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Nasheman.in exclusive: A controversial & clarifying interview with producer & director Suneel Kumar

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“I Am Trying To Assemble 300 Small Time Filmmakers Under 1 umbrella (Read Association) To Be Headed By Veteran Filmmaker Pahlaj Nihlani.” – Suneel Kumar

Suneel Kumar

Suneel Kumar maybe a small time filmmaker who has made mostly “B” & “C” grade films. But he has no qualms on being labelled as a “B” & “C” grade filmmaker as he strongly feels that it is the so called “B” & “C” grade films that are largely successful at the box office turnstiles, so what if they run successfully in “B” & “c” grade centres only, the smaller pockets of the distribution sectors of the interior territories. Besides these small films fetch enough coins at the box office turnstiles which feeds 100’s of families of the technical crews. But Suneel Kumar also laments the fact that the small films do not get their due recognition in all aspects & respects. Not only this there is not even a single umbrella (Read Association) protection to safeguard their varied interests.

So what according to you are the main grievances of the small time filmmakers?

The main grievances of us, small time filmmakers is that there is no one to listen to us. There is not even one umbrella (Read Association) to voice our opinions, no one to take heed of our problems, our difficulties in varied aspects & respects.

Kindly elaborate!

To give you a specific example. You see I have made many low budget films. And all of them were released in the single theaters of Mumbai circuits as well as the other circuits @ the All India Level. In the earlier times all the distributors used to take a keen interest in picking up such projects on outright basis at a good price. Then came the trend of releasing them on a joint profit sharing basis with Minimum Guarantee (MG). And now the tables have turned completely as now the distributors, sometimes in connivance with the exhibitors too, have started the trend of releasing the film only at our expense. So now we small time filmmakers have to shell out an additional budget of publicity (materials cost too), promotions and even the theater hire charges (Read Exhibitors) and to top it we do not even get any revenue from the music rights & the satellite rights as the doors of this 2 avenues are closed for us forever. Today the situation has become such that if the making cost is 5 lacs, we end up spending another 5 lacs on other miscellaneous expenses that I have just mentioned above. And after all this we consider ourself lucky if we end up making a marginal profit of just 1 lakh. And if our film becomes a runaway hit, which is very rare nowadays, than that proves to be a Bumper Bonus, almost akin to a Double Bonanza for us. Not only this now we also have to deal with the changing censor guidelines from time to time.

And pray what is that?

Oh! That is one more ailing situation that we small time filmmakers have to face. As the morality conscious Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) feels itself so duty bound that it keeps changing its censor guidelines, to protect public morality, from time to time sometimes without even any prior intimation. And needless to say the CBFC members are very harsh with us small time filmmakers.

How come?

I will cite a latest example. My recently released film was ‘Yeh Figure Hai’. And the film’s title goes with its theme. But the censor board had asked me to chop off all the semi clad shots of a female figure. Then you tell me what would have remained in the finally chopped off movie. I really had a trying time in convincing them not to mar my film in this distorted fashion. Now what are these guidelines wherein a so called male nudity (Read semi – nude) in a recently released film is passed without even batting an eyelid and for a semi – clad female nudity a lot of hullabaloo and even societal eyebrows are raised. And in the end it is the cine goers who feel cheated as they cannot enjoy the semi – clad nudity scenario either on the big screen as the censors chop off their visual delight and they can’t do so by feasting their eyes on the wall posters or even the filmy trade magazines as the Information & Broadcasting ministry has decided to slam it with hammer & tongs.

Are small time filmmakers facing any other problems?

Earlier we used to give manual prints of our films processed in a film laboratory. But now with the advent of the digitized release through UFO, Cube, UMW, K. Sera Sera et al we are facing more problems. Earlier the manual print cost was more but now we find that releasing the film through this above mentioned digitised medium is exorbitant. Not to forget about their high handed tantrums & the non – preferential treatment that they mete out to us over big films.

Anything more that you would like to add on?

Oh! Yes of course, the latest ordinance passed by the Government (Read The Information & Broadcasting Ministry). As now they have become the watchdogs over the semi – nude advertisement that we release in Filmy trade Magazines to promote our films nay to lure the cine goers to the cinema halls which used to boost the collections on the box office turnstiles. So what are we supposed to do as we are trapped from both sides (Read CBFC & I & B Ministry) with no way to escape from any loopholes whatsoever.

So are the small time filmmakers taking any steps to wriggle out of these dire situations that they are facing from all sides?

