Vidur’s Film Diary – May 2011

DEORIA – UTTAR PRADESH – INDIA                 JUNE 01, 2011                    01.00 P.M.

In this 25th edition of Vidur’s Film Diary, I would like to take stock of the first quarter of the year 2011. Hindi film industry suffered losses of over 200 crores in this first quarter. Of the 67 releases so far [ including dubbed ones ] , only 06 films made it to the hit list. This is a paltry 10% success ratio. ” NO ONE KILLED JESSICA “, ” YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA “, ” DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI “, ” DHOBI GHAT “, ” TANU WEDS MANU ” and ” F.A.L.T.U. ” could be called hits. Certainly not a very healthy . rosy picture indeed. But industry is celebrating because the first quarter of 2011 is better than the first quarter of the previous year.

May 2011 will be remembered for the fact that Yash Raj Films launched its new banner for the young generation, called Y Films. Maiden venture of this banner ” Luv Ka The End ”  was released in the first week of this month. It is good that such a prestigious banner announces a banner exclusively for the new comers and youngsters.

This month 3 of my students walked down the red carpet at the 34th Cannes Film Festival. They are : Saif Ali Khan , Sonam Kapoor and Minissha Lamba.

Micro – blogging site Twitter has become the latest in thing. There are three celebrities who have more than 1 Million followers on twitter. After Sachin Tendulkar and Shashi Tharoor, my student Priyanka Chopra became the third celebrity to attain this status. She is closely followed by Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

On Facebook also there was a good news. Ranbir Kapoor became the 4th most popular actor of Hindi film on Facebook after Aamir Khan , Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Of these 4 celebrities , 2 are my students. They are Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor.

58th National Awards were announced this month. ” Dabangg ” got award as the film providing wholesome entertainment. It was produced by my student Arbaz Khan and has Sonu Sood , another student of mine , as the main antagonist.

I am re-producing tweets of Mr. Komal Nahta and Mr. Taran Adarsh , two eminent trade analysts of the industry, so that you can have a clear picture of the month just gone by.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

Midweek B.O.: ‘Chalo Dilli’ picks up, ‘Shor In The City’ remains low, rest fail http://bit.ly/bbkhW7

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

 International Boxoffice: ‘Chalo Dilli’ disappoints, ‘I Am’ is a debacle, ‘DMD’ falls http://bit.ly/8YMX4o

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Luv Ka The End’: Morn & noon shows 10% – 20%. Was expected to open better at big city plexes. Let’s hope biz picks up from Friday evening.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Haunted’: Released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu. Opened v well in 3D, garnering 60% – 70% start, while 2D was 30%. Combined occupancy 45% – 55%.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Luv Ka The End’ Fri 60 lacs, Sat 75 lacs. Total: 1.35 cr nett on 391 theatres.

KoimoiKoimoi.com

Believe it or not, a few shows of ‘Luv Ka The End’ were cancelled as enough audience did not turn up!

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Haunted’: Showed healthy escalation with each passing day. Breakup:- Fri 2.67 cr, Sat 3.06 cr, Sun 3.60 cr.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Luv Ka The End’: Started on a slow note, but picked up gradually. Breakup:- Fri 60 lacs, Sat 75 lacs, Sun 1 cr.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

Midweek B.O.: ‘Haunted’ collects 9.33 cr, ‘Luv Ka The End’ 2.35 cr in opng wknd http://bit.ly/bbkhW4

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

Luv Ka The End’: Fri 60 lacs, Sat 75 lacs, Sun 1 cr, Mon 35 lacs. Total: Rs 2.70 cr nett.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Luv Ka The End’ economics: Cost Rs 5 cr + P&A Rs 4.5 cr. Total Rs 9.5 cr. India 4 day biz: Rs 2.85 cr nett. Oseas wknd collects $ 50,000.

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

 Luv Ka The End: Showed healthy escalation in weekend, steady on weekdays. Liked by its target audience. Collects Rs 4.28 cr nett in Week 1[‘

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

 Haunted: Is a success. Fared v well in weekend, rock-steady on weekdays. Revenue from 3D was optimum. Collected Rs 14.63 cr nett in Week 1

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Stanley Ka Dabba’: Fri 25 lacs, Sat 48 lacs, Sun 75 lacs, Mon 26 lacs, Tue 37 lacs. Total: Rs 2.11 cr nett. Excellent!

taran_adarshtaran ada

Shagird’: Fri 34 lacs, Sat 42 lacs, Sun 46 lacs, Mon 20 lacs. Total: Rs 1.42 cr. Disappointing

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

‘Haunted’ [Week 2]: Fri 92 lacs, Sat 1.22 cr, Sun 1.40 cr, Mon 82 lacs. Total so far: Rs 19.02 cr nett. Rocking!

