Dabangg success party - Photos

Salman's back on Twitter

After his comments on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks caused an uproar, Salman Khan wrote that he might be going off Twitter. But the man's changed his mind now, and he's back with a bang on the site.

Salman posted on his Twitter page today, "Kamaal karte ho yaar! Thank u fr wanting me to cm bak n sorry to leave but do understand that I tweet any thing n me frnds n family panic."

Salman had tweeted earlier, after the controversy, "Looks like I mite hv to get off twitter. Don't want to but wat to do? I think I messed up,so sorry guys,$sorry bolne mein koi sharam nahi."

And after his return to Twitter, Salman was back to his usual fun and at times completely random musings. He actually posted pictures of fingers and wondered if any astrologer could read 'this man's' hand!

And later he posted a sketch (we guess one he's drawn himself) and wrote, "Sonakshi ji yeh Chullll Bulllll Pandey bana rahi hai."

This was followed by a national integration from the star - "Hindu Muslim Sikh Isahi sab hai bhai bhai. Na ladna na jhagadna bus ek doosare se pyaar karna. Hum sab saath saath hai :)"

'Dabangg' Setting new benchmarks

Records are meant to be broken and DABANGG is doing just that. It's on a record-breaking spree. Previous records, at practically all centres, have been vanquished. Chulbul Pandey is the new hero and DABANGG, the new blockbuster.

This isn't the first time Salman Khan has created history. It started with MAINE PYAR KIYA, which brought viewers back to theatres. In hordes. Then HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN rewrote the rules of the game. Now DABANGG has emerged a monstrous hit. It's the new benchmark for success.

What makes DABANGG a roaring success? I asked this question to several prominent film-makers [including DABANGG producer Arbaaz Khan] and top notch distributors [read comments below]. First 3 IDIOTS and now DABANGG have opened the eyes of the film fraternity vis-à-vis the volume of business. But, like I said earlier, this is just the beginning. It's the tip of the iceberg.

Now let's talk economics. DABANGG is an expensive film for two reasons: Presence of an A-list actor [Salman Khan] and high-voltage action scenes. Action films cost more than a love story or family drama. The cost of production of DABANGG works out to approx. Rs. 30 cr., while an additional Rs. 10 cr. was spent on P. & A. That takes the total to Rs. 40 cr. Now add Salman Khan's remuneration [Rs. 15 cr. - official sources have confirmed it] and the final cost stands at Rs. 55 cr.

The cost - on the higher side - doesn't seem high anymore. For, at the rate DABANGG is faring in the domestic market, the amount should be recovered from India theatrical alone and the returns/price fetched from Overseas, Music Rights, Home Video, Satellite Rights and Tamil & Telugu Remake Rights will only add to the profits. Jab uparwala deta hain, chappar faad ke deta hain.

VOICES OF TOP LEAGUE DISTRIBUTORS & EXHIBITORS

"You can't explain the phenomenon. Everybody expected it to be a big weekend, but this big nobody could foretell. If you make an entertaining film, the potential is very high. DABANGG proves it."

- AMAN GILL

"Honestly, it's a one-man army called Salman Khan. Also, the film has been brilliantly marketed and the credit goes to Salman again. His acting and promotional skills have resulted in this success."

- ASHOK AHUJA

"I think everything has worked for the film. The timing of release, the kind of film it is and most importantly, Salman Khan."

- MAHENDRA SONI

"I will cite two factors - music and promotion. After a long time moviegoers are throwing coins and dancing on the songs. Also, hats off to Salman Khan for promoting the film to the optimum."

- SANJAY CHATAR

"The credit goes to Salman Khan. It's a one-man show."

- SANJAY GHAI

"I can describe DABANGG as a modern SHOLAY as it has all the ingredients for classes as well as masses. It has long legs and I foresee a dream run at the box-office. The Khans are laughing all the way to the bank."

