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Movie Review: 'The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water' is a kid's delight

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The SpongeBob Movie Sponge Out of Water

Producer: Paul Tibbit and Mary Parent
Director: Paul Tibbit
Star Cast: Antonio Banderas, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence & Matt Berry
Genre: Comedy
Verdict: Excellent

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water is based on the Nickelodeon television series SpongeBob SquarePantscreated by Stephen Hillenburg. That apart it is a sequel to 2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. In this particular movie director Paul Tibbit has mixed SpongeBob and other characters which are animated and rendered in computer animation. Besides the live action scenes were shot in varied locales throughout Savannah and Tybee Island.

Plot: A pirate named Burger – Beard travels to the island of Bikini Atoll to obtain a magical book that makes any text written upon it come true. The book tells the story of SpongeBob SquarePants, a childlike sea sponge who loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab fast food restaurant and faithfully guards the Krabby Patty secret formula from Plankton, owner of the Chum Bucket and business rival to Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob’s boss.

Aces: The movie has an entertaining flight of fancy, full of gags albeit topped with an hilarious roller coaster joy ride.

Minuses: It’s too fast paced for comfort as before you could enjoy one gag fully,  you end up missing a lot.

Last Word: An extraordinaire summer treat for kids and adults alike.

"I am quite excited to be a part of Udanchoo": Rajneesh Duggal

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Rajneesh_Duggal

Rajneesh Duggal has proved time & again that he is an actor par excellence. Just recently fresh from the success of ‘Ek Paheli Leela’, the talented ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ Season 5 Winner will be seen in a brand new avatar in R – Vision’s edge – of – the – seat thriller ‘Udanchhoo’.

Ravindra Singh’s R – Vision India Pvt Ltd recently announced that they have signed on the ‘Ek Paheli Leela’ star and talented ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ Season 5 winner Rajneesh Duggal for their upcoming film ‘Udanchhoo’. The movie also marks the entry of Director Vipin Parashar, who has helmed ‘No Exit’ and ‘CM Saab’, into mainstream Hindi cinema and the debut of lead actress Saisha who will be seen romancing Rajneesh Duggal. Apart from the lead pair, other cast includes Prem Chopra, Bruna Abdullah, Ashutosh Rana & Bijendra Kala.

Speaking about signing the film Rajneesh Duggal averred, “I am quite excited to be a part of this film. After ‘Ek Paheli Leela’ I wanted to do something really interesting & exciting and ‘Udanchhoo’, being the captivating edge – of – the – seat thriller it fits perfectly.” The talented actor further added, “Vipin is a friend and when he narrated the film, I was instantly hooked onto the story and wanted to be a part of it.”

Commenting on the choice of Rajneesh Duggal as the main lead, Vipin said, “Udanchhoo for me is a very special film as it would be my 1st full – length Hindi commercial film. It was thus imperative for me to get every bit right. Given that the main lead would need to pull off a difficult action – thriller role with a significant emotional quotient, my brief for the casting agency was a difficult one. Then one day I just happened to meet Rajneesh Duggal casually and it immediately struck me that he was perfect for the role – tall, good looking, fresh from ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and a talented actor all in one. I immediately made him the offer and he agreed. But then there were date issues and we had to go with Gautam Gulati. But destiny had its own strange way and Gautam then had date issues and Rajneesh Duggal had just these dates free. It was really awesome for me as he was my original choice for the role anyway.”

The film’s music has been composed by Avishek Majumder, a music composer who is trained in western classical music & Jazz from London College of Music.  He has been working with various advertising agencies as a music composer and has worked in more than 100 advertising campaigns. He debuted as a music composer in a Hindi film with Jimmy Shergil starrer film “Four Two ka One’.  Some of his upcoming films are ‘Gadaar’ & ‘Saddey CM Saab’ (Punjabi feature films, featuring Harbhajan Mann), “No Exit” (Hindi Feature Film).

Other credits include: Story & Screenplay: Vishal V. Patil, Dialogues: Vishal V. Patil, Vaibhav Bajpai & Vipin Parashar, Executive Producer: Sandeep Chandra, Costume: Fahad Khan & Swati Singh, Art Director: Pradeep Singh et al.

R – Vision India Pvt Ltd founded in 2000 by Ravindra Singh who is also the company’s Managing Director, R – Vision is one of the fastest growing production houses in the industry, producing at least 2 – 3 films each year, the company started off in New Delhi and with 15 years of persistent endeavor it has now over 2 dozen hit music albums & 5 commercial films to its credits. It was founded with the core objective of offering movies in genres like action, adventure, comedies to family dramas. R – Vision also has a 24×7 TV Channel R – Vision TV that provides the audience access to good entertaining films & music content.

R – Vision’s 1st home production was ’27_13.20 Nakshatra’, directed by Mohan Savalkar, starring Anupam Kher & Milind Soman. He added more feathers to his hat with the release of the romantic film ‘Pappu Can’t Dance Saala’, starring Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia & Rajat Kapoor. And family entertainer ‘I M 24′ directed by Suarabh Shukla, starring Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia & Manjari Fadnis. Besides, there are more movies in the pipeline to be released by 2015. R – Vision is currently working on a new project directed by Vipin Parashar, titled ‘Udanchhoo’ and is anticipated to release this year.

