Fox Networks Group has promoted Brian Sullivan to the president, COO. Randy Freer who had that role had earlier left to be Hulu CEO. This announcement comes at a time when 21st Century Fox is said to be talking to Disney for a sale. Brian Sullivan will oversee ad sales, distribution of several assets including National Geographic Partners.

Zee News Jumps To #2

Zee News has jumped to the #2 position in urban + rural HSM in week 48 of BARC India ratings. India TV & News18 India has fallen by a rank while ABP News has moved up. In urban HSM, Zee News & India TV exchanged positions. In rural HSM, Zee News replaced News18 India at #4 while News Nation entered the top 5.
Munna Michael Premiere Notches 5.92 Million Impressions

The world television premiere of the Tiger Shroff starrer Munna Michael on &pictures has garnered 5.92 million impressions in urban + rural HSM, as per BARC India data for week 48. The premiere Hindi dubbed Telugu action movie Lie on Rishtey Cineplex garnered 7.01 million impressions. In U+R HSM, Sony Wah jumped to #2 pushing Rishtey Cineplex to #3. Zee Cinema fell to # 4.

Disney To Premiere Hindi Dubbed Version Of Tangled: Before Ever After

Disney Channel will premiere the Hindi dubbed version of its original TV movie Tangled: Before Ever After on 9th Dec, 2017. The movie will air as a 1 hour TV special @ 11 am. Popular Bollywood singer Neeti Mohan has lent her voice to Rapunzel in the Hindi version. Produced by Disney Television Animation, Tangled: Before Ever After a 2D animated musical fantasy television film serves as a sequel to its original film Tangle as well as the pilot for the Tangled animated series.

Movies Now & Discovery Grab Top Positions

Movies Now has dethroned Sony Pix to take the #1 position week 48 of BARC India ratings. Sony Pix has dropped to the 3rd position. Zee Studio has replaced HBO at #5. Movies Now’s Fast And Furious 7 was the most watched film of the week. Movies Now had #1 movies on the table while Sony Pix & MNX had 1 each. Discovery Channel replaced History TV18 at #1 position. History TV18 dropped to #2 while Sony BBC Earth replaced Nat Geo Wild @ #5.

Zee TV Takes Leadership Position

Zee TV has grabbed the top spot in urban + rural HSM in week 48, as per BARC India date. Zee Anmol has fallen to #4 position while Star Bharat has jumped to #2. Colors has also moved a rank up. Sony Entertainment Television (SET) & SAB TV swapped positions. Zee TV’s Kundali Bhagya & Kumkum Bhagya lead the chart followed by Star Bharat’s Kya Haal Mr Panchaal, Sony Pal’s Baalveer & Colors’ Tu Aashiqui.

MCA Partners Probability Sports

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has partnered with Probability Sports, a consortium led by IIFL Investment Managers & Wizcraft Group, to launch its own franchise based league called T20 Mumbai League. A consortium led by IIFL Investment Managers & Wizcraft Group will plan & execute the league in its entirety. The consortium will be represented under the banner Probability Sports.

Planetcast Achieves Provisional Certification
Planetcast has achieved the provisional certification of its Noida Teleport (India) under the World Teleport Association’s (WTA) Teleport Certification Program. To achieve Provisional Certification, a teleport operator completes a +170 – item questionnaire & submits it to WTA. The Association analyses the data based on standards established by its Certification Committee and issues the Provisional Certification based on the self – reported information. The teleport then has 6 months to achieve Full Certification.

ITW Playworx Forms Music Talent Management Company
ITW Playworx, the Entertainment, Media & Communication arm of ITW Consulting, has joined hands with singer Sonu Nigam to launch a music talent management company called Playworx Music. Playworx Music will not only scout & nurture new talent but also manage existing talent in terms of a complete 360 – degree approach with respect to handling their assignments related to movies, live shows, branded content, digital extension, IP’s, et el.

Zenith Retains Nestlé Account
Nestlé India, the country’s leading food & beverage conglomerate has retained Zenith as the AOR (agency of record) for its media business. Recently, Nestle also consolidated its Nutrition digital marketing business with Zenith & DigitasLBi. The FMCG major called for a review after 5 years in Nov, 2017 which saw some leading media groups from across the country participate.

Zee Cinema To Air Jab Harry Met Sejal

Hindi movie channel Zee Cinema will air Jab Harry Met Sejal on 10th Dec, 2017 @ 8 pm. The film features Shah Rukh Khan & Anushka Sharma in yet another tale of a romantic journey, directed by Imtiaz Ali. Jab Harry Met Sejal is a hunt for a lost engagement ring that Sejal has misplaced during a holiday with her family, whilst in Europe.

Hooq Makes US Shows

Asian premium video – on – demand service Hooq has announced the availability of new shows on the same day & date as in United States. The titles include some of the biggest & the most popular series from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, such as The Big Bang Theory, Gotham, Supergirl, Lucifer, The Flash & Arrow. With the company’s recently announced revamped strategy in India to focus purely on Hollywood, consumers will be able to stream & download movies & TV shows at an introductory price of Rs. 89 for 1 month with the 30 day complimentary trial.

Gracenote Enables Real – Time Monitoring
While India has moved forward with TV digitisation cable operators can still add, remove or change the position of channels at their discretion without informing broadcasters. This can have an impact on the visibility of the channel and hence the ratings as well. To help broadcasters avoid loss of revenue & identify new opportunities, Gracenote has launched TV Street Maps 2.0 solution which automates the task of TV channel monitoring. The latest solution empowers Indian broadcasters with an accurate picture of TV channel distribution & delivery to preserve program ratings, address technical challenges in near real – time & improve monetisation from cable operators.

Suparna Singh Appointed

News broadcaster NTDV has appointed Suparna Singh as CEO of the company. She replaces KVL Narayan Rao, who passed away last month. Suparna Singh currently serves as the CEO of NDTV Convergence.

Prasar Bharati To Shut Analogue Terrestrial Transmission

As part of its plan to migrate to digital mode completely, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati will shut down its existing analogue system of terrestrial transmission in 19 cities in Dec, 2017. In the 2nd phase, Prasar Bharati plans to move another 44 cities to digital terrestrial transmission in a couple of years. The capacity of transmission through the digital system will also increase from 7 to 12 terrestrial channels as compared to just 1 in the analogue system.

Videocon D2h To Remove Shubh TV

Direct to home (DTH) service provider Videocon D2h has issued a notice stating that it will remove spiritual channel Shubh TV (LCN 496) from its platform with effect from 27th Dec, 2017. Shubh TV, which is owned by Pittie Group’s Shubh Media, was launched in Mar, 2016. It is a 24/7 Hindu religious spiritual television channel in India, dedicated to Hindi devotional songs, Indian culture & philosophy.

Zee Tamil To Launch Comedy Reality Show

Tamil GEC Zee Tamil has unveiled its new reality show Comedy Khiladies. The audition for the new show has also been kicked – off. The reality show seeks to handpick the best comic talent from across Tamil Nadu through the auditions held across 5 cities. The final 30 contestants will be presented with varied unique challenges such as solo acts & combination skits every week.

Zee Telugu To Launch A Fiction Show

Telugu GEC Zee Telugu is launching a new fiction show Evare Nuvvu Mohini on 11th Dec, 2017. The show will air every Mon through Fri @ 8.30 pm. Evare Nuvvu Mohini is a story of emotions & clashing ideologies, and it revolves around Vasu & his conniving stepmother, Raja Rajeshwari.

Epic To Launch New Series

Infotainment channel Epic will launch a new series Sharanam on 12th Dec, 2017 @ 8 pm. The show will mark the return of actor Juhi Chawla on the small screen as a narrator of the show. Sharanam will take viewers on a poignant journey to some of the most revered pilgrimage sites in India & highlights people’s faith, experiences & connections with God along with their reasons to worship.

China & India To Account For Half The Global Pay – TV Subscribers

Covering 138 countries, pay – TV revenues (subscriptions & PPV) & OTT revenues (AVod, SVod, TVod & DTO) combined will reach $283 billion by 2022; up by 18% from $239 billion in 2016, according to the ‘OTT & Pay TV Forecasts’ report by Digital TV Research. Pay TV is not dead, with more than 1 billion subscribers forecast by 2022. North America will lose subscribers, & Europe will be virtually flat. However, the Asia Pacific region will increase by 92 million subscribers between 2016 & 2022.

&Privé HD To Premiere Find Me Guilty

&Privé HD, the destination for nuanced English cinema, is all set to bring the Indian television premiere of the movie, Find Me Guilty on 10th Dec, 2017 @ 1 pm & 9 pm. The film is directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Vin Diesel as an enigmatic mobster.

Sony YAY! Celebrates A Dec Month!
Holiday season is all about celebrations & spending quality time with the family. Staying true to its philosophy of spreading happiness while consistently inspiring young ones, Sony YAY! boosts up the enthusiasm quotient by partnering with the most iconic initiatives in the country, Mumbai Juniorthon, Windmill Festival, Streetphoria & Hitex Kids Fair 2017. Starting with Mumbai Juniorthon, on 10th Dec, 2017, is an annual running event for children & junior athletes.

Sony To Telecast Season 4 Of Formula E Race

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) will telecast all the races, along with a dedicated highlights program from each round of the FIA Formula E Championship Season 4 on its sports channels. The sports channels of SPN will be keeping fans up – to -date with the latest electrifying action both on – & -off the track, including the official magazine show, Street Racers. Taking an exclusive look behind – the – scenes and getting a driver’s eye – view, Street Racers brings all the latest gossip & news against the backdrop of the world’s most stunning cities.

Star Free To Disconnect Signals
The Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has refused to grant further interim protection to multi – system operator (MSO) Tirupati Communication, which had filed petition against Star India’s disconnection notice. The tribunal had earlier granted interim protection to the MSO for 30 days on the condition that they pay the entire arrears by 30th Sept, 2017, failing which the broadcaster will be entitled to disconnect the signals.

Tata Sky Launches Platform Sampling
Direct to home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has launched a platform sampling offer for select subscribers. As part of the offer, subscribers of a package will have access to all standard definition (SD)/high definition (HD) channels & services on the platform at no additional cost. The offer is valid from 1st Dec, 2017 to 30th Dec, 2017. Existing subscription charges will continue to remain as applicable during the offer period.

NDTV Good Times Brings Back Yarri Dostii Shaadi
NDTV Good Times has brought back its wedding reality show Yarri Dostii Shaadi with Aza Fashions from 3rd Dec, 2017. The show will air every Sun @ 10 pm. Yarri Dostii Shaadi captures real weddings, real love stories & unbreakable bonds of friendship. The show popularly travels across India to showcase rich traditions & unique Indian ways of getting married. The format of the show, however, remains the same – the couples’ best friends play storytellers giving the viewer an insider’s perspective on the entire affair. Aza Fashions has come onboard as a style guru & show partner.

