Banner: Wiz Films Company
Producer: Vashu Baghnani, Jacky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Andre Timmins, Viraf Sarkari & Sabbas Joseph
Director: Chakri Toletti
Star Cast: Diljit Dosanjh, Sonakshi Sinha, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Rana Daggubati, Sushant Singh Rajput, Karan Johar, Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Tapsee Pannu, Kriti Sanon, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Priety Zinta, Neha Dhupia, Suniel Shetty, Boman Irani, Mohit Sinha & above all Katrina Kaif & Salman Khan
Music: Sajid – Wajid, Meet Bros & Shamir Tandon

Welcome To New York, directed by Chakri Toleti & produced by Vashu Bhagnani’s Puja Films releases this week along with Luv Ranjan’s Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Welcome To New York stars Sonakshi Sinha, Diljit Dosanjh & Karan Johar in pivotal roles and has an entire entourage of Bollywood A – listers making cameos as it is based against the backdrop of IIFA Awards. The film is meant to be a satire on the Hindi film industry & the 2 leads Diljit Dosanjh & Sonakshi play underdogs who make it big in Bollywood, despite coming from a humble background.

The movie is about a sloppy recovery agent Teji (Diljit Dosanjh) who dreams of being an actor & a “dhinchaak designer” Jinal (Sonakshi Sinha) who wants to escape from her dreary life. They win a
contest and are selected to showcase their talent at the IIFA Awards by Sophie (Lara Dutta) who is a part of the organizing team spear headed by Gary (Boman Irani). Sophie purposely selects the “two losers” Teji & Jinal in order to settle scores with Gary, who refuses her partnership in the company.

The entire film is supposed to be a comedy of errors with both Teji & Jinal winning Bollywood fraternity’s hearts with their genuine talent. What it turns out to be is a whole lot of different story. In between all this is the main celebrity host of the show Karan Johar, who has his own set of issues with the organizer Gary. But at the same time, Karan is also under threat of being kidnapped by his lookalike New York based gangster Arjun (Karan Johar) who wants to punish him for making romantic films. Riteish Deshmukh, who is the co – host of the show, uses this situation to his own selfish benefit. In between all this chaos behind the scene, IIFA awards take place in New York.

Karan Johar, in his double role as Karan (the director & head honcho of Dharma Productions) & Arjun (the gangster) manages to keep the movie engaging. There is a lot of self – referencing & self deprecative humor (be it about his sexual orientation or his movies) which does makes you laugh at quite a few places. Diljit Dosanjh as the goofy Teji Singh is adorable. His comic timing is impeccable. Sonakshi Sinha is lost throughout the film and is not very convincing. Even a dream sequence with Salman Khan does nothing to the character that is weak. Boman Irani as the stressed out, snarky stooge managing the event looks solely disoriented as he flits listlessly around from frame to frame. Lara Dutta tries to save the film as she does her part in whatever little scope she has been offered. Salman Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Katrina Kaif, Aditya Roy Kapur & Riteish Deshmukh’s cameos look forced & out of sync.
The 1st ever half of the film manages to keep one engaged because the writers Dheeraj Rattan & Sara Bodinar create some interest in the lead characters after they land in New York and there is a certain curiosity about who Karan’s doppelganger is and why he wants to harm the Dharma Productions’ head honcho so badly.

Director Chakri Toleti’s comedy of errors goes wrong especially in the 2nd half because the whole plot of the film goes out of the window, due to the lack of a proper script.

Editor Ritesh Soni has kept the film at 2 hours & 5 minutes instead of making it even more long & exhaustive. The film’s music is forgettable except for the last dance number “Pant Mai Gun”. Cinematographers Neha Parti Matiyani & Santosh Thundiyil do an average job.

Tail Piece: On the whole, Welcome To New York comes across as a blatant endorsement of IIFA Awards with a handful of funny gags thrown in here & there. The impeccable comic timing of Diljit Dosanjh & Karan Johar’s funny take on himself & the industry act as the saving grace. You can safely skip this Movie.

At the Box – Office turnstiles, the movie will have a very limited scope.

After the success of “Dulhania” series, Varun Dhawan, Shashank Khaitan & Karan Johar are collaborating yet again for Varun Dhawan’s 1st ever war film Rannbhoomi. In fact Varun Dhawan, Shashank Khaitan & Karan Johar are coming with their 3rd film together as a team! After the mega success of the “Dulhania” series, Shashank Khaitan & Varun Dhawan have taken a giant leap and are beginning the journey of spectacle & extravaganza. Genre moves from Romance to Action – Drama. But it’s not just an epic tale, it indulges in emotions & opulence in equal measure. Interestingly, this is Varun Dhawan’s 1st ever war film. At heart a love story, in essence a revenge drama but to sum it up, it promises to be a mega cinematic experience. The team is vastly excited to introduce to you Rannbhoomi, slated for a DIWALI 2020 release. Talking about their collaboration, producer Karan Johar said, “Rannbhoomi is Shashank’s colossal & ambitious imagination to attempt a hat – trick with Varun Dhawan & Dharma Productions. Shashank Khaitan & Varun Dhawan make an epic blend of creative & commercial extravaganza and that is exactly what Dharma Productions’ vision for the coming few projects is. Very excited to bring them together again for this Diwali 2020 epic tale.”

ROHIT SHETTY PICTUREZ TO VENTURE INTO ANIMATION SERIES WITH ‘LITTLE SINGHAM’

Rohit Shetty Picturez, Reliance Animation & Discovery Kids, will be launching a new animation series called Little Singham inspired by the Ajay Devgn franchise Singham. Little Singham, an original kid’s content series in India will be aired in 4 languages namely English, Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. Targeted at kids belonging to the age group of 5 – 11 years, the intro line of Little Singham is – “Police ki wardi, Sher ka Damm, Naam hai mera – Little Singham!” The animated show will make its debut on television in Apr, 2018 on the completely revamped Discovery Kids channel. This is probably one of the largest deals in the animation industry with the 1st ever season to go on air with 156 episodes & 5 tele features. Rohit Shetty said, “Singham was hugely loved by the kids and a show like this will not only take the franchise ahead but will also become a source of entertainment for the kids & the audiences who loved Singham so dearly.” Shibasish Sarkar, Reliance Entertainment said “Little Singham will set a completely new benchmark for animation in India. With Rohit Shetty also mentoring the animated series, we are confident of taking the Singham franchise to newer heights.”

NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN’S HIT “KHAIR MANGA” RECREATED FOR AJAY DEVGN – ILEANA DCRUZ STARRER ‘RAID’

After the recreation of the romantic ballad “Sanu Ek Pal Chain”, the makers of Raid have now recreated another chart topping melody of the Late singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Titled “Khair Manga”, the track has been recreated in parts by lyricist Manoj Muntashir & sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s singer – nephew, Rahat Fateh ali Khan. “The song has been picturised on Ajay Devgn, who plays an upright & no – nonsense income tax officer & Ileana D’Cruz, who will be seen in the role of his supportive & brave wife. The song offers a glimpse into the on – screen couple’s life & the love, care & warmth they share in the film”, said director Rajkumar Gupta. Gulshan Kumar & T – Series present, A Panorama Studios Production, Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak & Abhishek Pathak, Raid is directed by Raj Kumar Gupta. The film releases on 16th Mar, 2018.

VIDEO EDITING APP – HYPSTAR ROPES IN SONAKSHI SINHA TO ENDORSE & KICK-START QUIZ BROADCASTING SHOW

Video editing platform – Hypstar has roped in Sonakshi Sinha to endorse the platform and be one of their 1st ever quizzers. Hypstar is a 15 second original short video community incubated by the Bytedance, China’s tech giant, with leading AI technologies. It enables users to record fun & memorable moments in their daily lives easily & share them with people all over the world while meeting fun people in Hypstar. Sonakshi Sinha says, “This innovation in the social media space is a great tool for me to connect with my fans & audiences. Video platforms are always more personalized, a gateway to stay connected with fans & followers. Hypstar happens to be my latest & my most favorite discovery”. With Short form videos having taken the digital world by storm, creating a video featuring oneself has diluted the lines between reality & virtuality. Hypstar, has launched a unique campaign for its subscribers whereby they can interact with their favorite celebrities and stand an opportunity of earning money through participation. The subscribers can undertake this quiz and stand to earn rewards with increasing stakes at every level. Through this quiz more than 2000 people stand a chance to win more than 10,000 dollar’s prize.

