Stories

25 Aug 2018
Reviews & Recommendations, Series No Comments Permalink

#AdAnalysis – ‘Cadbury’ celebrates another year of Rakhi; You had me at “jagraate waali”

August 25, 2018 No Comments

Cadbury chocolates have successfully positioned itself with celebrations in India.

Kuch meetha ho jaye is not just something we casually say anymore. It’s synonymous with Cadbury!

Be it for festivals, special occasions or simply a dessert after a family dinner, Cadbury chocolates are a go-to for people of all ages. One holiday that is incomplete without the mention of the brand is Rakhi.

Every year there are tons of brands that release campaigns with exaggerated messages, tag lines and hashtags, while Cadbury keeps it simple.

This year too they launched a Rakhi commercial few weeks before the festival, doing what it does best – celebrating a sweet and quite realistic brother-sister relationship.

The ad is about a brother who’s rushing for cricket practice early in the morning, and his older sister who has prepped everything to celebrate the festival accommodating his schedule.

There’s no over-the-top drama, no shpiel about the brother’s duty to “protect” his sister… it’s just a simple banter between siblings. What works is the candid celebratory ceremony and the subtle display of responsibility and respect.

The little brother buys a rakhi present [Cadbury Celebrations Gift Pack] with the money he saved for a new bat, to which his sister happily gives her blessings to play cricket like a champ.

Oh and don’t miss that rakhi!

What’s your favorite Rakhi ad?
Share with us in the comments below!

23 Aug 2018
News, Reviews & Recommendations, Trailer Talk No Comments Permalink

#TrailerTalk – ‘Love Sonia’ portrays the ugly realities of the world that will leave you speechless

August 23, 2018 No Comments

Love Sonia is a heart-wrenching story about a girl caught in the web of human trafficking.

Directed by Tabrez Noorani and produced by David Womark, the film is inspired by true events. The trailer follow the story of two sisters who are forcibly separated and one of them is sold off to prostitution.

Shattered by the incident, the 17-year-old girl Sonia (played by actress Mrunal Thakur), sets out on a mission to find her sister. Sonia’s journey begins in Mumbai where she faces the harrowing struggle to survive in the dark, ruthless and debaucherous world of sex-trade.

The trailer opens with Rajkummar Rao’s character assuring Sonia to help her escape the clutches of this vicious racket of prostitution. This sets the tone for the film and the hard-hitting two-and-half-minutes that will leave you speechless.

Love Sonia also stars actors Richa Chadha, Frieda Pinto, Demi Moore, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Adil Hussain, Sai Tamhankar, and Anupam Kher.

Watch the trailer:

Rating Prediction:   [4 / 5]
This film portrays the harsh and ugly realities of the world; the trailer leaves a lasting impression. Watch out for its India release on September 14, 2018.

23 Aug 2018
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Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff to butt heads in a slick thriller

August 23, 2018 No Comments

The collaboration between actors Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff with director Siddharth Anand has been making the rounds for quite some time. Produced under the Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner, the leading men announced the commencement of the project on their social media platforms, but little was revealed about the plot.

Source: Instagram

Here’s the latest update on the slick thriller:

Roshan will play the role of a guru (teacher) to Shroff, who will be seen combating each other in some high-octane action.

Gauging from their fun Twitter spat, Roshan’s character may exhibit some grey shades as he refuses to be defeated by his student. Shroff, on the other hand, is a proud student who is eager to butt heads with anyone, even his teacher.

Actress Vaani Kapoor has also been locked as a female lead in the film, who will also be seen performing stunts as well as high-energy dance sequences with the actors.

Though the hashtag #HrithikvsTiger has caught on, the film still remains untitled. Anand seems to be struggling to zero-in on an official/suitable title, which is apparently the only thing on his mind judging from his latest post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmyM6VJn8iB/?taken-by=itssiddharthanand

The production will wrap up by February 2019 and is scheduled to release in October 2019, post which Shroff and Anand are expected to begin their next (and much-awaited) project of the Hindi remake of Rambo. The first post was revealed in early 2017, but was postponed due to other commitments from the makers.

22 Aug 2018
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Sushant Singh Rajput turns ‘Chhichoraa’ for Nitesh Tiwari’s next

August 22, 2018 No Comments

After the mammoth success of Dangal (2016), director Nitesh Tiwari is all set to begin his next masterpiece titled Chhichoraa. Actors Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor and Prateik Babbar have been locked to play crucial roles representing the current generation.

(L-R) Sushant Singh Rajput, Shraddha Kapoor, Prateik Babbar

Chhichoraa is a social-drama set in an engineering college, revolving around the lives of three students and their challenges of embracing success and failure with equanimity. The film is expected to have a strong social message for the youth of today.