Star Bharat Extends Fiction Line – Up

Hindi GEC Star Bharat is all set to extend its fiction programming line – up to 6 days a week from 9th Dec, 2017. As a result, the channel’s weekly programming hours will jump to 25 hours from the existing 22.5 hours. The increase in programming will help the channel to grow its viewership share. Star Bharat, the erstwhile Life OK, has been on an upswing ever since the channel was launched on 28th Aug, 2017.

Dailyhunt Launches Live TV Service

News aggregation platform Dailyhunt has launched a live TV service & has also partnered with over the top (OTT) platform YuppTV to power the new service. As part of the association, YuppTV’s South -Asian & regional content will be accessible via Live TV to Dailyhunt customers. The Live TV service is going to provide over 130 channels in 9 languages across varied genres.

Dish TV’s Consolidated Q2 Net Loss Widens
Direct to home (DTH) operator Dish TV’s consolidated net loss for the quarter ended 30th Sept, 2017 has widened to Rs 17.9 crore compared to Rs 3.9 crore in the trailing quarter ended 30th Jun, 2017. The company’s EBITDA fell to Rs 216.1 crore compared to Rs 201.2 crore a quarter ago. The company’s EBITDA margin saw an improvement at 28.9% compared to 27.2% in the Jun, quarter. Dish TV attributed the improvement in EBITDA margin to operational efficiencies along with some revenue expansion resulting from an improved customer sentiment led to a margin expansion of 170 bps. Subscription revenue remained almost flat @ Rs 704.9 crore as against Rs 691.7 crore. Operating revenue stood at Rs 748.6 crore compared to Rs 738.9 crore.

Darshan – Arjun – Chiru – Dhruva Feature Together In A Hanuman Chalisa Song

Of late the popular Kannada actors like Darshan, Arjun, Chiru & Dhruva have featured together In a most popular Hanuman Chalisa Song wshich has been recreated for a Kannada film. The close affinity of Tamil super star Arjun (Arjun Sarja in Kannada) with challenging star Darshan has resulted in a wonderful moment for the fans. For the “Hanuman Chalisa” song of Arjun’s daughter Aishwarya’s debut film with Chandan namely Prema Baraha is having a mammoth attraction. Challenging star Darshan, Arjun, Chiranjeevi Sarja & hat trick prince Dhruva Sarja, all came up for the song & dance on Wed at Thippasandra surroundings Anjaneya Temple premises. All the 4 toppers in this song are Hanuman devotees with Kesari color costume. This is for the 1st time ever that Darshan joined senior actor Arjun Sarja in a film and it is a guest appearance. Vijay Narasimha’s lyric is utilized by music composer Jassie Gift. The “Hanuman Chalisa” song is sung by ustaad of playback singing SP Balasubramanyam. Mohan directed the steps for the toppers in the film. Dhruva Sarja & Chiranjeevi Sarja danced for the song and this is also for the 1st time ever with maternal uncle Arjun Sarja & Kannada super star Darshan.

Vijaya Devarakonda Has A Huge Fan Following

Vijaya Devarakonda, incidentally spaking, has a huge fan following. The fan following for the tallest & the handsomest actor from Telugu films namely Vijaya Devarakonda was huge in Bengaluru when he came to release one of the songs & audio CD of Kannada film Chamak starring golden star Ganesh & Rashmika Mandanna. Vijay Devarakonda’s latest film Arjun Reddy has created good magic for him and fans at a far off place in EBISU convention center at Thani Sandra was up in joy and one of the girls Telugula Matladi was noticed by the actor. He mixed his speech in a few Kannada words, English & Telugu. At the end Vijay Devarakonda was compelled to come out with the dialogues of his previous film. Vijay Devarakonda recited a few lines of the film Kirik Party song “Belegeddu…!” Vijaya Devarakonda also appreciated the teaser of Chamak. Later he remembered the cricketers from Karnataka and super stars like Rajanikanth, Anushka Shetty et al, all hailing from Karnataka and contributing to Indian cinema. Vijay Devarakonda was in a proud moment when he came to know that his film had 100 days run, after he came to Bengaluru he came to know that actors like golden star Ganesh has given 8 hundred days films and he is nothing in front of him. Vijay Devarakonda wished tremendous success for Chamak, Kannada cinema and he intends to watch the film after its release.

The Co – Producer Of Queen Remake Is Parul Yadav

The co – producer of the Queen remake is none other than Parul Yadav. At the cloud 9 situation for doing the Hindi remake of Queen in the Kannada version that too in the topnotch actor & director Ramesh Aravind guidance and now Parul Yadav has announced that she is a co – producer of the film at the shooting time speaking to her friends in the social media. The top ranking film Queen in Hindi of Kangana Ranawat is played by Kajal Agarwal in Tamil, Tamanna Bhatia in Telugu, Manjima Mohan in Malayalam & Parul Yadav in Kannada. This is a simultaneous production in 4 languages for which the shooting is taking place at Paris. To involve as an actress is easy but as a producer it is difficult says Parul Yadav a talented actress in Kannada from Govindayanamaha time. Arranging & organizing every day schedule is hectic. For the multi – tasking work Parul Yadav is getting applauded from her colleagues on this new assignment. On the film content & climax of Queen all the 4 top heroines are very happy. Instead of cleaning the one who troubled the female protagonist grow to higher level. The film content is very close to Parul Yadav on a personal front as well.

Brooklyn Beckham’s Girl Friend Gets Legal Protection

Brooklyn Beckham’s girl friend Chloe Grace Moretz has recently sought a restraining order against a man she believes to be mentally ill and stalking her online & in person. Chloe Grace Mortez requested for and was granted a restraining order against Terry Daniel Quick. In the document, she stated that the said man showed up at her house in Nov, 2017 to confront her. On another occasion, also in the same month, she stated that he followed her & her boyfriend, Brooklyn Beckham, to a concert & a club.

Chris Pratt Files For Divorce

Chris Pratt has recently filed for a divorce proceedings from Anna Faris. Chris Pratt filed legal documents on Fri to end his 8 year marriage to Anna Faris, citing irreconcilable differences. Then Anna Faris filed her response to the divorce at exactly the same time and the 2 documents are similar. They are both asking for joint custody of 5 year old Jack Pratt and have listed 13th Jul, 2017as the date of separation.

Chris Pratt Warns His Fans

Chris Pratt has warned his fans about a “potential predator” who is pretending to be him on Facebook. Reportedly, Chris Pratt took to the social media platform to express his concern after the “pervy dude” started hitting on a lot of female fans. “Pervy dude alert! (Not a joke) It’s confirmed: Somebody is trying to pretend to be me on Facebook (and maybe other social media platforms) apparently hitting on a lot of different female fans, trying to get their numbers and who knows what else. I’m not joking,” Chris Pratt wrote on the Facebook page.

Adam Driver Was Sceptical

Adam Driver recently revealed that he was unwilling to take up the villainous role of Kylo Ren in the “Star Wars” series as he considered Hollywood movies to be “too broad”. Adam Driver averred, “I’m always sceptical of Hollywood movies because they’re mostly just too broad”.

Scarlett Johansson Makes Her Debut Appearance

Scarlett Johansson & her boyfriend Colin Jost made their debut public appearance as a couple while attending the American Museum of Natural History Gala here. The pair graced the red carpet separately, but they posed for photographs together at the event on Thurs.

Chris Evans & Jenny Slate Are Back

Chris Evans & Jenny Slate are a couple again. They looked happy and “very much back together” during an outing. The duo, who previously split in Feb, 2017 after dating for one year, 1st sparked rumors of a reconciliation after Chris Evans & Jenny Slate were seen grabbing dinner together in Atlanta while the actor filmed his latest Avengers movie.
Pamela Anderson Opines “Harvey Weinstein Accusers Shouldn’t Have Been Alone With Him”
Pamela Anderson has recently averred that Harvey Weinstein accusers should not have allowed themselves to be alone with the Hollywood producer. Pamela Anderson, herself a victim of sexual abuse, said she avoided getting into such situations when she came into Hollywood by using her “common sense”.

Armie Hammer On Quitting Twitter

Armie Hammer has revealed the reason why he has quit the micro -blogging site Twitter. The “Call Me By Your Name” actor averred that he took the decision due to lack of “impulse control” and felt responding to every criticism he faced on Twitter. “I just have no impulse control so if somebody says something stupid, I couldn’t help but said something back, and then it just exploded. This is a toxic environment, and my life is way better off,” Armie Hammer told.

Linda Cardellini To Star In Green Book

Linda Cardellini has joined the cast of Green Book. The period drama, to be directed by Peter Farrelly, also features Mahershala Ali & Viggo Mortensen. The film follows an Italian – American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) who in 1962 is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), one of the world famous jazz pianist, on a concert tour from New York City through the pre – Civil Rights era Deep South. Peter Farrelly wrote the script, along with Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie.

Scarlett Johansson Avers That Avengers 4 Feels “Bittersweet’

Scarlett Johansson has recently stated that she feels “bittersweet” about not starring in a Marvel movie after Avengers 4. Scarelett Johansson enacts the role of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is scheduled to appear in Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers 4.

Michael B Jorder Joins The Cast Of Just Mercy

Michael B Jordan will star in a new legal drama Just Mercy. The Creed actor will start shooting early next year for the film, which will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. He along with Andrew Lanham penned the script, adapting it from a memoir by the same name from Bryan Stevenson. The film follows Stevenson, a young lawyer’s defense of the most vulnerable in the country and his fight for equal justice.

Margot Robbie Not Ready For kids

Margot Robbie, who married her long term partner Tom Ackerley last year, avers that she is currently not ready to have children. Margot Robbie further states that she & Tom Ackerley are often asked when they will start a family.

Seth Rogen Is Very Upset

Actor – filmmaker Seth Rogen avers that says he would walk away from a movie set if he witnessed any inappropriate sexual behavior. Seth Rogen thinks that it is “very disappointing” to have inappropriate behavior going on in Hollywood for years and it is not something he wants to be anywhere near to.

Tom Hanks States That Predators Are Everywhere

Tom Hanks has weighed in on the sexual abuse scandal, currently ripping through the film industry, explaining that the raft of allegations against prominent men in the entertainment business does not surprise him. Tom Hanks averred that he is not surprised by Hollywood’s sexual harassment scandal as he believes that “predators are absolutely everywhere” within the entertainment industry.

Richard Gere Never Had A Career Plan

Veteran actor Richard Gere avers that he never had a plan for his career. Richard Gere continues by adding that he likes not having a plan at all as it makes his life even more interesting.

Rooney Mara & Joaquin Phoenix Up The Emotional Quotient

Joaquin Phoenix & Rooney Mara are all set to reveal tender relationship between Mother Mary & Lord Jesus Christ in their upcoming movie Mary Magdalene. The makers also unveiled the 1st ever trailer of the highly anticipated movie recently and it looks like the fans are in for an emotional ride.

