Posted by admin on Jul 11, 2009 in
Bollywood
Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Despite mixed reviews for its weak storyline, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor starrer romantic comedy “Kambakkht Ishq” has grossed Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion) at the box office in its first week.
Distributed worldwide by Eros with around 2,000 prints worldwide, “Kambakkht…” hit more than 1,400 screens in India and about 600 overseas in a combination of prints and digital format.
Directed by debutant Sabbir Khan, it released across India as well as in Pakistan, Britain, US, Australia, Europe, South Africa, Fiji Islands, the Middle East and Malaysia, among others.
Released July 3, the film opened to extraordinary advance bookings courtesy its unprecedented buzz and has brought a new lease of life for Akshay’s flagging career after two major duds “Chandni Chowk To China” and “8X10 Tasveer”.
“‘Kambakkht Ishq’ is doing exceedingly well in all the overseas markets. All major markets like US, Gulf, Australia and even Pakistan have shown extraordinary box office performance in first week,” said Pranab Kapadia, president of Eros International in a statement released here Friday.
Kapadia looks after Eros’ distribution in Europe and Africa.
Nandu Ahuja, the senior vice president who looks after distribution in the domestic market for the company, says after the overwhelming weekend collection, the movie is going steady.
“The film has remained steady during the week post the stupendous opening weekend. The film is continuing to show fabulous collections and we are sure the film will continue to enjoy a fantastic run,” he said.
Co-produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Sunil A. Lulla, the film was made on a budget of Rs.62 crore (Rs.620 million) including print and advertisement costs and has grossed around Rs.70 crore (Rs.700 million) in the domestic market and Rs.21 crore (Rs.210 million) overseas.
The music and digital rights of the film have fetched around Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million)
The film earned around Rs.19 crore (Rs.190 million) worldwide on its opening day.
Apart from the death-defying stunts by Akshay, the film also has much publicised cameos by Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.
Tags: 8X10 TASVEER, advance bookings, Advertisement, akshay kumar, Australia, Box Office Performance, Britain, Chandni Chowk to China, Co-produced, combination, combination of prints, Comedy, digital format, Directed, domestic market, Europe, extraordinary advance bookings, fabulous collections, fantastic run, Fiji Islands, flagging career, including print, Kambakkht Ishq, Kareena Kapoor, overseas, Pakistan, performance, Pranab Kapadia, president of Eros, romantic comedy, Sabbir Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala and Sunil A. Lulla, senior vice president, South Africa, the Middle East and Malaysia, unprecedented buzz, US, weekend collection, worldwide by Eros
Posted by admin on Jul 7, 2009 in
Movie Reviews 
Rating: **1/2
Bizarre has a new meaning and it’s called Kambakkht Ishq.
Of late, Akshay Kumar has earned the reputation of making you laugh in film after film. You expect Kambakkht Ishq, his new outing, to transport you to ha-ha-land, given the smart-n-chic promos of the film.
Kambakkht Ishq belongs to the same family of films which have wooed the masses, such as MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGI, WELCOME, SINGH IS KINNG and GOLMAAL RETURNS. The prime motive is to entertain you for the next 2 hours, logic be damned.
Yet, Kambakkht Ishq is different because it depicts the battle of the sexes, a theme that’s rarely depicted on the Hindi screen. The lingo is poles apart, so is the attitude. In fact, this is a modern take on relationships, with the two hours divided between laughter and emotions, frivolous and reality.
Let’s get this straight. Kambakkht Ishq works in most parts thanks to the kind of star power and energy that the two actors pack in — Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor.
It would’ve been difficult to hold the film from falling apart had the two actors not been competent enough to carry off their respective parts. Also, the presence of Hollywood stars — Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards — the first on the Hindi screen, is an added bonus. 1 pe 2 ka offer; Bollywood stars ke saath Hollywood free!
The focus is on the entertainment quotient. There are moments when you laugh so uncontrollably that it gets embarrassing and there are times when you continue smiling, even during the most ordinary scenes.
But Kambakkht Ishq dips in its second hour because you expect it to be as frivolous as the first hour, but it changes tracks and gets emotional. Things would’ve gone wrong had the end stumbled and fumbled, but it doesn’t. The finale, in fact, takes the film back to the level that one expects from a film of this magnitude.