Bollywood Round Up

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Mukesh-Khanna

Mukesh Khanna New Chairperson Of Children Film Society, India (CSFI)

Mukesh Khanna actor & producer became the new chairman of Children Film Society. Shravan Kumar,COO of the CFSI conformed the news, “It gives me immense pleasure to inform that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has appointed Mukesh Khanna of ‘Shaktiman’ fame as the Chairman of Children’s Film Society, India.” Mukesh Khanna who is better known as Shaktiman is very happy and is flooded with sms and letters from his fans. Somebody told him that now something will happen as the seat is given now to the right candidate who truly belongs to children and who sincerely thinks for welfare of the children of the world.”

Swati Sharrma’s “Banno“ Number From ‘Tannu Weds Manu Returns’ Garners Innumerable Hits

Singer Swati Sharrma is not only excited with the stupendous success of her latest foot tapping & peppy number, “Banno” from ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns which took the listeners with a storm, but with the success of this number Swati has garnered tons & tons of appreciation as well she has undisputedly reached the horizon of the Bollywood musical domain. The singing star who has become a sensation overnight speaks elatedly, “I’m so happy that people are enjoying this number! It wasn’t a cake walk to be able to pitch the exact note, the high tone of this sexy peppy & foot tapping number had to match the Haryanvi character played by none other than Kangana. I also want to thank director Aanand L Rai for giving be break with this song. The rage of “Banno” has proved one thing again that the songs which bring in the true feelings and the real depth of our Indian Culture surely allure the listeners’ ears. Swati’s folk- lore sort of a sexy peppy vocals is a proven fact that she is here to stay. However, Swati begs to differ having been trained from a tender age, I can bet my last penny and proudly say that , I have sung a few romantic numbers too and have bagged a few more ,which I can disclose only after everything gets finalized. Undeniably, I am not conceited about my vocals but yes! I credit myself for being able to complete my daily riyaz religiously. I have traveled all the way to Mumbai moreover; my parents have extended their support in every manner whatsoever. Keeping this in mind and also my ambition to achieve success in the Musical industry I conduct myself accordingly. I know my painstaking efforts will bear fruits sooner or later this is just the beginning.” Hailing from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, Swati shot to fame amongst the youth when her single song “Kyu Kho Gaye”, which was composed by Raeth, the popular Pakistani Band which bears the credit of having crossed a million views on Zee Music Company’s channel on you tube. Swati has learnt music from Sangeet Visharad from Chandigarh University namely Pracheen Kala Kendra. The singer also took training from her guru Pankaj Maharaj. Undoubtedly, the intense & devoted training from her Guru has enabled her to be able to rise to this position within a short span of her musical struggle. Swati is already a personality to reckon with in the Marathi musical domain merely with the success of having lent her voice for 1 song in the film titled, ‘Yudh’, Hereafter there’s no looking back for Swati at all with few songs already in her kitty namely ‘Ek Tera Saath”, ‘Direct Ishq’ & ‘Flame’.

Ekaansh Bhaardwaaj & Leena Kapoor Launched Their Audio Of Film ‘Madmast Barkhaa’

TV news reporter turned actor Ekaansh Bhaardwaaj is making his debut with Leena Kapoor in Jaspal Singh produced & directed film Madmast Barkhaa. They released the audio at an event recently. Ekaansh & Leena performed on track from the film. The film is made under the banner of Singh Multimedia creation and the film is releasing on 15th May, 2015 all over. Raj Verma music director of the film gave inputs regarding the music of the film.

Hollywood Actress & Singer Sofia Hayat Wears 1 Crore’s Dress For Bridal Wear Shoot In London

Sofia Hayat recently wore 1 Crore’s dress made especially for her to model. The dress is covered in diamonds which have been hand stitched. The Italian designers Atelier Italia, made this for a photo shoot especially for the actress, singer & supermodel. The head piece by Louis Mariette, designer & judge of America’s Next top model, was also an unpriceable diamond piece. Security was provided throughout the shoot and the dress & head piece returned with the body guards.

Model & Actress Ekta Jain Got Her Photo Shoot Done For Her New Serial

Ekta jain who has done loads of anchoring, ramp shows,TV Serials, films, ad films et al is coming back after 6 years with a new serial for Doordarshan. She did the photo shoot recently for the show where she will play different characters. Vishal Saxena did the photo shoot. The show will be directed & produced by H Bharti.

Shreyas Talpade Receives “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award for ‘Baji’

Actor – Producer – Director Shreyas Talpade recently received the “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award for the 2nd time for his performance in Marathi film ‘Baji’. The film which was released on 6th Feb, 2015, saw the talented actor essay the role of Marathi cinema’s 1st ever vigilante superhero film. Shreyas had earlier won the “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award for his performance in his debut film ‘Iqbal’. An elated Shreyas said, “It’s an honour to receive this prestigious award, winning it again is like a pat on the back and is in a way a validation that I am on the right track and have done something to deserve it. It also drives me to push the boundaries of my art further and explore new depths.” The talented actor who has been in the industry for more than a decade made a mark with his debut film ‘Iqbal’ and since then there has been no looking back for him. The talented actor has been part of many successful films like ‘Om Shanti Om’, “Golmaal” series to name a few. The actor had also recently produced his 2nd Marathi film ‘Poshter Boyz’ which was a critically acclaimed as well as a blockbuster film and will also be directing the sequel. In the past he has won the Zee Cine Critics award for outstanding acting skills for his debut film ‘Iqbal’ in 2005. He also won the Best Comedian award for ‘Dor’ at the Star Screen Awards as well as Stardust Breakthrough Performance (Male) award in 2007 and the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for ‘Om Shanti Om’ the same year.