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

 ‘Stanley Ka Dabba’: Fri 25 lacs, Sat 48 lacs, Sun 75 lacs, Mon 26 lacs [better than Friday]. Total: Rs 1.74 cr nett. Rock-steady!

KomalNahta Komal Nahta

 Ragini MMS scares the daylights out of u. Lots of horror, enough of sex! Deadly combination to make Ragini rock at box-office

KomalNahtaKomal Nahta

Love U… Mr. Kalakaar! is a non-starter & looks so dated that it has nothing to merit a pick-up. Review: http://bit.ly/lvbR9D

KomalNahtaKomal Nahta

Ragini MMS will b loved by youngsters 4 the sex & horror. It’ll prove 2 b a good earning proposition 4 all. Review: http://bit.ly/m9tkPQ

KomalNahtaKomal Nahta

 Stanley Ka Dabba is a well-made film but has limited commercial prospects unless supported by schools.Review: http://bit.ly/jwZYhK

KomalNahta Komal Nahta

Shagird is a well-made film but it will sink at the box-office. Review:http://bit.ly/myATsn

Obituary :

=============

Somak Mukerjee : A FTII graduate of 2004 batch, this brilliant cinematographer died in a freak motorcycle accident in Kolkata on April 25, 2011 at the age of 37. He was cameraman for films like : ” Pankh ” , ” Black And White ” and ” Ugly Aur Pagli ” . ” Pankh ” , incidently , was his debut film.

Mala Sen : Though not a full-time film writer, she was instrumental in writing the script of Shekhar Kapur’s internationally acclaimed film ” Bandit Queen ”  [ 1994 ] . She met Phoolan Devi in jail and interviewed her several times and then wrote a book on her , based on the interviews. Later on she wrote the script for the film ” Bandit Queen ” . She died on May 23, 2011 at the age of 64. She was suffering from cancer and breathed her last at Tata Memoreal Hospital , Mumbai.

New Hindi Releases & Me :

=======================

First Week – May 06

1 – Luv Ka The End………………………………………….Shenaz Treasuryvala

……………………………………………………………………Mahabanoo Mody – Kotwal

…………………………………………………………………….Aashish Singh

2 – Haunted…………………………………………………….x

Second Week – May 13.

1 – Love U…Mr. Kalakaar! …………………………………Jai Kalra

2 – Stanley Ka Dabba…………………………………………Divya Dutta

3 – Ragini MMS………………………………………………..x

4 – Shagird………………………………………………………Rimmi Sen

……………………………………………………………………..Hrishitaa Bhatt

Third Week -May 20

1 – Kashmakash…………………………………………………Riya Sen

2 – 404…………………………………………………………….x

3 – Pyaar Ka Punchnama……………………………………..Sonalli Sehgall

Fourth Week – May 27

1 – Kucch Luv Jaisaa…………………………………………..Neetu Chandra

2 – Hum Do Anjaane……………………………………………x

3 – College Campus……………………………………………..x

4 – Barood…………………………………………………………x

5 – Sheeta Bhabhi.Com…………………………………………x

6 – Me Mamu & 7…………………………………………………x

7 – Just 47…………………………………………………………x

In total ………16………….films got released this month. Out of these …….16……… films…………10……………students trained by me were there in ………07………….. films. Out of these ……..10……….students……….08…………are actors , and………..02…………. are in various other fields of film making. Ashish Singh is associate producer of ” Luv Ka The End “ . Shenaz Treasuryvala , apart from being actor , also wrote screenplay and dialogues of the same film.

Film News This Month :

======================

1 – After ” Slumdog Millionaire ” and ” Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol ” , Anil Kapoor will star in “Cities ” , another Hollywood flick.

New Regional Film & Me :

======================

1 – Bangla : Priyagshu Chatterjee is doing main lead in ” Vorer Alo ” .

2 – Tamil : Sonu Sood is playing villain in ” Osthi – The Cool Cop ” , a remake of Hindi ” Dabangg ” .

