Grazing Goat Pictures

Grazing Goat Pictures
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Founded 21 November 2011[1]
Headquarters Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Grazing Goat Pictures is an Indian film and TV production house launched in 2011 by Hindi film actor Akshay Kumar and Ashvini Yardi. Its first film OMG – Oh My God!, was banned in UAE and Malaysia due to its controversial story-line. In India a few screenings of the film had to be cancelled and a police case was lodged against the filmmakers and actors for hurting religious sentiments. It won the National Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The next film in their banner Fugly opened to mixed reviews.

The company has also produced regional languages films like 72 Miles (Marathi) and Bhaji in Problem (Punjabi). Both of these opened to positive reviews from critics. The former one was screened at the London and Pune International Film Festivals and won 3 awards at the 2014 Maharashtra State Film Awards ceremony. The company has also produced the Hindi soap opera Jamai Raja which airs on Zee TV. Kumar had guest appearances in all of his films except 72 Miles.

A YouTube channel FOMO Fashion On My Own was launched in 2013. It has been credited as India's first Hindi fashion channel.

History

Akshay Kumar had launched production house Hari Om Entertainment in 2008. Ashvini Yardi had previously worked with Colors and Zee TV as Head of Programming.[3][4] When she read the script of OMG – Oh My God!, she decided to produce it and launched a company in association with Kumar.[5] The company is based in Juhu, Mumbai and the head office's interior is designed by Kumar's wife Twinkle Khanna.[6]

Hindi films

The company's first film was the Umesh Shukla-directed satirical comedy-drama OMG – Oh My God!, produced in association with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Spice Studio and Paresh Rawal's Playtime Creation company.[7][8][9] A song was added against the director's wishes.[10] Built on a small budget[11] and based on a Gujarati stage-play titled Kanji Virudh Kanji, it was a remake of the 2001 Australian film The Man Who Sued God.[12][13] The story depicted the struggles of an atheist Hindu man who sued God after his shop is destroyed by an earthquake. Kumar appeared as Lord Krishna in the film. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com appreciated the film for bringing "attention to the misuse and commercialisation of religion".[14] Anupama Chopra praised Rawal's acting but felt that the rest character's were flimsy and film's "intentions [were] good, but the preaching [was] boring".[13] The film received poor initial collection at the box office[15] but because of word of mouth it picked up and proved to be a commercial success. The film was banned in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates[16] and faced protests in Punjab where several shows had to be cancelled.[17] A police case was lodged against film's writer, director, Kumar and Rawal for hurting religious sentiments.[18] Bhavesh Mandalia and Umesh Shukla won the National Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay[19] while Kumar received a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.[20] OMG – Oh My God! has inspired a Telugu remake titled Gopala Gopala which featured Daggubati Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan in important roles. It was directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasany.[21] Reportedly, the producers of PK offered ₹8 crore (US$1.2 million) to Shukla to stop shooting.[22] He is planning a sequel.[23] Kumar said that he wanted to make "socially relevant" films.[24]

The company had signed Nargis Fakhri for a 3 film deal.[25] In May 2012 it was announced that she would be part of Khiladi 786.[26] However, in the same month she was removed from the cast.[27] The film was produced by Hari Om Entertainment and Asin was cast for the lead role opposite Kumar.[28] The company's second film was the Kabir Sadanand-directed drama thriller Fugly, featuring debutantes Mohit Marwah, Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh, Arfi Lamba and Kiara Advani in lead roles.[29][30] Kumar and Salman Khan did cameo appearances in the film.[31] Jimmy Shergill played a corrupt police officer who frames 4 friends for a murder he has committed and asks for a large sum of money in return for closing the case. The film failed to generate positive response from critics. Shubhra Gupta of The Financial Express said that it "isn’t exactly palatable".[32] Vinayak Chakravorty of India Today said that the film had mixed the elements of Rang De Basanti and Dil Chahta Hai but missed out on their magic. He called the narrative "half-baked" and said that the film "[lost] its plot".[33] It was produced under a budget of ₹10 crore (US$1.5 million).[34]

Kumar was paired opposite Amy Jackson in Prabhu Deva's comedy-drama Singh Is Bliing (2015).[lower-alpha 1] The film's worldwide gross was estimated to be around ₹116.27 crore (US$17 million).[36]

