Roadside Romeo
Encyclopedia
Roadside Romeo is a 2008 computer animated
musical comedy film written and directed by Jugal Hansraj
and co-produced by Aditya Chopra
and Yash Chopra
of Yash Raj Films
and Walt Disney Pictures
. It was released on 24 October 2008 in the United States and India.
This was the second Bollywood
movie to receive a North American
release by an Hollywood studio, following Sony Pictures' Saawariya
(2007).
The title character is a dog living in Mumbai
, as voiced by Saif Ali Khan; his girlfriend, Laila, is voiced by Kareena Kapoor. This was the first voiceover in an animated production for both actors.
and he is left at the mercy of the servant of the house, who dumps him on the street. Left to fend for himself, he is soon cornered by the local gang — Guru, Interval, Hero English and a dog-wannabe-cat, Mini, who tell him that this is their domain. Romeo does not know the street lingo and is at a loss for words at first, but he manages to win the gang over with the idea of setting up a business.
Together, they set up a successful dog-grooming business until Chhainu (voiced by Sanjai Mishra), the right-hand of gangster-dog Charlie Anna (Javed Jaffrey), arrives to collect "hafta
" (weekly protection money) in the form of bones. Romeo throws Chhainu out, and the others, terrified, go to Charlie to plead their case. Charlie threatens them with his trio of ninja dogs, whom he calls his Angels, but Romeo tricks Charlie into allowing his friends to leave unhurt.
Romeo then meets Laila, who is singing from a rooftop, and falls in love. To win her over, Laila tells Romeo he must dance with her in front of everyone at the "Moonlight Club" where she performs. Romeo says yes, unaware that Charlie has long wanted her, and anyone who dares go near her is punished. However, Romeo braves the odds and dances with Laila to win her heart. As love blossoms between the two, Charlie, in a fit of rage, captures and terrorizes Romeo. Romeo then promises that he would make Laila fall in love with Charlie.
Romeo does not intend to lose Laila, but plans to deflate Charlie's ego by having a disguised Mini pretend to be Laila and make it clear she's not interested. This only ends up exacerbating Charlie's ire, forcing Romeo to promise him a second meeting with Laila. The night of the appointment, however, Chhainu catches Romeo kissing Laila, who then learns of Romeo's deal with Charlie and angrily says she never wants to see him again. Charlie's Angels are then wooed by Guru, Interval and Hero English, and Charlie is chased and caught by the city dog catchers. In the end, Romeo's selflessness saves Charlie from the dog catcher; the two become friends, and Charlie himself brings Laila to Romeo in a train boxcar scene reminiscent of a similar, famous scene in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
, causing Charlie Anna to remark, "Where have I seen this before?"
, Jugal Hansraj teamed up with Aditya Chopra to write their first cartoon. Nothing came of the collaboration, the writer/director recalls, "till this one day, I was waiting at the traffic signal and saw these dogs playing in the dirt...uncared for, scruffy looking gang, totally mast in a garbage pile, and I instantly knew the characters of my story."
The alliance by producer Yash Chopra
and Disney Chairman Dick Cook
is a first in the field of animation. This also is the first mainstream CGI
feature film to come out of India.
Ltd. was involved with everything from visual conceptualisation, character design to animation and final output. Production commenced in January 2007, continuing for two and a half years and involved 150 crew members; twenty-one months were spent on the animation. It also benefited from the use of Tata Elxsi's EKA, one of the world's fastest supercomputer
s.
Though the company did not publicly release the film's budget, Britain's Guardian
reported it to be about US$7 million.
, shows the film's crew holding an audition for Romeo; another trailer was later shown with Laila's audition
. Though the release was originally scheduled for the summer of 2008, the release was put off to Diwali
.
The costumes for the lead characters were made at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
for the film's Indian promotion. Yash Raj Films
worked with Hot Muggs for producing licensed merchandise for the film. Hot Muggs integrated an inaugural concept of incorporating one-liners from the movie like "Tension Not," "Stay Cool" and "I'm Good Na" on coffee mugs.
Though many Bollywood actors promoted the film, the two main stars of Romeo, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor did not do much promotion. Kapoor told the producers she would be busy promoting her other Diwali release, Golmaal Returns
. Khan simply made himself inaccessible.
During the weekend of its release, the film faced competition from Heroes
, hence it opened to a poor response of 20-25%, which improved two days later to 30-40%. Its first-week gross of Rs. 4.5 crore (US$912,316) made it an Indian record for a Disney production.
