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123 takes 5th best opening of the year

ONE TWO THREE has turned out to be a box office success.

After being panned by the critics after Show One of the film's release, ONE TWO THREE managed to strike a chord with the audience, especially youth, who came in hordes to make the film a success. Result is that ONE TWO THREE, a medium budget film, has managed to collect more than 10 crores just from India in its first week.

This means that the film has taken the fifth highest opening of the year. While the top of the list is dominated by the likes of RACE (35 crores) and JODHAA AKBAR (25 crores), at no.3 and no.4 are SUNDAY (14 crores) and HALLA BOL (11.5 crores) respectively.

In a quarter dominated by flops, this multi starrer by a debutant director Ashwani Dheer has given Bollywood a reason to smile.

Joginder Tuteja

Hera Pheri cast gang up for another film

The cast of Hera Pheri will have a reunion of sorts as they gang up for yet another film.

Ratan Jain of Venus has signed Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal for his next, to be directed by Priyadarshan. The film will also have three actresses who will be finalised soon.

The project roll is September and will be completed in a start-to-finish schedule by the year-end.

An insider reveals, “This is the same project Venus has signed Akshay for, at a whopping Rs 40 crore. The makers have zeroed down on an appropriate script.

Though there was an official sequel to Hera Pheri that repeated the cast, it wasn’t directed by Priyan as he doesn’t believe in doing sequels.” Phir Hera Pheri (2006) was directed by Neeraj Vora.

It’s different

Confirming the development, Jain says, “Yes, it is true that we have signed the actors. However the comparison to Hera Pheri didn’t strike us till now.

My film is totally different from Hera Pheri; the only similarities between the two are the principal cast and the director.”

Characters galore

He adds, “We are still looking for three actresses to be a part of the film. We will cast according to the script requirements.

The film will be shot in and around Mumbai and will have at least 20 character actors who will be zeroed upon soon.”

Amul Sharma, Mid-Day

WELCOME breaks records in the UAE!

The first result is out!

The keenly awaited leave-your-brains-at-home comedy, WELCOME, appears to have stolen the march over competition, taking a rocket opening in the UAE.

On 29 prints, the big Indian Films-Studio 18 Eid release is said to have opened to an unprecedented AED 450,000 (approx) - implying that in just one day flat, it has done close to half the lifetime gross of a successful Akshay Kumar comedy in the UAE!

If the initial reports are anything to go by, the audience has most certainly "welcomed" the festive season with WELCOME!

Bollywood Trade News Network

Akshay-Paresh to create magic for the 17th time!

The festive season's most awaited release, WELCOME, marks the coming together yet again of two powerhouse performers who have been lucky mascots for each other at the box-office.

As Dr. Ghungroo and his nephew Rajeev, Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar push their creative limits in this madcap mother of all mafia comedies for the 17th time together over 13 years!

WELCOME will see the two stars in another match of wits after they featured together in a number of box-office scorchers like Mohra, Insaaf, Aarzoo, Barood, Angaarey, Aan - Men At Work, Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi, Awara Pagal Deewana, Aankhen, Bhool Bhulaiyya, Bhagam Bhag, Hera Pheri, Phir Hera Pheri, Aitraaz and Garam Masala.

As noted recently, the movie marks quite a few records already, with Anil-Nana coming together after 19 years, Anil-Feroz Khan after 21 years and Akshay-Katrina inching towards consolidating their position as the most commercially successful leading pair of recent times.

The Akshay-Paresh magic mama-bhanja combination in WELCOME is sure to bring the house down!

Bollywood Trade News Network

Entire team of WELCOME in promotional video

Taking a cue from Firoz Nadiadwala's last super hit PHIR HERA PHERI, WELCOME too sees a promotional video featuring the entire starcast of the film on one single frame!

Readers may remember that around a fortnight before the release of Neeraj Vora directed PHIR HERA PHERI, Nadiadwala had come up with a master stroke in the form of promotional video of Himesh Reshammiya's composed and crooned 'Ae Meri Zohrajabeen'. The song had featured everyone from Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Rimi Sen to Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon and Sharat Saxena amongst others.

The same formula has been reused for promoting Anees Bazmee's WELCOME which arrives on 21st December. The song in picture is Sajid-Wajid composed title song 'Welcome' which all this while was used as a background piece for the first promo of the film.

Featuring the entire cast of the film which includes Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Mallika Sherawat, the song was premiered in the weekend gone by and is expected to bombard the music channels well into the release of the film.

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

WELCOME is the King of comedies! - Akshay Kumar

Having gone through a super successful year with three top-ranking comedies, NAMASTEY LONDON, HEYY BABYY and BHOOL BHULAIYAA, Akshay Kumar is gearing up for the release of WELCOME, his next big laugh-out-loud comedy, releasing on December 20 worldwide.

WELCOME, being touted as the biggest release of Eid and Christmas, marks the return of the Akshay-Katrina pairing for a third time, besides assembling the biggest ensemble cast comprising Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Nana Patekar & Mallika Sherawat under one roof.

