Dinesh Kamath's column 'Movie World: Campus related movies made by Bollywood filmmakers – Part 1' that was published in Newsband

Movie World

Campus related movies made by Bollywood filmmakers – Part 1

By Dinesh Kamath

Everybody had their favourite phase of life at 'college' or 'school'. We all reminisce the time when we had no obligations, no responsibilities, lots of fun, and little bit of studies. Bollywood has often made movies on this theme. These movies make you remember the good old times. These following college movies will definitely take you back in time.

1. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai has undoubtedly earned the status of a classic film with the whole mini skirts scene, westernisation, a stud boy, college romance, and the works. This film will remind you your puppy love and your best buddy of college days.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (English: Something... Something Happens) also known as KKHH, is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, released in India and the United Kingdom on 16 October 1998. It was written and directed by Karan Johar, and starred the popular on-screen pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in their fourth film together. Rani Mukerji featured in a supporting role, while Salman Khan also had an extended-cameo appearance. Sana Saeed, who was featured in a supporting role, made her debut in this film. The plot combines two love triangles set years apart. The first half covers friends on a college campus, while the second tells the story of a widower's young daughter who tries to reunite her dad with his old friend.

Filmed in India, Mauritius, and Scotland, this was Johar's directorial debut. One of his goals for the film was to set a new level for style in Hindi cinema. The music was composed by Jatin-Lalit, was the biggest seller of the year. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai received a positive reception from critics, with special praise directed to Kajol's performance. The film was successful in India and abroad, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of the year and the third highest-grossing Indian film ever. Outside India, the film was the highest grossing Hindi film ever until its record was broken by Karan's next directorial, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001).

The film received numerous accolades, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and awards in the "Best Film" category at the Filmfare Awards, Zee Cine Awards, Screen Awards, and Bollywood Movie Awards. The film won 8 Filmfare Awards and is the only film to win all four acting awards at the ceremony, namely Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

2. 3 Idiots

This one is for all those hostel boys in the engineering colleges! Based on Chetan Bhagat's novel, 3 Idiots is a must watch. The movie talks about three college students, college romance, the super strict professor, the stress of exams, or the super stress of college placements etc.

3 Idiots is a 2009 Indian coming-of-age comedy-drama film co-written (with Abhijat Joshi) and directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Starring Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani and Omi Vaidya, the film follows the friendship of three students at an Indian engineering college and is a satire about the social pressures under an Indian education system. The film is narrated through parallel dramas, one in the present and the other ten years in the past. It also incorporated real Indian inventions, namely those created by Remya Jose, Mohammad Idris, Jahangir Painter and Sonam Wangchuk.

Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the banner Vinod Chopra Films, 3 Idiots received critical and commercial success upon its release on December 25, 2009. The film was the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend in India, had the highest opening day collections for an Indian film up until that point and also held the record for the highest net collections in the first week for a Bollywood film. It also became one of the few Indian films at the time to become successful in East Asian markets such as China and Japan, eventually bringing its worldwide gross to ₹392 crore ($90 million)—it was the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time. The film also had a social impact on attitudes to education in India.

The film won six Filmfare Awards including Best Film and three National Film Awards including Best Popular Film. Overseas, it won the Grand Prize at Japan's Videoyasan Awards, and was nominated for Best Outstanding Foreign Language Film at the Japan Academy Awards and Best Foreign Film at China's Beijing International Film Festival. This film was remade in Tamil as Nanban (2012), which also received critical praise and commercial success. Nanban had a Telugu dubbed version titled Snehitudu. A Mexican remake, 3 Idiotas, was also released in 2017.

3. Fukrey

Fukrey is a funny movie. With no A-list star in its cast, and just with a bunch of newbies, the film stood out because of a pretty interesting story line. The movie proves that the kids who go to not so popular colleges, sometimes, have double the fun. Fukrey dealt with different issues of college life less pocket money and the urge to impress your girlfriend etc.

Fukrey (transl. Slackers) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, and starring Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Ali Fazal, Manjot Singh, Richa Chadda, Vishakha Singh, and Priya Anand. The story and dialogues are written by Vipul Vig and the screenplay is written by Vig and Lamba. Produced under the Excel Entertainment banner, the film was released on 14 June 2013.[6] Despite a poor opening, the film went on to become a sleeper hit.

