Ritesh Sidhwani

Ritesh Sidhwani: Films find their own commerce, people

Feb 082018

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani says movies automatically find their own commerce, platform and people

Ritesh Sidhwani

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani, after the success of Fukrey Returns, is geared up for his forthcoming film “3 Storeys”. He says movies automatically find their own commerce, platform and people. Sidhwani, along with actors Renuka Shahane, Pulkit Samrat and Richa Chadha, were present at the trailer launch of “3 Storeys” on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was asked why he chose “3 Storeys” after a commercial film like ‘Fukrey Returns’.

Sidhwani said: “No, this film was done much before ‘Fukrey Returns’. We were waiting for the right time to release the film. “I have been getting a lot of questions about the story of this particular movie, which is very different, but I don’t know what the definition of commercial cinema is. “Was ‘Fukrey…’ commercial and did anyone expect it do that well? I mean no one can say that.

“We did a film in 2006 called ‘Honeymoon Travels’ and nobody at that time thought that we were talking about packaged honeymoon and nobody thought that ‘Kahaani’ (2012) would be commercial, so I feel it’s about the story and the content and I think films automatically find their own commerce, platform and people.” “3 Storeys” is produced by Sidhwani, alongside Farhan Akhtar and Priya Sreedharan.

Asked about the film’s release date being shifted more than once, Sidhwani said: “This is not the decision we can make alone. We have to take in the factor of other films. “Because of ‘Padmaavat’, a lot of films were getting pushed. We moved our film from December 1 to December 15 and then to December 18. “So, we needed to find the right date for the release, especially for a film which is special.”

He said the delay was not due to any post-production issues. “We thought this is the right window to do it and we are going to release it on March 9. Also, nothing has changed. It’s the same movie that we were going to release back then.” The film also features Aisha Ahmed and Masumeh Makhija. It explores stories of people living on the three different storeys of a chawl, while dealing with love, betrayal and everything in between with its unique narratives. “3 Storeys” is helmed by debutant director Arjun Mukerjee.

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Ritesh Sidhwani confirms that work on on 'Don 3' has started

Celebrities

Dec 252017

Work on the script for the third installment of Don franchise, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, has started, producer Ritesh Sidhwani said.
On December 23, “Don 2” completed six years and Sidhwani said the film will happen soon.

ritesh sidhwani

Work on the script for the third installment of “Don” franchise, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, has started, producer Ritesh Sidhwani said.
On December 23, “Don 2” completed six years and Sidhwani said the film will happen soon. “It will happen sooner than you know as we have started working on the script and the story. I think we need to crack the story as the responsibility is more (to get it right for the third part). With the next film in ‘Don’ franchise we won’t take that much time, we will make it fast,” he told PTI.

According to Sidhwani, the team would make an official announcement about “Don 3” next year. Farhan Akhtar and Sidhwani’s production company, Excel Entertainment, owns the rights of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 1978 film “Don”. “Don” (2006) and “Don 2” (2011) also starred Priyanka Chopra opposite Shah Rukh Khan, who stars in the title role. Speculations are rife especially over Priyanka’s character, Roma. According to reports, Deepika Padukone’s name had emerged to replace the “Quantico” actor. When asked if the makers can play around with the central characters, especially that of Priyanka’s, Sidhwani said it is too early to comment.”… We have not decided what we are going to do with it. Right now the film is in idea stage, it needs to come out in the form of story and screenplay. So it is too early to sayanything,” he said.

“Last year, had you asked me about it (making ‘Don 3’) I would have said, we are not thinking about it. But right now we are seriously thinking about it and have started working towards it,” the producer added. In terms of direction, it is unclear if Farhan will helm the film, who directed the first two installments. “Let him (Farhan) first write the story. He is definitely writing it and then we have to see if he is excited to direct it,” Sidhwani said.

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Farhan Akhtar Is All Set To Bring Paralympian Deepa Malik's Inspiring Story To The Big Screen

Celebrities

Jul 252017

With MS Dhoni's biopic becoming one of the biggest hits of last year, Bollywood has finally realized the potential of bringing sports personalities' lives to the big screen and it seems like the trend is continuing strong. Next in line now is paralympian Deepa Malik, as Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are gearing up to produce a biopic on her.

Last year, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympics Games, bagging a Silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the shot put event. Moreover, she already has 54 gold medals at the national level and 13 at the international level in swimming, javelin throw and shot put and was even honoured with the Arjuna Award back in 2012.

And now her inspiring life story will be coming to the big screen, all thanks to Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Reportedly, Farhan was so inspired by her when he met, he felt the need to show the world about the challenges she has faced in her life.

“I had watched videos of her and knew that her life story was unreal, but when I met her and she let me hold her medal, the sheer weight of the silver gave me gooseflesh,” Pune Mirror quoted Ritesh as saying.

“At one point in her life she had to choose between death and life in a wheelchair and she chose the latter. But as she sat in front of me, there was nothing differently-abled about her. She was empowering, a pillar of strength, and I knew that we needed to take her fight to the big screen.”

The movie is already in its initial stages, and the biopic is expected to start production next year. But right now, casting is crucial, as RItesh Sidhwani believes it will be career defining role for any actress, as it's not just about the athlete, but also the person she is today.