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Global Desi Records launched with Chhori, featuring Tanmay Ssingh and Nikki Tamboli

Global Desi Records launched with Chhori, featuring Tanmay Ssingh and Nikki Tamboli

Global Desi Records launched their label with a track called Chhori (meaning Girl, in dialect), featuring Nikki Tamboli of Bigg Boss fame, who is a fashion icon and a supremely talented actress, and popular actor Tanmay Ssingh, marking their first on-screen collaboration.

The song is written and composed by Danish Sabri, who has written the music and lyrics for several Salman Khan and Varun Dhawan movies. It features vocals from Sonu Kakkar and Vee Kapoor, and is directed by Aslam Khan and Ravi Akhade. The lavish production was shot against a colourful backdrop to reflect the song's upbeat mood.

Chhori was launched with much fanfare at Angrezi Dhaba, in Bandra, Mumbai, as guests grooved to the song, along with artistes Nikki and Tanmay.

Shikha Kalra, Alim Morani and Prateek Chaurasia of Global Desi Records, jointly expressed the opinion that, “Chhori is celebratory and high energy all the way through; just the perfect start to the Global Desi Records journey. We at Global Desi Records couldn't be more excited to make our inroad into the music industry with this track." Alim (pronounced Aalim) is from the famous Morani family, known for producing films and organising lavish events. Alim was a great music buff since he was very young and always wanted to do something involving music. Young Alim has achieved that very early on in his career. The label will produce music of all genres, Indian as well as global, film as well as non-film, hence the name Global Desi (local). His partners Shikha Kalra and Prateek Chaurasia are from the real estate background.”

Talking about the song, Nikki Tamboli said, “I’m really looking forward to this song because my passion and love for dance has been triggered by this song. Earlier, I was not a dance freak, but I guess I am becoming one.” Added Tanmay Ssingh, “It was amazing working with Nikki Tamboli on this track and both of us brought our energy and enthusiasm to it in full strength. We hope audiences enjoy it.”

Sonu Kakkar averred, “The genre of the track allowed us to go crazy with the vocals. It’s a complete masala party song and was so much fun to record.”

Co-singer Vee Kapoor felt, “The lyrics of Chhori are desi and quirky, and we just brought in that flavour with our vocals.”

Directors Aslam Khan and Ravi Akhade shared their views, “Everything from the colours, the elements, the props and the outfits used in Chhori reflect the mood and vibe of the track – It’s vibrant and up-tempo, and audiences are going to love this one.”

Global Desi Records presents Chhori produced by Shikha Kalra, Alim Morani & Prateek Chaurasia. With vocals by Sonu Kakkar & Vee Kapoor, the music video, directed by Aslam Khan and Ravi Akhade, featuring Tanmay Ssingh and Nikki Tamboli, is out now, on Global Desi Records’ YouTube channel.

Before the guests left, they were treated to a sampling of Angrezi Dhaba’s menu.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/l-ZqDEQ554s

from Filmfestivals.com - Hollywood, Independent, Shorts, Videos, Documentary https://ift.tt/92F1o6X
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Uunchai, Review: Plateau

Uunchai, Review: Plateau

Rajshri Productions have a tradition of making family oriented subjects and shaping them into very lengthy films. By comparison, Uunchai, at 169 minutes, is a short film. Even at that length, it fails to reach the heights that the cast and the director promise. With no less an actor than Amitabh Bachchan himself heading the cast, Uunchai (height; spelt unconventionally this was instead of the phonetic Oonchai) was expected to reach some dizzy heights, with a subject based on friendship and a senior citizens’ expedition to the Everest Base Camp thrown in. What we find here is that there are some emotions that keep recurring and a narrative that has very few twists or plot points. If you plot the emotions and twists, you are more likely to draw a plateau rather than peaks.