Yes! Of course we are striving very hard to improve our precarious situation. On a close knit survey I discovered that there are almost 300 small time filmmakers who are suffering including me. I am making all the efforts to assemble all of them under 1 umbrella (Read Association) hopefully & probably to be headed by none other than veteran filmmaker Pahlaj Nihlani, who is now also the new chair person of the Central Board 0f Film Certification. I am sure that under his tutelage & expertise oriented guidance we will surely & definitely solve all our ailing problems galore.

Lets hope for the best and now tell us are you contented with your filmic journey as a small time filmmaker so far?

For that you have to travel with me in the time frame of the year 1991. Almost a runaway lad had arrived & landed in the Bollywoodian capital with starry dreams in his eyes. He struggled a lot and was soon to be clubbed as an extra in crowded sequences, sensing danger he fled and started his struggle all over again, this time as a filmmaker and very soon he gained prominence as a small time filmmaker. So the small time filmmaker that’s me had finally arrived by making his own gem of 2 small screen serials and a few small time big screen films in Hindi, Bhojpuri, chattisgarhi et al. So yes the answer is an emphatic YES I am fully & totally satisfied with my filmic journey as a small time filmmaker. Period!

Nasheman.in exclusive: A nostalgic encounter with Shahrukh Khan

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Shahrukh-Khan

Almost a decade ago veteran film journalist Shaheen Raaj had encountered Badshah Khan who had turned nostalgic while reminiscing about his Bangalorean roots and his deep attachment with his ever-increasing Bangalorean fans.

At that time King Khan Shahrukh had officially visited the Garden City, a favourite city of his and had the Bangaloreans eating out of his hand, it was for the grand ‘Temptation 2005 show at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Rain Gods playing havoc had marked his 1st round, but he had made it up with his 2nd visit within a fortnight. The show was indeed a grand success. The Khan magic had worked wonders.

What you don’t know is that at that point of time Khan was on an undetected unofficial visit to his aunt’s place in Jaya Mahal. It was strictly a family affair, a kind of a religious ceremony to herald the on coming Holy month of Ramzan. Present herewith is the ad verbatim account in first person.

“I have a special affinity for Bangalore, as I belong here. I can say, in a way, it is like my hometown. I have spent a greater part of my life, especially my childhood and teen summers out here. In fact, my maternal family still stays here and they had all come for my Temptation show (in Chinnaswamy Stadium)!”

“Let me tell you why I love my Bangalore so much. My mother Latifa Fatima hailed from Bangalore. She was born & brought up here and shifted to Delhi only after her marriage. She was a pucca Bangalorean you know. In fact her sister, my aunt, Ahrar Fatima with her entire family including my 1st cousins, Moin Ahmed Shahbaz & Tasneem still reside out here at 18, Nandidurga hills, near Jaya Mahal. Originally, my maternal ancestors were all from Hyderabad but had migrated to Bangalore in the 50’s era.”

“My maternal grandfather Salim Ahmed was an Engineer-in-Chief in Bangalore, a post that was especially created for him, and which ended with him, by the Government of Karnataka.”

“It was my paternal ancestors who hailed from Peshawar and later on migrated to Delhi I think somewhere in the late 50’s era. No wonder I studied in St. Columbus College in Delhi and then acquired my Economic Honors Degree from there.”

“Coming back to my Bangalore days. I still recall two very vivid memories. My cousin Tasneem was a great Amitabh Bachchan fan she used to drag me to various places like M. G. Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, City Market & Majestic Circle to hunt for his posters and then she would stick them all up in her room & her vanity cupboard.”

“One fine day I got so bugged that I retorted, ‘You just wait baby, one day you will have to stick my posters too’ and off I went to Brigade Road alone and got my portfolio done in a small dingy studio near Kohinoor Hotel, a Muslim joint which I think still exists. It was the Summer of 82’ and I think my journey to showbiz & stardom began from there. Soon I was back in Delhi and passed my snaps around which got me my small screen break in ‘Fauji’, ‘Doosra Kewal’ and a couple of Telefilms.”

“And you would be surprised to know that it was the same set of snaps, which got me my big screen break in ‘Deewana’ too and the rest, as they say, is history. But the irony of the whole thing is that Tasneem still refuses to buy my posters leave alone sticking them around in her room.”

“My favorite hang out places in Bangalore at that that time was undoubtedly my cousin late Shahbaz Khan’s “Bombay Kababs” joint at the extreme end of Millers Road.”

“Besides how can I forget my movie going trips to Plaza. The Sunday evenings were spent watching the latest English movies with chips, burgers, sandwiches, samosas & soft drinks. Never imagined I would endorse one of them in the near future.”

“Then how can I forget the New Year Nites that I had spent here when we all freaked out by dancing our blues away in ‘The Club’ discotheque on Mysore Road. If time permits, I always make it a point to visit with my best friend Zayed Khan, their family’s resort ‘Golden Palms’ for a chill out spree.”