Gal Gadot Gifts A Miniature Memento

Gal Gadot recently gifted a miniature memento nay a Wonder Woman merchandise to Kelly Clarkson’s daughter, River Rose and the singer averred that her little one could not be happier. Kelly Clarkson the Gammy winner took to Instagram to thank the Wonder Woman star for her sweet gesture. “THANK YOU SO MUCH @gal_gadot for the awesome presents for River Rose!! She LOVES them! You’ve made a little girl very happy #galgadotforthewin,” she wrote.

Emma Stone Feels Unsure

Emma Stone recently stated that she is unsure where she would finally settle down for the rest of her life but feels excited about a new adventure of shifting houses. Emma Stone further stated that she is currently putting up in a rented home in New York as she is shooting for her film Maniac.

Julia Roberts Avoids Meeting Her Fans

Julia Roberts recently stated that she tries to avoid meeting her fans in person as she feels shy. Julia Roberts despite having spent years in the public eye, avers that she never knows what to say when she meets a fan.

Christopher Nolan Thinks That Superhero Movies Can’t Be Made Anymore

The Dark Knight is considered to be one of the best superhero movie ever made. Collectively, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises make up the The Dark Knight Trilogy. While speaking in an interview at the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, the acclaimed director stated that one of the key reasons he thinks those movies stand out now is because, back when he was making them, he was given the time.

Ashley Judd On Fight Against Sexual Misconduct

Ashley Judd, who, along with a number of other women, has claimed that she was sexually assaulted wants to make sure that the allegations made against Hollywood’s top stars & producers are not just treated as a statistic. While speaking to students from the University of Kentucky, Ashley Judd told that the fight is about “ending impunity.”

Angelina Jolie Feels That Her Film Must Inspire Viewers

Actress – filmmaker Angelina Jolie hopes that her new film First They Killed My Father will encourage people to go to Cambodia. Angelina Jolie has directed the film based on author Lung Ung’s account of the Khmer Rouge 1975 – 1979 regime in Cambodia. It depicts a difficult period in history, but she wants viewers to see past that and embrace the “beautiful” land & its people.

Margot Robbie Avers That The Harley Quinn Movie Is In The Works

Margot Robbie, who essayed the role of Harley Quinn in Sucide Squad, has confirmed that a “totally separate”, film focusing on the character, is in the works. Following the character’s debut in Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie & director David Ayerwere confirmed to be developing a spin – off film Gotham City Sirens, while Crazy Stupid Love directors Glenn Ficarra & John Requa were in talks to write & helm a movie about Harley And Joker.

Adam Driver Still “Undecided”

Looks like Hollywood actor Adam Driver is still unsure about watching his own movies. Reportedly, Adam Driver is not sure if he’s going to watch the upcoming “Star Wars” movie in which he reprises his role as Kylo Ren, as he finds it “self – destructive” after a while. In an interview, when asked if he is going to his upcoming movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he said, “Undecided. I can’t just watch it objectively. I always hate it and then come back to, like, ‘Okay, that’s fine, it’s not about me. It’s the story.’ I can’t watch it once. I have to watch it five times, you know? The movie is over.”

Ben Afflex Calls For Men

Ben Affleck, who was recently accused of touching Hilarie Burton inappropriately during an interview in two thousand and three 2003, vowed to be more “accountable” for his actions after he was accused of groping a woman’s breasts. Reportedly, the Justice League star addressed an accusation made against himself, male privilege & his recent backfired comment about sexual harassment.

Daniel Day – Lewis’ Non Belief In The Value Of Acting
Daniel Day – Lewis stated that the decision to retire from acting was a natural progression for him as he does not feel passionate anymore about the craft. Reportedly, Daniel Day – Lewis announced in Jun, 2017 that he is stepping back from the spotlight as he now wanted to “explore” the world through a different lens.
Prince Harry To Marry His Actress Girlfriend
A royal announcement recently confirmed that Britain’s Prince Harry will marry his American actress girlfriend Meghan Markle next year. Reportedly, the announcement by Clarence House stated that Prince Harry fifth in line to the throne will marry Meghan Markle next spring and will live at Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace in London. The couple, who have been dating since Jul, 2016, got engaged in Nov, 2017.

Johnny Depp’s Crimes Enrages Potterheads

Johnny Depp’s appearance in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 2 has been revealed and many Potterheads have turned sorehead. Johnny Depp bagged a finale cameo in the first ever ever “Fantastic Beasts” movie as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and the fans voiced their disappointment back when his casting was first announced.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson Wants Children

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is all set to become a father “in the near future”, as he & his husband Justin Mikita are planning to start a family. “Justin Mikita & I are very excited to become dads in the near future. No announcement yet, nothing has happened, but yeah, we are excited. We have been together for four 4 years and we always said, ‘Let’s give ourselves five years just to be married,’ and that’s coming up, five years,” Jesse Tyler Ferguson told.

James Franco Part Of Multiple Man

James Franco who is reportedly in talks to join the “X – Men” universe as James Madrox aka Multiple Man. Reportedly, James Franco is in negotiations to play Multiple Man in a new standalone movie being developed by producer Simon Kinberg, who is currently working on X – Men: The Dark Phoenix. As of now James Franco is on board to produce as well as act in “X – Men” spin – off, Mutiple Man. “I do have a superhero that I am developing. I don’t know how much I can say. But I will say I am producing & performing in it. Its early stages! I think probably what I can say is, like anything, there’s a need to develop more,” James Franco told.

Gwyneth Paltrow Dines Out With Ex – Husband And Current Fiance
Gwyneth Paltrow recently enjoyed a breakfast session with her former husband Chris Martin and rumored fiance Brad Falchuk, and called them “modern family’. Reportedly, Gwyneth Paltrow shared a photograph of Chris Martin and Brad Falchuk recently on Instagram. “Sunday brunch! Modern family,” Gwyneth Paltrow captioned the image. Chris Martin can be seen sitting with his arms folded in the image, while Brad Falchuk looked joyful with his head leaning on his palm.

Heidi Klum Sunbathes Naked

Heidi Klum recently shared a racy photograph of herself sunbathing naked in California. The Project Runway host shared a picture on Instagram wherein she lay with her face down on a towel spread on the beach as she soaked up the sun, flaunting her bare bottoms. She appeared to have just returned from taking a dip in the water as her body was wet with her long hair slicked back. Heidi Klum stated that she loves the chance to indulge in nude sunbathing and skinny dipping. Heidi Klum loves to sit out in the sun with no clothes on, but only if she finds a spot where no one can see her.

Jennifer Lawrence Wants To Take Acting Hiatus
Jennifer Lawrence stated that she wants to take a break from acting and milk goats at a farm. In an interview, the Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence revealed that after Seven years of shooting an average of three films a year, she was ready for a break.
Kadian Noble Sues Producer Harvey Weinstein
Kadian Noble has recently sued Hollywood producer Harvey Weinsten. She also held a press conference where she described in detail the alleged assault in France. Kadian Noble stated that Harvey Weinstein assaulted her and forced her to perform sex acts on him in front of a mirror in his room at Hotel Le Majestic during Cannes Film Festival in 2014.

Pamela Anderson Slams “Empty Sex”

Pamela Anderson stated that people should not get physical with someone whom they don’t love otherwise it becomes “raunchy, bad & empty sex”. “What about seeing someone on the train or catching someone’s eye across the room? Why wasn’t that empowering? I don’t want to look at anything online. I want to see someone in an elevator. I want to have this electric moment with someone and cultivate it,” Pamela Anderson told.

Natalie Portman On Sexual Harassment

Natalie Portman stated that she has “100 stories” of sexual misconduct & harassment against her in Hollywood. Natalie Portman who was at an event recently in Los Angeles averred, “When I heard everything coming out, I was like, wow, I’m so lucky that I haven’t had this. And then, on reflection, I was like, okay, definitely never been assaulted, definitely not, but I’ve had discrimination or harassment on almost everything I’ve ever worked on in some way”.
Susan Sarandon – “There are Plenty More Hollywood “Predators” Out There”
Susan Sarandon recently stated that there are plenty more Hollywood “predators” out there whose names are yet to be taken in public. Reportedly, Susan Sarandon said a friend of hers, who has been in the news for coming out about an abuser, told her that she was also taken advantage of by another Hollywood insider, but she doesn’t have the resilience to come forward again.

In a recent turn of events Akhil Akkineni got a rude shock that too out of the blue. So in a rude shock to Akhil Akkineni & his father Nagarjuna, the teaser of Hello was removed from Annapurna Studios Youtube channel. Youtube India has deactivated the teaser that too after it got millions of views & likes. The reason being cited is that the team has used music from the stock files that is easily available on the internet for a price. Although the movie has music by Anup Rubens, the team used the music from the stock files instead of the original composition. Hence, Youtube removed the teaser. Now Annapurna Studios has to pay the money to the original music firm for licensing or upload new file with original background score composed by Anup Rubens. This is huge jolt to this team. Somehow, this film of Akhil Akkineni has been facing one problem or the other right from the beginning.

FIR Registered Against Fahadh Faasil

An FIR was recently registered against actors like Fahadh Faasil & Amala Paul too. Reportedly, cases have been registered against actors Fahadh Faasil & Amala Paul for allegedly registering their luxury cars in Pondicherry to evade hefty taxes. The actors have registered the cars in Pondicherry giving fake address proofs. A case has been registered against the car showrooms as well as small screen’s channel. The Motor Vehicles Department had conducted an enquiry following an investigative report aired by a news channel. Fahadh Faasil had re – registered his car under Kerala registration following the outbreak of the controversy. Amala Paul’s Facebook posts too on the issue had attracted public attention.

Nandmuri Balakrishna’s NTR Biopic Hits A Roadblock

NTR’s biopic has now taken a backseat. The much – hyped biopic on the late NT Rama Rao is said to have hit a roadblock. With many makers announcing similar biopics on NTR, Nandamuri Balakrishna & his team have got irritated. He planned to launch the biopic of NTR on his father’s death anniversary on 18th Jan, 2018 but now he is said to have postponed it. If his plan works out, the film may only be launched on 28th May, 2018, on NT Rama Rao’s birth anniversary. Director Teja, who was given the reins to direct this biopic, will now be completing his other movie with Venkatesh in the meantime. The much – talked about biopic will star Nandamuri Balakrishna in his father’s shoes. He will also be producing the film along with 2 other producers. But, he has stopped all the pre -production work at this moment.

