Vicky Donor
Vicky parasar | |
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File:Vicky Donor.jpg Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Shoojit Sircar[1][2] |
Written by | Juhi Chaturvedi[3][4][5] |
Produced by | John Abraham[6] |
Starring | Ayushmann Khurrana Yami Gautam Annu Kapoor Puja Gupta |
Cinematography | Kamaljeet Negi |
Music by | Abhishek-Akshay Bann Rochak Kohli Ayushmann Khurrana[7] |
Production company | Rising Sun Films |
Distributed by | John Abraham Entertainment Eros Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes[8] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹50 million (US$600,000) |
Box office | ₹645.0 million (US$7.7 million)(worldwide)[9] |
Vicky Donor is a 2012 Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by actor John Abraham.[10] The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam and Annu Kapoor in the lead roles. It released on 20 April 2012 in around 750 screens across India,[11][12] and received positive response worldwide.[11] The film opened to critical acclaim and performed strongly at the box office and was declared a Super Hit by Box Office India.[13][14] The storyline is based on the concept of sperm donation and infertility.[15][16][17] The film is loosely based on the Canadian French film Starbuck.[18][19]
Plot
The story is about Dr. Baldev Chaddha (Annu Kapoor), a fertility expert, who runs a fertility clinic and a sperm bank in Daryaganj, Delhi, that guarantees high quality and specialised sperm for couples with fertility issues wanting donated sperm. Unfortunately, he has more failed cases to his credit than successes. A healthy and high-performing donor is therefore need of the hour. While searching for his 'Indian Alexander', Chaddha bumps into Vicky Arora (Ayushmann Khurrana). Vicky is the only son of his widowed mother Dolly (Dolly Ahluwalia), who runs a small parlour from their home in Lajpat Nagar. He lives with his mother and grandmother and provides no financial support to her. Dolly is always nagging at Vicky to go and work for his uncle so he can help with the family's finances but Vicky wants a job in a multinational company, which will provide him with a better lifestyle. Vicky's neighbor Shweta (Puja Gupta) is infatuated with him, but Vicky doesn't reciprocate the same feelings which causes friction at times between the two.
A small brawl in the colony brings Chaddha and Vicky face to face, where Chaddha concludes that Vicky could be the donor he has been looking for. From here on, Chaddha's days and nights are spent in convincing Vicky to become a donor until he finally gives in. Although Vicky is hesitant at first, he accepts being a sperm donor after seeing the potential money he could make from being one. He starts to spend money wildly and renovates his home and his mother's beauty parlor. He fulfills all his dreams with the money he is making. At first he openly discloses he is a sperm donor to his friends, but after being repeatedly ignored by them he starts to keep it a secret. Vicky falls in love with Ashima Roy (Yami Gautam) whom he meets in a bank when he goes for depositing money. Ashima is a Bengali who works in a bank. At first Ashima is repelled by Vicky and his attitude, but slowly becomes attracted to him. After a period of dating both admit they are in love with each other and want to get married. Ashima also discloses that she was briefly married to a Bengali, who left her immediately after their wedding because he loved someone else. When she asks Vicky about his status, he hides the fact he is a sperm donor feeling ashamed of the fact. Despite initial friction between Vicky's and Ashima's families due to conflicting cultures, they eventually convince their families and get married. After their wedding Vicky stops donating sperm out of faithfulness to Ahsima. It is discovered in the progress that Ashima is infertile and Vicky, with a heavy heart, takes better care of her. One day while looking at the doctor's reports, Ashima finds Vicky's reports nowhere to be seen and asks him where they are. He admits to not having taken the fertility tests, because of his past as a sperm donor. Once Ashima finds this out, she becomes extremely upset as her husband has multiple children while she is unable to bear any herself. She is also upset that he lied to her. Ashima temporarily leaves Vicky and goes back to Kolkata to her father's home.
Vicky is extremely upset as he loves Ashima a lot and cannot live without her. One night Vicky gets a frantic call from his mother who claims that Income Tax agents have raided her beauty parlor. Vicky rushes to her aid and once there Vicky is arrested on suspicion of handling black money. Then while at the police station, Vicky is bailed out by Dr. Chaddha and he clear the air with the police about Vicky's money. He explains that he is a sperm donor and the money was gifts from the parents who used Vicky's sperm. After being released by the police, Dr. Chaddha and Vicky have a chat in which he explains how Ashima has left Vicky because of his past as a sperm donor and the fact that she is infertile herself. Dr. Chaddha tells him that he will fix his marriage and takes it upon himself to fix up Vicky's marriage. He asks Vicky to bring Ashima to a guest house where he will host an event, but Vicky is reluctant because he is not sure if Ashima will be willing to come back with him. After Vicky has a chat with Dr. Chaddha he goes to his mother home and she is very upset with him and slaps him. She is very angry with him about the sperm donation, and while his grandmother is also clearly upset she points out that Vicky brought happiness and joy to those parents who were not able to have children and that's all that matters to her. She then encourages Vicky to go to Kolkata and bring back Ashima, which he does. Vicky then goes to Ashima's father's home and tries to apologize for his deception. Although she is reluctant, Ashima's father sets her straight and tells her that Vicky is a good person and she should not leave him because she is jealous of him being able to have children.
