Уақыт: Әке мен Ұлдың жарысы

2005 film by Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Marketing of Waqt: The Race Against Time started in November 2003 with the film's launch at Mumbai's Juhu Beach, which was held to attract public attention to the film. This strategy was intended to showcase the "quiet bond of fathers and sons"; the cards had sections titled "Dear Father" and "Dear Son", and the sections included Bachchan's autograph and Kumar's personalised message, respectively. Taran Adarsh noted the trailers created a "stir" and that it was "creating a lot of buzz in the industry circles". In March 2005, the producers released a brochure that was written by Bachchan, who wrote a story describing the relationship between his character with his son. To promote the film, a contest titled "Waqt: Dad & I with Akshay" was held with collaboration with the Fame Cinemas chain, offering a bicycle ride with Kumar, movie tickets, merchandise, clothing, autographed music CDs and brochures of the film as prizes. In a collaboration with greeting card retailer Archies, the film's producers launched a toy called Geri Giraffe, greeting cards, soft toys, stationery and posters that were sold through Archies outlets. Bachchan promoted the film internationally by participating in press interviews in New York. Kumar had bought the rights of the film to pay tribute to his father, and included a photograph of his father before the opening credits of the film, saying the film felt "autobiographical" to him because he shared a similar relationship with his own father. Kumar said:
<blockquote>I'm dedicating this film to my father. I've bought the distribution rights, so that I can see my father's photograph there. It's personally a very close film to me. I've worked very honestly in this film. I haven't bought the rights to the film in order to make money, but to pay a respectful tribute to my father. The film was distributed by Eros International and was made on a production and marketing budget of 160 million, and was released on 22 April 2005 on 400 screens. It collected over 19 million on its opening day and 57.8 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, and collected over 133.5 million on its international opening weekend. In its first week, the film collected 93.7 million at the domestic box office and over 200 million worldwide. The film was a box office success, becoming the seventh highest grossing Bollywood film of the year. The DVD includes bonus features such as the making of the film, press meet and interviews, and the film's premiere. The video CD version was released at the same time. The film had its television premiere on the Indian subscriber channel Sony Max on 8 January 2006.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave Waqt: The Race Against Time 3.5 out of 5, calling it a "must see for every parent and every child" and writing, "Waqt: The Race Against Time is a well made family entertainer that makes you laugh and cry, thanks to the strong emotional quotient in the film. Here's a film that should strike a chord with every family." Adarsh also praised the "first rate" cinematography that makes the film look "visually rich" and the "opulent" production design. Writing for India Today, film critic Anupama Chopra called the film "unashamedly cheesy and surprisingly moving" and "a good time pass", concluding "Vipul Amrutlal Shah and his writer Aatish Kapadia are not afraid of bringing out the violins and yanking at heart strings. So the film has genuinely touching scenes and some easy laughs provided by Boman Irani and Rajpal Yadav." Variety called the film a "belt and braces Bollywood family drama" and wrote "pitched squarely at Indian [audiences], both at home and overseas, who like their entertainment traditional. For Western viewers, [this film] just gets by on its unabashed charm and minor wrinkles to the formula." Indo Asian News Service critic Subhash K. Jha praised Kapadia's writing and said his "one liners and quips flow out with constant and instant comic consequences". Jha also wrote the film's "inherent transparency of purpose and sincerity of expression guide the lengthy family saga through a series of carefully nurtured slopes and dips that culminate in a rabble rousing emotionally cataclysmic climax". Jha said the film did not require so many songs and praised the performances, noting Bachchan's "leonine strides" across the film that create an "atmosphere conducive to pleasurable acting for the entire cast"; Kumar's performance "beyond anything he has done so far"; Shah's expressive eyes that convey "spousal and matriarchal pain that you come home with"; Chopra for creating and leaving "a sinewy impression" despite not being pivotal to the plot; the outstanding characterisation of Yadav and his "deadpan depiction of the exasperatingly daft" domestic servant; and Irani's "ever bubbling brilliancy" and sarcasm that "brings miles of smiles and acres of chuckles".

Award Date Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref. (Reference(s)) Filmfare Awards25 February 2006 Best Supporting Actress Best Performance in a Comic Role International Indian Film Academy Awards 17 June 2006 Best Performance in a Comic Role Screen Awards 11 January 2006 Best Supporting Actress Superstar of Tomorrow – Female Zee Cine Awards 4 March 2006 Best Actor – Male