Regional cinema

Kumar and Yardi produced their first Marathi venture 72 Miles Ek Pravas.[37] Inspired from Ashok Vhatkar's novel of the same name, the film showed the problems faced by a teenager boy (Chinmay Sant) who ran away from his boarding school to reach his house which was at a distance of 72 miles from the school. It won three awards at the 2013–2014 Maharashtra State Film Awards—Best Grameen Film, Smita Tambe won the Best Actress Award while Rajeev Patil won the Best Director Award. It had also won the Jury's special award for Best film at the 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke Awards.[38] Shakti Shetty wrote in Mid Day that "the emotions won’t [elude]" the viewers. He praised Tambe's performance by calling it "one of the strongest female performances in recent times".[39] Afternoon Despatch & Courier's reviewer Sandeep Hattangadi called it "quite touching" and "the first of its kind in Marathi".[40] The film was shortlisted for screening at the London and Pune International Film Festivals.[41][42] Their second Marathi film was Gauri Sarwate-directed Anntar. It was shot in London.[43]

The company's next regional film was the Punjabi language comedy Bhaji in Problem (2013). It was produced in association with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and distributed globally by Krian Media.[44] The film was directed by Smeep Kang. Built on a small budget of ₹5 crore (US$740,000), it collected ₹17 crore (US$2.5 million) at the box office.[45] Distributors in the state of Punjab paid record prices for the film after film viewers expressed their eagerness to watch it.[46] Kumar made a guest starring in the film.[47] Sameer Valecha of Punjabimania.com noted that the film "has its own merits and will stand tall on them" and appreciated the actors for their performance.[48] Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh also appeared in the film. After the films' success Kumar said that he will produce more regional language films.[45] In an interview given to The New Indian Express, Ashvini Yardi said that "We want to make Grazing Goat Pictures a global player."[49] She is also planning to produce Bengali films.[4]

Hindi television

Grazing Goat Pictures produced their first Hindi soap opera Jamai Raja starring Ravi Dubey Nia Sharma, Achint Kaur and Delnaz Paul.[50] It airs on Zee TV and completed 100 episodes in December 2014.[51] The company plans to produce more fictional shows.[4] An adaptation of Kanika Dhillon's novel Bombay Duck Is A Fish has also been planned.[52]

FOMO Fashion On My Own

In 2013 Grazing Goat Pictures launched its Internet division Grazing Goats Digital, whose first product was India's first Hindi fashion channel called FOMO Fashion On My Own. Aimed at trend-conscious women, this YouTube channel provides online tutorials on various fashion subjects.[53][54]

Filmography

Films

Title Year Notes Ref
OMG – Oh My God! 2012 [7]
72 Miles 2013 [55]
Bhaji in Problem 2013 [45]
Fugly 2014 [56]
Singh is Bling 2015 [57]

Television

Notes

  1. ↑ This was not a sequel to Kumar's 2008 film Singh Is Kinng.[35]