While Rajput and Kapoor will play the positive leads, Babbar will be seen in the antagonist who is an ace student and an all-rounder. “He’s the quintessential head boy and not just the teachers and faculty, even the girls adore him while the boys want to be like him,” a leading newspaper reported recently.

The film is in pre-production stages and will go on floors in October in Mumbai. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Fox Star Studios, Chhichoraa is expected to release in August 2019.

Rajput is currently completing his project with casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s directorial debut Kizie Aur Manny. Kapoor will soon conclude promoting her next release Stree, alongside completing upcoming films Saaho and Saina Nehwal’s biopic.

20 Aug 2018
Blog 2 Comments Permalink

Vardan Nayak – An exclusive interview with a celebrity make-up artist who keeps it “real”

August 20, 2018 2 Comments

It takes a village to create a character and bring it to life in a film. A key member of the tribe is an artist whose canvas is the actor’s livelihood – the face!

Vardan Nayak is a celebrity make-up artist whose latest muse was actress Janhvi Kapoor in her debut film Dhadak. However, Nayak isn’t new to the business of Bollywood.

He spoke to us exclusively about all things make-up:

When did you realize you wanted to become a make-up artist?
I am born in a “make-up” family. My grandfather worked with actors like Pran [Krishan Sikand], Motilal [Rajvansh]. My dad, Dilip Nayak has been working in the industry for almost 35 years now.

I was always been fascinated by my dad’s work and he used to travel a lot… I started working with him and he kept me on a set for seven days, with no sleep. A second assistant used to come with fresh clothes so I could shower there and get back to work. Finally my mom got me out of there, but I never gave up.

Then I worked with my dad for two and half years and later got a chance to work with Mickey [Contractor] sir. I worked with him for ten years. My first movie was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and my last film with him was Student of the Year [SOTY]. Some of my recent projects were Sanju, Sultan and the last release was Dhadak.

Who was the first celebrity you worked with as a solo make-up artist?
Alia Bhatt for SOTY promotions and then 2 States – It was a great experience because we got to know each other very well during SOTY and we both were new.

How do you work on a brief and what’s the process of creating a look?
Recently all the directors have started giving a narration, defining the character and what it demands.

That gives us time to create a look; we have to keep several factors in mind like the costumes, the color-palate and the hairstyle.

Also, the DOP plays a big role because they take care of the lighting. We go through several trials to check how it looks with close-ups, what’s the mood of the shot, etc. Now that the technology is so advanced, everything is magnified, so you have to be very careful and clean.

Has there been a challenging brief that was difficult to crack?
The most difficult was Sanju. The team was explaining everything and I was working on Anushka Sharma’s look. I got a shock when they introduced the curly hair and my only concern was that it shouldn’t overpower the look. So we added the blue contact lenses. Actually, she was very tan in the movie, I had given her four shades darker which contoured the face really well, but because of the lighting she was looking fairer.

What was the brief for Janhvi Kapoor’s character in Dhadak?
The brief for Janhvi’s look was pretty simple, I had a very free hand. She liked and wanted something that was current. She wanted lots of shimmer. Her favorite dialogue is “Mujhe shimmer mein dooba doh,” which is the trend today so it worked.

That also plays a role in the look because when the audience watches the film they should feel it’s “today,” and they can connect with it.

Is there a trend you wish the Bollywood actors tried?
I’ve noticed suddenly everybody is going clean. Today, everybody is into highlighter. Next season is going to be about colors – eyes, lips, everywhere. The trend of colors is going to comeback.

vardan - rapid 2

18 Aug 2018
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‘Ghoul’ – Netflix India’s next is an spooky miniseries that will give you the chills

August 18, 2018 No Comments

Netflix India is on its way to launch a second original. The OTT platform is once again bringing content with superior international quality and easily becoming an audience favorite.

Ghoul is a three-episode horror miniseries starring Radhika Apte, Manav Kaul, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, and Mahesh Balraj in lead. The trailer released few weeks ago and it’s certainly one not to be missed.

The series is about an prisoner who is detained at a remote military interrogation facility and a young officer, Nida Rahim’s battle to search for the truth.

As per Islamic mythology, a ghoul is described as an evil spirit that robs graves and feeds on dead bodies. In the trailer, we see glimpses of the eerie prisoner showing demonic characteristics as that of a ghoul when he “turns the tables on his interrogators, exposing their most shameful secrets.”