In the United States and Canada, the film debuted in as many as 40 theatres on the same day. On the first weekend, it made US$41,770 (Rs. 20.8 lakh
) and placed 49th. The following week, its gross income came to US$55,202.
The film opened with similar results in 23 British theatres, grossing £31,576 (Rs. 24.7 lakh). The movie fared poorly in Australia with an income of only US$13,233 (Rs. 6.52 lakh) from 9 venues; and in New Zealand it brought in US$604 (Rs. 29,792) from 2 venues.
In Kuwait, the film opened on 23 October 2008 and grossed US$14,549 in the first week.
gave the film three stars out of five, citing its borrowing from the masala
films of 1980s and a predictable story. Another factor he said went against the film was its lack of good music. Though the title track and "Chhoo Le Na" were publicised, they lacked impact. Though the film was targeted at children, he said Charlie Anna's south Indian accent was hard to decipher and comprehend even for adults. Despite the drawbacks, he cited the animation's good quality which could even be compared to international standards.
The New York Times
criticized the movie saying, "The animated dogs in Romeo aren’t particularly appealing. They mostly walk on two legs and, unlike Disney characters, don’t wear anything beyond neck gear. They look oddly naked and move awkwardly, which flattens the dance sequences and keeps the film earthbound."
and actor Jaaved Jaffrey
at The Club in Andheri, Mumbai. The music was composed by Salim-Sulaiman, and lyrics have been penned by Jaideep Sahni.
Joginder Tuteja from indiaFM gave the film's soundtrack 2 out of 5 stars and noted, "The songs in themselves are no great shakes and, except for a track or two, the remaining just passes muster. [The] Delayed release of the album would take a further toll on the sales of Roadside Romeo. Overall, Roadside Romeo is a barely an okay album where one's hope only rests on the state of art animation (as promised by the makers)."
.
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
musical comedy film written and directed by Jugal Hansraj
Jugal Hansraj
Jugal Hansraj is an Indian actor and director based at Mumbai.Hansraj started his career as a child artiste in the 1983 film Masoom, which starred Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi. The film was about a 9-year-old boy whose stepmother was not willing to accept him into the family because he was...
and co-produced by Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra
Aditya Chopra is an Indian film producer, screenwriter and director. He is most known for directing his only three films Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , Mohabbatein , and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi...
and Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...
of Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films is an Indian Entertainment company set up by Yash Chopra, an Indian film director and producer who is considered an entertainment mogul in India.-Initial years:...
and Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
. It was released on 24 October 2008 in the United States and India.
This was the second Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie to receive a North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
release by an Hollywood studio, following Sony Pictures' Saawariya
Saawariya
Saawariya is a 2007 Hindi film based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "White Nights".Co-produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment and released on 9 November 2007, it is the first Bollywood movie to receive a North American release by a Hollywood studio, shortly preceding Walt Disney Pictures'...
(2007).
The title character is a dog living in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, as voiced by Saif Ali Khan; his girlfriend, Laila, is voiced by Kareena Kapoor. This was the first voiceover in an animated production for both actors.
Plot
Romeo is a dog who once lived in luxurious surroundings. One day his owners decide to migrate to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and he is left at the mercy of the servant of the house, who dumps him on the street. Left to fend for himself, he is soon cornered by the local gang — Guru, Interval, Hero English and a dog-wannabe-cat, Mini, who tell him that this is their domain. Romeo does not know the street lingo and is at a loss for words at first, but he manages to win the gang over with the idea of setting up a business.
Together, they set up a successful dog-grooming business until Chhainu (voiced by Sanjai Mishra), the right-hand of gangster-dog Charlie Anna (Javed Jaffrey), arrives to collect "hafta
Hafta
Hafta is the word for week in Hindi, Persian and Turkish languages.Hafta is also slang for the protection money collected periodically by gangsters and corrupt policemen. It is named so because the most common collection period is one week. The practice is highly prevalent in India and a refusal...
" (weekly protection money) in the form of bones. Romeo throws Chhainu out, and the others, terrified, go to Charlie to plead their case. Charlie threatens them with his trio of ninja dogs, whom he calls his Angels, but Romeo tricks Charlie into allowing his friends to leave unhurt.
