Movie – Page 26

Foriegn Films Worldwide Round Up

July 30, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

EVERETT TAKING TOP SLOT

Veteran corporate communications executive Teri Everett is replacing Kori Bernards as top spokesperson at Universal Pictures. Bernards announced last week she would be leaving the company after 7 years as senior vice president of communications. Everett will carry the title of executive VP of global communications and report to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Jeff Shell, who came on board in 2013. Bernards will stay on to help with the transition. Everett will begin the new job on 17th Aug, 2015. She’ll be in charge of all worldwide external & internal communications for the company overseeing media relations, executive & employee communications, as well as all box office reporting. The move comes with Universal dominating the box office. The studio crossed the $5 billion mark in worldwide grosses for 2015 last week and appears likely to break Fox’s record of $5.5 billion, set last year. Everett had worked most recently in Time Inc.’s corporate communications department in New York.

ARTSPLOITATION TAKES ‘GERMAN ANGST’

Paris based Reel Suspects has sold North American rights to non – stock horror triptych ‘German Angst’ to Raymond Murray’s Artsploitation Films. Described by Artsploitation as “mystical and disturbing,” triptych, which sees its North American premiere at Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival on 18th Jul, 2015, will then continue its festival run. A DVD / Blu – ray0& VOD release is scheduled for 1st quarter of 2016. Sale marks continuing title – by -title Artsploitation – Reel Suspects biz, after Raymond Murray’s Artsploitation Films, a indie distributor specializing in unsettling art or genre film fare from around the world, bought Reel Suspects’ French genre auteur hit ‘Horsehead’ and another arthouse genre mix, sci – fi ‘Vanishing Waves’, which was helmed by Lithuania’s Katrina Buozyte, a Golden Melies & Austin Fantastic Fest “Best Picture” winner. Fast consolidating as one of Europe’s leading genre companies, handling edgier titles from Europe & world cinema, Matteo Lovadina’s Reel Suspects’ will unleash 3 titles in all at Canada’s on – the – build Fantasia Fest, which kicked off recently in Montreal.

MUBI SIGNS FIRST

Theatrical Deal with ‘Arabian Nights’ Subscription video – on – demand platform MUBI has signed its 1st theatrical deal. In a pioneering partnership with New Wave Films, MUBI will release Miguel Gomes’ ‘Arabian Nights’ in theaters across UK & Ireland. MUBI will then show the film online. MUBI & New Wave will handle jointly the home entertainment & VOD release for the 3 part film, which played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes this year. The move is the latest in a small but growing recent trend of SVOD services acquiring the rights to films with an eye to releasing them in theaters as well as online. Netflix will release Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Beasts Of No Nation’ on 16th Oct, 2015 in select US theaters & online. It will release ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend’ theatrically in China, on IMAX & on Netflix globally early next year, and will also release Brad Pitt’s ‘War Machine’ in select theaters & online next year.

NAOISE TO HEAD PINEWOOD’S PRODUCTION

The Pinewood Studios Group has appointed Naoise Barry as head of production at Pinewood Productions Ireland, which services the group’s international clients shooting on location in Ireland. Pinewood is looking into opportunities to set up its own studio in the country. Pinewood Productions Ireland is a full service production company focusing on physical production administration, application & packaging for Ireland’s production incentive, known as Section 481. Services range from pre -production budgeting & location scouting, through facilities rentals & talent & crew sourcing. Barry, who will take up his new position in mid -Aug 2015, is film commissioner for the Irish Film Board, where he has worked for the past 14 years. IFB chief executive, James Hickey, commented that Barry had “played an enormous role in attracting international production to Ireland.” He added that Barry had set up 2 “very important & influential networks,” which were the Film Dublin Partnership & Network of Regional Film Offices.

BBC PICKS PRODUTION CHIEF

UK public broadcaster BBC has appointed long serving executive Peter Salmon as director of its production division, BBC Studios, whose output has included ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (known as ‘Dancing With The Stars” in US), ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Luther’ & ‘Frozen Planet’. Salmon has produced shows like ‘Crimewatch UK’ & ‘Nature’, was executive producer of Oscar winning Wallace & Gromit animation ‘The Wrong Trousers’, co – invented sports charity show ‘Sport Relief’, was controller of flagship channel BBC One, & head of BBC Sport. Recently he served as director of BBC North in Salford, with 3,000 staff and is currently BBC’s director, England. BBC Studios is the new production division being created following the announcement in 2014 that BBC would separate TV production from TV commissioning to “boost creativity & competitiveness” in television production. BBC Studios will initially be created in the public service, but in longer term, BBC will work with BBC Trust to explore whether it should become a wholly owned subsidiary of the corporation and create programming for other broadcasters as well, in return for abolishing the current guarantee that 50% of BBC programs are made by in – house production.

ITV EXTENDS RELATIONSHIP

Commercial broadcaster ITV has secured exclusive rights in UK to seasons 3 & 4 of espionage drama ‘The Americans’. The series, which received 2 Emmy nominations last week, will air on ITV’s pay TV channel ITV Encore, which is dedicated to bigger budget drama. The 1st 2 seasons of ‘The Americans’ aired on ITV in Jun, 2013 & May, 2014. They will be re-transmitted on ITV Encore from this month, with the 3rd season starting later this summer. ‘The Americans’ is a period drama about the complex marriage of 2 KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington, DC, shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) & Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who have 2 children, grows more passionate & genuine by the day. ‘The Americans’, which is co -produced by Fox Television Studios & FX Prods., was created by Joe Weisberg and is distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.

