Critics, go fly a kite: In a day or two Chennai Express will touch Rs. 200 Crores

It's Advantage Khan, at least for now. Akshay Kumar's much-vaunted Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara (OUATIMD) has under-performed at the boxoffice, leaving trade experts shell-shocked, and the Chennai Express (CE) producers laughing all the way to the bank.

And the next bank holiday.

Shah Rukh, we hear, plans a big celebration bash. We don't know yet if the OUATIMD producer Ekta Kapoor would be invited. But if reports that she refused to let Shah Rukh screen her film at his residence Mannat are true, then I doubt she would be in a mood to celebrate. Invite or no.

The boxoffice figures for Chennai Express are indeed staggering even in the second week. On its second Friday it collected 6. 50 crore rupees, Saturday's collections were 8. 51 crores, Sunday was 10. 22 crores.

The total over the second weekend was 25. 23 crore rupees. This, when added to the 1st week's collections of Rs 156. 70 cores totalled Rs 181. 93 crores collection for the first ten days.

In a day or two Chennai Express will touch Rs. 200 crores. 

Understandably there is much self-congratulation in the UTV camp. 

Says Gaurav Verma, Director India Theatrical Distribution Studios, Disney UTV Two powerhouses of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty came together for the first time. That was enough reason to create a huge excitement.

Plus the magic of Deepika Padukone re-teaming with Shah Rukh after six years, backed by the aggressive marketing which created a huge buzz, all this did the trick.

Gaurav also feels the release timing was perfect. With Eid on Friday followed by Independence Day during the same week, the film got an opportunity to go really wide in Week 1. Our gambit paid off. Audiences came to cinemas in huge numbers and made Chennai Express an unprecedented office success. It continues to break many records every day. 

Gaurav gloats over the second week's collections. It is expected to dominate the box office the next week as well. So we'll continue to retain maximum screens in the weeks to come. 
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh endorses the film's whopping success. `The boxoffice business is phenomenal. SRK plus Deepika plus Rohit Shetty plus Eid plus masala have proved yet again that entertainment rules. The masses love Chennai Express. ` Critics can go fly a kite.

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Oops! OUATIMD rakes in only Rs 38 crore in its opening weekend

With a dismal performance, Akshay Kumar's latest release is no match for SRK's 'Chennai Express' which is racing towards Rs 200 crore mark

Ever since its release, Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express has bulldozed its way into record books. And looks like Akshay Kumar's latest release Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara has borne the brunt of Rohit Shetty's box office smasher. The SRK-Deepika Padukone starrer became the fastest film to reach Rs 100 crore.

Releasing across limited screens since Chennai Express was still thundering on its way forward on Independence Day (last Thursday), Milan Luthria's film failed to capitalise on the situation once SRK's film finished its first week run.

It collected approximately Rs 11 crore on the opening day but saw a downfall soon after except on Sunday, which saw a slight rise, raking in only Rs 38 crore till Sunday night. SRK's film on the other hand is racing full steam ahead towards the Rs 200 crore mark. 

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, OUATIMD has failed at the box office. August 15 saw limited shows, which affected the collections. Though the shows increased on Friday, the collections didn't. Saturday was just about okay while Sunday was somewhat better. The film has failed to cross the Rs 50 crore mark over its four days. 

According to distributor Sunny Khanna, Shah Rukh has set a new benchmark of sorts. He explains, `Chennai Express has grossed approximately Rs 147 crore in the first week, adding Rs 23 crore in its second weekend, taking the total BO collection to Rs 170 crore in 11 days. 

The film is gearing up to touch Rs 200 crore in terms of all-India theatrical revenues. Even if it doesn't cross the figure of Rs 200 crore, the producer's share will be higher than all the movies released in the past including Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots. Based on their profit sharing basis, the distributors will have earned better. 
Regarding OUATIMD, Khanna points out that the weekend numbers were way below expectations. On Friday, the film raked in Rs 9 crore, Rs 8 crore on Saturday and Rs 10 crore on Sunday. 