Neetu Chandra is essaying an important role in ” Aadhi Bhagavan “.

Out of numerous regional films , …………03…………regional films got released  in………..02………… regional languages , which has …………….. 03…………….. actors trained by me.

T. V. Trivia & Me :

=================

1 – Kajal Singh is appearing in ” Jis Aangan Na Hoye Bitiya ” on Mahua T V .

2 – Kamalika Guha Thakurta is appearing in ” Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli “ on Zee T V.

3 – Rohit Khurana is appearing in ” Maayke Se Bandhi………DOR “ onStar Plus T V .

4 – Kunal Sudhir Madhiwala is appearing as participant in the reality show ” Swayamvar – Season 3 [ Ratan Ka Rishta ] ”  on Imagine T V .

There are many TV serials on various channels. This month ……….04………. students trained by me are essaying important roles in ………..04…………. shows. Of these shows……………03…………… are serials and ……………01……… is reality show.

Theatre & Me :

=============

1 – Saunil Daruwala is working in a play ” Kishan v/s Kanhaiya ” . He is currently touring USA and UK with the play .

2 – Manav Gohil is working in a play ” Kennedy Bridge “ , being directed by Khalid Mohammad .

Theatre is showing robust growth in every language. This month there were……….02………….  new productions.  Out of these …….02………. productions ………..02…………. students trained by me are working in………02……….. shows.

VIDUR

DEORIA – UTTAR PRADESH  – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.vidurfilms.com

www.twitter.com/VidurChaturvedi

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Vidur’s International Forays : Hollywood

Today I am completing 21 years in Mumbai as an acting trainer. In these 21 years I have trained innumerable actors of Hindi films and many more of South Indian Films. I have covered a whole gamut of Indian actors. Suddenly on October 04, 2010, I got a call from  Seher Latif, a Casting Director for Hollywood films. She asked me if I could come to Udaipur to train Dev Patel of ” Slumdog Millionaire ” fame. It was for his new film, ” The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel “. Initally I was purplexed at the offer and then I was extatic. I started my innings as a trainer with Geetanjali Khanna and Saif Ali Khan and during these fatefull years, [ October 1989 – October 2010 ] I have trained almost 90% of the new-comers of Hindi film industry and many of the South Ibdian Film Industry. And in the 21st year of my training here I am getting a chance to work with a Hollywood celebrity. I immediately agred and met Dev Patel in Mumbai’s Grand Maratha Hotel. I had one session here and then next day took flight to Udaipur.

 

Image via Wikipedia

 

For my readers, I am reproducing some facts about Dev Patel from the internet………..

Dev Patel was born in Harrow, England, to Gujarati Indian parents, both of whom were born in Nairobi, Kenya, where there is a significant Indian community.^[4][5] His parents both emigrated from Kenya separately in their teens, and only met in London.^[5] His mother, Anita, is a carer, and his father, Raj, an IT consultant.^[5] He has one sibling, an older sister named Komal.^[6] He was raised in the Hindu faith.^[7]

Patel grew up in Rayners Lane, Harrow, and attended Longfield Middle School. He had his first acting role as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the school’s production of Twelfth Night.^[5] Patel was given the Best Actor award for his performance and says that was the day he knew he wanted to become an actor.^{[citation needed]} He later went to Whitmore High School, receiving an A* in GCSE Drama, for his “self-penned portrayal of a child in the Beslan school siege“. During the exam Patel moved his examiner to tears! ^[8] His drama teacher Niamh Wright has stated: “Dev was a gifted student who quickly impressed me with his innate ability to communicate a wide variety of characters imaginatively and creatively. … He was awarded full marks for his GCSE performance to a live audience and the visiting examiner was moved to tears by his honest portrayal of a child in the Beslan school hostage crisis in Russia.”^[8][9] He eventually completed his AS Levels in PE, Biology, History and Drama in 2007, while he was working in Skins.^[8]

Awards and nominations for Slumdog Millionaire :

=======================================

Won :