“Oh! There is so much to speak about Bangalore. But I won’t reveal anymore, as it’s all there in my autobiography to be published soon. Abhi sab bata doonga toh my Bangalorean fans will not pick up my 1st ever written book. Khuda Haafiz”!

Movie Review: 'Hey Bro' is a roller coaster joy ride of fun, comedy & entertainment

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Hey-Bro

Banner: Pushpa Krishna Creations Presents
Producer: Vidhi Acharya
Director: Ajay Chandhok
Cast: Ganesh Acharya, Maninder Singh, Nupur Sharma, Hanif Hilal, Indira Krishnan, Prem Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgan, Ranveer Singh, Prabhudeva & Govinda
Music: Nitin Arora & Sony Chandy

A couple of years ago director Ajay Chandok had, had his 1st directorial outing with ‘Chatur Singh Two Star’ with not much directorial success to his credit. And now years later he has again failed to display his, maybe, latent directorial skills.

So the million dollar question is what is the movie ‘Hey Bro’ all about. Well! ‘Hey Bro’ with the tagline “Judwa (Read Twins) with a twist”, is a comedy action drama film that depicts the journey of a very cute, innocent & loveable Gopi (Ganesh Acharya), a village bumpkin from a small village in Rajasthan who comes to Mumbai in search of his twin brother Shiv (Maninder Singh) & mother (Indira Krishnan) separated from him at birth. He doesn’t have an address or any picture of his brother & mother, but to fulfil his dadaji’s (Prem Chopra) wish; he leaves the village in their search with his ‘own picture’ naively believing that his brother would look ‘just like him’ as ‘twins always do’, because he had seen that in a lot of movies. What follows is a roller coaster ride of fun, comedy & entertainment. The ‘hunt’ for his brother lands the innocent Gopi, in a lot of crazy situations, the wrong side of law as well as a law breaker ‘Land Mafia Don’ Baba (Hanif Hilal). How Gopi gets out of those situations, escapes from the clutches of the villain, finds his brother Shiv & his mother, plays cupid between his brother & the beautiful & sexy Anjali (Nupur Sharma) & finally re-unites the entire family, is one hilarious, funny yet emotional, enriching & entertaining experience.

Director Ajay Chandok’s directorial skills leaves much to be desired but it is the plot and the hilarious twist & turns at the scripting level that takes precedence and enlivens the entire proceedings. And the due credit goes to its technical crew too.

Performance wise It is Ganesh Acharya who scores all the brownie points in the histrionics department. He is cute & he is lovable, just like his character in the film. Besides he defies the convention mores that only smart & dashing person can play the lead role. Next in line is Maninder Singh leaves an impact as the lost brother. He impresses a lot with his dashing persona in a uniformed role having done such roles in the small screen arena too. While the rest of the cast comprising of Nupur Sharma, Hanif Hilal, Indira Krishnan & Prem Chopra (the latter in a brief role) complement the main lead players Ganesh Acharya & Maninder Singh. And as for superstars & stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgan, Ranveer Singh, Prabhudeva & Govinda adequately add to the value of the box office turnstiles by making a very special appearance in a very special song “Birju”.

Tailpiece: To be very frank ‘Hey Bro’ is like a David Dhawan kind of commercial movie. So leave your brains behind and just have a hearty laugh.

Movie Review: 'Dirty Politics' is an extremely confusing, sordid & messy

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Dirty Politics

Banner: B. M. B Music & Magnetics Ltd
Producer: Nihal Farhat
Director: K. C. Bokadia
Cast: Mallika Sherawat, Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Atul Kulkarni, Om Puri, Rahul Solanki, Ashutosh Rana, Rajpal Yadav, Sushant Singh, Govind Namdev, Charu Sharma & Naseeruddin Shah
Music: Aadesh Shrivastav, Robby Badal & Sanjeev Darshan

K. C. Bokadia needs no special introduction in the directional arena after having given scores of gems of movies but his return after a hiatus is highly questionable and especially his making of a dirty & seedy movie like ‘Dirty Politics’ is more highly objectionable, debatable as well as highly lamentable issue.