3 MOVIES TO COMPETE IN SARJEVO

Laszlo Nemes’ ‘Son Of Saul’ is one of several award winners from the Cannes Film Festival that will compete for the Heart of Sarajevo Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The Holocaust drama, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes and has been selected as Hungary’s entry in foreign language film category of the Oscars, is the 1st feature film by Nemes. The Sarajevo festival, which is Southeast Europe’s leading film event, selected several other Cannes winners. These include Croatia’s ‘The High Sun’, an era spanning triptych of love stories from writer – director Dalibor Matanic, which won the jury prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. Another Cannes title at Sarajevo is Romania’s ‘The Treasure’ from Corneliu Porumboiu, which received Un Certain Regard’s Talent Award. The humor filled film reflects on the greed & the consumerism pervading contemporary society. Turkey’s ‘Mustang’, which won the Europa Cinema Award for the European film in the Directors’ Fortnight program at Cannes, also competes at Sarajevo.

LEGEND CAPITAL INVESTS IN DEXTER STUDIOS

Legend Capital, one of China’s largest venture capital firms, has invested $10 million in South Korean visual effects shop Dexter Studios. The move follows a similar investment in Dexter announced earlier this year by Dalian Wanda, China’s leading property to entertainment combine. Dexter has rapidly become one of Korea’s top VFX firms supplying the burgeoning needs of the Chinese film & TV industries. It achieved its major break in China when it produced an animated gorilla for the Korean – Chinese co – production film ‘Mr Go’. The deal was concluded recently and announced recently in Korea, sources within Dexter told. Legend Capital is part of the giant Legend Holdings group, which is the majority shareholder in Lenovo, the world’s largest personal computer manufacturer. Legend Capital’s portfolio also includes Hony Capital, an investment pool which is a backer of Robert Simonds ambitious studio STX, and a stake in Shanghai Media Group. STX recently struck a co – financing deal with Huayi Brothers Media, China’s leading private sector film company and the China distributor of ‘Mr Go’.

DUNCAN TO REPLACE MICHEAL

High profile Australian arts administrator Michael Lynch is to be replaced by senior civil servant Duncan Pescod as CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District, the arts mega project in Hong Kong. Lynch, who was director of Sydney Opera House & CEO of the South Bank in London, held the post for 4 years from 2011. He is now set to return to Australia & retire, though will remain a special advisor to the WKCD Authority for another year. Pescod has 30 years of experience running projects for Hong Kong Government and has been COO of the WKCD for the past 9 months. He will take over as CEO from 13th Aug, 2015. The hugely ambitious WKCD, which is to include a visual arts museum and various performing arts facilities, has been bogged down for more than 10 years, and its ballooning financial cost remains incomplete. The Hong Kong Government thanked Lynch “for his leadership in the past 4 years in taking forward the project. During his tenure, Michael has made significant contributions to the project both in terms of its hardware & software development.” The government acknowledged “some financial challenges” but said that the WKCD Authority will deliver the project in a cost – effective manner and expedite the completion of some planned facilities for public enjoyment.”

ALIBABA EXPANDS FURTHER INTO MUSIC

Chinese e – commerce giant Alibaba has created a music division that could eventually match its ambitions in film & video. The Ali Music Group will be headed by singer – songwriter & TV host Gao Xiaosong as chairman and by Song Ke, a former Warner Music executive, as CEO. The 2 veterans of the Chinese music industry previously worked together to establish Taihe Rye Music. Alibaba described the launch as “a crucial pillar of Alibaba Group’s digital entertainment strategy” that will “help forward our vision of becoming central to the everyday lives of our customers.” Among other things the new unit will take over the running of 2 Alibaba owned music streaming apps, Xiami & Tiantian. It will also lean on Alibaba’s capabilities in the Internet cloud computing & ‘Big Data’. Alibaba has rights agreements with BMG Records, Rock Records & HIM Records to use the labels’ content on its platforms. The deal with BMG, announced in Mar, 2015, brought more than 2.5 million copyrights to Alibaba covering work by artists including Kylie Minogue & the Rolling Stones. Alibaba has numerous assets in digital entertainment which it has either developed in house or acquired. These include Alibaba Pictures, which it acquired last year and retains a separate slock listing in Hong Kong & Singapore, as well as stakes in Youku Tudou, Huayi Brothers Media & Enlight Media. Patrick Liu Chunning, head of the digital entertainment operations, was arrested earlier this month in connection with allegations of corruption. Alibaba has stressed that the alleged incidents happened before Liu joined the company.

BOX OFFICE RECORDS SMASHED

Multiple records tumbled at the Chinese box office where local films grossed some $180 million over the weekend. ‘Monster Hunt’, a live action animation hybrid took top honors with $79.7 million between Fri & Sun, according to data from Ent Group. And with Thurs’s record opening of $27.7 million, that added up to an astonishing $107 million 4 day gross for Edko Films distributed picture. It enjoyed 168,000 over 3 days and 230,000 over the 4 day session. Direction is by Raman Hui, whose previous credits include ‘Shrek’ movies. Comedy spoof, ‘Pancake Man’, (aka ‘Jianbin Man’) opened Fri and enjoyed 179,000 screenings that allowed it to power to $69m million in 3 days. That total included the $22.4 million record on Fri for the biggest live action opening day by a Chinese movie. It beat the previous benchmark, set only a week before by ‘Tiny Times 4.0’. In 3rd place in the chart was ‘Monkey King: Hero is Back’ which expanded from 51,000 screenings to 198,000 and saw its gross expand by over 300% in its 2nd week. Its week total was $59.7 million, giving it a 10 day score of $75.1 million. That makes it the biggest Chinese made animation of all time. The all – comers record currently belongs to ‘Kung Fu Panda’ on $99.3 million. Youth drama, ‘Forever Young’, last week’s 2nd placed film, took a 67% tumble but still managed $18.1 million for a cumulative of $59.8 million after 10 days.

