Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

By Manik Gupta New Delhi, Apr 26 () Actor Rajeev Khandelwal, who has been appearing on different OTT platforms, believes coronavirus-driven lockdown has given a "massive surge" to viewership for the digital entertainment space as more and more viewers are embracing the medium.Back in limelight with his Voot Original Show "Marzi", the actor on Sunday will make his debut in tele-theatre with legal drama "Court Martial" by Zee Theatre. It will have its premiere on television as well as the OTT platform."There is a massive surge in viewership for digital content now. I am getting calls from people who I never thought would ever switch to this platform but then they have no choice. For example, I got a call from my aunt who lives in a small town like Alwar, she was watching my show on digital," Khandelwal told . Khandelwal, who made his digital debut with ALT Balaji's "Haq Se", said earlier there were talks of how digital would change the world of entertainment in a year or two, but because of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, "the whole thing has changed within one month only"."I am glad that most of my shows, and now this play, are in digital and will get a bigger audience," he added.Having made a name for himself, first in television, then movies and now in digital, Khandelwal said he has always been very "fearful" and "nervous" of doing theatre and would "create excuses" for himself for not performing on stage."I would love watching plays but could never push myself to do one, always saying 'nahi ho payega' (won't happen). In fact, it was during my first few visits to Bombay I had gone to Prithvi theatre to watch a play, there when I saw the stage and hall filled with the audience, I said to myself 'I Don't think I can do it'," he said.But "Court Martial", thanks to its "fantastic script" and the fact that many veteran NSD actors had performed it in the past, made the 44-year-old actor shed his inhibitions for good.The teleplay, which was written by renowned playwright and novelist Swadesh Deepak in 1980s, follows the unusual trial of a junior-ranked army man convicted of murdering his senior officer.Khandelwal will be seen in the role of Bikash Roy, an defence lawyer who goes deep into the shocking details behind the assault."Here the whole package was very tempting and the last nail in the coffin was it was Army based and I come from an Army background, my dad was in the Army and my brother is in the Army, so I was like the entire universe is conspiring to drag me into this play," he explained.That said, teleplay is still different from a traditional play. Unlike theatre, it is adapted for television and is done without a live audience.When asked Khandelwal he didn't deny any of it and said it was due to this reason that he got his "high" on the job not on the day when it was shot but the day before that."The day before the original shoot we performed the whole play – 90 minutes – without any cuts in front of our director, creative team, channel people. I was so happy, I was like 'yeh kar daala isko bhi'. "Also, we got a standing ovation. But more than that I in my head knew that I had done well and was finally through with this fear of stage and remembering long dialogues," he added.The actual shoot, he said, was done with three pre-decided cuts -- 30 minutes each. Elated with the whole experience of doing the play, the actor said "ab sher ke muh khoon lag gaya hai" and he is looking forward to doing more plays in near future."Now since I have spent a considerable time with this play, I guess it is only ideal that I take this play to different cities, perform it in theatres in front of a live audience and take their feedback. Also, I am open to new scripts," he said.Khandelwal is presently at his holiday home in Goa, growing vegetables, reading "Homo Sapiens" by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari and watching "Money Heist" on Netflix. MG MAHMAH

Lockdown has increased viewership of digital content: Rajeev Khandelwal

<keyword id="15130" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajeev-Khandelwal">Rajeev Khandelwal</keyword> is always known to be an actor who is very selective about the movies that he does. The latest buzz is that this handsome actor has agreed to be a part of Indo-Australian film. 
 
The movie is being made only for international film festivals and will not get a release in India. New Zealand-based actress Chelsea Preston Crayford is sharing screen space with Rajeev in this movie. 
 
The plot of the movie revolves around an Indian guy who develops a special bond with an Australian woman. It goes on to explore how their cultural differences starts to impact their relationship. The movie is directed by Abhijith Deonath. 
 
This is not the first movie by Rajeev Khandelwal that will be doing the rounds in international film festivals. Earlier in this year, his movie Peter Gaya Kaam Se (aka The Goa Run) too was screened at the prestigious <a href="http://www.raindance.org/">Raindance Film Festiva</a>l in London. As per the sources, the movie had managed to <a href="http://raindancefestival.org/features-2014/the-goa-run/">get a warm response </a>from the people. 
 Rajeev Khandelwal made his debut with the movie Aamir and later delivered hits like Shaitan and <keyword id="1122342" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Table-No-21">Table No 21</keyword>.