Now let’s get straight to the extremely confusing, sordid & messy plot. Mukhtar (Jackie Shroff) is addressing a massive crowd claiming that “He is an insaan” (a la ‘MSG – The Messenger Of God’?), and that’s why he should be made victorious in the elections. No sooner he wraps up the speech; he is arrested by 2 sincere police officers Nirbhay Singh (Atul Kulkarni) & Nischay Singh (Sushant Singh), on the charges of killing Anokhi Devi (Mallika Sherawat). Thereafter starts the flashback of events which establishes Mukhtar’s killing of Anokhi Devi and also the reason behind it. The constantly juxtaposed back & front  flashback starts off with a dance number performed by Anokhi Devi (a ‘breathtakingly gorgeous’ dancer by profession). Seeing her & her waist’s gyrations, Jan Seva Party’s headhoncho Dinanath (Om Puri) falls head over heels in love with her and wants to ‘achieve’ her at any cost. A couple of meetings later, when Om Puri becomes successful in his ‘achievement’, he then, in the flow of events, promises Anokhi Devi to be a candidate from the Merta region, something that even Mukhtar sets his eyes on. Because Mukhtar knows lot a of secrets about Dinanath, the latter becomes a helpless pawn in his hands and then, lands up officially announcing Mukhtar to be a candidate from Merta. This decision of Dinanath sets Anokhi Devi’s emotions & political ambitions on fire. That’s when she drops a bombshell on Dinanath by showing him an explosive CD that has them both in a highly compromising positions with each other. On the advice of Dinanath’s partner in crime (Ashutosh Rana), Anokhi Devi strikes a deal with Dinanath asking him for a whopping Rs. 50 crores, in return for the CD.

Director K. C. Bokadia seems to have completely lost his sensible & intelligence marbles. His experience of making intelligent & commercial movies (even with Big B) has gone for a complete toss, in ‘Dirty Politics’, en route to nowhere. The biggest atrocity is that all the veteran actors have been wasted blatantly while Bokadia sir had set his eyes & mind totally on Mallika Sherawat’s curvaceously enticing figure. The resultant effect is that everything else has gone haywire from “The Beginning” to “The End”. I rest my case at this juncture. And yes one last point. This time too I pity the latest scapegoat, Mr. Moneybags namely Nihal Farhat.

Performance wise Mallika Sherawat looks sexy as usual in lieu with her obscenely lensed dance movements. I think it is the directors & choreographers who are responsible for Mallika’s non – talent and than hardcore crics like me are forced to comment that Mallika can’t act for nuts. So Ms. Skin Show it is high time that you hone up your acting skills before one & all bid you adieu forever. While the rest of the gang of veteran actors like Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni, Om Puri, Ashutosh Rana, Rajpal Yadav, Govind Namdev, Sunil Pal & Naseeruddin Shah et al should be ready to hang up their histrionics boots, if they continue to waste their time & efforts in silly projects like ‘Dirty Politics’. Thank God – The Almighty that at least Sushant Singh in tandem with Anupam Kher have ended up delivering a bit convincing performance.

Tailpiece: Warning:- Suitable & recommended only for the hardcore Mallika Sherawat fans only!!!!! You know what I mean.

Movie Review: Badmashiyaan – the undurable torture never ends

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Badmashiyaan

Banner: VRG Motion Pictures
Producer: Vijay Gutte
Director: Amit Khanna
Cast: Suzanna Mukherjee, Sidhant Gupta, Sharib Hashmi, Karan Thacker & Gunjan Malhotra
Music: Bobby-Imran

The biggest blunder that ails tinsel town is when a débutante director indulges in plagiarism nay a blatant frame by frame copy under the garb of inspiration and palms off the rehashed version or rather the coctailed version of movies round the globe to gullible & innocent film makers. Amit Khanna, the latest débutante director has done the same in his debut directorial offering ‘Badmashiyaan’. So Amit Khanna’s mixed recipe can be credited to movies like Hollywood’s ‘Runaway Bride’, Korean film ‘Couples’ et al and also from our recently released another desi version ‘Dolly Ki Doli’.

The carelessly plotted scenario opens in Chandigarh, Naari (Suzanna Mukherjee), is a sexy & trendy girl whose sole aim is to make easy money and in the process she cons every man who comes her way. Dev (Sidhant Gupta) falls head over heels to the charm of Naari and in the process withdraws money from the bank to buy a big house for her. Her strange disappearance creates confusion in Dev’s life and in order to resolve it, he hires his college friend & detective Pinkesh (Karan Mehra) to find Naari. Meanwhile, Dev gets trapped in a bank robbery and meets the girl-next-door Palak (Gunjan Malhotra) who helps him from tricky situations and then the sparks fly! On the other hand, Pinkesh becomes the next victim of Naari’s trap and as he tries to woo her through situations, he gets caught in the hands of a dangerous gangster Jazzy (Sharib Hashmi). Jazzy who is in search of his fiancée Naari, who has conned him off his money, plots a plan to find Naari which in turn brings him face to face with 2 other victims of Naari (Pinkesh & Dev).

