Bollywood fires up for a battle royale
Mumbai is often called the city of dreams, but this is not your average marketing spiel. As home to the biggest film industry in the world, thousands of dreams are made and broken every Friday when starry-eyed actors wait for cinema audiences to decide their fate in the big bad world of Bollywood.
This is the situation newcomers Imran Khan and Harman Baweja find themselves in today as their respective films go head to head in a cinematic clash. Khan's Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Baweja's LoveStory 2050 (both showing in UAE cinemas) will see these two debutants vie for box-office gold, as industry pundits report that Rs2 billion (Dh170m) is already riding on the shoulders of these two stars.
Their Bollywood pedigrees have helped boost their names. While Khan is the grandson of legendary director/producer Mansoor Khan and nephew of Indian actor Aamir Khan, Baweja is the son of successful film director Harry Baweja.
However, if simply having deep roots in Bollywood could help champion a star son's or daughter's cause, the recent film debut of Mimoh – son of legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty – wouldn't have been such a washout. To find out what the future holds for Khan and Baweja, Emirates Business takes a look at both these films and weighs the box-office outcome for Jaane Tu… and LoveStory 2050.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
The plot: Jaane Tu… is comedy-drama that chronicles the trials and tribulations of six friends. The protagonists are Jai Singh Rathore or Rats (Khan) and Aditi Mahant or Meow (Genelia D'Souza).
The two of them love to bicker, but does their constant clashing hide some underlying chemistry?
Why it's a must-see: Roping in Aamir Khan to produce this film is a coup of sorts. Aamir's reputation as a perfectionist will draw fans.
The music of Jaane Tu... is reportedly the highest selling album of the year, and it is listed as one of the top 10 best-selling albums of the last three years. With guru AR Rahman composing, it may yet break more records.
Writer-director Abbas Tyrewala, who gave us brilliant wordplay in movies such as Maqbool and Munnabhai MBBS, has also penned the screenplay for Jaane Tu… This means sharp wit and humour that we can find funny. Tyrewala reveals: "The story and the script is very fresh. Jaane Tu… certainly offers something for those looking to watch a light and funny film."
Stumbling blocks: Targeting the urban youth, Jaane Tu… may lose out to Baweja's sci-fi adventure that could strike lucky with India's vast rural population. Add to this is the fact that LoveStory 2050 is releasing with 1,000-odd prints globally, while Jaane Tu… is only going ahead with 450 prints – more will be released if the film picks up. LoveStory 2050's budget of Rs600 million makes Jaane Tu's Rs130 million, pale in comparison.
LoveStory 2050
The plot: Actor Harman Baweja says: "The film is a sci-fi fantasy, but its true essence is a love story. I play Karan, a fun-loving guy who's in love with Sana (Priyanka Chopra). My uncle Yatinder Khanna (Boman Irani) builds a time machine that takes us to 2050. Through a series of twists, Sana and I are separated. I finally meet her double, Zeisha and we have to face-off the evil Dr Hoshi."
Why it's a must-see: With 11 Oscar award-winning members on board for their special effects expertise, the sci-fi adventure promises breathtaking action never before seen in Indian cinema.
The Rs600m budget only works in the film's favour and we can expect that no stone has been left unturned to ensure the film gets a good opening. Also, the 1,000-odd print run will ensure that LoveStory 2050 has a strong distribution worldwide. Baweja and Chopra's off-screen romance will certainly make way for plenty of on-screen chemistry.
Stumbling blocks: The sci-fi genre has yet to take off in India. LoveStory 2050 could turn into a costly gamble should the special effects be tacky and alienate audiences.
Anu Malik's music, although good, has taken a beating when compared to AR Rahman's Jaane Tu…
Director Harry Baweja's last two films, namely Teesri Ankh (2006) and Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005), were box-office duds. Will he complete a hat trick with this one?
The verdict
While both movies appear to have recovered their costs by selling their distribution rights, as well as the music and satellite sales, Jaane Tu.. may fare better around the world thanks to its connection with the urban audiences.