According to distributor and box office expert, Suniel Wadhwa, Akshay's film could do nothing to stop the fast pace of SRK's film.

He says, The film performed very poorly and considering the cost of production as well as print and advertisement cost, Thursday fared better than the rest. With very weak word-of-mouth, the film will be difficult to sustain in the long run.

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Movie Review: Please, no Once Upon A Time In Mumbai... Dobaara

Starring Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha

Directed by Milan Luthria

Rating: * *

How do I put this politely? This is arguably one of the most ill-timed gangster drama with most performances so loud and unassimilated that these characters could easily be contestants in a Eid special segment of Comedy Circus where the theme is 'Gangsta Rap' This is done-to-noisy-death gangsterism done with heartbreaking seriousness.

It takes some doing to wrap up such a time-worn love triangle into a pretence of modern storytelling. Milan Luthria's earlier films like Kachche Dhaage and Dirty Picture had some interesting conflicts between characters who are driven by a desire for revenge but are frustrated in their malevolence by their love for the very same people they want to hate. 

The problem with Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara is that the two main characters who love each other to death, literally, are people we've met over and over again. Most notably in Ram Gopal Varma's Company where Ajay Devgn and Viveik Oberoi played gangster and protege with great conviction and ballsy velocity. 

The subsequent spinoffs have gotten seriously diluted. 

This one is a sequel to Luthria's 2010 film where Ajay Devgn's imposing personality and gravelly voice had made the pale and sometime unintentionally funny proceedings bearable. 
Except for Sonakshi Sinha playing a starlet who talks too hard and too much and gets the male protagonists (who need to be spanked for playing with guns when their IQ level suggests video games would be more apt) into a serious conflict merely because she's too dumb to see they both love her. . . . Dobaara has no redeeming qualities. 

Akshay Kumar as a Dawood doppelgang(st)er is inept, to say the least. His dialogues meant to show his mastery over the hoary art of rhetorics, come out sounding like wimpy words of wacked-out wisdom picked up from messages in Chinese cookies, if not from forwarded sms messages. 
I'd just like to suggest to the dialogue writer Rajat Arora to go easy on the bumper-sticker wisdom next time. You can't make the hero look heroic by spilling tacky wisdom all over the frames in the hope that audiences would applaud the bombastic words without thinking about their relevance. 

This film wallows in a kind of imbecilic irreverence where the protagonists seem bold brave, sexy and even brazen but are actually cardboard versions of the triangular lovers in Raj Kapoor's Sangam and Vinod Kumar's Mere Huzoor. 

But at least love triangles of the past were honest about their melodramatic intentions. Once Upon A Time. . . Dobaara cloaks its outdated radical ideas in a rumbustious display of trendiness. 
Undoubtedly some sections shine brighter than the rest. Aslam (Imran Khan)'s friend making out with his girlfriend in the car while Aslam gives angrezi lessons to Jasmine (Sonakshi Sinha) is a nicely-conceived moment that loses its sheen in repetition. 

One of the 'jokes' that ties Sonakshi's character to her lover-by Imran Khan is his misuse of the word 'intercourse'. The film uses the word (prudishly beeped out by the censorboard) over and over again like a school boy that has just found a non-punishable way to say 'sex' in the classroom. 
A flavour of flagrant criminality is created through back-projected nostalgia. The film opens with an archival cricket match 'fixed' by the all-powerful underworld don. The sequences seems more 'fixed' by the director than the Dubai-based ganglord would have ever imagined. 

Fleets of black and yellow Fiat cars ply up and down Mumbai's roads in a show of periodicity. A wanton woman (Sophie Chowdhary, in a seductive cameo) cheats on her unsuspecting husband, making out with the dreaded don in the backroom at a noisy party. 

You can almost smell the cheap perfume and the discount-rated champagne trying to pass as the genuine stuff in Shoaib's party. This guy thinks he is menacing. He is actually a joke. And if the real Dawood is anything like the way Dawood-like gangster portrayed here by Akshay Kumar, we have nothing to fear except his cheesy dialogue-baazi. 
Where in all this self-defeating noise and activity is theslippery sinisterness on the streets of Mumbai? 