Akshay, shooting for SINGH IS KING in Australia at present, laughs, "Earlier, everyone said I was synonymous with action. I bagged the Khiladi tag. Now with my last few films being successful comedies, I've become synonymous with comedy!"

Ask him about his hit run at the box-office this year, he smiles, "I'm happy that the three comedies I did this year had the box-office laughing. WELCOME is the king of them all! It's a laugh-riot from the word go and I hope everyone enjoys it during the festive season as it is my last major comedy of 2007!"

So is Akshay bidding adieu to comedy? "Not at all! Comedy comes as naturally to me as action! Next year I have a variety of films on the anvil. I am getting back to action with CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and TASHAN. But for me now I want everyone to concentrate on WELCOME and welcome the New Year with a bang!" he signs off.

WELCOME is an Indian Films release through Studio 18.

Bollywood Trade News Network

WELCOME music releasing on Friday!

After three consecutive smash hits, NAMASTEY LONDON, HEYY BABYY and BHOOL BHULAIYAA, Akshay Kumar's fourth release of 2007, WELCOME, is finally at the door.

Releasing theatrically on December 20, the club-thumping music of the eagerly awaited comedy, WELCOME, the most star-studded release of 2007, will release worldwide this weekend. The soundtrack features six commercial tracks shot in South Africa and Dubai, scored by three heavyweight music composers, Sajid-Wajid, Himesh Reshammiya and Anand Raj Anand.

Producer Firoz Nadiadwala, whose previous smash hits include HERA PHERI and PHIR HERA PHERI, wittily remarked, 'We were looking to have variety on the soundtrack. We opted for three composers because we couldn't get five!'

The audio release of WELCOME also marks the launch of the Times Group's brand, Junglee Music, the umbrella brand that will spearhead the group's entry into the music of Hindi language and regional feature films.

WELCOME stars Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Feroz Khan and Mallika Sherawat in lead roles.

Bollywood Trade News Network

Nana-Anil shake a leg with Mallika

Call it the unlikeliest of combinations but the truth is that Nana Patekar can be seen grooving with Mallika Sherawat.

The film in question is WELCOME where Mallika, who could well be half the age of Nana, is seen in a 'masti-se-bharpoor' dance number with the senior actor.

Not just this, the song also sees Mallika getting into a full-on funky mode with Anil Kapoor who does well to remind a viewer about his 'Lakhan' days.

What turns out to be a total contrast is Akshay Kumar who instead acts sober when romancing Katrina Kaif on the same tune.

Composed by Anand Raaj Anand, the song is third in succession to be promoted after the title song by Sajid-Wajid and 'Tera Uncha Lamba Kad' by Anand Raaj Anand himself.

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

After Diwali, Xmas war in B'wood

If you thought the war at the box office was over with Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, think again. After Diwali, producers and distributors are now eyeing the Christmas weekend to rake in the green stuff. This year three big films are being released on December 21 – Taare Zameen Par, Halla Bol and Welcome. And all three, which star some of the biggest names in the film industry, have a lot riding on it.

According to journalist and film critic Abhijit Mhamunkar, "This year, filmmakers have discovered a new festive season to release their biggies. With Christmas falling on Tuesday, they get a longer weekend of 5 days to rake in the moolah by releasing their films on December 21."

Trade pundit Komal Nahata also seconds this opinion. "Christmas this year will be the second big celebration time. It is as if distributors have realised that there is another time besides the big Diwali weekend to release their films profitably," he says.

According to J Popat too this will set the trend for coming years when filmmakers wouldn't mind postponing their films and releasing them around Christmas if they cannot do so during Diwali.

However, even as industry insiders are hailing this 'second season' so to say, none is happy about the fact of three films releasing during the time.

Says Mhamunkar, "Unlike Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, these three will eat into each others' business. And that is not a good sign."

Nahata further suggests that ideally one of the films should be postponed because that's the most sensible thing to do. J Popat however has already passed his verdict on the impending war. "Welcome is a runaway winner," he insists adding, "Taare Zameen Par does not look like a commercial film. Besides, it is said that Aamir comes just before the interval. Halla Bol too is on a shaky wicket because Ajay Devgan does not have a good standing in the market with at least a couple of flops behind him. Welcome looks like a good comedy and has a lot of stars in it."

Mhamunkar is also of the opinion that while Welcome currently stands on firmer grounds. He says, "Welcome has everything going in its favour with comedy being the flavour of 2007. Besides, any Akshay Kumar release guarantees a great opening these days."

While Taare... still has the Aamir Khan tag behind it and may just manage to pull the whole thing off, Halla Bol has a lot of odds against it. It is said that Ajay Devgan's marketability has gone down especially with RGV Ki Aag. Further, as Popat suggests, "He does not even have an overseas market, which makes it worse."

While not many may be keen on showing off all their cards at this point, it seems quite clear that Halla Bol has the maximum to lose. With its very serious topic, and a star whose reputation has taken a beating, it might be slightly risky for it to enter into the fray. And the postponement, as Mhamunkar suggests, would 'at least would have only an animated film (Hanuman Returns) to compete with. After all it's far easier to fight the gods than fight the stars, even if it is at the box office.