Then she agrees to go with Vicky to Dr. Chaddha's event. Dr. Chaddha holds an event where he calls all the families who have received Vicky's sperm. She then sees how Vicky has brought happiness into the families lives. Dr. Chaddha then takes Vicky and Ashima to an orphanage and explains that while tracking down two children who Vicky fathered, he came across one child he fathered who lost both her parents in a car accident and had to be put in an orphanage. He says that Vicky and Ashima should adopt her as they cannot have child of their own. They both happily agree and reconcile with each other. The movie ends with Dr. Chaddha calling Vicky telling him that a request for his sperm has come in, asking if he will donate. With Ashima's approval he agrees.
Cast
- Ayushmann Khurrana as Vicky Arora
- Yami Gautam as Ashima Roy Arora[20]
- Annu Kapoor as Dr. Baldev Chaddha
- Dolly Ahluwalia as Mrs. Arora[21]
- Kamlesh Gill as Biji[22][23]
- Jayant Das as Mr. Roy (Ashima's Father)
- Bupesh Pandya as Chaman
- K.V Rajni as nurse Lata.[24]
- Puja Gupta as Shweta
- John Abraham as himself in song "Rum Whisky"
Themes and development
Vicky Donor deals with the concept of sperm donation and infertility.[25] When questioned about the risky subject matter, Abraham responded "Basically, Vicky Donor is a romantic comedy. But the concept is set against the background of sperm donation." Abraham hoped that the film could shed light on a serious issue still considered "taboo" in Indian society. Sircar said, "I want to take a light-hearted look at the taboo attached to infertility and artificial insemination". Before filming began, Sircar researched upon the plot themes for three years.[26] Juhi Chaturvedi, creative director at advertising agency Bates, who wrote film's screenplay based on her own idea, had previously stayed in Lajpat Nagar as a student at College of Arts, Delhi. As the script went through several drafts, she also met a couple who run a noted fertility clinic in Mumbai.[27][28]
Production
Despite the usual trend, Abraham did not take up the leading role in the film: "It was a conscious decision to not act in my first production because I believe producing a film is about creating quality content that I believe in."[29] Director Sircar suggested Khurrana, a video jockey and television host, for the role of Vicky; he was considered because he was popular among the youth. I can read and write in it too."[26][30] Khurrana turned down three film projects to play the lead in Vicky Donor. To prepare for the role, he met several medical experts and donors to understand the concept of sperm donation; a major medical consultant specialising in the field was later inducted as a medical adviser for the film. Additionally, Khurrana studied acting and attended workshops with N.K. Sharma in Delhi.[26] It was later reported that Abraham would perform an "item number" in the film.[31] Commenting on the lead's performance, Abraham said "I am glad I cast Ayushmann in the lead. He's a complete natural, has all the trappings of a fine actor and has delivered a super performance. It doesn't seem like Vicky Donor is his first film." It was reported that the film's production crew would feature "the best technicians from Los Angeles", and acclaimed action choreographer J J Perry. Incidentally, Ayushmann who plays the lead role, successfully performed a task on the reality show MTV Roadies: Season 2, which was sperm donation.[29][32]
Reception
Critical reception
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FilmiTadka | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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The Times of India | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
CNN-IBN | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hindustan Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Bollywood3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rediff | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Indian Express | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Yahoo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tehelka | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
† indicates that the given rating is an average rating of all reviews provided by the source |
Vicky Donor received overwhelmingly positive reviews from various top critics of India. Blessy Chettiar of DNA India rated it with 4 stars and said – "Run to the nearest theatre and surrender yourself to charm of Vicky and his team. This "Aryaputra" provides only good quality entertainment."[33] Writing for FilmiTadka, Janhavi Patel gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote in her review – "Vicky Donor is one of the funniest movies in recent times and the most enjoyable cinematic experience you will have in a long time. It proves that an adult comedy can be made with class, ingenuity, and finesse. You can easily watch this twice!".[34] Madhureeta Mukherjee of The Times of India gave Vicky Donor 3.5 stars and said – "It takes a man to make a film like this, literally. Kudos to John Abraham for his brave maiden production. Thankfully, this sperm hits bullseye."[35] Mathures Paul of the The Statesman gave the film 3.5 stars and wrote, "Vicky Donor is an admirable movie that is at once simple, emotional, daring and in your face."[36]
Awards
- National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 60th National Film Awards - Annu Kapoor
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 58th Filmfare Awards - Annu Kapoor
- National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 60th National Film Awards - Dolly Ahluwalia
Box office
The movie made 700% profit at the box office, earning approx ₹645.0 million (US$7.7 million) worldwide.
