<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/33822468.cms" /> Cleaning up the ‘System’ might be <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>’s latest passion, but it reverts to stereotypes all too soon and the art of conveying a pertinent message becomes an imperfect endeavour. The saga started with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Box-Office-Queen-OutshinesGulaab-Gang-Total-Siyapaa-Tanks/articleshow/31848837.cms">Gulaab Gang</a>, continued through <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Box-Office-Youngistaan-Falls-FlatDishkiyaoon-O-Teri-Are-Clear-Flops/articleshow/33127458.cms">Youngistaan</a> and climaxed with superstar <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword> returning with the much-hyped <keyword id="828468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Supernatural">supernatural</keyword> comedy sequel, <keyword id="1906261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhoothnath-Returns">Bhoothnath Returns</keyword>. This time, we have an adorable 70-plus ghost trying to set things right for the <keyword id="6361831" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="dharavi">Dharavi</keyword> <keyword id="56930" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="slum-dwellers">slum dwellers</keyword> and rooting out corruption in the process. But unlike the 2008 prequel, <keyword id="14780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="bhoothnath">Bhoothnath</keyword>, finger-snapping alone doesn’t do the trick. Instead, <keyword id="2217" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Big-B">Big B</keyword> (<keyword id="291868" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kailash-Nath">Kailash Nath</keyword> aka Bhoothnath in the movie series) gets ready to contest polls, preaches people to go out &amp; vote, and does loads of good work in-between, amply helped by the street-smart brat <keyword id="2199671" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Akhrot">Akhrot</keyword> (<keyword id="1068845" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Parth-Bhalerao">Parth Bhalerao</keyword>). Undoubtedly a great gesture from a spirit who cares, but it carries too much baggage than is good for the <keyword id="678332" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Subtle">subtle</keyword> art of influencing, impacting and entertaining – all at the same time. 
 But that does not mean the fantasy-comedy won’t become a Bollywood hit. In spite of its many faults, Big B spins his magic on-screen and the movie has managed to shake off a slow start. Directed and co-written by <keyword id="368516" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nitesh-Tiwari">Nitesh Tiwari</keyword> of <keyword id="248958" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chillar-Party">Chillar Party</keyword> fame, Bhoothnath Returns hit around 1,300 theatres at home but had a dull opening on April 11. It netted around Rs 4.07 crore on the debut day and witnessed a low occupancy rate of 25-30%. But <keyword id="2199678" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Weekend-business">weekend business</keyword> literally touched the sky and the movie netted a little over Rs 18 crore at the <keyword id="827271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Domestic-Box-Office">domestic box office</keyword> after the first three days. 
 
“BhoothnathReturns Fri 4.07 cr, Sat 5.85 cr, Sun 8.10 cr. Total: 18.02 cr nett. India biz… Excellent growth over the weekend,” tweeted film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh. 
 
But the numbers dwindled on the crucial Day 4 and Day 5 (April 14 and 15). Although official figures are not available yet, the movie totalled a little more than Rs 7 crore on these two days, according to <keyword id="25892" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="box-office">Box Office</keyword> Collection, thus reaching Rs 25 crore (approx) at home. Interestingly, the budget of this movie has not been disclosed yet, but some industry insiders put it at around Rs 30 crore. However, the initial numbers are definitely much better than Kangna Ranaut-starrer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Box-Office-Queen-OutshinesGulaab-Gang-Total-Siyapaa-Tanks/articleshow/31848837.cms">Queen</a> (Rs 12 crore in first 4 days). Incidentally, <keyword id="6377522" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="queen">Queen</keyword> has already netted more than Rs 60 crore at home, as per industry reports. We can’t really predict whether this Big B movie can get into that Big League or enter the Rs 100 crore club, but going by the current trend, it may overtake Bhoothnath’s earnings that managed to gross around Rs 68 crore worldwide. 
 And that brings us back to the basics. With the <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> polls in full swing, Bhoothnath Returns was expected to do much better at the domestic box office, especially as it aims to blend some meaningful messages with fantasy to present a <keyword id="2199680" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Socio-political-satire">socio-political satire</keyword>, loaded with <keyword id="1802565" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="tongue-in-cheek-humour">tongue-in-cheek humour</keyword> and sharp, <keyword id="2199682" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Witty-one-liners">witty one-liners</keyword>. The movie follows that script, but only up to a point, and then loses its pace and crispiness as is the wont of traditional Bollywood flicks. 
 The first half of the movie is quite entertaining, though. Bhoothnath returns from the <keyword id="2199683" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhoot-World">Bhoot World</keyword> as he is under pressure to prove his mettle as a ghost and must be able to scare a kid (his previous caper with Banku clearly hadn’t won the approval of fellow-ghosts). But this time, he has been won over by the slum kid Akhrot (Parth) and soon has a face-off with the <keyword id="2199670" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="evil-politician">evil politician</keyword> <keyword id="602825" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhau">Bhau</keyword> (Boman Irani). The rest of the story gets painfully predictable and then downright preachy, dragging on eternally before reaching an over-the-top climax. As most critics have pointed out, the second half of this flick could have easily passed muster as an infotainment video on ‘<keyword id="2199685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Why-you-should-vote">why you should vote</keyword>’ and ‘<keyword id="924262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vote-for-change">vote for change</keyword>.’ 
 