The gangster-villain (Akshay insists he is a villain, and who are we to argue with an overgrown brat of a guy who keeps smashing up furniture and appliances every time he doesn't get his way?) and his cronies appear to have walked out of 'loin' Ajit den in the 1970s, not quite sure which way they are supposed to head in the present-day milieu of such awe-inspiring gangster epics as Luc Besson's Taken and Amit Kumar's Monsoon Shootout. 
This one comes too late. Except for a skillfully-shot train robbery sequence featuring Imran Khan at the start, it has too little to offer in the way action and adventure. 

The stunts appear stunted. Except for Sonakshi Sinha who plays the self-seeking starlet with earnest air-headedness, Pritobash Tripathy who plays Imran's sidekick with misplaced sincerity and Sonali Bhendre who delivers the only truthfully-worded monologue in this verbally-cramped drama, the other performances are all of the watch-me-ham variety. 

And really, what this film has done to the Mohd Rafi Qawwalli Tayyab ali pyar ka dushman would make Manmohan Desai wince if he was alive. 
Dobaaraa done. Please please, no third helping. Otherwise, to rephrase one of Akshay Kumar's favourite dialogues in this film, Agar ek baar dobaara aur kiya toh sequel ka silsila bura maan jayega.

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Parineeti leaves Akki for Sushant Singh Rajput

While Ranveer Singh has happily signed films outside the parent Yashraj banner his costar from Ladies Versus Ricky Bahl Parineeti Chopra seems tied down by a binding contract that doesn't allow her the same freedom. 

One hears Parineeti was very keen to sign on for the Hindi remake of the Tamil blockbuster Thuppakki which she was offered by producer Vipul Shah on behalf of director A. Murugadoss.Apparently Akshay Kumar was also interested in getting her on board for the project as he had seen and liked the new girl on the Bollywood block in Ishaqzaade. However, Yashraj apparently wouldn't release Parineeti to do the outside project. 

Heavy trading of negotiations between the two parties finally culminated in a deadend for Parineeti, with Aditya Chopra apparently vetoeing the very idea of the girl working in an outside film at a time when she was shooting for Yashraj's new film with director Maneesh Sharma opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.
Says a source, Parineeti was ready to shuttle between the two projects without letting either suffer. But she was told in no uncertain terms that she would have to stay committed full-time to Maneesh Sharma's film, just like the film's leading man Sushant Singh Rajput who has not been permitted to do any other project while shooting for the Yashraj film.

Apparently Akshay Kumar also intervened in the hope of some flexibility in Parineeti's schedule. But to no avail. 

It was only after it became crystal-clear that Parineeti wouldn't be able to the Thuppakki remake that Sonakshi Sinha was sounded out, and signed. 
Confirming this director A Murugadoss said, We tried really hard for Parineeti. But she was committed by contract to a project with Yashraj Films.

Curiously Vipul Shah's schedules for the Thuppakki remake don't clash with the Maneesh Sharma film at all. So one wonders why Parineeti had to let go of such a plum project that was bound to take her career further.

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Akshay Kumar crosses 400 crore mark in a calendar year

It has certainly been a good year for Akshay Kumar who is riding high on success with back to back hits at the box office. With his latest Khiladi instalment opening to a good response at the box office, Khiladi Kumar has broken into the 400 crore mark in a calendar year.

The year started well for Akshay Kumar whose Housefull2, Rowdy Rathore and OMG: Oh My God! raking in moolah at the box office.

The big screen had to wait for 12 long years to see Akshay Kumar put on his Khiladi shoes with Khiladi 786. Akshay Kumar who burst into the lime light with Khiladi has come a long way.
Audiences and critics' alike have given thumbs up for the movie and it is running to packed houses in single screen theatres and doing reasonably well in multiplexes. It is no surprise that it is the same franchise which takes him into the 400 crore mark.

Akshay has surely ended the year on a high note and his fans are eagerly waiting to watch Khiladi Kumar in his upcoming films!!