India
The film had an opening at the box office worldwide and collected ₹18.8 million (US$230,000) on first day in India.[37] Vicky Donor showed good growth on Saturday as all India collections jumped around 35–40% and the film collected around ₹26.0 million (US$310,000) nett taking its two-day business to ₹45.0 million (US$540,000) nett.[38] The film got tough competition from Housefull 2 and Hate Story in its first week of theatrical run in India.[39] Vicky Donor is the 3rd small-budgetted film of 2012 after Paan Singh Tomar and Kahaani to receive such an acceptance by critics, multiplex goers and urban audience. It grossed ₹32.5 million (US$390,000) nett on Sunday. Vicky Donor had a decent 3-day weekend as it grossed around ₹77.5 million (US$930,000) nett over its first weekend.[40] It had a good first week of around ₹135.0 million (US$1.6 million) nett.[41] Vicky Donor had an excellent second week collecting around ₹112.5 million (US$1.3 million) nett taking its two-week total to around ₹255.0 million (US$3.1 million) nett.[42] Vicky Donor continued its strong run into the third week and totally grossed ₹405.0 million (US$4.9 million) in full run and was declared a Super Hit.[43][44][45]
Overseas
The film had a wide release with close to 125 prints and grossed a decent $350,000 overseas in 4 days.[46] It has done well in North America and decently in other markets.[47] It was declared a semi hit in overseas markets.
Grosses are as followings:
UK – £90,329 ($140,600)
USA – $466,467
UAE – $286,000
Australia – $88,682
Total: $1.2 million (65 million) [48]
Sequel and Remakes
After the major critical and commercial success of the film, producer John Abraham announced that he was encouraged by the response of Vicky Donor, and has therefore laid a sequel on the cards, which is expected to go on floors in mid-2013. Also, Indian actor Siddharth bought the remake rights of the film for the Tamil version.[49] Dileep has bought the remake rights as well, for the Malayalam version.[50] Telugu Director Madhura Sreedhar bought the remake rights of the film for the Telugu version and named as Danakarna.[51]
Soundtrack
Untitled | |
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The soundtrack of the film has been composed by Abhishek-Akshay, Bann, Rochak Kohli Ayushmann Khurrana. The album was released on 9 April 2012. Vicky Donor album tracks are worth listening and contain rawness.The album received high positive reviews from critics and audience and the song Pani Da Rang was a high critical and commercial success especially among the youth and was ranked 8th a, song top 100 songs of 2012[52] and won Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer at 58th Filmfare Awards.
Track listing
No. | Title | Lyrics | Artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rok" | Akshay Verma | Akshay Verma, Aditi Singh Sharma | 4:28 |
2. | "Kho Jaane Do" | Juhi Chaturvedi | Clinton Cerejo, Aditi Singh Sharma | 4:57 |
3. | "Rum Whisky" | Kusum Verma | Akshay Verma | 4:04 |
4. | "Pani Da Rang (Male)" | Ayushmann Khurrana, Rochak Kohli | Ayushmann Khurrana | 4:00 |
5. | "Mar Jayian (Romantic)" | Swanand Kirkire | Vishal Dadlani, Sunidhi Chauhan | 4:48 |
6. | "Chaddha" | Vijay Maurya | Mika Singh | 3:50 |
7. | "Pani Da Rang (Female)" | Ayushmann Khurrana, Rochak Kohli | Sukanya Purkayastha | 4:49 |
8. | "Mar Jayian (Sad)" | Swanand Kirkire | Bann | 4:14 |
Total length: | 35:11 |
References
- ^ Zinia Sen, TNN (2 June 2012). "Sperm's part of daily vocab now: Shoojit Sircar". The Times of India.
- ^ "Every filmmaker lives for this moment". Rediff.com. 27 April 2012.
- ^ So what’s a sperm?
- ^ "Juhi Chaturvedi Filmography". Movietalkies.com. 21 January 2013.
