Archives for 2017

COPYRIGHT OWNERS CALL FOR COMPETITIVE PRICING OVER REGULATION BY TRAI

TRAI was given jurisdiction over carriage issues in the television sector at the start of 2004. Since then it has issued a number of price controls, which included: A price freeze across the entire industry in 2004 with a price cap of Rs. 5 per channel per subscriber in areas where addressable systems were not introduced; and More notably through the recent Draft Telecommunication (Broadcasting And Cable Services) (8th) (Addressable Systems) Tariff Order, 2016, which is likely to take effect from 1st Apr, 2017. The current draft order prescribes maximum retail price caps for pay channels, by genre, INR 10 (USD 0.15) for movie channels (a – la – carte), excluding taxes and further caps channels into 7 genres.

“As India continues to develop its thriving creative industry, a transparent, market – based environment free from mandated tariffs, is essential to build investor confidence and to foster the creation of quality content benefiting India’s consumers & its economy,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India. “We believe that price controls should only be considered when the market lacks competition which harms consumers or where there is clear systemic market failure. It would be advantageous to abolish any restrictions on price and thereby encourage FDI investments in India — as is the case in countries such as Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore & South Korea, where the retail & wholesale rates are not subject to restrictions. A more economically efficient model would be to allow the market to determine prices while encouraging investment in quality content,” said Kulmeet Makkar, Chief Executive Officer of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India. Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios said, “Since the availability of content is not an issue in the context of the Indian market, restricting numbers / genres / mix tantamount to predetermination and therefore, pre – empts creativity. There can never be an exhaustive list of genres for Governments to determine any mix & TRAI’s intervention will have cataclysmic effect on the creative community as a whole as TRAI effectively has price capped creativity.” “Under the Copyright Act, 1957, a content owner has the freedom to monetize copyright works and enter into contracts to monetize content in a manner he deems fit. However the price restrictions imposed by TRAI interferes with this basic freedom. It risks stifling creativity and may force smaller companies out of the market – resulting in less choice for consumers,” said Uday Singh, Managing Director, Motion Picture Dist. Association (India) Pvt. Ltd. Sectoral regulations have seriously impeded the growth of the film sector. Despite active participation by global studios & broadcasters, investments in the sector have trickled down in the past few years. Indian studios & independent producers are also facing similar challenges. An open market environment can best guarantee that the film sector will not be distorted to the detriment of consumers, creators & providers.

‘IRADA’ STARRING ARSHAD WARSI & NASEERUDDIN SHAH WILL NOW RELEASE ON 17TH FEB 2017

Naseeruddin Shah & Arshad Warsi are all set to re – unite on the big screen. The talented duo will be seen together in debutant director Aparnaa Singh’s venture IRADA, which is all set to release on 17th Feb, 2017. The plot of the film is based on a social environmental issue. The film also stars Divya Dutta, Sagrika Ghatge & Sharad Kelkar in pivotal roles. The movie is presented by Irada Entertainment LLP & produced by Falguni Patel & Prince Soni.