4. Main Hoon Na

The movie is about casanova guys, and tomboy girls and also for that lovestruck guy/girl who had a major crush on their professor, a love triangle, a stud boy, a super strong bond of friendship between a guy and a girl, a hot professor, and what not!

Main Hoon Na (English: I am here) is a 2004 Indian action-comedy film, co-written and directed by Farah Khan in her directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Farah Khan and Abbas Tyrewala based on the story by Anvita Dutt Guptan. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan, Sushmita Sen, Amrita Rao and Sunil Shetty. Amisha Patel and Ayesha Takia were the original choices for Amrita Rao’s role. It was remade into Tamil as Aegan starring Ajith Kumar, Nayantara and Pia Bajpai.

The film is the story of Indian army Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) who becomes embroiled in the events to ensure that "Project Milap" - the releasing of civilian captives on either side of the borders of India and Pakistan - can take place as a sign of trust and peace between the two nations. Main Hoon Na is one of the most successful Indian films discussing the Indo-Pakistani conflict from a neutral point of view. The film was shot at St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.

It is the first film of Shah Rukh Khan's production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and received positive reviews from critics.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Unemployment is still a major problem' that was published in Newsband

Unemployment is still a major problem

The data released by the government on a day when ministers of the Narendra Modi cabinet took charge showed 7.8% of all employable urban youth being jobless, while the percentage for the rural was 5.3 %. The joblessness among males on all-India basis was 6.2%, while it was 5.7% in case of females.It also showed that the unemployment rate for males was higher at 7.1% in cities compared to 5.8% in rural areas. Similarly, the joblessness for women was also higher in urban areas at 10.8% compared to 3.8% in rural areas.

It is important to note that with the rise in education levels in the economy and rise in household income levels, the aspiration levels of educated youth have also risen. Unemployment is higher among general category despite their merit. Wrong selection process, of kicking out deserving meritorious to facilitate quota rules should be assessed in the interest of consumers. This is creation of artificial scarcity of intelligentsia.

The unemployment issue has to be addressed by the Government and necessary steps need to be taken on war footing as like steps are being taken for farmers, traders. Government cannot afford to ignore the unemployment problem.

Unemployment and under-employment have been a long-standing problem in the Indian economy. According to a 2013 report by Pravin Sinha, the Indian labor force has been officially classified by the Indian government into three categories:

Rural sector, which includes the farm labor, Urban formal sector, which includes factory and service industry labor with periodic salaries and coverage per Indian labor laws and Urban informal sector, which includes self-employment and casual wage workers.

The rural and informal sectors of the Indian labor market accounted for 93% of the employment in 2011, and these jobs were not covered by the then existing Indian labor laws. According to the 2010 World Bank report, "low-paying, relatively unproductive, informal sector jobs continue to dominate the [Indian] labor market." "The informal sector dominates India’s labour markets and will continue to do so in the medium term", states the World Bank, and even if the definition of the "formal sector is stretched to include all regular and salaried workers, some 335 million workers were employed in the informal sector in 2004–5".

What are the causes of Unemployment in India? According to Alakh Sharma, the causes of high unemployment and under-employment in India is a subject of intense debate among scholars. A group of scholars state that it is a consequence of "restrictive labor laws that create inflexibility in the labor market", while organized labor unions and another group of scholars contest this proposed rationale. India has about 250 labor regulations at central and state levels, and global manufacturing companies find the Indian labor laws to be excessively complex and restrictive compared to China and other economies that encourage manufacturing jobs, according to the economist Pravakar Sahoo. According to Sharma, the Indian labor laws are "so numerous, complex and even ambiguous" that they prevent a pro-employment economic environment and smooth industrial relations. India needs "labour market reforms that address the needs of both employers and workers", and it should rewrite its labor laws that protects its workers, provides social security for workers between jobs, and makes compliance easier for the industry. According to The Economist the Indian labor laws are inflexible and restrictive, and this in combination with its poor infrastructure is a cause of its unemployment situation.

Steps taken by the Government are not sufficient. Government did come up with solutions like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, Steps taken on Disguised Unemployment and National Career Service Scheme. But still more is left to be done in this area.