Rajeev Khandelwal To Star In Indo-Australian Film

Female protagonists are ruling <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> nowadays and we were definitely looking forward to some spectacular showing when Kangana Ranaut-Vir Das-starrer comedy-drama <keyword id="1132893" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Revolver-Rani">Revolver Rani</keyword> and Subhash Ghai-directed <keyword id="2214753" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kaanchi-The-Unbreakable">Kaanchi: The Unbreakable</keyword>, yet another <keyword id="2097207" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Woman-centric-movie">woman-centric movie</keyword>, were released on April 25. <keyword id="1718118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Samrat-Co-">Samrat &amp; Co.</keyword>, a whodunit movie directed and co-written by <keyword id="1097593" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kaushik-Ghatak">Kaushik Ghatak</keyword>, was the third release of the week. 
 Going by the numbers, it was an extremely poor weekend at the <keyword id="827271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Domestic-Box-Office">domestic box office</keyword> and the Monday business did not look up either, predicting more gloom and doom. After her stellar performance in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Box-Office-Queen-OutshinesGulaab-Gang-Total-Siyapaa-Tanks/articleshow/31848837.cms">Queen</a> (it has netted around Rs 60 crore at home and grossed nearly Rs 93 crore worldwide), Kangana-led Revolver Rani has turned out to be a surprise slow-starter at the <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">box office</keyword> in spite of an intriguing storyline. Sure, it had the best start among the three but netted around Rs 6 crore at home after the first three days in spite of hype and the positive word of mouth. Debut day occupancy was as low as 15% although the movie has hit around 1,500 screens, nearly double the number of <keyword id="6377522" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="queen">Queen</keyword>. 
 
Interestingly, Queen, too, picked up pace pretty late, but managed to nett around Rs 9 crore after the first three days. For Revolver Rani, the crucial Day 4 (Monday, April 28) business was equally dismal and the movie collected around Rs 1.4 crore at home. It has an estimated budget of Rs 24 crore. 
 
However, <keyword id="1417195" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kaanchi">Kaanchi</keyword>, directed by <keyword id="6354581" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subhash-Ghai">Subhash Ghai</keyword>, suffered a worse fate. This one looks like a clear <keyword id="2076872" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-office-bomb">box office bomb</keyword> and collected a paltry Rs 75 lakh on the opening Friday. Weekend earnings remained extremely disappointing and the romance-cum-revenge drama could only manage Rs 3 crore in the first three days. Monday collections stood at an estimated Rs 1.1 crore. With the budget of the movie projected to be Rs 30 crore-plus, industry experts are already calling it another disastrous outing by Ghai. Kaanchi has opened in 1,150-1,200 theatres at home, but the occupancy was less than 15%, especially at single screens. In fact, Kaanchi is the lowest debut-day grosser among Ghai’s recent flops including Yaadein (Rs 1.6 crore on opening Friday), Kisna (Rs 1.5 crore) and Yuvraaj (Rs 2.9 crore). 
 <keyword id="2218677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Samrat-and-Co-">Samrat and Co.</keyword>, a <keyword id="25276" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="detective">detective</keyword> thriller starring <keyword id="15130" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajeev-Khandelwal">Rajeev Khandelwal</keyword>, <keyword id="110704" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Madalasa-Sharma">Madalasa Sharma</keyword> and <keyword id="1600791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gopal-Datt">Gopal Datt</keyword>, hit around 500 screens at home and was immediately declared a flop. First day collections at the domestic box office were an appalling Rs 25 lakh and total earnings in the first three days stood at Rs 1.45 crore, as per trade figures. Interestingly, first Monday (Day 4) collections were better than the opening day, amounting to Rs 60 lakh. But keeping the film’s budget in mind – in the zone of Rs 18 crore or so – this rahasya (mystery) ride won’t be going anywhere in terms of <keyword id="1996031" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Box-office-performance">box office performance</keyword>. 
 
