Movie – Page 31

"Over 50 countries to participate in San Francisco Global Movie Fest": Dr Romesh K Japra

May 18, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Dr. Romesh K. Japra, Chairperson, President, Convener, Founder & world renowned Cardiologist has been leading the Festival of Globe-Silicon Valley for the past 22 Years as an initiative of Federation of Indo-Americans of Northern California. Dr. Romesh avers, “San Francisco Global Movie Fest comes as an integral part of our 22 year old Festival of Globe-Silicon Valley (FOG-SV, formerly known as Festival of India and powered by www.fiaonline.org celebrations.

FOG-SV is one of the oldest festivals in Bay area, CA, USA and this is the 2nd year of San Francisco Global Movie Fest. This year, audiences & participants will experience a 10 day jam packed screening of Narrative short films, Narrative Feature films, Documentaries, from Independent movie makers submitting these across the globe followed by a gala celebration, cultural activities on our award nights at SAP Center and concluding the festival with our traditional Festival of Globe & Parade. Each day of San Francisco Global Movie Fest -2015 is uniquely designed around experience with unique congregation of best cultural events, mixers, fashion, movies, panel discussions, workshops, ethnic dance performances, conclave with the Government, festive gala from participants with Indian, Latino; Chinese & Far East (Korean, Philippine, Vietnam & Japan) communities, Hollywood & Bollywood movie premieres, with an opportunity to meet host of celebrities from Bollywood, Hollywood, Latino World, Europe, China & Far East, top movie makers, independent movie producers & investors will be descending in to this technology capital from and around the globe. (FIA) (www.fiaonline.org), and with this year continues his vision of empowering & engaging the communities through our platform by pushing the limits and making it much bigger by inviting more Global Movies for this 10 day movie fest.” Present herewith is an interactive session with Dr. Japra on the SF Global Movie Fest and what to expect from this fiesta this year.

To set the ball rolling in your court. Tell us about the thought behind the San Francisco Global Movie Fest-2015.

We are excited about how our platforms-events has evolved and grown over the past 22 years. We take pride in being able to engage & contribute back to our communities every year. When we started San Francisco Global Movie Fest – 2015, we realized the very need of this format been asked by the immigrant communities besides Indians in USA. Movies are changing the way we understand our culture, society and the people we live with. It helps us include those learning in our day to day life. What else could be a better place and audience to do movie festival than the largest country of Immigrants USA.

What can the audiences expect this year?

This year our audiences & participants will experience a 10 day jam-packed screening of Narrative short films, Narrative Feature films, Documentaries, from Independent movie makers submitting these across the globe followed by a gala celebration, cultural activities on our award nights at SAP Center and concluding the festival with our traditional Festival of Globe & Parade.
Each day of our San Francisco Global Movie Fest -2015 is uniquely designed around experience with unique congregation of best cultural events, mixers, fashion, movies, panel discussions, workshops, ethnic dance performances, Conclave with the Government, festive gala from participants with Indian, Latino; Chinese and Far East (Korean, Philippine, Vietnam, and Japan) communities, Hollywood & Bollywood movies premiers, with an opportunity to meet host of celebrities from Bollywood, Hollywood, Latino World, Europe, China and Far East, top movie makers, independent movie producers & investors will be descending in to this technology capital from and around the globe.

What is FIA and how is your FIA different from the other regions?

The Federation of Indo Americans of Northern California (FIA) is a Fremont based 501-C(3) umbrella organization (Profit Tax id #77-01-77823). The FIA is to provide a strong & effective voice for Americans of Indian origin in the cultural, social, political, academic & economic fields. It is an umbrella organization of over 50 Bay Area organizations representing over 100,000 Indian Americans. Over the last 22 years, The FIA has continued to work with its member organizations on various community base initiatives, and has emphasized that its members continue to remain engaged in every aspect of our community.

How do you feel this is different from other festivals, what inspired you and how will it further help that it is in the midst of Silicon Valley?

The effort behind Festival of Globe – Silicon Valley (FOG-SV), and San Francisco Global Movie Fest-2015 has been a result of meeting the demands of immigrants of USA . We are the only festival in the breed that aims to engage global views, participants, brands & audiences. By being in Silicon Valley technology capital of the globe, we aim to reduce gaps between global pool of talented movie makers & investors.

Who all are participating this year in San Francisco Global Movie Fest?