• 2008 Black Reel Award — “Best Actor” — Slumdog Millionaire^[28]
• 2008 Black Reel Award — “Best Breakthrough Performance” — Slumdog Millionaire^[28]
• 2008 British Independent Film Award (BIFA) — “Most Promising Newcomer” — Slumdog Millionaire^[25]
• 2008 Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Award — “Most Promising Performer” — Slumdog Millionaire^[27]
• 2008 National Board of Review (NBR) Award — “Best Breakthrough Performance” — Slumdog Millionaire^[26]
• 2008 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award — “Break Out On Camera” — Slumdog Millionaire^[46]
• 2008 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) Award — “Best Breakthrough Performance” — Slumdog Millionaire^[47]
• 2009 Critics’ Choice Award — “Best Young Performer (Actor/Actress)” — Slumdog Millionaire^[3]
• 2009 Richard Attenborough Film Award — “Best Breakthrough” — Slumdog Millionaire^[48][49]
• 2009 Richard Attenborough Film Award — “Rising Star of the Year” — Slumdog Millionaire^[48][49]
• 2009 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award — “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” — Slumdog Millionaire^[29]

I was elated when I was told that the director of ” The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ” is Mr. John Madden. I was delighted to meet and work with the director of ” Shakespeare In Love “. I met him next day of my reaching Udaipur and found him so unassuming and down to earth, that I got a shock of my life. There are so many lesser mortals in Hindi Film Industry, who after their minor and insignificant success, behave as if they have conquered the world and here was a director who had been nominated for Oscars for his film ” Shakespeare In Love ” and he lost the Award to Mr. Steven Spielberg, who won it for ” Saving Private Ryan “” , but was behaving as if he has done nothing. I am reproducing some informations about Mr. John Madden from internet………………………………

John Madden Biography

JOHN MADDEN

Date of Birth: April 8, 1949

This native of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England began his career in the English theater, moving later to the BBC to work in television and radio drama. Madden’s resumé as a stage director includes prestigious work in both Britain and the United States. He directed Caritas Christi at the National Theater and helmed Broadway productions of Beyond Therapy, Wings and Grownups; he also staged the latter at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

In 1975 he crossed the pond and moved to the States to develop radio drama with Earplay, a National Public Radio drama project. During his time directing in radio and on stage, he taught in the acting and playwriting programs at the Yale School of Drama.

In 1984 he began to work extensively in TV as well as directing for the BBC and for commercial television in the UK. He worked on popular series like The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse, as well as telefilms like A Wreath of Roses and The Widowmaker.

Madden’s first feature, Ethan Frome (1993), was not a box office hit. However, there was praise for Bobby Bukowski’s striking cinematography, which added to the bleakness of the tale, and Madden was established as a competent storyteller.

He first garnered wide-scale notice with his feature Mrs. Brown (1997) starring Judi Dench. Dench was denied an Academy Award for her starring role, but was given a “runner-up” Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Madden’s next and most successful film, Shakespeare In Love (1998). The film not only received applause from critics and viewers alike, but it gave Madden nominations from the Oscars, BAFTA and Golden Globes for Best Director.

Filmography:

===================

Killshot (2009)
Proof (2005)
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001)
Shakespeare In Love (1998) – Oscar Nomination for Best Director
Mrs. Brown (1997)
Golden Gate (1994)
Ethan Frome (1993)

In Udaipur I met writer of the film, Mr. Ol Parker also. I was impressed by his simplicity. I made few suggestions in the script and he agreed to all of them without any annoyance or protest. He patiently listened to me without frown and smilingly agrred to all of them. I have no knowledge of him , so I am quoting from the internet………………..

Ol Parker

(born 1969, London) is an English TV writer and director.

In 1997, he married actress Thandie Newton, who starred in his first film, It Was an Accident (2000).

His birth name was Oliver Parker, but he changed his first name to Ol, to avoid confusion with Oliver Parker who directed An Ideal Husband (1999).

Filmography :

==============

• 2005 : Imagine Me & You – Writer, Director
• 2000 : It Was an Accident – Writer, Associate Producer
• 1997 : In Your Dreams (TV movie) – Writer
• 1995 : Loved Up (TV movie) – Writer

 

Image by lewishamdreamer via Flickr

 

I met Judy Dench also, who is part of the cast. I had never imagined that one day I would be meeting M of James Bond films. On 11 October I returned to Mumbai after a week long session with Dev Patel and immersed in my routine work.

My life has been a saga of frequent changes. I am not going to give up acting training for sure but I am starting my career as a film director. It is a Bhojpuri film and it would be my second directorial venture. My first directorial venture was ” BHAKTI HEECH KHARI SHAKTI ” in Marathi. My billing for that film was as a Co-Director. So in a awy this Bhojpuri film is my first film as a director. Naturally film direction is going to take much time of my life now.