LoveStory 2050 will probably prove a hit with India's rural audience, but for the international audience, the special effects may pale in comparison to films such as Speed Racer and Iron Man.
The numbers
Dh51m: The production budget of LoveStory 2050, says actor Harman Baweja
Dh11m: The production budget of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, as reported by producer Aamir Khan
Imran Khan
New Khan on the block
In his designer jeans and munching on a cookie, actor Imran Khan is the epitome of confidence. By his own admission, he says he's already seen Jaane Tu… "far too many times and can't sit through it again." But ask if he's happy with the end product, and he says that Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan are happy with it, which says a lot.
"I'm not happy with anything, but this is a personality thing," he says. "It's got to do with me being extremely over-critical of myself."
Talking about facing the camera for the first time, the 25-year-old laughs and says the scene was eventually cut from the film.
"It was a creative decision and had nothing to do with my acting skills. Another scene made the cut, which shows me facing Manjari [a character in the film] who's suffering from an emotional trauma. I can't tell you more, otherwise no one will buy tickets," he quips.
When gently reminded this reporter works as an entertainment journalist, he says: "You'd be surprised at the number of entertainment journalists in India who don't watch movies but write about them." He adds: "I don't think accuracy is something people look for in entertainment journalism."
That statement could have more to do with his recent brush with media. Khan claims to have been grossly misquoted on several occasions. "There was this interview, which was posted online, where I was paraphrased everywhere. The end result made me sound like a teenage girl and a ditz," he says.
But while he seems to be losing out in the online interviews, it does appear that an online blog titled 'Imran Vs Harman' has made him the better bet in this film clash. However, Khan seems clueless about the comparison: "You think people will compare us? I thought people will be busy comparing me with Aamir.
"Harman doesn't worry me. Ultimately, if your film is good it will work. If it fails then it is because people didn't like it, not because another film releases on the same day or one actor is better than another. "
So will he watch LoveStory 2050? He answers: "The promos are quite cool. On a personal level, I like sci-fi; I'm a science geek, so I actually want to watch it. But I'm sure someone will make a big deal about Imran Khan going to check out the Harman Baweja film. That's life."
Harman Baweja
The son also rises
Four years in the making and several technical hiccups later, actor Harman Baweja finally has something to smile about. His film LoveStory 2050 has finally been released, with his father, Harry Baweja, at the helm. "My dad came up with the idea of LoveStory 2050 in 1999," says the younger Baweja. "But at the time, everyone discouraged him from doing this film, saying the concept was ahead of its time."
Eventually, his father delayed the project and toyed with a few other scripts to launch his son's career. "We had three scripts – one being the script of the critically-acclaimed Memento; I wanted to buy the official rights of the film. As for the others, one was radically different and if I reveal the story I'll be embroiled in another controversy for sure."
Indeed, the actor seems to have faced his fair share of media scrutiny. After Kareena Kapoor walked out of the project, rival Priyanka Chopra signed on to play the female lead. When word of a romance between Chopra and Baweja filtered out, the stars would not comment.
Then came news that Jaane Tu... was to release on the same day as LoveStory 2050.
But the icing on the cake was Baweja being accused of imitating the look and style of established Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan. "Hrithik is a superstar, and the comparison can be a compliment of sorts. But he is a talented actor, and I'm just starting out, so its hardly justified. Frankly, if you really want to know why I look like Hrithik, you need to ask my parents what they were doing 20 years ago," he laughs.
Baweja admits selling a sci-fi adventure in India is a gamble. "The very onset of making our film was to ensure that it was not playing it safe," he says.
"When dad brought the script, it made so much sense. Even then people said will Indian audiences understand this? Indian audiences are way ahead of their filmmakers."
Baweja agrees LoveStory 2050's high budget is a gamble, but he believes it's a calculated one. "I am a newcomer and this is an expensive film. We have crossed Rs500-odd million in just below the line cost, excluding marketing."
So did this cost also include a starry salary for him? The actor laughs: "This is the most expensive gift a son could ever get, having his dad launch him in a film. I wouldn't dare to ask my dad for a salary. Would you?"