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A Hit? Khiladi 786 has garnered Rs 50 crore in the first week

Looks like the Akshay Kumar and Asin-starrer could have passed the acid test 

'Khiladi 786' has garnered Rs 50 crore in the first week itself and is still counting," says creative producer of the film Rakesh Upadhyay. 

Though the weekend proved a high point, the real challenge for a film is to make the counter ring on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

And Khiladi 786 thanks to strong word of mouth has remained super steady throughout the week and the comedy has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in the first seven days, he adds. 
With no opposition, whatsoever from any other big banner film, for the next seven days and satellite rights, overseas rights, music rights and video rights in place, the makers feel confident that it will end up doing impressive business worldwide. 

After Bodyguard, Bol Bachchan, Son of Sardaar and OMG! Oh My God, Khiladi 786 will mark Himesh Reshammiya's fifth hit film in a row with chartbuster music. On the single screen front, the film has done record- breaking business with people whistling and dancing on every song.

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Akki to play the lead in Jatt & Juliet remake?

The remake rights of Jatt & Juliet the biggest hit in Punjabi cinema of all times, has been secured by producers Himesh Reshammiya and Rakesh Upadhyay the team that has just released the comic romp Khiladi 786. 

It therefore comes as no surprise to hear that Akshay Kumar is likely to play the lead in the Hindi adaptation of Jatt & Juliet. The all-time blockbuster of a Punjabi romance starred Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa as a rustic Punjabi and a sophisticated fashion designer who keep bumping into one another in Canada. 

The Punjabi film has been itching for a Bollywood interpretation. We now hear that following Khiladi 786 Reshammiya and Upadhyay have joined hands to do Jatt & Juliet in Hindi. 

The Hindi remake would be directed by Anurag Singh who directed the Punjabi smash.

Producer Rakesh Upadhyay while admitting that the Jatt & Juliet remake would start early next year refrains from commenting on the cast. At the moment I wouldn't like to comment on the cast. But yes, Himesh and I are going ahead with two projects. 

One of them is a thriller and the other is the remake of Jatt & Juliet. The Punjabi film was also produced by Himesh and me. We'll do the remake on a much more lavish scale. But the basic plot of Jatt &Juliet is so endearing it needs no embellishment in Hindi.
Press him about Akshay's presence in Jatt and Juliet, and Upadhyay laughs, We've just delivered a film that has been immensely liked. So Himesh, Akshay and I would definitely not like to break the team. Like I said, until all the formalities are completed it'd be unwise to talk about the casting. 

Himesh and Rakesh Upadhyay intend to continue producing films together. 

`After Khiladi 786 Himesh has ten hardbound scripts ready. We're both workaholics. We'll continue to collaborate on mass-entertainment films. We want to make the kind of films that make people smile and laugh. 

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Box Office: Khiladi 786 fails to impress, Talaash rakes in the moolah

Akshay Kumar's Khiladi 786 was one of the most awaited releases of the year. While the film scored on its music and good reviews, it had a rather average opening

However, Sunday brought in smiles for its investors and the film is expected to pick up, thanks to the word-of-mouth. It has raked in about Rs 34 crore in its opening weekend (Friday Rs 10. 05 cr, Saturday Rs 11. 25 cr and Sunday Rs 12. 75 cr). 
On the other hand, Talaash has collected around Rs 74. 47 crore in its first 10 days, making it the biggest hit in the thriller genre.

Life of Pi meanwhile stands at 0 Rs 23. 50 crore till the last weekend. Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, The film did not open as expected and while it was good in single screens, it was average in multiplexes.

The second day was similar but it took a good jump on Sunday. The good part is that it has a clear week before Dabangg 2, which will help its box office collections.
He adds, I think the biggest reason for its average opening was that people thought Akshay was only playing a special appearance and it was a Himesh Reshammiya film.

On the other hand, trade expert Atul Mohan says, The opening has been shocking to say the least. While everyone has loved the film, it has not reflected in the collections.