Débutante director Amit Khanna has not only stopped at rehashing game but also fails to extract a decent performance out of his ensemble cast of wooden albeit débutante actor barring Shaarib Hashmi, the multiple award winner of ‘Filmistan’ fame. Even his entire technical crew has delivered the “chaalu” goods with a “chalta hai” hai attitude. I really pity Mr. Money Bags Vijay Gutte.

Performances wise Suzzana Mukherjee could have won the battle of histrionics as the film was based on her character, like Sonam Kapoor’s character in ‘Dolly Ki Doli, but she appears more like a walkie talkie glam doll. On the other Sidhant Gupta as Dev, the die hard romantic shows some spark in bits & pieces, here & there in the entire duration of the film. Karan Mehra let’s you down totally in spite of having shown a few sparks in the small screen arena. Yet another disappointing act has been delivered by Sharib Hashmi, the recent award winning actor of ‘Filmistan’ fame, as mentioned above. While Karan Thacker & Gunjan Mehrotra have given their best in spite of a limited scope.

Tailpiece: What? Are you still planning to visit your nearest theatre? Okay By me but do so at your own risk. Period!

Movie Review: Against The Sun

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Against The Sun

Banner: The American Film Company
Producer: Brian Falk, Kurt Graver & Mark Moran
Director: Brian Falk
Cast: Tom Felton, Jake Abel, Garret Dillahunt & Nadia Parra
Music: Paul Mills

Director Brian Falk in his latest offering ‘Against The Sun’ has tackled a very experimentally oriented arty tale about 3 Navy airmen stranded in a raft in Pacific Ocean and the turmoil they under go in tandem with the trials & the tribulations for survival at Sea for almost 40 days. The credibility of the movie ‘Against The Sun’ is palatable as it is based on a true story, but of course it bears an uncanny resemblance to Angelina Jolie’s movie ‘Unbroken’ released not so long ago in the past. That apart it also seems to be heavily inspired by a black & white classic movie of the 60’s era whose name I cannot recollect.

Just picture, the stranded in a raft scenario (Circa 1942), of 3 US Navy airmen who accidentally crash land their torpedo bomber in the South Pacific during World War II and find themselves on a tiny life raft, surrounded by open blue ocean with not a morsel of food to satiate their pangs of hunger, not a single drop of water to quench their thirst, so much so that one of the airmen takes recourse to drinking his own piss, besides they do not even see a faint ray of hope of rescue. Against incredible odds, these 3 virtual strangers survive storms, sharks, starvation and above all each other, as they try to sail more than a thousand miles to safety. The American Film Company’s ‘Against The Sun’ tells the true story of an air crew who had to take to the life raft after their plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. The 3 man crew was presumed missing at sea, after a cursory “box search” was done for them. So ‘Against The Sun’ is a respectfully told survivalist tale of pilot Harold Dixon (Garret Dillahunt), bombardier Tony Pastula (Tom Felton), & radioman Gene Aldrich (Jake Abel).

‘Against The Sun’ takes place almost entirely in the life raft, with a short prologue showing the crew’s final moments in the plane when they realize that they have somehow flown off course and don’t even have enough fuel to get back to the aircraft carrier.

Director Brian Falk’s sensitive directorial touches do strike a chord in your heart with a silent prayer on your lips that God – The Almighty – forbid that not even the worst of your enemy should pass through such a sordid ordeal. The trio of director Brian Falk in lieu with his co – script writer Mark David Keegan, cinematographer Petr Cikhart & editor Sean Albertson certainly deserves a left handed complement for keeping the scenario visually interesting, despite the limitations placed on the tale by the monotonous setting. But the same cannot be said about the musical score of Paul Mills which sometimes seem unnecessarily jarring to the extent of disrupting the flow of the entire proceedings. That apart the entire well – deserved credit goes to Aghor Raj Production Pvt Ltd to import & distribute a good cinema in India for which there are hardly any takers in the Indian Distribution arena.

Performance wise all the 3 characters namely Tom Felton as Tony Pastula, Jake Abel as Gene Aldrich & Garret Dillahunt as Harold Dixon have delivered a picture perfect par excellence performance mainly with their body language and silently gestured expressions. A special mention goes for the 4th character Nadia Parra as Frances who appears a couple of times as one of the Navy officers day dreaming fantasy.

Tailpiece: If you are a lover of good cinema, then this is the fare for you.

An interaction with entrepreneur Nandita Singgha

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Time to celebrate celebrate Women’s Day with Nandita Singgha, Founder & Managing Director of “Total Presentation Devices Limited”.