In a sense I am feeling happy that as an acting trainer I have reached my pinnacle. From Indian films in Mumbai to the International Arena in Hollywood is a very satisfying journey indeed.

Vidur

Mumbai – Maharashtra – India

http://www.vidur.co.in

Related Articles

• Dev Patel: Hollywood only wants Asians to play terrorists, taxi drivers or geeks (telegraph.co.uk)
• Dev Patel Gives British Airways An Indian Touch (justjared.buzznet.com)
• Quotable: Please Don’t Ask Dev Patel To Play A Terrorist (thefrisky.com)
• Dev Patel to star in Pammie flick (mirror.co.uk)
• Dev Patel Looks Happy To See Me (thefrisky.com)
• Dev Patel Vs. Racist Hollywood (perezhilton.com)
• Movie Shot on Nokia N8 Started Filming with Dev Patel & Ed Westwick (thenokiablog.com)
• Scaredy-Cat Dev Patel (inquisitr.com)
• Dev Patel attacks Hollywood over lack of roles for Asian actors (guardian.co.uk)

[ For the information about  Dev Patel, Mr. John Madden and Mr. Ol Parker, I have quoted extensivelyfrom Wikipedia.I am thankful and express my gratitude. ]

Ode – 3 : To Manoj Night Shyamalan

Manoj Night Shyamalan’s new film ” The Last Airbender ” was released this week and as has become the fashion, it has been unequivocally and mercilessly panned by the critics. I am so anguished by this behaviour of learned critics that now I am turning into a follower and I am becoming a biased fan of Mr. Shyamalan. I always wonder, why the western critics are so vehemently against Mr. Shyamalan and why almost all his films are invariably panned ? Let us have a look on all the films which he has made so far:

1 – PRAYING WITH ANGER – ( 1992 ) :

He made this film while he was still studying in New York university. He borrowed money from his family, friends and from relatives and apart from writing the script, also acted in it. It was not released commercially, so I am not counting it or taking it in reckoning.

2 – WIDE AWAKE – ( 1998 ) :

Six years after making his first amateurish film, Mr. Shyamalan made this film which was released commercially. Though it got completed in 1995, it was released in 1998.

3 – THE SIXTH SENSE – ( 1999  ):

This third film of Mr. Shyamalan is his first commercial success. It was released in 1999 and it is Mr. Shyamalan’s biggest hit so far. Made with the budge of $ 40 million,  it earned $ 660 million worldwide. It was nominated for Academy Awards in 6 categories including best picture, best director and best original screenplay. Starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, this film is the 6th biggest grosser of all times in Hollywood history.

4 – UNBREAKABLE – ( 2000 )  :

This 4th film of Mr. Shyamalan was made with the budget of $ 73.2 million and it grossed $ 244 million worldwide. Bruce Willis again worked with Mr. Shyamalan along with Samuel L. Jackson.

5 –  SIGNS – ( 2002 )  :

This Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix starrer had budget of $ 72 million and it grossed $ 635 million worldwide. Incidentally this film is Mel Gibson’s most successful film ever and is the highest grosser of Mel Gibson’s career.

6 – THE VILLAGE – ( 2004 ) :

This Joaquin Phoenix starrer was made with the budget of $ 71.6 million and it grossed $ 256.2 million worldwide. It was nominated for one Academy Award, though it was panned by the critics.

7 – LADY IN THE WATER – ( 2006 ) :

This film was a definite flop and it could not recover its cost. The ignominy of  the matter was that it was nominated at 27th Golden Raspberry Awards in 4 categories. I do admit and  consider that it is a bad film.

8 – THE HAPPENING – (  2008 ) :

Though panned by critics this film grossed $ 163.3 worldwide. It was the 3rd highest grosser of that year.

9 – THE LAST AIRBENDER – ( 2008 ) :

This film got released this week and its box office result is still awaited. Its budget is $ 150 million and it’s opening weekend collection is  $ 70 million .