SHOOJIT SIRCAR TO MAKE UNSUNG MARTYR UDHAM SINGH’S BIOPIC

Shoojit Sircar, whose production house Rising Sun Films has created a new benchmark on social thrillers with PINK, has begun work on his next directorial venture – a film that focuses on a real life forgotten hero Udham Singh. Based around the Indian Independence struggle and the unsung martyr Udham Singh, Sircar has been working on the film’s pre – production patiently, as this has been a passion project for him for years. Speaking about the film, Sircar said, “During my theatre days in Delhi, back in 1995 when I was still studying, I would go with a group to Punjab which was just coming out of a period of turmoil, and sing songs of communal harmony. I visited Amritsar & Jallianwala Bagh then and was greatly inspired by the story of this fiery revolutionary who shot dead Sir Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in British India, in London to avenge the massacre of 1919.” That Sircar has decided to focus on this film next is pre – destined. He has been hoping to make the inspiring story of this heroic martyr for a long time, but each time around, a film based on the Indian freedom struggle would come up and he would push his film to a later date. “I guess every film has its own destiny. But now the time has come to remind the people of our country about those behind the freedom we are enjoying today. Udham Singh’s name doesn’t find a mention in our textbooks, he was one of our silent heroes, but his daring & sacrifice marked a turning point in India’s history. After Bhagat Singh, he was one of our greatest martyrs and his vision for the country was very contemporary & relevant even today,” asserts the filmmaker who’s scouting for a leading man who can play this heroic role, which spans 30 – 40 years and will bring the Shaheed to life. The film will be made under Shoojit’s home banner Rising Sun Films and will be produced by his partner Ronnie Lahiri. To bring to life the story of Udham Singh, Sircar has begun shooting background scenes, and will film major portions in Punjab, Kashmir and parts of New Delhi. The film will also travel to Kolkata & London, for the assassination of General Dwyer took place in the United Kingdom. Simultaneously, even as he searches for a suitable hero to play this martyr, Sircar is working closely with writer Juhi Chaturvedi on a fresh, young love story. Sircar will be directing both films together. Talk about being prolific & a fantastic storyteller!

IMTIAZ ALI’S WINDOW SEAT FILMS & REPUTED JAPANESE ENTERTAINMENT CONGLOMERATE, SHOCHIKU JOIN HANDS TO PRODUCE – ‘LOVE IN TOKYO’

It’s time for some love beyond borders of languages & landscapes. Imtiaz Ali, this generation’s master filmmaker of love stories, will collaborate with Shochiku, the most reputed Japanese Entertainment Conglomerate, for a very special Hindi film. Titled LOVE IN TOKYO, the film borrows only its title from the 1960s classic and is not a remake. To be directed by Arif Ali, it will be a contemporary take on love & relationships beyond the limits of language and will have its cast & crew
drawn from both India & Japan. The film will be shot almost entirely in Japan and will be co – produced by Window Seat Films & Shochiku. The project was announced recently at a function to highlight the year of Japan India Friendly Exchanges in New Delhi in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India, Imtiaz, Arif & Shochiku representative, Takeya Ito. Speaking about this 1st of its kind Indo – Japanese collaboration, Imtiaz
said, “Asia is coming closer. There are too many similarities between me & someone in Tokyo – we wear similar clothes, have the same relationship issues & experience the same family concerns. One thing is different and that is language. A story that bridges this gap is challenging & exciting. I am excited & honoured to collaborate with Shochiku, perhaps the most prolific media house in Japan, on LOVE IN TOKYO.” Mitsuhito Hosoda, the Deputy CEO of Shochiku, elaborated on this venture as, “At Shochiku, we have quite a few 1st time efforts to our credit that have changed the map of cinema in Japan. We produced the 1st ever color motion picture in our country and have bridged enduring tradition with modern tastes by retaining interest in Kabuki theatre. In joining hands with Window Seat Films, we have begun yet another 1st time effort of working closely with popular Hindi cinema. We view this as a huge opportunity and hope to lay the foundation for creative, quality films with this venture.”

ULTRA MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT PARTICIPATES IN GLOBAL CONTENT BAZAR 2017 WITH EXCLUSIVE TITLES & NEW OFFERINGS