 

Four aging friends are truly devoted to each other. They are Amit Shrivastav, an author, Om Sharma, a bookseller, Javed Siddiqui, a hosiery dealer and Bhupen, whose profession is unspecified. They celebrate Bhupen’s birthday, after which Bhupen suffers cardiac arrest. Before dying, he leaves tickets for an Everest Base Camp Expedition and expresses a last wish that he wants to go there with his buddies once before he dies. Bhupen was a Nepali and had grown-up on the mountains around Mount Everest. Although the three surviving friends are on the wrong side of 60, they decide to honour Bhupen’s wishes and begin making preparations to leave for the base camp, with the expedition still two months away.

 

Amit takes the lead in the matter and convinces a reluctant Om to agree to the journey. Convincing Javed is a tough task, because he cannot stay away from his wife Sabina even for a single day. But they spin a yarn and take her along. The men decide to go as far as possible by road, with Amit at the wheels. Starting from native Delhi, they go via Agra, Kanpur and Gorakhpur. They stop over at the home of Heeba and Vali, the daughter and son-in-law of Javed and Sabina, because it is Heeba’s birthday. However, the parents are shocked to find that the couple have their own plans and a number of guests are invited to stay over, leaving no room for the ‘surprise’ guests. Heeba’s parents and the other travellers have to stay in a hotel for the night. Along the way, a mysterious woman called Mala Trivedi joins the fellow travellers, with a ticket for the same Everest Base Camp Expedition, to be led by Shraddha Gupta.

 

An extremely thin storyline by Sunil Gandhi unfolds at a leisurely pace, courtesy screenplay writer Abhishek Dixit. Considering the beginning of the narrative is the death of Bhupen, it cannot be called a twist. But yes, there are a few genuine twists, like the identity of Mala and Amit’s illness. Too bad. Too little, too late. We know nothing of the background of Bhupen, and only skeletal flashes about Amit. However, there is a detailed look into the family and past of Om. This becomes a lop-sided picture. Details about Shraddha’s family predicament are revealed only through conversations she has with Amit, during the trek. In the trek itself, you are ready for a natural phenomenon that will threaten the lives of these old men as well as the certainty that one of them will fall very ill, but not die. Two deaths would be too much to mourn, in a saga of four friends. You are also sure that Javed will not opt out, come what may.

 

You also get a detailed peep into the work and family life of Javed, all the more because Sabina is part of the expedition till the real ‘expedition’ begins. And although you might not expect Mala and her story, you surely expect a blast from the past of Bhupen’s life, since he was a bachelor. With turns and twists being predictable, the going does become laborious. Dialogue is faulty at many places. Attempts at inserting comedy via Javed and Sabina are only mildly funny, and sometimes not even that. We see only short snatches of the preparations the trio make for the trip. One of these, the medical tests and its results, is interesting. However, I don’t think it is the norm to discuss the results of such tests before all candidates openly and simultaneously. Yet, the fact that the doctor withholds one reading of one member and reveals the ramifications to the candidate separately was the correct prodedure.

 

Not a prolific director by any stretch of the imagination, Sooraj R. Barjatya (Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Hum Saath Hain, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo; 8 films in 23 years) specializes, self admittedly and for all to see, in family subjects, propounding traditional values and extended households. This is the first time he has stepped outside his comfort zone, and that too, not quite, for everyone in the escapade has a back-story and all the main characters are dealing with demons from their past. But the real demon that he tackles through only phone calls, that too from one side, is dogging Shraddha Gupta. That is the one that is most subtly handled. Although Om’s back-story is the most elaborate and convincing, that of Amit is clichéd, and that of Javed a bit over-the-top.

