If variety is the spice of life then this week offers a veritable feast for moviegoers. Two of the films on release have acquired added curiosity value due to circumstances totally beyond the control of the products and its producers.
The Anant Mahadev-directed biopic Phule, based on the reformist zeal of Jyotirao Phule and his wife Savitribai, has been in the news for its references to the caste system. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s recent unsavoury comments on the Brahmin community has brought the film a spot of notoriety which it can ill afford.
Says director Anant Mahadevan, “I don’t think any film gains an audience through this kind of publicity. Phule will find its own audience regardless of the controversies.”
On the other hand, Excel Entertainment’s Ground Zero, directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, which is located in Kashmir and tackles terrorism, has suddenly acquired a renewed relevance due to the terror attack in Pahalgam.
This true-life account of counter-terrorism has shaped up into a slick entertainer and may well be the dark horse of the season.
Finally, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s 1994 rib tickler Andaz Apna Apna hits the funnybones big time this Friday.
Says director Raj Kumar Santoshi, “Three whole generations have loved the film. It is time to introduce the film to an entirely new generation of moviegoers who would like to see the film on the big screen with enhanced visuals and sound.”
Adds co-producer Preeti Sinha, “When my father (the late Vinay Sinha) produced Andaz Apna Apna, he had a vision. He wanted to produce a comedy whose laughter will linger long after he was gone. Andaz Apna Apna proved to be that one go-to comedy film that everyone loves generation after generation. We are hoping that the laughter factor would bring in the audiences.”