Nagarjuna Gives A Cinematic Shock

Nagarjuna has recently given a cinematic shock to the corporate guys. The pre – release business of Hello is in full swing. Nagarjuna is negotiating for the digital, OTT & satellite rights with varied players in the market. These players were shocked when they heard the price quoted by Nagarjuna, who is said to be asking for the rates equal to that of a Ram Charan or NTR film. When shocked market players asked for the reasoning for hefty price, he told them that they were re – launching Akhil Akkineni with the film and that people would evince interest as they were branding it as Akhil Akkineni’s “True First Film”. However, the buyers are said to be not impressed with this reasoning. The corporate guys are smarter than filmwallahs and so the OTT & satellite rights are yet to be sold. On the other hand, the film is doing impressive pre – release business in domestic distribution market. Hello is being directed by Vikram Kumar & Nagarjuna is producing it on the Annapurna Studios banner. The film is all set for release on 22nd Dec, 2017.

Nara Rohith’s Biggest Folly

Of late Nara Rohith has committed the biggest folly of his life & career. Nara Rohith’s attempt to do one film in the mass genre has backfired badly. Irrespective of not delivering big hits, Nara Rohith won good will and is seen as an actor who has been backing new kind of stories. In the past Nara Rohith has given content rich movies like Rowdy Fellow, Pratinidhi, Appatlo Okadundevadu, Jyo Achyuthananda, etc. Thanks to them, he had good following amongst the niche audiences. He was not satisfied with this and tried to reach out to the larger audiences and tried doing a pucca mass entertainer. Although his intention was right, his choice of subject which was beaten to death was totally wrong. Which is why, his latest release Balakrishnudu tanked miserably at the Box – Office turnstiles. The film is amongst the major duds this year. Trade experts and filmmakers opine that Nara Rohith should take a break and think afresh to get a big hit. He should do films that are content rich which can be watched by larger audiences too. If he continues to select Balakrishnudu kind of subjects, he will soon fall in the category of Manchu Manoj or Gopichand. It is wake up time Boss!.

Sai Dharam Tej’s Desperate Attempt

As a last resort Sai Dharam Teja is making a desperate attempt. Sai Dharam Teja is attempting every trick in the world to create a buzz around his upcoming film Jawaan, from doing programmes with police officers, to playing cricket in the office of a radio channel. He is not saying no to any crazy idea that media outlets are proposing. And it’s all for the sake of promotion. After the massive success of Supreme, Sai Dharam Teja started throwing starry tantrums that kept many of his former journalist friends at bay. But destiny had other plans. Soon after he thought he had arrived as a star, his movies started flopping. The nephew of megastar Chiranjeevi is back to prove his mettle again. Although Jawaan was plagued with many rumors, the recent theatrical trailer offset all the bad talk. The trailer has generated good interest. Thanks to it, he increased promotions and started saying yes to any programme idea as he now needs a hit by hook or by crook. Sai Dharam Teja is also saying that he is single and that he doesn’t have any romantic links with any heroine to create a good boy image. Nevertheless earlier, he was linked with actress Regina Cassandra.

Sharwanand’s Three Colors

Sharwanand, the dashing and debonair Telugu hunk, has recently shown his three shades of colors. Young Sharwanand is going unstoppable with the superb script, story selection and became one of the most reliable heroes in the Southern film industry. Meanwhile, he has two diverse projects on hand. One is a pure love story with Hanu Raghavapudi launched recently which will begin the shoot from Jan, 2018 while the above look is for Sudheer Varma’s action thriller to kick start in Dec, 2017 mid. This is a dual shaded role, one with thick beard & the second will be a complete contrast as Sudheer Verma designed a complete transformation in Sharwanand’s look and body language. So, the young hero will manage three looks for two films to progress simultaneously.

Amala Paul’s New Look Sets The Temperature Soaring

Amala Paul’s new look sets the temperature soaring. Amala Paul’s look from her upcoming film has set the temperature soaring. Amala Paul is surprised. The reason for this is her pictures from her upcoming film Dongodochadu, where she shows off her navel. Amala Paul is pleasantly surprised that this navel show has set the temperature soaring. “I never thought my navel would create so much buzz around the film. My navel has become a sensation,” she told.

Anushka Shetty Displays Her Stamina

Anushka Shetty displays her stamina in a Tamil movie. The proof for Anushka Shetty’s stamina in a Tamil movie is evident. As Anushka Shetty’s upcoming crime thriller Bhagmathi, the Tamil version’s rights were bagged for a whopping Rs. 10 crores. This includes a section of Tamil overseas (Singapore & Malaysia) distribution rights too. It is a huge amount for a lady oriented film. For example Nayanthara’s female oriented Tamil films are usually sold for around Rs. 1.5 crores to Rs.2 crores in Telugu. The craze for Bhagmathi proves that Anushka Shetty is the biggest female superstar in the Southern Cinema at the moment. Bhagmathi’s Telugu version’s business would be around Rs. 30 crores according to trade circles. It will also be released in Malayalam along with the Telugu & the Tamil version. Post “Baahubali”, Anushka Shetty’s stardom has reached a whole new level & UV Creations is making the most of it. Bhagmathi has been under production for a longtime and the makers are pretty confident about the outcome. It is releasing during Republic Day weekend without clashing with the Sankranthi biggies. It will have a simultaneous release in Telugu & Tamil.

Anu Emmanuel Kickstarts Her Next

Anu Emmanuel recently kick started her next movie. Anu Emmanuel has been away from the Malayalam Cinema after Action Hero Biju, but the actress is showered with a handful of projects in Telugu. After her debut Telugu movie Majnu, which turned out to be a huge hit at the Box – Office turnstiles, the gorgeous actress worked with big shots like Pawan Kalyan & Gopi Chand. And now, the actress is teaming up with Tollywood’s sensation Naga Chaitanya. The actor announced it on Facebook and shared the pooja stills of the movie. “Happy to start my next in Telugu,” wrote Anu Emmanuel. The makers had announced the title of the film as Sailaja Reddy Alludu. Reportedly, this film could be a comedy which will have the “Baahubali” star Ramya Krishnan playing the role of Naga Chaitanya’s mother – in – law.

Kajal Agarwal Bounces Back

Kajal Agarwal recently made a move to bounce back. Film industry is one place where all the actors have a shelf life. Of course, after those years, one could still continue doing films, but the best is long over. So is the case with heroes. In case of top heroes, their shelf life extends between seven to twelve years. Even if they continue doing films after that, the best is already over. And just like the heroes, the heroines too have a shelf life, albeit a shorter one. But one girl who has defied this rule is Kajal Aggarwal. Last year, everyone had predicted the end of her career. Following the release of Sardar Gabbar Singh & Brahmotsavam and her films not working in Tamil & Hindi too, it was thought that she would bid good bye to the film industry. But she said “yes” to Khaidi No 1 opposite Chiranjeevi and lo behold, her career was back on track. And this year also, saw the release of Nene Raju Nene Mantri & Mersal. Also, she is flexible about her remuneration too, depending on the project. So, she is a hit with both the senior & the junior stars. Goes without saying, it is one bounce back that is noteworthy.

Poorna Aka Shamna Kasim Lashes Out

Poorna has recently lashed out at financier Anbu Chezhiyan. Poorna aka Shamna Kasim, who will be seen in a pivotal role in Sasikumar’s Kodiveeran recently blasted financier Anbu Chezhiyan on Twitter for threatening Ashok Kumar, the co – producer of the film, who committed suicide recently. “He left this world, the only thing we can do is to give the biggest punishment for that Bast*rd #AnbuCheziyan .. let’s hold our hands together for it”, posted Poorna aka Shamna Kasim on Twitter. Soon after the sad demise of Ashok Kumar, Poorna aka Shamna Kasim tweeted “Ashok sir….. u are the best always the best…. such a good hearted person I know….. u can’t leave us and go.. u are always with us. U are the best person I have ever met …. u are there with us. Chotheirs like #Anbuchezhian should not be there in our cinema”. Though her previous tweets on Anbu Chezian were acceptable, netizens say that the actress shouldn’t have used unparliamentary words.

Meera Vasudevan Is Very Angry

Meera Vasudevan was very angry recently about JB Junction. The TV show JB Junction that appears on Kairali channel announced about host John Brittas’ interview with actor Meera Vasudevan. The promos of the show grabbed great attention and amongst other things, Meera Vasudevan also commented about her intimate scenes with Mohanlal in the much appreciated film, Thanmathra. However, now Meera Vasudevan feels that her interview was misrepresented & some intimate clippings from the film has been added “to make it look sensational”. “When I did the show I had very particularly mentioned that I have a small child back home who is watching & judging not only me…” she writes. The channel has reportedly denied the charges.

Nayanthara Fans Crosses One Million Mark

Of late the Nayanthara fan base has already crossed the 1 million mark on Twitter. In fact the star power of Lady Superstar Nayanthara is huge and she is the undisputed queen of hearts. Her recent Aramm was her most defining career choice till date. Her three P’s namely perfection, poise & popularity have grown through the years. While many well – known actors are struggling to touch the one million followers on Twitter, a fan page of the reticent and elusive Nayanthara who is officially not on any social media platforms has achieved the magical mark in a royal style. What’s more special about this important milestone is that the fan pages of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith & Vijay are yet to reach the one million mark but Nayanthara fans stay united under the Twitter handle @NayantharaU. Another major reason for the fan page to touch the one million mark is that many celebrities believe that @NayantharaU is the official Twitter handle of the actress. If you look at the tweets of some of the actors & celebrities, they always tag her in this handle and are unaware of the fact that Nayanthara is not on Twitter & her loyal fans handle it. Monikers like Lady Superstar & highest paid actors are well – earned for this ethereal actress.

It’s time to take a holiday from the ordinary you’ve been settling for and enter the world curated for lovers of all things luxe, unique & creative. Engineered by fashion lovers & founders of Knotty Tales, Pallavee Duggall (wife of Rajniesh Duggall) & Gauri Pradhan. There’s room for everyone’s fashion fantasies to come true, whether you’re embracing eco – friendly, hankering for hand woven, enamored by ethnic or craving for couture. From renowned industry favorites to ambitious new designers experimenting with the world of prêt – a -porter, over 40 brands were present at the event. A countrywide representation of talent & culture was facilitated through the inclusion of designers from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad & Jaipur, giving fashionistas exclusive previews of their most exciting new inventions before they hit the racks. Rajniesh Duggal averred, “I feel it’s a fantastic step that Pallavee Duggall & Gauri Pradhan (wife of Hiten Tejwani) have taken. They have successfully completed a year & a half of doing Pop ups (exhibitions) all over the country and are venturing into more things soon .Pallavee Buggall is a graduate from the LSE (London school of Economics) and is a brilliant business woman / wife.”