Dinesh Kamath's column 'Movie World Movie Rockstar (2011) in which Nargis Fakhri romanced younger than her Ranbir Kapoor' that was published in Newsband

Movie World

Movie Rockstar (2011) in which Nargis Fakhri romanced younger than her Ranbir Kapoor

By Dinesh Kamath

There are many actresses who have romanced actors younger than them on the big screen. Coming to Nargis’ debut film Rockstar, it starred Ranbir Kapoor opposite her and well, she is even 3 years older than Ranbir. Here are some information about the film ‘Rockstar’.

Rockstar is a 2011 Indian musical romantic drama film directed by Imtiaz Ali, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri, with music composed by A. R. Rahman. The film also stars Moufid Aziz, Aditi Rao Hydari, Piyush Mishra, Shernaz Patel, Kumud Mishra in supporting roles, and also Shammi Kapoor, who makes his last silver screen appearance. The film was produced by Eros International Ltd. along with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. It follows Janardhan Jakhar a.k.a. JJ or Jordan, who dreams of becoming a rockstar like his role model, Jim Morrison. Yet, eventually on attaining all that he dreamt of, Jordan ends up anguished and despondent, by the loss of Heer Kaul, whom he loved passionately and whose illness is inadvertently caused by Jordan himself.

Development of Rockstar commenced in May 2010. Nargis Fakhri was cast as the female lead, after plans to give the role to Kareena Kapoor were shelved. Filming in India took place at Delhi, Kashmir, Mumbai and Dharamsala, while the foreign sequences were shot in Prague and Liberec, Czech Republic.

Rockstar was released on 11 November 2011. On the day of release, Tibetans in Chennai and Dharmasala protested against the Central Board of Film Certification for asking the film-makers to censor scenes featuring the Tibetan flag. Upon release, the film received positive to mixed reviews. Critics highlighted Kapoor and Rahman as the stars of the film, but criticized the plot. The film did well at the box office, managing to appeal the youngsters in the cities. Made on a budget of ₹600 million (US$8.7 million), Rockstar grossed ₹1.08 billion (US$16 million) worldwide. Kapoor and Rahman received numerous awards for their work in the film. It is considered a cult classic in India due to its popularity in youth even after years of its release.

Raja Sen of Rediff gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Rockstar is a simple, unspectacular tale, sometimes even predictable, but director Imtiaz Ali masterfully weaves in details that draw us in." Aniruddha Guha of DNA too gave the film 4 out of 5 saying that the film was "like an effective crescendo that leaves you wanting more." Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India also gave the film 4 out of 5 and stated that "The highpoint of Rockstar is it's high tension, high-on-passion romance between two unlikely people".[30] Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said, "Rockstar is flawed but fabulous." Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times also gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and noted "The canvas is wide like early Sanjay Leela Bhansali's; bird's view of the stunning bridge is very Mani Ratnam; witty, earthy dialogues are so Vishal Bhardwaj. Director Imitiaz Ali manages to retain a personal, auteur's touch in a genre vastly commercial, mainstream. This is a rare feat." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and said "On the whole, Rockstar does not live up to the confidence and expectations from the otherwise very skilled and accomplished film-maker Imtiaz Ali." Hrithik Sharma of El Viaje Reviews included it into his select list of Bollywood classics and says that "Rockstar is a unique cocktail of 50% drama, 40% romance and 10% comedy. What stands out is the music by A. R. Rahman. Each song in the film is a masterpiece and fits very well into the plot. Cinematography is realistic but prepossessing indeed. The film gets a 10 on 10 in this department. There are certain scenes in the film that may seem unrelated to the plot but those would be the scenes that would stay with you longer." Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN also gave 3 stars out of 5, commenting "Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar is a far-from-perfect film, but it has honesty and depth, which is mostly missing in Hindi movies today."

Sumit Bhattacharya of Rediff gave a rating of 2.5 out of 5, saying that "Rockstar is what is called a one-time watch", and highlighted that the film "is more Devdas than Jim Morrison". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV too gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, and said "Rockstar has a Sufi soul. If only it had been set free and allowed to go the whole hog!" Komal Nahta of Koimoi again gave the film 2.5 out of 5, and said, "Rockstar will meet with a mixed response: one section of the audience (mainly youngsters in the cities) will love it while another section (mainly the single-screen audience and public of smaller cities) will find it ordinary." Kaveree Bamzai of India Today gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and said "AR Rahman's music is the soul of the film. What is missing is the spine, leaving just a jelly in place." Yahoo! gave the film 1 star out of 5, and said "Rockstar drives home an unscientific hypothesis that people who’ve endured sufferings/heart break etc will reach their creative best." A reviewer from Reuters commented that Rahman and Ranbir are the stars of the film while saying "Rockstar works on so many levels, but it fails miserably on so many more.".

