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.

2017 Begins On A Romantic Note

Ti Saddhya Kay Karte? is a question a person ends up asking one of his old friends who knew her / him! Yes that’s how personal this film promises to be. At some point all of us have fallen in love during our childhood days. And after a point we grew up, but we could never forget that special person. We are always intrigued about that person & their whereabouts now! Zee Studios alongside Asankhya Productions brings to us the 1st big Marathi release of 2017! Ti Saddhya Kay Karte directed by Satish Rajwade & written by Manswini Lata Ravindra starring a brigade of exciting actors from Ankush Chaudhari & Tejashri Pradhan to debutantes Abhinay Berde & singer turned actress Arya Ambekar! The film also stars Sukanya Mone, Sanjay Mone, Tushar Dalvi & child artistes Hruditya Rajwade & Nirmohi Agnihotri! It’s a love story that is designed in 3 stages! The 1st is the childhood phase, the 2nd teenage & the 3rd belonging to grown – ups. So we will experience 3 stages of life of these 2 main characters; Anurag & Tanvi! Anurag is played by Hruditya (child), Abhinay (teenage) & Ankush (adult) whereas Nirmohi (child), Arya (teenage) & Tejashri (adult) together will portray Tanvi! This whole idea of a 3 stage love story is so refreshing & unique.

Ulka Gupta’ Enters Marathi Cinema Industry

Ulka Gupta garnered much love & appreciation for her performance of little Laxmibai in the Hindi Serial Jhansi Ki Rani. Now Ulka is all set to make her debut in Marathi films with Sonali Entertainment House’ produced, G. S. Films Academy Production’ presents Odh…….The Attraction.
This film spotlights our society’s hypocrisy & inability to understand the relationship of friendship between a girl & a boy. Odh…….
The Attraction is one such tale of pure friendship. Ulka will share the screen with veterans like Mohan Joshi, Bhau Kadam, Bharat Ganeshpure, Shashikant Ketkar & Jayvant Bhalekar. The shooting of this film has already kicked off at places like Latur, Tuljapur & Takviki. Ulka has previously starred in Hindi, Tamil & Telegu films. Ulka is now working on her Marathi which can benefit her performance. The story & the screenplay of Odh…….The Attraction is written by director Dinesh Thakur whereas the dialogues are penned by Ganesh Kadam. The songs for Odh…….The Attraction are written by Abhay Inamdar, Sanjali Rode, Kuku Prabhas & Kaustubh. The compositions to these songs are credited to Pravin Kunvar whereas they are sung by popular singers like Swapnil Bandodkar, Dr. Neha Rajpal, Rohit Raut, Anandii Joshi & Javed Ali. The cinematography of this film is done by famous cinematographer V. N. Reddy’s son, Ravikant Reddy.

Kumar Sanu’s “Halke Halke Bolne”

Marathi cinema is currently undergoing many positive changes. It has increased its reach like never before. Many new producers are getting drawn to Marathi stories. One such production house is Bramhandnayak Movies which previously brought us Dhol Tashe! Now they are all set to entertain us with another exciting film titled Halke Halke & they have collaborated with A. R. Films’ on this project. Very recently a melodious romantic song from this film was recorded in the voice of popular Bollywood singer, Kumar Sanu. “Halke Halke Bolne” is a song that will definitely rule our hearts just like all classic songs of Kumar Sanu. Alongside Kumar Sanu producer turned singer A. Anuradha has also sung this song. Raj Anjute who was the producer of Dhol Tashe has now turned director with Halke Halke.

Vazandar Shines Outside India Too

After earning the appreciation of viewers in Maharashtra and other parts of India, Landmarc Film’s Vazandar’ produced by Vidhi Kasliwal is winning hearts in USA as well. At a time when the concept of beauty revolves around how slim & trim you are, this film by Sachin Kundalkar breaks away from the norms. It tells you to love yourself the way you are. It also questions societal stereotypes about being fit. Ultimately, being fit is a state of feeling good about your body and not about fitting into size moulds that society has created. The movie was screened in Bay Area & Chicago recently and on popular demand, more shows have been organised at Denver, Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles, Columbus, Hudson & Dallas. A similar screening was held in Qatar and it got a great response there as well. For Vazandar, Sai Tamhankar & Priya Bapat put in a lot of effort. In fact, while actresses are told to lose weight for roles usually, Sai & Priya needed to put on and they happily did. Also, after the shoot was done, they shed all the gained weight. Apart from this, their acting skills have received rave reviews. Chirag Patil, Chetan Chitnis & Siddharth Chandekar also feature in pivotal roles in Vazandar. The music of the movie has also been appreciated. All in all this is a film that reiterates the power of regional cinema and its global reach. This is one film that is true to its title – Vazandar.