Romeo then meets Laila, who is singing from a rooftop, and falls in love. To win her over, Laila tells Romeo he must dance with her in front of everyone at the "Moonlight Club" where she performs. Romeo says yes, unaware that Charlie has long wanted her, and anyone who dares go near her is punished. However, Romeo braves the odds and dances with Laila to win her heart. As love blossoms between the two, Charlie, in a fit of rage, captures and terrorizes Romeo. Romeo then promises that he would make Laila fall in love with Charlie.
Romeo does not intend to lose Laila, but plans to deflate Charlie's ego by having a disguised Mini pretend to be Laila and make it clear she's not interested. This only ends up exacerbating Charlie's ire, forcing Romeo to promise him a second meeting with Laila. The night of the appointment, however, Chhainu catches Romeo kissing Laila, who then learns of Romeo's deal with Charlie and angrily says she never wants to see him again. Charlie's Angels are then wooed by Guru, Interval and Hero English, and Charlie is chased and caught by the city dog catchers. In the end, Romeo's selflessness saves Charlie from the dog catcher; the two become friends, and Charlie himself brings Laila to Romeo in a train boxcar scene reminiscent of a similar, famous scene in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , also known as DDLJ, is a Hindi language film released on 20 October 1995. A romantic comedy, the film marked the directorial debut of Aditya Chopra, and stars Shahrukh Khan and Kajol...
, causing Charlie Anna to remark, "Where have I seen this before?"
Cast
- Saif Ali KhanSaif Ali KhanSaif Ali Khan is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the late former Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters: Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan....
as Romeo - Kareena KapoorKareena KapoorKareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
as Laila - Javed Jaffrey as Charlie Anna, the dreaded Don of the slum.
- Vrajesh HirjeeVrajesh HirjeeVrajesh Hirjee is a prominent Gujarati actor who is also well known for his comic roles in Hindi movies. Vrajesh was born in 1977.He has acted in over 40 Gujarati plays.He has since then done a number of successful movies like Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai,...
as Guru, the oldest and wisest among the four goons. - Kiku Sharda as Hero English, one of the four goons.
- Suresh MenonSuresh Menon-Career:Menon has appeared in movies including Phir Hera Pheri, Partner, Fool N Final, Krazzy 4, Deewane Huye Pagal, Chalte Chalte, God Only Knows, Dil To Pagal Hai and Hello. Additionally, he has made an appearance on the television show Comedy Circus...
as Interval, the third member of the gang. - Tanaaz Irani as Mini, the last member of the gang of four.
- Sanjay MishraSanjay MishraSanjay Mishra is an American Guitarist/Composer born in India and subsequently becoming a citizen of the United States who began performing after completing his studies at...
as Chhainu, Charlie Anna's official spy.
Development
As a fan of animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, Jugal Hansraj teamed up with Aditya Chopra to write their first cartoon. Nothing came of the collaboration, the writer/director recalls, "till this one day, I was waiting at the traffic signal and saw these dogs playing in the dirt...uncared for, scruffy looking gang, totally mast in a garbage pile, and I instantly knew the characters of my story."
The alliance by producer Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...
and Disney Chairman Dick Cook
Dick Cook
Richard W. "Dick" Cook is the former Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios. At the time of his separation from the company, he was the only remaining top Disney executive who had worked for the company since before Michael Eisner took charge in 1984...
is a first in the field of animation. This also is the first mainstream CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
feature film to come out of India.
Animation
Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata ElxsiTata elxsi
- Introduction : is a technology-led design services company and part of the $70 billion Tata Group. Headquartered in Bangalore and with a global delivery footprint through offices and centers in India, the US, the UK, Japan and Germany, Tata Elxsi is a company focused on delivering outsourced...
Ltd. was involved with everything from visual conceptualisation, character design to animation and final output. Production commenced in January 2007, continuing for two and a half years and involved 150 crew members; twenty-one months were spent on the animation. It also benefited from the use of Tata Elxsi's EKA, one of the world's fastest supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s.
Though the company did not publicly release the film's budget, Britain's Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported it to be about US$7 million.
Promotion
The first trailer, shown on 12 October 2007 with the release of the film Laaga Chunari Mein DaagLaaga Chunari Mein Daag
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey Of A Woman is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Pradeep Sarkar and starring Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor and Anupam Kher with special appearances by Abhishek Bachchan and Hema Malini...
, shows the film's crew holding an audition for Romeo; another trailer was later shown with Laila's audition
. Though the release was originally scheduled for the summer of 2008, the release was put off to Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
.