However with the rise in Sunday's collections, the film should sustain and turn out to be an earning film for everyone. It is a complete potboiler and that should help.

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A baby girl is exactly what our home needed: Akki

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who became the proud father of baby girl Nitara three months back, says his family is now complete with the arrival of the new born

The 45-year-old actor also has son Aarav, 10, with wife Twinkle and he said he does not face any problem taking care of a newborn all over again after so many years.

I seem to have remembered all the little techniques that make a baby go gaga when I enter the room. So far everything has just been so smooth. My wife is over the moon and in her elements right now. A baby girl is exactly what our home needed, Akshay told. Now me and my son are gonna have to stick together to fight for male pride in the house.

Or least fight for our Sunday cricket matches and that is about it. The rest of the time we are more than happy to live for all the women in our family,  he added. This has been a good year for Akshay with three of his films 'Housefull 2', 'Rowdy Rathore' and 'OMG! Oh My God' tasting roaring success at the box office. His last film of the year 'Khiladi 786', a very commercial action film, has just hit theatres.

It is the kind of action that makes you be a part of some good fun at the cinema. You can call it over the top, or insane, even incredible if you wish! Action of any kind can be admired in any way you wish; there are a million or more opinions and expectations to please,  he said.

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Will Akshay break his silence?

Sources say Akshay Kumar is getting ready to face the media after Bombay High Court's hearing on December 17 regarding Anita Advani's domestic violence case against his family.

Ever since the demise of his father-in-law Rajesh Khanna, Akshay Kumar and his family have remained tight-lipped about allegations levelled by the late actor's live-in partner Anita Advani. However, according to our sources, Akshay is all set to speak to the media for the first time on the matter most probably on December 18.

Akki is scheduled to hold a press conference a day after the Bombay High Court's hearing on Advani's case of domestic violence against the family.

A source close to the Khanna family says, As of now the family has been strictly asked not to speak to members of the press. They will break their silence after the hearing.

In her complaint, Advani has sought for a monthly maintenance of R 10 lakh and an access to the late superstar's Carter Road bungalow.
Prakash Rohra, a close friend and business partner of Khanna says, I was Kakaji's friend for many years. All the claims made by Anita are false.

Advani had also claimed that she had paid for the renovation work that took place in Aashirwad. However, Rohra states, Anita didn't get it done. It was my construction company that did the job.

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Dear Akki, Lose some weight... by Dec 20

Who would think Akshay Kumar with his lean wiry look and super-fit physique would need to lose more weight for a role? For his army captain's role in A R Murugadoss' remake of his Tamil hit Thuppakki Akshay Kumar has been asked lose 7 kgs. 

Pronto!

Because the shooting starts on December 20, since the Christmas week is considered lucky by Murugadoss. 

Says a source close to the Tamil director, He released his Ghajini in December. Since then Murugadoss has been excessively attached to the Christmas season. He was keen on staring the Hindi Thuppakki in the Christmas week. And Akshay was happy to oblige.

The only problem is, he has two weeks to lose at least 5 kgs, and some more later to play an army captain at least 12 years junior to Akshay's biological age.

Akshay would also sport an army officer's hair and look. 
Explains Murugadoss, The soldier-hero is never really shown in the army. The drama happens while he's on leave. But we want Akshay to look like a young army jawaan fit enough to take on the villains. Not only that. We actually want him to look like a real soldier. He will be getting a crew-cut hair-styling done. We don't want Akshay to look unconvincing as the solidier in any detail.

The demand to lose weight seems strange for a leading man who is as slim as Akshay. 

Explains Murugadoss, Akshay is one of the fittest heroes in India. But to play the soldier we want him slightly fitter. His shoulders should become more streamlined, his frame should be slimmer. Akshay has the physique for the role. He just needs to lose a little more weight and become slightly sharper around the edges.

For the Tamil film, Vijay had actually gone for commando training to play the soldier. 
But Akshay is already into martial arts. So all he needs to do is just polish up his act. He has the know-how and the physical fitness, says the director. 