- ^ 'Vicky Yadav' is not about sex education: Writer [dead link]
- ^ "John Abraham turns producer with Vicky Yadav". NDTV. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Yadav's music scores a hit". The Times of India. 17 April 2012.
- ^ "VICKY DONOR (12A) – British Board of Film Classification". 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ "Economics And Lifetime Collections of VICKY DONOR". Boxofficecapsule.com.
- ^ "John Abraham proud of his first 'baby'". Hindustan Times. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Hate Story And Vicky Yadav Have Dull Start". Box Office India.
- ^ "Vicky Donor Cast & Crew http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jme-VkIzkoUaccessdate=February 18, 2012". Bollywood Hungama.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- ^ "Vicky Donor Continues Strong Run Emerges SUPER HIT". Box Office India.
- ^ Box Office: 'Vicky Donor' earns Rs 22 crore, becomes a hit[dead link]
- ^ John’s sperm in demand!
- ^ "Donor's Circle". The Indian Express. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Donor walks away with cake". Daily.bhaskar.com.
- ^ "Starbuck renaîtra en Inde | Isabelle Massé | Nouvelles". La Presse. Canada.
- ^ Perkins, Will (31 January 2012). "'Delivery Man': Vince Vaughn's 'Starbuck' remake gets a trailer | Wide Screen - Yahoo! Movies Canada". Yahoo!.
- ^ Subhash K Jha (24 April 2012). "What a saas-bahu pair in Vicky Yadav". The Times of India.
- ^ "Ties of success". The Tribune. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Meet Kamlesh Gill, Vicky Donor's progressive 'biji'". CNN-IBN. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Vicky Donor's "drinking mom" is a hit among fans[dead link]
- ^ "'Vicky Donor' is great fun". HindustanTimes.
- ^ "John next production based on sperm donors". Hindustan Times. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Ayushmann's film debut as sperm donor". The Times of India. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) [dead link] - ^ "Mr Bachchan has approved one of my new screenplays". The Pioneer. 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Donor is born". Tehelka. Vol 9, Issue 19, Dated 12 May 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ a b "John Abraham is looking for a Donor". The Times of India. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ^ "Introducing John's new hero: Ayushman Khurana". Hindustan Times. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ "John turns producer and item boy for sperm donors!". Daily Bhaskar. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ^ "`Vicky Donor' Ayushmann Khurranna makes ramp debut". Zeenews.india.com. 28 June 2012.
- ^ Chettiar, Blessy. "Review: Vicky Donor". DNA. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ Patel, Janhavi. "Vicky donor Movie Review". FilmiTadka. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ Mukherjee, Madhureeta. "Vicky Yadav". ToI. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ Paul, Mathures. "Donor 53!". The Statesman. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Donor First Day Territorial Breakdown". Box Office India.
- ^ "Vicky Donor Shows Growth on Saturday". Box Office India.
- ^ "Housefull 2 Is First Choice Again This Week". Box Office India.
- ^ "Vicky Donor Has Decent Weekend". Box Office India.
- ^ "Tezz Has Dull Opening Vicky Donor Heads For Big Success". Box Office India. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Jannat 2 Opens Well Tezz Is Disaster". Box Office India. 5 May 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Donor Continues Strong Run Emerges SUPER HIT". Box Office India. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Multiplex Contribution To Big Hits of 2012". Box Office India.
- ^ "6th Week Box Office Collections of VICKY DONOR". Boxofficecapsule.com.
- ^ "Vicky Yadav Decent Housefull 2 On $5.75 Million in 17 Days". Box Office India. 25 April 2012.
- ^ "Tezz is Very Dull Housefull 2 Top Grosser of 2012". Box Office India. 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Vicky Donor Box Office Collections".
- ^ IndiaGlitz. Siddharth to make 'Vicky Donor' in Tamil, Telugu? CNN-IBN. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ Times of India. Dileep to remake Bollywood hit Vicky Donor in Malayalam The Times of India. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Madhura Sreedhar to direct Telugu version of Vicky Donor | NDTV Movies.com". Movies.ndtv.com. 13 September 2012.
- ^ "Music Review: Rawness forms core of 'Vicky Donor'". Ibnlive.in.com.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - Vicky Donor (Original Soundtrack to the Motion Picture) by Abhishek - Akshay". iTunes Store. 4 April 2012.
External links
- Official website
- Vicky Donor at IMDb
- Vicky Donor at AllMovie
- Vicky Donor at Box Office Mojo
- Vicky Donor at Rotten Tomatoes
- Official trailer at YouTube