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Big B loved Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, defends director

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar is an angry man these days. His latest film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag which opened at cinemas last Friday may have received lukewarm reviews from the critics, but it's still running, and Sarkar can't seem to understand why people insist on running it down.
Contrary to popular belief, he says, the film is doing good business, and throws numbers at you to make his point.

"It was tight budget film made with Rs 15 crore and already on the first week it has made Rs 25 crores gross worldwide. In what way we are saying that it is not doing well?" asked Sarkar.
Admitting that the film did take a slow start in the domestic market, he's hopeful it will grow on audiences in the weeks ahead, much in the same way that his debut film Parineeta did.

He doesn't grudge criticism, but says critics shouldn't harm a film's box-office prospects.

“People have their own point of view. Criticism is fine. But don’t say don’t see it. That is not criticism. That is actually saying ‘Don’t go and watch it’,” said Sarkar.

Refuting criticism that Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a regressive film, Sarkar says the movie seems to have struck a chord with several people whose opinion he respects.

“My point is if it’s regressive film, there are people like Raj Kumar Hirani, Bachchan saab (Amitabh Bachchan) and Javed saab (Javed Akhtar) who have liked the film. I don’t think they are regressive people. They are very much now,” said Sarkar.

In no mood to spend his energies singing his own praise, Sarkar says he's already moved on to newer projects.
For him, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag turned out exactly the way he'd planned it. And that, for him, is what success is.

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag : Movie Review Links

Designing the look of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

The 28-year old Sabyasachi is very proud of the clothes that he has designed for Laaga Chunari … “as it was the third time I was dressing my favourite Rani Mukerji. It is always a pleasure to do outfits for her as she is not fussy at all. As for working with Yash Raj Films, though it was my first time, it was like going to college as everything was done systematically.

They are the most organised people and I had a good time working with the unit,” he admits. Sabyasachi has also designed the clothes for Jaya Bachchan and Konkona Sen Sharma in the film. Sabyasachi says that since Laaga Chunari …is about a humble family based in Benares, he had to keep it simple. “In the first half, Rani is a simple small-town girl. In the second half though, there is a great transition in her outlook as she is now an escort and as a high-class call girl, she is made to look very sexy.”

For this, she was given classy designer clothes, sunglasses, high heels and elegant bags, something she has never done before. “Something like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman,” he beams adding that he has worked with Rani earlier in Black (a film that is close to his heart as he bagged the National award for the period clothes) and then in Ravi Chopra’s Baabul. For the small-town look, he has given both Rani and Konkona the local printed chintz kurtas, patialas and chanderi dupattas. “I have used a lot of cottons to go according to the decorum of the characters, that of UP-ite families.

For Mrs. Bachchan, I have made her wear loose fitting jaama blouses with cotton sarees and no accessories except for hari chudiyaan. She carries a small coin purse, stating the fact that she has none or very little money to put in it. Her aging goes well with her character of a lady struggling to keep her family surviving in dire circumstances,” he says. The other designers involved with the costumes in Laaga Chunari …are Manish Malhotra, Subarna Ray Chaudhuri and Shiraz Siddique and talking about them, he says that each one had a character for whom they designed clothes and “since I am practically new and have yet to gain a foothold in the film industry, I would take the help of Subarna who I have known since childhood. We bonded very well.”

For a designer who is known for his ensembles that have universal appeal and for his ‘Indianised’ Milan collection, Sabyasachi loves to experiment with garments, his speciality being coats, jackets, skirts, sarees, as well as using a lot of lace, voiles, chiffons and georgettes. All this comes from books, confesses the designer adding that for the recent London Fashion Week held from September 15 to 20 followed by ramp shows in New York, his Nomad Collection was inspired by two books, Paul Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello and Kite Runner by Khalil Hosseini. The clothes were multi-cultured with ideas from all over like Khazakistan, Soviet Russia, Communist China, India, and so on. It was a great hit.