To sum up, Kambakkht Ishq offers you value for time and also, value for money. It offers loads of entertainment in those 2 + hours, loads of glamour in those 130 odd minutes, from start to end. Sure, there are blemishes, but they’re trivial when you look at the larger picture.
Kambakkht Ishq explores the relationship between two individuals who are as different as chalk and cheese. Viraj [Akshay Kumar] is a stuntman in Hollywood, who lives by the mantra ‘women are only good for two things’. Simrita [Kareena Kapoor] is a firebrand who is more than able to stare down the most arrogant male with her caustic wit and sardonic tongue.
So what happens when the two people who hate each other the most meet at Simrita’s best friend Kamini’s [Amrita Arora] and Viraj’s brother Lucky’s [Aftab Shivdasani] wedding? A wedding that both Viraj and Simrita are violently opposed to and desperate to stop. Sparks fly… the battle of the sexes in on.
Director Sabbir Khan’s motive is simple: Entertain for the next 2 hours. The entire first hour moves at a lightening speed, making you enjoy the war of words between Akshay and Kareena at regular intervals.
The first half abounds in terrific moments, but I’d like to single out at least three…
* One, the church wedding of Aftab and Amrita. When the battle lines are drawn.
* Two, the sequence at the operation table, when Akshay spots Kareena.
* Three, the interval point. The pendant connection. Howlarious sequences all!
The post-interval starts with a bang, with Akshay hearing the ‘Om Mangalam’ chant just about everywhere — while sleeping, in the shower, in the rest room, even at an award function. The award function sequence is a double whammy. You get to watch Stallone and also the scene is superbly structured, executed and enacted.
Things are smooth sailing till the emotional angle comes up. The narrative dips in those 20 odd minutes. The mood suddenly shifts from laughter to sadness.
The makers may argue that a twist in the tale is justified from the writing point of view, since the emotional track is vital for any love story, but the fact remains that one does miss the entertainment quotient here. In fact, the dip in the second hour erodes, to a large extent, the impression that the first half had built so magnificently.
Director Sabbir Khan picks up a theme that may catch you by complete surprise, but marinates it in entertainment, garnishes it well and presents it like never before. The review would be incomplete if we failed to highlight the grandiose look and the lavish production values thanks to the no-holds-barred expenses by producer Sajid Nadiadwala. Each frame looks ostentatious and glitzy.
Music is up to the mark, with three interesting tracks — ‘Om Mangalam’ [RDB], ‘Lakh Lakh’ and ‘Bebo’ [Anu Malik]. Cinematography [Vikas Sivaraman] is magnificent, with the DoP doing complete justice to the production values.
Kambakkht Ishq belongs to both, Akshay and Kareena. Akshay is dynamic this time. He received a lot of flak for CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and there was this nagging feeling that the negativity would spill over to Kambakkht Ishq.
But Akshay is in terrific form here and delivers, without a shred of doubt, a bravura performance. If you loved him in NAMASTEY LONDON and SINGH IS KINNG, you’d fall in love with Akki and his comic timing all over again this time.
Kareena left an indelible impression in JAB WE MET and creates a similar impact, albeit in a different role. Clearly, she is miles ahead of her contemporaries as far as talent goes and this film proves it yet again.
Aftab and Amrita are perfect for their parts. Vindu Singh supports well. Javed Jaffrey doesn’t make a mark because the role has no connection with the main plot. Kirron Kher is getting typecast. Boman Irani is hilarious in that lone sequence. Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards are well integrated in the narrative.
On the whole, Kambakkht Ishq will strike a chord with the youth and those who relish zany and madcap entertainers. The first half is tremendous, while the second half takes a dip, with the film picking up towards the climax.
At the box-office, the film will see an earth-shattering opening weekend and a historic Week 1. It remains to be seen how this film fares in its second weekend/week, given the massive number of screens it has opened globally [2,000 +].
However, the timing is most appropriate [the viewer is thirsting for a biggie] and the hype is tremendous, which should prove very advantageous for the film.
