Reference Auto

Response: Well, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the story of which defies all logic, has scored over its competitor, Son of Sardar, starring Ajay Devgn, and mopped up a whopping Rs 69 crore (against Son of Sardar’s Rs 60 crore) during the first week.

But the makers of the two films have come up with different claims. While the Shah Rukh-starrer producers said that it made Rs 80-crore profit, the latter’s makers claim it grossed over Rs 65 crore during the period.

But if revenues till date are compared, Jab Tak Hai Jaan has surged way ahead of Son of Sardar.

For instance, till the beginning of this week, the former logged almost Rs 100 crore but the latter is stuck around the Rs 80-crore mark.

Film type: Romance.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

Director: Yash Chopra.

Time of movie: Three hours.

Story: Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a love triangle and is late Yash Chopra’s last film as a director after eight years (although this return didn’t seem to be a great one in terms of quality).

In Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Shah Rukh plays the role of Samar, who has a dual role - as a musician in London during his late twenties and later plays a shy but composed and a sincere army officer in Kashmir.

He suffers from amnesia after an accident. There are two ladies in the film - Katrina Kaif is Meera, a seductive beauty, and Anushka Sharma Akira, who works with Discovery Channel and is a maker of documentaries.

So, what happens when Samar is cured of his amnesia?

Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan’s storyline is full of flaws and it really doesn’t achieve the benchmark a Yash Chopra film should ideally have achieved.

Samar is a beggar in London, making a living by singing and suddenly he comes back to India and becomes an army officer.

Also, how can Akira just walk into a high security army camp and gleefully shoot for Discovery with experts making bombs all over?

Moreover, her skimpy attire in Kashmir’s chilly weather makes the story even more hilarious and one wonders what the late acclaimed director had in mind while shooting this scene in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Although the story remains a jigsaw on many occasions, Shah Rukh’s fans have given him thumbs up in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, responding overwhelmingly and the film can be classified as a super hit.

But there is also buzz that Jab Tak Hai Jaan has taken bits and pieces from Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair.

Shah Rukh is the star attraction in the film but Katrina and Anushka are a letdown.

Despite its flaws, it may be stated that Jab Tak Hai Jaan is a full entertainer. You have to say goodbye to your logic to watch Shah Rukh-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Rating: 3/5.

Response: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara has made approximately Rs 31.08 crore during its opening weekend and grossed Rs 6.1 crore on Monday, as per initial estimates and you can go and watch it.

The opening weekend saw 90 per cent to 100 per cent occupancy. The first week’s collections of the movie stood at Rs 44 crore, while during the second weekend, it dwindled to Rs 11.75 crore.

On its second Monday, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara witnessed net earnings of nearly Rs 1.75 crore.

For the first 10 days, the figures stood at a whopping Rs 58 crore, surpassing the budget of the film, which stood at Rs 55 crore, including prints and publicity.

Film type: Drama

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin

Director: Zoya Akhtar

Time of movie: 2 hours 15 minutes

Story: In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Abhay Deol, who plays the role of Kabir, has proposed to his girlfriend Natasha (Kalki Koechlin) but prior to his marriage he wants to celebrate the last few days of his bachelorhood.

With friends Arjun (played by Hrithik Roshan), a stock broker, and Imraan (played by Farhan Akhtar), a writer, Kabir goes on a journey to the cities of Costa Brava, Seville and Pamplona in Spain where he and his two friends meet Laila (Katrina Kaif), who is a diving instructor on the Costa Brava beach.

Imraan and Arjun develop an instant fondness for her and she brings a change to their lives. During the trip, the trio take part in various sports, overcome old enmity and come out dauntless, making them able to tackle their fears individually.

Review: Zoya Akhtar’s plot is no different and the concept of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is similar to Dil Chahta Hai, though in many ways the two films are different.

Even though it’s the usual plot, the actors are their natural self, emanating a good dose of energy into the film through their friendship, love, and of course, the breath taking views of Spain. If it had lacked the energy, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara probably would have been any ordinary film.

In the process, Hrithik turns out to be a tad disappointing with his over confidence, considering the audience had already put him on a pedestal even before the film started.

Farhan does a good job but Abhay Deol takes the cake. The Hrithik-Katrina chemistry is clearly not there and Katrina’s dialogues, with its usual NRI accent, are disappointing.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, however, clearly caters to the urban elite and people in towns and villages won’t really relate to the film.

Overall, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is an above average movie owing to its top-class humour and witty dialogues and you can actually go and enjoy it as it has the potential to become a popular film.

Rating: 4/5

Response: Salman Khan’s mass appeal proves that he is a tiger with his latest blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger, which has proved to be a roaring success.

In the domestic market, Ek Tha Tiger mopped up around Rs 197.63 crore and the figure abroad stood at Rs 54 crore. Total collections stood at over Rs 250 crore.

However, Ek Tha Tiger failed to trump the box office collections of 3 Idiots, which is still the highest revenue earner in Bollywood.

But there is buzz that Salman’s Dabangg 2 could be a contender for the top slot and may dislodge 3 Idiots (which earned Rs 385 crore) from the number one slot soon after its release.

Ek Tha Tiger created a record for the highest opening day earnings by mopping up Rs 32.92 crore and has also broken all opening weekend records.

Film type: Thriller

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Girish Karnad, Roshan Seth and Ranveer Shorey.

Director: Kabir Khan.

Time of movie: Little over 2 hours.

Story: A story by Aditya Chopra, Tiger (Salman Khan) is an Indian intelligence officer in Ek Tha Tiger and has been sent on an assignment by India’s secret service, the RAW, to Dublin in Ireland.

His task at hand is to keep tabs on a science professor, who is believed to have revealed his research results to Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.

There, Tiger meets Pakistani spy Zoya (Katrina Kaif) and falls in love with her. He later comes to know that Zoya is on a mission. This puts him in a dilemma where he has to either choose his love or his duty for the country.

Review: The story of Ek Tha Tiger is somewhat baffling with the storyline being a tad complicated, leading to certain questions cropping up in the minds of viewers. The plot appears incomplete in certain parts of the film.

Salman’s acting can make him the universal hero in the country but appears a tad bland on certain occasions. But the cinematography as well as the music are commendable.

On the other hand, Katrina appears cute but her acting is yet to come of age. Ranvir’s time in Ek Tha Tiger is too short to judge his performance.

The length of the film makes it a tad slow but overall Ek Tha Tiger is an entertainer and a paisa wasool movie all the way.

Whatever be the case, Salman’s mass appeal will never fade and that is what has driven Ek Tha Tiger’s sales.

Rating: 3.5/5.