Presently Sabyasachi is busy with his collection in London, Paris and New York for sales. He admits candidly that films are not his main occupation, “I am doing it just for fun. In fact, I have given up a lot of offers as I was not convinced with the projects,” he adds that his work in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag will prove his potential as a designer to the film fraternity and until then “I shall wait for a fantastic script to come my way,” he beams

Rani breaks her silence

Tinselville's Miss Congeniality, Rani Mukherji, seems full of joie de vivre as usual. No nail-biting nervous Friday moments for Rani as she gets ready for her new film, the Pradeep Sarkar directed Laaga Chunari Mein Daag to hit the marquee. After staying away from public glare and media flashbulbs for months, she returns to scorch screens in a film about women empowerment.

Turning recluse wasn't a conscious choice for her, she claims. "You've got to realise that the media functions differently now. Some sections of the media are interested only about our personal lives or what we do everyday. I'm not comfortable talking about all that, so I stay away. The media has been very supportive of me most of the time and I have some very good friends.

I like to talk about my work, and whenever a film is ready for release, I am around to chat." Given that Laaga... has an unusual storyline and isn't another bubblegum romance from Yash Raj Films, how confident is Rani about the film? "Laaga... is a complete Hindi film. It's the story about a woman's struggle to fend for family and traces her journey from Benaras to Mumbai. It's also about the pressures and expectations that a child has to face if she is the breadearner. Pradeepda (Sarkar)'s eye for detailing and framing is amazing. He's like this adorable teddy bear on the sets and made the experience so much work."

The other highs were of course working with Jaya aunty (Bachchan). "She's like a surrogate mother on the sets. We bonded instantly. When you work with powerhouse performers like Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan), Jaya aunty or Abhishek (Bachchan), you learn so much and have fun on the way. Coming to Laaga..., everyone is like one big family, Koko (Konkona Sen Sharma), Kunal, Anupamji (Kher)," rewinds Rani. And what's this constant need to experiment with her look in every film (a flamboyant fringe in Tara Rum Pum, straight hair in Laaga... and a bouffant in Saawariya)? "Well, it's important for a character to look convincing. I have been lucky with the people who've styled my look," she says matter-of-factly. For all those number crunchers, Rani firmly points out that she's no longer bothered by the numbers game anymore. Not for her the worries of holding on to the Queen Bee or No.1 tag. "I love the experience of being in front of the camera and shooting. That's the greatest high for me.

I sign a film because I am in love with the character. And acting enables me to be different people, live different lives and face new challenges." Once the greasepaint comes off, the real Rani, by the superstar's self-admission, is a "home body. I hate parties, and whenever I have time, I catch up with friends, take vacations with my family and relax." So, no Oscar dreams? "I respect all awards I get, but I never crave for them. I only want people to love my work and if I can make them smile, that means a lot to me. And as an actor, I would love to explore new opportunities, but my first priority is and will always be Bollywood. " Whether the queen can conquer hearts again is now a million buck question.

Yash Raj Films' Laaga Chunari Mein Daag in legal hassle

By IndiaFM News Bureau, July 31, 2007 - 10:43 IST

Pradeep Sarkar’s Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is in news for erroneous reason. Producers Himanshu Joshi and Hirachand Jogani of Bhoomi Shree Pictures have claimed that this particular title has already been registered by their company so Yash Raj Films can’t use the same title. The producers have already sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films regarding the same and they also plan to write to the Producer’s Guild to probe into this issue. Speaking to IndiaFM, Shreepati Mishra, director of the film says, “This is our title as we had registered it first with AMPTPP.

Yash Raj Films had requested us to give this title but when we refused to give, they registered Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman. This title is very similar to our title. We are planning to write a letter to Guild regarding the same issue.” Shreepati also added that they sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films and they replied with a letter saying that their title is Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman which has been approved by Guild. “I wonder if they have a supporting line, why they are not using it? Nowadays everywhere in news, in media reports and even in their publicity calendar they have mentioned Laaga Chunari Mein Daag which is wrong” he says.