MALAYALAM DIRECTOR, JEETHU JOSEPH, TO MAKE HIS BOLLYWOOD DEBUT WITH A GAME CHANGING HORROR THRILLER

AZURE Entertainment & Viacom18 Motion Pictures has announced a collaboration to produce Jeethu Joseph’s Hindi film debut. Jeethu Joseph, best known for Mohanlal starrer, Drishyam, is all set to make his big Bollywood debut. The yet untitled film is being presented by Viacom18 Motion Pictures & produced by Sunir Kheterpal for AZURE Entertainment. Promising to change the face of horror thrillers in the country, the film shall combine interesting dynamics of a crime mystery thriller with elements of horror and shall have the audiences at the edge of their seats. The makers have managed to pull off an interesting casting coup with Rishi Kapoor & Emraan Hashmi, who has been synonymous with the horror – thriller genre Announcing his Bollywood debut, Jeethu Joseph commented, “Directing a Hindi feature film has been on the anvil for quite some time and I have been waiting for the right story. This crime mystery thriller with elements of horror has excited me tremendously and we have got perfect casting for the 2 protagonists in the Film. I am looking forward to start the Film at the earliest.” Says Emraan Hashmi,” Ajit Andhare, COO – Viacom18 Motion Pictures said, “Ever since we produced Drishaym, a Hindi remake of Jeethu Joseph’s original masterpiece, we have been looking for a subject to make with Jeethu Joseph in Hindi.”

VARUN DHAWAN’S ‘RANNBHOOMI’ TO RELEASE IN DIWALI 2020

Producer & director Karan Johar has chosen Shashank Khaitan to helm Rannbhoomi with Varun Dhawan. This is the 3rd time that the trio will work together on a project. Previously, they delivered 2 films in the “Dulhania series” namely Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania & Badrinath Ki Dulhania, enchanted the audiences. This time, Shashank Khaitan will switch to genres & focus on creating an action – drama loaded with emotions & opulence in equal measure. A love story at heart, this Diwali 2020 release will have an element of revenge at the core of the narrative. The makers aim to turn this project into a cinematic experience worthy of a mega festive release. Karan Johar, confirmed the news sitting miles away in Berlin, “Rannbhoomi is Shashank Kaitan’s colossal & ambitious imagination to attempt a hat – trick with Varun Dhawan. Shashank Khaitan & Varun Dhawan make an epic blend of creative & commercial extravaganza, which is Dharma Productions’ vision for the next few projects.”

EROS INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES FILM RIGHTS TO BEST-SELLING AUTHOR ASHWIN SANGHI’S “THE KRISHNA KEY”
Eros International has acquired the rights to adapt the best – selling Indian author Ashwin Sanghi’s anthropological thriller “The Krishna Key” into a theatrical film & original series for their digital over – the – top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform, Eros Now. The thriller set across timelines with its captivating plot, merging the mythological with the contemporary released in 2012. The book follows a history professor who must prove his innocence against a murder charge. “The Krishna Key”, the 3rd novella by Ashwin Sanghi, tries to unfold the secrets of the Mahabharata and establish Krishna as a historical character rather than a mythical character. The plot is dramatic & provocative, enthralling with its twists & turns creating a seamless opportunity to creatively showcase it in the world cinema. Ashwin Sanghi says, “Eros Now has an incredible team that is exceedingly capable of adapting this action – packed thriller into a very interesting story for cinema. ” Ashwin Sanghi ranks amongst India’s highest selling English fiction authors. Popularly hailed as the Indian Dan Brown for “The Rozabal Line” & “The Krishna Key”, both of which were critically acclaimed. He has written several other bestsellers including “Chanakya’s Chant”, “The Sialkot Saga” & “Keepers Of The Kalachakra”. In 2010, he won Vodafone – Crossword Popular Choice Award for “Chanakya’s Chant”.

VARUN DHAWAN’S ‘OCTOBER” A GIFT TO HIS FANS

Shoojit Sircar & Varun Dhawan have given a sweet & striking gift to the legions of their fans: Introducing them to the world of October with a special video launched digitally. Shoojit Sircar’s unique take on love will make you wonder about the beautiful journey of life & relationships. The film reportedly sees Varun Dhawan surpass all his previous performances & milestones he has set so far along with the young talent Banita Sandhu who is making her acting debut in the film. Produced by Ronnie Lahiri & Sheel Kumar, October stars Varun Dhawan & Banita Sandhu. A Rising Sun Films Production, directed by Shoojit Sircar the film is all set to release on 13th Apr, 2018.

‘THE TASHKENT FILES’ DIRECTOR VIVEK AGNIHOTRI URGES PEOPLE TO SHARE DETAILS ON THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF SHASTRI

In a 1st of its kind, director Vivek Agnihotri has released a video in which he is urging the audiences to share details about the mysterious death of Lal Bahadur Shastri for his upcoming film titled The Tashkent Files. The video begins with Vivek Agnihotri talking about how the seeds were sown for making a film on the mysterious death of India’s 2nd Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The director is later seen asking people to share anecdotes, stories, paper clippings or any details they know of or possess related to his death. To top it all, any sort of valuable contribution from people will be given its due credit in the film. ‘The Tashkent Files’ stars Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi & Shweta Basu Prasad.

NARGIS FAKHRI TO STAR IN HER FIRST EVER HORROR FLICK, ‘AMAVAS’

Starring along Sachiin Joshi the 1st ever horror film Amaavas has gone on the floors in London with a start to finish schedule. The shooting schedule is of about 35 days long. Directed by Bhushan Patel who earlier directed Ragini MMS 2, Alone & 1920 Evil Returns & Produced by Viiking Media & Entertainment in association with Simply West UK & Thoth Ventures, the film will release later this year.

Amy Schumer recently tied the knot with none other than a Chef named Chris Fischer. The couple were married outside a rented house in Malibu that overlooks the ocean. It seems it was a very chill wedding. It was thrown together at the last minute. Most of the guest found out that the wedding was happening on this week from a text message sent out by Amy Schumer. It was like, “Hey, this is happening. If you can make it, great. If not, no worries.’ People were in & out all night. It was a gorgeous day. Everyone was having a good time.” The guest list included Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Aniston, Larry David, David Spade, Judd Apatow and many, many more.

Jessa Duggar & Ben Seewald Slammed For Putting Kids In Danger

It’s been a full year since Counting On stars Jessa Duggar & Ben Seewald welcomed their 2nd child.The couple has been subjected to a non – stop torrent of criticism ever since the birth of Henry Wilberforce. The major part of the problem was that Jessa & Ben are members of the famous nay infamous Duggar clan. That alone means that their every move is likely to be dissected in search of potential controversies. But part of the issue does stem from Jessa & Ben making some questionable decisions as parents. When fans criticize Jessa’s messy home, that’s a case in which their just zeroing in on minor details. That’s just target practice so that they’ll be ready to take aim when real Duggar controversies take place. When folks are worried that Jessa’s not properly homeschooling her kids, however, that might come from a place of genuine concern.

Oprah Winfrey Says That Reese Witherspoon Showed PTSD Signs

Oprah Winfrey recently stated that Reese Witherspoon showed signs of PTSD following the mention of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. Oprah Winfrey further stated that Reese Witherspoon displayed signs of PTSD after sexual assault allegations emerged against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. In fact Oprah Winfrey told Salma Hayek during her “Super Soul Sunday Conversation” special that Reese Witherspoon became very upset at the mention of Harvey Weinstein when the story broke out in Oct, 2017. Oprah Winfrey said that she was on the sets with the actress for the upcoming movie Wrinkle in Time when Reese Witherspoon revealed that she had not been able to sleep following the bombshell Accusations against Harvey Weinstein.

Why Hollywood Won’t Cast Taylor Lautner Anymore

Taylor Lautner was poised to be the next big thing when The Twilight Saga was at its peak…and then he just wasn’t. What went wrong? Taylor Lautner’s Twilight co – stars Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson was clever with their careers. While still attached to the franchise, they both starred in other films, like Adventure land (2009) & Water For Elephants (2011). As a result, the duo had an easier time transitioning to other roles post – Twilight. Taylor Lautner, however, had only a bit part in Valentine’s Day (2010) to tide him over until the franchise was over.

Kylie Jenner Is Secretive About Her Pregnancy

Kylie Jenner has lived her entire life in the spotlight — and now that she’s pregnant, no one knows where on Earth she is or why she’s hiding. An insider reveals, “She’s very happy about the pregnancy but she doesn’t want to share this with the world … Her not being out is strictly her own personal preference. She wants to keep this one aspect of her life private.” Kylie Jenner is reportedly well aware that she’s not out of the woods in terms of her privacy and the privacy of her baby’s daddy, rapper Travis Scott. A source revealed, “They know it’s going to be frenzy when they do come out.”

Angelina Jolie Makes A Revelation

These are the things that strained Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt’s relationship. It’s been the subject of so many endless rumors since they split up last year: What caused Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s marriage to fail? Recently Angelina Jolie candidly opened up about all the things she & Brad Pitt faced together, the ways their marriage became strained and how they tried to fix it. “Over the span of that decade, I did lose my mother,” she said. “I did have my mastectomy, and I did then have an ovarian cancer scare and have that surgery as well and other things of course that happened in life that you go through.” So basically, things fell apart because of, well, life. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s very real. Angelina Jolie also admitted that working with Pitt on their critically panned 2015 film By the Sea was kind of a last -ditch attempt to fix things.