Ultra Media & Entertainment Private Ltd this year along with its other titles is exclusively introducing ULTRA COOKERY & RUSTED POSTBOX (Docudrama). ULTRA COOKERY is a unique cooking show which features varied user – friendly recipes from all over the world, which one can prepare in the confines of their home. RUSTED POSTBOX is a riveting docudrama series which features & narrates varied significant events & personalities worldwide through stamps, notes & coins featured on them. It will also be presenting MALGUDI DAYS and the entire catalogue of 70 films from Children Films Society of India (CFSI). Ultra participated in Global Content Bazar 2017 which was held from 12th Jan, 2017 – 14th Jan, 2017 at World Trade Centre, Mumbai. Along with its exhaustive slate of titles spread across Films, Television, Animation & Film Preservation Services, It also presented its latest exclusive production in Cookery & Docudramas. This year to participate in Global Content Bazar, Ultra exclusively introduced ULTRA COOKERY & RUSTED POSTBOX – a series of docudramas from www.mintageworld.com – World’s 1st online museum for Vintage coins, Stamps & Currency notes. ULTRA COOKERY: A series of cookery videos that feature healthy, delicious and easy to cook multi – cuisine recipes. The recipes shown in ULTRA COOKERY are quick to make and are a blend of innovative & novel techniques that are easy to follow and can be tried by anyone in their kitchen. This program is primarily recommended for the working folks who share a passion for cooking. RUSTED POSTBOX: It is a unique concept by mintage world, launched with a social motive to create awareness amongst the general public on the various coins, stamps & currency notes that have been launched to celebrate & commemorate significant global historic events & personalities. It is a series of docudramas that talk about the evolution of various coins, stamps & currency notes from around the world explaining its historical & cultural significance. Here “each stamp, coin & note tells a story” that is narrated in an easy, lucid story telling format with an effective voice over. Ultra Media & Entertainment Private Ltd (Est. 1982) is a professionally managed Entertainment Conglomerate from India providing end to end solutions for the Television & Film Industry globally. The company pioneers in Content Acquisition & Distribution of varied media rights of Indian & International Television Drama, Films, Animation & other content in varied genres & languages from different production companies worldwide. Ultra currently has an extensive & diversified library consisting of over 1500 titles comprising of blockbuster Indian Television Dramas, Films, Animation, Lifestyle & Variety content. We specialize in distributing these programs in varied existing Physical, Non Physical and emerging formats in several territories. It is also a fully integrated, multi – faceted studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full – scale television & film production & distribution & post production services like 3D Conversion, VFX, DI, Editing, Dubbing & Sound designing. It is also engaged into Film preservation and thus provides
Restoration, Scanning, Up – scaling & Colorization services.

PRODUCTION BEGINS ON ‘MAGIC CAMP’ STARRING ADAM DEVINE, GILLIAN JACOBS & JEFFREY TAMBOR DIRECTED BY MARK WATERS

Production has begun on Disney’s MAGIC CAMP a live – action comedy starring Adam Devine, Gillian Jacobs & Emmy® & Golden Globe® winner Jeffrey Tambor directed by Mark Waters. The film is shooting on locations in & around Los Angeles and is scheduled for release in 2017. Tambor plays Roy Preston, the owner of a summer camp for aspiring young magicians & Devine is Andy, a former camper whose flailing career as a magician has forced him to return to the camp as a counselor. Also returning to the camp is Andy’s former partner & current nemesis, Darkwood, played by Jacobs, who is now a successful magician. When preparations begin for the end – of – summer magic contest between rival teams of campers, Andy & his team of ragtag misfits must go head to head with Darkwood & her campers. In the process, Andy is inspired by the young campers & rediscovers his passion for magic. MAGIC CAMP is produced by Suzanne Todd with Mario Iscovich & Jessica Tuchinsky serving as executive producers. The film also stars: Nathaniel McIntyre, Isabella Crovetti, J .J Totah, Izabella Alverez, Hayden Crawford, Bianca Grava, Lonnie Chavis,

CHANDRAKANT SINGH WHO IS DIRECTING A THRILLER WITH ARBAAZ KHAN & KANNAD STAR AINDRITA RAY WENT TO FINALISE THE LOCATIONS IN SWITZERLAND

Chandrakant Singh who has made 3 comedies & 1 social awareness film with Women Empowerment film SIX X is now planning a thriller film COMING BACK with Arbaaz Khan in double role. The film will be entirely shot in Arosa Switzerland. The film is produced by Mahendra Singh Namdev of Ahilya Productions & Rakesh Datta of RRD Motion Pictures. The film also has Kannad superstar Aindrita Ray who will be making her debut in Hindi film. This film is the 1st Hindi film to be shot entirely in Swtzerland.