References

  1. ↑ "Grazing Goat Pictures Private Limited at Zauba". Zaubacorp. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Directors of Grazing Goat Pictures Private Limited". Zaubacorp. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Munshi, Shoma (15 December 2012). Remote Control: Indian Television in the New Millennium. Penguin Books Limited. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-8475-755-2.
  4. 1 2 3 Bhattacharyya, Anushree (2 September 2014). "We plan to launch more fiction shows for television: Ashvini Yardi, Grazing Goat Pictures". The Financial Express. Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Pereira, Priyanka (4 October 2012). "Finally, action". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Lalwani, Vickey (28 November 2011). "Akshay Kumar gets a Grazing Goat". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 Bollywood Hungama (26 September 2012). "Special disclaimer for Akshay's OMG Oh My God". Hindustan Times. HT Media. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Akki's back in the game". Deccan Chronicle. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Maniar, Parag (7 September 2012). "Akshay Kumar in a new avatar". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (3 May 2013). "The Front Row: Producers' Roundtable". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "OMG Oh My God! Witnesses Growth at the Box Office on Saturday". Koimoi. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  12. ↑ Ramsubramaniam, Nikhil (27 September 2012). "OMG Oh My God the film is spicier than the play: Paresh Rawal". Hindustan Times. HT Media. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  13. 1 2 Chopra, Anupama (5 October 2012). "Anupama Chopra's review: OMG Oh My God!". Hindustan Times. HT Media. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Verma, Sukanya (28 September 2012). "Review: OMG-Oh My God is brave and absorbing". Mumbai: Rediff.com. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "OMG Oh My God! 1st Monday Box Office Collections". Koimoi. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Kapoor, Kritika (3 November 2012). "Not just India, Bollywood faces heat abroad too". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  17. ↑ Saini, Neha (29 September 2012). "OMG screening stopped amidst protests". The Tribune. Amritsar. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Singh, IP (26 September 2012). "Oh My God: Police complaint against Akshay, Paresh Rawal". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Das, Soumitra (20 March 2013). "Never imagined I would win a National Award: Bhavesh Mandalia". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Filmfare Awards 2012 - Nominations List". Times Internet. 15 January 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  21. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (6 May 2014). "Telugu remake of OMG - Oh My God! to roll May 19". India Today. Hyderabad: Living Media. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "Did Aamir Khan offer Rs 8 crore to Umesh Shukla to stop shooting 'Oh My God'?". Daily News and Analysis. Diligent Media Corporation. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (7 October 2012). "Oh My God sequel already on its way". The National. Mubadala Development Company. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  24. ↑ Press Trust of India (6 October 2012). "My production house will make socially relevant films: Akshay Kumar". Mumbai: CNN-IBN. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  25. ↑ Sharma, Neha (4 May 2012). "Does foreign charm work?". Hindustan Times. New Delhi: HT Media. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Mehta, Shweta (2 May 2012). "Khiladi 786 is a comedy: Nargis Fakhri". Hindustan Times. Mumbai: HT Media. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Nargis Fakhri out of Akshay Kumar's film". Hindustan Times. New Delhi: HT Media. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  28. ↑ "Asin to star opposite Akshay in Khiladi 786?". Hindustan Times. New Delhi: HT Media. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  29. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (10 June 2014). "Mohit Marwah: Sonam, Arjun, Harshvardhan and I have distinct personali". Mumbai: CNN-IBN. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  30. ↑ We Got the Answer to Yeh Fugly Fugly Kya Hai. NDTV. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  31. ↑ Pathak, Ankur (19 March 2014). "Salman Khan walks out on Akshay Kumar!". The Times of India. Mumbai: The Times Group. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  32. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (14 June 2014). "FUGLY: Short movie review". The Financial Express. Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  33. ↑ Chakravorty, Vinayak (14 June 2014). "Movie Review: Fugly loses its plot". India Today. Living Media. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  34. ↑ Jha, Priyanka Sinha (14 May 2014). "Business wise". The Indian Express. Mumbai: Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  35. ↑ "'Singh is Bling' has nothing to do with 'Singh is Kinng'". Deccan Chronicle. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  36. ↑ Bollywood Hungama News Network. "Box Office: Worldwide Collections of Singh Is Bliing". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  37. ↑ Kulkarni, Onkar (23 November 2012). "Akshay Kumar's Marathi film in post production". The Indian Express. Mumbai: Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  38. ↑ "A hat-trick for 72 Miles Ek Pravas at Maharashtra State Film Awards". The Indian Express. Mumbai: Indian Express Group. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  39. ↑ Shetty, Shakti (10 August 2013). "Movie Review: '72 Miles - Ek Pravas'". Mid Day. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Hattangadi, Sandeep (13 August 2013). "Journey of life: The road ahead!". Afternoon Despatch & Courier. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  41. ↑ "'72 Miles Ek Pravas' to be showcased at the London Indian Film Festival". The Times of India. The Times Group. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  42. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (3 January 2014). "Akshay Kumar's Marathi film '72 Miles Ek Pravas' selected for PIFF". Mumbai: CNN-IBN. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  43. ↑ "Tanishaa Mukerji flies to London to shoot for Anntar". The Times of India. The Times Group. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  44. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service (12 November 2013). "Krian Media to distribute 'Bhaji in Problem' internationally". Daily News and Analysis. New Delhi: Diligent Media Corporation. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  45. 1 2 3 Srivastava, Priyanka (13 September 2014). "Going regional: How celebs stars are taking to cinema here in a big way". India Today. Living Media. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  46. ↑ Vijayakar, R. M. (5 November 2013). "Akshay Kumar's 'Bhaji in Problem' Fetches Record Prices". India-West. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  47. ↑ Cahute, Larissa (14 November 2013). "'Bha Ji In Problem' a riot for families, opens in Surrey, Guildford, Mission theatres Friday". Vancouver Desi. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  48. ↑ Valecha, Sameer. "Bhaji In Problem movie review". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  49. ↑ "AK has great business sense". The New Indian Express. Express Publications (Madurai). 14 March 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  50. 1 2 Bollywood Hungama News Network (14 July 2014). "Akshay turns TV serial producer with Jamai Raja". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  51. ↑ Times News Network (19 December 2014). "Jamai Raja completes 100 episodes!". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  52. ↑ Maheshwri, Neha (21 July 2014). "Akshay Kumar to adapt novel Bombay Duck Is A Fish into a show". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  53. ↑ "Trend Blazer". Daily Pioneer. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  54. ↑ "Akshay Kumar's New Internet Venture". Indiatimes. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  55. ↑ Times News Network (27 May 2013). "72 Miles – Ek Pravas". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  56. ↑ "Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar to share screen space for Fugly". India Today. Living Media. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  57. ↑ Basu, Mohar (3 April 2015). "Akshay Kumar starts shooting for 'Singh is Bling'". The Times of India. The Times Group. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
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