KARACHI:
This is turning out to be an incredible year for Bollywood fans. From Sholay in 3D to the remake of Agneepath, all sorts of winning strategies are being used by film-makers to make people come to the cinemas. On the other hand, unexpected hits like Kahaani and Housefull2 have convinced us that audiences on both sides of the border are hungry for entertainment. The question is: If these films, released in the off-season can do so well, what will happen when the big budget, star-studded films raid the box office this summer?
One film that the critics and the audience have high expectations from is Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raj Kumar Hirani’s Ferrari Ki Sawaari. The Chopra-Hirani duo has never disappointed the audiences, be it the mythical account Eklavya: The Royal Guard or the amusingly crude and loveable Munna Bhai series.
Their latest offering, however, doesn’t star Sanjay Dutt or Saif Ali Khan and instead has the not-so-popular Sharman Joshi in the lead. Other cast members include Boman Irani, Ritvik Sahore and Vidya Balan in a guest appearance. Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a story about an eight-year-old boy (Sahore), who dreams of playing on Lord’s cricket ground in London some day.
According to Hindustan Times, Vinod admits that he took screen tests of approximately 1,000 child actors before making the final decision. “I went as far as the cricket academy in Dehradun and Roger Binny’s Cricket Academy in Bangalore but somehow none of them came up to my expectations,” the writer-producer recalls.
Vinod adds that eventually, he found the right kid at a McDonald’s outlet in Mumbai. “Sahore, who is nine, was with his mother and when Raju’s assistant approached her with the offer of a film role, the mother shunned the assistant and asked him to stay away.” But all’s well that ends well and the duo finally got their ideal child star on board.
The promo makes the film look promising as the dialogues are funny as usual and some of the one-liners are actually better than those found in Munna Bhai. Along with brilliant performers like Joshi and Irani, Balan will also make a cameo appearance and perform an item number for the first time in Ferrari Ki Sawaari. In the song titled “Mala Jau De”, Balan will be seen in a traditional Maharashtrian sari performing the lavani dance.
Though the film has all the ingredients to become an overnight success, the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) craze may halt its business in cinemas and eventually at the box office. However, if it manages to surpass the IPL fever then one should not expect nothing less than a blockbuster because Chopra’s films have a history of starting up slow and getting popular with word of mouth and eventually getting a lot of second viewings.
The film is scheduled to release on April 27.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2012.
COMMENTS (3)
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"....and some of the one-liners are actually better than those found in Munna Bhai. "
Not fair to base an opinion on a 2 minute promo. You should wait and see the film before claiming this.
If my memory serves me right, This film is an adaption of the novel, the monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Considering the banner, the director and the main lead Sharman Joshi, IPL or No IPL, it should be a good watch. The verdict will however be out on the 28th. By the way Sharman Joshi to be called not so popular is unfortunate, just because he has not delivered solo hits doesn't mean he isn't good for an actor. His work speaks volumes, like Style, Excuse Me, Rang De Basanthi, Golmaal series, 3 idiots and few more films to his credit. Rgds
As usual, I always am, just as long as I can afford the fuel! :P