FUTURE GROUP’S CENTRAL HELD 3 DAYS FREE SHOPPING PAN INDIA

As the New Year 2017 began, Future Group’s. Central offered a never before shopping experience to shopaholics with 3 Days FREE Shopping. With best deals on over 200 brands at unbelievable discounts, spanning across varied categories such as apparel, footwear, handbags, sportswear, jewellery, travel gear, lingerie, toys, sunglasses et al. The 3 days of Free Shopping Weekend made every shopper’s dream come true. One could pick up any apparel, footwear, handbags, sportswear, Jewellery, travel gear, lingerie, toys, sunglasses et al worth Rs. 8000/- MRP for which one had to pay only Rs. 4000/- and can get that Rs 4000/- back too through free garments worth Rs 2000/- MRP, free shopping vouchers worth Rs. 1500/- & free Future Pay Wallet credit worth Rs. 500/- This is the 1st time ever a consumer had it all for Free as confirmed by Store Manager Umesh Agnihotri of Dahisar branch. Marketing managers Neha Sinha & Charanjeet Malik welcomed the media @ the event. 3 days Free Shopping was their attempt to provide all customers with a never – seen – before shopping
extravaganza. Central was launched with a primary intention to offer the best & the latest options to the fashion conscious consumers. The 3 Days Free Shopping enabled the consumers to not only access 100’s of brands but also made them almost Free. This shopping deal was held at all the 35 stores of Central Pan India. Model actress Ekta jain came specially to wish them all the best.

25TH EDITION OF LAKSHMINARAYANA GLOBAL MUSIC FESTIVAL TO BE HELD

The Lahshminarayana Global Music Festival has already been held in 55 cities across 22 countries, and will now also take place in USA, UK & Germany this year. Recognized worldwide for bringing the best of international musical talents under one roof, showcasing music from every genre – Indian classical to jazz, the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) kicked off its 25th edition in Sri Shanmukhananda Hall, on 13th Jan, 2017. These concerts will be dedicated to the birth centenary of Lord Yehudi Menuhin, the most prolific violinist of the 20th century. Founded by violin legend Dr. L. Subramaniam & Viji Subramaniam, the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) was launched by Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi in 1992. Since its inception, Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) has hosted some of the biggest names in the music industry including Bismillah Khan, Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Jasraj, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Al – Jarreau, Steven Seagal & Symphony Orchestras. Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) is the only music festival that has been able to showcase talent from around the world and provide a platform for myriad styles of music; it has presented Indian Classical (Carnatic & Hindustani), Jazz, Rock, Western Classical, Orchestral, Indian Folk, Ghazals, Hindi Film music, and different Classical & Folk styles from 5 different continents. This year’s edition will begin with an evening of Global Fusion Music, with a line – up of acclaimed international artistes with Dr. L. Subramaniam: Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Vadim Repin (prodigy violinist & recipient of France’s most prestigious musical award, the “Victoried Honneur” for a lifetime’s dedication to music), Svetlana Smolina (hailed by Los Angeles Times as “an outstanding pianist with a luxuriant tone” and a frequent player on global stages including – Carnegie Hall, Salzburg Festival, & Hollywood Bowl) & Audun Sandvik (Norwegian cellist & teacher at the Norwegian Academy of Music, one of Europe’s most prestigious institutes). Commenting on the event, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Founder & Artistic Director, of Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF), averred, “It gives me immense pleasure to celebrate the 25th edition of this unique festival. I have always been passionate about taking Indian arts & culture to a global audience, while exposing Indians to global music. When we started the festival over 2 decades ago, we never imagined that it would attain a global stature and be associated with so many legendary names from the world of music. Today, we are honored to dedicate our silver jubilee edition to one of the most important musician of our time, Yehudi Meuhin.” Speaking on this occasion, Kavita Krishnamurti, acclaimed playback singer & Director, Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) averred, “Over the years, the festival has received an overwhelming response amassing millions of views across social media platforms, and hosting over 2 lakh people at a single event. Each musician has a unique talent, and when they share a stage, it creates a riveting experience for everyone. I invite everybody to enjoy an evening of diverse musical talents.” The fest has already been held in 55 cities across 22 countries till date. This year, in addition to its presence in Bangalore, Mumbai, San Diego, Chicago & New York, the festival will also be held in UK & Germany for the 1st time ever. Moreover, music enthusiasts have yet another reason to enjoy the show as it is free for all.” The accompanying artists for Mumbai include – Atul Raninga (Keyboards), Ravi Iyer (Guitar), Jayanthi (Guitar), V. V. Ramanamurthy (Mridangam), Girish Vishwa (Dholak), Ashish Jha (Tabla) & Satya Sai G (Morsing).

