The Stoneman declares war on the Barber

Mumbai February 6, 2009:

Friday the 13th will see Vistaar Religare's second release The Stoneman Murders against Red Chilies Billu Barber. Recent Bollywood history is proof enough that that when a small budget film with a good content releases against a big budget film, the latter invariable fails to impress the audience while the "smaller" movie ends up laughing all the way to the bank! The case of Love Story 2050 Vs the much smaller Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is fresh in everyones's mind.

The trend of small movies with strong concept raking in the moolah as well as the critical acclaim seems to be on the rise – take the case of Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, Welcome to Sajjanpur, A Wednesday and the latest Dev D that were all considered small till their release day - but the box office proved everyone wrong yet again!

The makers of The Stoneman Murders have the same feeling about their movie, which is why they have no hesitation in going up against the marketing blitzkrieg of Billu Barber.

"ood actors and it should be a tough fight" he continues.

"Bobby Bedi (co producer) and I are very confident of our product. Let it be known - The Stoneman has declared war on the Barber!" he ends with a chuckle.

Watch out for this Friday the 13th!


THE STONEMAN MURDERS

Film Releases Worldwide on February 13, 2009

Poster of the stoneman murders.

SYNOPSIS :

After the serial killer aptly dubbed 'Stoneman' by the media has just claimed his fifth victim, the case is still of little interest to the Bombay Police force. But to suspended sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon), this killer poses an opportunity. Sanjay hopes to track this killer down and thus, possibly find an entry back into the police force. With the secret aid of his patronizing superior AIG Satam (Vikram Gokhale), Sanjay takes up the arduous process of tracking this killer down. But the official police investigator of the case Inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan) clashes incessantly with Sanjay as both of them, separately, delve deeper into the case. Even as the police jostle for leads and clues, the Stoneman stalks the streets unabated, claiming victim after victim…
 

CHARACTER SKETECHES :

Sub-inspector Sanjay Shelar (Kay Kay Menon)

Sanjay is a violent cop – reckless and ruthless and therefore now suspended from the Police force. Under the patronage of his superior AIG Satam, Sanjay is carrying out a secret unofficial investigation of the Stoneman case. This case may be Sanjay's last chance to redeem himself and win his job back.

Sub-inspector Kedar Phadke (Arbaaz Khan)

Kedar is Sanjay's professional rival. He is a regular Bombay cop – laidback and unconcerned. His rivalry against Sanjay often motivates him more than his sense of duty. He is the official investigator of the Stoneman case and he is unaware that Sanjay has been assigned by AIG Satam to unofficially investigate the case.

AIG Satam (Vikram Gokhale)

Crime branch veteran Satam is the superior officer-in-charge to both Sanjay and Kedar. Knowing Sanjay's abilities, he has allowed Sanjay to carry out an unofficial investigation of the Stoneman case. On the other hand, he has appointed Kedar as the official investigator of the same case. Since he cannot let Kedar learn about Sanjay's secret investigation, Satam often finds himself torn between the two rivals Sanjay and Kedar.

Manali (Rukhsar)

Sanjay's wife Manali, a simple housewife, finds her relation with her husband strained due to his obsession with a mysterious case that she knows nothing about.

PRINCIPAL CREW:

  • Writer/Director : Manish Gupta
  • Producer : Bobby Bedi
  • Director of Photography : Srikanth Naroj
  • Executive Producer : Gautam Talwar
  • Editor : Sanjib Datta
  • Music & Background Score : Siddhartth-Suhas
  • Lyrics : Kumaar/Manish Gupta
  • Art Director : Satish Chipkar
  • Choreography : Remo
  • Costumes : Darshan Jalan
  • Sound Design : Jayesh Dhakkan
  • Media Consultancy : Nine Winds Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd

DIRECTOR'S NOTE :

Poster of the stoneman murders.

September 1983, Bombay shivered in dread and people were afraid to venture out of their homes, as a serial killer stalked the streets between Sion and Matunga. This killer preyed on poor homeless pavement dwellers, killing them while they slept. The killer invariably left behind his mark – a heavy stone placed near the head of each victim, sometimes the same stone had been used to crush the head of the victim. The media aptly dubbed this killer The Stoneman, who continued his spate of killings in an unabated manner, even as the police groped around in the dark. However, the killings stopped just as mysteriously as they had begun. Apparently, the killer was never caught and the police found no evidence. This led me to wonder – Was there more to the killings than met the eye?