Hindi
‘Angry Indian Goddesses’: It’s different
MUMBAI: Thanks to the world of media and entertainment opening up, filmmaking has been continuously expanding its dimensions. A lot of filmmakers are breaking the genre barriers and daring to project stories that would have been unimaginable until not so long ago. The era of abla Indian naari is long gone, at least, as far as the film stories go. As the title asserts, Angry Indian Goddesses is about a bunch of women who don’t conform to the stereotype.
Sarah-Jane Dias, Anushka Manchanda, Sandhya Mridul, Pavleen Gujral and Amrit Maghera are career women (except Pavleen). Sarah, a professional photographer, is asked to compromise: make a dark model look fair for a fairness cream. She is supposed to just shoot her pictures and the rest will be done on Photoshop, she is assured. But, she would not compromise on her skill and walks off.
Similarly, Sandhya, a tycoon, has a problem on hand as her mining fields are controversial and have been shut down due to a protest led by Tannishtha Chatterjee. Amrit is an aspiring actor but walks out of a film shoot when she is padded up all over to just look sexy and vulnerable instead of acting her part.
Pavleen is a merit list graduate but is married off early into a traditional family where the only expectation from her is to deliver a child, sort of, without her husband’s participation. These all are Sarah’s dear friends.
Sarah, having walked out of her photo-shoot assignment, heads straight to Goa to her ancestral home. She plans to marry and decides to invite her friends. So, Sarah, Sandhya, Anushka, Pavleen and Amrit gather under one roof in a Goa village. Also around is Sarah’s childhood companion cum maid, Rajshri Deshpande, a gutsy, street smart woman.
As one sits through the film, nothing is happening except that this bunch has what is their idea of fun. Generally, this involves pulling each other’s leg, drinking, dancing and finally opening up with their respective problems. As they open up, you feel like an eavesdropper on an all girls’ party! None of them are really happy as the others perceived. One thinks the women have been told by the director to just go along and do as they liked; their idea of a get-together of a bunch of friends.
If there is a purpose to the film, the indications come only post interval as Sandhya, the tycoon’s b?te noire, Tannishtha, walks in as another guest.
The women, all troubled by their circumstances, having time of their life and none feels like going back. On one of their outings, they confront some bike-riding bullies. The guys run away but that is not going to be the end of it. Because, the makers also plan to stress on rape and the attitude of the law and views on a woman’s dressing.
Finally, Sarah is forced to reveal who she is going to wed and that is another aspect rarely ventured on Hindi screen. It is the last half an hour or so that turns the film around and gives it a purpose. The climax is interesting.
Pan Nalin has penned and directed this film and he has handled it well considering this is a dicey theme with little substance in the footage for most part. The film has a very situational musical score. The Konkani song, rendered by Anushka, a musician herself, is a delight. The location being Goa, it is a pleasure to watch and aids the cinematography look pleasant to eyes.
Angry Indian Goddesses is an interesting watch if you are a discerning film lover with patience. Eventually, it makes up for your patience and money spent.
Producers: Pan Nalin, Gaurav Dhingra
Director: Pan Nalin
Cast: Sarah-Jane Dias, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Anushka Manchanda, Sandhya Mridul, Amrit
Maghera, Rajshri Deshpande, Pavleen Gujra, Arjun Mathur, Adil Hussain.
‘Hate Story 3’: Rides on brand equity
The Hate Story franchise has been a moderate success twice before, albeit, in a limited range. Not blockbusters but profitmaking all the same. And so the story continues. You have a title and you have the basic theme of skin show. Rest would be easy.
However, while rules at the censor board are still the same, the implementation has changed. So, liberties can’t be taken. ForHate Story 3, the germ is borrowed from the Hollywood movie, Indecent Proposal (1993).
Sharman Joshi is a successful entrepreneur with an ever growing business empire. He has a loving wife by his side in Zarine Khan. But, there is a sinister man around who has a glad eye for Zarine. That is Karan Singh Grover. He invites Sharman and Zarine for a business launch. He offers to help Sharman to grow his empire even further because, he says, he likes self-made men! However, for his help Sharman would have to send Zarine to Karan to spend a night with him. Now, why should Karan even imagine Sharman, a self-made man rich man would want to do that? You may borrow an idea from a foreign film but how about logic?
Rejected, Karan becomes vengeful and plans to destroy Sharman and his business. He starts with contaminating the soft drinks in Sharman’s factory. Sharman is wary. He deputes his secretary, Daisy Shah, to lure Karan and find out what he is up to. But, it is not all that easy as Daisy is killed and her body is found in the bushes.
Hate Story 3 has a weak base and far short of content compared to the earlier two versions. The direction is okay but not good enough to stretch the limited content to over two hours. The songs, usually the strength of a T-Series home production, have limited appeal. Two song, Tumhe apna bana…and Wajah… sound pleasant. Editing needed to be slicker.
Performance wise, Sharman looks a bit ill at ease. Karan is okay. Zarine is good. Daisy is passable.
Hate Story 3 has taken a good opening thanks to its brand equity. Made within a controlled budget, it has a two week open window without opposition and will make the most of it.
Producer: Bhushan Kumar, Vikram Bhatt Director: Vishal Pandya
Cast: Sharman Joshi, Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah, Karan Singh Grover
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
