Director Admits: Language Gap Crushed 'Sikandar' at the Box Office
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Mint
43 minutes ago
- Mint
Son of Sardaar 2 Box Office Collection Day 1: Ajay Devgn's comedy movie way ahead of Dhadak 2, opens at...
Son of Sardaar 2 Box Office Collection Day 1: Ajay Devgn-Mrunal Thakur's comedy movie, Son of Sardaar 2, has successfully cut through the stiff competition from romantic dramas – newly released Dhadak 2 and the blockbuster Saiyaara, to make its mark on the Indian box office. Despite mixed reviews from critics and viewers, Son of Sardaar 2's opening-day collection was more than double of Dhadak 2, featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri. Both movies were released on Friday, August 1. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Son of Sardaar 2, directed by Vijay Kumar Arora, earned ₹ 6.75 crore on its opening day on Friday. Meanwhile, Dhadak 2's opening day collection stood at ₹ 3.35 crore The numbers for the comedy movie are expected to improve over the weekend. Son of Sardaar 2 had an overall 22.56% Hindi occupancy on Friday, August 1: Lucknow, Jaipur and Delhi NCR recorded the highest occupancy. Produced by Ajay Devgn and Jyoti Deshpande, the star cast of SOS2 features Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Neeru Bajwa, Chunky Panday, Kubbra Sait, Deepak Dobriyal, Vindu Dara Singh, Roshni Walia, Sharat Saxena, Sahil Mehta and the late Mukul Dev in significant roles. Set in Punjab and Scotland, the film was originally scheduled to hit cinemas on July 25, but due to undisclosed reasons for delay, the release was postponed to August 1. The comedy caper is a sequel to the 2012 comedy Son of Sardaar.


Economic Times
43 minutes ago
- Economic Times
She became an overnight star at 24. Passed away just 10 years later, penniless
Synopsis Vimi's story is a sad one. She was a promising actress in the Hindi film industry. Her debut in 'Humraaz' brought her fame. However, her career declined. Personal problems and alcoholism took a toll. She died young and in poverty. Her life serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of Bollywood. No one attended her funeral. Agencies The Rise and Fall of Vimi: A Life That Burned Too Bright, Too Fast Vimi's journey through the Hindi film industry was a brief yet haunting saga, filled with glamour, heartbreak, and isolation. Though she acted in only ten films and died tragically young at just 34, her story is remembered for the devastating contrasts between her early promise and her eventual in 1943, Vimi initially trained in classical singing. However, she pivoted to acting—a decision that earned her fierce disapproval from her conservative family. Facing intense backlash, she was disowned and left to navigate the complexities of the film world alone. Despite this, she seemed poised for stardom. Vimi had an elegant lifestyle that reflected her refined tastes—she lived in a stylish bungalow in Mumbai's upscale Pali Hill, enjoyed golf during her leisure hours, and drove a sleek car. Her debut in B.R. Chopra's Humraaz in 1968 catapulted her into the limelight, sparking hope that she would soon be counted among the top actresses of her fame proved fleeting. Soon after her promising start, her life began to unravel. Vimi moved to Kolkata under distressing circumstances, and gradually found herself sinking into alcoholism. The glitter of her initial success faded, replaced by the harsh shadows of rejection and financial one episode of Tabassum Talkies, veteran host Tabassum recalled details of Vimi's personal life. She had been married to Shiv Agarwal, a businessman from Kolkata. The union led to Shiv being cut off by his own family. Vimi was already married when she entered films, and in a 1968 interview, she had revealed that her husband intended to produce a movie for her, while she had already signed three other projects—Rangeela, Sandesh, and Appointment. But fate was unkind. Eventually, Shiv abandoned her under pressure from his parents, especially as her film career began to her first director, B.R. Chopra, once remarked that Vimi was bright, educated, and quick to learn, he never cast her again after Humraaz. The films she did after her debut failed at the box office. She managed to remain somewhat visible through magazine features and public appearances, but by the early 1970s, she had completely faded from the public eye. When news broke of her death in 1977, the tragic details of her downfall were finally made her separation from Shiv, Vimi began living with a film distributor named Jolly. Believing that proximity to him could help resurrect her fading career, she placed her trust in the wrong person. To make ends meet, she launched a textiles venture, but that too collapsed, forcing her to sell it off to repay mounting debts. Tabassum later revealed that Vimi had earned a poor reputation in the industry as an ineffective performer, which only compounded her difficulties. With offers drying up, she turned to alcohol to cope with her still, her association with Jolly turned exploitative. Reports suggested that he coerced her into sex work, framing it as the only viable path back into films. This psychological and emotional toll broke her spirit. Vimi spiraled deeper into alcohol dependency, resorting to cheap liquor in her final years. In 1977, she died of liver failure at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital. Her body was taken to the cremation ground on a handcart, pushed by Jolly. No notable film personalities attended her funeral, though some claim that Sunil Dutt may have made a quiet after her passing, Vimi's dignity was not left untouched. A man named Krishna, who presented himself as a friend, penned a demeaning obituary in Anand Bazar Patrika. He mockingly referred to her death as a relief and disparaged her attempts to find work through personal connections, painting a cruel picture of a woman desperate and her short-lived career, Vimi featured in films like Aabroo alongside Ashok Kumar, and Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai, sharing the screen with Prithviraj Kapoor and I.S. Johar. She even had a brief appearance in Guddi, starring Jaya Bhaduri. Her final film, Krodhi, directed by Subhash Ghai and starring Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor, was released posthumously—several years after she had passed life stands as a somber reflection of the brutal realities that lurk behind the dazzling façade of show business. Her legacy endures not through awards or acclaim, but as a cautionary tale of dreams extinguished too soon.