Justin Bieber Gives His Mom A Foot Massage

Justin Bieber was recently spotted massaging his mom, Pattie Mallette’s, broken foot, while on vacation with her in the Maldives, and many fans seem grossed out by it. Justin Bieber may not be a doctor, but he sure was acting like one while on vacation in the Maldives with his mom, Pattie Mallette on 22nd Jan, 2012. Pattie has been stuck in a wheelchair the last couple of days, as she unfortunately broke her foot during their mother -son vacation. And now, it looks like Justin has been trying to comfort her… starting with a foot massage. Pattie took to Instagram on Jan. 22, where she posted a “story” video of Justin giving her a massage. “You’re not a doctor, don’t touch it!” she joked with a caption. Then she pretended he responded back by saying, “I care! Ouch.” And then she asked her followers if she should trust Justin or not, LOL!

Demi Lovato Wants To Date Rihanna

It seems Hollywood’s hottest couple is now Demi Lovato and Rihanna? That would be the case if the “Cool for the Summer” singer had her pick. In an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Demi Lovato made her Hollywood crushes very clear through a game of “Who’d You Rather” (and one crush in particular). More than Harry Styles, Zac Efron, Milo Ventimiglia, Drake, Rita Ora, Chance The Rapper and Kristen Stewart (who also makes a strong showing), Demi Lovato insists the “Kiss it Better” singer is who’d she get with, given the chance. And Demi Lovato and Rihanna already have a bit of a history together, at least as far as social media is concerned. In 2011, they exchanged some serious adoration, with Rihanna posting “Demi Lovato goes so hard!!! She gangsta,” before Demi replied “thank you!! Only cause I learn from the best!! Aka YOU!”

Jessica Miller Arrested For Assault

Jessica Miller is the sister of Jenelle Evans’ husband, David Eason. She’s never appeared on Teen Mom 2, and it seems she has little face – to-face contact with Jenelle. Still, in the world of TM2 obsessives, Jessica is something of an icon, thanks to her stunning ability to match Ms. Evans in terms of violent insanity. Jenelle & Jessica’s feuds are the stuff of legend, often spilling from one social media platform to another, as each attempts to publicly throw shade without the other one knowing. It’s a thrilling game of cat and mouse, in which both the cat and the mouse accuse one another of being meth addicts. Jessica accuses Jenelle of doing drugs while pregnant. Jenelle accuses Jessica of driving while high and getting fired for stealing prescription painkillers from work.

Leaking Of J – Law’s Nude Photos

Jennifer Lawrence and many other celebs’ phones were targeted by hackers after an iCloud leak, leading to personal, nude photos being leaked online to an online bulletin board and quickly going viral. J – Law’s rep called it a “flagrant violation of privacy” and added that “the authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence”. And Jennifer isn’t the only star to have been hacked – a list of the stars allegedly affected has appeared online, and contains more than 100 names, including Ariana Grande, Kim Kardashian, Kaley Cuoco, Rihanna, Lea Michele and Selena Gomez.

Banner: R V Creations
Producer & Director: Raghuvardhan
Cast: Shishir Shastry, Lekha Chandra, Sujoy R Hegde, Narayanaswamy, Kempegowda, Srinivasa Gowdru, Girish Jaththi, Bengaluru Nagesh, Shantha Acharya, Diamond Rajanna, Dr. Somashekhar, Ramanna et al.
Music: Manju Charan

Director Raghuvardhan makes his directorial comeback almost after a decade with his latest directorial outing namely Mr. LLB. In his 1st ever directorial outing Raghuvardhan had ended up working with big Kannada stars in films like Thimmaraya, Gunvantha & Bhadri Kannada.

Mr. LLB happens to be the story of a Land Lord Bhadra (Shishir Shastry), Swara (Lekha Chandra) & Bhadra’s friend Rahul (Sujoy R Hegde). The trio of Bhadra, Swara & Rahul get involved in the varied exploits of their village including the widely canvassed Gram Panchayat elections. And in the process lots of comedy situations arise and soon enough Bhadra falls in love with Swara and before the love story could culminate in a “Happy Ending”, Rahul is all set to enter into an arranged marriage with Swara. Then how this comic & action oriented romantic climax is sorted out forms the crux of Mr. LLB.

Director Raghuvardhan has dished out a decent mass entertainer with all the commercial toppings intact. But sadly enough the title Mr. LLB is totally misleading as LLB stands for Land Lord Bhadra, the protagonist Bhadra. Music by Manju Charan is notably melodious especially the numbers “Chandani” with a mix of Hindi & Kannada lyrics, and Ninna Yedege”. The camerawork by Suresh Babu is eye pleasing and captures the locales of Chikkamagaluru, Madikeri, Muddur & Baba Buddhanagri beautifully.

Performance wise both Shishir Shastry as well as Sujoy R Hegde have made their respective transition from the small screen to the big celluloid silver screen perfectly. In fact Shishir Shastry has given a good account of himself in the entire comic, action as well as the romantic scenes. While Sujoy R Hegde is picture perfect in his semi – serious role. But the same cannot be said about Lekha Chandra who is not exactly up to the mark in spite of having done a couple of films with big Kannada stars earlier. She seriously needs to polish her dormant acting skills.

All said & done Mr. LLB has a decent chance of success at the Box – Office turnstiles.

Amala Paul has issued a public statement against a businessman for harassing her sexually during her dance rehearsals earlier this month at Malaysia. The accused had approached her with ill – intension. He was a member of an alleged organized sex racket. Apart from Amala Paul, he got all the contact details of other actresses who were the part of that show which had happened earlier this month. The accused was asking her for special dinner date after the event. On being questioned why did he want to have a special dinner? He escaped saying that he just wanted to discuss about the event and many more such events to be held. Amala Paul avers, “Finding something fishy, I informed my staff to come to my rescue. This suspected man was kept waiting outside my studio to get the positive reply. He was ready to trade me off like a meatloaf. But after seeing my staff members approaching towards him, he immediately tried to escape himself by saying that she can even say “no”, it was not compulsory to go with him for the dinner. Then after pushing my team members aside he just wanted to elope from the place, but he failed and was caught by my team members and was handed over to the Mamangalam police station T Nagar and then I lodged an FIR against him.”

Nithya Menon’s Free Act For Nani

After the ensemble star cast of Nani’s debut production venture, Awe! was revealed, people started wondering how much he would have invested to rope in big names like Kajal, Nithya Menen, Regina Cassandra, Avasarala and others. It was heard that most of the stars who worked for this first – of – its – kind film, slashed their fee as they had fallen in love with the characters they were offered. But on the other hand, Nithya Menon didn’t charge a single penny for Awe!. She worked free for the film both because of the interesting character that she was offered and also the very minimal call sheets she was asked for. Nithya Menon, who weighs the character offered over factors like whether it was an A – lister or not, readily gave her nod as she felt that the role was unmissable. That apart Nithya Menon’s friendship with Nani is another reason. It may be recalled that Nitya Menon had made her Tollywood debut with a Nani starrer, Ala Modalaindi, which made her an overnight star. Ever since, the two natural actors have maintained a very close professional association. Besides Nitya Menon, the talented Malayali actress must also be applauded for taking part in the promotional events too despite not taking any remuneration.

Rekha Releases A Press Statement

Rekha, who is enacting a role in the upcoming multi – starrer Keni, has recently released a press statement quashing rumors about her daughter. The rumors doing the rounds are about her daughter going to act in films. However, the actress has denied it. She has in fact gone ahead and stated, “Respected media friends, there is a false statement among some social & web media that my daughter is preparing herself to act in films with leading South Indian actors. I would like to make it very clear that my daughter is interested in higher studies and soon she will be pursuing it. She is definitely not going to act in any films. So please keep a full stop to all the rumours. Thanks!!!”

Priya Warrier The Winking Actress Is Already A Star

The song “Manikya Malaraaya…!” sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan from the film Oru Adaaru love has already become a rage within hours of its release. Though there are quite a lot of students and even some teachers in the sequence, the real star of the song is a young girl named Priya Warrier, whose cute mannerisms with her eyebrows has won a million hearts. In fact Priya Warrier happens to be a model from Thrissur, who is playing one of the female leads in Omar Lulu’s Oru Adaaru Love. In an interview with a portal, She recently shared her excitement about the popularity she has received after the release of the song which has already gone viral on the social media platforms. It is “mappilai paattu” composed by Shaan Rahman. The shooting of the film is currently underway. Omar Lulu has earlier directed two hits, Happy Wedding & Chunkzz.