Tags: akshay kumar, Kambakkht Ishq, Kareena Kapoor
Posted by admin on Jul 3, 2009 in
Bollywood
New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Popular for his daredevil stunts, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar jumped off a 60-foot high elevated structure in the capital Thursday evening to promote his new film “Kambakkht Ishq†releasing Friday.
Clad in a black body hugging full sleeved T-shirt, jeans, sports shoes and shades, the actor played his comic self with the fans and the media before jumping off on the stage.
He talked about his character Viraj Shergill, a Hollywood stuntman in the film, and the importance of women in the lives of men.
“I’m a typical male chauvinist (in the film)… do you even know who is a male chauvinist? He is one who believes that he is God’s gift to women. But I must tell you that if men are from Mars, women are from heaven,†said the actor while still standing suspended with wires from a crane at DLF place in Saket.
The 41-year-old then probed the media for questions from the height. “Hi media. Won’t you like to ask me anything right now. I’ve done almost 120 films and I haven’t seen such a pc (press conference). Go on, ask what you want. I won’t jump before you do.â€
The actor who was last seen in duds “Chandni Chowk To China†and “8×10 Tasveer†also warned his fans not to repeat the stunts shown in films.
“Stunts are amazing but please don’t do them… it’s way too dangerous. Three months ago, my cousin was trying one of my glass breaking stunts from the film and he ended up with a lot of stitches. Even we (actors) have to undergo a lot of rehearsals before doing them,†said the actor before taking the leap.
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, “Kambakkht Ishq†has been directed by debutant Sabbir Khan.
It also stars Kareena Kapoor and has much publicised cameos by Hollywood stars like Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.
Joining Akshay after the stunt, Kareena couldn’t stop raving about her co-star of six films including “Kambakkht…â€.
“The star of this film is none other than Akshay Kumar. He has done a fabulous job… it is a must watch out for,†she said.
Tags: 8×10 Tasveer, Akshay does live stunt, akshay kumar, Akshay Kumar does live stunt, Akshay Kumar live stunt, Akshay live stunt, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, Chandni Chowk to China, daredevil stunts, Hollywood stuntman, Kambakkht Ishq, Kambakkht Ishq Movie promotion, Kambakkht Ishq promotion, Kareena Kapoor, Movie 8×10 Tasveer, Movie Chandni Chowk To China, Movie Promotion, Sajid Nadiadwala
Posted by admin on Jun 24, 2009 in
Bollywood 
If you saw Kareena Kapoor getting breathless during her Ladakh schedule which ended on Monday this week, it wasn’t because of her excitement level. It was something far more immediate… and scary.
The unit of Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots shot at the Pangong Lake in Ladakh which is 13,900 feet above sea level. Often tourists who go up there are known to complain of breathlessness due to the lack of oxygen.
And so it was for Kareena, Aamir Khan, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi who scaled new heights of derring-do without any casualty, though many people are known to collapse for lack of oxygen at the place where Kareena, the only female member of the cast, shot.
Says Kareena, “We had little oxygen, no electricity and no hot water. On top of that, I was in a wedding ghagra-choli outfit in that freezing cold, can you imagine! The wind almost swept me off my feet.”
To protect herself from the freezing cold, Kareena wore thermal heating along with her outfit. “But that was of very little help. Finally the unbearable cold was all worth it for a wonderful film. The boys (Kareena means Aamir and Madhavan) were great fun. And Raju Hirani is a gem.”
And now from freezing cold, Kareena has suddenly gone into the simmering heat of monsoon-less Delhi. The sharp contrast in the weather has taken its toll on Kareena’s health.
Compounding her woes is the fact that she is in Delhi in time for her sister Karisma’s birthday on June 25. But Karisma is out of the country. “Can you believe it? My bad luck I guess,” sighs Kareena.
Tags: 3 Idiots, Bollywood, Bollywood News, Kareena Kapoor, News, Rajkumar Hirani
Posted by admin on Jun 24, 2009 in
Bollywood 
With KAL KISSNE DEKHA breathing its last in U.K. and U.S.A., all eyes are now on the next two biggies – NEW YORK [this Friday] and KAMBAKKHT ISHQ [next Friday] – to salvage the situation. The industry is thirsting for a Hit and here’s hoping these two films do the trick.
Tags: Bollywook, Kambakkht Ishq, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, New York