As the story gets stretched and execution gets lacklustre, Bhoothnath Returns loses its appeal of fantasy (something that never happens in a <keyword id="1837502" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="harry-potter-movie">Harry Potter movie</keyword> in spite of its markedly pronounced good-versus-evil theme), its appeal for kids (hardly a <keyword id="2199690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fun-movie">fun movie</keyword>, compared to the earlier one) and its appeal for thinking adults (<keyword id="6354633" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajkumar-Hirani">Rajkumar Hirani</keyword>’s Munna Bhai series will impact you better). 
 
But Bhoothnath Returns has its special charms as well. The <keyword id="2199696" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bachchan-magic">Bachchan magic</keyword> and his easy frolic with kids are bound to win many hearts. But the star of the show is the <keyword id="5334" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood-debutant">Bollywood debutant</keyword> Parth Bhalerao who is absolutely brilliant. Then there are the cameos – <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword>, <keyword id="6357861" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="ranbir-kapoor">Ranbir Kapoor</keyword> and <keyword id="7929" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Anurag-Kashyap">Anurag Kashyap</keyword> all fall in line to support the message Bhoothnath is trying to convey. All in all, Bhoothnath Returns is a movie worth watching in spite of its none-too-impressive initial performance and execution flaws. Business may pick up further as the (release) timing has been perfect and Bachchan fans are known to form that <keyword id="828348" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="critical-mass">critical mass</keyword> of movie-goers that can always spell massive success, even if it is a bit late in the day.

Box Office: Bhoothnath
Returns In Style In Spite Of Chinks In Armour And A Tepid Start

<ul><li>We are stuck on this brilliant initiative by <keyword id="1165950" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fevicol">Fevicol</keyword>.</li><li>This <keyword id="11017059" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="creative-experiment">creative experiment</keyword> has been conceptualized with Schbang, the creative &amp; technology company.</li></ul>With the advent of COVID-19, one has seen many innovations that have been able to create social impact whether they be foot-based sanitizers, scarves turning into masks or creation of sanitizer wristbands. Fevicol, one of India’s most loved brands delivers a much-needed reminder to maintain <keyword id="8897280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-distancing">social distancing</keyword> with their latest social experiment. Fevicol conceptualizes and executes the experiment at a food court of a mall to highlight the need of social distancing as COVID-19 cases are still on the rise. The premise of the experiment was based on fixing chairs to tables at the food court of a mall with labels indicating the tables that need to be left empty owing to social distancing. Various families, groups and individuals went to occupy these tables ignoring the much-needed social distancing norms. On trying to do so, they found themselves in a ‘fix’ as the chairs were stuck to the table and couldn’t be used. Fevicol taught the lesson of social distancing to the mall-goers and set an example to keep following the rules laid down in order to fight the virus. <div type="Youtube" id="oNP-byzRSpA" title="Mazboot jod ka mazboot reminder by Fevicol" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oNP-byzRSpA/mqdefault.jpg"></div> With a need of safety norms to be followed amidst the pandemic, the brand, ensured awareness of social distancing through their experiment with the message of “Chehrey par mask aur do gaz ki doori, abhi bhi hai bohot zaroori” in a humorous manner. This creative experiment has been conceptualized with Schbang, the creative and technology company. Upon the launch of the video and why the social experiment is important, <keyword id="244385" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vivek-Sharma">Vivek Sharma</keyword>, CMO, Fevicol, <keyword id="260169" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pidilite-Industries">Pidilite Industries</keyword> said “Brands also have a larger role to play in society. With this experiment, in a quintessential Fevicol way, we just wanted to remind the audience that social distancing is still very important and we should not let our guard down.” On the thought process behind the video, Akshay Gurnani, Co-Founder Schbang said, “The best way to drive social change is if it's done in a light-hearted, non-preachy manner. Fevicol &amp; Schbang have always tried creating such an impact on the digital medium and this time, through a quirky, tongue-in-cheek video serving as a reminder to continue maintaining social distancing.” “The idea of using Fevicol to remind people about social distancing was time sensitive, and it required us to work around the clock to make it happen. I think the team has done a fantastic job in using the classic Fevicol humour and quirk to give a timely message” commented Jay Morzaria, Group Creative Manager, Schbang.

