The Defiant Ones.... Friday Releases: A Week Of Bitter Reminders

The Defiant Ones.... Friday Releases: A Week Of Bitter Reminders
Thursday, February 28, 2013 12:21 IST
By Santa Banta News Network
By Subhash K Jha

This weekend's releases come with some amount of baggage. Explosive baggage. While Ram Gopal Varma's The Attacks Of 26/11 raises nightmarish memories of the gruesome incident of 2008 that changed the profile of terror attacks forever, this week's other release brings us bitter memories of John Abraham's last rom-com, writer-director Abbas Tyrewala's Jhootha Hi Sahi.

According to a trade expert who wishes to go unnamed, `Seeing John in the rom-com space and RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) in the get-real space is like reliving a nightmare. John's bulky build and athletic image make him more acceptable as an action hero.

He was a hit in Nishikant Kamat's Force and he will be a hit in Sanjay Gupta's Shootout In Wadala. But John in a rom-com?... nah. I don't think it works for the audience. It's an image challenger. `

RGV's The Attacks Of 26/11 carries a very strong pre-release buzz. Those who have seen it including the Big B Amitabh Bachchan say it us the director's comeback to form, his best work since Company in 2002.

However there is a sense of negativity to the film's theme.

A filmmaker who earlier worked under RGV said, `The very idea of re-visiting the events of 26 November 2008 is repugnant to the average Mumbaikar. And why just Mumbai? Who wants to revisit an event that shook the nation?`

Surprisingly there is a great deal of hope within the film trade for Ramu's film.

Says Roshan Singh, a leading distributor of Patna, `The Attacks Of 26/11 may not be a subject that people in Mumbai would relish re-visiting. But it all depends on how the events are treated in the film. Look at Ben Aflleck's Argo! It's so edge-of-the-seat. I am sure the real hostage situation in Iran was not half as exciting. `

Ram Gopal Varma sees the film's prospects with a great deal of clarity and humour. He narrates an experience this week with a chauffeur in Delhi who asked Ramu what his film was about.

Says Ramu, `When I told him it was about the attacks on 26/11 he asked me, 'Hero kaun hai?'. I told him it's Nana Patekar. Then he asked me, 'Heroine kaun hai?' I said there is none. He was shocked, 'Heroine nahin hai? Toh phir picture mein gaana kaun gayega?' I didn't have the heart to tell him my film has no songs. `

The other release this week has plenty of songs, and music. And an untried pair John Abraham-Chitrandga Singh who look smashing together, with the petite Prachi Desai thrown in for added glamour. And the buzz is that the main self-obsessed character is modelled on Shah Rukh Khan.

Also, with last week Kai Po Che doing well, the mood at the boxoffice is upbeat.
Prabhas Returns in Style: The Raja Saab Teaser Promises a Genre-Bending Horror Romance Spectacle!

The long-awaited teaser of Prabhas’s upcoming film, The Raja Saab, has finally dropped—and it’s nothing

Monday, June 16, 2025
From Bicky to Maalik: Rajkummar Rao's Relentless Reinvention!

Rajkummar Rao has never been one to play it safe. From the easygoing charm of Bicky in Stree to the

Monday, June 16, 2025
Amazon MX Player drops the Thrilling Trailer of First Copy featuring Munawar Faruqui, Gulshan Grover and star-studded cast!

Amazon MX Player, Amazon’s free streaming service has unveiled the much-awaited trailer for First

Monday, June 16, 2025
Warner Bros- Pictures, Bhanushali Studios Limited and JOAT Films announce a five-film strategic partnership!

Warner Bros. Pictures, Bhanushali Studios Limited (BSL) and JOAT Films have announced an exclusive

Monday, June 16, 2025
Mahavatar Narsimha Roars to Life on the Global Stage at MOSA, Belgium!

The spiritual and cinematic worlds converged in a remarkable celebration at the Museum of Sacred

Monday, June 16, 2025