in pirated Hindi films. The tale captures how both of them bond over movies. 
 
The trailers of the movie looked very bland and I was not sure whether I would want to waste time watching this movie. Fortunately for me, one of my friend dragged me to this movie and I would admit that it was actually one of the best movies of 2014 that I managed to see and yes it did manage to win a national award as well. 
 
The cost of marketing in itself is quite high as well and it is not just important to buy ad space but also to connect right with your target audience. This is perhaps one lesson that the movie Queen managed to do well and of course the word of mouth helped it consolidate its position over a period of time. 
 
Onir also mentions that the government will have to play a greater role to help protect content-driven cinema in India. “The approach that our government takes is that they treat Bollywood as a business and not art. However, it will have to realize that like any art even movies need a bit of support”. In his opinion, there could be plenty of other avenues where movies can be showcased. 
 
Now talking about television, we have 24-hour movie channels that end up playing same movie almost every weekend. Most TV channels pick up movies that have done well on the box office, so that they don’t have to do much in terms of marketing and yet they can have good TRPs on their so-called “World Television Premiere”. It is a possibility that some of these movies that are left biting the dust, some might be ideal for the TV watching audience but so far these gems are not able to get any real support for this medium too. 
 
With the coming of 4G, it is expected that some of these movies might get a fresh lease of hope. There are producers and directors that are looking for alternative channels to monetize their movies via online ads and pay per view models. Currently none of them has been able to come out with a full proof plan and hence some great marvels of Hindi cinema continue to rot in their graves, while the others in the hands of resilient makers are fighting it hard to get to their audiences.

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