NETFLIX CHINA LAUNCH BY 2016 IS UNCERTAIN

Netflix says that its planned move into China, the world’s most populous nation, by 2016 is uncertain. The company is rapidly expanding its international footprint, especially in Asia. It is rolling out service in Southeast Asia and will launch in Japan in the 3rd quarter of this year, having got Australian & New Zealand operations under way in Mar, this year. But China remains a case apart. The company previously suggested that it would like to launch its own operations in China. Later it said that a partnership with a local Chinese company might be more practical and revealed that it had held conversations with Internet TV group Wasu Media, among others. This week, Netflix senior executives expressed mixed views about when getting a China operation off the ground might be possible. “I would say China continues to be sort of its own entity in terms of the challenges and the particular characteristics of the market. We’re taking our time and being deliberate in finding a path and the right model to work,” said David Wells, Netflix’s chief financial officer, on a post – financial results conference call with investment analysts.

BBC EARTH LANDS IN PAY TV MARKET

Marking a further step in BBC’s global expansion plans, BBC Worldwide, the British pubcaster’s commercial subsid, has announced the massive launch of factual pay TV service BBC Earth in Latin America, kicking off 1st Sept, 2015. BBC Earth will be distributed as a linear channel in 17 Latin American countries via regional cable, DTH & IPTV platforms, which reportedly will include Sky, Izzy Telecom & Cablemas in Mexico, Movistar TV in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela &Net in Brazil. The channel, which will offer adventure series, technology & science programming as well as local shows, will also be available in Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic & Uruguay. BBC Earth’s Latin American move follows previous 2015 releases in Poland, Nordic Countries, Hungary, Romania & Turkey as part of BBC’s global plan to reach international audiences and consolidate the brand’s reputation. “Like in the rest of the world, Latin American viewers are very interested in getting to know the world we are living in,” said Paul Dempsey, president for global markets, BBC Worldwide.

CATE TO DIRECT TV SERIES

Cate Blanchett is to develop & direct an Australian TV series, ‘Stateless’. The series centers on “the tragic & the true story of Cornelia Rau, which made headlines in 2004.” The young German / Australian woman escaped a frightening cult only to be trapped in a bizarre labyrinth of psychiatric & legal systems, landing her in the notorious Baxter Immigration Detention Centre. “The film ‘Stateless’ will be Cate Blanchett’s 1st venture into high end TV,” said Screen Australia, the federal Australian funding agency that announced that it will providing development finance. Matchbox Pictures is the production company. It is unclear if Blanchett intends to also appear as an actress in ‘Stateless’. Blanchett last year announced that she is also planning to direct ‘The Dinner’, a feature film from a script by Oren Moverman.

Southern Movies Round Up

July 28, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

As compared to films produced in Bollywoodian & Hollywoodian Cinema arena, South Indian Cinema is rapidly & regularly progressing by churning out its own brand of gems of milestone movies in all the 4 languages namely Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu & Tamil. In an exclusive Nasheman.In, Shaheen Raaj will present a sneak preview of the productional happenings of Southern Cinema every fortnight. Time to stay tuned in.

Sathyaraj Turns Villain In ‘Sandakozhi 2’

Director N. Linguswamy revealed recently that he will start filming for ‘Sandakozhi 2’ from 9th Sept, 2015 and just recently Sathyaraj has been signed on for a major role and he will be the main villain having a very powerful role. ‘Sandakozhi 2’ stars Vishal, Meera Jasmine, Keerthi Suresh, Rajkiran, Soori & Lal with music by D. Imman & produced by Vishal Film Factory.

G. V. Prakash Once Again Has A Catchy Title For His Next Film

G. V. Prakash’s next film as a lead hero will be directed by Prashanth Pandiyaraj, a former assistant to National award winning director Pandiraj. This film is going to be produced by Selvakumar of Kenanya films. Shankar is in charge of cinematography while GVP himself will score the music. The team considered various titles for the film and now they have zeroed in on a catchy name. The film has been titled as ‘Bruce Lee’ reminding us of yesteryear’s Hong Kong Superstar. The film is expected to go on floors in Sept, 2015.

Vijay Fans force The Producer To Have More Cinema Halls

The Telugu version of Vijay’s ‘Jilla’ which released last Friday has become a super hit in Andhra and in the wake of that the Telugu fans of Vijay seem to be loving it and the extraordinary demand has forced the producer of the film to increase the theatre count by 50 from this weekend. The charisma of Illayathalapathy Vijay and the presence of well known stars like Mohan Lal, Kajal Agarwal, Brahmanandham, Poornima Bhagyaraj & Sampathraj coupled with the high quotient masala elements that director R. T. Neason has mixed in the script seems to have gone down well with the Telugu audiences.

Andrea Gets Anjali’s Support

Intense filmmaker Ram of ‘Katradhu Tamizh’ & ‘Thangameengal’ fame has finished his urban love story ‘Taramani’ that has Andrea in the leading role with newcomer Vasanth Ravi playing her love interest. Azhangam Perumal & child actor Adrian Knight Jesly are also in the cast. ‘Taramani’ has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and is produced by J. Sathish Kumar under the banner JSK Film Corporation. Anjali is making a special appearance in the film and it is said that her role will be an important one serving as a turning point to the story. The film is expected to release in a couple of months.