- SUNIEL WADHWA

Salman, Sonakshi team up for third film

Sajid Nadiadwala liked Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha so much that he has signed them for the Hindi remake of the Tamil blockbuster 'Kick'. This will be the stars' third film together after 'Dabangg' and its sequel.

"It was Salman who was very keen that I sign Sonakshi opposite him in 'Kick'. I became a hundred percent sure of her after I saw her in 'Dabangg'. She and Salman make a great pair," said Nadiadwala.

Nadiadwala recently drove down to the Sinha's bungalow to sign Sonakshi for the remake, which Farah Khan's husband Shirish Kunder will be directing for Nadiadwala.

Salman was not just keen to sign Kunder as director, he strongly recommended Sonakshi for the female lead which Ileana had performed in the Telugu original.

"I am very happy to be working with Shatruji's daughter. He has worked extensively for my banner. In fact, I've a picture at home with Shatruji when he was shooting for our banner in 'Bhai Ho To Aisa'. I was six at that time."

"This is the first time I've gone to someone's house to sign an actor. Everyone comes to my office. But Sonakshi is Shatrughan Sinhaji's daughter."

Said Shatughan Sinha: "I told Sonakshi that I've worked with Sajid's grandfather and father. Now it's her turn to continue the tradition. God willing, my sons too will work with Sajid."

The film will go on floors this winter.

'Dabangg' beats '3 Idiots' at weekend box office

Salman Khan did it last year with 'Wanted' and he has done it again now - the star has set the box office on fire as corrupt cop Chulbul 'Robinhood' Pande in his latest movie 'Dabangg' that has collected Rs.48.25 crore (gross) at the opening weekend. And trade pundits say it has beaten the initial earnings of Hindi cinema's highest grosser '3 Idiots'.

Set in rustic and rugged Uttar Pradesh, Abhinav Kashyap's directorial debut had collections of approximately Rs.14.50 crore, Rs.15.75 crore and Rs.18 crore on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (September 10,11 and 12), respectively, adding up to approximately Rs.48.25 crore, according to trade sources.

Aamir's '3 Idiots', which released last Christmas, on the other hand, raked in approximately Rs.41 crore gross including paid previews which didn't happen in the case of 'Dabangg'.

The film's success has not only benefited Salman, but also established his brother Arbaaz Khan as a successful producer.

"The audience response of 'Dabangg' has really humbled me... 'Dabangg' is the biggest grosser of all time for the weekend. Shattering all records everywhere. I'm so proud of Salman and my entire team. Kudos," Arbaaz, who turned producer with the movie, posted on Twitter.

"A special thanks to all the audiences who have embraced and loved the film to make it so huge... also to the many critics who have given very good reviews."

'Dabangg' turned out to be a lucky launch pad for Sonakshi Sinha, the daughter of veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha.

"It has broken all records. It is running 30 percent ahead of '3 Idiots' and has been appreciated both by masses and classes across both multiplexes and single-screens," said Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan.

"The movie has got an Eid effect as it released in the festive weekend. It has no competition as earlier releases didn't do well and there is no big release in the coming week too. These are rare circumstances that we see in the Indian film industry," he added.

Multiplexes are busy counting profit.

"All shows for the movie have been housefull starting from Sunday till Monday afternoon. We have been playing 29 shows of the movie and the response has been very good. Everyone is liking it," Amit Awasthi, senior manager (Programming and Operations) of Spice Cinemas, said.

"In just three days, the movie has crossed Rs.2.1 million at Spice whereas '3 Idiots' had collected only Rs.1.85 million. However, with no big release this week, we are optimistic that the movie will definitely go places, though during weekdays, we are expecting less collections compared to the weekend," he added.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, is also happy with the initial box office response -- however, he is sceptical about the week ahead.

"It definitely had a stronger weekend collection than '3 Idiots' but now we have to see is whether it is able to sustain the collections. With not many big releases around the corner, we are hoping that it will," he said.

Distributor Mahajan is also not sure 'Dabangg' will beat the overall record of '3 Idiots' that grossed over Rs.450 crore.

