Cinema is at its best when it surprises, changes paradigms, pushes the envelope and sets new trends. The year that was, saw new trends being set, new vistas being explored and the journey of evolving new Bollywood had some interesting new pit-stops. Here are a few of them though our lens at VMP.
Lady’s Finish First
Queen and Mary Kom, two strong scripts, viewed from the eyes of two equally gutsy woman characters, set the Box Office ablaze. Mary Kom packed a punch with its record breaking opening weekend collection, a feat most pundits would shy from predicting for a female centric film. Queen made a silent start and like all long distance runners, gained pace as it refused to budge from the cinema halls week after week – both films eventually crossing the 100 crore gross mark globally with rave reviews that brought in audiences from every part of the world.
World Tours
Post a historic Indian leg last year, Bhaag Milkhaa Bhaag continues its run around the world. The film is all set for a theatrical released in Japan in January 2015. Release in Latin America and France are in the works as we also take the remote Wasseypur to the United States of America with theatrical release of Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 lined up in January 2015.
Reversing the remake traffic
Traditionally Bollywood has seen remakes of south or Hollywood blockbusters. We flipped the trend to remake Hindi blockbusters in the south. After its successful run at the box office, Queen and Special 26 will now be seen in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam avatars. Kahaani will soon speak to audiences in Kerala in Malayalam.
Beyond the Fan boys
An iconic Hollywood franchise in India usually rakes in considerable attention from a niche audience. However, the beloved Transformers in its fourth avatar attracted not just ardent fans but also made new friends clocking a 30 crore weekend at Box Office.
A Contest to Win
Through Cineshorts, we established a new and unique platform that offers the exclusive opportunity to budding filmmakers. Contestants showcased their talent through a five-minute short film, of which top five are set to be premiered on MTV Indies besides receiving significant cash prizes. The top 50 films were showcased on the studio’s official YouTube Page. A new first step to presenting fresh talent with opportunity.
The Global 70mm
Well before its Indian release, ‘Margarita With A Straw’ started making its mark on international film festival circuit. Premiering as opening day film at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival and winning the prestigious NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) award for Best Asian Film. The film went on to receiving standing ovations at the 19th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and the 58th BFI London Film Festival. This Kalki Koechlin starrer also won her the Best Actress award at 17th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.
But mistake us not for elitists! We’re bringing a flurry of entertainment to cinemas in the new year. Slate of releases in 2015 features Gabbar, an action thriller with Akshay Kumar in a new look, while Dharam Sankat Mein with Paresh Rawal in the lead, along with veteran actors Anu Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. Sequel of Pyaar Ka Punchnama as the audience must look forward to watching it. Ramesh Sippy’s Shimla Mirchi marks his directorial comeback after a 15-year hiatus and the Hindi remake of Malayalam stunner Drishyam. Our Hollywood platter includes two of the biggest crowd-puller franchises Terminator Geneysis and Mission Impossible 5.
(These are purely personal views of Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)