 
 If you are still wondering what has led to the wholesale box office debacle, a close look at all the three flicks may help decode the failures. Directed by <keyword id="2218682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sai-Kabir-Shrivastav">Sai Kabir Shrivastav</keyword> (he also did the story and the screenplay) Revolver Rani narrates the story of <keyword id="315181" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Alka-Singh">Alka Singh</keyword> (<keyword id="2201" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kangana-Ranaut">Kangana Ranaut</keyword>), a dacoit-turned-politician in the thick of power game and in love with Bollywood aspirant <keyword id="1555785" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rohan-Mehra">Rohan Mehra</keyword> (<keyword id="671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vir-das">Vir Das</keyword>). Kangana plays the <keyword id="2218683" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chambal-girl">Chambal girl</keyword> to perfection – raw, raunchy, power-loving and trigger-happy. But one must not write it off as another one of the Bandit Queen saga. The ground realities, the ingrained satire and the layers of turbulence unfold well in the movie, but the story fails at times – losing the smooth flow and meandering during the second half. Overall, it has loads of merit, but it’s hardly a feel-good movie and that could be one of the key reasons behind the slow business pick-up. As <keyword id="122490" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="film-critic">film critic</keyword> Anupama Chopra so rightly said, “If you can enjoy bad people doing bad things, then Revolver Rani will be fun.” 
 
Kaanchi, on the other hand, simply drags on and loses all the suspense of a revenge drama that it later turns out to be. The movie features two newcomers in lead roles, <keyword id="562167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kartik-Tiwari">Kartik Tiwari</keyword> (aka <keyword id="2104801" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kartik-Aaryan">Kartik Aaryan</keyword>) and Hindi movie debutante Indrani Chakraborty (aka Mishti), while the ‘big baddies’ are played by <keyword id="6357910" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rishi-Kapoor">Rishi Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="14672" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mithun-Chakraborty">Mithun Chakraborty</keyword>. The naïve rural beauty Kaanchi fights against power and corruption as her love Binda, her land and her life are at stake. But as is the Bollywood norm, the twists and turns get too filmy to be convincing, the characters become stereotypes and the dialogues are mere lip service. At the end, we are looking at a mere shell instead of a strong script, powerful performances and the ‘gale’ of change. 
 Samrat and Co. does no better in terms of cinematic art. Rajeev Khandelwal (<keyword id="239627" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="private-investigator">private investigator</keyword> Samrat Tilakdhari) lacks the earlier sparkle of Table No. 21. And if you are expecting Rajeev and Gopal (Samrat’s <keyword id="6419345" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="assistant">assistant</keyword> and friend, <keyword id="2218675" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chakradhar-Pandey">Chakradhar Pandey</keyword>) do a Holmes-Watson act, you could be mightily disappointed. But currently you have a mystery to solve. Try and predict if these three would do well at the domestic box office over the first week. Your guess is as good as ours. 
 
Images: Indiatimes

Box Office: Kangana Fails To Lift Revolver Rani; Kaanchi Lacks Ghai’s Golden Touch

<ul><li><keyword id="4078236" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="jiocinema" source="Orion">JioCinema</keyword> will stream its first direct-to-OTT film on June 9.</li><li><keyword id="13593626" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bloody-daddy" source="Orion">Bloody Daddy</keyword>, starring <keyword id="6355887" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shahid-kapoor" source="Orion">Shahid Kapoor</keyword>, <keyword id="139424" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="diana-penty" source="Orion">Diana Penty</keyword> and Ronit Roy will be available for free to all users.</li><li>JioCinema has also said that one movie will premiere each week on the platform.</li></ul> JioCinema on Wednesday announced that its first direct-to-OTT film, Bloody Daddy, starring actor Shahid Kapoor will be released on June 9. The movie will be available to watch for free on its platform for all users. The Ali Abbas Zafar-directed action movie is JioCinema’s first direct-to-OTT film and one of the biggest Bollywood movies to directly get a release on OTT, or over-the-top platform. JioCinema unveiled the trailer of the movie at an event with Kapoor and Zafar. Kapoor, who was recently seen in the popular show <keyword id="2609426" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="farzi" source="Orion">Farzi</keyword> plays the lead role in the movie. In addition to Kapoor, the movie also features Ronit Roy, Diana Penty, Sanjay Kapoor and Rajeev Khandelwal. Bloody Daddy is a story about Sumair, played by Kapoor, who faces off against drug lords and deceitful friends in a post-Covid party apocalypse. “Doing an out-an-out action film was something I have been wanting to do but I was waiting for the right one to come my way,” Kapoor said, while talking about his role. “When Ali came to me with this project, I knew this was it! It's high octane, its action packed, it's thrilling, it's intense, created especially for a digital-first audience. Ali is a true master when it comes to this style of films, and it's been very enriching for me to partner with him on this,” Kapoor added. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="One movie to premiere every week" comment="subhead" text="One movie to premiere every week">One movie to premiere every week</cmsannotation> <div type="twitter" handle="JioCinema" handlename="JioCinema" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1660982659378745346"></div> JioCinema has also announced that one movie will premiere every week on its platform and one new episode of a show will stream each day, offering a lot of content for viewers. All of this would be available for free, it added. JioCinema which offers an ad-supported free tier also unveiled a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiocinema-premium-subscription-features-plans-platform-support-and-more/articleshow/100271716.cms"> premium subscription</a> earlier this month. The ₹999 plan offers a 12-month validity and allows users to stream on up to four devices simultaneously. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-narzo-n53-review-budget-device-with-a-sleek-design/articleshow/100466750.cms">Realme Narzo N53 review: Budget device with a sleek design</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/simple-one-electric-scooter-launched-with-212-km-range-check-out-price-specifications-and-other-details/articleshow/100449367.cms">Simple One electric scooter launched with 212 km range: Check out price, specifications and other details</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/2000-note-withdrawal-how-to-exchange-notes-is-it-a-legal-tender-and-other-questions-answered/articleshow/100412941.cms">₹2,000 note withdrawal – How to exchange them, is it a legal tender and other questions answered</a>

