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Take a bow, Yukta
Pyaasa and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai hit the marquee this Friday
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Subhash K Jha
This Friday witnesses two releases: Hansal Mehta's bubbly comedy Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai, which was completed within six months. And A Muthu's long-in-the-making Pyaasa.
At one point, it was believed that Pyaasa would be shelved for good, what with its belligerent producer and defiant heroine exchanging barbed comments in the print media.
Though a reputed editor, Muthu's directorial debut Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa (Abhishek Bachchan, Kirti Reddy) flopped in 2000. Not many film editors in Hindi films have made a comfortable crossover into direction. Two of Ram Gopal Varma's gifted editors Apoorva Asrani and Chandan Arora are struggling to put their first directorial ventures together.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sister Bela Sehgal, who edits all his films, has just directed a music video featuring Adnan Sami and Rani Mukherjee. She hopes to direct a full feature film soon.
Pyaasa is also crucial for its two debutantes, former Miss World Yukta Mookhey and model Zulfi Syed, as well as Aftab Shivdasani. Barring the moderately successful Awaara Paagal Deewana, his other two releases Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche and Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai were box-office disasters.
The other release this Friday is Hansal Mehta's coming-of-age comedy featuring a bevy of newcomers. Though the film is rumoured to be a remake of hit comedy American Pie, the film's writer Suparn Verma (a former rediff.com employee who also wrote Chhal), insists the film is absolutely original.
The eight newcomers who make their debut in the film are hopeful of making an impact. Mehta needs a hit as much as his cast of eager youngsters. Though critically acclaimed, his two films so far Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and Chhal failed to lure the BO.
According to Roshan Singh, a leading exhibitor in Bihar, the title of a film does make a difference at the box-office. "Films like Style and Road created an anctipation in the audience because they sounded young, hip and enterprising. The same holds true of Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai, which is what Amitabh Bachchan asked in a song in David Dhawan's Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, didn’t he?"
However, Singh is apprehensive about how Mehta's film would be received in the pre-Dussehra week. "Films that are released between the Dussehra and Diwali period generally don't do well. Hansal Mehta's first film Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar was released on Dussehra two years ago. I sincerely believe it would have done better if it were pushed forward."
Mehta begs to differ. "No matter when you release films, they aren't doing well,period. The best time to release a film is anytime you are ready."