Sanchiti Sakat Meets Padamshri Anup Jalota

Padamshri Anup Jalota always support new talent. He is doing a devotional musical show Shehar on Big FM every morning. Anup Jalota invites new talent in every morning show. Sanchiti Sakat who sings in 7 languages was excited when she sang a bhajan in front of Anup Jalota. Anup Jalota gave blessings to her and told her to do more riyaaz which will make her strong in classical & traditional music. Sanchiti Sakat recently released her album “Jazbaat” with Bhoomi Trivedi, Shahid Mallya, Vaishali Made et al.

Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor Meets Daler Mehndi & Irfan Khan

Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor Media Pvt Ltd is a very reputed name in outdoor publicity. He is part of 90% of events in India & Abroad. He was recently seen chatting with Daler Mehndi & Rajeev Thakur at event and next day he was with Shahrukh Khan at other event. He also met Irfan Khan at a event in Andheri.

"My upcoming movie 'Kuch Kuch Locha Hai' is a comic entertainer:" Sunny Leone

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sunny-leone

Met Sunny Leone recently at the promotional event of her upcoming film namely Devang Dholakia’s ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ at the Levo Restaurant in Model Town, Andheri, Mumbai. Right at the outset she came across as a very warm, vivacious & vibrant persona. After winning the hearts of the International & the regional audiences, in films like ‘The Girl Next Door’, ‘Pirate’s Blood’, ‘The Virginity Hit’ et al & ‘DK’ (Kannada), ‘Vadacurry’ (Tamil), ‘Current Theega’ (Telugu) et al, Karanjeet Kaur Vohra (Her Birth name) aka Sunny Leone (Her screen name) is an American – Canadian actress now literally making the Indian cine goers dance to her tunes in her Bollywood films like ‘Jism 2’, ‘Shootout At Wadala’, ‘Jack Pot’, ‘Ragini MMS 2’, ‘Hate Story 2’, ‘Ek Paheli Leela’ and now she will repeat history with Devang Dholakia’s ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’. Just with more than half a dozen film’s release Sunny Leone has became an actress to be reckoned with, in fact a household name amongst the Indian audiences not to forget the fact that she had already charmed her way into the hearts of the International audiences and by the way she has now also settled down into a blissful marital life with her better half Daniel Webber who now also manages both her personal as well as professional affairs and of course Daniel Webber was himself launched as an actor in a recently announced Bollywood film ‘Dangerous Husn’. How Symbolic!!!

To set the ball rolling in your court, can we say that Sunny Leone is content with her Bollywoodian career so far?

You bet I am. As in my half a dozen Bollywoodian films released so far I have got the meatiest roles that I could really sink my teeth into. What more could I ask for? I have already enacted diverse roles, roles that not only a newbie actress but an actress of repute would die for. And I think my recent best was in Ahmed Khan & Bobby Khan’s ‘Ek Paheli Leela’. And wait & watch! The crowning glory of my histrionics per se would be in my upcoming film namely Devang Dholakia’s ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’.

So would you like to elaborate on what is ‘Kuch Kuch Locha hai’ all about?

My upcoming movie ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ is a comic entertainer, a jolly good film & a roller coaster ride all the way from start to end. Okay! So ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ is about a Patel family of which Ram Kapoor is the head. Every thing is hunky dory in the Patel family until he meets and falls in love with a Bollywood Diva that’s me. And then everything goes topsy turvy in the Patel family’s life and of course the Bollywood Divas life too.

Your opinion about Devang Dholakia as a director?

Oh my God what do I say about Devang? While working with him during ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ I found Devang to be the sweetest & the coolest director on the sets. He would give his directorial instructions to us and then also accept our impromptu suggestions, thereby also giving us a complete leeway to tackle the role the way we perceive but not away from the way he has conceived it.

Ram Kapoor is known as the biggest prankster on & off the sets. How could you cope up with him during the making of ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’?

First of all I was too shocked when I was told that Ram Kapoor would be my co-star. Frankly speaking my 1st reaction was how will this oddest pairing of Ram Kapoor – Sunny Leone work? But then I thought that if such oddest pairing works in Hollywood then why not in Bollywood?

But Ram Kapoor…….?

Oh yes! I am coming to that. I was a bit apphrensive about working with Ram Kapoor in the beginning. But once I started interacting with him on the sets of ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ I found him to be a very lovable & a very frank & honest person. But of course I was very scared of his innocent physicality touch on & off the sets, so I was very protective about myself whenever he was around on & off the sets too. But by and by I realized that it was just in his nature to behave with everyone alike.

So what’s next after ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’?