RIYAZ GANGJI & RESHMA GANGJI RINGING THE 1ST BELL

Libas by Riyaz Gangji has just gone public. It means that Libas has become the 1st Indian designer label to get listed on the National Stock Exchange of India. With an Initial Public Offering of Rs.68; Libas has done what many Indian designer houses & labels have been trying to do since the past half a decade. When approached, Riyaz Gangji explained the reason behind the move, “It’s easy to grow your company if you have people’s confidence. Once your brand has the top of mind recall, sales automatically happen. Of course, this does not mean that your product or service can suffer. In fact, now that we are publicly listed, there is an even bigger responsibility towards the people that the brand has.” Before the face show of the New Year; this comes across as much welcome news, especially when demonetization & the current currency crunch in the country has been a spirit dampener for many businesses, fashion included. An upbeat Riyaz Gangji added, “I think being able to do business with your
forte is very important. People will only notice numbers once the show is over.” Launching an IPO is a tedious & lengthy process and can consume up to 2 years! Leave alone the added compliance & responsibilities that it deposits to the promoters’ shoulders.” When asked Riyaz Gangji what motivated him to take up this task, he answered, “Just being creative was not giving me satisfaction, I reached a point where I wanted every city in the country to wear Libas. We want to touch the lives of as many people as possible, like an FMCG brand. And such sort of a scale was only possible through going public. His better half & partner Rashma Gangji in everything was ecstatic, with her joy knowing no bounds, “We are already present in Pune, Mumbai Ludhiana, Delhi & also in Dubai. We want to be available in every Tier 1 & Tier 2 city of India. That is the ultimate plan for now.” Deepak Sharma of Saarthi, Ravi Varanasi of NSE, Rahul Roy et al wished all the best to Reshma Riyaz Gangji & Nishant Mahimtura of Libas.