Nandita Singgha

Nandita Singgha, happens to be a strong, wise and above all a successful albeit a gutsy woman entrepreneur synonyms to women power, she’s an epitome and a role model of millions of women who desire to carve a niche for themselves but fail to explore their credentials and bridge the gap between inspirations to aspirations.

Nandita Singgha came and she conquered the hearts of millions with her strong sense of leadership quality. Her company “Total Presentation Devices Limited” has become the 1st Bollywood Production Company to be ISO certified for quality services in the filmmaking process. ISO 9000 is a series of standards developed & published by the “International Organization for Standardization” (ISO), that define, establish & maintain an effective quality assurance system for manufacturing & service industries.

An ardent believer of the ideology #BeYourOwnBoss, Nandita Singgha has proved her mettle in the field of technology and this is just an extension of the same mission in a larger perspective. Nandita Singgha, an Indian women of 3rd world country has a vision matching to the best of American corporate practices.

Hence, for all those women harboring on the ship of desires, embark on a new journey this Women’s Day and set your sight on that one entrepreneurial goal every women wishes for. This Women’s Day activity will eventually grow into an online portal which takes place every year holding a vision to up rise women. Apart from honing aspiring women entrepreneurs, Nandita will also be looking at recruiting youngsters for her company.

Nandita averred, “I am inviting budding women entrepreneurs to share their venture dreams with me with a strong sustainable plan. If you have the determination & approach towards it, I would love to be a part of it and support the dreams. This Women’s Day, liberate your inner desire to be an entrepreneur. 8th of Mar, 2015 could be a new beginning for you and for me. If you dream of having your own business or running your own show, please write to me on nsinggha@gmail.com.”

Wishing all the readers a Happy Womens’ Day Nandita Singgha stated, “The subject of empowerment of women is becoming a burning issue all over the world including India since last few decades. There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. The empowered women is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description. Hence, as a token of love & celebration this women’s Day I am presenting them with an opportunity to fulfill their dreams and build a name for themselves.”

Being a successful entrepreneur, besides owning a production house is no cakewalk and Nandita Singhaa will surely vouch for it. Triumphing upon the hearts, Nandita Singgha has her platter full with a few films in the pipeline under her own production house banner.

Nandita Singhaa’s few films in the pipeline are ‘Middey’ to be directed by Nandita Singgha is based on true incidents where she has taken certain characters of a few journalists as reference who become powerful handling the entire system, underworld & ATS through journalism and bring justice to society; ‘J Returns’ to be directed by Nandita Singgha is based on a true incident and a story covered by a journalist named J who fights for Indian – American doctor Anandan Roy’s bail & justice who is based in US and J is from Mumbai and works as a TV newsreader; ‘Megacorp’, to be directed by Nandita Singhaa is a bilingual international movie based on a true incident & accident that had taken place in a pharmaceutical industry, the entire mystery was revealed by Jay a journalist by profession when his own sister dies untimely & ‘Red’ to be directed by Nandita Singgha, the plot of the film revolves around a group of journalists who identify themselves with Code Red, they work voluntarily by secretly fighting for injustice happening in society. They are the true heroes of the society where lots of recognition is yet to be given to them

Sure enough there is lots to look forward to, on this Women’s Day.

Review: 'Coffee Bloom' is a classy and award worthy film

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Coffee Bloom

Banner: Speaking Tree Productions
Producer: Harish Amin
Director: Manu Warrier
Cast: Arjun Mathur, Sugandha Garg, Mohan Kapoor, Nandini Sen, Ishwari Bose-Bhattacharya & Sharath Parvathavani
Music: Prasad Ruparel

Débutante director Manu Warrier in his debut directorial offering ‘Coffee Bloom’ tackles a couple’s (Read Lover’s) relationship, gone sour, in all its humanistic perspective in tandem with angst, jealousy, confusion, greed in lieu with its suicidal attempts et al, in fact all mixed up emotions but more from a male point of view.

The randomly plotted scenario opens when Dev (Arjun Mathur) sells off his family coffee estate as a statement underlining his renunciation of the world. Dev, though a self proclaimed wise man finds more comfort in being a loser, having given up on life as a result of a love gone wrong. A life changing event takes him on a journey to a coffee plantation in Coorg. There he meets Anika (Sugandha Garg), once the love of his life, now his boss and her husband Srinivas (Mohan Kapur). Love between Dev & Anika is on the verge of being rekindled and is about to bloom in an idyllic setting, bringing Dev out of his self imposed funk and Dev finds a new reason to live. But alas a terrible misunderstanding pushes him into taking drastic measures. Much is at stake as the yearly coffee bloom is just round the corner. And Dev is confronted with his past, present &  future, all rolled into one.