" 'Dabangg' won't have an overall '3 Idiots' effect because that one had a very good word of mouth and people came to watch it with family. But you can't recommend this one to your father or your elders, you can just watch it once and get entertained," said Mahajan.

"Then '3 Idiots' maintained its business in the second and third week but this one doesn't look that promising," he added.

Also starring Sonu Sood, Arbaaz, Vinod Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, the film is doing well in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab as it collected approximately Rs.15.60 crore.

Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Sonakshi Sinha at the Friday Moviez Portal Launch Bash - Photos

Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Sonakshi Sinha at the Friday Moviez Portal Launch Bash

Box Office update: 'Dabangg' is unstoppable, opens to biggest response of 2010

As expected and predicted by this writer time and again, DABANGG opened to an earth-shattering and record-breaking response across the country. The film drew full houses from its first show onwards everywhere. Even at multiplexes, where ceetees and taalis are a rarity, the response to DABANGG was overwhelming, with fans clapping and whsitling at Salman’s intro, Salman’s dialogue [at several places] and of course, the climax fight.

DABANGG has opened in 1,584 screens in India and in terms of numbers, the film is expected to have a bigger Friday than RAAJNEETI [the biggest opener of 2010, which collected Rs. 10.5 cr. nett on Friday] and should be at par [or bigger] than 3 IDIOTS, which is the biggest opener ever [collected Rs. 13 cr. nett on Friday]. Eid will be celebrated on Saturday, so once can imagine the [grand] business on not just Saturday and Sunday, but also Monday. As per initial trends, DABANGG will be competing with just one film – 3 IDIOTS.

MOVIE REVIEW: Dabangg

The fight between good and bad has been the fodder of many a Hindi film of 1970s and 1980s. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that these films dominated the cinema of yore and a lot of us, who have grown up on masala films/wholesome entertainers, will vividly recall the serpentine queues outside cinema halls and a mad scramble to book the tickets of those films. Hardcore masala films were relished with glee by the audience then.

However, for some inexplicable reason, masala films became extinct or should I say, disappeared from the face of Hindi cinema over a period of time. GHAJINI and WANTED revived this genre, bringing back memories of the bygone era. Now DABANGG takes this genre one step ahead.

Be forewarned. DABANGG is rustic, has loads of action, harps on the age-old mother-son and varied relationships [half-brother, step-father], eventually turns into a vendetta fare, has a number of songs placed smartly in the narrative [including an item number]... but the packaging is slick and polished. Sure, it's old wine, but packed in a brand new bottle, with a new brand ambassador [Salman Khan] endorsing this masalathon.

Most importantly, it has Salman like never before. Breathing fire and venom, Chulbul Pandey aka Robinhood Pandey taps Salman's star power like no film has and the result is sheer magic. In fact, DABANGG stands on three pillars - Salman's star power, smashing stunts and super music.

Final word? Salman fans, rejoice! You walk in DABANGG with 100% expectations and you exit with 200% gratification. Entertainment guaranteed. This film will create a pandemonium of sorts, a mass hysteria, crushing old records and setting new benchmarks at the box-office.

Set in Uttar Pradesh, DABANGG is a story of Chulbul Pandey [Salman Khan], a totally fearless but corrupt police officer with unorthodox working methods. But even the most fearless at times face a tough fight with their innermost demons. Chulbul has had a bitter childhood. His father passed away when he was very young, after which his mother [Dimple Kapadia] married Prajapati Pandey [Vinod Khanna]. Together, they had a son Makhanchan [Arbaaz Khan].

Prajapati favors Makhanchan, which does not go down well with Chulbul. He decides to take control of his destiny and detaches himself from his step-father and half-brother. His sole attachment is his mother. However, after his mother's demise and an unsuccessful attempt to mend wounds, Chulbul snaps all ties with his step-father and half-brother.

Rajo [Sonakshi Sinha], with her unique perspective of life, enters his world and turns life upside down. Chulbul starts to see life more positively and also gets sensitized to the value of a family. But his detractors, especially the dubious Cheddi Singh [Sonu Sood], have their own vested interests and emerge as spokes in the wheels, putting one brother against the other. Makhanchan ends up carrying out an act oblivious to the consequences.

