Fireworks await
No recent week has witnessed such an array of movies at theatres.
"It is the only way to get audiences out of their homes to the theatres with their families," says Shravan Shroff, whose company Shringar Films releases the 3-D film Chota Jadugar, directed by Jose Punnoose, April 11.
Chota Jadugar, called Magic, Magic in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, is being released simultaneously in four languages. Shot at an estimated Rs120 million in New York, the film features young Suraj Balajee (seen in Santosh Sivan's Asoka as Kareena Kapoor's younger brother), singer-actor S P Balasubramaniam and 38 performing dogs.
The new Ben Affleck adventure Daredevil also releases this week. Adapted from the Marvel Comic strip, this lavishly produced film has been dubbed in Hindi as well. Both versions will release simultaneously.
Director Anil Sharma's multi-crore The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy also releases on Friday. He feels it is impossible for Indian filmmakers to compete with Hollywood's razzle-dazzle: "Most of our budget goes into paying the stars. How can we hope to give foreign films a run for their money?"
"We can!" argues Shroff. "Chota Jadugar is, according to me, every bit as thrilling as Dardevil. No expense has been spared to ensure the highest technical excellence. I don't think Suraj Balajee is any less charismatic than Ben Affleck."
This Friday's releases raise a crucial point on the increasingly flexible definitions of large-screen entertainment. Says Shroff, "To get the audience into the theatres, we need to offer them big excitement. Both Chota Jadugar and The Hero deliver on that score."
The Hero is being touted by its producers as the most expensive Hindi film ever made. "But money is not the criteria for a good film. The story is, and that is where The Hero scores," says Sharma.
This week's releases bring three heroes from different generations. Sunny Deol in The Hero is 46, Ben Affleck is 31 and Suraj Balajee is just 10.
The industry is hoping April 11 will bring them cheer. "God knows we need a hit badly. With the summer holidays round the corner, children are waiting for a diversion. I think we are ready to provide them with that kind of entertainment," says Shroff.