The costumes for the lead characters were made at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
for the film's Indian promotion. Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films
Yash Raj Films is an Indian Entertainment company set up by Yash Chopra, an Indian film director and producer who is considered an entertainment mogul in India.-Initial years:...
worked with Hot Muggs for producing licensed merchandise for the film. Hot Muggs integrated an inaugural concept of incorporating one-liners from the movie like "Tension Not," "Stay Cool" and "I'm Good Na" on coffee mugs.
Though many Bollywood actors promoted the film, the two main stars of Romeo, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor did not do much promotion. Kapoor told the producers she would be busy promoting her other Diwali release, Golmaal Returns
Golmaal Returns
Golmaal Returns is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty. The film is a sequel to the 2006 film, Golmaal Fun Unlimited with Ajay Devgn, Tusshar Kapoor and Arshad Warsi reprising their roles and Shreyas Talpade taking on the role originally played by Sharman Joshi. Kareena Kapoor,...
. Khan simply made himself inaccessible.
Box office
Yash Raj Films, for the first time ever, held a pre-release screening for film exhibitors on 18 October 2008. It was then released exclusively across local multiplexes on 24 October 2008.During the weekend of its release, the film faced competition from Heroes
Heroes (2008 film)
Heroes is a 2008 Hindi film directed by Samir Karnik and starring Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Sohail Khan, Dino Morea and Vatsal Sheth. The film was written by Aseem Arora. Although initially set to be released on 6 June 2008, it was pushed to 24 October...
, hence it opened to a poor response of 20-25%, which improved two days later to 30-40%. Its first-week gross of Rs. 4.5 crore (US$912,316) made it an Indian record for a Disney production.
In the United States and Canada, the film debuted in as many as 40 theatres on the same day. On the first weekend, it made US$41,770 (Rs. 20.8 lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
) and placed 49th. The following week, its gross income came to US$55,202.
The film opened with similar results in 23 British theatres, grossing £31,576 (Rs. 24.7 lakh). The movie fared poorly in Australia with an income of only US$13,233 (Rs. 6.52 lakh) from 9 venues; and in New Zealand it brought in US$604 (Rs. 29,792) from 2 venues.
In Kuwait, the film opened on 23 October 2008 and grossed US$14,549 in the first week.
Critical reception
Taran AdarshTaran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
gave the film three stars out of five, citing its borrowing from the masala
Masala
Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...
films of 1980s and a predictable story. Another factor he said went against the film was its lack of good music. Though the title track and "Chhoo Le Na" were publicised, they lacked impact. Though the film was targeted at children, he said Charlie Anna's south Indian accent was hard to decipher and comprehend even for adults. Despite the drawbacks, he cited the animation's good quality which could even be compared to international standards.
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
criticized the movie saying, "The animated dogs in Romeo aren’t particularly appealing. They mostly walk on two legs and, unlike Disney characters, don’t wear anything beyond neck gear. They look oddly naked and move awkwardly, which flattens the dance sequences and keeps the film earthbound."
Music
The film's soundtrack was released on 1 October 2008 by director Jugal HansrajJugal Hansraj
Jugal Hansraj is an Indian actor and director based at Mumbai.Hansraj started his career as a child artiste in the 1983 film Masoom, which starred Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi. The film was about a 9-year-old boy whose stepmother was not willing to accept him into the family because he was...
and actor Jaaved Jaffrey
Jaaved Jaffrey
Javed Jaffery is an Indian actor, dancer, comedian, impressionist known for his work in several Bollywood films and Indian television shows. His father is the famous comedian Jagdeep.-Professional work:...
at The Club in Andheri, Mumbai. The music was composed by Salim-Sulaiman, and lyrics have been penned by Jaideep Sahni.
Joginder Tuteja from indiaFM gave the film's soundtrack 2 out of 5 stars and noted, "The songs in themselves are no great shakes and, except for a track or two, the remaining just passes muster. [The] Delayed release of the album would take a further toll on the sales of Roadside Romeo. Overall, Roadside Romeo is a barely an okay album where one's hope only rests on the state of art animation (as promised by the makers)."
Awards
Roadside Romeo has been nominated for Outstanding Animation in an Animated Motion Picture at the 2009 Visual Effects Society AwardsVisual Effects Society
The Visual Effects Society is the entertainment industry's only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of...
.
External links
- "Animatedly Yours" - Calcutta Telegraph's interview with Jugal Hansraj