SHEKHAR SUMAN TO HOST BRANDS IMPACT’S SUCCESS STORIES – ‘ZAMEEN SE FALAK TAK’ SEASON 1 ON ZEE BUSINESS CHANNEL

Delhi based Brands Impact, one of the top branding agencies in India, has announced the launch of its unique TV Series, Success Stories – ZAMEEN SE FALAK TAK Season 1 to be hosted by Shekhar Suman, one of India’s legendary actors, and a pioneer who made TV popular with his several successful shows & wowed a whole generation. The show is to be presented by Brands Impact and aired every Sun on the popular National channel, Zee Business, starting 1st Jan, 2017. Speaking on the occasion, Amol Monga, Director, Brands Impact, averred, “We have grown up seeing the interviews & the life journeys of film celebrities, politicians & cricketers. This show is an endeavor to share the stories of some of the most “extraordinary ordinary” men who left no stones unturned against all odds & impediments to achieve enviable success.” The 13 week long series will showcase the untold stories of 13 individuals including
Pahlaj Nihalani, Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), and Sonu Sood, Indian film actor, whose journey from a small town boy to Hollywood is as fascinating as it is inspiring. The stories of several entrepreneurs will also be showcased on this unique platform that will be hosted by Shekhar Suman, who is not only a highly acclaimed actor himself but also one of the very few professional hosts who can bring alive any conversation and make the participants open up like none other. The man for all seasons……. the multi – talented Shekhar Suman has interviewed the 1st 13 deserving individuals in his inimitable style that makes for a very compelling viewing in the 1st edition of the much awaited “Success Stories – ZAMEEN SE FALAK TAK”. Interestingly, Shekhar will be seen, perhaps for the 1st time in a bearded avatar on this show. When asked for the reason for the change? He said in his characteristic demeanor – “Life is too short to have the same of anything……. it becomes monotonous & boring……. life is all about experimenting & exploring the unknown. Change is the only constant.” The show is the brainchild of dynamic & young entrepreneur, Amol Monga, a branding & events professional who has already made his presence felt through his venture Brands Impact and a series of highly successful & internationally acclaimed events including the International Quality Awards. For this TV Show, Brands Impact, has joined hands with Water Entertainment, a well known production house of Mumbai and the show has been directed by Varun Middha. The series promises to unveil The Grand Tales of Success of some of the UNSUNG REAL HEROES who, through their sheer hard work, diligence & determination, have achieved the impossible in their respective fields. “This show is an attempt to honor & celebrate prominent & successful people from all walks of life, all of whom had an inspiring & humbling story to tell. It is our privilege & honour to unravel their stories to the world, so that others can take inspiration & cue from these real life heroes and learn to make their lives better & more beautiful,” added Ankita Singh, Vice President – Brands Impact. The associate sponsors of the show include Sampatti Trading & Developers Ltd, Pushti Group & Bollywoodkart.com. The Fashion partner is Absoluto & the Outdoor Media Partner is Global Advertisers. Brands Impact is one of India’s top brand management firms that specializes in creating extraordinary brands out of ordinary businesses. Our comprehensive bouquet of services includes branding, creative design, web enablement, advertising, public relations, event management, online promotions, social media management and more.

Chaitanya’s Project Cancelled

Only in the last week of Nov, 2016 Naga Chaitanya’s film with the prestigious Suresh Productions got shelved. It has reportedly been revived by Rana Daggubati, who will produce it, while debutante Krishna will direct. 2 months later, Mohankrishna Indraganti’s directorial has been shelved. At least in the next 6 months, Chay won’t be reviving this project. Indraganti will start directing a new – age drama starring Adivi Sesh, Srinivas Avasarala & Vennela Kishore in lead roles. Post Premam & Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo, there seems to have been a change in Chay’s strategy. He is currently doing a coming – of – age rom – com in the direction of Kalyan Krishna of Soggade Chinni Nayana fame. The same has Rakul Preet Singh as female lead, besides Jagapathi Babu in a crucial role.

Ramba In Lands Herself In A Soup

Ramba’s brother Vasu’s wife Pallavi had filed a case in 2014 that her husband & sister – in – law are harassing her for dowry. The Hyderabad Court had issued a summon for Ramba to appear in court, but it could not be served on her as she was residing in Canada at that time. Meanwhile Ramba, herself is estranged from her husband and has returned to India with her two kids and has approached the Chennai Court to seek monthly maintenance from him. Ramba had gone to Hyderabad & the cops coming to know about it handed the summon to her and the court has directed her to appear for hearing in her sister – in – law’s harassment case.

Bairava Witnesses An important Post Release Change

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Bairavaa released on a huge scale on 12th Jan, 2017 and the film has had a tremendous 1st day opening collections across Tamil Nadu and other parts of the world. However the film has evoked mixed reviews from critics & audiences. The film’s original running length is above two hours & 40 minutes and this has lead to the general feeling that the film is too lengthy. Heeding to this response feedback, the makers of the film have decided to trim the length by cutting 7 minutes of the film from 14th January 2017. The trimmed version is expected to be screened and that may increase the positive feeling about the film.

Trisha Expresses Her Gratitude To Simbu

Trisha recently became the victim of harsh attack by miscreants claiming to be Jallikattu supporters on recently. A group of men claiming to be pro – Jallikattu activists tried to lay siege to the shooting spot of Garjanai which has Trisha playing the lead role. Later the actor was safely taken back with the timely intervention of a police personnel. The shooting was also eventually called off.
Meanwhile Trisha was also severely abused & harassed in social media by miscreants.
Trisha has now lambasted the attackers for abusing a woman & her family in the name of upholding Tamil culture. “Disrespecting a woman & her family is Tamil culture? You should be ashamed to call yourself a Tamilian or even speak about Tamil culture.” The petite actor asked in her Tweet.