SONY PICTURES NETWORKS PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES ITS NEXT, ‘SOORMA’

Sony Pictures Networks Productions (SPN Productions), the film production arm of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), has announced its upcoming film, Soorma, directed by Shaad Ali. The film will bring to light the story of hockey player, Sandeep Singh, who played for India and went through many ups & downs in his personal & professional life. A true legend of the game, Sandeep Singh was also the captain of team India, which he led to victory on several occasions. Amongst his many achievements, he holds an unbeaten record of the fastest drag flick in the world (Speed 145 Km / hr). The role of this illustrious hockey player, Sandeep Singh, will be portrayed by Diljit Dosanjh and he has undergone arduous training in the sport with Sandeep Singh. Taapsee Pannu has been paired opposite Diljit Dosanjh and she too has gone through vigorous training to learn the skills & nuances of the sport. Angad Bedi will portray the role of Sandeep Singh’s elder brother, Bikramjeet Singh. At 31 years of age, Sandeep Singh achieved what many could only dream of. His emotionally -charged life – story is inspiring in every way. Soorma will be Diljit Dosanjh’s 1st ever Hindi film as a lead actor. Shaad Ali has teamed up yet again with Gulzar Saheb to pen down the lyrics of this film. Shankar –Ehsaan – Loy have been roped in as the music directors. Written & directed by Shaad Ali, the film will be released worldwide on 29th Jun, 2018. Soorma is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Chitrangda Singh & Deepak Singh.

‘TANTRA’ – VIKRAM BHATT’S NEW WEB SERIES FOR HIS CHANNEL VB ON THE WEB

Ace director & producer Vikram Bhatt is all set to produce a new web – series for his channel VB on the Web. VB On The Web is Indian filmmaker Vikram Bhatt’s official web channel. The channel hosts filmmaker’s original content in the form of web series across different genres. The previous series from this platform like Twisted, Maaya and others have been well appreciated by the audiences. The team is coming up with a new web series titled Tantra starring Aditi Arya, Vidur Anand, Salina Prakash, Karim Hajee & Sandeep Bharadwaj playing the central characters in this web – weekender. Tantra is a unique battle of a family feud and corporate politics played on the battleground of black magic. A game that is already this dirty is sullied further when everything is put on the board, murder, death, betrayal, deceit and above all trust. This web series will be produced under Vikram Bhatt’s own banner Lone Ranger Productions Pvt Ltd, and the digital project will have an ensemble cast comprising of certain veteran actors. The story of this web series is written by Vikram Bhatt himself and directed by Sidhant Sachdev. The writer & the producer Vikram Bhatt added “Tantra is the 1st ever tri – weekly series on air across all platforms. The series is being directed by, Sidhant Sachdev. Sid is young & enthusiastic in his approach and has worked on 3 of our web series earlier viz. Hadh, Gehraiyaan & Spotlight 2. He has a knack for telling the story through its treatment. It will be a 48 episode series. As the story unravels, it will keep the audiences glued to our YouTube channel.”

TUSSHAR KAPOOR SPOTTED WITH HIS SON LAKSSHYA KAPOOR AT THE TODDLER GYM

The new daddy in the industry, Tusshar Kapoor has always taken over the internet by posting pictures of his highly adorable son Laksshay Kapoor. Recently Tusshar Kapoor was spotted at the toddler gym spending some quality time with his son Laksshay Kapoor. Even since Laksshay Kapoor came in his life, he changed his lifestyle to be a perfect dad! He dotes on him and tries to be around him all the time. The father – son duo is definitely the new cool pair in the industry.

‘OCTOBER’ STARRING VARUN DHAWAN IS COMPLETE

It’s a wrap up for Shoojit Sircar’s October starring Varun Dhawan & newbie Banita Sandhu which isis complete. A slice of life love story directed by Shoojit Sircar & written by Juhi Chaturvedi, October stars Varun Dhawan & newbie Banita Sandhu in the lead. The film has been shot in Delhi & in Himachal Pradesh. The unit completed the shoot within 38 days much ahead of its schedule! Shoojit Sircas avered, “Varun Dhawan is trying to open up to different genres. Actors should keep exploring different genres, stories & directors. At the end of the day, you have to challenge yourself and Varun Dhawan does just that. When it comes to the genre of romance, it is always beautiful to see a fresh pairing. Something about seeing their reel chemistry blossom through makes you feel a part of their journey from the very beginning. For October, that was one of the main reasons why I chose Banita Sandhu for the lead role opposite Varun Dhawan. She had acted in one of my earlier commercials.” Rising Sun Films’ new venture, October, will be a sweet romantic journey of human emotion told in the inimitable tyle. With October slated for release on 13th Apr, 2018, the blazing baton moves forward.

RICHA CHADHA’S UNUSUAL GUEST APPEARANCE

When it comes to guest appearances, Richa Chadha may have clinched the most unusual of the lot. The actress features in American author – entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss’s book, “Tribe of Mentors”. A collection of advice from professionals from different walks of life, including actors, chefs, musicians, TV show hosts. And Richa is the only Indian actor to be featured in the book that also features Hollywood stars like Ashton Kutcher, Ben Stiller, Jimmy Fallon & Larry King.

AJAY DEVGN CELEBRATES PRODUCER KUMAR MANGAT PATHAK’S BIRTHDAY ON THE SETS OF ‘RAID’

Ajay Devgn who is currently shooting for his upcoming film Raid, celebrated producer & manager Kumar Mangat Pathak’s birthday on the sets of the film. Kumar Mangat Pathak’s wife, Neelam Pathak along with the entire cast & the entire crew were present for the celebrations. Set in Uttar Pradesh in the 1980’s, Raid is based on real life events involving one of the most high – profile income tax raids the country has ever known. The film is directed by Rajkumar Gupta.

IRRFAN KHAN ALL SET TO ENDORSE A CONDOM BRAND

Irrfan Khan is someone who’s very popular amongst the brand world and has a variety of range of brands he endorses. This year alone he has signed as many as 4 brands post Hindi Medium. Also he has a certain unique quirk to himself. This is why a renowned condom brand chose him to be their ambassador. He’s someone who’s very particular when it comes to selecting his brands. His criterion for selecting a brand is solely on their ethics and how they intend to sell the brand. Irrfan Khan signed the brand as he strongly believes that it’s important to create awareness. The ad world will go abuzz with Irrfan Khan signing for a condom brand. Normally every ad that is aired has models resorting to sleaze & glamour, with Irrfan Khan stepping on board for a condom brand will have all eyeballs set what Irrfan Khan has to offer in terms of branding & advertising. On the other hand, with his latest release Qarib Qarib Singlle Irrfan Khan treated the audiences with one of the most loved & warm quirky love stories of the season! It is now in its 2nd week in theatres and is still going strong!

AAMIR KHAN’S ‘SECRET SUPERSTAR’ TO RELEASE IN TAIWAN & RUSSIA!

As a reinforcement of its commitment of taking Indian Cinema across the world, Zee Studios International is all set to release Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar in Taiwan & Russia. The film will release in Taiwan today across 73 screens and in Russia on 3rd Dec, 2017 in more than 50 screens ensuring the widest possible footprint for Aamir Khan’s cinematic genius. Secret Superstar’s release is the widest Indian Film release ever in Taiwan. With its strong narrative & exceptional performance, the film has left an indelible mark on the hearts of its viewers. With the release in Taiwan & Russia, Zee Studios International aims to set a new benchmark of overseas collections of the film. “Russia & Taiwan are great markets for Indian Films with Indian Cinema legends like Raj Kapoor still being revered there. We are ecstatic to showcase Secret Superstar to such countries and offer them a film that’s truly heart – warming & distinctive. At Zee Studios International, we stand committed to taking our films to international territories, known & unknown, as we strongly believe that good content should not be restricted by borders”, averred said Vibha Chopra, Head – Zee Studios International (Film Marketing, Distribution &, Acquisition). Secret Superstar traces the journey of Insia, a 14 year old girl from Baroda, whose dream of becoming a singer changes her life & the lives of everyone around her. The film has been written & directed by Advait Chandan & produced by Aamir Khan & Kiran Rao, and has been Internationally distributed by Zee Studios International.

KARAN JOHAR HOSTS A BASH IN THE HONOR OF THE MAYOR OF LONDON

Karan Johar recently hosted a bash at Mukesh Ambani’s SoBo residence in honor of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who visited India in the 1st Dec, 2017 but this time the filmmaker was accompanied by Akash Ambani & Parliamentarian Milind Deora. The trio hosted the bash. According to a source close to the development reveals, “The party was held on 3rd Dec, 2017 and amongst those who attended the bash were Shah Rukh Khan with wife Gauri Khan, Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle Khanna, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Abhishek Bachchan with wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor with wife Neetu Kapoor and son Ranbir Kapoor & Ranveer Singh amongst others.

FARHAN AKHTAR STARRER, ‘THE FAKIR OF VENICE’, GETS A GREEN SIGNAL FROM CENTRAL BOARD OF FILM CERTIFICATION (CBFC)

In the past couple of months, getting a film cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has become an uphill task for filmmakers. From Udta Punjab to Haraamkhor, and more recently, Lipstick Under My Burkha & Padmavati, films have faced the brunt of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)’s scissors. However, the makers of Farhan Akhtar – Annu Kapoor starrer, The Fakir of Venice, were pleasantly surprised when the film was cleared with a U / A certificate. The Fakir of Venice, which was supposed to mark Farhan Akhtar’s acting debut, is based on the story of 2 men who try to con the European art world. Annu Kapoor plays a Muslim who poses as a “Baba” and the makers of the film were worried if that might raise a red flag during the certification of the film. But now that the film is all set to release on 5th Jan, 2018, the producers are planning to release 2 songs from the film soon. Music of The Fakir of Venice has been composed by music maestro A R Rahman, and the film is loosely based on real life experiences of writer Homi Adajania. The film has been directed by adman Anand Surapur, produced by October Films & distributed by Yusuf Shaikh.

DIA MIRZA APPOINTED AS UN ENVIRONMENT GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR INDIA
Former Miss Asia Pacific, actor, producer, entrepreneur & environmentalist, Dia Mirza, has been appointed as UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India. A long – standing supporter of environmental conservation, Dia Mirza will take up the role to add more weight to her work on raising awareness of & seeking solutions to environmental issues that the world, and India in particular, faces. “Environmental issues will be the defining challenge of this era, and I am committed to helping UN as a Goodwill Ambassador to do everything I can to provide a better future. Together, we will continue working towards conservation of nature, tackling climate change & inspiring people to live more sustainably.” Dia Mirza has been the face of many pivotal environmental campaigns across India, and has worked towards the conservation of wildlife. Dia Mirza will work with the United Nations to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection & climate change. Dia Mirza has joined other accomplished & dedicated past & present UN Goodwill Ambassadors, including UN Environment’s Li Binging, Gisele Bündchen & Don Cheadle, and others like Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Katy Perry & Emma Watson.
MANDIRA BEDI LAUNCHES SCIENTIFICALLY DEVELOPED TASTY CHOCO – BITE FORMAT IMMUNITY SUPPLEMENT FOR KIDS

The concern for their child’s health make mothers overprotective and they often put restrictions on their kids and end up saying “NO” without realizing how they perceive it and the impact it has on their personality. It is necessary that instead of saying “No” to kids always; their immunity is strengthened to keep them healthy & strong from within. Therefore, Cipla, the leading pharmaceutical company in India, has developed ActivKids Immuno Boosters, immunity supplement for children in a unique choco – bite format, to address the growing concern of low immunity by providing up to 100% RDA of key immunity nutrients. Mandira Bedi accompanied by her 6 year old son, Vir participated in a panel discussion with 3 experts to discuss about the importance of immunity in children, how to strengthen a child’s immune system and how that can help moms say “Yes” to their kids more often. Mandira Bedi averred , “At one point of time, I too was a worried mother, always conscious about Vir’s every activity, but the social experiment video conducted by ActivKids Immuno Boosters came as a revelation to me. I never realized what impact my frequent “No’s” were having on my child’s developing mind. I took the #YesChallenge & I have made efforts to become#YesMom by trying to avoid saying “No” unnecessarily”.