Out of 9 films, his first film was not a commercially released film. So out of remaining 8 films, the result of his latest offering is still awaited. So if we go through the statistics of remaining 7 films, he has given only 1 flop and  6 blockbusters. Isnt it an enviable record ? Isnt it praise worthy ? Isnt it commendable ? For western critics it is not . They call him ” one track pony ” and they decorate him with all sorts of pejoratives. They have already written his obituary. He is subjected to this kind of ridicule in spite of his enviable track record. All the films of a maker can’t be  masterpieces. No one can claim to have 100% track record. So why western critics so vehemently oppose him and why almost all his films are invariably panned ? I am copying and pasting an article, published in THE SUN to substantiate my point :

==========================================================================

Entertainment Movies

The downfall of M. Night

By MICHAEL RECHTSHAFFEN, QMI Agency

Last Updated: July 10, 2010 2:00am

M. Night Shyamalan (WENN.COM file photo)

HOLLYWOOD — It was a particularly sizzling July afternoon during the summer of 1999 when I trudged across the Disney Studios Burbank lot toward my appointed destination.

To tell the truth, by then an air-conditioned screening room held a lot more promise than what was being shown — some new Bruce Willis thriller.

After all, Willis hadn’t exactly been box office dynamite in recent years, what with stuff like The Siege and The Jackal.

So I selected a seat positioned directly beneath an air vent and settled in just as the lights started to go down.

Some two hours later I was effectively chilled — and it had absolutely nothing to do with the A/C.

It had everything to do with The Sixth Sense.

By the time it officially hit theatres a couple of weeks later, the drama with the killer twist ending and the haunted kid who saw dead people was well on its way to becoming a pop culture phenomenon.

Everyone was asking, who’s this M. Night Shyamalan guy and where did he come from?

A decade later, they’re asking why he’s still here.

Because, in recent years, with the exception of, say, Signs, his subsequent output has become increasingly ridiculous, not to mention eye-rolling pretentious.

M. Night has fallen.

From the laugh-out-loud ludicrous big reveal of The Village (his final association with Disney) to the laugh-out-loud ludicrous (period) Lady in the Water to the just plain inept The Happening, each new film seemed to bring Shyamalan to fresh artistic lows.

Along the way, a succession of studios took the bait, only to be left holding the bag when audiences would ultimately catch on to the fact that the latest effort “from the director of Sixth Sense and Signs” was no Sixth Sense or Signs.

Not only could Shyamalan no longer justify the rare, hands-off autonomy he had earned from studio execs thanks to those early successes, but he was running out of places willing to bankroll another of his cloaked-in-secrecy scripts.

With last weekend’s arrival of The Last Airbender, meanwhile, came the hope that, since the subject matter originated, not from Shyamalan’s once-fertile imagination, but from a hit Nickelodeon animated series, the downward spiral might be curbed.

But while the special effects were decent, the movie as a whole earned him his worst notices yet.

That it nevertheless opened over the traditionally lucrative Fourth of July holiday weekend with a solid $70 million was attributed mainly to the marketing powers of Paramount Pictures.

Determined to protect its $150 million production investment, the studio pumped in almost as much for a worldwide awareness campaign pulling out all stops to get fans of the original series into theatres over the weekend ahead of the nasty warning Tweets.

The majority of those who turned up over the weekend were males under the age of 25 who had been big fans of the animated series and were likely in the market for something — anything — other than The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

Or maybe they were just in it for the air conditioning.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Michael Rechtshaffen is a Canadian entertainment writer based in Los Angeles.

====================================================================

After reading this article, can you still feel that this criticism is fair and not biased ? If his recently released film collected $ 70 million in the first weekend, is it proper to say that audiences are going just to spend some time in the air-conditioned hall ? Sorry, I have tolerated enough and I am not going to take this insult any more. Western press is biased and they are behaving like  racists of worst kind. You may not like the film, you may not like the direction, but you can’t write the obituary of an artiste whose track record is so impeccable. Every director can make bad films. Every maker has given damp squibs. But no critic can say that a particular artiste is finished. In Mr. Shyamalan’s case this is happening too often and too soon. Mr. Shyamalan is a master craftsman and barring one or two , all his films are  blockbusters. Alfred Hitchcock also made same kind of films throughout his life and no one called him ” one track pony “. Some of his films today look mediocre, but to say that he was a mediocre director, would be blasphemous and will be considered a sacrilege.

American media sang paeans to ” SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE ” , which was definitely a mediocre film. Since it was made by a British , it got many Academy Awards. But an Indian Mr. Shekhar Kapoor or a P.I.O. ( person of Indian origin ) Mr. Manoj Night Shyamalan are panned and their films are ridiculed mercilessly and vehemently. If this is not racist behaviour, then can anyone enlighten me, what is it ?

vidur

Mumbai

http://www.vidur.co.in