Fevicol delivers an impactful reminder to maintain social distancing through an interesting social experiment

New Delhi, June 20 (IANSlife) Our fathers make great sacrifices for us but are rarely in the spotlight for all that they do. This Father's Day why not spend some quality time with 'Daddy Dear' to show him just how much he means. Instead of elaborate grand gestures, something as simple as a movie marathon with some warm popcorn will make your old man happy! Enjoy some action-packed superhero films with your real-life superhero on Flipkart Video, to show him exactly how his brave moves and invisible powers have done great good in your own life. Singham Returns Bajirao Singham returns as a Deputy Commissioner of Police in Mumbai who is on a quest to bring about justice in the country and is here to save the day with some great dialogue deliveries and the iconic Ata majhi satakli. The movie is great to enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon with your dad. Dabangg 2 Watch the amazing chronicles of Chulbul 'Robin Hood' Pandey and facets of his nonchalance, wry sense of humour, tongue-in-cheek dialogues, and of course saving the society one day at a time. Krrish 3 Power duo, Krrish, and his father must fight human-animal mutants to put an end to the evil genius, Kaal's plans to destroy the world. Watch them save the world with their courage and intelligence. RA One After facing criticism from his son and boss, Shekhar, a gaming programmer, creates an indestructible virtual character called Ra.One. Soon Ra.One enters the real world and kills Shekhar. Hence begins his son's quest to make things right with his father. Ferrari Ki Sawari A heartening tale of a father, grandfather, and a son and their beautiful, loving relationship. The story portrays the lengths the father goes to just to fulfill his son's dream. Baap re Baap A story of a young man in love, an overprotective family, and his wishes that the family opposes. Enjoy this tale of love that truly tells us that all your parents want is for their child to be happy. Gandhi my Father While Gandhi was hailed as the father of the nation, his son Harilal always resented the fact. But rather than forgiving his father, Harilal chose to tread the path that is completely against his father's principles. The movie paints the picture of Gandhi's intricate, complex, and strained relationship with his son Harilal Gandhi. All movies available on Flipkart Video. (N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in) --IANS lh/rs/