Incidentally for Ghajini Aamir Khan had to bulk up and add muscle to his physique to play the self-trained fighter. In Thuppakki Akshay goes the other way to get leaner meaner.

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Movie Review: Khiladi 786 is Wacky Masala Entertainer

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Asin, Mithun Chakraborty, Himesh Reshammiya, Raj Babbar, Rahul Singh

Directed by: Ashish R Mohan

Rating: * * *

What can be said about a film where a couple named Mili and Bhagat conspire to bring their employer's empire down? 

Mili? Bhagat? Get it? 

Khiladi 786 is the kind comic orgy done in shades of green orange and pink which doesn't require us to strain our brain. The kicks and grunts, guffaws and chortles, the antics raillery and tomfoolery flow out unstoppered like an uncapped toothpaste tube.
The formula is simple. And stark. Get the audience to laugh at any cost. And some of it does work quite well. Shukriya. 

We have a hero, no make that a super-duper-hero, who flies across the air, pounds automobiles to a pulp with his bare fists, breaks down a jail cell's stone walls with a flick of his manly fist, gets goofy or gooey-eyed depending on his co-star on screen. 

Akshay's crazily improvised performance as a sham cop borrows dollops from Salman Khan's Dabangg and Akshay's own Rowdy Rathore. The derivative derringdo doesn't diminish the impact of the italicized antics that range from the arresting to the exasperating. 
Sample this. Asin (back in fetching form for the first time since Ghajini) loves a lout who is chronically incarcerated. Each time the jailed loverboy (Rahul Singh, well-cast effectively played) is about to be released he's sent back packing for some unintentional crime or the other. 

Aa ab 'lout' chalen? 

The script seems to be written by someone who loves Akshay Kumar's humorous heroics and his emphatic but spoofy hijinks. Both the traits are amply accentuated in the script. Khiladi 786 ultimately becomes a showcase for its insanely successful superstar hero's talents. 

Akshay as we all know, loves to play the Punjabi Devdas. He did it effectively in Vipul Shah's Namaste London where he stepped back gallantly to let his wife Katrina Kaif make a fool of herself with an undeserving boyfriend. 
Exactly the same triangular situation crops up in the second-half of Khiladi 786 when midway through the anarchic hilarity Akshay decides to play the bleeding teary-eyed martyr `gifting` Asin to the aforementioned jailed jerk. 

Mamta Kulkarni in the early Khiladi film Sabse Bada Khiladi had done the airheaded lovergirl running after the wrong man. Back then Akshay stood guard over Mamta with the same steadfast loyalty as he does for Asin. 

Some things never change in our cinema. Heroines may come and go. Heroes live on forever. 
A sense of continuity runs through all of Akshay Kumar's comedies. He doesn't do anything here that he hasn't done before. The trademark goofy grin and the self-deprecating humour are back. Here, the hero is desperate to get married. That's a sporting part whose subtext screams, 'Look, I am such a big star and I play a character who can't get a woman to marry me, ha ha. '

It's all done in fun, with plenty of unzippered zest and a comforting absence of vulgarity. The ensemble cast particularly Mithun Chakraborty and Raj Babbar, catches on to the shrill sur of a music that suggests a blend of parody and homage to the Formula Cinema. 

So we have long-lost brother of the hero showing up in the climax with a mocking mawkishness that Manmohan Deasi would have approved of. 
The music by Himesh Reshammiya is splendidly in-sync with the film's wacked-out mood. He often uses standard background effects from old Hindi films to remind us that we are laughing at conventions that never grew outdated in our cinema. 

Oh yes, Reshammiya also plays an important part in the film as a hopeless inept wedding planner. It's good to see Reshammiya doing a Gujju act. He was born to play Mansukh. 

As for Akshay Kumar's Khiladi act, he can do the parodic paces blindfolded. Adding adrenaline to the antics are the crashing, tumbling somersaulting cars provide thrills in a very Rohit Shetty way. 
Incidentally one character played by Sanjay Mishra thinks he looks like Amol Palekar. And bursts into Aanewala pal jaanewala hai from Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Gol Maal. 