PATRALEKHAA OVERWHELMED WITH POSITIVE RESPONSE ON HER CHARACTER IN ‘BOSE DEAD / ALIVE
Patralekhaa, who made her mark with Hansal Mehta’s Citylights, is currently getting noticed once again for her role in web series, Bose Dead / Alive. Patralekha is playing the character of Nandini, who idolizes Subhash Chandra Bose’s passion for county’s freedom. Inspite of the limited screen space in the series, she has been receiving lot of praise for her work. She averred, “I am overwhelmed with the response. I have been getting feedback that people want to see me more in the series.”
MTV RETURNS WITH THE 7TH SEASON OF THE ICONIC SHOW ‘MTV UNPLUGGED’

MTV Unplugged Season 7 is the perfect stage to feature India’s musical perfection. Having given the country some of the most magical raw renditions, Royal Stag Barrel Select MTV Unplugged is back with yet another mellifluous season. The musical property will be coming back into full swing on our television screens on Sat 9th Dec, 2017 @ 8 PM on MTV. This season is special in every sense as it brings together the popular musical families of our nation on one platform. Brothers Armaan Malik & Amaal Malik will give tribute to the yesteryear’s music composer and their grandfather Sardar Malik with “Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon” song. Bringing together 3 different generation of music will be the singing trio of Mahadevan family; Shankar Mahadevan, Siddharth Mahadevan & Shivam Mahadevan. Viewers will be witnessing legends, Vishal Bhardwaj & Shankar Mahadevan and fan favorites, Armaan Malik & Farhan Akhtar. Audiences will be in for a musical treat as Shankar Mahadevan will be seen performing with his sons Siddharth Mahadevan & Shivam Mahadevan & Vishal Bhardwaj will rekindle magic with his wife, Rekha Bhardwaj. Apart from this, Monali Thakur, Papon, Amaal Malik, Shalmali Kholgade, Amit Mishra, Tushar, Shaswat Singh, Naakash, Nikita Gandhi, Ahen, Akhil Sachdeva, Sunny MR will be delivering stunning acoustic performances.

British theater chain Cineworld has sealed a deal to acquire US based Regal Entertainment Group for $3.6 billion. Finalization of the deal was announced on Tues by Cineworld, which will pay $23 per share of Regal. “The acquisition will create a globally diversified cinema operator across 10 countries and allow Cineworld to access the attractive North American cinema market,” Cineworld told after agreeing on terms with Regal Entertainment for the all cash buyout. Regal Entertainment operates 561 cinemas in 43 states and other US territories, with a total of more than 7,300 screens. The Knoxville, Tenn based company’s major brands are Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres & Edwards Theatres.

NEIL CROSS INKS A DEAL WITH FREMANTLEMEDIA

The writer of Idris Elba cop series Luther and upcoming end – of – the – world thriller Hard Sun has signed up with FremantleMedia. Neil Cross will exclusively bring new projects to the production giant & its distribution arm will sell his series internationally. Neil Cross will work closely with Kate Harwood, who runs FremantleMedia label Euston Films, which made Hard Sun & FremantleMedia’s US drama chief Dante Di Loreto. “What we do should be fun, and working with Kate Harwood & Euston Films on Hard Sun has been just about the most enjoyable, as well as the most satisfying, experience of my professional life,” Neil Cross averred.

VISIT FILMS PARTNERS WITH UK NETWORK DISTRIBUTING

The US sales company Visit Films has announced a partnership with leading UK independent distributor Network Distributing, which was sealed at this year’s Ventana Sur market in Buenos Aires. The deal will see Network Distributing picking up the responsibility for the release of Visit Film’s back catalog for physical media formats including DVD, Blu – ray and any other physical formats that may pop up. The deal was negotiated in Buenos Aires this week by Visit Film’s Ryan Kampe & Network Distributing’s Tim Beddows. Visit Films is a New York based, international sales company that specializes in director driven work which premieres at any of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.

UK THE FAR PAVILIONS ALL SET FOR $150 MILLION REMAKE

More than 3 decades after HBO turned it into its 1st ever miniseries, the M. M. Kaye novel “The Far Pavilions” is being re – made for the small screen as an epic UK – India co – production budgeted at £113 million ($150 million). Beautiful Bay Prods., which is run by the Indian based Michael Ward & the British based Colin Burrows, will make the series. It will stretch up to 30 one hour installments, although no broadcast or streaming partner has yet been confirmed. The producers said that the project will feature big name Indian talent & a British & Indian crew. Post -production will be handled out of London by an as – yet – unconfirmed outfit in the English capital. The 1978 novel tells the story of an Englishman brought up as a Hindu during the time of the British Raj.

CHANNEL 5 PICKS UP WILL & GRACE REVIVAL

Channel 5 has picked up the NBC’s revived Will & Grace and will run the new seasons of the super hit US comedy in UK. The Viacom owned broadcaster has a track record of acquiring US shows, recently picking up the latest season of Fox’s rebooted The X Files. The new & the 9th season of Will & Grace, appearing more than a decade after its then final season as part of the NBC’s powerhouse on Thurs night comedy lineup, was given an expanded 16 installment season order by the NBC earlier this year after a strong start in the ratings. The network has since ordered another 13 episodes season of the revival, which reunites the 4 stars of the original series: Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Karen Mullally & Sean Hayes, all of whom won Emmys for their performances.

SKY SCOOPS 2 CBS SERIES

Sky has scooped UK rights to CBS series Seal Team & Instinct. The pay – TV giant is upping it’s spend on original content and has just unveiled a new slate of homegrown drama, but also has a tradition of playing big – ticket US series on its channels. Seal Team is on CBS in U.S and the network recently gave it a full season order. Focused on an elite Navy Seals unit in training and in the field, it stars David Boreanaz and is faring well in US, averaging 10.3 million viewers in its Wed slot. At the May screenings this year some international buyers questioned whether the military themed shows on offer would perform well internationally.

DISCOVERY NAMES EMEA & UK LEADERS

Discovery has reorganized a large chunk of its international business, with Kasia Kieli stepping up to take over its operations across Europe, Middle East & Africa. The restructuring sees Discovery bring several of its regional businesses together under a single EMEA banner for the 1st time ever, and comes as the company attempts to drive its traditional pay – TV business alongside free – to – air, digital, and direct – to -consumer operations. James Gibbons has been named head of Discovery in UK, the company’s largest single market internationally. Reporting to Kasia Kieli, he also takes charge of its businesses in Australia & New Zealand. Marinella Soldi becomes the company’s EMEA strategy & content chief, as well as continuing to run Southern Europe as managing director.

CANADA CINEFLIX BACKS CONNECT3

Production & distribution firm Cineflix has backed Connect3, a startup production business run by Pablo Salzman, the son of Cineflix co – founder & co – CEO Glen Salzman. Pablo Salzman was previously VP of commercial affairs at Cineflix. He has been at the forefront of Canadian company’s recent efforts to bring formats from Quebec to the international market and will continue in that respect. Connect3, his new Montreal based venture, will seek to connect other independent producers with writers & showrunners and to package their projects for streaming platforms & TV channels. As a Canadian company, Connect3 can access the raft of funds, incentives & treaties that have made the country a co – production hot spot.

FRANCE NETFLIX LAUNCHES ROMANTIC COMEDY SERIES

Rolling off Marseille, Netflix is launching its next French language original series, an as – yet – untitled half hour romantic dramedy set in modern day Paris. The series, based on an original idea by British writer Chris Lang, will be directed by Noemie Saglio. Francois Florentiny’s Paris based banner UnRATED is producing, with Anne Thomopoulos, Florentiny & Lang executive producing. The show will start shooting on locales across Paris early next year. It will mark Netflix’s 2nd French language series to go into production after Marseille which is now in its 2nd season. Penned by Lang, along with Teisseire & Saglio, the 8 episode series follows a group of friends who embark on a misguided attempt to help their perpetually single girlfriend Elsa regain faith in dating & find love. But things take an unexpected turn when they set Elsa up with a seemingly perfect bachelor who happens to be a male escort.

PHARES ET BALISES RAMPS UP TV DRAMA PRODUCTION

Phares et Balises, one of France’s top documentary production banners, is expanding its slate of high profile drama series and moving into feature films. The Paris based company, launched 25 years ago by Jean Labib, has partnered up with Alvaro Longoria of Spain’s Morena Films & Laura Bickford in US to develop the feature film The Man Who Loved Dogs, which Narcos helmer Jose Padilha is attached to direct. The English language project, adapted from Leonardo Padura’s novel, is a multilayered political thriller revolving around the encounter between a struggling Cuban writer & an exiled Spaniard who turns out to be the man who assassinated Leon Trotsky in Mexico City in 1940.

JAPAN
FULL METAL ALCHEMIST OPENS ON TOP

Fumihiro Sori’s Full Metal Alchemist, an action fantasy film based on Hiromu Arakawa’s best selling comic, bowed at #1 for 2nd Dec, 2017 &.3rd Dec, 2017 weekend in Japan. Distributed on 441 screens by Warner Japan, the film earned $3.3 million on 291,000 admissions over 3 days. 2nd place belonged to The Last Shot In The Bar 3, the 3rd entry in a Toei action comedy series about a PI who roams the Susukino entertainment district of Sapporo. Distributed on 334 screens by Toei, the film took $1.3 million on 116,000 admissions. This was slightly down from the 2013 previous series entry and the film is expected to finish around $10 million.

TOEI ANIMATION TEAMS UP WITH MANGA PRODUCTIONS

Japanese animation productions major Toei Animation is teaming up with Saudi Arabia’s Manga Productions to produce animation titles & films to be released in both countries. The new tie – up was unveiled on 16th Nov, 2017. Manga Productions, which is affiliated with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s MiSK Foundation, focuses on producing animations and developing video games with creative & positive content targeting different local & international social groups. Bukhari Isam, CEO of Manga Productions, said that his company will do pre – production or prepare designing content to be produced in Japan.