Manisha Koirala & Shaam Shoot For A Romantic Song

Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala will be joining the cast of the Tamil film ‘Oru Melliya Kodu’. The unit will be shooting 2 songs 1 with Shaam & Raksha Bhatt and the other song featuring Shaam & Manisha Koirala in Bangkok. Both the songs are romantic numbers, composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

The film revolves around a murder mystery in which Manisha plays politician’s wife and Arjun & Shaam are the protagonists.

Mahesh Babu’s Latest Avtar Decoded

Mahesh Babu has recently upped his eye candy quotient to a new level to get into the role of a filthy rich NRI in his forthcoming film ‘Srimanthdu’. Apparently, Mahesh had to follow an exhausting weight training sessions & cardio schedule that helps him perform his action & dance sequences. And that’s not all; the superstar has also experimented with his looks for this movie. Apparently, Mahesh will be seen in at least 7 new looks as he tried everything, from scarf’s to dhotis, a corporate look, a college look, et al. He will also be seen in a never seen before dhoti and a shirt avatar.

Anjali To Act In Another Cameo Role

Actress Anjali has played a cameo in filmmaker Ramsubramaniam’s ‘Taramani’, which features débutante Vasanth Ravi and singer – turned -actress Andrea Jeremiah in the lead.

“It was at the personal request of direct Ram that I accepted this offer. It’s a role quite contrary to anything I’ve done lately,” Anjali told. Anjali had previously worked with Ram in his critically acclaimed directorial debut ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’. Said to be a moody urban romantic saga, ‘Taramani’ is jointly produced by Ram & JSK Sathish. The film, which has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, is currently in its post production phase.

Nikhila Waits For Sreebala’s Next

Nikhila Vimal is on a high after her debut vehicle as an actress namely ‘Love 24×7’ which is getting rave reviews. Her performance in the movie as Kabani was much appreciated and many reviewed that she was a face to watch out for. Nikhila however says that she did nothing for the role and all she did was to follow director Sreebala’s instructions. Nikhila revealed that she had known Sreebala ever since she had acted in ‘Bhagyadevatha’ when she was in class 8. Sreebala had been associate to Sathyan Anthikad then.

Samvrutha Writes To Malayalees

After a long sabbaitical Samvrutha Sunil’s voice was heard loud & clear as she addressed Malaylees. Specifically, her post was addressed to people who “might be interested in her marital status”. This is after some rumours sprang up stating that she was on the verge of a divorce. She wrote, “To everyone who might be concerned about my marital status…….I am happily married and leading a peaceful life by God’s grace. I have a 5 month old baby who is keeping me very busy and I barely have the time to even post this message”.

Katappa To Don A Villainous Avatar

Versatile actor Satyaraj, who played many different roles in his illustrious career, is going to be seen in a negative role once again. As Katappa has been roped in as the baddie in the sequel of ‘Pandem Kodi’ (Sandakozhi).
Lingusamy, who directed the 1st part, will also direct this film. Though it was speculated that Shamili will play the lead actress in this film, the unit has rubbished those rumours. Akshara Haasan is being considered as the heroine but she is not finalized yet.

‘Sri Sai’ Audio Released

Noted director Om Saiprakash at the edge of his 100th film direction released audio CD of ‘Sri Sai’ at a function attended by prominent pontiffs. Adhichunchanagiri Sri Nirmalananda Swamiji, Murugarajendra Brihanmath Mokshapathi Swamiji, Mukthinaga Kshetra Daivagna Subramanya Shastry, Sri Angala Parameshwari Temple Elumalai Swamiji & Maharshi Dr Ananda Guruji presided over the audio release function and blessed the makers of ‘Sri Sai’, a Kannada film. Producer TS Senthil brother MLC Sharavana plays devotee of Shirdi Saibaba in this film.

“My film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ is in reality my real life journey from Punjab to Austria”: Navvy Jassal

July 27, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

A Non-Resident Indian named Navvy Jassal makes his debut as an actor with a film titled ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ which is due for release very soon. Actually speaking Navvy Jassal happens to be an actor from Austria. Having lived in Austria since the last 26 years his heart & soul is still rooted in India. Originally hailing from Punjab it was his childhood dream to be an actor. Navy aka Naresh Jassal’s debut making film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ is in fact his own real life journey from Punjab to Austria depicting all the pitfalls, the side effects, the trials & tribulations including all the ups & downs of belonging to the tribe of the scheduled caste.

To begin with enlist your background in a nutshell.

Actually speaking I was born in a small village of Kariha located in the district of Navanshaher in Punjab. Since childhood I have been victimised & harassed a lot for belonging to a scheduled caste tribe. My upcoming debut making film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ is in reality my real life journey from Punjab to Austria. During this journey I had to face all the pitfalls, the side effects, the trials & tribulations including all the ups & downs of belonging to the tribe of the scheduled caste.

What is the significance of the title of the film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’?

From the point of view of the people belonging to the higher caste, the title of my upcoming film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’, means that even if we look down upon and mete out bad treatment to the down trodden lower caste people what difference does it make? Really ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ as they are meant & deserved to be treated like that. While from our point of view it means that let the higher caste people treat us the way they want us to treat, ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’. But then through our film we have tried to show that this attitudinal caste system differences should change drastically on behalf of both the parties and that too with immediate effect. This attitude no longer exists in metro cities but th saddest part is that it is still prevalent in smaller cities & especially in villages.

Fine so tell us more about the storyline of your upcoming film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’.

