Miss Lovely: the small big winner

Hours before the film releases and a day before the reviews appear, here’s what you can expect from this week’s release(s)…

Hours before the film releases and a day before the reviews appear, here’s what you can expect from this week’s release(s)…

Film: Miss Lovely
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (last seen in The Lunchbox; 2013), Anil George (last seen in The Blue Umbrella; 2005) and Niharika Singh (film debut)
storyline: Miss Lovely revolves around the story of two brothers involved in the ‘C-grade film industry’, making cheap adult films for the masses. All is well, until the aspiring and innocent Pinky enters their lives.

Director
Ashim Ahluwalia (Debut feature film)
He has previously directed two documentaries -- John & Jane (2005) and Thin Air (1999). Ashim, however, did go on record recently to say that he doesn’t expect the film to do well in India.

Writers
Ashim Ahluwalia (story)
and Uttam Sirur (co-writer)
Miss Lovely marks the debut of Ashim and Uttam as film writers.

Controversies/stunts
The Censor Board had originally asked the makers for a reported 157 cuts to be passed for release. However, it recently made news when it was passed with just four cuts, and an ‘A’ rating certificate. Even though this film is releasing now, it was the first lead role that Nawazuddin Siddiqui was ever signed for.
Marketing/hype
The film was widely appreciated at international film festivals, winning several awards. It even competed in the Un-Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. It was credited for putting indie Indian films on the world map. Reports have claimed that the film, which has been made on a budget of `4.5 cr, has already recovered its money.

— Compiled by Serena Menon
For the final verdict: Look out for Anupama Chopra’s review tomorrow