Upon release, Rockstar had a very good opening. The film opened to a good response at multiplexes with bookings averaging around 60–70%, and single screens witnessed a lower capacity at around 30–40%. It collected ₹100 million (US$1.4 million) nett on its opening day, thus becoming the second highest opener in a non-festival season after Ready. The good opening was attributed to the multiplexes across cities, the "star power" of Ranbir Kapoor as well as the youthful theme of the film. The film showed growth on Saturday by grossing ₹112.5 million (US$1.6 million) nett, therefore taking its two-day net total to ₹205 million (US$3.0 million). A similar growth was seen on Sunday, and hence the first weekend collection ended at ₹337.5 million (US$4.9 million) nett, the majority of which was collected from Mumbai, Pune, Delhi & Bangalore.

Rockstar opened well on Monday collecting around ₹57.5 million (US$830,000) nett, with 40% drop as compared to the first day collections, thus taking the four-day total to ₹390 million (US$5.6 million) nett. The film collection saw another noticeable fall on Tuesday as it collected around ₹42.5 million (US$610,000) nett, with five days collection totalling to ₹432.5 million (US$6.3 million) nett. At the end of first week, the film had a good collection by grossing ₹474.6 million (US$6.9 million) nett, though the film had found appreciation only with a small section of the audience. In the process, it was ranked ninth in the list of all-time first week domestic collections.

Rockstar grossed ₹25.0 million (US$360,000) nett on second Friday, with a 75% drop as compared to the first day. On Saturday, the film collected ₹32.5 million (US$470,000) nett, and ₹42.5 million (US$610,000) nett on Sunday, taking the second weekend collection totalled at ₹100 million (US$1.4 million), representing a 70% drop from its first weekend. As of ten days, the film had collected approximately ₹574.6 million (US$8.3 million) nett. Rockstar made ₹158.5 million (US$2.3 million) nett in the second week, declining by 67% and taking the two-week collection totalled at ₹633.1 million (US$9.2 million) nett. The film on week three managed to earn ₹29.6 million (US$430,000), and hence taking three weeks collections to ₹662.7 million (US$9.6 million). By the end of its fifth week, the film netted ₹674.9 million (US$9.8 million).

Rockstar managed to gross $1.65 million from all overseas markets and was termed as below the mark. The film collected £185,000 in the UK, $612,000 in North America, $370,000 in UAE and $100,000 in Australia.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'All the Best, Mr. Modi!!!' that was published in Newsband

All the Best, Mr. Modi!!!

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with 57 Ministers, took oath of office at a grand swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday. BJP chief Amit Shah finally deciding to join the Union government, and former Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar making a surprise entry into the Union Cabinet, among the top 10 Ministers. Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also opted out.

Other notable exclusions were former Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, former Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi (making it possibly the first time that no Gandhi on either side is in government), former Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu, former Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, and former Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha.

In all, the council of ministers saw representation from 22 States, and an attempt to balance caste and regional equations. Tribal, minority and backward and upper caste representation found place in the coveted list. Women accounted for six out of the 58 berths, with three Cabinet nods for Nirmala Sitharaman, Harsimrat Badal of the Akali Dal and Smriti Irani. There were representation from Dalit communities. Another good move was picking up of Pratap Sarangi who won from Balasore in Odisha and whose almost fairy tale like story of forging a political life while living in near poverty captured the imagination of the country.

A very appropriate and intelligent selection of Ministers in the cabinet and the results will be seen during the tenure of BJP under Modi. Jana Sangh has come a long way as a party and now has absolute majority in the Indian Parliament as BJP. A great success story under Prime Minister Modi.

Best wishes to the New Goverment of India to perform even better than its first tenure from 14 to 19. They need to concentrate on providing better living conditions to all citizens irrespective of cat, creed and religion. Hoping that next five years are going to be good for us. Government and citizens should work together to improve the living standards of millions by removing poverty.