Through our film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ we are trying to awaken the people. It is time to drive away the evils of caste system and differential casteism is one of them. Besides we have also tried to stress on the fact that their should be complete transparency in a couple’s relationship and a slightest mistake leads to a lot of mistrust & misunderstanding between them. That apart we have also tried to depict the side effects of drugs and all these are the resultant effects of my own real life experiences. In short ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’, is in fact a take on my own real life journey from Punjab to Austria. I have enacted the role of a person who is constantly insulted & humiliated because he belongs to a lower caste. At last getting fed up and in sheer disgust he leaves his village and sets off for Austria. At this point the film also points out that most of the youths undertake the overseas journey illegally and with thinking & consulting anyone and thereby becomes a victim of human trafficking and sometimes even lose their lives. After reaching Austria I complete my academic qualification and become a Professor in college who ultimately falls in love with one of his colleague. But here too he becomes a victim of caste system and is thrown out of the college. Later on he joins politics and forms his own party named OMP and was in power for 5 years whence he fights tooth & nail to eradicate the evils of caste system. And for further developments of the film ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ you will have to catch the film on the celluloid silver screen when it hits the marquee very soon.

As a parting shot give us some more details about the cast & the crew of ‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’.

‘Kya Farak Padta Hai’ has been produced by Charanjit Kaur & directed by Jitendra Jaiswal. Of course the film has been penned by me and backed by me from “The Beginning” to “The End”, while its melodious & mellifluous music, having 5 songs, has been composed by Sanjvee. And besides me the film also stars Pankaj Berry, Kalpana Shah, Jaiseline Sharma et al.

Movie Review: ‘Ant-Man’ disappoints, as it is not so impressive

July 25, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Kevin Feige
Director: Peyton Tucker Reed
Star Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Micheal Pena, Tip Harris, Anthony Mackie, Wood Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian & Micheal Douglas.
Genre: Fantasy
Verdict: Average

Peyton Tucker Reed is an American television & film director. He is best known for directing comedy films like Yes Man, Bring It On & The Break Up and now his latest offering is the super hero film Ant-Man. But somehow one feels that Ant-Man has failed to leave up to the expectations of the fans & cine goers of super hero films.

Plot: Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym & Lang must plan & pull off a heist that will save the world.

Aces: The grandeur & the gloss and the huge scale on which the movie has been presented.

Minuses: Right from the word go the whole exercise seems unbelievable.

Last Word: They have served a new super hero recipe in Ant-Man now be prepared for its sequel franchised Ant-Woman.

Movie Review: ‘Mr. Holmes’ is an artistic film excellently made

July 25, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

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Producer: Anne Carrey, Lain Canning & Emile Sherman
Director: Bill Condon
Star Cast: Ian Mckellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hattie Morahan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Phil Davis, Frances De La Tour, Colin Starkey, Nicholas Rowe, Francis Barber & John Sessions.
Genre: Suspense
Verdict: Good

Bill Condon of Gods & Monsters and the 2 final instalments of the Twilight Sagas fame, has made as artistic film in Mr. Holmes. He has touched upon the core truth of how Sherlock Holmes remained a brilliant sleuth even at the age of 93, barring the fact that age had really started catching him off guard.

Plot: Long retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper’s son Roger (Miko Parker) as he revisits the still unsolved case that led to his retirement.

Aces: Bill Condon’s skilful presentation of the last days of Sherlock Holmes topped with extracting excellent performances mainly from Ian Mckellen as Sherlock Holmes & Milo Parker as his sidekick Roger.

Minuses: The snail’s pace of the movie really gets on your nerves.

Last Word: Catch it before it vanishes from the silver screen.

Movie Review: ‘Masaan’ is a very disturbing fare

July 24, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Anuraag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane etc
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Star Cast: Richa Chadda, Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi, Pankaj Tripathji, Nikhil Sahni, Satyakam Anand & Vineet Kumar
Genre: Drama
Verdict: Good

Debutante director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan has earned rave reviews in the global festival circuit, but will it suit the palate of the Indian audience is a bit doubtful. Yet the movie in itself is laudable and a critics delight.

Plot: The plotted scenario of Masaan is set in present day Banaras it follows 2 separate story that eventually converge. In the 1st story Devi and (Richa Chadda) and her fellow student, Piyush, check into a hotel room. They are interrupted when the police bursts in, accusing them of indulging in indecent behaviour. In the 2nd story Deepak (Vicky Kaushal), a young boy (also from Banaras) works in a funeral pyre. Deepak meets & falls in love with Shaalu (Shweta Tripathi).

Aces: Neeraj Ghaywan’s apt directorial treatment coupled with stellar performances from Richa Chadda as well as debutante actors like Vicky Kaushal, Shweta & Pankaj Tripathi and a special mention must be made of child actor Nikhil Saini.
Minuses: The grimness of the film leaves you drained of all emotions.

Last Word: Strictly recommended for lovers of art house cinema.

An interactive session with a media guy turned film director Rajesh Ransinghe

July 23, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Rajesh Ransinghe, a director of small as well as big screen, happens to be a very youthful, energitic & dynamic director. Incidentally speaking he had started of his career as a Videographer. And then he made a quick switch as a small screen megaphone wielder. This was almost more than 2 decades ago, when he had dabbled with the small screen shows, starting off with a biggest production house named Contileo films, like ‘Ankhen’ (his debut serial), ‘Aahat’, ‘CID’, ‘CID Bureau’, ‘Bhanwar’, ‘Koi Hai’, ‘Maharana Pratap’, Savdhaan India’, ‘Rishte’, ‘Fear File’ and last but not the least ‘Adalat’. All in all till this date almost 22,000 hours of work has been tucked under his directorial belt. And then his next big leap was in the big screen arena in the year 2010 when he had directed a Hindi film named ‘Rokkk’. And finally after almost half a decade he is ready with his 1st ever Marathi film namely ‘Janiva’.

Just recently the music of your 1st ever Marathi film ‘Janiva’ was released at the hands of Salman Khan. So was it on purpose to cash in on his ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ wave? That apart you were also conspicious by your absence in your own film’s music release event?

No sir, not at all and it was not intentional. I did not attend the music release function of my own film Marathi film ‘Janiva’ as I was busy shooting in Hyderabad and I didn’t feel right that I should leave the entire unit in a lurch just to attend the music release of my own film ‘Janiva’. And releasing the music was Salman Khan’s own choice as he wanted to bless Satya, the son of his best friend Mahesh Manjrekar. And Satya happens to be one of the 5 main leads of my film ‘Janiva’. That’s it.

Tell us something about your upcoming Marathi film ‘Janiva’

First & Foremost I would like to state that Renuka Shahane plays a major role of a lawyer in this film. Besides Satya is playing one of the 5 male leads, there is also Anuradha, Vaibhavi, Sanket, Dev Dutt, Kishore Kadam (also playing the role of a powerful lawyer), Kiran Karmakar, Indira Krishna, Atul Parchure & Usha Nadkarni with a special appearance by Mahesh Manjrekar. Incidentally speaking, we will all see the father – son team of Mahesh Manjrekar & Satya together for the 1st ever time in ‘Janiva’. Also for the 1st time ever, the very popular singer of Bollywood films Deler mehndi has rendered a Ganpati number in Marathi and he makes it a point to croon this number in every show he does whetheer in India or abroad.

How was your experiences on the sets with the seasoned actors like Renuka Shahane & Mahesh Manjrekar?

Renuka Shahane is fantastic. She took only 2 hours to okay the script which I had narrated to her. She even improvised so much on the sets that she exceeded herself 10 times more than what I had expected from her. When I had narrated the script to Mahesh Manjrekar, he had asked me who was the hero. I told him that I need a 17 year old college going boy and just then Satya entered the room. Eureka! I knew that I had found one of the main hero of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. I immediately offered Satya the role and luckily for me I had both the father – son team on board of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. Mahesh Manjrekar appears in the Ganpati number which has been crooned by Daler Mahendi, the Punjabi pop singer who is known both fort his racy Punjabi & Hindi numbers.

How come you convinced Deler Mehndi to sing for a Marathi film?

When I went to Daler Mehendi he clearly told me that he can sing only Hindi & Punjabi numbers and not the Marathi ones. But when he heard the scratch number in my voice he really got excited and said that he will certainly give it a try and when he actually belted out the number in the recording room, everybody was stunned including myself.

On a round up note how about giving us an insight into the subject matter of your Marathi film ‘Janiva’!

You see after selecting all the lead actors, 3 boys & 2 girls, I put them through an intense and a gruelling workshop session. And then the 1st 6 days of the shooting I made them to sit for 6 whole days in the courtroom just as a spectator doing nothing, just observing the senior actors in action which proved like a Master Class in acting for them. Now coming to the subject matter of my Marathi film ‘Janiva’. It certainly has an altogether different story which I can’t reveal it now. At the moment it is suffice to say how the college students are trapped by the law and how a powerful lady lawyer like Renuka Shahane fights with the system and saves the future of these college students. This kind of a subject matter will always have a youthful audience connect and the college going boys & girls will also identify themselves with these innocent boys & girls. By the way my debut Marathi film ‘Janiva’ will hit the marquee by the end of July, 2015.

Movie Review: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is an emotional journey of an Indian man & a Pakistani Child

July 20, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Salman Khan Films & Kabir Khan Films
Producer: Salman Khan & Rockline Venkatesh
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Harshaali Malhotra, Najeem Khan, Ali Quli Mirza, Deepti Naval, Om Puri, Sharat Saxena & Adnan Sami (Spl App)
Music: Pritam Chakraborty, Komail Shayan (KK) & Julius Packiam

Director Kabir Khan is known for his films like ‘Kabul Express’, ‘New York’ & ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. He seems to have a penchant for cross border problems which he keeps showcasing in most of his films including in his latest directorial offering ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ too. But this this time he has succeded in delivering an endearing & a heart touching film.

A 6 year old speech impaired girl Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra) accompanies her mother from Pakistan to Delhi to visit a Muslim Shrine. On her way back to Pakistan Shahida aka Munni gets separated from her mother on the Indian border. Munni then bumps into Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman Khan), who is a staunch bhakt of Hanuman. After some initial hesitation Pawan takes the oath of Hanuman to return Munni back to Pakistan to deliver her safely in the hands of her parents. So off he goes to Pakistan without even having a Passport not to forget the Visa. He encounters a lot of problems on his way to and in Pakistan too. His trouble starts right from the Wagah border and then continues till the end, during which a local news reporter Chand Pasha (Nawazzuddin Siddiqui) and his cameraman (Najim Khan) also help him a lot.

Except for a few exaggerated hicups & glitches director Kabir Khan does succeed in winning the cine goers heart especially in the 2nd half and post interval portions which is also punctuated with the right doses of humorous punches. Especially notable are the scenes of the trio of Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra & Nawazzuddin Siddiqui. That apart Salman Khan deserves a standing ovation for backing such an emotionally oriented sensitive film like ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. A fair share of credit also goes director Kabir Khan and his entire team of the cast & the crew for totally living upto his highest expectations.

Performance wise the film clearly belongs to Salman Khan and the most sensatonal discovery namely Harshaali Malhotra. Yes! Sallu miyan for a change has delivered a very emotionally charged restrained performance, if only he could have resisted those few Dishoom Dishoom scenes. And the girl child Harshaali Malhotra seems to be God gifted. She is so expressive and simply outstanding. Nawazzuddin Siddiqui as usual is brilliant to the core. Sadly enough Kareena Kapoor Khan is not up to the mark as she had nothing much to do in this emotional drama. While the rest of the cast comprising of Najim Khan, Ali Quli Mirza, Deepti Naval, Om Puri, Sharat Saxena, Adnan Sami et al just fit the bill and lend an able & adequate support.

Tail Piece: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ initially sounds, like it is coloured with communal essence but as the film progresses it leaves you emotionally drained. Don’t miss ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, a perfect festival (Ramzan Eid) & weekend gift for one & all.

“I play a staunch Hanuman Bhakt in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan'”: Salman Khan

July 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Salman Khan has always been surrounded by unwanted & uncalled for controversies galore. But braving all odds he has always emerged a winner. Forgetting all the back lashes in his career and personal life too, he now clears all issues with a pinch of salt. Present here with is an exclusive ad verbatim 1st person account of Salman Khan’s version.

“First of all I would like to wish all my fans & well – wishers a very, very happy Ramzaan Eid mubarak. And I here again with an Eid release ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’. I lot has been written by you media guys as to why a Hindu oriented film on the eve of a Muslim festival. I would say that a film is a film which mirrors the true picture of society at large. Which can be of any community.So “kya Muslim aur kya Hindu. We are all one. So brothers I would like to say just 1 thing that please don’t try to add communal colour & feeling to ‘Bhajrangi Bhaijaan’ and I think Mr. Pahlaj Nihalani the censor chief also seconds my opinionated train of thoughts. So ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is a gift for all my fans & well – wishers, irrespective of the caste & the creed.”

“In ‘Bhajrangi Bhaijaan’ I am enacting the role of Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, a staunch Hanuman bhakt. The film revolves around my attempt to take a lost kid back to her home to her parents. It was fun working with the kid, they are so alert & smart you see. 1 day the little girl tells me that, “Ab toh aapke saath kaam kar rahi hoon toh main bhi superstar ban jaaoongi hai na?” Needless to say I was left speechless & dumbstruck. Kabir had a tough time selecting the right kid who could fit the bill and does not look like a precocious kid. The best thing about the kid is that when we started acting together, she told me that she wanted to be a big super star like me. I told her that even I want to be a big super star.”

“After listening to the story & the script narration by director Kabir Khan. I immediately agree to be a part of the film. To be very, very frank & honest I liked the subject of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ too much. There was a comfort level too as I had acted for Kabir Khan in ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ too. Even my dad said that he had not read a script as fine as that of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ or a film as good as this one in the last 2 decades. He also added that SKF (Salman Khan Films) will have to compete with ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ in the future as a production house.”

“People often ask me about my opinion on success & failure. And I always tell them that success has made more failures than failure. It is easy to act when you are successful. After that you tend to get overconfident & monotonous and it is unfortunately seen on the screen when you just do anything & everything. Failure makes you pull up your socks. I should know this because I have been through this game for the last 27 years ever since I made my debut with ‘Biwi Ho To Aisi’. I hope I continue to act even at the age of 70 in roles that centre around me and for another 70 years in character roles. That apart if you succumb to your failures, automatically a stage will arrive when your enthusiasm wanes. However, when a film of yours succeeds at the box office, you start giving everything to your next film because you are sorted out as an actor. If you get carried away by your success and develop an attitude, you will always be like a gas balloon and unhappy. I do not take home my character or the images but the nobleness of my characters. Kabir used to get me charged and make me emotional especially when he shot the climax of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. The niceness of your character always stays in your real life too but you cannot use the same technique that the hero uses in a film.”

“Furthermore I would like to state that life as an actor has always been very, very tough for me. First one has to compete with all the seniors when one makes his debut as the competition is quite tough. Then comes a stage when you have to struggle along with your contemporary actors till you reach the position of you being a senior actor and still realize that it is tough to survive. How long you survive depends on your hard work & efforts, because if you are slack, the next lot is ready to take over. Neither do I jump with happiness when a film of mine is a hit, nor do I have bitterness when a film of mine flops, because I do not want to be insecure as an actor.”

“To continue further I would like to say that content works in a film all the time and not the star. I confess that we used to have a lot more content earlier than what we have now in films. Today we lack emotional quotient in films as we have stopped catering to the pan India audiences and restrict ourselves to the audiences between Andheri & Cuffe Parade. What is of primary importance today is the need to cater to the audiences which stay beyond Andheri railway station.”

“One more point that I would like to stress is that today there is this obsession to get into the 100 cr plus bracket, whether you are a producer, director or for that matter even an actor. It isn’t something that is new. It was there earlier too but at that time we were clamoring for the 100 days run of a film or silver or golden jubilee run. Unfortunately because of this craze for 100 crore plus bracket, the rates of tickets are increasing day by day and it pinches the common man.

When ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ was released 2 decades ago, no one watched the film though the ticket rates were reasonable. Today the film has reached a cult status but everyone prefers to watch it on TV, because repeat value isn’t there for films in theatres. It is sad that today people do not go to see a film if it is a romcom or a sweet film. Unless & until a film is promising and made on a grand scale, the youth is not attracted to watch a film and so most of the films do not touch the 100 crore bracket today.”

“Besides the scenario as far as business of a film is concerned has also changed today. Way back in 1989, as you know, my film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ was released in just 18 theatres all over Mumbai. The producers Rajshri guys could afford that at that point of time as the film could sustain for a longer period but today the business of a film is restricted to just 2 to 3 weeks. If it is a star studded film with good content, it may run for 6 weeks in a theatre, not more. In fact the Delhi Government led by AAP has increased the rate of entertainment tax in Delhi from 20 to 40% all of a sudden. It is very sad. “Khud toh film dekhne nahin jaate lekin aam aadmi ko bhi tang karte hain”. These people will call us only when they need us to canvass for their votes and use us during the elections. They feel that it is a chotisi industry worth only 8000 crores. The aam aadmi is bleeding today with lesser number of cinema houses to watch films and steep entertainment taxes & costly tickets at the multiplexes. It is sad but the bitter truth that a large country like India which produces over 1200 films every year in several languages does not have adequate number of cinema houses for producers to show case their films. If 1 big star announces his film as an Eid release, then another star is not able to release his film on the same day but Inshah Allah, I think Shah Rukh Khan and I will be able to release our respective films on the same day of Eid next year because by then many cinema multiplexes would have been made.”

“Not only this I still wonder why are films not able to do good business today, I think this mainly because our
films are not able to generate business to a large extent even if they are good, only because we do not have theatres. I am working towards setting up small miniplexes which have a seating capacity of up to 250 patrons all over Maharashtra to begin with. If the experiment is a success, we may invite theatre owners all over the country for franchises.”

“People often ask me as to when will they be able to see the trinity of myself, Aamir Khan & Shah Rukh Khan together on the celluloid silver screen. In this regard I woud like to state that If at all Aamir and I or for that matter Shah Rukh Khan and I have to come together, why should we make a sequel or a remake of ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ or ‘Koyla’. We would rather act together in an altogether new film.”

“One thing that really saddens me is that why do you people have to repeatedly ask me as to why did ‘Jai Ho’ failed at the box office turnstiles. My clarification to that is although it was a superb film, it failed to make it big mainly because we did not want to hike the rates of the tickets. It did a business of just Rs 126 crores. If only we had hiked the rates of the tickets, Sohail could have earned a lot more. Even the ticket rates of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ will not be hiked, because we want the maximum number of people to watch the film.”

“In conclusion I woud like to say that now that ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is all set for release, I will concentrate on the shooting of Rajshree Productions ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ following which I will start acting in Yashraj Films ‘Sultan’. I was also slated to be a part of Karan Johar’s ‘Shuddhi’ but now I am not acting in it. Karan has signed Varun Dhawan to do that film. Period!”

Movie Review: ‘Baahubali’ is a masterpiece, a classic blockbuster

July 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: K. Raghavendra Rao, Shobu Yarlagadda & Prasad Devineni
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Sudeep, Adivi Sesh, Ramya Krishnan, Nassar, Charandeep, Tamannaah, & Meka Ramakrishna
Music: M. M. Keeravani

S. S. Rajamouli, a reputed South Indian director certainly needs no fresher introduction. Suffice it to say that he is more popularly known as the director with a midas touch. So this time he has come up with a period piece in ‘Bahubali’. That apart he has also taken efforts to keep anachronistic sounds & visuals from appearing in the film. The film ‘Bahubali’ has been made in 2 parts, the 1st being named ‘Bahubali – The Beginning’ released now and the 2nd part being named ‘Bahubali – The End’ which will be released later on.

The scripted scenario of Bahubali follows the life of Sivudu (Prabhas) who lives a rather solitary life all but cut off from the rest of civilization. Smuggled from his kingdom and raised by Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) in a different tribe, Sivudu fills his days scaling mountains and their likes, unaware of his noble lineage. One fateful day Sivudu encounters Avanthika (Tamannaah Bhatia) who is a master assassin from a rebel group that intends on crushing King Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubatti) of Mahishpati and rescuing Devasana (Anushka Shetty). However despite Shivudu understanding nothing of it, he decides to assist the rebels in their cause since he is smitten by the stunning Avantika who tells him that she is sworn to protect Devasana, who is none other than the late King Amarendra Bahubali’s wife, Sivudu’s mother and also Bhallala Deva’s sister – in – law. Setting off on his journey to fulfill Avantika’s duty, Sivudu moves towards fulfilling his own destiny as Bahubali and in the process setting in motion a series of events that lead to the second chapter.

Director S. S. Rajamouli without doubt deserves a standing ovation for making such a brilliant film although it is a dubbed version, it is certainly a cut above the rest. In fact much, much above all the South Indian dubbed films together. He has handled & synchronised all the minute details of the film excellently. A special noteworthy mention must be made of the specialised special effects & eye pleasingly breathtaking visuals of ‘Bahubali’. In fact every sequence of ‘Bahubali is a marvel that can easily be compared to the best of Hollywood. The grandiose sets, VFX, sound, editing, cinematography and most importantly, the screenplay of ‘Bahubali’ is terrific.

Performance wise All the actors have outdone each other. But a special standing ovation goes to Prabhas & Rana Duggabati for their brilliant piece of histrionics. Ramaya Krishnan, provides a perfect foil even in a supporting role. The other 2 supporting actors namely Nasser & Satyaraj leave a very strong impact too.

Tail Piece: ‘Bahubali’ is no doubt a masterpiece. In fact it can be rightfully termed as a classic blockbuster. Don’t miss ‘Bahubali’ at any costs.