What Raj Kumar Gupta can learn from 'Ghanchakkar'

From the high of 'No one killed Jessica', Raj Kumar Gupta hit a low with his 'Ghanchakkar'. Well, it did decent business in the weekend but the expectations (because of the publicity) was so high that it left audience confused and their hopes crushed. 

First things first, Ghanchakkar is not the worst film of 2013. It is much better than the matrix-inspired, logic defying action films which has nothing apart from a big star. It's comedy is subtle and much better than the slap-stick homophobic comedy movies which are released nowadays in the name of cinema. But then, Ghanchakkar missing the train because it somehow fails to tell a story. Audience are left waiting for a thrilling finale where all ends would be tied but what they get is a shocking revelation and a new character, who was no where in the scene for the first 20 minutes of the film. So can't blame the audience for feeling cheated but then I have felt worse sitting in a hall and for me it was just plain 'okay'. 

Raj Kumar Gupta might crib for his film got bad review and ratings, which impacted its success. But instead of crying over split milk he should try to understand why audience didn't like the movie, where did he go wrong. 

First, a film cannot win the heart of the audience (especially whom he is targetting) without a story. 
Second, if you want to make a movie with four characters, you got to write their story well, give the audience something to feel or connect to them.

Third, don't underestimate the intelligence of the audience, who have grown up watching thrillers -- films, books and TV series -- much before they learnt walking. So if you want to create confusion in the mind of the audience, make sure they are not able to guess the twists and turns or else you will hear yawns in place of gasps in theaters.

Fourth, a pair which has done well in one film, may not do well in another but still if you want to cash in on their chemistry then you have to give the audience something which is fresh. Vidhya Balan needed to put on weight for a reason in 'Dirty Picture' but in Ghanchakkar to play a nagging Punjabi wife with a heavy accent, she need not be a fat ass with an obsession for style.

Fifth, Never introduce a new character in the end if you can't justify it.

Things which you could have done right

First, you could have given the characters shades of grey. The characters were one-dimensional. I didn't understand why Emraan was sulking and angry right from the start and stays a ghanchakkar till the end. Probably, he himself could have turned out to be the master mind or probably, Vidya, though did good with her over the top clothes and "Haaaaaa" punjabi accent, could have turned up as the vamp if you could have justified it, made her role a little more meaty. Mr Gupta, the robbery scene was spot on especially due to the masks and secondly, the music was also apt for the film. 

Well, for someone who knows the difficulty in making a film, I might not have got bored but if you want a much wider audience and appreciation, its better you pick up your socks before making another film because you are one of the most promising filmmakers and but your transition into a master filmmaker will depend on how you can better tell a story. I for one, will be waiting for your next release and hope that you enthrall us the way you did with 'No one killed Jessica'.

Ghanchakkar and Lootera -- two interesting films in next 10 days

     Raj Kumar Gupta and Vikramaditya Motwane -- Two very young directors will be bringing two drastically opposite films --  Ghanchakkar and Lootera -- in the next 10 days. Both Raj Kumar and Vikramaditya are brilliant screenwriters as is evident from the kind of cinema that they have written in their career till now.  

     Raj Kumar had burst into the limelight with his political crime thriller 'No one killed Jessica' but it was the critically acclaimed Aamir which was his first writing project. The film explored how an urban Muslim is exploited by Islamic extremists.

     His next writing project was the realistic but enjoyable comedy 'Barah Aana', which shows three working class men trying their hand in crime for quick money. It had the veteran Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz in main roles but the film flopped, mainly because of lack of publicity.

     Vikram, who won seven Filmfare awards for his directorial debut 'Udaan', too is a writter with panache. Along with Anurag Kashyap, he co-wrote 'Dev D', which was a modern-day take on the classic Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. He was also one of the writers of the film 'Goal', which is one of the rare sports film coming out of India.

     Ghanchakkar and Lootera have very different themes. The former is a comedy which deals with heist and amnesia at its center, while the latter is a period romance drama. Both the film has an interesting cast. While Ghanchakkar brings together Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi after their success in 'Dirty Picture', Lootera will have Ranveer Singh opposite Sonakshi Sinha.

It would be interesting to see how Ranveer stars in a period film after doing the ultra smart act in 'Ladies vs Ricky Behl' and 'Band Baja Baraat'. His role has shades of grey and needs to be carried out subtley. Sonakshi has done nothing in her career til now apart from starring in 100-crore movies where she had nothing substantial to do. So in a way, it will be a test of her acting.

     Interestingly, both the films have music by the supremely talented Amit Trivedi. The title song and 'Jholu Raam' from 'Ghanchakkar' have already touched a chord with the audience, while Lootera has equally soothing Sawaar Loon"  and 'Zinda'. Amit should be a contended man given that his drastically different compositions have already topped the chartbusters and two of the songs have been sung by he himself.