A Lots. The fIlms to be released after ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ are ‘Balvinder Singh Pass Ho Gaya’, ‘Mastizaade’, ‘Tina & Lolo’, ‘One Night Stand’ and many more International, Boilywood & Regional films  This is just the beginnin   which has no end to it.

Now that your better half Daniel Webber has also stepped into the Bollywoodian limelight, do you guide him or offer your precious tips in histrionics per se?

Yes I did attend the launch function of his debut film ‘Dangerous Husn’ after which he got busy with his workshops for ‘Dangerous Husn’, But of course whenever we both are free and before going to bed I give Hindi coaching to Daniel. Which I have myself picked up and perfected it in the long run.

One last question. You have a very controversial past, which is like a blemish, and its reputation you have rarely clarified. Would you like to offer any clarification of your own free will?

To be very frank & honest my emphatic answer is no with a capital “N”. The only thing I would say in this regard is that there is no point in raking up my past. I was what I was and I am what I am “Now”. And why bother about my future, when I am myself not bothered about it. Period!!!!!

Bollywood Newswatch

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atif-aslam

Atif Aslam Gets A Special Visa Clearance

Atif Aslam, of late, was the only Pakistani artiste to get a special visa clearance for peace anthem. While other Pakistani artistes find it extremely difficult to get a visa clearance into India, Atif Aslam who has been recording most, if not all of his Bollywood numbers from outside India, flew in specially for a motivational youth number that the singer sang & danced to with Tiger Shroff. Apparently, special permission was requested for the singer to be physically present for the video in Mumbai. Choreographer Ahmed Khan who has shot the video says it was essential to get Atif over. The whole video for a song called “Aa Raha Hoon Main” was planned with Tiger & Atif. It’s a motivational song for students and was shot on a real educational campus, Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods. The idea is to show students that learning & education need not be bookish & boring. Ahmed admits Atif’s presence in Mumbai was not easy. “We had to make a special request. But we’re glad that Atif could make it.”

‘Baby’s Screenplay Shortlisted

‘Baby’s Screenplay Shortlisted for the Core Collection at the Oscars Academy Library. While ‘Baby’ has been one of the blockbusters of 2015, there is some more news for the makers to rejoice. The Neeraj Pandey directed film has been approached by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the institution behind ‘Oscars’) for inclusion of its screenplay in the Core Collection of the Academy’s library. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences has requested for ‘Baby’s screenplay for its collection which will reside at the Margaret Herrick Library. Following this honour, the Oscar library will add the screenplay to its collection, which is accessible to students, filmmakers, writers, actors and others from the field of cinema, for the purpose of research & development. The Library is considered as a reservoir of some of the best work in cinema across the world and each year only a chosen few films make it to this elite collection.

‘Baby’ produced by Bhushan Kumar, Shital Bhatia & Vikram Malhotra, starring Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Rana Daggubati, released on January 23, 2015.

‘Masaan’ Goes To Cannes

Richa Chadda’s film ‘Masaan’ goes to Cannes. Richa Chadda had last attended Cannes along with her co-stars during the screening of ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ (GOW) and received a lot of accolades for the same. In fact, they even popularized the trend of ‘ghamchas’ (men scarf) when they walked the red carpet of the prestigious film festival way back in 2012. Now, it is surely a moment of nostalgia for the actress who will once again attend the Cannes Film Festival for her film ‘Masaan’. ‘Masaan’, produced by Phantom Productions (Anurag Kashyap along with Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl & Madhu Mantena) is a tale that explores several emotions from love to sexuality. The film will be screened at the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section of the film festival. She is happy about the fact that many of her ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ team members will be accompanying her during the fest. While Anurag Kashyap, director of GOW is a producer of ‘Masaan’, the director of the film Neeraj Ghaywan and her co-star Vicky Kaushal were assistant directors for the previous film.

‘All is Well’ To Release on 21st Aug, 2015

Umesh Shukla’s ‘All is Well’ is all set for release on 21st Aug, 2015. In fact Umesh Shukla is all set to release his next, ‘All Is Well’, produced by T-Series & Alchemy Productions starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Asin & Supriya Pathak Shah on 21st Aug,  2015.With the film shoot almost over, Rishi Kapoor & Abhishek Bachchan who have shared screen space before will play father – son duo for the 1st time ever whereas Supriya Pathak Shah plays Abhishek’s mother and Asin his love interest. The major portions of the film were reshot in Mumbai & Nashik recently with the entire star cast. This family drama is Umesh Shukla’s 2nd directorial venture produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Shyam Bajaj & Varun Bajaj.

Mukesh New Chairperson Of Children Film Society, India.

Mukesh Khanna, of ‘Shaktimaan’ fame, actor & producer has recently became the new chairman of Children Film Society, India. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has appointed Mukesh Khanna as the Chairman of Children’s Film Society, India. Mukesh Khanna who is better known as Shaktiman is very happy and is flooded with smses & letters from his fans. Somebody told him that now something will happen as the seat is given now to the right candidate who truly belongs to children and who sincerely thinks for the welfare of the children of the world.

