The ways of the Internet are strange indeed. A young woman who has only just made her debut in the Malayalam film industry, in a film that is yet to be completed, has found herself in unimaginable fame overnight.
By now, everyone who has an Internet connection has heard of Priya Prakash Varrier from Oru Adaar Love. Her expressions in the song Manikya Malaraya Poovi have floored netizens, leading to instant fame on social media. But just how crazy is this obsession? Priya, who set up her Twitter account on Monday, already has 59k followers. But it's on Instagram where she has managed to haul an enormous number of fans. With just 87 posts, the young actor has 2.3 million followers. In just over a day! She has also managed to get a verified account almost immediately. To get a sense of proportion, Malayalam star Mohanlal has 714k followers on Instagram. Since he joined the social media platform in October 2015, the National Award-winning actor has 29 posts. Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan, who enjoys a wide fanbase in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, has 1.9 million followers on Instagram so far. Dulquer is working on Telugu and Hindi films as well, besides being the son of superstar Mammootty. The actor has 150 posts on Instagram. Baahubali actor Anushka Shetty, who has an unverified (though official - it's listed on her verified Facebook account) Instagram account has 2 million followers and 463 posts. Actor Trisha, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films for 15 years, has 1.5 million followers on her verified Instagram account. The actor recently made her Malayalam debut alongside Nivin Pauly in Hey Jude. Actor Amala Paul, popular in Malayalam and Tamil films, has 1.2 million followers on her verified Instagram account and 323 posts. Model Milind Soman who causes a splash every now and then with his Instagram photographs, has 249k followers and 488 posts. Tamil Bigg Boss fame Oviya who became a phenomenon during the course of the show, spread over several weeks, has 154k followers on her unverified Instagram account. According to reports, Priya got 606k followers on Instagram in 24 hours, making it the third highest number of followers anyone has managed to get. She's preceded by American reality TV star and model Kylie Jenner (806k) and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (650k).
Before Priya, Sheril G Kadavan became an Internet celebrity for her dance in the Jimmiki Kammal video. American TV show host Jimmy Kimmel even tweeted about the song, thanks to an enthusiastic social media user who wrote to him drawing attention to the similarity with his name. With hundreds of fake accounts and memes, it took a while for the Sheril fever to die down. Not everyone is charmed by the Internet's newfound obsession. Some have pointed out that Priya is only 18 years old and that the attention coming her way from men much older is "creepy". Priya's family, meanwhile, has told TNM that they're yet to come to terms with all the noise surrounding their young member.
Bollywood actorsRanveer Singh, Deepika Padukoneand, Shahid Kapoor became the talk of the town for their stellar performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat' which finally released on January 25, 2018, after facing a lot of hurdles.
According to a recent report on BoxOfficeIndia.com, the film has collected Rs 10.25 crore on Day 8 at the ticket window, taking its overall box-office collection past the 150 crore mark. With the total earnings of Rs 159.5 crore, the film has proved to be a blockbuster and has been liked by both the audience as well as the critics. Even Bollywood celebs took to their respective social media handles to praise the film, with spectacular visuals captured by Bhansali being the highlight of the film.
According to experts, the film's collections could have been higher given that it would have released in all the states of India. Currently, the film can maintain a stronghold at the box-office this week too as there are no major big-budget releases.
Talking about Ranveer-Deepika, Bhansali even revealed that he would continue to work with them. He said, "I love Deepika and the effortlessness which she brings on the set. I even feel that her performances are detailed and nuanced which makes me want to work with her again." Adding to it he even said, "I think Ranveer is aware of his strengths and limitations and hence he knows what to extract from him. Ranveer would achieve much more greatness only if he could become a little effortless too."
Aditi Rao Hydari, who played Mehrunissa in 'Padmaavat' has praised Deepika for her role of Padmavati. She tweeted, "A tweet just seems so impersonal but since I haven't managed to get through to you and Ive been away... just to say big respect and huge love for #Padmaavat... to padmavati from mehrunissa! love you @deepikapadukone"
A tweet just seems so impersonal but since I haven’t managed to get through to you and Ive been away... just to say big respect and huge love for #Padmaavat... to padmavati from mehrunissa! love you @deepikapadukone
Padmaavat is showing excellent hold at the box office as the collections are yet to go below the 50% number of what the film collected on Thursday.
Padmaavatis showing excellent hold at the box office as the collections are yet to go below the 50% number of what the film collected on Thursday. Even on Tuesday, the footfalls were quite steady and as a result 13 crore* more came in.
As a result, the film’s total so far reads 142 crore and this is quite healthy.
Moreover, it also pretty much indicates that the film’s word of mouth has been largely positive and anything average or below is not making any difference whatsoever to its fortunes. To continue scoring in double-digit is a huge feat indeed for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and now it is a given that the trending would stay on till Thursday at least.
Even if it goes a bit down on the second Friday, the film would continue to score over 10 crore each on rest of the weekdays and that would set it well for the 200 Crore Club.