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
SRK, Rani Mukerji, Vikrant Massey win top honours
Superstar Shah Rukh Rukh Khan and Vikram Massey shared the best actor award and Rani Mukherji got the best actress title as the 71st National Film Awards, for 2023, were announced in Delhi on Friday. Shahrukh Khan shares best actor award with Vikrant Massey for the 71st National Film Awards. (ANI Photo) Mukherji was given her first best actress national award for her portrayal of a Bengali immigrant mother fighting for the custody of her children in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. Khan won the award-- also a first for him-- for director Atlee's Hindi debut Jawan and Massey for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 12th Fail (Hindi). Jury head and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker annnounced the awards. In the feature film category, Sudipto Sen bagged the prize for best direction for The Kerala Story, which also was chosen for best cinematography. Jawan also earned singer Shilpa Rao the best female playback singer award for the song 'Chaleya', while the best male playback singer award went to PVN S Rohit for the song 'Premisthunna' from the Telugu film Baby. Malayalam actor Vijayaraghavan was named the best supporting actor for his depiction of a nonagenarian in Pookkaalam, along with Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar for the Tamil film Parking. Acclaimed Malayalam actress Urvashi won the best supporting actress title for Ullozhukku, an award she shared with Janki Bodiwala for the Gujarati film Vash. Baby also was the pick for best original screenplay, by Sai Rajesh Neelam, who shared the award with the writer of Parking, Ramkumar Balakrishnan, and dialogue writer Deepak Kingrani for the Hindi film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai. Director Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar's Hindi film Flowering Man, which depicts the life of a man's metamorphosis when a flowering plant begins to sprout from his mouth, was named the best non-feature film. The Film and Television Institute of India produced the film. The Alia Bhatt-Ranveer Singh starrer Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar, was awarded best popular film providing wholesome entertainment, as well as best choreography for the song 'Dhindhora Baje'. Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal was recognised for best sound design (Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan Muralidharan), best background score (Harshavardhan Rameshwar) and earned a special mention. GV Prakash Kumar earned the best music director (songs) title for the Tamil film Vaathi. Meghna Gulzar's biographical war drama Sam Bahadur, starring Vicky Kaushal, was picked for promoting national, social and environmental values, and also took home awards for best costume design and best make-up. Rishiraj Agarwal's God Vulture and Human (English, Hindi and Telugu) won the best documentary award. Satirical comedy-drama Kathal - A Jackfruit Mystery, starring Sanya Malhotra, was the best Hindi film . The awards were not without controversy. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan vehemently criticised the jury's decision to give two awards to The Kerala Story. The 2023 film tells the fictitious tale of a group of women from Kerala who were forced to convert to Islam and join ISIS. In a Facebook post, the Kerala CM said the film was 'built on lies to defame the state and spread communalism'. 'By giving awards to such a film, the jury has disrespected the noble traditions of Indian cinema which has always stood for religious brotherhood and national integration,' he wrote. This year, the selection panel received 332 entries in the feature film category, 115 in non-feature films, 27 books, and 16 critics' submissions. Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification between January 1, 2023, and December 31,2023, were eligible. The awards are broadly divided into the Swarna Kamal and Rajat Kamal categories, each with a cash prize of ₹3,00,000 and ₹2,00,000, respectively.