Nani’s Next Film Confirmed With Sekhar Kammula

Nani is recently having a ball at the Box – Office turnstiles, with blockbuster & superhit films to his credit. In fact Nani is defining himself as the next biggest superstar in Tollywood. Though he cannot be compared with his seniors like Mahesh Babu, Jr NTR and others, Nani has his own place in Tollywood. After Ravi Teja in the past, Nani is the most bankable hero with a minimum guarantee for the producers. Meanwhile, classy & artistic director Sekhar Kammula came up with a blockbuster like Fidaa after a row of average films. The director is known for his simple yet engaging screenplay, and the ability to bring out the audiences emotions to life. So Nani is currently busy with his production venture Awe! and another film Krishnarjuna Yuddham, which is slated to release on 12th Apr, 2018. Besides Nani would be seen in a multi – starrer film with Nagarjuna, under the direction of Sriram Aditya. And then he has given his nod for the Sekhar Kammula’s next film.

Mani Ratnam’s Next Movie Titled Chekka Chivantha Vaanam

After Kaatru Veliyidai, Mani Ratnam is busy working on his next film script. The actor, who is acting in his next film, namely Jyothika stated while promoting her film Magalir Mattum, that she would act in Mani Ratnam’s next film along with actors like Vijay Sethupathi, Aravind Samy, Simbu & Fahad Fazil. But suddenly, the film turned away from actor Fahad Fazil. In this situation, the question of who the actor will be is the million dollar question. Also, A R Rahman was the music composer for the film. Aishwarya Rajesh & Aditi Rao is the main heroines of the film and the film’s name has also been officially released recently. Maniratnam’s Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions will be co – producing the film, which is titled as Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. In addition, Arun Vijay has been replaced by Fahad Fazil in the film. Santhosh Shivan & Editor Srikar Prasad have also been signed for the film. The film will soon start shooting
Sunny Leone Will Be Banned For Shooting In Kollywood

Sunny Leone from Canada, who is currently acting in Hindi films and is now acting in a Tamil film Veeramadevi. The shooting started recently. Sunny Leone’s social activist Inoc Moss has complained to the Police Commissioner of Chennai & Nazarethpet Police station. The shooting of the movie Veeramadevi is going to be held at Puthanamalli next in Seemarampakkam. Sunny Leone is going to act in this movie. It is said that the film Veeramadevi is a film reflecting Tamil culture. Hence Sunny Leone will be banned for the shooting. The complaint is stated in the petition.

Jaane Kyun De Yaaron being produced by Vishal Bhatia, Rishi Bhatia & directed by Akshay Anandd, is slated for release on 16thFeb, 2018. With music by Satya Manik Afsar, Sikandar Kahlon. Deepak Agrawal, Chand Sadhwani, actor – turned – director Akshay Anandd’s movie Jaane Kyun De Yaaron, where Kabir Bedi plays the riveting role of a transport company owner. Reveals Akshay, “The satirical theme of the maverick movie is drunken driving; how drivers are framed & how the law – enforcement agencies make a fool out of the gullible common – man. The movie also exposes corruption. “I have cast talented upcoming stars (Raghu Raja & Abhishek Sharma, heroine Chetna Pande & glam – babe model – dancer Heena Panchal) instead of star – faces.” The debutant director also plays the cameo role of a lawyer. It is about 2 boys with the dreams to change their ordinary lives change the entire corruption system as they take a stand against police brutality with the little help of a benevolent guardian. The film ends with hope – hope that corruption will be beaten and hope for young people that all is not lost till there is someone like Shera who is willing to take a stand & challenge injustice.

POOJA CHOPRA BECOMES MENTOR FOR THE EAST ZONE FOR FEMINA MISS INDIA 2018

Crowned as the Femina Miss India in 2009, Pooja Chopra has been associated with Miss India since then and considers it to be a life changing pageant. She was also a semi – finalist at Miss World 2009 and she won the 1st ever Beauty with a Purpose title for India at Miss World 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Pooja Chopra created a record when she won 8 National as well as International titles in a single year in the pageant world. Pooja is now all set to mentor the girls from the East Zone at the FBB Colors Femina Miss India 2018 pageant. This will be the 1st time ever that she will be mentoring girls and is very excited to bring what the amazing & the different East Zone talent offers to the table. “Miss India has always been a dream that I have harnessed for far too long as a kid and I know how hard I have worked to have this dream come true. And now to help girls who have harnessed exactly the same dream as you, it’s going to be me reliving all my moments.” During her journey as a mentor, she will be looking for girls who have the same kind of drive, motivation & passion that she had when she competed to become Miss India.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA’S PURPLE PEBBLE PICTURES ANNOUNCES ITS 1ST EVER ASSAMESE FILM, BHOGA KHIRIKEE!

Purple Pebble Pictures is all set to produce an Assamese film, titled Bhoga Khirikee (Broken Window). Priyanka Chopra & her doctor mother Madhu Chopra forayed into regional cinema & after earning National Awards for Marathi film, Ventilator & premiering Sikkimese film, Pahuna at the Toronto International Film Festival, the home production continues its success streak by roping in Padma Bhushan laureate, Jahnu Barua to direct its next, following a gap of 4 years. About a female protagonist, whose life is in turmoil due to the ideological & the existential clash amongst the 3 men in her life, her father, her husband & a stranger, the story of Bhoga Khirikee makes for an untouched subject in the North – East. Interestingly enough, Priyanka is the brand ambassador of Assam Tourism that has happily extended its cooperation for the upcoming film’s shooting. Says Dr. Chopra, “The north – eastern states are the most under – represented in our country and there is so little we know about their culture. I am truly very excited for this movie & proud to be collaborating with a cinema genius like Jahnu Barua.”

“NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT MANIKARNIKA,” SAYS WRITER VIJAYENDRA PRASAD OF BAAHUBALI FAME

After having faced opposition from a religious group in Rajasthan claiming the misrepresentation of facts of Rani Laxmibai, the writer of Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi Vijayendra Prasad has clarified, “No need to worry about Manikarnika as I have portrayed her in the most respectable way. She is a warrior who fought against the British. She is my favourite woman leader. I have grown up reading about her. So, I will always portray her in an inspirational way.” Vijayendra assures that no scene in the film has been written to degrade Rani Lakshmibai. He also stated that one would be proud of the iconic leader after watching the role of Rani Laxmibai in the film. He said, “The film’s title is Manikarnika, because it is her name! Her parents named her that because she was born in Kasi & the Manikarnika Ghat there is very famous. Even I named my daughter Manikarnika, so you now know how much I respect Rani Lakshmibai.” The producers of the film, Kamal Jain & Zee Studios confirm that the film is showing Rani Laxmibai in the most respectful manner & showcases to the world the bravery, valour & heroism of Rani Laxmi bai.
RAGHU DIXIT MAKES ACTOR DHANANJAYA A LYRICIST IN HIS NEXT MUSICAL – ORCHESTRA
Raghu Dixit, one of the biggest names in the Indian Music industry, turns music producer for upcoming movie Orchestra. It is a musical about the orchestra culture in Mysuru & the dream of a boy who wants to sing in an orchestra. He has experimented with the music of this film and turned the leading actor Dhananjaya in to lyricist. Dhananjaya used to be known for his writings during his theatre days and with Orchestra, he got a chance to go back to writing and gave lyrics to Orchestra’s songs. “Usually, lyricists write one or two songs in a film, but on his 1st ever assignment, Dhananjaya has written lyrics for as many as nine songs. He took his time, but he has nailed it,” says Raghu, adding that the highlight of the songs is the lyrics. Director Sunil Mysooru first approached Raghu to act in his film, but Raghu chose to do the music instead. And compose he did, all 11 original tracks. “He had shot a 20 minute edit of the entire story when he approached me. As a musician, I was really moved after watching it and instantly wanted to be a part of the film. Eventually, the music we made is enough for three films. We have 11 original songs and it is the best music that I have done in Kannada so far” says Raghu. Orchestra is about a young boy working in a tea shop aspiring to sing just one song on stage with a local roadside orchestra during Dasara Festival in Mysore.

IS VARUN DHAWAN GETTING PROTECTIVE FOR HIS OCTOBER CO – STAR BANITA?

Varun Dhawan who will be seen next in Shoojit Sircar’s October has turned guardian angel for his co – star Banita Sandhu. With stardom comes a fan frenzy which can sometimes be unnerving especially for a new comer. Recently, debutante Banita had a firsthand experience at what fan mania can be like. Varun took out Banita, Shoojit, Juhi Chaturvedi and a few others from the team for dinner at a popular restaurant in Bandra recently. The news of the team dining at the restaurant spread and within minutes there was a huge gathering around. The 20 – year – old actress, Banita who is new to such attention, luckily had Varun to her rescue. Varun’s priority was the actress’ comfort, so he took her out from the place safely, on his own, as he is very protective about her. Varun was a constant guide & friend to Banita even during the shooting days. The actor is aware of the emotions & the feelings of a newcomer so he has been guiding Banita in whatever way he can.