 

Amit, who writes apparently ‘autobiographical self-help books based on his own life experiences’, is given to sleuthing and trying to find out more about Mala, a trait that is not in his character. Why no real back-story about Bhupen, expect him and a girls prancing around the hills when they were apparently in their early teens or even younger? All those stopovers, en route, seem contrived and deliberate, ending up as side-tracks, not really adding much to the main track. Sooraj gets to the real action, of the climb up to the base camp, rather late in the day. Shraddha says that helicopters cannot fly at that height, that is why the trek, but sure enough, there is a helicopter that does arrive and fly at that height. Every time there is an argument and there seems to be an impasse, the other two ask Amit to intervene. He uses either of two techniques to quell the dispute: emotional blackmail or diversionary tactics. Emotional blackmail is fine, but how is he ever-ready with some convoluted logic to convince an adamant party-member? That takes some believing.

 

 

Though he has been there and done that dozens of times, here Amitabh as Amit (what else) seems to be putting in an effort. For company, he has two actors who are in different age brackets in real-life – Anupam Kher as Om is 67, while Boman Irani as Javed is just 62. Amitabh is 80. Of course, with make-up, you can’t really tell their ages, yet why choose actors who differ up to 13 years in age? And how did they become such thick friends, a need of the story, is not depicted. Amitabh walks with a swagger, arms in a curve as if he is ready to pull out a gun. But even then, Amitabh is Amitabh, and though his talent if not fully tapped in this outing, he leaves a lasting impression. Anupam is restricted by one expression of tearful sorrow. There is very little variety in his performance. Boman Irani is hopelessly miscast as Javed, who, by virtue of being a North Indian Muslim, made to speak Urdu. For a man who has problems with his Hindi, Urdu is a pitfall. Also, his romantic angle with his spouse does not ring true as there is lack of chemistry between him and Sabina (Neena Gupta). Neena has a meaty role, albeit not well-written, yet she manages to impress. Danny Denzongpa as Bhupen has a Special Appearance, looks his age (now 74) and speaks with a hint of a slur. The scene stealer is Parineeti Chopra, who exudes supreme confidence in the presence of stalwarts. It is time her abilities were noticed. Raju Kher is good as Guddu, Om’s estranged brother, while Nafisa Ali Sodhi puts in the other Special Appearance as Abhilasha, not having much to do. Adequate support comes from Sheen Dass as Heeba, Abhishek Singh Pathania as Vali, Ajay Dutta as a doctor (better than most stereotypes who are made play this part), Umesh Kaushik, Sharik Khan and Shalin Thakur.

 

A location like the foothills of Mount Everest, in Nepal, and a rope-wood bridge across difficult terrain for some tense action, is a sure-fire treat for any cinematographer, Manoj Kumar Khatoi makes the most of it. Music by George Joseph takes a life of its own and attacks almost every scene with dizzy decibels. On its own, it might sound musical, though. The five songs (one has three versions) are a relief by comparison, well-written by Irshad Kamil and tunes by Amit Trivedi (another Amit!). For a film of this length, five songs are okay. But that is the point. Uunchai takes ages to cut to the chase, and the chase itself is either predictable or tame, in turns. I remember the length on the Censor Certificate at 169 minutes while on a website, it is mentioned as 173 minutes. At least 53 minutes of the film need to be excised to keep viewers engrossed. Maybe editor Shweta Venkat Mathew is listening, but what can be done now? One aspect of the cutting is odd, which often happens in the middle of a word, especially when Boman is speaking. VFX used to transpose dangerous action from a set to the location are okay, without being great. Credits go to Biraja Kinkar Barik, Anup Kumar and Vishal Padewal.

 

Like any trek involving high altitudes and 60+ climbers, the film moves very slowly in the first half, which, incidentally, involves no climbing at all. Such an assembly of actors could have been put to much better use. Some might even wonder whether the breaking out of the mould by Sooraj R. Barjatya, known for indoor family dramas involving pet hero Salman Khan, into an outdoor adventure drama about aged male bonding, was an unwise move. You stick to what you know best. However, such a predicament is severely constraining and restraining for a director who might want to test his own mettle. He might want to rise to greater heights…a noble thought indeed. For the time being, though, with Uunchai, released on an interesting date, 11-11-22, he has a few emotional highs and then he hits a plateau.