Vijay Stuns North Indian Stuntmen

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s grand 60th film Bairavaa has hit the celluloid silver. screens this week. And the film’s director Bharathan in his exclusively detailed interview sounds modest in tone but his words exude confidence that the film has come out really well in all aspects and it will be a win – win for all stakeholders. It is not secret that Vijay has mastered the art of performing stunt sequences and he is a superior action hero amongst the current lot. In this film too he has performed all the risky stunt sequences without using any dupe artistes. In fact Bharathan reveals an interesting fact about Vijay’s flabbergasting performance in a particular risky fight scene.

Anupama Parameswaran Bags Mega Hero’s Movie

After Trivikram Srinivas roped her in for a brief yet curious role in A Aa, Anupama Parameswaran hasn’t had to look back. She successfully reprised her own role in the Telugu remake of Premam. A day before the release of her 1st full – fledged Telugu film, the Shatamanam Bhavati actress has confirmed that she will pair up with Ram Charan in Sukumar’s next! This should be considered her best Tollywood project ever. Sukumar must have cast her as the cute girl suits most for a villager’s role. In a recent interview, when Anupama was asked as to on what basis she picks up her roles, she said, “It is intuition & some invisible force that tells me. When it comes to Telugu, I consult Trivikram Garu if I am confused.”

RGV Downgrades Chiranjeevi’s Movie

Naga Babu may once again be angry with his “akku pakshi”. The Twitter Legend from Mumbai has taken oblique potshots at choosing a remake for a milestone movie. No star director can dare to praise Balakrishna’s movie and belittle Chiranjeevi’s in the same tweet, RGV being the only exception. “Hey @DirKrish Am supremely thrilled to hear my judgement went so right…….Congrats on the roaring talk of #GPSK…….100 Cheers to you & Balayya Salute to @DirKrish n Balayya for pushing Telugu cinema pride to skies with original content instead of bringing down with borrowed content.” Needless to say, by “borrowed content”, he means Khaidi No. 150, the remake of Kaththi.

Sai Pallavi Signs Her 2nd Telugu Movie

Is Sai Pallavi slowly becoming a Tollywoodian primarily? The extremely choosy Premam (Malayalam) sensation has just been signed for her 2nd Telugu movie. It’s the film to be directed by Mahesh Babu’s sister, Manjula. She will be cast opposite Sundeep Kishan in this Gemini Kiran production. Sai Pallavi has been rejecting one too many offers. After disappointing many, she finally chose Sekhar Kammula’s Fidha, in which she plays Varun Tej’s romantic interest. Looks like it’s only the script that matters to her, not factors like director, hero, et al. Since Manjula is making a comeback to films after many years, she must be out to tell a novel story.

Randamoozham Will Start Rolling From 2018

Sreekumar Menon the director of Randamoozham said that the colossal project Randamoozham will start rolling from 2018. He said that a team has been. researching on this project for the last 2 years and is going to complete the work and the next phase of the pre – production has already started. He added that it will be a project of international stature and the launch of the film will be on par with the international standards. There were also reports that top stars of India will be playing prominent characters in the film. Names heard so far are that of Big B, Aishwary Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Nagarjuna et al.

Did Anu Emmanuel Sign On The Dotted Lines
Anu Emmanuel had debuted in films through Mollywood as a child artiste. It was the 2011 film Swapna Sanchari that gave her the recognition as an actress. Later she came back as the heroine opposite Nivin Pauly in Action Hero Biju in 2016. Unconfirmed reports are coming in that the actress is roped in to play the heroine of Vikram in the prestigious project of Gautham Menon titled Dhruva Natchathiram. There was a report in grapevine earlier that actress Nayantara was the choice for the role, but it was rubbished as rumor by the director. The project Dhruva Natchathiram was taking its rounds for quiet a few years. Initially it was stated that Surya would do the lead role. But Surya got out of it due to creative differences with Gautham Menon.