KIYOFUMI NAKAJIMA APPOINTED

Japanese anime powerhouse, Studio Ghilbi has appointed a new president, Kiyofumi Nakajima, who was director of the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo since 2005. He replaces Koji Hoshino, who moves into the chairman spot after serving as Ghilbi president since 2008. As president Kiyofumi Nakajima is in charge of the studio’s business side, including the construction of a projected theme park in Aichi Prefecture in Western Japan. Studio co -founder Toshio Suzuki will continue to serve as head of production, focusing on the new Hayao Miyazaki film now in the works. Titled Kimi – tachi Wa Do Ikiru Ka (literally, How Do You Live?), it officially started production in Oct, 2017 with a completion date set some time in the next 3 or 4 years.

TOKYO DISNEY RESORT SET FOR MAJOR EXPANSION

Oriental Land, which operates the Tokyo Disney Resort complex that includes the Disneyland & DisneySea theme parks, has revealed plans for a massive expansion. Completion is expected in 2023. The company plans to invest nearly $2.7 billion to upgrade & expand facilities & attractions, while planning to double visitor numbers by 2020, the year of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. With the planned expansion the 100 hectare complex is expected to grow 30%. Oriental Land operates Tokyo Disney Resort under license from Disney. Since its start in 1983 with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland, the theme park, hotel & shopping complex in Chiba Prefecture, has grown to attract nearly 30 million visitors annually.

CHINA
CHINA REASSERTS CYBER SOVEREIGNTY POLICY

Apple’s Tim Cook & Google’s Sundar Pichai was in attendance this weekend at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China. There, they would have heard Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a letter read to delegates, again reassert the doctrine of cyber sovereignty, the idea that each country has the right to govern the Internet how it likes within its own borders. Xi Jinping said that the world should respect that sovereignty, foster a spirit of partnership, advance development, safeguard security, participate in governance, and share the benefits. “Building a community of common future in cyberspace has increasingly become the widespread common understanding of international society,” Xi Jinping told.

COCO DOUBLES SCORE IN 2ND WEEKEND

Pixar’s Coco enjoyed a stirring 2nd weekend at the Chinese Box – Office tuirnstiles. It more than doubled its earnings as it held on to top spot. Unlike its opening weekend, where it had to come from behind, Coco was dominant on every day of its 2nd weekend. And every day represented spectacular improvements. Fri’s $7.74 million take was a 300% improvement on its opening day, according to data from China’s Ent Group. Sat’s $19.2 million was a 171% improvement. Sun’s $16.8 million was a 94% outperformance. They added up to a $43.7 million 2nd weekend, up 147% on its $18 million opening 3 days. That is Disney’s 2nd highest weekend for an animated film in China, after Zootopia. It was also a wide margin ahead of the film’s $26.1 million 2nd weekend in North America. Having come from behind in its opening a week earlier, the film has benefitted from the strong word of mouth all week, despite all the ghosts that could have posed problems with China’s superstition averse censors. Its cumulative in China now stands at $75.4 million, the 3rd highest score in China for either a Disney or a Pixar animated film.

HBO ASIA SETS SLATE OF ORIGINAL SHOWS

HBO Asia, the pan regional unit of pay – TV giant HBO, has unveiled 3 new original shows that will go on air in 2018. It also announced continuations of its Teenage Psychic series, and further 2 instalments in its collection of Chinese language martial arts TV movies. The announcements were made on Thurs, at Singapore’s Fullerton Hotel, just across the bay from the ongoing Asia TV Forum & Singapore Media Festival events. The new shows are Folklore, a 6 part horror anthology that takes place across multiple Asian territories; Grisse, an 8 hour drama series set in the 18th century Dutch East Indies; and Miss Sherlock, an 8 part Japanese language drama series, made as a joint venture with Hulu Japan.

MAGIC MALL UNVEILS LUO BAO BEI

Beijing children’s & family content development company, Magic Mall is showcasing its new animated series Luo Bao Bei at Asia TV Forum in Singapore this week. 9 Story Distribution International is handling global distribution & merchandising rights to Luo Bao Bei, excluding China. The international launch follows its launch on Chinese broadcaster KAKU on 20th Nov, 20-17, and the following day on all leading Chinese digital platforms. The 52 x 11 minute episode series is a Chinese – UK co – production between Magic Mall & Cloth Cat Animation, a Cardiff based studio and the largest animation production company in Wales.

EUROPE
FOX TO LAUNCH NG SERVICE IN EUROPE & AFRICA

Fox Networks Group will launch a National Geographic on demand service in Europe & Africa in the New Year. In his 1st major interview since taking the helm of Fox Networks Group Europe & Africa 3 & a half years ago, Jan Koeppen told Variety about the new National Geographic+ non – linear service and his goal of bringing the box – set, binge – viewing experience to fans of factual programming. Jan Koeppen averred that National Geographic+ has been designed to appeal to the most sought after millennials demographic. The key is to reinvent the on demand experience for factual fans and allow viewers to binge the same way they do with drama.

HBO EUROPE LANDS GUNPOWDER

HBO Europe has loaded up on Gunpowder and will show BBC period series on its networks in the Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe & Spain. The 3 parter is a retelling of 17th century Gunpowder Plot to blow up the British Houses of Parliament. Game of Thrones star Kit Harington plays the lead role of Robert Catesby, a persecuted Catholic who hatched the plan. Harington is a direct descendant of Catesby and helped develop Gunpowder through his production company Thriker Films. It made the show with Kudos, which is part of Endemol Shine Group. Endemol Shine International sells the series & inked HBO Europe deal.

AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA TO PROBE GOOGLE & FACEBOOK

The Australian Government said Mon that it would open an inquiry into Facebook & Google and their impact on the media industries. The move was announced by Australian Consumer & Competition Commission. It follows a revamp of media laws in Sept this year. The ACCC said that it would look at “the impact digital search engines, social media platforms and other digital content aggregation platforms are having on competition in media & advertising services markets.” A preliminary report will be published early in Dec, 2018, with a final report due in early Jun, 2019. “The ACCC will look closely at the longer – term trends and the effect of technological change on competition in media & advertising,” Rod Sims, the ACCC chairman, said.

LION SWEEPS AACTA TECHNICAL AWARDS

The Weinstein Company’s Lion completed a clean sweep of technical prizes awarded by Australian Academy of Cinematographic & Television Arts. In the documentary categories, Whiteley emerged with 4 of the 7 prizes on offer. The awards, which range from editing to screenwriting, were presented on Mon at a lunch. The AACTAs in performance categories will be presented at an evening event on Wed. The Academy has in recent days been rocked by unspecified allegations made against leading Australian actor Geoffrey Rush. The star, who won an Oscar for his performance in Australian film Shine, resigned as president of AACTA on Sat. He has denied allegations of improper behavior & sought clarifications of the complaint apparently made while he was engaged with Sydney Theatre Company’s King Lear. Lion, directed by Garth Davis & executive produced by Harvey Weinstein, US executive now surrounded by scandal, won AACTA awards in all & categories it was nominated. Having won in the “Best Adapted Screenplay” category, it was ineligible for “Best Original Screenplay”. That was won by Ali’s Wedding.

GEOFFREY RUSH RESIGNS FROM AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY

Oscar & Golden Globe winning actor Geoffrey Rush resigned on Sat as president of Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts. The move follows allegations earlier in the week of inappropriate behavior, and comes just days before the academy hands out its annual awards. One of the world’s best known performers, Geoffrey Rush has credits that include The King’s Speech, Pirates Of The Caribbean & Shakespeare In Love. He won the “Best Actor” Oscar for Shine. The allegations against him emerged Wed when Sydney Theatre Company revealed that it had received a complaint about Geoffrey Rush after he appeared in King Lear there 2 years ago.

GERMANY
BETA FILM BOARDS BRIDGE

Beta Film has boarded international sales for Pagan Peak, a German thriller series created, penned & directed by Cyrill Boss & Philipp Stennert. The 8 hour series is being produced by Wiedemann & Berg for Sky Deutschland, which has earned top ratings with another German crime series, Babylon Berlin. Now shooting, Pagan Peak is all set in icy Alps and follows German detective Ellie Stocker (Julia Jentsch), who has to team up with Austrian counterpart Gedeon Winter (Nicholas Ofczarek) to investigate the murder which was propped up right on the German – Austrian border. Pagan Peak is inspired by Danish – Swedish hit format Broen or Bron from Filmlance International, or The Bridge in English. Filmlance International is a subsidiary of Endemol Shine Group.
ISLE OF DOGS TO OPEN 2018 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

The world premiere of Wes Anderson’s animated Isle Of Dogs will open the 2018 Berlin Film Festival, the 1st animated movie to do so in Berlinale history. It will be whimsical auteur Wes Anderson’s 4th film in competition at Berlinale, following The Royal Tenenbaums (2002), The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2005), & The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). The Grand Budapest Hotel also opened the Berlin Film Festival and won Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. “I’m most delighted that Wes Anderson will kick off the Berlinale competition again,” festival director Dieter Kosslick told on Mon. “Isle of Dogs will be the 1st animated film to open the festival.

DEBATE OVER DIETER KOSSLICK’S LEADERSHIP HEATS UP

The Debate over the future direction of the Berlin Film Festival has intensified in Germany, with a slew of high profile industry players throwing their support behind longtime chief Dieter Kosslick in response to a call by dozens of German filmmakers for a new start when his contract expires in 2019. Germany’s Association of Film Distributors, Studio Babelsberg & German Federal Film Board have all expressed support for Dieter Kosslick and praised his leadership of Berlinale and contributions to the industry in what has become an extraordinary public dispute barely 2 months before 2019’s edition of the festival. In an open letter last week, 79 German filmmakers, includin Maren Ade & Fatih Akin, called for “a new start” at the festival and recommended a transparent process in selecting Dieter Kosslick’s successor and examining fundamental changes to the event.

KOREA
SWINDLERS’ REMAINS ON TOP

Showbox’s The Swindlers remained on top of the South Korean Box – Office turnstiles earning $5.13 million from 672,000 admissions between Fri & Sun. The crime thriller has a cumulative total of $21.5 million from 3 million admissions after 2 weekends on release. 3 Wed, 20th Nov, 2017 openers, Forgotten, Murder On The Orient Express & The Chase, landed in 2nd to 4th places. South Korean mystery thriller Forgotten, a Megabox release, earned $4 million admissions between Wed & Sun. Directed by Zhang Hang – Jun, Forgotten sees the story of 2 brothers who experience strange events as they move to a new place. Murder On The Orient Express earned $3.46 million over its opening 5 days. NEW’s The Chase, a thriller featuring 2 characters who hunt down the suspect of a long unsolved crime, earned $1.92 million. Forgotten The Chase will stream on Netflix after their theatrical runs in Korea. Justice League slipped to 5th place, suffering a week – on – week drop of 79%. The Warner Bros. release earned $414,000 between Fri & Sun for a total of $13.2 million after 3 weekends. Re – released on Wed, Gil Junger’s If Only landed 6th. The romance drama earned $397,000.