 

Rating: ** ½ 

 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS5xqazKipA

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Double XL, Review: Dreams double XL, reality check less than M

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What happens when two ambitious women, of XL size, meet, after their dreams are all but shattered? They help each other and everything becomes alright. Exactly. That is the trouble with Double XL…it is so predictable. Moreover, there is considerable difference in the sizes of Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureishi, with Sonakshi appearing to be L against Huma’s definite XL, maybe even XXL. They needed someone on par with Huma, with a minor variation, if it came to that, not Sonakshi Sinha. Having said that, it is rather bold of Sonakshi to accept the part, showing no fear of getting type-cast. Huma, for the record, is a producer on the film. It is a fun romp that is funny in parts, but too didactic in other parts. Films with oversize women have been made before, and this film had to really deliver to stand out. It falls short. Let’s say Double XL is an M film.

Two women who live not far from each other, one in Delhi, the other in Meerut, are the victims of discrimination based on their girth. Rajshree Trivedi from Meerut is rejected by suitor after suitor on account of her size, though no family that comes with a marriage proposal actually says so. But they all convey it, but not in so many words. Far from getting married, Rajshree is bent on pursuing a career as a sports journalist, specialising in cricket. She even dreams of dancing with true-life Indian cricket star Shikhar Dhawan. Her parents leave no stone unturned to find her a match, but nothing works. Her mother finally manages to find someone who is himself of a plus size, and she insists that Rajshree marry him. Just about then, Rajshree sees an opportunity to catch the dream she has been chasing. Now she is in a dilemma.

Saira Khanna (Muslim first name) from Delhi is a fashion designer who has had a tough time in her specialised fashion studies, where fellow students mocked her by saying, “Look at this fat girl. How will she design clothes for others when she cannot maintain her own figure?” She is in a relationship with Viren, who is two-timing her with her best friend, and she breaks-up with him when she finds out. Her doting brother works for a TV channel, and together, they plan to shoot a fashion video of her designs and show it to the higher-ups, which might give her the much-needed breakthrough. But they do not have that kind of money. A cinematographer is arranged, but a director is required, to work free, since they have no money to pay him. Someone is approached, but he humiliates them and leaves in a huff. What rubs salt into her wounds is the fact that she has got a grant to go to London and shoot her video, but they all must apply for a visa that very day, including the yet-to-be-found director. It is the same channel where Rajshree has just been told that she need not even audition as the selection is already made. Saira rushes to the wash-room, sobbing and tears flow from her eyes. Suddenly somebody throws a box of tissues from one of the cubicles, to help wipe her tears. It is Rajshree. The two have found soul-mates.

On board are a director who has his second outing (Double XL?), Satnam Ramani, and a writer, Mudassar Aziz, who has directed at least four films and is a producer on this one. Both departments leave something to be desired. Sasha Singh has collaborated on the screenplay, which is weak. A series of coincidences dot the graph of the film. Granted that co-incidence is an accepted cinematic trope, but its use must be in discretion, rather than in abundance. The other angle is that of predictability. Except for the fact that Rajshree will end up directing Saira’s video, there is little by way of surprise, an essential part of story-telling. Ok, so the placard at the air-port, with the name reading Shaira Khan is a laugh, but one cannot count too many such moments. What do you expect when you put two young men and two young, albeit plus size, women together, after the two have opted out of marriage to others? No rocket science is required to tell you that they will fall in love. In 2022, how is it that nobody asks for a full figure picture of the girl, instead of discovering that she is “too healthy” on when he goes to see her?