Full marks to débutante director Manu Warrier for his deft directorial skills in lieu with cinematographer Yogesh Jaani who has attractively captured the scenic beauty of Coorg. But director Manu Warrier has been a little let down not only by his own script, co-written by Sharath Parvathani who also enacts a brief role, but also by editor Farooq Hundekar who could have enlivened the proceedings by a little more crisp editing. A special mention must be made of producer Harish Amin of Speaking Tree Productions & Shiladitya Bora of Long Live Cinema Pvt Ltd (A distribution concern) for backing such a classy film like ‘Coffee Bloom’.

Performance wise it is the lead pair Arjun Mathur & Sugandha Garg who have literally lived the role of Dev & Anika with their first rate act. Mohan Kapur, as Srinivas, is at times irritating especially punctuated by his obscene gestures & hysterical laughter. The rest of the cast comprising of Nandini Sen, Ishwari Bose-Bhattacharya & Sharath Parvathavani lend an adequate enough support to the lead pair and do not disturb the fluidity of the entire scenario.

Tailpiece: ‘Coffee Bloom’ will be appreciated more by the film festival circuit cinegoers & the multiplex audiences rather than the single screen viewers.

"My debut film 'Lucknowi Ishq' is a clean romantic film retaining the Lucknowi tehzeeb": Anand Raut

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An interview with débutante director Anand Raut

Aanand Raut

Débutante director Anand Raut, a reputed theatre persona, hails from Ranchi, Jharkhand. After winning lots of accolades & critical acclaim in the theatrical arena in Ranchi, Jharkhand it was but natural that Anand Raut headed straight for the Mekkah of Bollywood in Mumbai. And in a short span of time he has succeeded in rolling out a Nawabi romantic recipe in the form of his debut offering named ‘Lucknowi Ishq’. Which is now being planned as a New Year’s release in the 1st week of Jan, 2015.

Are you confident that your debut directorial Nawabi recipe named ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ will be received well by cine goers all over?

If you are trying to compare my film ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ with Yashjraj Films ‘Dawat – E – Ishq’. Then rest assured that my film ‘Lucknowi ishq’ will be well received by the audiences all over as I have made a very clean romantic film based on the love story of Gen X especially based in Lucknow. But of course I have tried to retain the Lucknowi Tehzeeb. Believe me ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ is a purely Lucknowi love story well within modesty and not like a typical Mumbaiyya love story mostly bordering on immodesty.

So what is this pure ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ all about?

Well! ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ will depict the love story of a Doctor who loses everything for the sake of his love. The 1st half of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ deals with the one sided love of the Doctor for his so called beloved and the 2nd half of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ deals with the one sided love of the Doctor’s beloved for him and how they ultimately unite in the bonds of love forms the crux of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’.

What according to you are the highlights of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’?

The main highlights of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’ will be its high on adrenaline romantic twist in the climax besides its Lucknowi college romance which will be an eye opener and refresh the memory of yesteryear’s films like ‘Palki’, ‘Mere Mehboob’ and others of its ilk. That apart my hero Adhyayan Suman & heroine Karishma Kotak will be seen in a brand new avatar of Muslim lover boy & Muslim lover girl.

So what’s next on your filmmaking agenda after ‘lucknowi Ishq’?

First & foremost I am too busy in the preparation of the release of ‘Lucknowi Ishq’. But of course I am already on to my next project, the pre – production of which is already underway. It will be an out & out commercial venture, a sort of high octane action drama probably featuring either Ajay Devgn or John Abraham. Talks are already on with them to lure one of the star in the project. That’s it.

"Our Fillm 'Rang-E-Ishq' Is An Unusal Triangular Love Story": Jayveer Panghaal

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A Face To Face Encounter With Producer Jayveer Panghaal & Distributor Shakeel Hashmi.

L-R: Shakeel Hashmi and Jayveer Panghaal.

L-R: Shakeel Hashmi and Jayveer Panghaal.

When two diverse personalities like producer Jayveer Panghaal & distributor Shakeel Hashmi join hands they create a cinematic magic. Producer Jayveer Panghaal is a débutante entrant in the field of filmmaking while distributor Shakeel Hashmi has already proved his expertise & versatility in the distribution arena. And now Jayveer Panghaal & Shakeel Hashmi are all set to spread the colors of love, their latest offering symbolically named ‘Rang-E-Ishq’, on the celluloid silver screen on 27th Mar, 2015. This sweet, simple & innocent triangular love story in tandem with its positive & negative shades will keep, both the Multiplex & Single Screen, audiences spell bound till “The End”, especially towards the climax when they will be stunned & shockingly surprised by ‘Rang-E-Ishq’s unusual & unbelievable twists & turns. Present herewith is joint interactive session with the duo.

Shaheen: So let’s start off with both of you giving your brief introduction.

Jayveer: I hail from UP and had made my humble beginning as a steward and then graduated as a Director in Sales & Marketing in the corporate world. Academically speaking I have done Hotel Management from Nainital. Then I acquired my MBA degree from MET University. But I always had this passion for filmmaking as my favorite director is Vishal Bhardwaj and I am a big fan of his realistic films.

Shakeel: I am a North Indian guy also hailing from Uttar Pradesh. I first stepped into Bollywood in the advertising arena. And after gaining expertise I slowly & steadily inched myself into the distribution arena. And now by the grace of Allah – The Almighty I am considered a master of sorts in both the arenas of advertising & distribution.

Shaheen: How did the two of you meet?

Jayveer: Actually speaking I always wanted to be a writer, having written a lot of scripts, but I knew that I would have to struggle like hell to be a writer. So I did the next best thing that is to pursue my passion for filmmaking and the result is my debut film ‘Rang-E-Ishq’ which is all set to release on 27th Mar, 2015. And when the film was ready I was on the look out for a genuine & sincere distributor to get a proper release outlet for my film ‘Rang-E-Ishq’. To be very frank I had heard a lot of Bollywoodian stories on how the distributors take the producers for a merry go ride and cheat them out on their last penny. Anyways one of our common acquaintance suggested Shakeel Hashmi’s name and when I met him all my fears were laid to rest as I found him to be a very honest, sincere & unassuming guy. Instead of discussing about the monetary aspects Shakeel was more interested in knowing about the minutest details of the project, that is about my sorry now our film ‘Rang-E-Ishq’. In fact now I am already thinking on the lines of doing my sorry our next project together.

Shakeel: Yeah! That’s right. One of our common acquaintance gave us a mutual introduction. And on meeting him I found him to be a thorough gentlemen with picture perfect precise ideas. Our chemistry matched spot on although I had taken him to be an arty kind of film festival circuit producer in our initial meeting and when he had told me that his film’s name was ‘Rang-E-Ishq’ I had a hearty laugh as most of the film’s I am distributing of late has a fixture of the word “Ishq” in its title like my upcoming film ‘Lucknowi Ishq’, I think the word “Ishq” is proving very lucky for my distribution concern “Big Curtains Media”. So when Jayveer showed me ‘Rang-E-Ishq’s promos & songs I was floored and took an on the spot decision to be a part of it.

Shaheen: What according to both of you is the story of ‘Rang-E-Ishq’?

Jayveer: ‘Rang-E-Ishq’ is a an unusual triangular love story of a good boy, a good girl and a bad boy. The good boy is a happy go lucky boy more interested in doing social service. The good girl is a school teacher. So when the good boy sees the good girl he falls madly in love with her to a point of no return. And then the bad boy, who is a psycho – a terror in short a bad villain enters the picture perfect love scenario, the loving couple’s apple cart of happiness is overturned as the bad boy also falls in love with the good girl that too beyond redemption. That’s it and to stumble upon the unusual & unbelievable climax you will have to take a stroll in your nearest Multiplex or Single Screen Cinema when the colors of love will be spread, I mean ‘Rang-E-Ishq’ will be released on 27th Mar, 2015.

Shakeel: Jayveer has already given you an insight on the plot scenario of ‘Rang-E-Ishq’. So now I will give an insight on ‘Rang-E-Ishq’s USP. ‘Rang-E-Ishq’ has everything for everyone, for people of all ages and all walks of life. It has romance, emotions, action et al in fact all the ingredients of a commercial potboiler in lieu with the melodious & mellifluous songs. This sweet, simple & innocent triangular love story in tandem with its positive & negative shades will keep, both the Multiplex & Single Screen, audiences spell bound till “The End”, especially towards the climax when they will be stunned & shockingly surprised by ‘Rang-E-Ishq’s unusual & unbelievable twists & turns. Not to forget the brilliant performances of its trio of actors like Mujahid Khan, Kavya Khan & Deepak Kumar.

Shaheen: One last question! Do both of you have any directional plans for future?

Jayveer: Of course I will direct my own films from my own scripts but it is too soon to make any directional plans, let me first pick up some more coordination & directional tips before I set off to wield the megaphone.

Shakeel: No Shaheen Bhai not so soon. As of now I have no directional plans. Right now I am too busy, I would say rather over busy in the operational activities of my advertising & distribution concern namely Big Curtains Media.

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