Wondering if Mishra got the wrong Gol Maal. And did he mean Ajay Devgn instead of Amol Palekar? 

Khiladi 786 is an oddball of a dhamaka that blends slapstick with stunts. It is farcical fun from first frame to the last. Go, have a blast.

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Bollywood's enduring 786 connect

The number 786, revered in Islamic culture, has found prominence in Bollywood over and over again -- remember Amitabh Bachchan's 'billa No.786' in "Coolie" and Shah Rukh Khan's 'qaidi No.786' in "Veer-Zaara". It returns to the screen with Akshay Kumar's "Khiladi 786". 

The number is said to be the total value of the letters 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' (in the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful), according to one Arabic system of numerology. In Bollywood, quick to pick on what strikes an emotive note with superstitious viewers, 786 has been used either as a connotation for a character's invincibility or to denote how a truly god-blessed soul overcomes tough times.

In reality, however, the number is just a "ritualistic reference"; no more than that, says Firoz Bakht Ahmed, teacher and community worker. 

"There is no doubt this number, 786, remains a holy number in the subcontinent, but it started as a trend. And now it has common acceptance.

"It is not some kind of force to reckon with. It just has a face value and has a ritualistic reference to it, just like there is an Om, a Trishul and a Swastika... it is no more than that," Ahmed, a grandnephew of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, told. 

"It is just indicative of a belief. Like Sikhs say 'Wahe guru' to save themselves from evil, many people use 786 for the same reason. It doesn't mean it is god in itself and nothing can happen to you," he explained. 

But for Bollywood filmmakers, still enough to forge that emotional connect. 
In the 1975 film "Deewaar", Amitabh Bachchan's character Vijay Verma carried a '786' billa with him in his pocket all the time. In the 1983 film "Coolie", the magic carried through and the megastar's character Iqbal Khan sported 'billa no. 786' on his uniform. 

Obviously, the number's mystical powers were woven into the story. 

"786 - in 'Deewaar', the 786 billa in his coat pocket saved him when he was shot at... when it dropped out in the climax, he was shot and died. In the 'Coolie' climax, the 'chaadar' draped over his body though shot at, saved him," Big B had once shared with his fans on Twitter. 

In a transference from the reel to the real, many fans believed that it was 786 that saved Amitabh from his near-fatal accident on the sets of "Coolie". Thereafter, the number gained immense popularity in the country. 
Film historian SMM Ausaja notes: "The number gained popularity after its intelligent use in Yash Chopra's 'Deewaar', and subsequently it attained a cult status in the socio-cultural fads. In fact, eight years later in 1983, the number re-emerged in 'Coolie' - a film which completed a mind-boggling 75-week run across major metros."

"Amitabh sported this number on his badge. Even the logo of the film had this number in one 'O' of Coolie. We also saw a pacemaker with this number in Ketan Desai's 'Allah Rakha' (1986). Not just car number plates, even mobile phone numbers bearing these digits are charged a premium by the operators," he added.

There are other examples too. 

Chiranjeevi sported the number in the Telugu film "Khaidi No.786", while Shah Rukh's character Veer Pratap Singh in "Veer-Zaara" also bore the prisoner number 786. The registration number of Ajay Devgn's car in the movie "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" was MRH 786. 

The tradition continues with the upcoming "Khiladi 786", in which action star Akshay Kumar apparently has '786' etched on the destiny line of his palm.
"It denotes that Akshay's character Bahattar Singh has 'Allah ki rahmat' (Allah's blessings) and how when he gets bruised, there is some upheaval all around. There is only an undertone of the number in the film, it has not been exaggerated," Rakesh Upadhyay, the film's creative producer, told.

Do filmmakers use it as a matter of superstition?

"It is not a superstition, it's an auspicious number in the Islamic context; therefore when you have a Muslim character, associating this number with any scene or incident enhances its impact," said Ausaja.