Venus Forays Into Series Of Short Films

Basking on the glory of Film Production, Film Distribution & Presentation, Overseas & Satellite Distribution, Venus Worldwide Entertainment Pvt Ltd will soon plunge into the other arenas of the entertainment business by venturing into short films. 3 short films to be produced under Venus Worldwide Entertainment Pvt Ltd & directed by Nanndita  Kothari are ‘Little Did She Know’- ‘Soul Mate’; featuring Ashish Chaudhary, Saloni Choujar & Shikha Tiwari, ‘Coffin’ – ‘Revenge From 6ft. Under’ featuring Anusha, Melane, Ankit et al & Don’t Talk To Strangers’ featuring Neha Thakur, Deepak Mudgal, Amit Dhavle, Dipendra et al.

NSFI Announces NERCT

The National Sports Forum of India,  NSFI in association with the MUSC (Mumbai United Sports Club) has announced 2, 2 day cricket tournaments in Mumbai on 5th & 6th – 8th  & 9th May. These 2, 2 day events are both charity events with the winning teams donating the prize money to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Support Fund. The NSFI will invite actors, celebrities & fashionistas to support & encourage the young & budding cricketers. A major highlight of the event will be an Under 16 boys versus Bollywood actors friendly cricket match to raise funds for the Nepal Earthquake victims.

NSFI & MUSC are All Set To Hold Camps

Sandhya Singh, spokesperson for the NSFI said, “We have currently announced 2, 2 day tournaments & 6 training camps and depending on the response from the youth, we will organize more training camps during May, 2015. Young boys & youth from 10 years to 25 years of age can enroll themselves as members of the MUSC and participate in the summer camps & tournaments.”

SRK Bags An Asian Award

Shah Rukh Khan has bagged the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award at the 5th annual The Asian Awards at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Hosted by fashion icon, Gok Wan, The Asian Awards dazzled with an array of global celebrities, dignitaries and influencers, including Zayn Malik, Lydia Bright, Casey Batchelor, Ollie Locke,Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, John Rocha, Michelle Collins, Nick Moran, Preeya Kalidas, Anna Williamson, Kelly Hoppen, Danielle Lineker, Anita Rani, Tasmin Lucia Khan, Colin Jackson, Cerys Matthews et al. Founded by Paul Sagoo, The Asian Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of individuals born in or with direct origin from across Pan-Asia in all disciplines of life, from business & arts, to sports & public service. Previous winners in the cinema category include, Irrfan Khan, Anupam Kher & the Late Yash Chopra.

Picking up the award for Outstanding Contribution to Sport was Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara, and the prize for Outstanding Achievement in Science & Technology went to Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee. The Outstanding Achievement in Television award went to comedian, actor & broadcaster, Sanjeev Bhaskar, while the Hinduja brothers were awarded as Business Leaders of the Year.Zayn Malik picked up the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Previous winners at The Asian Awards include Sir Ben Kingsley, Jackie Chan, Sachin Tendulkar, Bruce Lee, Sir David Tang, Amitabh Bachchan, Freddie Mercury & Ahmed Kathrada who was jailed alongside Nelson Mandalaon Robben Island in the fight against apartheid. The panel of judges is made up of key business people, cultural leaders & eminent political figures, led by the prominent Asian entrepreneur Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea. Judges include, Michelle Mone OBE, Philip Bernie, BBC’s Head of Sport, Gurinder Chadha, Film Director and Matthew Freud, CEO Freud Communications. The Asian Awards were launched in 2010 as the brainchild of Paul Sagoo, entrepreneur & Founder of the Lemon Group.

‘Chauthi Koot’ Selected For Cannes

National award winning director Gurvinder Singh’s Punjabi film ‘Chauthi Koot’ (The fourth Direction) has been selected for the prestigious ‘Un Certain Regard’ section at Cannes Film Festival. An Indo-French co-production between Sunil Doshi, Catherine Dussard, Kartikeya Narayan Singh and supported by the NFDC, the film is based on Warvan Singh Sandhu’s collection of short stories of same name. The film delves into the fears of a community following Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, the unspeakable brutalities it unleashed and the resistance movement it spawned. Shot in Amritsar & Ferozepur, the film does not feature any professional actors. The film’s score has been composed by French musician Marc Marder. Gurvinder Singh had earlier bagged 3 National awards for his debut film, Annhey Ghorrey Da Daan (Alms for a Blind Horse), which was also the 1st Punjabi film to be showcased at the Venice Film Festival.

‘Mohenjo Daro’ Release Date Announced

The release date of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ was announced recently. Hrithik Roshan’s upcoming film ‘Mohenjo Daro’s release date has been announced recently. Disney & Ashutosh Gowariker Production Pvt Ltd (AGPPL) announced the release of ‘Mohenjo Daro’ on 12th Aug, 2016. Directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, ‘Mohenjo Daro’ is an epic love story, set during the Indus Valley Civilization. The film marks the debut of Pooja Hegde in Bollywood, who stars opposite Hrithik.

