Hindi
‘Tevar’….Bad attitude!
MUMBAI: Boney Kapoor has a fancy for acquiring the rights of south Indian films, usually Telugu, and remking them in Hindi. The logic is that the film has proved itself with at least one part of India and, hence, entails less risk. What is more, this remaking business has worked for Boney in most cases. ‘Tevar’ is a remake of the 2003 Telugu hit, ‘Ukkadu’.
Early in the film, Arjun Kapoor sings a song, ‘Main tou Superman..’, and then carries that attitude through the film. He does not fly or wear cape but fights like a mean machine. He keeps himself fit by playing kabbadi.
With his three friends, Arjun, roams around his town, Agra. Unwittingly, he happens to cross paths with the ‘bahubali’ of neighbouring Mathura, Manoj Bajpayee. Manoj’s brother, Rajesh Sharma, is the state Home Minister while his cousin is the local MP, a convenient situation for him and his goons to run riot in the area; he rules over it like a tyrant.
Manoj sees Sonakshi Sinha at a dance festival and falls heads over heels in love with her. He approaches her taking his own marriage proposal and, on being refused, he becomes more determined and approaches her TV journalist brother. Her brother insults Manoj and pays with his life.
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Producers: Sanjay Kapoor, Sunil Lulla. Director: Amit Ravindernath Sharma. Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Manoj Bajpayee, Subrat Dutta, Rajesh Sharma, Raj Babbar, Deepti Naval. |
The only way out now for Sonakshi is to run away from the town, proceed to Delhi and go ahead with her study trip to the US. But, Manoj spots her at the interstate bus depot and forces her to go with him. That is when Arjun watches the scene and thrashes Manoj only to realise later that he has taken ‘panga’ with a don. He can either leave the town or protect Sonakshi till she gets her visa and leaves the country in few days.
What follows is hide and seek game between the Arjun-Sonakshi duo and Manoj’s goons. Manoj’s brother, Rajesh, is uncomfortable with his brother’s way of dealing with the issue open to public eyes. He decides to help. He calls the police chief, Raj Babbar, to deploy his entire police force to trace the girl. When Babbar realises that his own son has kidnapped the girl, the chase is now two fold, police as well as goons are after the couple. The director also takes the liberty to create rain during Holi season to add thrill to the chase.
Things are now becoming monotonous but soon enough, it is time for Arjun to fight Manoj’s men to finally qualify to take on Manoj himself. Of course the hero wins but he has to remain clean so, finally, Manoj has to take a bullet from Subrat Dutta, the family’s goon-in-chief, who wants to inherit Manoj’s title of ‘bahubali’.
Though the film may feel a bit lengthy at two hours and 39 minutes, director Amit Ravindernath Sharma has done a worthy job in his debut feature film. He has made sure make ‘Tevar’ more colourful than the Telugu original and has added finesse despite it having been shot in the bylanes of small cities. However, what goes against ‘Tevar’ is that it is made from a dated film of 2003 and many similar films have been made since. Also, the ‘bahubali’ business has been overused and not palatable anymore. There has been enough of one man felling 10 goons and ‘Tevar’ goes overboard with it making it repetitive and tedious.
The film has good dialogue. The music is very good with ‘Superman….’, ‘Radha nachegi…’ and ‘Joganiya…’ providing a variety. Two songs have been filmed beautifully. Arjun is getting slotted in this tapori fighter image which provides little scope for histrionics. Sonakshi fails to charm. Manoj looks spent. Raj Babbar and Deepti Naval are okay. Dutta impresses.
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‘Tevar’ has no prospects at multiplexes catering neither to kids or family. Single screen business will be just average at best.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 trouble: BMC moves to blacklist Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios
Blacklist move follows torch, drone and permit violations; producers lean on a legal workaround
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s civic bosses have turned up the heat on a big-ticket sequel. The BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) has moved to blacklist Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios after a string of safety and permit breaches during the shoot in Mumbai. The message is blunt. Flout the rules, forfeit the privileges.
Officials cite repeated violations, including lit torches in a high-security heritage zone, a drone flown without clearance, location changes, a terrace used without permits, and two generator vans run without approvals. Mumbai Police stepped in during a night shoot in the Fort precinct, seizing five mashals and warning the crew to avoid flammable props. A separate case was filed at MRA Marg Police Station against location manager Rinku Rajpal Valmiki for flying a drone without permission.
The civic playbook is escalating. A-ward officials have recommended blacklisting the studio from the state’s single-window filming portal, forfeiting a Rs 25,000 deposit and imposing a Rs 1 lakh penalty. The deputy municipal commissioner has cleared the proposal for action, with notices to follow.
Yet the production’s pulse remains steady. A source close to the unit says filming continues and the March 19 release, timed for Eid, Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, remains intact. Co-producer Jio Studios can route fresh permissions through an unblacklisted applicant, a loophole that keeps cameras rolling even if named applicants are barred. The ban bites, but it does not block.
The film, starring Ranveer Singh, arrives with commercial heft. The previous instalment minted over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, sharpening the incentive to stay on schedule. The sequel also faces competition from Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups by Geethu Mohandas, headlined by Yash.
For now, the crackdown raises compliance costs, not curtains. Permits can be rerouted, penalties paid and shoots rescheduled. In Mumbai’s film economy, the show rarely stops. It simply finds a new entry point and races to make its date.