The left out MPs of all NDA collision parties should first work at the grass root level in their Parliamentary constituencies to get the good will of Farmers, uplift the poverty ridden people, provide minimum water availability in rural villages etc. The villages are still in a poor state particularly in West Bengal, Orissa, AP, Telengana, Chhattisgarh, MP where vast scope is there for development. Vast rivers are flowing through these States. Still their living conditions were not taken care of in the last seventy years. The most excellent Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj during her tenure did wonders. We will not hear her wonderful speeches in Parliament. She should become an advisor to the present government. Regarding Sri Arun Jaitley as Finance Minister really did wonders. Demonetisation and GST are the excellent works of Jaitley. Even so many Intelligents, Economists, IITians turned Economists were not able to understand and touch the pulse of Finance Minister. Congratulations to Sri Arun Jaitley. We will not hear again his quality speeches.

The Opposition may kindly be requested to play a Constructive and Positive role to keep the confidence of the people.

Wishing the New Government a happy Success in their Second tenure duly taking into consideration the upliftment of poor and unemployment at the lower level. Good to see that new leaders have got the golden opportunity to exhibit their experiences. Now this is a time to set goals for the development of nation. The average age of this council of ministers is possibly the lowest in the history of independent India. It will be Modi's responsibility to handle this inexperienced team and groom them for the future. In the process, the nation and the NDA might get a few outstanding leaders and administrators.

Lastly, Jaishankar's inclusion comes as a surprise. He was a brilliant diplomat throughout. Hope his abilities will be put to good use by the government.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'NMMC should be lauded for focusing on gutter-cleaning' that was published in In New Bombay

NMMC should be lauded for focusing on gutter-cleaning

Just before the monsoon begins, NMMC is focusing on cleaning the nallahs and gutters so that there won’t be accumulation of rainwater. The waste management department is making all the efrots to complete the work by 30 May as instructed by municipal commissioner Dr Ramaswami N.

The municipal commissioner has given strict orders that during the monsoon period, the city residents should not face any kind of problems. He has asked the waste management department to get all the nullahs and gutters of the city totally cleaned so that no problem occurs during the monsoon. He has asked even the concerned department’s ward officers and executive engineers and the nodal officers of every ward to achieve the goal that he has set for them.

Why do gutters need to be cleaned? A debris-clogged gutter can cause a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home. They serve to control the flow of rainwater to protect your roof, walls, foundation and landscape. When neglected, experts say gutters can turn from a necessity to a nightmare.

How often do gutters need to be cleaned? Many experts recommend cleaning your gutters at least twice a year

What happens if you don't clean your gutters? An unfixed gutter leak can cause damage to your home. If the leak causes mold and rotting, it is possible that the gutter will give way and fall off of your roof. Gutters drain toward the bottom exterior of your home, but if they are not working properly or aren't cleaned, water can collect and leak into your basement

Why are clogged gutters bad? If a gutter gets clogged up by dust, leaves, dirt, etc, however, it can stop or slow the drainage off your roof, causing more damage than you may know. Clogged gutters can rot fascia boards, therefore making it easier for water to enter the house to cause wall and ceiling damage.

It is good to know that NMMC has realized on time the damages that unclean gutters can cause. Municipal commissioner Ramaswamy N is setting a good example by giving a lot of focus on gutter cleaning before the monsoon starts.

Dinesh Kamath's column 'Movie World: Bollywood actresses who romanced young actors on the big screen – Part 3 (Nargis Fakhri–Varun Dhawan)' that was published in Newsband

Movie World

Bollywood actresses who romanced young actors on the big screen – Part 3

Nargis Fakhri–Varun Dhawan

By Dinesh Kamath

There are many actresses who have romanced actors younger than them on the big screen. While Varun was actually paired opposite Ileana D’Cruz in Main Tera Hero, his pairing with Nargis Fakhri in the film was liked by the audiences more. But we are sure not many would know that Nargis is 8 years older than Varun, but in the film, the age gap was not at all visible. Here are some information about the film ‘Main Tera Hero’.

Main Tera Hero (transl. I am your hero) is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor for Balaji Motion Pictures. The film stars Nargis Fakhri, Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles. Principal photography for the movie began on 30 May 2013, filming started on 5 July 2013 and was completed by 15 October. The film released on 4 April 2014 to mixed reviews from critics. It became a moderate commercial success. It is a remake of the 2011 Telugu film Kandireega.