HICHKI ALL SET TO RELEASE ON 23RD MARCH, 2018

The internal YRF team has convinced Aditya Chopra that Hichki, the family movie that touches hearts should release post exams to get a wider audience and the makers have decided to postpone the release of the movie to 23rd Mar, 2018. YRF believes that it will go down as one of the finest movies made by the production house. The marketing & the distribution team met with Aditya Chopra to convince him that the high content movie needs a release window that could bring in more audience. Producer Maneesh Sharma adds, “Hichki is an out & out family movie that will entertain audiences across all age groups. ”Manan Mehta, VP – Marketing & Merchandising, YRF says, “With exams out of the way, 23rd Mar, 2018 gives us the opportunity to reach out to and speak to the youth, especially school students, and their families as this film is extremely relevant to them.” Rohan Malhotra, VP – Distribution, YRF says, “Hichki is an incredible movie which is full of heart & will entertain audiences, ask the right questions & challenges the right themes which are prevalent in our society.” Rani plays the character of Naina Mathur who has a nervous system disorder, Tourette Syndrome that forces an individual to make involuntary repetitive movements or sounds. Hichki focusses on turning disadvantages into opportunities and staring down at challenges that life throws at one and ultimately winning over them. It highlights this through the story of Naina, who faces discrimination from our society that firmly believes she cannot be a teacher because of her disorder. Siddharth P Malhotra has directed the movie.

NEHA DHUPIA BREAKS FREE FROM PERIOD TABOOS

Reminisces about the time her father’s whisper of encouragement set her free from the taboo of periods. In a Facebook post, Neha Dhupia opened up about her periods. The actress spoke about how she was a tomboy and seeing her friends being restricted from entering the kitchen and going out to play made her very confused. “I broke down in front my dad, clouded by these million inhibitions & expectations. He held my hand and said softly to me, “There’s no way anybody or anything can stop you from being who you are, doing what you want to do.” It only took a whisper of encouragement to set me free!”, the actress said.

MANJIRI FADNIS WAS THANKFUL TO DIRECTOR VISHWAS PAANDYA FOR CASTING HER IN BAA BAAA BLACK SHEEP

Manjiri Fadnis, who will be seen in Vishwas Paandya’s Baa Baaa Black Sheep opposite Maniesh Paul, felt heavy hearted on the last day of the shoot and was thankful to the director to cast her in the film. Director Vishwas Paandya says, ” The entire shoot was full of fun and we were like a family on the sets. When we were shooting on the last day, Manjiri came to me with teary eyes, she had never had so much fun during the shoot of any movie and she didn’t want the schedule to end.” Baa Baaa Black Sheep, directed by Vishwas Paandya, stars Maniesh Paul, Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, Manjari Fadnnis & Kay Kay Menon in a special appearance along with Manish Wadhwa & Natasha Suri. Produced by Anand Swarup Agarwal & Krishna Datla, under the banner Agastya Films, is a Soham Rockstar Entertainment presentation. The film is slated to release on 9th Mar, 2018.

RAJA ABROADIYA WILL NOW RELEASE ON 16TH MAR 2018

Under the banner of Shabla Films, Raja Abroadiya is postponed and will now release on 16th Mar, 2018. Raja Abroadiya starring Robin Sohi, Vaishnavi Patwardhan, Abhishek Singh Pathania, Olga Hoffmann, Alankrita Bora, Vaishnavi Macdonald & Yograj Singh. The film produced & directed by Lakhwinder Shabla. The film’s distribution & marketing is done by Manoj Nandwana (JVEL). The story revolves around a rich boy Raja of a village who was very proud and enjoying his royal status, but he got his ego hurt by a drunken villager whose son returned from abroad after being married to foreign girl. Raja accepts his challenge, announcing he too will become Abroadiya .The leading lady Preety also has dreams of going abroad & change her social & economical status. The 2 meet in the process, they make a deal between them. It’s the story of both to achieve their respective goals and what struggles they have to face in this journey.

TIGER SHROFF GETS HIS MMA TEAM CAPTAIN A ROLE IN BAAGHI 2

Tiger Shroff, who has been a trained martial artist since he made his acting debut helped his fellow MMA colleague from Super Fight League, Dhruv Chaudhary to land a plum role in his next, Sajid Nadiadwala’s Baaghi 2 directed by Ahmed Khan. Shroff & Chaudhary got acquainted with one another during Season 1 of the league when Chaudhary was the captain of the Bengaluru Tiger’s team, a team that Shroff co – owned. Shroff & his mother, Ayesha helped Chaudhary settle in Mumbai a year ago and oversees his MMA career. Chaudhary who hails from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh has nine years of experience in Taekwondo, Karate & Muay Thai. As a child he witnessed his father being shot alive and his mother being a victim to domestic abuse which drove to him to pursue his passion for mixed martial arts and fight against corruption. Dhruv Chaudhary says, “Tiger Shroff’s family always goes out of the way to help me in whatever way they can. I had a great time shooting in Goa along with Tiger Shroff & Randeep Hooda who are both part of SFL and there were many times we used to engage in MMA on sets. This is the first time ever I will be acting in a film and I got selected in the 1st ever audition itself so I’m quite nervous as well but Ahmed Khan is a good friend and has really guided me thoroughly. In fact Tiger helped me a lot with dialogues, diction & performance.” Super Fight League, the world’s 1st ever mixed martial arts tournament, promoted by British businessman & sports enthusiast Bill Dosanjh & British professional boxer Amir Khan has seen celebrity support from co -owners like Ajay Devgn, Randeep Hooda, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arbaaz Khan, Salim Suleiman & Tiger Shroff.

SANJAY LEELA BHANSALI ALL PRAISES FOR SHAHID KAPOOR

Shahid Kapoor has been appreciated for playing the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh in Padmavat, which has opened to appreciation & positive response from the audiences. Also director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been applauded for bringing out stellar performances from his artistes, and working with Shahid for the first time ever has been a very good experience for him. As he praises Shahid and calls him talented & effortless actor “Shahid was a new energy on the sets because I hadn’t worked with him before. It was interesting to see how a new actor works. He is a great – looking kid. He is extremely talented & so effortless. He is constantly wanting to become better. He would say, ‘I’m unhappy with that shot. Can I do this better?’ And I would tell him, ‘Can you stop pushing yourself. And punishing yourself because I know what I want from you.’ It was great working with him. He gave Maharawal Ratan Singh such dignity & silence. It was a nuanced & delicate performance. I’m so proud of what he has done in this film. To play a straight & understated part, yet to make your presence felt is very difficult. Deepika & Shahid look so good together. I wish they do more films with each other.”

YRF’S HRITHIK V/S TIGER ACTION EXTRAVAGANZA SET TO RELEASE ON 2ND OCT 2019!

Yash Raj Films’ biggest action entertainer starring Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff & Vaani Kapoor is all set to release on Gandhi Jayanti, 2nd Oct, 2019! Hrithik plays Tiger’s guru in this slick, face – off thriller that is expected to be a visual spectacle. The film is all set to go on the floors this Aug and shooting will wrap by the end of Feb, 2019. Hrithik & Tiger are going to share screen space for the 1st time ever in this Siddharth Anand directorial. Hrithik & YRF are teaming up after 11 years post their blockbuster collaboration on Dhoom 2. This film marks Tiger’s 1st ever YRF film.

FAIR IN LOVE LAUNCHED

Under the banner of Vision Corporation Ltd, the director A K Mishra’s Hindi movie Fair in Love’s grand Muhurat was held in Mumbai . Fair in Love is starring Feroz Khan, Kanupriya Sharma, Ashwini Dhar & Dolly Arya in various roles. The cinematographer Triloki Choudhary has added beauty to the film with the music of Nehal Kumar & Umesh Mishra. The director A K Mishra, along with the leads Feroz Khan, Kanupriya Sharma, Ashwini Dhar & Dolly Arya are present at the Muhurat launch of the film. The film is a social drama of a couple who belongs to different political communities but got fallen in love with each other. The leads Dev & Alpana belong to Jharkhand & Uttar Pradesh respectively. After all the odds the 2 got married against the wish of their families but this didn’t go well .although the couple was in great love with each other but the society always cursed her for being infertile but the truth was something else. It was Dev who has low sperm count, and due to whom she was not able to conceive. But she didn’t want to demean her husband and took off the blame on her. But one night in the absence of her husband she gets raped and got pregnant. It was the mixed emotion for her, happiness of being pregnant but at the same time agitations of being raped. The circumstances were such, that she unwillingly had to accept the child or else her marriage could have been in danger since her in laws were against it, but she was still hell bent upon to find out the culprit.

GOLMAAL AGAIN BAGS YET ANOTHER RECORD TO ITS NAME!

Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Again has been on a record breaking spree ever since the announcement of its release date. From breaking the record in pre – release ticket sales to becoming one of the highest grossing films of 2017, Golmaal Again has always been on the top of every list. The movie became a sensation at the box – office turnstiles and now it has gone ahead to break a record on satellite television as well. The movie has become the biggest Bollywood Premiere on TV in the last 2 years. Director Rohit Shetty says, “All my films, be it Golmaal Series or Singham or Chennai express, have all done extremely well on television. The main reason for this is the large family audiences whom we cater to and the immense love which they have given to all my films.”

GARBAGE, A GRITTY SOCIO – POLITICAL DRAMA DIRECTED BY Q THE ONLY INDIAN FILM, TO PREMIERE AT BERLINALE 2018

A political drama that reflects the times we are living in, Garbage, Q’s new directorial venture will be premiering at Panorama, Berlinale this year. Produced by Shaailesh R Singh & Hansal Mehta of Karma Entertainment & Media LLP, and Q of ODDJOINT, the film tells the story of Phanishwar (Tanmay Dhanania), Nanaam (Satarupa Das) & Rami (Trimala Adhikari), who are lost in their own dark worlds, and come together only to inflict damage on each other. “I see garbage as a strong metaphor of human existence. I am shocked at the level of violent patriarchy & general apathy around me. India has been changing, and sucking itself into an abyss of misunderstanding & delusion, aided strongly by mainstream religious sentiments. There’s an imminent threat of the fragile social fabric imploding & affecting everyone. Garbage is my way of trying to understand the tension’ says Q. “I really liked what Q narrated to us and with Garbage being the only Indian film at Panaroma Berlinale, Hansal & I are proud of our association with the film. We hope it will be liked”, says Shaailesh R Singh. In the world of independent cinema, Q is well known for his subversive storytelling & controversial cult films that questions the established status quo. Seven years after Gandu, one of his most well known works, Garbage is all set for its world premiere at Panorama, at the Berlin International Film Festival, which seeks out new impulses in the prevailing trends & in cinematic creation, from across the world.

POOJA CHOPRA WINS THE TIMES MOST POWERFUL WOMAN AWARD 2018

Times Power Women of the Year 2017, was an event that saw felicitations of women to acknowledge their contribution towards society in the heterogeneous fields of work. Pooja Chopra received the Times Powerful Woman 2017 award for her contribution in the field of Acting. She dedicated her award to her mother Neera Chopra who is the driving force and has the biggest hand in raising & shaping Pooja as the woman she is today. This move was unexpected by her mother and she couldn’t control her emotions. She was speechless when called upon stage to receive the award with tears in her eyes. Beauty, fashion, strength, influential, high spirited mother, and a wife, are the words that describe Pooja best. Pooja was born & brought up in the city of Pune. She has completed her education in the city and it was also the place where she first decided that she wanted to pursue Modelling & acting as a career. Right from her school days when she won Miss Mount Carmel to her college days, where she won various titles, she has always been the face of Pune city. She was overwhelmed when her city awarded her for her exemplary hard work & contribution towards the field of acting & for putting Pune on a map. Crowned as the Femina Miss India in 2009 she was also a semi – finalist at Miss World 2009 and won the Beauty with a purpose award, at Miss World 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa Pooja Chopra has won as many as 8 national & international titles in a single year. Pooja Chopra has also featured in Times 50 Most Beautiful Women at No. 28. Bollywood films, Commando, Fashion & Heroine are a few movies to her credit. She was also the lead in Neeraj Pandey’s popular short film Ouch, a dramatic love story. She has also been associated as the beauty director & talent partner with the Femina Miss India. Next she will be seen playing the role of Captain Maya Semwal in Neeraj Pandey’s next Aiyaary that will be releasing soon.

SUDHIR MISHRA KICK STARTS THE DAAS DEV CAMPAIGN WITH THE MUSIC LAUNCH

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra’s legacy has been to make unconventional & unique cinema. Daas Dev, his next offering is yet another example of his unconventional voice. After releasing the 1st ever look poster , the filmmaker brings his unconventional touch to the fore yet again by furthering the Daas Dev Campaign with the Music Launch of the film at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai even before releasing the trailer of the film as is the conventional norm. Sudhir Mishra said, “The music plays an integral part in my film. I have 5 music composers in the film, there are 2 songs composed by Sandesh Shandliya sung by Rekha Bharadwaj & Papon, 2 songs by Vipin Patwa which are sung by Atif Aslam & Javed Bashir, one song by Shamir Tandon sung by Papon & Krishna Beura and there is a new composer Anupama Raag & lyricist Gaurav Solanki whose song is sung by Swanand Kirkire.” The film stars Richa Chadha as Paro, Aditi Rao Hydari as Chandni & Rahul Bhat as Dev. The film stars Vineet Singh, Saurabh Shukla & Vipin Sharma. Anurag Kashyap will be seen in a guest appearance in the film. Directed by Sudhir Mishra, and produced by Saptarishi Cinevision Production, Daas Dev is all set to release on 9th Mar, 2018. The film follows a path contrary to the plot of the classic novella Devdas. But is a fiercely political film that talks about the protagonist’s addiction. The movie’s premise is novel in a way that it is a reverse story of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas dipped in Shakespearean influences. Set against the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh, Daas Dev is a film about power, love & addiction.

DIRECTOR SACHIN P. KARANDE’S FILM JACK AND DIL READY FOR RELEASE

Director Sachin P. Karande’s film Jack And Dil starring Amit Sadh, Arbaaz Khan, Sonal Chauhan & Evelyn Sharma & Produced by Sagar Shingare of Rock & Roll Cinema currently in dubbing at Empire Studios. Jack And Dil is slated for release this March or April 2018. Sachin P. Karande, CPA graduate & Film Appreciation Course from FTII has earlier made 2 films Payback & Vikalp which were received vwell with good reviews. Jack & Dil is a modern day story of new age man Jack (Amit Sadh) carefree, with little materialistic ambitions, the rich businessman (Arbaaz Khan) the effervescent painter wife (Sonal Chauhan) & the model (Evelyn Sharma). The story revolves around the neglected wife, the carefree wannabe detective novelist & the model who does ads for the rich businessman. Their stories intertwine to create humorous romantic entanglements. Jack And Dil artists include Amit Sadh, Arbaaz Khan, Sonal Chauhan, Evelyn Sharma Rajdeep Chaudhari, Rajeev Mehra, & Sachin Parikh and it has been shot extensively in Goa & Mumbai. Produced by Sagar Shingare, Direceted by Sachin P. Karande, Writer Sanjeev Dutta, Music by Arko Mukherjee, Ramji Gulati & Argha Banerjee

ADITYA VIKRAM SENGUPTA’S JONAKI’S WORLD PREMIERE WAS HELD AT THE 47TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM

Labour Of Love director Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s second feature Jonaki had its world premiere at the recently concluded 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) where it received an outstanding reception from the audiences. The film features 81 -year – old actress Lolita Chatterjee (of Aap Ki Kasam & Victoria No. 203 fame) who is making her comeback as Jonaki along with Jim Sarbh (Neerja, Padmavati, A Death In the Gunj) & Ratnabali Bhattacharjee (Permanent Roommates). Jonaki is a tale of an 80 – year – old woman who searches for love in a strange world of decaying memories, while her lover, now old & grey, returns to a world she is leaving behind. Thrilled about his 2nd feature making its international debut at one of the most celebrated film festivals in the world, director Aditya Vikram Sengupta, says, “IFFR upholds auteur cinema and there could not have been a better place for us to premier Jonaki.
Audiences here do not only come to be entertained by cinema but to experience it” Samir Sarkar, Magic Hour Films, the principal producer of Jonaki says, “It was a sold out world premiere at Rotterdam and our subsequent screenings had a similar response. Audiences here not only come with the thought of being entertained by cinema but also to experience it to the fullest. They are open to new ideas & treatments.”

ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATION OF FILM STUDIOS SETTING & ALLIED MAZDOOR UNION HELD

Film Studios Setting & Allied Mazdoor Union (FSSAMU) celebrated their 34th anniversary recently in Mumbai under the supervision of their dashing & dynamic Chairman of the union, MLA Ram Kadam & General Secretary Gangeshwarlal Shrivastav a.k.a Sanju with their respective members. The ritual ceremony began with a free medical camp exclusively for its members. Present on the dais were B. N. Tiwari – President of the Western India Cine Employees & its General Secretary Ashok Dubey & Vasant Dubey Founder of FSSAMU with Dr. Kirit Somaiya – renowned BJP politician from Mumbai North – East, Saini Ji, Cabinet Minister of State, Yogesh Dubey, President of North Indian Federation, Dhananjay Singh – Former MP of U.P. & a galaxy of seasoned actors of the silver & television screens like Gajendra Chauhan, Rajpal Yadav, Upasana Singh, Tina Ghai, Sahila Chadda, filmmakers Dheeraj Kumar & Ashok Pandit made their presence felt at the gala event. Gangeshwarlal Shrivastav a.k.a Sanju, the General Secretary of the Film Studios & Mazdoor Allied Union welcomed each of the honourable guests and in their honour presented them with bouquets, shawls & trophies to all. General Secretary Gangeshwarlal Shrivastav a.k.a Sanju said, “This union will work together in association with all the federations. Now we are focusing on the benefits of our workers like, protection on the sets, proper arrangement of food for them by the producers and that their wages should be paid on time. If any worker faces any sorts of problem on the sets, he can call the union directly and we will reach out to him for his rescue. Overall the filmmakers are fair enough but it has been noticed that the television & web series makers are not paying their workers properly and that too not on time and keeps on lingering for month’s altogether. This has to be sorted out or else we will not allow them to shoot in any circumstances.”

PARMANU – THE STORY OF POKHRAN TO RELEASE ON 6TH APR 2018

Parmanu- The Story of Pokhran, an edge – of – the -seat thriller that will make every Indian proud – a true India Shining story, will release on 6th Apr, 2018. The film is an ode to the Indian army & scientists, who although ordinary people, truly accomplished extraordinary feats in the face of adversity. It salutes, celebrates & truly embraces the slogan- Jai Jawan Jai Vigyan. While the premise of the film is based on true events, the characters are fictitious. Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the film stars John Abraham, Diana Penty & Boman Irani. The film has been produced by: KriArj Entertainment, JA Entertainment, Zee Studios & Kyta Productions

HUMA QURESHI TO COME UP WITH AN AFFORDABLE CLOTHING LINE!

Huma Qureshi will soon be launching her own fashion line. Her new venture is more of an initiative than a label or a fashion line. Associated with causes dedicated to empowerment of women, the actress has found this interesting alternative for young girls who want to look stylish but cannot afford it. As Huma’s upcoming untitled line will be for young girls, the designs will have a contemporary, feminine & youthful touch to it. The stunner will be overseeing everything right from the designs of the clothes to distribution of the brand. Huma had her mind on launching her own line with the aim to make stylish & affordable every day wear for young girls for quite some time. She is currently in the process of determining the logistics. She is extremely excited to see how the designs & the fashion line pans out once that’s done. Says Huma, “So many young girls across the country want to wear good clothes and look nice. Fashion is just not for the elite. Fashion should be for anybody who wants to look good for themselves. I want to launch a line for school, college & office – going girls who want to be trendy, step out & feel confident.”

FIRST SCHEDULE OF KASHI 2 KASHMIR COMPLETED

Kashi 2 Kashmir is an upcoming Hindi Film starring Vikas Chaudhary, Shravni Sahay, Uzma Ahmad, Arnav Pandit, Govind Namdev, Onkardas Manikpur (Nattha), Aditya Roy, Ravi Sudha Chaudhary, Mahesh Kumar Wanve, Rajvir Singh, Anil Anjunil etc. Under the banner of Cinox entertainment, Sanoj Mishra will be directing the film. The 1st ever schedule of the shooting of the film is completed with all the cast at various location of Jammu, Sri Nagar like Dal lake, etc. Kashi 2 Kashmir is based on today’s time Kashmiri Pandit issue, The Hindus of the Kashmir Valley, a large majority of whom were Kashmiri Pandits, were forced to flee the Kashmir valley as a result of terrorism, on or after 20 Jan, 1990. The producer Deepak Pandit is ready with the story on Kashmiri Pandits with the director Sanoj Mishra. The music directors are Faisal Ali & Sanjay Kumar. The film is starring the victim of Pakistan, Uzma Ahmad who returned to India by the help of EAM Sushma Swaraj after a legal battle.

ROCK BAND PARTY SHOOTING STARTED IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

The 1st ever shooting schedule of A Gulshan Anand Films Rock Band Party has started at various locations of Uttrakhand & Himachal Pradesh. Rock Band Party starring Ravinder Kuhar, Deepti Sadhwani, Rajveer Singh, Ratan Rathaur, Virendra Commondow, Mayur, Sujit Mishra, Aditya Roy, Purnima Nisha, Kanchan Namdev & Shiv Aryan. Ravinder Kuhar a Haryana Police by profession & Bollywood actor –model by heart. But now, he has diverted his career to Bollywood industry. The film will be a directional venture of Sanoj Mishra. produced by Arpit Awasthi & Mahi Anand & co – producer Saurabh Singh, while the story is written by Abid Ali. Mahesh Ranjan is the cinematographer, Faisal Ali will contribute for the music & associate director is Mobeen Warsi. The 1st ever schedule of the shooting of the film has started with the leads actors at various locations of Uttrakhand & Himachal Pradesh. Rock Band Party is related to today’s generation story, how clashes occur in the difference in their fast paced life with their parents. The time between completing the college and before landing on a suitable job is the time when actual conflict arises between parents & children due to generation gap.

A. K. Creation’s film HITLER is running successfully in Mumbai circuit & has entered 2nd week at many cinemas. The credits of the film are produced by Mohammad Nasim, directed by Santram, story – screenplay – dialogues by Nanhe Pandey, Som Bhushan & Santram, lyrics by S. Kumar, Santram & Tasavur Ali, music by S. Kumar, action by Shahabuddin & choreography by Santosh Sarvadarshi & Bhoopi. It stars Viraj Bhatt, Monalisa, Sanjay Pandey, Manoj Tiger, Murlidhar, Bhoomika, Sanjay Verma, Tanveer Shaikh, Pooja, Anara Gupta, Janardan Bhardwaj, Rinki Shukla, Dipti, Ashok, Jayraj Singh, Javed Rehman, Aman Samani & Mohammed Nasim.

PRODUCTION NO.1 Announced

RSMP Media Pvt Ltd’s (Kolkata) PRODUCTION NO. 1 has recently been announced. The credits of the film are produced by Sushmita Shrivastava, directed by Santosh Dandekar, music by Aman Shlok, cinematography by Gopal Dey & Production Controller: Keshav Kamal. The star-cast is e being finalized very soon.

NAMASTE BIHAR Dubbing Nearing Completion

The dubbing of Omkar Film & Television Production’s NAMASTE BIHAR is nearing completion at PNP Studio. The film are concept & produced by Rajan Kumar, directed by Laxman Sinha, screenplay by Nehal Ahmed, lyrics by Rajesh Mishra, Satish Sinha & Santosh Puri, music by Aman Shlok, choreography by Gaurav Kaushik, art by Govind Sahani, editing by Nakul Prasad, cinematography by Anil Vaghela & Co -producers: Adv. Kalpana Waskar & Laxman Prasad Singh. The film stars debutant Bhumika Kalita, Rajan Kumar, Manoj Sinha, Monika Kanti, Madhusudan Atmiya, Devnayak Das, Jeetendra Singh, Sohail Rana, Pramod Nirala, Rajesh Kushwaha, Harsh Kumar, Preetam Adhikari & Ex. Chief Minister of Bihar namely Satish Prasad Singh.

Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi, who reached legendary heights for her portrayal of the protagonist Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak’s cult movie Meghe Dhaka Tara, died at her residence here recently, following a massive cardio – respiratory failure, her physician said.

She was cremated in the evening with full state honours given by the West Bengal Government.

Supriya Devi, 85, is survived by her daughter & 3 grandchildren.

“She felt unwell in the washroom around 6.20 am. When doctors were called, they declared her dead at 6.30 am,” the family physician said.

Supriya Devi’s body was taken from her home to the Rabindra Sadan compound, where 100’s, amongst them leading cultural & political personalities, including Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee, paid their last respects.

The last journey had begun around 6.15 pm, with a barefoot Mamta Banerjee walking 3.5 km alongside a large number of mourners to the Keoratala crematorium, where the coffin was taken out of the cortege and placed on a high platform by police personnel in a slow march.

The bugle played the last post before she was accorded a guard of honor & a gun salute, as soulful Rabindra Sangeet played in the background.

Born on 8th Jan, 1933 at Myitkyina in erstwhile Burma now Myanmar, Supriya Chowdhury took the screen name Supriya Devi to emerge as one of the leading figures of the Golden era of Bengali cinema that saw her straddle the celluloid space with great aplomb alongside the Late Uttam Kumar Kumar & the Late Suchitra Sen.

Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabitri Chatterjee & Madhabi Mukherjee now remain amongst the few surviving representatives of that generation.

Supriya Devi was one of the leading heroines of Uttam Kumar, her live – in partner, and essayed memorable romantic roles opposite him through 2 and a half decades.
The duo’s mega hit movies included Sanyasi Raja, Baghbandi Khela, Chirodiner, Sabarmati, Suno Baranari, Bon Palashir Padavali, Kalankini Kankabati & Sudhu Ekti Bachar.