Abhishek Mande | Buzz18

Akshay's another rib-tickling comedy

What do you get when you put together five brilliant actors, snazzy car chases, the mafia, machine guns, exotic locales, club-thumping music along with the funniest wedding of the decade?

Well that’s what Welcome is all about. While the film promises to be a potential blockbuster this year, it also marks the launch of Times Group’s Brand, JUNGLEE MUSIC.

Junglee is the umbrella brand that will spearhead The Times Group’s entry into the music of commercial feature films in Hindi and regional languages.

Welcome is directed by ace film director, Anees Bazmee, the king of comedy films. The film is a rib-tickling comedy set against the backdrop of the underworld, filled with maha-confusion and maha-misunderstandings leading to hilarious situations.

The film promises a-laugh-a-minute and features Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar, in avtaars, never seen before.

The music of Welcome has been composed by some of the biggest music directors of India, Himesh Reshammiya, Sajid-Wajid and Anand Raj Anand. The music, releasing on JUNGLEE is already making waves and is on its way to the charts.

Vineet Jain, Managing Director, The Times Group, believes the brand— JUNGLEE MUSIC is young, vibrant, wild and energetic. It symbolises the essence of youth. Elaborating on the strategy, A P Parigi, Director, The Times Group, commented, “The brand seeks to reflect the confidence and spirit of Young India. This new generation lives and breathes an entirely new attitude and this is apparent in the choice of their new cricket idols, their online personas or the new tastes in music and entertainment.”

The team at JUNGLEE MUSIC is excited about their new found identity. A team member commented, “JUNGLEE as a brand is a near perfect connect with the music world of main stream Hindi film and regional language film music.” Adarsh Gupta, COO of JUNGLEE, is all excited about the concept, the brand and the foray into this domain with the acquisition of the music rights for a potential block buster of 2007 — Welcome. He says, “JUNGLEE stands for everything crazy, big and blaring and I’m confident the music of Welcome will live upto it.”

TNN

Hera Pheri 4… Where's Part 3?

Trust producer Feroz Nadiadwala to try to be one up in the game of one-upmanship. Having done two successful instalments of the Hera Pheri series, he's ready to jump the 'grin'….and go straight to Hera Pheri Part 4.

So what happened to Part 3?

"That's the fun part of the series," explains Suneel Shetty who'll star in the third instalment, apart from the other usual suspects Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal, entitled Hera Pheri Part 4.

"We'll be telling the audience that the characters have been up to unmentionable mischief in part 3. We couldn't show audiences what we were up to in Part 3…so we go straight to Part 4, " explains Suneel.

Anees Bazmi directs Hera Pheri Part 4 at the end of 2007.

Apparently Nadiadwala wants to pitch his next Hera Pheri instalment against Vinod Chopra's Munnabhai series.

According to people involved with both projects, there's a growing sense of indignance in the Hera Pheri camp about how far the Munnabhai series has gone in terms of critical and commercial recognition.

This time Nadidawala wants to go exceedingly far with the farce.

By: Subash K Jha, Source: Santabanta

BHOOL BHULAIYAA - Get scared and laugh!

Strange as our headline may sound, but that is how the leading man of BHOOL BHULAIYAA, Akshay Kumar, sums up the eagerly awaited 'Eid' release - One will feel scared but will also feel like laughing. Elaborating further, the top star describes the movie as a psychological-horror thriller, with lots of comedy.
While we are confused about the above and will only be able to understand it after watching the remake of the Malayalam blockbuster, MANICHITHRATHAZU, on-screen, here is another interesting tid-bit about BHOOL BHULAIYAA. As per the buzz, the movie also has an interesting split-personality angle!

Releasing with about 600-650 prints this Friday, BHOOL BHULAIYAA is expected to commence a good innings at the box-office.

Glamsham

Bhagam Bhag - Movie Preview

Bhagam Bhag is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and Popkorn Motion Pictures Private Limited, and is directed by Humor king Priyadarshan. The story goes as follows.

Paresh Rawal has a theatre group in India and he performs shows all over the country. Akshay and Govinda along with others are actors in the group. Both are very naughty natured guys who never miss any chance to flirt with girls, even the girls in the group. At the completion of one show, an organizer offers Paresh's group to perform 30 shows in England. They all get very excited but as per the contract they need to leave for England on the same day. Unfortunately the heroine of the play opts out due to Akshay's misbehavior.

They reach London and through Rajpal, a taxi driver, Govinda and Akshay try to find out a girl for their play but it leads to many misunderstandings and a series of funny sequences. In this process, Govinda and Akshay fall into trouble involving a drug baron and other mishaps.

Thereafter, the trio discovers a girl (Lara Dutta), who suffers from amnesia to act in their drama and just as Akshay and Lara fall in love, her memory returns and it brings chaos into their lives, including a murdered husband!

From here the story leads to its climax in which a major conspiracy gets exposed.