It is not indicated what efforts, if any, did the two ladies make, to get rid of their extra kilos. Likewise, it is not clear how they get so many foreigners and Indians living abroad to model for them. We all know it is for a cause, but surely some hard convincing is still required. Double XL starts on the wrong foot, following Shikhar Dhawan from behind, as if some killer looks hero or a macho villain will be revealed. Dhawan is neither. This is followed by a ball-room dance featuring Rajshree and Shikhar. Again, Shikhar is a very bad choice for the part. He has a very rustic, earthy image, that can be associated with wrestling or kabaddi, not with ball-room dancing. Yes, it was a dream, but so what? Another scene, in which former Indian captain and cricketing legend Kapil Dev comes for an interview, is shot with his head in the dark, as he approaches Rajshree. But we already know it is Kapil Dev who is coming, walking in slo-mo, so why the suspense and the fanfare? And if their line producer had lied to get Kapil to come for this interview, why did he conceal this fact from Rajshree till after they had greeted each other? The whole interview could have easily fizzled out, due to his foolishness, when Rajshree was caught by surprise, unaware of the ruse. The scene of condom delivery was well-conceived. However, the writers went after it hammer and tongs, and reduced its impact.

In a cost cutting exercise, the director shoots all the scenes of Rajshree, her parents and her grandmother, on one location, with any of them hardly moving, besides the mother. All of them ham, with the mother made to shriek. The manner in which the owner of the TV channel has a change of heart is totally unconvincing. We see the designs of Saira take shape, but there is no footage of Rajshree on the job. She gets the job alright, but how about a minute of footage of her on the cricket field? Yes, we get the point early on, about discrimination based on size, but why the proselytising and the didactic overdose? You don’t have to stoop to saying, “These men ask us our bra sizes. Imagine if we were to ask them about ‘their size’?” And the reference is not to shirt or trouser sizes. The efforts to instill Tamil into the dialogue as well as in songs appears highly contrived and irrelevant. Double XL is a female buddy-buddy film that metamorphoses into a buddy1-guy1, buddy2-guy2 foursome.

Sonakshi Sinha as Saira Khanna and Huma Qureshi as Rajshree Trivedi have a ball. There is good chemistry between the two and they have no inhibitions about their bodies. The roles were definitely challenging, and they scored well. Zaheer Iqbal as Zorawar (Zorawar is not a Muslim name and the constant play on its abbreviation is irritating; Rehmani is a Muslim surname) Rehmani, the driver who turns out to be the line producer, makes extra efforts to look cute, but has limited talent to show here. His dialogue delivery needs to be worked on. Mahat Raghavendra as Srikanth Sreevardhan, the cinematographer who is graduating from wild-life cinematography in Brazil to shooting a fashion parade in London, looks lost, which is part of his persona. But his numerous Tamil interjections were totally uncalled for. Dolly Singh has a small role as Meera, Saira's friend, and does okay. Shubha Khote as Rajshree's grand-mother and Kanwaljit Singh as her father, hopelessly type-cast, are their usual, confident selves. Rajshree’s mother is made to go over the top, but remains in character right through. Her name could not be found out. In support are Kay Eluvian, Cecile, Seana Momsen, Sankalp Gupta and Karis Pentecost.           

Cinematography by Milind Jog employs all standard lighting and shooting techniques and captures some robust colours. Film editing by Abhishek Kumar Anand fails to impart pace, a necessary ingredient. However, it would be unfair to blame him alone. The script and direction have so much of ho hum that there would have been little that he could do. Double XL fails to XL (excel), partly because it fails to XLerate (accelerate) and largely because of a thin storyline and a loose screenplay. In terms of impact, the film remains on the ‘healthy’, lean side, not on the fat, plus size side, though fat means higher count in this case.

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQmQy-Wu72g

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Cittador International Film Festival Vienna – Selected Films until November 01, 2022

Cittador International Film Festival has selected ten promising short films until November 1, 2022! The submission period is until December 15, 2022. We are excited about new submissions!

Key data:

The submission period: until December 15, 2022; 

Selection date: shortly after submission, but no later than December 15, 2022; 

Notification date: December 22, 2022; 

Screenings: December 27, 2022 at the Studio Cinema Lugner City Vienna.

 

Homepage: https://iff.cittador.com

Film Submissions: Filmfreeway

 

 

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