JioCinema’s first direct-to-OTT film Bloody Daddy, starring Shahid Kapoor, to stream on June 9

Actress Kajol feels that the <keyword id="6357660" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hindi" source="Orion">Hindi</keyword> film industry is one of the most "forward thinking" and progressive industries and <keyword id="143" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bollywood" source="Orion">Bollywood</keyword> films not performing well at the box office is just a matter of time. The actress, who is gearing up for her upcoming movie '<keyword id="13149560" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="salaam-venky" source="Orion">Salaam Venky</keyword>', said that the struggle that Hindi films are facing is not just limited to Bollywood but films across the world. The actress told IANS: "I truly believe that our Hindi film industry is one of the most forward-thinking industries and we don't have a choice simply for the fact that a lot of money is riding on it and a lot of stakeholders are involved in Hindi films. It's not just Hindi films that are facing the heat in theatres, films across the world are facing the issue of a low footfall in theatres because the pandemic has triggered a change in the behavioural pattern of the audience." She further mentioned that people are very cautious about visiting crowded places and cinema halls. "I feel it's just a phase and our films will soon bounce back strongly. We, as an industry, are working on it, changing gears and figuring out the way forward at individual levels. I'm sure the individual energies and efforts will combine and put our industry back on track", she said. 'Salaam Venky', directed by <keyword id="38222" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="revathy" source="Orion">Revathy</keyword>, also stars <keyword id="2036429" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="vishal-jethwa" source="Orion">Vishal Jethwa</keyword>, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Prakash Raj and Ahana Kumra in pivotal roles and is set to debut in theatres on December 9, 2022. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/ajay-devgns-drishyam-2-crosses-rs-150-crore-mark/articleshow/95883393.cms">Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 2 crosses Rs 150 crore mark</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/queer-lawyer-requests-cji-for-gender-inclusive-appearance-slips-in-courts/articleshow/95884405.cms">Queer lawyer requests CJI for gender-inclusive appearance slips in courts</a>

Bollywood films failing is a phase, our films will bounce back strongly: Kajol

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. 
	 
	 
	 
	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. 
	 
	 
	 
	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.
<div style="page-break-after: always;">
	&#xa0;</div>

	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. 
	 
	 
	 
	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.” 
	 
	
<a href="https://infogr.am/screens_count_on_day_of_release" target="_blank">Screens count on day of release</a> | <a href="https://infogr.am" target="_blank">Create infographics</a> 
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.

You Searched For "rajeev khandelwal movies" and got 6 results

Lockdown has increased viewership of digital content: Rajeev Khandelwal

PTI

Rajeev Khandelwal To Star In Indo-Australian Film

Surbhi Chawla

Box Office: Kangana Fails To Lift Revolver Rani; Kaanchi Lacks Ghai’s Golden Touch

Sanghamitra Mandal

JioCinema’s first direct-to-OTT film Bloody Daddy, starring Shahid Kapoor, to stream on June 9

Sourabh Jain

Bollywood films failing is a phase, our films will bounce back strongly: Kajol

IANS

Meaningful Content in Indian Cinema: A Lost Battle?

Surbhi Chawla

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides