Spotted: Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh

Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh at a promotional event for Lafangey Parindey at a suburban mall.

Neela Devi, Shammi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore at a screening of An Evening In Paris held over the weekend. The 1967 film starred Sharmila and Shammi.

'Lafangey Parindey' fails to fly high

Deepika-Neil movie managed opening day box office collections of just Rs 3.5 crores

The title of the movie might be as crisp, but the Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone starrer 'Lafangey Parindey" was not crunchy enough to attract the audiences to theatres.

"The business of 'Lafangey Parindey' was nothing great. It was below expectations as the movie could manage only 50 percent occupancy over the weekend on an average," Amit Awasthi, senior manager (Programming and Operations) of Spice Cinemas, said.

"The content was appreciated, but it couldn't gather hype because of the star cast. We are hoping it stretches till the second weekend," he added.

'Lafangey Parindey' opening day's collection was approximately Rs.35 million (Rs.3.5 crore) across India. According to estimates, the movie's opening weekend net collections should be in the range of Rs.100-Rs.110 million, reports businessofcinema.com. Aamir Khan Productions' 'Peepli Live', that was made at a budget of Rs.100 million has earned about Rs.210 million in its first week at the Indian box office.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas said: "'Lafangey Parindey' is over as far as business is concerned. It could manage an occupancy of only 30-40 percent over the weekend. Though the content was OK, it had no buzz."

Produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF), directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the story revolves around a street fighter Nandu (Neil), who can combat blindfolded and a visually challenged Pinky Palkar (Deepika) who can dance on skates.

While Deepika's performance in the movie has won her appreciation, it has proved a disappointment for Neil, whose last release 'Jail' too bombed at the box office.

"The movie has been average with only 30 percent occupancy over the weekend. It wasn't appreciated that much and now we have no hopes for it," said a source from PVR cinemas.

Amit Shah, chief manager (programming) of DLF DT cinemas, however, blamed the incessant rains for low footfalls.

"The weekend was not at all good. Despite a pretty OK content, the rains played spoilsport in New Delhi for footfalls. People just didn't come out of their houses to watch a movie. We got only 30-35 percent occupancy over the weekend," said Shah.

"Considering tomorrow (Tuesday, August 24) is Raksha Bandhan, hope it gets some footfalls but otherwise now there is no scope for the movie picking up," he added.

Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (business and operations) of Fun Cinemas, said: "The weekend business was lukewarm. The occupancy was 30-35 percent. The content was OK but not very highly appreciable. Though weekdays now look slightly down, it looks positive for the next week as there are no big releases as such."

MOVIE REVIEW: Lafangey Parindey

Sometimes, your reputation precedes you. Pradeep Sarkar carries the reputation of making women-centric movies. Films like PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG prove it. Who would've ever thought Sarkar would do a 360 degree turn in his third film by calling it LAFANGEY PARINDEY, set it in a chawl and make his characters speak tapori lingo? Hard to digest, isn't it? Frankly, the skilled storyteller takes you on a trip least expected from him.

When you attempt something you haven't attempted earlier or ventured into before, you either fall flat on your face or walk with your chin up in air. Sarkar doesn't slip, although LAFANGEY PARINDEY does have its share of hiccups that show up intermittently. Unlike PARINEETA and LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG, Sarkar narrates a simple story this time around and though it has nothing to do with the Rajesh Khanna - Mumtaz - Meena Kumari starrer DUSHMUN, you can't help but draw parallels with it, which, frankly, could be a coincidence as well. Yet, to be fair to Sarkar, he ventures in an unknown territory like a seasoned player.

On the flipside, the film has a major flaw and that dilutes the impact to an extent: Casting Neil Nitin Mukesh as a tapori. He just doesn't look like one. Even if he tries very hard to get into the skin of the character, you just can't connect with him since the suave and dashing demeanor makes him look like a Harvard returned, not someone from the streets or wadis of Mumbai definitely.

Final word? Sure, it has its share of shortcomings, but is an engaging watch nonethess.

LAFANGEY PARINDEY is about a group of youngsters living in the backstreets of Mumbai. It is the love story of Nandu [Neil Nitin Mukesh] and Pinky [Deepika Padukone].

One-Shot Nandu takes boxing to a new level by knocking down his opponents - blindfolded. Needless to say, One-Shot lives life on his own terms and is a local hero amongst his friends. But all that changes when he meets Pinky.

Pinky works at a mall, but is a kickass dancer on skates. Strong-headed, talented and fiercely ambitious, she aspires to rise above all the 'losers' living in her locality and carve a niche for herself. Two different personalities. Two different lives. Destined to meet.

LAFANGEY PARINDEY starts with gusto! Also, it moves on a singular path, without diversifying into unwanted sub-plots and superfluous characters. In fact, the story takes off at the commencement of the film itself and how Neil and Deepika's lives get intertwined makes for interesting viewing.