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari and Jim Sarbh
If there’s one thing that Padmaavat, earlier titled Padmavati, tells us it’s that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the monarch of grandeur, opulence and splendor. The director’s vision carries forward his legacy of larger-than-life films, so even though the battle is between Rawal Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khilji, it’s Bhansali’s unfazed vision and technical finesse that takes the cake. If there’s another thing that Padmaavat tells us, it’s that the film is, in fact, meant to uphold the valour, sacrifice and glory of the Rajputs. And nothing else that has been fed into the minds of viewers over the past few months, courtesy protests by fringe outfit Karni Sena.
The film, as clarified by Bhansali, is based on the legend of Rani Padmavati, a legendary Rajput queen mentioned in the Awadhi-language poem Padmavat, written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) is a free-spirited princess who loves to hunt in the jungles of Singhal. And on one such plucky hunt, she chances upon Rawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), the Rajput ruler of Mewar, who is searching for precious stones (motis) to fulfill his wife’s command. Given the exceptional combination of beauty and brains that Padmavati is, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the two immediately decide to get married.
While the royal love story is brewing, there’s another power-hungry Turkish-Afghan ruler, Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), who, upon setting his eyes upon anything exquisite (nayaab), doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief until he’s in possession of it. After taking over the Delhi sultanate, Khilji is told by a priest Raghav Chetan that if he wishes to be the true Sultan of Hind, he needs to have Padmavati by his side and rule the Rajputs. Soon after this, he’s almost possessed by the idea of Padmavati and decides to lay a siege on the Chitttor Fort in Rajasthan. With no surprises, the film follows the exact trajectory of the poem and builds up to the large-scale jauhar, self-immolation of the women to protect their dignity, as their men sacrifice their lives on the battle field.
First things first, the film is a quintessential Bhansali work- it’s a visual spectacle in every which way. The scenes are shot and edited (for most part) with such finesse that despite not having a surprise ending, the film makes for a gorgeous cinematic experience. Sudeep Chatterjee’s cinematography creates a canvas that comes to you as a magnanimous painting and especially during the war scenes, wherein the expanse is grand and the imagery is flattering. The kesariya colour of Rajput pride is well woven in every second frame except for the ones wherein Khilji’s dark side begins to prevail. And you'll call yourself a sadist but Bhansali can even make a jauhar scene look spectacular and a few others, a bit overwhelming.
Deepika is an epitome of grace and she delivers a knockout performance as a Rani yet again. Her portrayal of Padmavati is all things ethereal and keen. And even though she doesn’t have many dialogues, it’s her eyes that do the talking. Plus, her being a strategist in times of conflict, gives her an edge. Shahid does a controlled act of the righteous king and does full justice to his part. With kohl-ed eyes and an impressive build, he looks the part. But the film only and only belongs to Ranveer Singh. He is in top form and doesn’t bat an eye lid while playing a character so black and honestly, despite being an anti-hero in the film, he actually makes you root for him. He is eclectic and wins every scene he is in. His eccentric moves and dialogue delivery make him an ever-ideal fit for Khilji. As a menacing ruler, who is atrociously self-consumed with the idea of victory and becoming the Sultan and gaining possession of all things exquisite, Khilji’s depiction might raise some eyebrows but as far as performance goes, no one could have done it better than a meat-mincing Ranveer.
Plus, despite the fact that Khilji doesn’t even share a frame with Padmavati per se, their forbidden love story is likely to stay with you long after you leave the theatre. And ironically, the film revolves around Khilji and is narrated from his point of view, so much for naming the film Padmavati in the first place.
There’s also Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunisa, wife of Alauddin Khilji, who makes the best of what little screen time she gets and Jim Sarbh, who plays Malik Kafur, an eunuch slave-general of Khilji. Both do a decent job with Sarbh going over-board in some scenes.
But no matter how big a visual delight the film is, one has to pull the plug when necessary. And at 163 minutes, Bhansali’s ambitious film starts to drag and is an imaginary piece with not enough meat to keep the viewer invested, except for the meat Khilji is surviving on of course. And notably, it's only Khilji's character that is detailed enough to grasp you with its uni "black" shade dulling the goodness of both Padmavati and Rawal Singh. The film also serves constant reminders of Rajput bravery and pride and during its course, gets a little arduous. But is that an after-math of staged protests or an authentic part of the actual narrative- guess we'll never know. And while all other pointers are ruled by the two disclaimers in the beginning, one might still feel a certain fictional hangover that continues to rule Bhansali’s works which doesn't quite make up for a lack of a consistent story. Plus, one would also feel a lack of good music, a department Bhansali has expertise in, in this one with only Ghoomar and Ek Dil Ek Jaan being the notable ones.
But none of it makes Padmaavat a bad watch- it's actually everything a Bhansali fan would expect and honestly, it does warrant an enriching cinematic experience despite falling short on certain things here and there.
Deepika Padukone visited Siddhivinayak temple to seek blessings on Tuesday as she gears up for the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.
The film has been at the centre of controversies ever since the shooting began in January last year. Fringe groups alleged distortion of history in the film and even issued death threats to . Based on Mohammad Jayasi’s poem Padmavat, the film also stars Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.