Rashmika For Ganesh’s Film

The runaway hit Kannada film Kirik Party heroine Rashmika Mandana who ruled the 1st half of the film with her smile, sweet looks & talent scales a new height. She has been booked for Chamak of Golden star Ganesh’s film. Director of Simple Ag Ond Love story now getting ready as Operation Alamelamma is directing this combination. The film is all set to go on the floors in the next month says Suni. Hailing from hilly region Virajpet of Coorg district in Karnataka, Rashmika was in to modeling. After the release of Kirik Party trailer even Milana Prakash also contacted her for a role in challenging star Darshan’s film.

Aadu Aata Adu Ready

The 1st copy of Aadu Aata Adu was ready in Nov, 2012. The film was completed in Sept, 2011; the original film of this Aadu Aata Aadu in Tamil was Thirutta Payal was released in 2006. So for the Kannada audience, it is more than a decade stale subject on the celluloid. silver screen. Jagan is in the lead role with Shruthi Prakash. The photos released then & now are capturing attention. Director Ramnath Rigvedi of films like Bisi Bisi, Buddivantha (Upendra starrer) is waiting anxiously for the release of the film. Jagan a realtor & Kannada film distributor in Davanagere since his college days. For Aadu Aata Adu cameraman PL Ravi captured in locales like Malaysia, Melkote, Mysore, Eagleton club and other surroundings.

Banner: Madras Talkies & Dharma Productions
Producers: Mani Ratnam, Apoorva Mehta, Hiroo Yash Johar & Karan Johar
Director: Shaad Ali
Star Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Leela Samson,
Karan Nath et al
Music: A. R. Rahman

Director Shaad Ali’s biggest claim to fame has been the runaway hit film namely the Rani Mukherjee & Vivek Oberoi starrer Saathiya and sadly enough Shaad Ali still seems to have a Saathiya hangover. Besides Ok Jaanu happens to be the official remake of Dulquar Salman & Nithya Menen starrer O Kadhal Kanmani, Mani Ratram’s Tamil film.

Aditya Gunjal aka Adi (Aditya Roy Kapur) is a Video Game Developer & Tara Agnihotri (Shraddha Kapoor) is a student of architecture. Both have dreams of furthering their career by going to USA & Paris respectively. Once Adi & Tara bump into each other at a common friend’s wedding and hit off from there. Right at the outset Adi & Tara are extremely clear about what they want from their respective lives. Despite being career oriented, Adi & Tara start enjoying each other’s company very much. At the same time, they are in unison with the fact that, despite being in love, they will not get married, for their own personal reasons. A few days of knowing each other, Tara gets into a live – in relationship with Adi, who is himself living as a house guest with Gopi Shrivastava (Naseeruddin Shah) & his Alzheimer affected wife Charu Shrivastava (Leela Samson) in Mumbai. Adi gets a call to work in USA & Tara decides to go to Paris, it is then they realize that they will be missing each other’s company a lot.

The main flaw of Ok Jaanu is the writing part tackled by Mani Ratnam. That apart Shaad Ali’s directional skills, after a long hiatus (Kill Bill), leaves much to be desired. Musically ok barring the title track. A well – deserved mention should also go to Ravi K. Chandran (cinematographer) & A. Sreekar Prasad (editor).

Performance wise the Aashiqui 2 lead pair Aditya Roy Kapur & Shraddha Kapur are good and they enliven the proceedings with their excellent on – screen chemistry. On the other hand Naseeruddin Shah & Leela Samson have delivered a convincing act effortlessly. While the rest of the cast help in carrying the film forward with utmost ease.

Tail Piece: At the Box Office turnstiles OK Jaanu’s chances are fair as it is a film which will mainly appeal to the Gen X’s multiplex crowd. yet all said & done Ok Jaanu is a delightful film oozing a lot of fuzzy wamth.