Father's Day: A date for your real-life hero to meet your reel-life heroes

<ul><li>Seagram’s Imperial Blue has launched the latest edition of its widely popular ‘<keyword id="618791" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Men-Will-Be-Men">Men Will Be Men</keyword>’ campaign featuring Karan Wahi. </li><li>Over the years, this series of ads has told stories from a male gaze, and has normalised often sexiest behaviour that in real-life situations might have been frowned upon. </li><li>Women from the advertising and marketing world tell us their thoughts. </li></ul>Imperial Blue has come out with another ad where it says ‘Men Will Be Men’. But here's a thought we women often have, do the men really agree? Seagram’s Imperial Blue, a brand that is known for its 2-liner ghazal and tagline ‘Men Will Be Men,’ has been loved over the years by both men and women. However, a closer look at the ads, and the message it is trying to convey, comes across as problematic at various levels. The ads stereotype men, portraying them as people who don't bat an eyelid while objectifying women. Over the years, this series has portrayed women as objects of desire and dehumanized men to an extent that they think it is okay for men to be greedy, possessive, full of lust and materialistic. Never have we seen a real human emotion in their protagonists. They never seem to care about others in these ads or even for their own family at times. Today, when there is a worldwide conversation on how men should be held accountable for exactly this kind of problematic behaviour, Imperial Blue continues to normalise it and be the face of it. Taking its legacy forward, Imperial Blue has launched an advertisement titled ‘Crossing’ featuring Karan Wahi. He spots a conventionally pretty woman walking towards him and helps an old lady cross the street so that he can evoke some empathy and catch the woman’s attention. He then sees another woman behind him and takes the old lady in the opposite direction with him, which implies that men will do anything to grab women's attention -- even make an old woman walk twice and toil for him. The film has been directed by Abhinav Pratiman and creatively helmed by Ogilvy. <div type="Youtube" id="e-2R4_LmO8Y" title="Men Will Be Men - Imperial Blue - The Crossing" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e-2R4_LmO8Y/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The ad series excuses problematic behaviour with one explanation, ‘Men Will Be Men.’ The phrase is a justification, for bad, at times overtly sexist behaviour. As if just because men are the way they are, women should accept it, and look the other way. They don’t say it to celebrate their victories and correct behaviour, they use it to excuse the failings of men, which reminds the audience that men are destined to do these things, just by the virtue of being men. In a patriarchal world, these ads just serve as a reminder that male privilege is real. The ad series has also featured women of one kind, with one body type, shape and age, who are otherwise seen as ‘ideal’ bodies of ‘desirable’ age. Imperial Blue, however, has found a huge following solely based on these ads. The campaign is told from the male gaze, have objectified women, shown them compete each other to get a woman's attention and even portrayed women as materialistic beings who get impressed every time they see a man with a swanky car (because women can't buy those swanky cars themselves? Really now!) Now are there men who are as mean and rude as these ads portray? Yes. But why would they choose to advocate problematic behaviour when they can act as an agent of change and help bring equality in the world? Men in these ads modify their behaviour just to impress women. They modify their behaviour, fake emotions of love and care, just so they can grab a woman’s attention. The narrative idolises men who ogle, engage in infidelity, prioritise their need over anyone else’s and only think about materialistic possessions. Here are a few examples: Enjoying music over women’s safety: <div type="Youtube" id="McB9dUqr1Uw" title="Men will Be Men - Imperial Blue - Home Drop" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/McB9dUqr1Uw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Other women over the woman you love: <div type="Youtube" id="PBz7uMfoyfQ" title="Men Will Be Men - Imperial Blue - Heartbeat" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PBz7uMfoyfQ/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Women are gold-diggers and you can get their attention with a car: <div type="Youtube" id="0NxDI5CGp-M" title="Men Will Be Men Imperial Blue Car Kartik Tiwari TVC 2014" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0NxDI5CGp-M/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Man who forgets his wife’s name: <div type="Youtube" id="MPgKNG-zAUU" title="Men Will Be Men - Imperial Blue - Rose" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MPgKNG-zAUU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> So, is it about time we put Imperial Blue’s 'Men Will Be Men' narrative to rest? We reached out to women from the advertising and marketing world to find out what they think about this ad series made from pure male-gaze. Here is what they said: Akshara Vasavda, Creative Lead, Schbang: "Imperial Blue as a brand has been insisting for years that men are thoughtless, driven by lust, and desperate for women's attention. They have certainly created a mark in the ad industry with their mediocre attempt at humour and wit. Now their portrayal of men might not be completely wrong. If that is how men choose to see themselves, that's on them. But what is not okay, is their tagline - men will be men. We are tired, so tired of being told that men are incapable of change and growth. At this point, I pity men who are told that they are lustful, materialistic, greedy beings, and that they will remain that way. I'd like to believe they can be better. We're all begging for them to be better. The woman who gets ogled at in public spaces by the very type of men Imperial Blue shows in their ads - she's tired. The woman who has to deal with weak and desperate flirtatious comments by men while she's working - as a doctor, as a nurse, as a flight attendant, as a CEO, as a colleague - she's tired. The men who believe in better men, they are tired. We're