When IndiaFM contacted spokesperson from Yash Raj Films, Monika Bhattarcharya, she informed that their title is Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman and they are using the same title everywhere. However, the title fight is not new for Yash Raj Films. Earlier they had to face similar problems for Saif and Rani starrer Ta Ra Rum Pum. Producers Himanshu Joshi and Hirachand Jogani of Bhoomi Shree Pictures have decided to fight for the title Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.

Being confident about their film, director Shreepati Mishra says that “Though ours is a small budget film, we are confident about the storyline. Our title goes well with the script and songs that we have in our film. Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a story of three sisters’ and we are in talks with the stars. We will finalize soon as we plan to start the shoot in August. We are planning to finish it in October since we want to release with them.”

Would you find Rani Mukherjee playing a middle class sex worker offensive?

In the film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Rani plays a small town girl from a respectable middle class family who leaves her home lured by city life. However, confronted by adversities she is eventually forced to resort to prostitution to make a living.

Yash Raj Films (YRF), the production company, isn't sure the plot will go down well with the audience.

A girl from a poor family being forced into prostitution is a tried and tested plot that has readily been accepted by audiences in the past and based on which some of memorable and sensitive films like Amar Prem (1971, Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore) have been made.

However, the concept of a middle class woman resorting to prostitution is giving YRF honchos cold feet, because they feel it may not go down well with the predominantly middle class audiences.

Rattled by two lackluster releases this year - Ta Ra Rum Pum (Saif, Rani) and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Abhishek, Preity, Lara, Bobby) - YRF does not want to take chances.
"We don't know how kindly the viewers are going to take the fact that a woman from a middle-class family becomes a sex worker in times of crisis. Surely, we are giving it a thought. After the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom debacle we want to play it safe," a source told Mumbai Mirror.
To conform with the YRF image the film has been kept family oriented by emphasizing the mother-daughter relationship in the plot. However, no one is sure if that is enough.
The problem of course is filming is nearly complete and all they can do now is tweak Rani's role through some deft editing.

"Yashraj films are always meant for family viewing. We don't want to outrage our viewers' sensibilities. Saying so, we can't have any last minute changes as the film has been mostly shot. We intend to release the film in September."

Yet another damper for YRF is the fact Rani also plays a sex worker in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

No war between Bunty and Babli!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

For those who were waiting to see deathly tension to erupt on the sets of Pradeep Sarkar's Laga Chunri Mein Daag after what's widely been labelled the wedding snub, there was disappointing news.

There were absolutely no cold vibes between Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan when he returned two work after a two-month break. "How can there be?" says a close friend of both the stars. "Rani and Abhishek have done four films. They're seen as the new Amitabh-Jaya pair. And forget that.

They're so comfortable with each other. Yes, not being invited to the wedding did hurt Rani. She always thought of the Bachchans as a part of her extended family and hoped they considered her the same.

Initially, she was upset about not being invited. But the minute she met Abhishek last week after all grievances dissolved instantly." Rani and Abhishek are back having fun on the sets as though nothing has happened. "Nothing about Abhishek has changed after marriage. He's still a major prankster filled with masti. When Rani realised this, she immediately dropped her defences. The party spirit that prevails every time Abhishek is around is back. The set for Laga Chunri Mein Daag resembles a picnic spot," says the source. Joining the revellery are Kunal Kapoor and Konkona Senshar ma. "In fact Abhishek has known both the director Pradeep Sarkar and Kunal for years. Abhishek often jokes that he wants to be as thin as Kunal," says the source.

The buzz on the sets of Laga Chunri... is that Abhishek hasn't changed one bit. "Marriage hasn't made him less bratty. It would take a lot more than marriage to the most beautiful woman in India to change Abhishek," jokes Abhishek's buddy

Amitabh Bachchan in another cameo appearance

By Our Correspondent ©2007 Bollyvista.com

Amitabh Bachchan was last seen in Yash Raj Films' 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' in a guest appearance, singing the title song throughout the film. Big B will again be seen in another cameo role in Yash Raj Films' next 'Laga Chunari Mein Daag'.

Amitabh will be seen in a small but important role in this Pradeep Sarkar directed film. The film also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee.
Surprising to see Big B in small roles, isn't it?

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