Deepika visited the temple amid heavy police security. She is seen wearing an off-white salwar-suit and paired it up with a yellow chadar.
Numerology has its share of sceptics, but Bollywood swears by it. The latest instance is Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. That the film’s title had to be changed from the earlier Padmavati — as per the Censor Board’s suggestion, following Rajput protests — is common knowledge, but what left everyone puzzled was the extra ‘a’. The puzzle is answered by one word: numerology.
Bollywood is big on numerology. Titles of films such as Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Judwaa 2, and Golmaal Again, were subjected to what we might call ‘numerologic’, as in ‘numbers + logic’. As for Padmaavat, even its release date has been decided by numerology — while the full-scale commercial release is on January 25, the paid previews are taking place on January 24.
Numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani reveals that it was his suggestion to the film’s creative team. “Earlier, Padmavati totalled to 30, and number 3 is for Jupiter. The director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was born on the 24th (February), which is 6, [for] Venus. Changing the title to Padmavat, after removing the ‘i’, [the word] totalled an inauspicious number, 29, which indicates treachery and unexpected danger. I suggested that they could add a ‘d’ to bring it to 3 or 6. Bollywood’s longest-running film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (DDLJ) added up to 6.”
Jumaani says, referring to the first Bollywood film for which he was consulted, “Our first title, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai had two ‘a’s, and the last film, Golmaal Again, added up to the same number. Padmaavat’s team took my second option. The two ‘a’s add up to 30, which is better.” However, in Baahubali’s case, an extra ‘a’ was removed, and the poster used a symbol to indicate the long vowel in the character’s name.
Also, the fact that the film is technically releasing on the 24th is numerologically correct, because “24 adds up to 6, which is a luckier date”, says Jumaani.
Judging by the success of these films, numerology will continue to find takers.
Akshay Kumar, since last few years, is not only doing some amazing films but also cementing his position in top 5 stars of this era. From thrillers like Baby and Airlift, social-dramas like Toilet: Ek Prem Kathaand Padman, pure entertainers like Housefull 3and Jolly LLB 2 – he has the most interesting films lined up for future. Padman, 2.0 and Gold – three movies guaranteeing entertainment.
Let’s analyze all the three films of Akshay Kumar along with asking a tough question towards the end.
Padman
Padman
Akshay Kumar as Arunachalam Muruganantham aka Padman in the film is not the superhero you expect but he’s surely the superhero we deserve. Post fighting the sanitation issues in remote areas of the country, Akshay Kumar is back with another movie tackling another social issue. Portraying the man who created pads for women in his village, Akshay has already created the curiosity among the general audience. Slated to release on Republic Day this year, the movie will face a tough competition from Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary.
2.0
2.0
Sequel to Rajinikanth’s blockbuster movie Robot, 2.0 will have Akshay Kumar in a negative avatar. Playing a scientist who faces a structural deformity due to a failed experiment, Akshay is all set to woo his fans in this multi-starrer shot-in-IMAX-3D film.
Gold
This Akshay Kumar starrer is about India’s first Olympic medal win as a free nation in the year 1948 at the 14th Olympic Games in London. It will release on the Independence Day, 2018. It also marks the first association between Akshay and Excel Entertainment led by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. To be directed by Reema Kagti, Gold will also introduce actress Mouni Roy into Bollywood.
Recently there was news all over that Sanjay Dutt’s biopic which till now was addressed as Sanju will be titled as Dutt. But we guess here are some other options, from which makers could pick up.
Sanjay Dutt is fondly called as Sanju from his followers and there’s not any reason why makers shouldn’t use this title. But, the film is about Sanjay Dutt and we think the title should be as massy as it can get. Here are some options:
1. Musa
Dreadfully called as Musa, Sanjay Dutt’s character in Plan is still remembered for his macho image. People renamed their aliases as Musa after the film, such as the impact of Musa. He was again reborn as Musa in Luck.
2. Baba
If the makers really have considered Sanju, they surely would’ve gone through this one first. Sanju Baba or Baba, there’s the only one you’ll know who’s called with these aliases, Sanjay Dutt. Yes! There’s a 2002 movie with the same name but this is one which deserved to be called as Baba. His character name in Sanjay Gupta’s debut film was also called as Baba.
3. Main Hoon Khalnayak
When we can call Jordan Belfort’s biopic as The Wolf Of Wall Street why not Sanjay Dutt’s biopic as Main Hoon Khalnayak? This could be the massy one but wait until you read the next one.
4. Pacchas Tola
This one surely is the massiest suggestion in the list. Pacchas Tola is to Sanjay Dutt what Kitne Aadmi The was to Amjad Khan. This dialogue from Vaastav could easily be called his signature trademark. Yes, the title sounds like a Hindi dubbed title of South Indian film but it’ll be a treat for the real Sanju Baba fans.
5. Dutt
Or we could stick to what the movie was been called till now. Since everyone created a habit of calling it Dutt, makers could stick to the same.