all tired of Imperial Blue telling us that men will be men. It's 2020. If men will be men, they can be so in isolated rooms away from the rest of the society, because we're tired of such men. And we're tired of an alcohol brand telling men to continue being that way, when so many of these men probably hold that half empty whiskey bottle up at the end of the night in their drunk stupor, and damage other people's lives." Vani Gupta Dandia, Founder, CherryPeachPlum Growth Partners- a marketing led business consultancy: I love this series of ads. This particular one is not the best they've done... But it's in the same vein. Same idea, consistently taken forward. Let me talk about three aspects: The insight: Is spot on. Of course men do silly things to impress the opposite sex. Of course men have plenty sex on their minds - and it's proven that men spend ample time ogling at women. Alcohol gives further wings to such fantasies so the insight is very real and very relevant to the category. The execution: They have stayed true to the brand idea for years. It's the best form of branding. You can't miss this series as any other than men will be men by Imperial Blue. The humour is understated and subtle. Thoroughly enjoyable. Done in a tongue in cheek fashion without being offensive. I look out for the next and the next - and thanks to this campaign I know there is an alcohol brand by this name. The controversy: I can't understand why this should offend anyone. The ads don't portray women badly. They simply magnify how men behave around women. It's biological that men are attracted to women and women to men. Women too want to ogle at good looking men. And sadly our social conditioning doesn't allow most of us to admit it. A while ago, there was a lot of outrage against the international KFC ad where young boys were staring at a woman's exposed breasts - that I understand. That ad one could argue, perpetuated the stereotype that women are no more than big boobs. But the men will be men series doesn't show women in poor light. The women are dignified everyday women. The men are everyday men - many times slobbish and piggish and foolish - if anything I'd say the controversy should be around creating negative men stereotypes. But then we'll lose the ability to laugh at ourselves. Let's just chill and enjoy the mating game... well done, Imperial Blue! Keep going! Srishty Chawla, Founding Partner, One Source: "Men will be men is such an old and overused trope, and it is not okay - it never was. In a day and age when the struggle for gender equality is a very real issue, this kind of advertisement completely dismisses the fight for equality. Today when we need to stop objectifying women and teach one gender to respect the other, the thought process that Imperial Blue is trying to perpetuate - it doesn't matter what men do, it is excusable because men will be men - is harmful not for women, but equally unfair towards men. Portraying women solely as objects of desire, and portraying men as people who will do a good deed only to impress or 'get' a woman and are otherwise selfish and don't care about things that matter, is in poor taste towards both genders. Today, brands are working towards communication that empowers. In such a scenario, Imperial Blue as a brand has a huge opportunity to explore and play with their positioning. It is time to let old habits and adverts die, and create new stories - positive ones! Funny doesn't need to be offensive or demeaning. I only hope that the adfolk at the brand and their consultancy realise this sooner rather than later!" Alpa Dedhia- Business Director, VMLY&amp;R India: “The definition of machismo has changed in this day and age. Here a man is desperately trying to impress a woman (and failing miserably at that!) and expressing how cool he is, is something that needs to be decried. It is degrading and disrespectful not only to the woman but also to the man. He is reduced to a lust machine, where he does not think twice even going to the extent of harassing the old woman!” Upasana Naithani- Business Head, Digital, Infectious Advertising: I think we have let a lot get away under the garb of “men will be men” including the ad series. we should stop and we should hold accountable the people who have it in their hands, the power to change the narrative.' I have three problems with this ad series irrespective of how funny it may be: <ol><li>How come everything under “men will be men” comes down to the man lusting after a woman in the ad and trying to impress her? Is there really no other narrative to this insight? Or are we not willing to look for it since it’s easier to sell this? While at one side, we fight for a #MeToo, we allow ourselves to applaud this ad without seeing the bigger problem that they flaunt. The ads have shown men as creatures who only think from their genital area. And let’s be clear, they are not. Men are smart, intelligent, compassionate human beings and deserve a better portrayal.</li><li>In this particular ad, the man is almost using the old woman as bait. That’s downright inhuman and how are we ok to see a guy doing this and laugh at it. I understand creative liberty but this honestly should get the men raging. All the men fighting to disassociate themselves with “Not All Men” need to have a look here.</li><li>Can we stop with showcasing women as objects of desire? And only that? It’s downright unintelligent now.</li></ol>With changing time, will Imperial Blue also change its narrative to portray men who are actually conscious about the environment and treat women as their equals? Will we ever see 'non-conventional-looking' women in this ad series and not just models or will they diversify their representation by including different kinds of men and women? We are really hoping for that but what really happens, only time will tell.

You Searched For "tongue in cheek humour" and got 4 results

Box Office: Bhoothnath Returns In Style In Spite Of Chinks In Armour And A Tepid Start

Sanghamitra Mandal

Fevicol delivers an impactful reminder to maintain social distancing through an interesting social experiment

BI India Partner

Father's Day: A date for your real-life hero to meet your reel-life heroes

IANS

Have women had enough of Imperial Blue’s 'Men Will Be Men' ads? Women from the ad and marketing world tell us their thoughts

Karuna Sharma