The film received mixed to positive review. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 5 reviews, and an average rating of 5/10.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "On the whole, MAIN TERA HERO is a wild, wacky, madcap entertainer that has the unmistakable stamp of the master of entertainers – David Dhawan. An over the top plot, humor quotient and performances are three aces the film stands on. The film should work well with admirers of typical Bollywood masalathons, also because Varun Dhawan pulls off the act with flamboyance and bowls you over with an uproarious act in this zany entertainer. Go, have fun and laugh out loud!" Srijana Mitra Das of Times of India gave the movie 3.5/5 stars saying, Main Tera Hero is a pav bhaji picture, quick, spicy, hot. It has the depth of a comic strip but it also has its neon-shaded fun. For those who want a light laugh, here's your boy. Paloma Sharma of Rediff gave the movie 3.5/5 stars, and wrote, Main Tera Hero rests almost solely on the bases of strong performances extracted by a tough taskmaster, director David Dhawan—who makes a surprisingly clean film for the most part but doesn't seem to have been able to resist the temptation to indulge in a few less-than-tasteful jokes post-interval. The second half is primarily where the problem lies. The script dwindles slightly. Too many characters with too many subplots emerge, messing things up for a bit. Film Critic Subhash K. Jha gave the film 3 stars, saying ""Main Tera Hero" is a cleverly designed blues-chaser...While Varun Dhawan goes about the task of filling up the screen with his confident zest, David Dhawan ensures there is enough fuel to furnish the funnies with a furious tempo".

Mohar Basu of Koimoi praised the film, stating that, "Main Tero Hero transports you into a world of fun that we have been kept devoid of from weeks. Quick witted, jocular and pricelessly silly, this film is a sure shot must watch." She gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. Raedita Tandan of Filmfare rated the movie with 3 stars stating, "Main Tera Hero (MTH) is a textbook David Dhawan movie. This is the kind of low-brow humour you enjoy without pretensions. It's not great cinema but it is a paisa vasool comedy." Sarita Tanwar of DNA gave the movie 3/5 stars and said, "Main Tera Hero is a light-hearted entertainer, under two hours long which moves along at a brisk pace. Tushar Hiranandani has penned a mad script that will reel you in as soon as the credits end. If the industry was looking for a replacement for Govinda, then there isn't a better option than Varun." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the movie 2.5/5 stars and said that "Main Tera Hero is an action-packed romantic comedy that is peppered with vivacious performances, peppy musical set pieces, and a breezy and an unusual love triangle that eventually acquires an additional angle. The story, which is clearly only a pretext to hang the film's many gags on, delivers frantic twists and turns that strain credulity." Zee News Aparna Mudi, rated the movie 2.5/5 stars, stating, "The cast of the movie have definitely been given leverage to play their characters with ease, and performances are good all around. They also seem to have had a lot of fun with the movie, especially Varun, as he looks adorable pulling faces and romancing the two lead heroines. Highly entertaining in the first half, 'Main Tera Hero' slumps in the second. The jokes are slightly in-your-face and fail to make you laugh at times."

Abhishek Gupta of India TV gave it 2.5 stars and wrote, "Twists and turns in the climax look forcibly inducted to give a feeling of suspense, though, it doesn't work at all. The cop and the Don turning into comic characters were expected from it but despite all these hiccups, Main Tera Hero reaches its destination." The Hindustan Times' Anupama Chopra gave the film 2 stars, saying, "There are a few moments in the film that took me back to the good old day. But mostly, Main Tera Hero is loud and tiring. The frenzied plot didn't deliver enough funny lines. The burden of making this enterprise work rests mostly with Varun, who is as hyper as a helium-filled energizer bunny. Meanwhile, the two svelte heroines – Ileana D'Cruz and Nargis Fakhri – simper about looking sexy. I just wish it had been more interesting". India Today gave the film 2 stars: "If this film was made to establish Varun Dhawan as a comedy actor who can do something different then they have achieved what they wanted. Because he does put a great show together but there is absolutely nothing else that deserves any compliments."

