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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

By Manik Gupta New Delhi, Apr 6 () Maria sits in an Alpine meadow, guitar in hand and the Von Trapp children around her as she strums a tune. And no, this is not the "Sound of Music" with the much loved governess teaching "Do-Re-Mi" to her wards but giving lessons on the A-B-C of how to deal with COVID-19. The colour is sepia, the mood nostalgic but the tone urgent as Maria (Julie Andrews) croons, "Let's start at the very beginning, a sore throat, a cough in Wuhan", and goes on to talk about how the pandemic progressed and the necessity of social isolation – all to verse and the tune of the all-time favourite song.The 'corona cover' of the famous song was shared on YouTube by Shirley Serban from New Zealand who captioned it "Sound of a Pandemic", reportedly garnering millions of views. Back home in India, artists, amateur and professional, are joining the global chorus, sharpening their creative edge as they bring out covers and originals on the pandemic.Rap, spiritual, soft, parody, Punjabi folk and even 'cringe pop', different genres of music are synchronising chords to reach out to people through YouTube and social media channels. There's a ready audience. India has been under a three-week lockdown since March 24 and millions are confined to their homes to contain the spread of the disease that has infected more than 4,400 people and claimed at least 114 lives. Funny, informative and sometimes plain silly, the songs are sending out their message in different languages.Indie band Friends of Linger frontman Sharif D Rangnekar has put out an original composition on social media. Titled "I will see you on the other side", the song is aimed at giving hope to quarantined souls."The news of coronavirus outbreak got me all worked up and paranoid. And I was in this mode that no matter what we have to come out of this. So one day while sitting at my home, I had this tune in my head, I did the basic instrumentation, and recorded the song in one go -- two hour maximum," Rangnekar told . "The song is basically me telling myself, and others, that we will overcome this. We just need to hang in there and do the basics right -- like washing hands and not going out," he explained.Veteran singer Narendra Chanchal has sung a 'bhajan' on the pandemic.Topping the popularity charts is his 'bhajan' "Kitho aaya corona? (Where did corona come from)"."Dengue vi aaya, Swine Flu vi aaya. Chickunguniya ne shor machaya. Khabre ki-ki ho na ... O, Kitthon aaya corona? Maiya Ji, Kitthon aaya corona? (There was dengue, there was swine flu. Chikungunya created some noise, too. All of it made news, but where did corona come from? Tell us dear lord)," are the lyrics of the hit song in Punjabi.The song is from a religious gathering in Paharganj in Delhi.A group of women singers in Rajasthan sent out the same message through a four-minute video. "Corona bhag ja, Bharat me tharo kain kam re, Corona bhag ja," are the opening lines of the song in Rajasthani. Rapper and musician Baba Sehgal, who initially decided not to write a song on the outbreak as it was a "sensitive" issue, gave in to the temptation after he saw Prince Charles doing the traditional Indian greeting 'Namaste' on TV.The 54-year-old rapper is now out with not one but two songs on the coronavirus.His songs, "Namaste" and "Rab Rakha", promotes "self-isolation", "vegetarian food" and urges people to stay home and not break the chain. It also requests everyone to adopt the Indian salutation to greet each other to protect themselves against the highly contagious virus.Prince Charles,71, who tested positive on March 25, has recovered from the disease. 'Cringe pop' star Dhinchak Pooja, an internet sensation, is also taking on the virus with her song "Hoga Na Corona". The song is loaded with all the dos' and don'ts' one needs to know to spread the contain of coronavirus.The video, which has already garnered over millions of views, shows Dhinchak Pooja surrounded by a group of men and women dressed as doctors and with masks dancing out-of-sync."Hoga na corona, haath tu dhona, jaldi se sona , time na khona. Tension tum lo na, babu ho ya sona, baad mein na rona, mazaak mein na lo na (You won't catch corona if you wash your hands, sleep early and don't waste time. Don't take tension, whether you are babu or sona, don't cry later, don't take corona lightly)," go the lyrics. Joining the bandwagon is comedienne Jamie Lever who asks pertinent questions through her song, aptly titled "Why this Corona?" sung on the tune of Dhanush's superhit "Why this Kolaveri di?"The song, which starts with Jamie coughing and ends with her sneezing, gets into the dos and don'ts of how to protect yourself from the infection -- mask, hand sanitiser and gloves.There is a deluge of such parody songs, all inspired from hit songs like "Patiala Peg" by Punjabi singer and actor Daljit Dosanjh or "Suno Na" by Abhijeet Bhattacharya.The re-created Punjabi song underscores the importance of washing hands and maintaining distance from those who are suffering from cold and cough with these lyrics: "Corona ne ki pange pate, ghar te saare log baithate (Corona made us all sit at home), for instance, or "Parey Ho Ke Khang Soneya Evey Kar Na Devi Corona"( Go away and cough, else you'll infect me also).Some musicians are looking at societal issues like communal harmony too.Aspiring singer Tejas Ghambir has rehashed a Bollywood song, from superstar Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Chalte Chalte", to make his point. "Ab kahan hai woh saare Hindu or Musalman, jab jaan pe aayi toh dar raha har insan. Dekh lo aur kuch to samjho na corona corona oh corona, ab toh Hindu Muslim band karo na," (Where are all those Hindus and Muslims in these times of coronavirus. Everyone is scared when one's own live is at stake. Please let us understand this now and stop this Hindu-Muslim for once and all)," are the last lines of the song. MG MIN MINMIN

Joining the corona 'band' wagon -- from Chanchal's 'Kitho Aaya' to Dhinchak's 'Hoga Na'

You Searched For "Ya Rab" and got 2 results

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

Sanghamitra Mandal

Joining the corona 'band' wagon -- from Chanchal's 'Kitho Aaya' to Dhinchak's 'Hoga Na'

PTI

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