The film has some truly engaging moments and most of them are in its first hour. Sequences between Neil and Deepika after the accident are wonderful and keep you hooked. However, things begin to slacken in the post-interval portions, when the love story takes over and Neil and Deepika realize that they share a deeper bond. Just when things are about to go downhill, the climax happens and LAFANGEY PARINDEY is back on track. In fact, the drama in the finale - when Deepika and Neil have to perform the final act for a television show - is the highpoint of this film. The skating sequences and choreography are stunning and awe-inspiring.

Blemishes? Oh yes! The love story is conventional and dreary. Also, the investigating officer's track is half-baked and looks like an add-on. Besides, the film is embellished with a mediocre musical score [R. Anandh]. Also, the Bambaiya Hindi has its limitations.

Like I pointed out earlier, Neil is the wrong choice for this part. Also, he lacks the fire to carry off the role with flourish. LAFANGEY PARINDEY clearly belongs to Deepika Padukone, who suits the character and enacts it with such competence that it leaves you amazed. The pretty lass is only getting better with every film. Piyush Mishra is first-rate. Kay Kay Menon is okay in a brief role. The friends, each them, leave a mark. Especially Namit Das, who's wonderful. Shiamak Davar, Juhi Chawla and Javed Jafferi feature in brief roles.

On the whole, LAFANGEY PARINDEY may be predictable, but is engaging and entertaining nonetheless. A decent watch!

RATING: 3/5

Neil's first on-screen kiss with Deepika

How the conservative actor agreed to the liplock for 'Lafange Parindey'

Deepika Padukone has kissed Saif Ali Khan on screen, but her new co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh hadn't kissed on camera. The conservative actor had no choice but to succumb to a liplock for Yashraj Films' 'Lafange Parindey'.

Neil has pulled out the plug on his no-kissing clause as he was virtually forced to do a long, lingering kissing scene with Deepika.

Director Pradeep Sarkar and Deepika had to use every possible power of persuasion before Neil abandoned his chastity vow.

"At first Neil was totally against the kiss with Deepika. He has refused to kiss in all his films," said a source close to the project.

"In fact his first director, Sriram Raghavan, threw a fit when Neil refused to kiss Rimi Sen. In his second film, 'Tera Kya Hoga Johnny', director Sudhir Mishra insisted Neil kiss Shahana Goswami, but the actor refused. Even in 'Jail' where there was an intimate scene with Mugdha Godse, Neil refused to kiss," the source added.

Conservative to the core, Neil plunged into his first kiss only after the director assured him that the romantic relationship needed a culmination.

"Pradeep persuaded Neil and he finally saw his director's point of view. But the actor was nervous. Deepika had kissed before on screen. Not Neil," the source said.

"He first suggested a peck. But was finally persuaded to do a long, torrid smooch comparable in intensity and duration with Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor's kiss in 'Raja Hindustani'," the source added.

When contacted, Neil said: "I can't talk about this. But, yes, we've gone completely by the requirements of the script. And 'Lafange Parinde' is my first love story."

What's Neil's secret from his dad?

Neil Nitin Mukesh, who has done some daredevil stunts in his forthcoming film 'Lafangey Parindey', says he never speaks to his singer father Nitin Mukesh about these dangerous scenes.

"I don’t tell my father what stunts I am doing. Instead of me, he will try and do them. He knows I am not going to tell him about what stunts I am doing. During 'Aa Dekhen Zara', I had jumped from nine-storied building. After jumping, I had called dad and said that I am all right," Neil said.

Even when he did stunts in director Pradeep Sarkar's 'Lafangey Parindey', Neil didn’t inform his dad.

"This time when I finished my stunts, I called him and said all went well. It’s okay with him now. It’s a part of our life. We have to do these things," he said.

"Must give a lot of credit to action director Shyam Kaushal. He had choreographed the stunts very well and trained me properly before the shoot," said Neil.

But Neil refuses to promote such stunts.

"I won’t promote these stunts. I don’t want anyone to try them. We did it only and purely for entertainment. There were many people, enough security and roads were blocked before we performed the stunts. One should never try them," said Neil.

Set in the mean streets of Mumbai, 'Lafangey Parindey' is a love story where Neil plays Nandu, a boxer who pummels his opponents blindfolded. Deepika Padukone features as Pinky Palkar, an ambitious blind girl who dances with roller skates on her feet.

Deepika, Neil at "Lafangey Parindey" Press Meet - Photos

Neil, Deepika and the smelly, rotten fish!

You can see from the promos that Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone had some tough stunts to shoot for Pradeep Sarkar's 'Lafange Parindey'. But apart from that daredevilry, their training sessions also saw them working with rotten fish! And the experience almost had them choking!

It seems that the smell was so bad that the crew had to find cloth so that Deepika and Neil could cover their noses, and get some protection from the pungent odour. But the stars were professional through the shoot, probably because director Pradeep Sarkar gave them no choice but to work with the smelly fish.

FIRST LOOK: Lafangey Parindey