Main Tera Hero opened to an occupancy of around 40% in India. The film, which released alongside Captain America: The Winter Soldier, led in the morning shows in places like Rajasthan, Gujarat and CI while lost out to it in multiplexes of Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai. The film saw a major setback during evening shows in the first day of its release owing to the semi-final match between India and South-Africa collecting ₹200 million (US$2.9 million). The film collected another ₹279 million (US$4.0 million) on the second day of its theatrical release—taking its two-day total to ₹500 million (US$7.2 million)—showing a considerable growth of 80%, which was expected considering the loss on its first day to the cricket match. On the third day it collected ₹75 million (US$1.1 million)—₹77.5 million (US$1.1 million) to take its weekend total to ₹400 million (US$5.8 million)—₹403 million (US$5.8 million) which though "high" by normal standards were understandable because of the cricket matches affecting its growth. On its first Monday it had a collection of around ₹375 million (US$5.4 million)—₹436 million (US$6.3 million). On the fifth day of its theatrical release there was a growth of 15% courtesy a holiday, another ₹27.5 million (US$400,000) on the next day pushed the film's six-day total to ₹308 million (US$4.5 million). Overall the film had a decent first week collecting ₹335 million (US$4.8 million) domestically. The film with the fourth highest first week total of the year—after Jai Ho, Gunday and Ragini MMS 2—performed best in circuits like CP Berar, Nizam and Andhra Pradesh, where it collected an estimated ₹221 million (US$3.2 million) plus and above all in Gujarat with ₹400 million (US$5.8 million). Suffering a heavy drop of 75% the film collected ₹15 million (US$220,000) on its eighth day. The film in all collected ₹128 million (US$1.9 million) in its second week managing a two-week total of ₹463 million (US$6.7 million) with best collections from Mumbai, Rajasthan and CP Berar circuits. From the Mumbai circuit—comprising the Gujarat-Saurashtra belts—alone it collected ₹180 million (US$2.6 million). It was declared a "Semi Hit" by Box Office India.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Modi shows his preferences in matter of foreign policy' that was published in Newsband

Modi shows his preferences in matter of foreign policy

The invitation to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand is a continuation of the “neighbourhood first” policy behind Modi’s invite to leaders of South Asia for his 2014 swearing-in ceremony. By not inviting leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Maldives on this occasion, the government is underlining that its regional preferences have shifted from the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) grouping to BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

 Modi is signalling that he does not hold the same optimism in 2019. His moves are indications of India’s “Act East” initiative and outreach to East Asia. The separate invitation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation chairperson indicates India’s commitment to the Central Asian grouping led by China and Russia.

India’s engagement with both BIMSTEC and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), which India joined as an observer in 2005, is at a promising but incipient stage. India sees BIMSTEC as a possible alternative to SAARC. The SCO, which inducted India and Pakistan as full members last year, is yet to demonstrate its utility for India.  

It is quite in order for the PM to show his preferences here. This is foreign policy in a nutshell.

India's Act East Policy must continue to focus on strengthening collaboration with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). Partnerships must aim at promoting economic revival through implementation of India-ASEAN FTA in services and investment and strategic cooperation to fight terrorism, freedom of navigation, maritime security and de-fence cooperation. Modi's use of soft power such as Buddhism, tourism, people-to-people contacts, and cultural ties with the region must also be harnessed. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sect-oral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is projected to not only increase mutual economic productivity but also promote peace and prosperity in the Northeast region. Beyond ASEAN, India must work to strengthen ties with East Asia, particularly Japan and Republic of Korea and Australia, which are both relevant for India's strategic and economic interests. Technology transfer, civilian nuclear cooperation, de-fence, and innovation are important sectors that need to be targeted.

Foreign policies are determined and should be analysed on needs of the country's welfare. SAARC's alternate could be BIMSTEC if it serves more than the former. In recent years, owing to tension and skirmishes on border with Pakistan, India wants to be less engaged in SAARC till a firm and effective resolution to disputes does not come into way. India's policies of Neighbours First and Look to East are meant to strengthen its regional position and thus providing India a chance to be one of the best economies of the world. Already, Indian markets and trade have become a hub center for a flourishing commerce, which is just a tunnel of getting riches and wealth. India must heed on its importance from ancient time to till date. These were Indian markets which on per se became center of exports as well as imports for British rule and its predecessor East India Company. Now when government is on majority it must take part to legislate laws concerning to trade within and outside.

By not inviting Imran, Pakistan Prime Minister, Modi has sent a clear message that abetting terror is a stumbling block in the friendly relationship of the two neighbors.