Om Puri & Prashantt Guptha Honored At Rajasthan International Film Festival

The 1st Rajasthan International Film Festival at Jaipur saw veteran actor Om Puri & young talent Prashantt Guptha being felicitated with top honors. With the central theme of the festival being ‘The Common Man of Indian Cinema,” the festival highlighted the achievements of Om Puri for his contribution to Indian cinema with its equivalent of The Lifetime Achievement Award. Prashantt Guptha, being a Jaipur native who made his foray into Hindi cinema and showed immense progress over the last couple of years as the handsome villain in Pen India/Shailesh Singh’s ‘Issaq’, followed by 2 releases in 2014, ‘Identity Card’ &  ‘6-5=2’ was bestowed upon the “Pride Of Rajasthan” Award. This award follows Prashantt Guptha’s awards at the San Francisco Festival and the National Awards for Excellence among others this year. Amongst several international, Hindi & regional films, the young actor’s critically acclaimed film ‘Identity Card’ was given “Best Feature Film” award at the hands of Padmini Kolhapure.

MPA APSA Academy Film Fund To Help Aspiring Filmmakers

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) & the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) gives an opportunity to aspiring filmmakers with the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund. MPA APSA Academy Film Funds is a unique initiative which has aided aspiring film makers in a lot of development in new film projects. A panel discussion was hosted at the 13th  Pune International film festival on 10th Jan, 2015, to create awarness about the Asia Pacific Screen Awards & MPA APSA Academy Film Funds . The panelist for the discussion comprised of celebrated actor, Atul Kulkarni & Lohita Sujith, Director, Corporate Communications, Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt Ltd. Panelists also discussed how upcoming filmmakers/professionals can benefit from the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund worth USD 100,000. MPA APSA Academy Film Fund has been a hugely successful initiative taking the number of successful projects funded to a total of 20 feature films over the last 6 years. The projects now count amongst them winners of an Academy Award®, APSAs and an International Emmy Award. Grants have been awarded to projects from. India, Bangaldesh, Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China, Iraq, Kazakhastan, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran.  In 2014, over 100 submissions were received for the film fund. 4 grants were awarded to 2 documentary film projects from Israel & Denmark and 2 film projects from Bangladesh and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Movie Review: 'Gabbar is Back' is a sheer exercise in boredom

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Gabbar-is-Back

Banner: Bhansali Productions
Produced: Sanjay Leela Bhansali & Shabina Khan
Director: Krish
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan, Suman Talwar, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sunil Grover, Ishita Vyas, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Chitrangda Singh & Ravi kapoor
Music: Chirantan Bhatt, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Manj Musik & Sandeep Chowta

Débutante director Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi aka Krish in his debut directorial offering ‘Gabbar Is Back’ has tackled the currently ongoing trend of corruption. But trying to make even the character naming comparison with the cult classic of the year 1975’s ‘Sholay’ was his biggest folly. In any case the film has nothing to do neither with the film ‘Sholay’ nor with its varied famous characters including Gabbar. And by the way the film ‘Gabbar Is Back’ is a remake of director Krish’s own Telugu film ‘Ramanna’.

The carelessly and boredom oriented scenario kickstarts with a very righteous man, Professor Aditya (Akshay Kumar) and his tryst with corruption. He is on a mission to infuse a sense of purpose & hope amongst his students in ‘National College’, the place where he teaches the 5 elements of survival, in both, theory as well as practicals. Besides being a professor, he is also a vigilante who functions under the name of ‘Gabbar’. He and his team inject fear amidst the corrupt officers. The main mission of his team is to eliminate the corrupt individuals, from all the spheres of life, but, in a systematic manner. When he’s not bashing up the bad guys, Prof. Aditya also finds time to go on coffee dates with Devaki (Shruti Haasan). There is also a back story of Aditya that finds him romancing his wife (Kareena Kapoor – Khan) and how tragedy strikes him, courtesy industrialist Digvijay Patil (Suman Talwar). While the laidback police officials are unable to nab Gabbar, it takes an enterprising ‘English speaking’ constable Sadhu (Sunil Grover) to get the vital clues & leads about the whereabouts of Gabbar and his team. The only problem with Sadhu is that, because he is a ‘driver’, none of his superiors take him seriously and always belittle him. Amidst all this, when the police & the government land up in a very tight spot because of their inability to nab Gabbar, they hire a razor-sharp topcop, who vows to nab Gabbar at any cost. And when he sees Sadhu’s clues of nabbing Gabbar, he immediately offers him all the support that he needs.

Director Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi aka Krish has done a complete hotch potch in ‘Gabbar Is Back’. Though his  intention of tackling corruption was noble. But he lacks finnesse in his directorial skills. It comes out as a loud and over the top exercise in sheer boredom.

Performance wise Akshay Kumar as usual tops the list. He carries the film on his sole shoulder but still…….something is amiss. But of course his switch from comic & action to meaningful roles is praise worthy. Shruti Haasan is the latest glam doll of Bollywood minus any histrionics capabilities. For a change the comic actor Sunil Grover of ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’ is a scene stealer as a cop. Suman Talwar fails to impress as a villain. While the rest of the characters like Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishita Vyas, Chitrangda Singh & Ravi kapoor are so so. And of course Kareena Kapoor Khan in a cameo as Akshay Kumar’s wife leaves a lasting impression.

Tail Piece: ‘Gabbar Is Back’ is a strictly avoidable fare.