Apart from the Uttam Kumar – Suchitra Sen combine, it was the Uttam Kumar – Supriya Devi pairing that kept generations of Bengali film buffs mesmerised with their romance, hit songs on their lips & well – scripted story – lines.

She also acted in a few Hindi films like Begaana, Door Gagan Ki Chaon Mein & Aap Ki Parchhaiyan.

Known for her beauty & sharp features, she made her acting debut as a 7 year old in 2 plays directed by her father Gopal Chandra Banerjee, and forayed into films in 1952 playing a side part in the Uttam Kumar starrer Basu Parbar.

It was in 1959 that she rose to prominence after her appearance in the runaway hit movie Sonar Harin, which also featured Uttam Kumar. The year 1960 gave Supriya Devi a cult status following her sensitive & touching depiction of the sole bread earner of a refugee family against the backdrop of the 1947 partition of India in Meghe Dhaka Tara (Cloud Capped Star).

Her heart rending cries “Dada Ami Kintu Banchte Cheyechilam… Dada Ami Banchbo… Dada Ami Banchbo” (Brother, I just wanted to live… brother, I want to live… brother, I want to live)”, that broke the serenity of a tuberculosis sanatorium, echoing through its natural surroundings, is regarded as a classic celluloid silver screen scene. She came up with another spectacular performance in Ritwik Ghatak’s Komal Gandhar in 1961.

Amongst her other popular films are Debdas (1979), where she was cast as Chandramukhi opposite Soumitra Chatterjee in the title role, Jadi Jantem, Amarapali, Chowranghee, Sabyasachi, Dui Purush, Mon Niye & Atmiyo Swajan.

In 2006, she made her last appearance on the big celluloid silver screen in Mira Nair’s The Namesake.

In 1954, Supriya Devi married Biswanath Choudhary. The couple’s only daughter is Soma. However, later in life, Supriya Devi fell in love with Uttam Kumar.

Supriya Devi was conferred the Padma Shri in 2014, and received the Bengal Film Journalists’ Award twice, for Tin Adhyay (“Best Actress” in 1969) & Chinnapatra (“Best Supporting Actress” in 1973).

The State Government bestowed its highest award Banga Vibhushan in 2011 on her.
President Ram Nath Kovind led the nation in condoling Supriya Devi’s demise. Calling her an icon of Indian cinema & of Bengal’s cultural life, Kovind said she would be “remembered for memorable films such as Meghe Dhaka Tara”.

Mamata Banerjee averred, “She was a legendary actress. She was like a family member to us… We will fondly remember her through her films. Condolences to her family & fans.”

Soumitra Chatterjee, 2 years junior to Supriya Devi, was heartbroken. “I have nothing to say. I am also 83 now. For 60 years she was my friend & colleague. We worked together in so many films. I feel very sad & heartbroken.”

Film maker Sujoy Ghosh tweeted: “RIP Supriya Devi… I was, am and, always will be your fan”.

Keli is now entering the 26th year of its tireless journey in pursuit of excellence in the rich & diverse forms of India’s artistic traditions. The forthcoming 3 days long Keli festival scheduled on 9th Feb, 2018 – 10th Feb, 2018 – 11th Feb, 2018 will focus on India’s classical dance traditions, Bharatnatyam, Kuchupudi & Mohiniyaattam.

Bharatanatyam, is presumably the oldest classical dance heritage of India. Conventionally it is a solo dance performed only by women. It initiated in Tamil Nadu and eventually flourished in South India. It is a dance form of an illustrative anecdote of Indian mythology themes & spiritual ideas emoted by a dancer with excellent footwork & impressive gestures. Its performance repertoire includes nrita, nritya & natya. It also continues to inspire several art forms including paintings & sculptures starting from the spectacular 6th to 9th century temple sculptures.
Kuchupudi is a dance tradition that originated in the village of Kuchipudi of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. This ancient dance form finds place in the 10th century copper inscriptions & in 15th century texts like “Machupalli Kaifat”. Traditionally it is regarded that the sanyassin of Advaita Vedanta sect, Tirtha Narayana Yati, and his disciple Siddhendra Yogi initiated, methodized & arranged the present day version of the dance form in the 17th century.

Mohiniyattam is ancient Indian classical dance form that evolved in the state of Kerala. Mohiniattam adheres to the Lasya type that showcases a more graceful, gentle & feminine form of dancing. Conventionally it is a solo dance performed by female artists.

This festival will be dedicated to the memory of Guru S. K. Rajarathnam Pilla, Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan, Vedantha Sathyanarayana Sharma, Guru Thottekkat Chinnammu Amma.

Day 1: Inaugural Program & Bharatnatyam by Padmashri Malavika Sarukkai & group to be held Fri 9th Feb, 2018, at Y. B. Chavan Centre, Opp. Mantralaya at 6.45 pm. Guests of Honour: Kumar Shahani, Padmabhushan Ustad Zakir Hussain, Anand Neelakandan & Surendrababu. Felicitating the artists: Golden Conch: Padmashri Malavika Sarukai. Lasyasree: Dr. Jayaprabha Menon. Silver Conch: Sreelakshmi Govardhan. Artist Bio: Malavika started dance studies at the age of 7 training under Guru Kalayanasundaram of the Thanjavur school & Guru Rajaratnam of the Vazhuvoor school. She has also studied abhinaya under Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan & Odissi under Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra & Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena. Intense, extraordinary & luminous are the qualities that distinguish Malavika Sarukkai‘s dancing. With her artistic mastery & technique, she commands a presence on the world stage. She is acclaimed globally for her creative dance choreographies, which transport the viewer to the heartbeat of dance, taking dance beyond specific geographies. As a passionate path breaking dancer from India, she has contributed a significant & large body of work. Her collaborative productions have synergized through dialogues with artists from different media, poets, musicians, painters, sculptors & contemporary writers. These interactions bring to her choreographic interpretations the incandescent beauty of the classical language & the energized articulation of a contemporary mind.
Accompanying Artists: Srilatha S (Nattuvangam), Srilakshmi Venkataramani (Violin), Murali Parthasarathy (Vocal), Nellai A Balaji (Mridangam) & Sharad Kulshreshtha (Light Designer).

Day 2 – Kuchupudi by Sreelakshmi Govardhana & Group. In association with DAE Cultural Centre on Sat 10th Feb 2018, at Anushakthi Nagar, at 7.30 pm

Artist Bio: Sreelakshmy Govardhanan is an eminent Kuchupudi artiste from India. She is the disciple of Guru Sri Pasumarthy Rattaiaha Sarma. She is widely known for her grace, exquisite footwork & acting technique, which comes alive during her dance performances. Other than performing at varied prestigious Indian dance festivals, she has performed on varied international platforms in Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Colombia, USA, Jordan & Gulf countries that have earned her rave reviews. She performed as the lead of the Kuchupudi team at the “Make In India” program at Hannover Messe, 2015 in Germany. She was also invited to choreograph a confluence of Indian dance for the inaugural event of “Marhaba NaMo in Dubai” where Prime Minister of India visited UAE after 34 years. She has choreographed dance moves for the Award winning Malayalam feature films. Sreelakshmy is the founder & artistic director of the Avantika Space for Dance, a centre for learning, performance & research.

Accompanying Artists: Natungam: Sureshkumar Neelamperur, Reju Nararayan (Vocal), Arunkumar (Mrudangam) & Hema Balasubrahmanyam (Flute)

Day 3: Mohiniyattam in association Mudra Academi of Dance & Music by Jayaprabha Menon & Group on Sun 11th Feb, 2018 at Terna auditorium, Nerul (West), at 7.00 pm.

Artist Bio: Jayaprabha initiated her training in dance from Guru Kalamandalam Saraswathy and then continued with Guru C V Chandrasekhar & Guru Bharathy Shivaji. Jayaprabha’s graceful nritta is phenomenal as one can discern the union of the dance & the dancer into a single entity. Her metamorphosis into the vivid characters on the stage speaks for her histrionic adroitness. Myriad are the choreographies that embrace both puranic & contemporary motifs and further, they are quintessential of her insatiable urge to establish the intrinsic identity of the dance form peculiar to Kerala. Also, they are the end results of her perennial search for the roots of the dance form. In this endeavour, she has been fortunate enough to enjoy the guidance of Padmabhushan Kavalam Narayana Panicker, an acclaimed authority of Sopana Sangeetham. Association with stalwarts like Birju Maharaj, Sonal Mansingh & Raja – Radha Reddy in eclectic productions has expanded her vista of the essence of Indian classical dances.

Accompanying Artists: Kottakkal Jayan (Vocal) R. Kesavan (Mrudangam), G. Soundrarajan (Veena), G. Raghuraman (Flute), Nandakumar Marar (Idakka) & Padmasree Malavika Sarukkai