We are expecting movies to be submitted from over 50 countries. We will be joined by celebrities from Bollywood, Hollywood and others from across the globe. Our mixers, pre-post parties will feature some of the very renowned DJs who will rock the shows, and especially in SAP center the gala award ceremony of FOG-Awards, will be a night to remember in California, USA.

Movie Review: Bombay Velvet's boredom is at its peak of frustrating disappointment

May 18, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Phantom Films & Fox Star Studios
Producer: Vikas Bahl & Vikramaditya Motwane
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, Kay Kay Menon, Manish Choudhary, Siddhartha Basu, Remo Fernandes, Satyadeep Misra, Vivaan Shah, Mukesh Chhanbra, Raveena Tandon, Mrinmoy Goldar & Varun Grover
Music: Amit Trivedi

Director Anurag Kashyap needs no special introduction in Bollywoodian arena. He has given offbeat films, some of his films have proved milestones in Indian Cinema while some of his films garnered enough critical acclaim & some have even won awards galore on the home front as well as the National as well as International festival circuits but…….perhaps all this success has gone to his head as he has gone totally bonkers in his latest directorial offering namely ‘Bombay Velvet’, need I say anything more.

Balraj (Ranbir Kapoor) is a petty thief in Bombay, in the 1950s. Rosie (Anushka Sharma) has escaped her abusive teacher (Remo Fernandes), left Goa and come to the city of dreams to make a new beginning. Balraj is picked up by a gravelly-voiced smuggler in a fedora. Rosie meets a chap called Jimmy Mistry (Manish Chaudhary) while singing at a seedy bar. He’s rich, she gets into his car. Meanwhile, Balraj decides to rob a bank with his friend Chimman (Satyadeep Mishra). The only problem is that Balraj is planning to pull this caper off with a finger gun. Balraj picks as his target a coiffed dandy, Kaizad Khambatta (Karan Johar). Khambatta may be wearing a yellow coat, but he’s not completely senseless. He realises Balraj’s ploy, but is impressed by his bravado. Or maybe he just thinks Balraj is cute. Whatever the reason, Khambatta invites Balraj & Chimman to his office, offers them a job, then stares at Balraj’s crotch (Is he gay?) for a moment before declaring that henceforth Balraj will be called “Johnny”. So why does Khambatta need henchmen? Because he wants to befriend the mayor of Bombay (Siddharth Basu). Apparently, the best way to do this is by killing the mayor’s coterie so that when the mayor finds himself in need of company, Khambatta will appear at the mayor’s service. It sounds extreme to us now, but perhaps in the lawless 1950s, this was how people networked. So Johnny & Chimman go around kidnapping & killing people for Khambatta. Khambatta, when he isn’t thinking up unimaginative names for cute boys, owns a newspaper called Torrent, writes Page 1 articles for it, pimps his wife out and is also an entrepreneur looking to get into the construction business. It turns out that Mistry & Khambatta are childhood friends and present-day rivals. Mistry runs a paper called Glitz, which carries exposés that are actually conjecture & gossip. When Mistry realises that Khambatta has put Johnny in charge of a gentleman’s club called Bombay Velvet, where Khambatta entertains his contacts, Mistry sends Rosie to Johnny as a spy. Somehow, Mistry also learns that Johnny has in his possession a set of negatives that are being used to blackmail an honest minister into participating in a real estate scam. Rosie’s task is to get the job at Bombay Velvet, seduce Johnny, get the negatives and give them to Mistry.

Perhaps the film’s director Anurag Kashyap has lost his marbles as he has created a spectacular mess, his more than 2 hours of torture is enough to give you an incurable headache. In short it is a periodic mess of a romance gone awry. Sorry guys sometimes it is hard to find a single flaw in a movie but in sharp contrast searching for one + point in ‘Bombay Velvet’ was like searching for a needle in a haystack and I failed in this mission too. Need I say anything more.

Performance wise Ranbir Kapoor is confusing, Anushka Sharma is intolerable, Karan Johar is irritatingly boring, Kay Kay Menon is looking lost in the entire milieu, Siddhartha Basu is over dramatic and as for the rest of the cast comprising of Manish Choudhary, Remo Fernandes, Satyadeep Misra, Vivaan Shah, Mukesh Chhabra, Raveena Tandon, Mrinmoy Goldar & Varun Grover have hammed their way throughout the film.

Tail Piece: Stay miles away from this ‘Bombay Velvet’ Club unless you wish to get lost in another boring time frame of 1950.

Movie Review: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' is a spell binding fare

May 16, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Doug Mitchell, George Miller & P. J. Voeten
Director: George Miller
Star Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays Byrne, Rosie Huntington – Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoe Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaten, Megan Gale, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones, John Howard, Richard Carter & Angus Sampson,
Genre: Action Adventure
Verdict: Very Good

Director George Miller is known more for Mad Max franchise than for his film Babe and Happy Feet series. This time around he has dished out another post apocalyptic action adventure in tandem with elements of realistic horror. It is the fourth outing in the Mad Max film series.

Plot: In the distant future the world is a desert wasteland and civilization has collapsed. Max (Tom Hardy), a survivor in Australia, is captured by the War Boys, the army of tyrannical cult leader King Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays – Byrne). Designated a universal blood donor, Max is imprisoned and used as a blood bag for the sick War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Meanwhile, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) drives her heavily – armoured War Rig to collect gasoline. Furiosa begins driving off route, alerting Joe who realizes that his five wives, women specially selected for breeding, are gone. Joe leads his entire War Boy army in pursuit of Furiosa, calling on the aid of nearby Gas Town and the Bullet Farm.

Aces: The high octane performance of the principal cast namely Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays – Byrne, Rosie Huttington etc and the dare devilry oriented non – stop action sequences.

Minuses: Its clever but fake looking suspense

Last Word: A not to be missed dystopian movie.

"Both my debut short films 'In Search Of An Answer' & 'Vo Ladki' have garnered critical acclaim & awards": Sandeep Chatterjee

May 15, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Sandeep Chatterjee aka Sandy happens to be the latest Bong entrant in the filmy horizon but in the directional arena, holding a Directorial Diploma from Moving Images. Besides he is also the proud possessor of full time training course in acting from Barry John’s Imago School of acting, as well as a Certificate Course in linear Editing from Astute Media Vision and last but not the least Sandy has also acquired a Professional Training in Camera from a veteran cinematographer namely S. N. Dubey. All this apart Sandy, as he is more popularly known as, has also picked up directional skills under the tutelage of small screen director Surendra Mohan for the serial ‘Draupadi’ & above all small screen editor Vinay Mallu for the serial ‘Koi Apna Sa’ (443 episodes).

Having reeled out his academic & professional qualification & work experience till date, Sandy further elaborated about his debut 2 short films which have already won critical appreciation & awards galore in the festival circuits. Over to him. “Of late I have made 2 short films under my own home production banner namely Point Of View Cinema. The names of the 2 short films are aptly titled ‘In Search Of An Answer’ & ‘Vo Ladki’. Incidentally speaking both my debut short films ‘In Search Of An Answer’ & ‘Vo Ladki’ have not only garnered lots of critical acclaim but also awards galore In most of the film festival circuits. The 1st film ‘In Search Of An Answer’, which has a duration of 27 minutes was first selected as an official entry for the 5th Dada Saheb Phalke International Film Festival 2015, in which it received a “Certificate Of Excellence”. It has also participated in other film festivals of 2015 like NMIFF, KISFF & RISFF. In RISFF it was nominated in 3 categories namely “Best Actor Male”, “Best Actor Female” & “Best Editing” where it bagged the trophy for “Best Actor Male”. My 2nd film ‘Vo Ladki’, which has a duration of 10 minutes, has got 11 thousand hits in just a span of a year.”

And then concluding the interactive session Sandy revealed his future big screen directorial plan, “Right now I am in the midst of penning the script of my debut big screen feature film titled ‘Deltaposs’. The title is derived from 2 words Delta, which stands for graph showing either up or down and Poss which means positive. Frankly speaking the script is almost complete. It is targeted at today’s youth. It is a comedy & drama oriented film. My next step is to garner adequate funds for my film. So wish me luck. Period!

An interactive session with 'Banno' (Tanu Weds Manu Returns) singer Swati Sharma

May 13, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Swati Sharma happens to be the latest singing sensation on the Bollywoodian musical arena. As her latest chartbursting number “Banno“ a typical Punjabi folk number from an upcoming film ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, in which she has ended up giving playback for one of the Bollywoodian Diva namely Kangana Ranaut, has already become a hot favorite of music lovers. Incidentally speaking it has also garnered innumerable hits on YouTube even before the film or its promo has gone on air. Swati had made her humble crooning debut with her own single debut romantic album named ‘Kyun Kho Gaye’. In her recent interactive session with Nashman’s (website) Entertaiment Editor Shaheen Raaj, Swati Swarma talks about her crooning musical journey in Bollywood. Tune in.

You seem to have struck a goldmine with your latest crooning number “Banno” from ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’. How do you feel?

I feel like I am on Cloud 9. I feel great, I just can’t believe it that finally I have entered the big league. In fact I am not only excited with the stupendous success of my 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 I am also proud to say that I have garnered tons & tons of appreciation as well as I have undisputedly reached the horizon of the Bollywood musical domain. Now I have to achieve my ultimate goal further on. Oh! By the way people have also started showering on me the best of compliments. Some have even gone to the extent of calling me a singing star who has become a sensation overnight. I am so happy that people are enjoying the “Banno” number.

How did you bag this “Banno” number’?

You see a débutante crooner has no choice but to sing scratch songs which is supposed to be just a rough cut. So that the main singer can come in and dub the song later on. So needless to add that even I have ended up singing innumerable scratch songs and one of them was this “Banno” number. This was almost 2 months ago and then just out of the blue I got a call that my so called scratch song “Banno” has been finalized and I have to dub it. And my joy knew no bounds when I was informed that the “Banno” number would be picturized on Bollywood diva Kangana Ranaut for her upcoming movie ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’.

How difficult was it to dub your own scratch song?

No doubt It wasn’t a cake walk to be able to pitch the exact note for the final track. It needed the high tone for this sexy peppy & foot tapping number which had also to match the Haryanvi character played by none other than Kangana. And for this I also want to thank director Aanand L Rai for giving me a big 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.

So after “Banno” it seems that now you are here to stay and carve a niche for yourself with your folk – lore sort of a sexy peppy vocals. Right?

In a way you are right Shaheen Sir but I still beg 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.

Going slightly into a flashback mode would you like to reveal your background in a nutshell.

Basically I hail from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, I first got recognition amongst the youth brigade when my single song “Kyu Kho Gaye”, which was composed by Raeth the popular Pakistani Band, crossed a million views on Zee Music Company’s channel on you tube. That apart I would also like to state I have learnt music from Sangeet Visharad from Chandigarh University namely Pracheen Kala Kendra. Besides I also took training from my Guru Pankaj Maharaj. Undoubtedly, the intense & the devoted training from my Guru has enabled me to be able to rise to this position within a short span of my musical struggle. Already I have got the feed back that I am considered as a musical persona to be reckoned with in the Marathi musical domain too merely with the success of having lent my voice for 1 song in the film titled, ‘Yudh’, I think after all this, hereafter there’s no looking back for me at all with a few more songs in my kitty namely in films like ‘Ek Tera Saath”, ‘Direct Ishq’ & ‘Flame’ and many many more.

One last question would you also be interested in attempting the remix versions as well as the cover versions?

Of course why not! I am interested in attempting anything that is even remotely connected with music, but I will refrain from composing my own music at least not for a couple of years more. And lastly it is a strict no no to acting either on the small screen or on the big screen but of course I would not mind or rather I have to don the grease paint and face the arc lights for my own music videos. Period!

Movie Review: 'Danny Collins' is an interesting fare

May 13, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Nimitt Mankad, Jessie Nelson, Denise Di Novi & Shivani Ravat
Director: Dan Fogelman
Star Cast: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Christopher Plummer, Katrina Cas, Giselle Eisenberg, Melissa Benoist & Josh Peck
Genre: Comedy Drama
Verdict: Good

Debutante Director Dan Fogelman in his debut directorial offering Danny Collins has tackled a true story of a reputed folk singer Steve Tilston. All in all Danny Collins is an offbeat and a thought provoking movie.

Plot: Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is an aging 70s rocking folk singer who cannot give up his extravagant ways of living. Once he also gifts away his brand new Mercedes to a hotel’s bell boy Nicky Ernst (Josh Peck). But once when his manager Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year old undelivered letter written to him by John Lenon & Yoko Ono, Danny decides to change the course of his life and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a new life.

Aces: Dan Fogelman’s sensitive treatment of the subject at hand. The sterling performance of a dynamic actor Al Pacino who really sinks his teeth into every role of his career. And the cute & lovable pair of Nicky Ernst (Josh Peck) & Jamie (Melissa Benoist) albeit in their brief roles.

Minuses: Couldn’t find any flaws to talk about.

Last Word: A short & Sweet movie about a legendary singer’s journey of self realisation.

Southern Movies Round Up

May 12, 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.

Anjali All Set To Regain Lost Ground

Anjali is now all set to regain her lost ground with firm determination after sorting out all her domestic issues. Incidentally speaking right from her debut Tamil movie ‘Kattradhu Thamizh’ Anjali had alreedy proved that she is an actress of immense talent & potential and her later films like ‘Angadi Theru’, ‘Thoonga Nagaram’, ‘Engeyum Eppodhum’ ‘Mankaatha’ & ‘Kalakalappu’ stand testimony to the fact. When she was just beginning to challenge the top Kollywood heroines she got bogged down by her domestic issues and went into a self imposed hibernation. And now Anjali has sorted out her personal life and all her domestic issues and is back doing the lead roles in ‘Appa Takkar’ with Jayam Ravi & ‘Mapla Singam’ with her lucky co-star Vemal. She has also signed the path breaking director Karthik Subburaj’s ‘Iraivi’ which has Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha & S. J. Surya and is playing the title role in ‘Geethanjali 2’ the sequel to her telugu hit ‘Geethanjali.

Simran Makes A Grand Comback In Kollywood

Simran makes a grand comback In Kollywood. In fact Simran is not just making a comeback in Kollywood, but in the neighbouring Sandalwood too. The actress will soon be seen playing a police officer in a Kannada film, titled ‘Alone’. It is not the regular role. As she always liked the action genre and is happy that she has bagged one such film in ‘Alone’. Simran will shoot for the movie later this month. Simran’s last Kannada movie was a Shivaraj Kumar starrer ‘Simhada Mari’ in 1997. Whereas in Tamil, she is a part of ‘Karaioram’ & ‘Trisha Illana Nayanthara’.

Poonam Bajwa Offers A Deniel

Of late Poonam Bajwa has offered a clarifying denial regarding reports stating that Jiiva is backing her filmy career. No doubt that ever since Poonam Bajwa had acted with Jiiva in 2 films namely in ‘Kacheri Aarambam’ & ‘Thenavattu’, there was a buzz that the actor was recommending the actress to all his directors & producers. In fact Poonam, who is now back in Kollywood after a break, denies this strongly statng that, “Jiiva is my good friend. But this doesn’t mean that he recommends me to bag new offers. I wonder how this rumor is alive in after a lapse of so many years. The actress, who was recently seen shaking a leg with Vishal in ‘Aambala’, is now also part of a couple of other projects in Tamil, including Jayam Ravi starrer ‘Romeo Juliet’.

Prashanth’s Latest Heroine Is From Australia

Prashanth’s latest heroine Amenda hails from Australia. Yes! Amenda happens to be a hotshot model from Australia. She will be the heroine of Prashanth in the actor’s comeback vehicle ‘Saahasam’, written & produced by his father and veteran actor Thiyagarajan. Amenda, who was trained at an acting institute in London, is thrilled about making her debut in Kollywood. She plans to commit more Tamil movies after the release of Saahasam. While Prashanth on his part stated that ‘Saahasam’ has brought out the full talent in him. Its songs will be canned in Japan & Korea. Plans are on to release the audio this month. Arunraj Varma is directing the film.

Nagarjuna Has A Change Of mind

Nagarjuna, of late, has had a change of mind. Incidentally speaking Nagarjuna had recently denied reports that he is going to act in the remake of Kannada super hit film ‘Mythri’, which stars Puneeth Rajkumar & Mohanlal in the leads. But all of a sudden he seems to have changed his mind. The latest buzz in filmnagar is that Nagarjuna loved the film after watching it recently and has given his nod to act in the remake. More details are awaited about this project.

The Shooting Of ‘Baahubali 2’ To Commence From Aug 2015

The shooting of ‘Baahubali 2’ is all planned to commence from Aug, 2015. Incidentally speaking the shooting of the 1st part of ‘Baahubali’ was wrapped up recently and the post production work is in full swing currently. This film is expected to be released very soon and not only Telugu & Tamil audiences, even Bollywood fans are eagerly waiting to watch the film. Now Rana Daggubati has confirmed that the shooting of ‘Baahubali 2’ will start in Aug, 2015. Prabhas will complete his project with Sujeeth meanwhile. Rana Daggubati is currently working for the Tamil version of ‘Bangalore Days’.

Pawan Kalyan Is All Geared Up To Fight Against Government

Pawan Kalyan is now all geared up to fight against the Government. Earlier on Pawan Kalyan had met farmers in the capital region of Andhra Pradesh and said that the Government should not acquire land from farmers who are not willing to give it. Recently there were reports that the Andhra Pradesh Government is going to impose land acquisition act against farmers, Pawan Kalyan took to his twitter handle and wrote, “According to media reports, Andhra Pradesh Government is going to impose land acquisition act on farmers who are not willing to give their lands for capital construction and they even informed High court about it. If it is their decision, I am ready to fight against the Government on the behalf of the farmers”.

‘Baa Naale Baa’ Is Now Ready

Catching on the old fear in the villages a horror subject ‘Baa Naale Baa’ has completed the shooting silently. For fear of ghost the doors outside the houses were written ‘Come Tomorrow’ – meaning ‘Baa Naale Baala’. The presumption is that ghosts reading it would go away. A superstitious belief. 1st time director & producer T K Urs has developed a story of grudge of a village chieftain on this to safeguard his property. It bounces back on him resulting in repentance. Sri Yogeshwari Arts Creations has roped in AT Ravish for music & Dhanush for cinematography. While Srinidi Sangeetha Urs has penned the dialogues, Raju & Jaggu are the choreographers, Sriman has written lyrics, Mass Madha & Style King Williams handled the stunts.

The Cult Film ‘Shiva’ To Be Released Again

The cult film ‘Shiva’ to be re-released. A film that redefined Telugu cinema, ‘Shiva’, is going to be released again. The digitally remastered version of the film will be released on 15th May, 2015 and it has been officially confirmed. The quality of the sound and the other technical aspects is enhanced now. Ram Gopal Varma & Nagarjuna had announced that they will re-release the film at the 25 years celebrations of the movie a few months back. The film will be released under Annapurna Studios banner in a good number of theatres.

‘Honeybee’ Sequel Coming Soon

Incidentally speaking the sequel of the hit movie ‘Honeybee’ which was the directorial debut of Lal Jr, is scheduled to take off. The scripting has been completed and the original cast of Asif Ali, Baburaj, Sreentah Bhasi, Lal, Bhavana et al will reprise their roles in the upcoming movie too. It is also said that certain popular actors of M’Town will play a part in special appearances in the movie. Jean Paul aka Lal Jr. also has another movie lined up. It is a Mammootty starrer titled ‘Driving License’.

Pearle Maaney To Enact The Role Of A Bride in ‘Loham’

Pearle Maaney to enact the role of a bride in ‘Loham’. And contrary to the reports that Pearle Maaney is doing an item dance in the movie ‘Loham’, the actress has posted a picture of her in a bridal get up, with Mohanlal. She had earlier stated that she won’t be updating the picture since it would give away the characterization. However, she has done so, probably with fake news about her “item dance” spreading. She plays a cameo in the movie and does have a dance number, which will have Mohanlal and & Andrea Jeremiah too in it.

Ram Gopal Varma & Dr. Shivraj Kumar Join Hands

Stalwart director Ram Gopal Varma is directing Dr Shivaraj Kumar of 100 plus films in the film ‘Killing Veerappan’. The film on ‘Killing Veerappan’ in rumour mill for quite some time is the finally happening as Ramgopal Varma is ready with the perfect script. As he has more information on Veerappan a very dangerous fugitive. The person who killed Veerappan according to Varma is a great personality. This film on ‘Killing Veerappan’ explains what others have not told in the narration. Veerappan was most cruel compared to other criminals. The killer of ‘Veerappan’ in this film is Dr Shivaraj Kumar. It is Dr Shivaraj Kumar’s father icon of Karnataka Dr Rajkumar kidnapped by fugitive Veerappan and kept in dense forest for 108 days. Such kidnapping & struggle of Dr Rajkumar resulted badly in his health condition.

Movie Review: 'Piku' is a delightful journey of emotions via motions

May 11, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: MSM Motion Pictures, Saraswati Entertainment Creations Limited & Rising Sun Films
Producer: N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri & Sneha Rajani
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav, Jishu Sengupta, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury & Akshay Oberoi
Music: Anupam Roy

Director Shoojit Sircar of ‘Vicky Donor’ fame is a good & powerful director no doubt and he raises earth shaking humor in most of his films with the aid of a substance then be it a “sperm” (‘Vicky Donor’) or a man’s absolute necessity “motion” (the film in question ‘Piku’). So ‘Piku’ is a delightful journey of emotions via motions
Interlaced with comic interludes.

The plot of ‘Piku’ entails the story of Piku. Deepika Padukone portrays the titular protagonist, a Bengali architect living in New Delhi and Amitabh Bachchan plays her hypochondriac father. Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee & Jishu Sengupta portray supporting roles. Piku Bannerji (Deepika Padukone), a successful architect is struggling to manage both her career and the responsibility of her 70 year old father Bhashkor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan), who can be quite the handful. The cranky Bengali senior is a hypochondriac and also happens to be perpetually constipated. His motions, or lack thereof, are the subject of virtually every conversation in their Chittaranjan Park home. He’s obsessed with details of the color, the texture, the size, and the consistency of his poop, which he insists on sharing with his daughter even when she’s at work or out on a date. In the father – daughter’s constant petty squabbles there are other character’s like Bhashkor’s 3 times divorced sister – in -law (Maushami Chatterjee), Sayed Afroz (Jishu Sengupta) Piku’s prospective suitor who is also the victim of his own motion problem & completing the triangle with Piku & Bhaskor is Rana Chowdhary (Irrfan Khan), the owner of a private taxi company who volunteers to drive Piku and her father all the way from Delhi to Kolkata when the old man strongly insists on visiting his ancestral home. The film takes the shape of a road – trip movie from this point on and it’s Rana applying his trademark dry humor, who gets some of the best moments here. Amused by Bhaskor’s fixation on his tummy issues, Rana explains the merits of squatting on a Western style toilet, and in another hilarious scene draws out the entire digestive route of food for a fascinated Bhashkor.

Director Shoojit Sircar does not let even once the lead characters idiosyncrasies, turn into caricatures while all along delivering big laughs thanks to all the actor’s spot – on comic timing. Also bringing his best game to the film is Irrfan Khan. But it’s with the character of Piku that writer Juhi Chaturvedi pushes the envelope farthest, giving us a fully flesh & blood modern woman. Unembarrassed to admit she has sexual needs, unafraid to pursue a casual relationship with a colleague Sayed Afroz and never shy of snapping back at her patience – testing father. Shoojit Sircar and his entire team of the crew in lieu with the cast deserves a standing ovation for bringing such a marvellous film for the “meangful film” starved cinegoers. Shoojit Sircar keeps a breezy, light – hearted tone throughout, infusing a hint of humor even in the decidedly emotional or motion bits.

Performance wise Amitabh Bachchan towers above all with his towering performance. His mannerisms, his gait, his get up, his body language, his representation of a 70 year old man’s whimsical eccentrics in tandem with the finely tuned gamuts & nuances speaks volumes of his eternal histrionics skills. While the film also belongs to Deepika Padukone, she is just a bit too perfect as Piku. She has matched Sr. Bachchan step by step, scene by scene in fact in every single frame. Irrfan Khan, the 3rd angle of the eccentric triangle, is as usual too good to be true. In fact the trio of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone & Irrfan Khan are simply outstanding. The rest of the cast comprising of Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav, Jishu Sengupta, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury & Akshay Oberoi not only form a far from perfect foil to the lead actors but they are all just too superb in their “Brief” roles.

Tail Piece: Film’s like ‘Piku’ comes once in a while bringing along with it a whiff of fresh air. So go ahead partake of its aroma before it gets withered & weather beaten. Once again a cautionary advice “Don’t Miss ‘Piku’ At Any Cost”.

Movie Review: 'Kuch Kuch Locha Hai' is entertaining but hardly convincing

May 11, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Banner: Magic Picture & Entertainment & Maximus Multimedia Pvt Ltd.
Producer: Mukesh Purohit
Director: Devang Dholakia
Cast: Sunny Leone, Ram Kapoor, Evelyn Sharma, Suchita Trivedi & Navdeep Chabbra
Music: Dharam-Sandeep, Amjad-Nadeem, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Ikka, Ali Quli Mirza & the Late R. D. Burman
Media Consultant: Infinite Expressions

Director Devang Dholakia is a veteran of sorts and he manages to pull off a comic spoof, of a Gujarati household stationed in Malaysia, in his latest offering ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’. Besides he has followed the new trend of keeping a rhyming name as a film’s title so Karan Johar’s ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ becomes Devang Dholakia’s ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’.

The plotted scenario of ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ kicks off with the introduction of Pravin Patel aka PP (Ram Kapoor), his family and the girl of his dreams Shanaya (Sunny Leone), who is a Bollywood actress. PP’s family consists of his ‘religiously religious’ wife Kokila aka ‘Krokodile’ (Suchita Trivedi) and his son Jigar aka ‘Jigolo’ (Navdeep Chabra), who is an aspiring rockstar who are happily settled in Malaysia. However, they are totally unaware of PP’s ‘feelings’ towards Shanaya. On the other hand PP’s love for Shanaya becomes an obsession so much so that he has a secret ‘worship chamber’ of hers in his video shop! PP’s luck hits a goldmine when he gets chosen as a winner in a contest whose bumper prize is a ‘date with Shanaya’. Amidst the ‘date’, Shanaya, impressed with PP’s Gujarati mannerisms, offers to stay with him as a part of her homework for the dream role of a Gujarati girl in her forthcoming film with a well-known director. PP, who just cannot believe his luck, lands up lying to her that he is unmarried and stays with his parents. On the other hand, PP sends his wife to India after making a fake call about his wife’s mother’s ill health. When Shanaya tells him that she would like to spend time in a close knit family, PP saves his skin and the situation yet again by convincing his rock star son to become his father and his son’s girlfriend Naina (Evelyn Sharma) to become his mother!

Devang Dholakia has indeed made an entertaining film but somewhere along the line the movie lacks conviction. Some parts of the film are really lively and quite amusing. Hats off to Devang for creating a perfect ambience of a richie rich Gujarati household in tandem with the whims, fancies and eccentrics of each and every character. A well deserving special mention also goes to Ikka, Arko, Intense, Amjad Nadeem, Dharam, Sandeep, Ali Quli Mirza, King & Color (Music), A.K.N. Sebastian (Cinematography) & Sanjay Ingle (Editing).

Performance wise ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ is a Ram Kapoor & Sunny Leone film all the way and they both complement each other with their picture perfect act. The small screen sensation Ram Kapoor has delivered a smashing performance in ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ compared to his extremely forgettable act in ‘Humshakals’. While Sunny Leone is improving her glamour quotient, sex appeal & of course her acting skills too in film after film. Suchita Trivedi is apt. Veteran Gujarati actor Mehul Buch hams his way to glory. Evelyn Sharma is another addition to the long list of glamour doll yet she acts well in her part as Ram Kapoor’s aged mother on screen. And last but not the least is débutante Navdeep Chabra another welcome addition to the long list of the handsome hunks of Bollywood. He is also perfect only as Ram Kapoor’s aged father on screen where his chemistry with the senior actor is seen to be believed.

Tail Piece: ‘Kuch Kuch Locha Hai’ is a light hearted entertainer for one & all.

Movie Review: 'Hot Pursuit' is silly & senseless

May 8, 2015 by Shaheen Raaj

Producer: Dana Fox, Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon
Director: Anne Fletcher
Star Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, Jim Gaffigan, Robert Kazinsky, Joaquin Cosio, Vincent Laresca, Micheal Mosley, John Carol Lynch, Mathew Dell Negro, Richard T. Jones, Evaluna Montaner, Mike Birbiglia, Micheal Ray Escamillia, Benny Nieves, David Jenson, Jodi Lyn Brockton. Leslie Quezada and Chelsea Avina
Genre: Action Comedy
Verdict: Poor

Director Anne Fletcher has churned out a silly and senseless movie, namely her latest offering Hot Pursuit, which sounds almost akin to a Bollywoodian caper. Besides she is highly and heavily inspired by an old Hollywood blockbuster movie namely Thelma & Louise.

Plot: Officer Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) is stuck working in the evidence room after overreacting and accidentally setting an innocent civilian on fire. A drug kingpin is on trial and a key witness needs to be escorted to Dallas. His wife is accompanying him and laws require a female escort. There’s a double – cross at the pick – up and that’s when Mrs Riva (Sofia Vergara) and Cooper run for their lives in a snazzy convertible.

Aces: The action & chase sequences are quite thrilling.

Minuses: The irrational directional skills of director Anne Fletcher and an absolutely badly hammed performances of the over the hills lead actor Reese Witherspoon topped with a can’t – act – for – nuts Sofia Vergara.

Last Word: A strictly avoidable fare.