'Buddhha…A Truth Of Life' & 'Karaar' announced

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Buddha A Truth Of Life

Karan Kunal Films Pvt Presentation, Producers Veena Alhad Gayakwad & Sadiq Shaikh’s two projects were simultaneously announced with a grand fanfare at Hotel Kohinoor.

The first film named ‘Buddhha…….A Truth Of Life’ will be the first ever international film in a Marathi lingo & the second one named ‘Karaar’ is written & directed by Sandeep Naware. The announcement was made in the gracious presence of Water Resources Minister Mr. Girish Mahajan & Shree Shivyogi Yuktanandji Maharaj.

The first film ‘Buddhha…….A Truth Of Life’ will not only be made in marathi but also in Hindi and 4 to 5 foreign languages so that the reach will be wider to present the thought of Buddhha. This multilingual film ‘Buddha…….A Truth Of Life’ will present the thoughts & journey of his life.

To make it on international scale, there will also be many Hollywood artists enacting varied roiles. The muhurat of ‘Karaar’ written and directed by Sandeep Naware, was also held on the occasion. The film is a story of police officer and will show the relation with his son. So it happens to be a father-son tale. ‘Karaar’ stars Milind Gunaji, Anant Jog, Bhargavi Chirmule, Anshumala Patil, Ramesh Deo, Ganesh Yadav, Ajinkya Deo, Bharat Ganeshpure, Jayawant Wadkar, Vijay Kadam, Sagar Karande & Jayant Sawarkar.

A peekaboo at the fastest growing Marathi cinema

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Shreyas-Talpade

The founder of Indian Cinema was the Late Dadasaheb Phalke. Although a Maharashtrian by birth he had made a Hindi film named ‘Raja Hrishchandra’. And now of late the Marathi film industry is coming of age and growing in leaps & bounds. Thereby presenting a stiff competition to all the other Regional Cinemas. So Nasheman’s Entertainment Editor SHAHEEN RAAJ will also present the latest happenings in Marathi Cinema. Stay tuned in.

Shreyas Bags “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award

Actor-Producer-Director Shreyas Talpade recently bagged the “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award for the 2nd time for his performance in ‘Baji’. The film which released on 6th Feb, 2015, saw the talented actor essay the role of Marathi cinema’s 1st ever vigilante superhero. Shreyas had earlier won the “Dada Saheb Phalke Film Foundation” Award for his performance in his debut film ‘Iqbal’.
The talented actor who has been in the industry for more than a decade made a mark with his debut film ‘Iqbal’ and since then there has been no looking back for him. The talented actor has been part of many successful films like ‘Om Shanti Om’, “Golmaal” series to name a few. The actor had recently produced his 2nd Marathi film ‘Poshter Boyz’ which was a critically acclaimed as well as a blockbuster film and will also be directing the sequel. In the past he has won the Zee Cine Critics award for outstanding acting skills for his debut film ‘Iqbal’ in 2005. He also won the Best Comedian award for ‘Dor’ at the Star Screen Awards as well as Stardust Breakthrough Performance (Male) award in 2007 and the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for ‘Om Shanti Om’ the same year.

‘Olakh – My Identity’ Releasing Soon

The 1st copy of Lehar Entertainment’s ‘Olakh – My Identity’ is out and it will be released shortly. The credits of the film are débutante director Jameel Khan, produced by Harshdeep Sason, co-produced by Sheetal Rajveer, story by Dinesh & Kumar, screenplay by Ahsan Baksh, dialogues by Swapnil Mahalinge, cinematography by Shanu Singh Rajput, music by Rajesh Pandey & Saurabh, lyrics by Saurabh-Rajesh, action by Prahsnat, editing by Awadh Narayan Singh & executive produced by Satyendra Kumar. It stars Alka Kubal, Bhushan Patil, Khushboo Tawde, Anjali Ujwane, Kaushal Diwan & Arun nalawade.

‘Journey Premachi’ 1st Copy Out

The 1st copy of of A. R. B. Films’ maiden venture ‘Journey Premachi’ is out and it will be shown to the censors shortly. The credits of the film are produced by Adil Baloch, directed by Amol Bhave, cinematography by Raaj Khilnani, lyrics by Aashay Parab, music by Nikhil Kamath, choreography by Vicky Khan, editing by Zaraf Sultaan & casting direction by Kareena Mankani.
It stars Abhishek Sethiya, Kashmira Kulkarni, Madhav Deochakke, Atul Abhyankar, Parag Barekar, Pradeep Patwardhan, Neelu Pathak, Deepjyoti Naik, Sunny Charles, Master Kiran et al.

Pravin Tarde & Pranit Kulkarni Join Hands To Co-Direct ‘Deool Banda’

It’s very rare that we see 2 directors co-directing a film especially in Marathi, the feat is common in Bollywood with Abbas – Mustan, Raj – D.K & Sajid-Farhad, all delivering some phenomenal hits. And now 2 talented friends Pravin Tarde & Pranit Kulkarni have joined hands and will be making their directorial debut with ‘Deool Banda’. The film is modern day thriller mystery inspired from the life & philosophies of Swami Samarth.