VINCENT CASSEL JOINS TOP KOREAN CAST

Leading French actor, Vincent Cassel has joined the cast of Sovereign Default, an upcoming Korean made financial drama. The lead roles go to Korean stars Yoo Ah – In & Kim Hye – Soo. The film starts production this month through Zip Cinema. It is all set for a release in Korean theaters by CJ Entertainment late in 2018. Directed by Choi Kyun -Hee, Sovereign Default is set during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. All the action takes place during a week when South Korea had to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund. Yoo plays an investor betting against the country, while Kim represents a senior financial analyst at the Bank of Korea.

SINGAPORE
TAIPAN STRIKES SLATE DEAL

Singapore’s Taipan Films is entering the China market with a $15 million (RMB 100 million) slate deal with Beijing Hua Cheng Media Group. The agreement will see the production of a slate of 5 projects over the next 3 years. The deal was announced at Singapore Asia TV Forum & Market, part of the Singapore Media Festival. The companies will co – fund & co – produce. Hua Cheng will be responsible for China distribution. 1st up will be 2 projects by Singaporean J.D. Chua, who spent several years working on action, stunts & visual effects in Hollywood and was mentored by Michael Mann.

BEACHTV LAUNCHES RAVE WAVE

Singapore based lifestyle channel, BeachTV is collaborating with AOS Collective & 108 Media to produce Rave Wave, a music reality format that searches for the next big disc jockey. The deal was announced at Asia TV Forum in Singapore. The format brings aspiring DJ’s to a beachfront boot camp, where they are trained in music, mixing & dance. Music celebrities make guest appearances to give tips to DJ’s. In each episode, the DJ’s perform live at a beachfront club, and the weakest DJ gets eliminated. The 3 year deal to produce 6 seasons of the series is estimated to be worth US$ 8 million.

2 MOVIES WIN ATF PITCHES

The Western Journey Of Pigsy, from Taiwan’s studio2 Animation Lab, won the inaugural Asia TV Forum Animation Pitch competition. Chiu Li Wei & Grace Chuang from studio2 Animation Lab receive a US$19,000 prize from India’s Green Gold Animation. This includes a US$2,500 cash award, & a consultancy package worth US$16,500 to further develop the animation, making it ready to pitch to broadcasters. “We had a unique concept and we felt that it allows viewers to experience the “Journey to the West story in a contemporary way,” said Chiu Li, director, studio2 Animation Lab. “Moving forward, we will work towards developing the script for the concept.” Indonesia’s Gamaliel Paulus won the ATF Formats Pitch, now in its 2nd year.
JIMAMI TOFU SELLS TO CHINA & TAIWAN

Taiwanese distribution company Movie Cloud has acquired Singapore film Jimami Tofu and will release the film theatrically in Taiwan in 2018. The deal was brokered by the film’s global sales agent, Korea’s Opus Pictures. In addition, a television & Internet distribution deal for China has been finalized with Blue Media Times Beijing. The deals were announced at Asia TV Forum on Thurs. This is the 1st non – Korean feature film to be represented by Opus Pictures, the production firm with involvement in Korean hits Man From Nowhere & Snowpiercer. Jimami Tofu had its world premiere at Hawaii International Film Festival in Nov, 2017 where it won the audience choice award. Written & directed by Jason Chan & Christian Lee, the film is produced by Chan & Lee’s Singapore based outfit BananaMana Films with the support of the Okinawa Film Office.

INDONESIA
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY & CHALLENGES

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest territory, remains a land of opportunity & challenges, a Screen Singapore conference heard. With a population of 261 million, but just 1,117 cinemas, the country is severely under screened. And rural penetration remains a problem. Some 35% of screens are concentrated in Greater Jakarta area. “The time is right to exploit the smaller towns & villages with more screens & lower ticket prices,” said Krishnan Rajagopalan, chief executive of Whacked Out Media & co – founder of streaming service Hooq. Though local film production is abundant, with 120 Indonesian films set to release in 2018, budgets are low, with the majority produced for below $100,000.

SILVER WOLF ANNOUNCES DEALS KAZAKSTAN’S KHABAR

Singapore based television content distribution company, Silver Wolf international has announced a distribution & production partnership with Indonesia’s HJ Productions. HJ specializes in a wide range of genres such as documentaries, dramas, feature films, & music videos. HJ Director Allo Geafary averred, “As a distribution company with a strong international presence, we are certain that by partnering we will be able to reach a more global audience.” Separately, Silver Wolf has been appointed as Asian distributor for drama series produced by Kazakhstan’s Khabar Agency. With content ranging from news & documentaries to dramas, feature films, sports, music & general entertainment programs, Khabar is one of the largest.

Finally it was Curtains Down on the 48th International Film Festival Of India (IffI Goa – 2017) in Goa’s huge Indoor Stadium namely Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Indoor Stadium. The Stadium was jampacked with the local Gaon delegates including the National & the International delegates and of course the media. And to top it the official Media PR Agency Raindrop had carted a chosen few media celebrities all the way from Bombay nay Mumbai to Goa for a 2 day trip to Goa to especially attend IffI Goa 2017’s Closing Ceremomy.

The highlights of the Closing Ceremony of IffI Goa – 2017 was the Bollywoodian stars walking down The Red Carpet a la Cannes Film Festival, Atom Egoyan receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, 120 BEATS PER MINUTE bagging the “Best Movie” award which comprised of the “Golden Peacock Trophy”, Big B being honoured – “The Legend Of Indian Cinema” bagging the “Indian Film Personality Of The Year 2017″ award et al.

Moreover Marathi Film Kshitij – A Horizon” bagged the “ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal”
The 9 day long International Film Festival of India 2017 concluded on 28th Nov, 2017 in a higly colourful closing ceremony held at Goa. The theme of this year’s IFFI was “Connecting The World Through Stories”. And above all varied prestigious awards including Golden Peacock, Silver Peacock, Life Time Achievement Award & Indian Personality Of The Year Award were conferred during the star studded ceremony which was followed by a Dinner party in the especially decorated, with illuminating colourful lights, in the sprawling lawns of the Kala Academy.

French movie 120 Beats Per Minute, directed by Robin Campillo bagged the award for “Best Film” in IFFI 2017. The award came with the Golden Peacock trophy, certificate & a cash prize amount of Rs. 40, 00,000 shared between the Director & the Producer equally. Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, for his role in 120 Beats per Minute bagged the “Best Actor” award, who was conspicuous by his absence but he did sent a recorded message thanking profusely the officials of IffI award, the Chief Minister of Goa Shri Manohar Parrikar in tandem with the Goa Government.

Besides picking up the Silver Peacock 120 Beats Per Minute tells the story of a group of activists in Paris in early 1990’s, taking on the Government agencies & major pharmaceutical companies, battling for HIV /AIDS patients.

The “Best Director” award was given to Vivian Qu for the film Angels Wear White, who bagged the “Silver Peacock Trophy” and cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000. While Parvathy Thiruvothu Kottuvata was awarded the “Best Actress” award for the Malayalam film Take Off, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart won the “Best Actor” award for the film 120 Beats Per Minute. Both received the Silver Peacock Trophy & a cash Prize of Rs 10,00,000 each. Special Jury award, which carries the Silver Peacock Award & a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000, was awarded to Mahesh Narayanan for his Malayalam movie Take Off. Kiro Russo received the award for “Best Debut Feature Film Of A Director” for his Spanish Movie Dark Skull.

Apart from this Big B, award winning & the most acclaimed actor was honoured with the “Indian Film Personality Of The Year 2017” which comprised of Rs 10 Lakh, a Shawl and a plaque, for his contribution to the Indian Cinema. The 75 year old actor’s glorious career has spanned almost 5 decades, in which he has been decorated with a plethora of National & International honours.

Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan was conferred the “Lifetime Achievement” award at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival Of India (IFFI Goa 2017). The festival also honoured his work with a special film section that had screened 3 films produced by the 57 year old filmmaker. Atom Egoyan is best known for his films Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter & Chloe. The lifetime achievement award consisting of a cash prize of Rs. 10,00,000 is conferred upon a master filmmaker for his / her outstanding contribution to cinema.

The ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal was awarded to Marathi Movie Kshitij – A Horizon, directed by filmmaker Manouj Kadaamh. This award, instituted by the International Council for Film & Television, Paris & UNESCO is given to a film that portrays the Gandhian values of peace & harmony. The film is set on the life of Vacchi, 12 year old daughter of a sugarcane field labourer, who overcomes varied challenges to pursue her education.

And last but not the least “The Closing Ceremony” of IFFI 2017 was anchored by Karan Johar, Sonali Bendre & Zaira Wasim, of the recently released Secret Superstar, in lieu with ex – Bigg Boss contestant & the most popular RJ & actor Preetam who enlivened the proceedings of the evening.

In conclusion a point to be noted is that eminent Indian film personalities such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Bhumi Pednekar, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sidharth Malhotra, Huma Qureshi et al graced “The Closing Ceremony”, which also witnessed the scintillating performances from singer & composer Papon, enthralling the audience with his soulful voice & music and actor Sidharth Malhotra paid a glowing tribute to Big B with his dazzling dance performance from Big B’s films like Don, Hum, Yaarana et al.

by FAIZAN RIZWAN & SHAHEEN RAAJ

Bhumi Pednekar has been breaking stereotypes even before the release of her debut film, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which was highly acclaimed and won her the Filmfare award for “Best Debut Female”. The actress next chose films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha & Shubh Mangal Savdhan both of which talked about unconventional subjects.

At IFFI2017, the young actress spoke extensively about women and breaking the stereotypes in a candid conversation with movie buffs & her fans, at a special Master – class.

Bhumi expressed, “Being overweight was linked to being depressed for a long time and I was happy that a film like Dum Laga Ke Haisha changed that thinking.” Post Dum Laga Ke Haisha I was offered around 24 scripts but the roles offered weren’t good enough for me to even consider. I waited for the right opportunity and the perfect script. I grabbed films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha & Shubh Mangal Savdhan because they were important roles written for an actress. I feel myself lucky if I can make a difference to even one life through the films that I do.”

During the Q&A session, Bhumi Pednekar displayed some more views.

To the question of whether she would like to do films that carry a social message, she replied positively and said that as an individual you cannot avoid your responsibilities.

She also added that she loves her country from a very young age and given a chance she would like to do films with social messages in the future too.

To the question of what kind of stereotypes she would like to break in personal life, She responded that she would like to get rid of gender differences; even today, “ghar ka chiraag” is understood by the boy.

Responding to another question, she said, the characters in her film were progressive by thoughts & not by clothes.

The 48th edition of IFFI is being held from the 20th Nov 2017 to 28th Nov 2017, in Panjim, the beach state of Goa.