What’s even more interesting is the unique marketing strategy of the series. Netflix is piggybacking on the growing popularity and success of their recent hit show Sacred Games. Billboards across the country with Sacred Games’ posters have been marked with the spooky blood splattered “ghoul” symbol, depicting summoning of the “evil spirit.” 

https://twitter.com/jheelkothariii/status/1029054272456060928

The takeover has also begun on social media where even Gaitonde from Sacred Games, who perceived himself as God, can’t be protected from the “lethal attack” of ghoul.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmqhz0HFdNF/?taken-by=fuhsephantom

Produced in partnership with Phantom Films, Ivanhoe and Blumhouse, and written as well as directed by Patrick Graham, here’s the trailer of Ghoul. The series will be released on 24th August 2018.

16 Aug 2018
News, Reviews & Recommendations, Trailer Talk No Comments Permalink

#TrailerTalk – ‘Pataakha’ is about sibling rivalry – it’s raw, messy, unpolished and fantastic

August 16, 2018 No Comments

Pataakha is full of fireworks. The trailer of the new film starring Sanya Malhorta and Radhika Madan is raw, vibrant, funny, and very promising.

Pataakha is about sister-rivalry between Badki (Madan) and Chhutki (Malhotra), a concept Bollywood hasn’t quite explored yet. The trailer begins describing the dynamics between two sisters who are violent and always at war. They fight not just with words, but also by throwing slippers at one another, public display of aggression and so much more.

The film is based in small village in Rajasthan where everyone seems to be aware of the drama between the sisters. In their quest to be free of each other, they elope with their respective partners only to be caught in the web of each other’s company again.

Watch the trailer here. But wait… did we see the ending of the film in the trailer already?

Film Rating Prediction:   [3 / 5]
Pataakha brings a fresh and perhaps a very real take on sibling rivalry. The transformation of the leading ladies, the setting and tone of the film is praiseworthy. It’s great to see Indian cinema explore such raw, messy, and unpolished female characters.

12 Aug 2018
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‘Manmarziyaan’ songs are made with so much love… about love. It’s an album to be heard on loop

August 12, 2018 No Comments

Manmarziyaan trailer dropped last week and created a lot of buzz, but that was just the beginning. The team has an interesting 10-days marketing strategy to release a song everyday – #WakeUpToManmarziyaan. 

So far three songs have released, and they’re just has intense and riveting as the trailer.

Grey Walaa Shade:
This one is really SPECIAL because it’s our review of the film’s trailer, verbatim.  Incase you missed it – Love isn’t black or white … it happens in the grey.

This soulful Hinglish song takes us through the different expressions of love and all it’s sweet messiness. Here’s the song by singers Harshdeep Kaur & Jazim Sharma:

F for Fyaar:
Sung by Mast Ali and actor Vicky Kaushal, it’s everything you will relate to if you’ve ever been in love or heartbroken. The quirky song is about the difference between Pyaar and Fyaar; we know a lot about the former, but the latter is complicated. What is Fyaar – is it the fever of pyaar, the fun (or funny) pyaar, that crazy intoxicating f****** pyaar, or just everything mashed together?

Check out the peppy, groovy number that you will definitely be listening to on repeat.
PS. Don’t miss the rap by Sikander Kahlon – it’s a fyaar kahani!

Daryaa:
As the title suggests, the song is about the deep river (daryaa) of tears and emotions when you fall truly, madly, deeply in love. It’s about all the times one contemplates whether to  giving-in to or walk away from a relationship. When love feels toxic, consuming, liberating, heartwarming and heartbreaking, all at once …

Tell us what you think of the songs in the comments.

PS. Special shoutout to lyricist Shellee for all the beautifully profound words in each song, and music composer Amit Trivedi for the earworm tracks.

09 Aug 2018
News, Reviews & Recommendations, Trailer Talk No Comments Permalink

#TrailerTalk – ‘Manmarziyaan’ explores the complexities of toxic versus mature relationships

August 9, 2018 No Comments

Love, passion, confusion, responsibilities and complications are some takeaways from the intense trailer of Manmarziyaan.

Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal in the lead, Manmarziyaan shows raw emotions of real relationships. The trailer begins showing a carefree relationship between Vicky (Vicky Kaushal) and Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) who simply enjoy each other’s company. They are passionately in love, but is that enough?

Enter Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan), a man chosen by Rumi’s parents who’s interested in marrying her.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Manmarziyaan is a love-triangle that questions emotions and explores the complexities of toxic versus mature relationships. In the trailer, Robbie asks Rumi, “Pyaar karti ho mujhse?” to which she responds, “Ho jaayega pyaar.”

Do you choose a partner for that consuming passionate love or hope to fall in love with someone in an arranged marriage? We’d like to watch the story unfold; you can watch the trailer here:

Film Rating Prediction: .  [4.5/5 POPs]
Love isn’t black or white… it happens in the grey, and no better filmmaker than Anurag Kashyap to show those messy relationships. Manmarziyaan releases on September 14, 2018.