Having known each other and having been friends for years, both Pravin Tarde & Pranit Kulkarni have made their mark individually in the Marathi Film Industry. The talented Pravin Tarde has a come a long way from being a writer for plays to directing a film. He has written for successful TV shows like ‘Kunku’, ‘Pinjara’ et al and was also the script writer for the latest super hit film ‘Rege’. Apart from writing he has also mastered the art of direction & acting. Pranit Kulkarni, on the other hand is a prominent lyricist & album producer for leading Marathi films. Both Pravin & Pranit have written the script together. The film is produced by Jayshree Kailasvani & Julie Kailasvani. The shoot for the film has already begun and audiences soon will be able to catch the film on the celluloid silver screen.

Anupama Chopra's book The Front Row: Conversations on Cinema launched

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the__front_row_-_conversations_on_cinema

Anupama Chopra happens to be a journo turned author. And now she has come up with her latest book named “The Front Row: Conversations on Cinema by Anupama Chopra”. It was released recently by none other than the Queen herself, Kangana Ranaut at Taj Lands End on one pleasant evening over a cool session of wine & vodka.

Incidentally speaking the book “The Front Row: Conversations on Cinema” is a collection of Anupama Chopras’ televised interviews with both Bollywood & Hollywood personalities. These include Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut , Priyanka Chopra as well as a host of international celebrities that include Jackie Chan, Will Smith, Martin Scorsese & Johnny Depp to name just a few.

These conversations give an insight into the creative process of actors, directors & producers who have made some of the most memorable movies in recent times. The interviews were conducted from 2012 – 2014, the years the show ‘The Front Row’ aired on Star World.

Recalling the experience of creating the show, Anupama Chopra averred, “The sound stage, now studio number 6, at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio has a storied past. The studio itself was founded in 1954. For 2 years, this space was also my professional home. ‘The Front Row’ set, a medley of black, blue and white shimmering mirrors, stood here from April 2012 to 2014. Every week, we shot reviews, interviews & panel discussions. The hours were long but the set was intimate. I remember one December evening when we shot 2 conversations in a row, first an actor’s panel with Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh followed immediately with a promotional interview for ‘Dhoom 3’ with Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan & Uday Chopra. The first panel ran late, Aamir arrived early. At one point, there was a star jam on stage 6. That apart we shot an interview with Yo Yo Honey Singh at midnight because that’s when he comes alive. One of the many cats at Mehboob Studio traipsed on the set during a shoot with the ‘Barfi’ cast, Ranbir Kapoor continued unfazed. My moment of bliss came when one of my favourite directors Ang Lee came on set for an interview on ‘Life of Pi’, I felt that the space had been blessed. Each interview felt new. Each day was fun.”

On the same occasion Kangana Ranaut averred, “Interviews are a part of my job, but they aren’t all the same. There are the really crappy ones that test your patience. Those are not real interviews. Sometimes, they ask you to do funny things like sing a song or twirl. You’re treated like a ‘madari ka bandar’, and it’s embarrassing. Then there are genuine interviews, like the ones on ‘The Front Row’. I often joke that my interview in ‘The Front Row’ was the biggest hit I ever had. It was a real interview. We talked about things that matter.”

As a parting shot a brief intro of Anupama Chopra would not be out of place here. Anupama Chopra is basically a film critic, television anchor & author. She is also the director of the Mumbai Film Festival. She has been writing about Bollywood since the year 1993. She is founder & editor of the Film Companion channel on YouTube . Film Companion offers a curated look at cinema, Bollywood, Hollywood and beyond. Anupama has also worked extensively with Star World, Star Plus & NDTV 24/7. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Hindustan Times, The Los Angeles Times & VOGUE (India). In 2001, Anupama won the National Award for Best Book on Cinema for “Sholay: The Making Of A Classic”.

Movie Review: While We're Young

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While We're Young

Producer: Scott Rudin & Noah Baumbach
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Charles Grodin, Amanda Seyfried, Brady Corbet, Ryan Serhant, Maria Dizzia, Adam Horovitz, Ad Rock, Adam Senn, Dree Hemingway, James Saito, Matthew Maher, Wyatt Ralff, Greta Lee, Jesse Eisenberg & Peter Yarrow
Genre: Comedy Drama
Verdict: Good

Director Noah Baumbach happens to be an artistic director considering his past repertoire of films like Kick And Screaming, Margot At The Wedding, Greenberg, The Squid And The Whale, Frances Ha and now While We’re Young which takes a pot shot at the American documentary filmmaker. Incidentally speaking Noah mostly deals with a message oriented subtle & satirical comedy.

Plot: Josh (Ben Stiller) & Cornelia (Naomi Watts), happens to be a childless New York married couple in their mid – forties. As their other friends all start having children, the couple gravitates towards a young hipster couple named Jamie (Adam Driver) & Darby (Amanda Seyfried). He’s an aspiring documentary filmmaker, a vocation Josh already has. Soon the older couple begins enjoying the energy they feel hanging out with the younger generation, but eventually Josh begins to suspect his new best friend might not be as straightforward and trustworthy as he thought.

Aces: It is a beautiful & thought provoking film about the generational conflict with superlative performances by its lead cast.

Minuses: Mainly Noah Baumbach’s unclear directional skills, besides the pace of the movie is too slow.

Last Word: An intellectually supercharged entertainment worth watching at least once.

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