When Makhanchan realizes he has been used, he turns to Chulbul. Will Chulbul take his extended hand? Will the brothers be able to thwart their detractors?

The job of a promo is to give a gist of the film and prepare the audience well in advance about what to expect when they saunter into an auditorium. The promos of DABANGG have sent the right signals to the audience about it being a paisa vasool entertainer. Let's face it, DABANGG has nothing ground-breaking to offer as far as its plot is concerned. We've visited similar stories in the past, but what makes DABANGG shine, and shine brightly, is Salman's star power, which camouflages the aberrations wonderfully. The darling of the masses has been cast in a role that his fans love to see him in, which explains why this film works from start to end.

Like I pointed out earlier, DABANGG is special for two more reasons: S. Vijayan's stunts and Sajid-Wajid's music, with an additional song by Lalit Pandit. Talking of action scenes, Salman's introduction at the start and the fight-to-finish in the climax will send the masses in frenzy. To state that the action scenes are outstanding, especially the fight in the finale, would be an understatement. In the finale fight, when Salman's shirt tears apart and the rippling muscles and the bare-chest fight ensues, mark my words, it will lead to chaos at mass-dominated centres, especially at single screens. The climax will be one of the prime reasons for repeat viewing, for sure.

It's difficult to accommodate music in an action film, but Sajid-Wajid come up with a melodious score. The title track, 'Tere Mast Mast Do Nain' and 'Munni' [composed by Lalit Pandit] are the icing on the cake.

Director Abhinav Singh Kashyap is in his element. He's made an out and out entertainer with an eye at the masses and he succeeds in his endeavour. Doing justice to vintage formula is no cakewalk, let's not forget. Besides, the director stays away from going overdramatic while handling the dramatic and emotional moments. This explains why you don't exit the theatre with a spinning head. Mahesh Limaye's cinematography is perfect. I'd like to make a note of the editing [Pranav V. Dhiwar], which is super-slick in action scenes. Dialogue, especially those delivered by Salman, will be greeted with claps and whistles. Especially the one 'Itne chhed karunga'.

Salman Khan is the boss, when it comes to playing to the masses. This film reaffirms this truth. The role provides him ample opportunity to prove his star power and he does it with remarkable ease. Let me put it on record. DABANGG is yet another landmark film in his career, besides MAINE PYAR KIYA, HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN, JUDWAA [tapping the funny side], TERE NAAM [tapping the emotional side] and WANTED.

Sonakshi Sinha looks fresh, acts confidently and pairs off very well with Salman. Most importantly, she delivers the right expressions and is not overpowered by the galaxy of stars in the cast. Arbaaz Khan is efficient. He underplays his part well. Sonu Sood is electrifying, matching up to Salman at every step. In fact, the fight in the finale between Salman and Sonu is awe-inspiring.

Vinod Khanna is excellent in a role that has grey shades. Dimple Kapadia is truly wonderful. Anupam Kher is, as always, good. Ditto for Om Puri. Mahesh Manjrekar doesn't get ample scope. Mahi Gill is alright. Tinnu Anand is effective. Murli Sharma is nice. Malaika Arora Khan sizzles in the 'Munni' track.

On the whole, DABANGG is a full on entertainer with three aces - Salman Khan like never before, stylish action and super music. It's a foregone conclusion that DABANGG will open huge. As far as the business prospects are concerned, the film will set new benchmarks, so much so that DABANGG will be one of the yardsticks to gauge the level of business in times to come. Sure to fetch an earth-shattering opening, the film will create a pandemonium at the box-office, cementing the status of Salman Khan as the darling of the masses and making the distributors laugh all the way to the bank. It has Blockbuster written all over it!

RATING: 4.5/5

Salman's super starry 'Dabangg' premiere

Salman Khan's grand premiere for 'Dabangg' saw a cool star turnout, and surprise surprise Sallu himself was there super punctually. In fact, he was perhaps the first to arrive.