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Khiladi 786 Team launches Angry Khiladi Game

With 'Dress Like a Khiladi' contest becoming a hit, the Khiladi team has gone a step ahead by launching an action game titled Angry Khiladi, which will give fans a chance to play as Akshay Kumar himself.

Sparks are expected to fly as Rohit Shetty who is known for the larger-than-life stunts in his films has directed the action sequences.

Akshay Kumar who plays a Punjabi Munda in the film has gone all out and taken action to another level. While even the gen-next stars depend upon harness, technology and body doubles for all action sequences, Akshay Kumar takes an opposite route.

The Khiladi fearlessly performances all the dare devil stunts and the 'Angry Khiladi' game gives their fans an opportunity to be the 'Khiladi'.

The action game kicked off yesterday and in no time the game has become popular across all age groups. Considering the fanfare of the Khiladi Bhaiyya, fans are enjoying the treat of being the next 'Angry Khiladi'.

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Revealed: Saif has an old grudge against YRF

Reason why Saif Ali Khan skipped 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' premiere

Actor apparently skipped 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' screening owing to an old grudge against YRF

Saif Ali Khan has an old grudge against Aditya Chopra's production house ever since he acted in 'Tashan'

Apparently his role was chopped substantially due to which he was upset. But then if you have an actor like Akshay Kumar as co-star who is known to sit on the editing tables to get more footage, what did he expect?

Anyway why is this being talked now? That apparently was the reason he gave a skip to the premiere of Jab Tak Hai Jaan! Ouch!

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Dress like a Khiladi

The latest franchise of Khiladi series Khiladi 786 is all set to release this Friday and the Khiladi fans are in for a special treat. The Khiladi team have come up with an innovative idea to please their fans.

The team has launched the 'Dress like a Khiladi' Contest which will give the fans a chance to get their hands on the Akshay Kumar's costumes in Khiladi 786.

The trailers and dialogue promos have been well received by the audiences and the fans have like the way Khiladi Kumar has been styled in the movie. The costumes of Akshay Kumar have been designed by Komal Shahani.

The digital idea has struck very well amongst the Khiladi fanfare as the entries have already started pouring in large numbers. Three lucky winners will be gratified by the Khiladi costumes.

Barely 12 hours into the contest, it has already received over 1000 entries and going by it the numbers are just going to increase. This is one of the biggest online activities that the movie has done.

This contest has helped in creating buzz about the movie amongst various communities online and it has also been a very innovative way of digital movie marketing.

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Parineeti paired with Akki amidst Penty of rumours

Priyanka Chopra's sister Parineeti to feature with Akshay Kumar in 'Thuppakki' remake

Akshay Kumar may have stopped working with Priyanka Chopra ever since they were linked and Akki's biwi Twinkle sounded a red alert. But pairing up with her cousin Parineeti seems to be okay for Akshay Kumar.
The Ishaqzaade actress has been confirmed to star opposite the Khiladi in A R Murugadoss' Hindi remake of the Tamil action thriller Thuppakki being produced by Vipul Shah. The original features Vijay and Kajal Aggarwal.

Says a source, `Of late, Akshay has been working with newer actresses like Sonakshi Sinha in Rowdy Rathore and Anushka Sharma in Patiala House. So this time he will team up with another youngster Parineeti.

According to B-Town buzz names like Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif were being considered. But a source close to Murugadoss informs, Parineeti has been confirmed for the role. Priyanka has no clue about it! South director Murgadoss made his B-Town entry with the Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini in 2008.
Penty of rumours
Cocktail actress Diana Penty was initially considered for the Hindi remake of Thuppakki. However when Akshay Kumar learnt that Diana was from the same agency with which Akshay had a problem with, he refused to work with her.

It may be recalled that Nargis Fakhri was signed for Khiladi 786 and she had also signed a three-film deal with Akshay's production house. But Akki had differences over the contract with the agency and Nargis was replaced with Asin.
Priyanka's win, Parineeti's loss
It is also rumoured that Parineeti was angling for the role of Mary Kom in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production directed by Omung Kumar Bundela. But her cousin Priyanka Chopra bagged the role.

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