Dressed in black, like his co-star Sonakshi Sinha, of course Salman had his entire family there. Brothers Arbaaz and Sohail, sisters Alvira and Arpita, and his extended family - all of Bollywood! From his co-stars - old and new - Sridevi to Zarine Khan, to people he was patching up with - Bipasha was there (so we presume all is well between them now, long after Sallu and Bips' bf John had a tiff) to industry veterans - Dharmendra and Jeetendra, directors - Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai and Prakash Jha. And there was also Sunanda Pushkar, Shashi Tharoor's wife, with her son Shiv Pushkar Menon (who has his own Bollywood dreams).

Now to who wasn't there. Katrina Kaif was notably absent, wonder if she was invited and chose to skip or didn't get invited. Salman's one time close friend Govinda was not there either. Neither was SRK (Salman made it clear enough that they will never ever get together). The Bachchans were missing too (considering Salman's history with Aishwarya) though Big B did wish Sallu all the best for 'Dabangg' on Twitter.

Another highlight of the evening was a group of Salman fans who came down from Iran for the premiere and presented the star with a carpet with his picture on it.

All in all, it was one starry evening for Salman 'Chulbul' Khan.

Sonakshi Sinha promoting Dabangg in Pune S.G.S Mall - Photos

Sonakshi Sinha promoting Dabangg in Pune S.G.S Mall

Malaika and Sonakshi promote for Dabangg

Malaika says: Darling, that's not a face you make while judging a show. Nobody likes a snapper, ask me!
Sonakshi says:This is what I get for "Being Human". Free advice from my director's wife!

Malaika Arora Khan and Sonakshi Sinha caught having a moment at a promotional shoot for Dabangg at Film City.

Salman confirms Katrina split

It's the end of another complicated chapter in Salman Khan's always eventful love life, if he's being serious that is. Salman said in a TV interview recently that he had broken up with Katrina. Sallu added that they were friends earlier and are now as well. He got philosophical saying that splits happen because people go different ways, grow in different ways, or because of different sensibilites. He said it was good if friendship could be maintained even after a split.

Meanwhile, it's plain to see that the star's now playing mentor to his new Bollywood muse - his 'Dabangg' co-star Sonakshi Sinha. Sonakshi's already signed another movie with Arbaaz Khan's production company opposite Salman. And now Salllu has recommended her to his producer pal Sajid Nadiadwala for the movie 'Kick'.

Of course, Salman is the hero, and apparently Sajid had thought of casting Deepika Padukone opposite him. But Salman is supposed to have suggested Sonakshi's name, and so she's been offered the role.

And Salman and Sonakshi have been bonding apart from their movie roles too. They're both interested in painting and Sonakshi has been saying that whenever she found Salman painting, she would start painting as well. She added that their painting styles were quite similar.

So what will all this acting-painting bonding lead to, now that Salman is single? Watch this space for updates.

What made Deepika and Sonakshi cry?

Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha were moved to tears on the sets of Star Plus' singing reality show 'Chhote Ustaad' after listening to heartwarming songs.

When Deepika visited the sets of the show for the promotion of her upcoming release 'Lafange Parindey', she asked singer, judge Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to sing a few lines of 'Main jahaan rahun'. After hearing the song, Deepika got emotional.

When Sonakshi came with her parents Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha on the parents special episode of the show, Rishab, a contestant from Amritsar got her emotional by singing the emotional number 'Maa' from 'Taare Zameen Par'.

As it happened, Sonakshi, who will be seen in 'Dabangg', broke down. She said she had fought with her mother in the morning and the soulful rendition by the young boy made her forget everything and she gave her mother a tight hug.

'Chhote Ustaad' airs every Saturday-Sunday.

Salman and Sonakshi spotted at Eclipse screening

Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha at a private screening Eclipse at Ketnav.

FIRST LOOK: Dabangg

IIFA 2010 Fashion Extravaganza - Photos