Exchange Offer Songs Recorded

Marathi Chitrapat’s Sagar Creation Combine’s Exchange Offer’s songs recorded and muhurat performed. Credits: Producer: Ashok Bagla, Director: Raj, Music: Aman Shlok, Lyrics: Rangnat Sontakke & Singer Khusboo Jain. 5 songs are already recorded. This film is all set to be released soon. It went on the sets on 5th Nov, 2016 in Pune, Dahisar, Boribali, Virar et al. Cast: Sushimita Rana, Anurag Pandit, Kishor Hadikar & Sulil Godbole.

Shaurya – Gatha Abhimanachi Is Authentic Dark & Action Packed

Zee Yuva, the new youth centered entertainment channel is breaking barriers of conventional entertainment on television. Their newest show Shaurya – Gatha Abhimanachi, a tribute to the bravery of Maharashtra Police is one important step in transforming conventional entertainment.
The 1st 2 episodes have been telecast this week & they are tributes to all the bravehearts who fought the 26/11 battle in Mumbai. Yes the most heart – breaking event in the history of terrorism in India is an ambitious 1st story to tell. The “Shaurya” team has succeeded in doing so. Never do we feel that they are taking unnecessary creative liberty & diluting the original facts. The intent is clear to let us into those turbulent few days, where whole of India was praying for Mumbai. The visual style of the show is very unlike daily soaps. It appears to be a feature film. The background score complements the visuals well & helps in building the tension for the viewers.
Shivraj Walvekar has essayed the role of Police Officer Issak Bagwan with great sincerity & the rest of the cast too exceeds in their parts. These 2 episodes are even more important as they have been shown on the very same date. They were telecast on 25th Nov, 2016 & 26th Nov, 2016. Shaurya – Gatha Abhimanachi is telecast on Zee Yuva every Fri – Sat at 9pm.

Sonali Raut Now In Marathi Cinema

“Kingfisher Calender Girl” is considered to be a prestigious tag that works as an entry ticket to Bollywood. Sonali Raut is one such star who entered Bollywood through this way. And now she is all set to enter the Marathi entertainment industry! Her debut Bollywood film was Himesh Reshmaiya’s The Xpose. In this film Sonali essayed a challenging negative character. Sonali’s hot photoshot alongside superstar Ranvir Singh also raised many eyebrows & was in the limelight. Her special song “Lipstick Lagake” from the film Great Grand Masti became super hit. Sonali was also seen as a contestant in popular reality shows Bigg Boss 7 & Jhalak Dikhla Ja Season 9. So now she is all set to enter the Marathi film industry with an exceedingly hot item song. It will be interesting to see how different will this song be from her previous work in Bollywood. Not to forget the glamour baggage that “Kingfisher Girl” Sonali will bring to the Marathi film in which this item song belongs. The film is titled Hero & the song will be shot soon!

Fugay’s Release Date gets Postponed for Audience’s Convenience

The decision of Modi government to ban 500 & 1000 rupee notes for the eradication of black money has received mixed reactions around the nation. This decision has affected all sections & fields in the society including the entertainment industry. So to support this cause & also for the convenience of the film audience Fugay Marathi film’s release date has been postponed. Fugay was supposed to release on 2nd Dec, 2016, but now the audiences have to wait for few weeks more. Fugay produced by Ashwin Anchan & Anuradha Joshi under the banner Maay Productions & co – produced by GSEAMS Arjun Singh Baran & Kartik Nishandar, will soon be released in theatres. GSEAMS’ Arjun Singh Baran & Kartik Nishandar said that they do support this decision as it’s for the welfare of the nation but currently people are busy exchanging the notes, hence it would be unfair to release the film now.

Amitabh Bachchan – Tiger Shroff – Riyaz Gangji – Reshma Gangji Attended The Muhurat Of Bhikari

Ganesh Acharya who is going to produce & direct Bhikari with Sharad Shelar under the banner Mi Maratha Film Production had invited Big B to give his blessings. Swapnil Joshi, Rucha Inamdar, Sayaji Shinde, who were all dressed in Libas creations, and Manoj Joshi came for mahurat. Big B unveiled the design of the film and gave his blessings and all the best to the entire cast of the film. The film is remake of Tamil super hit film Pichaikkaran. Riyaz & Reshma Gangji of Libas stores designed the costumes for the cast for this film’s muhurat. Tiger Shroff, Ravi Kishan, Sukhwinder Singh, Yogesh Lakhani of Bright Outdoor, Pooja Sawant & Pooja Bose were also present at this great event.

Hrudayantar Inaugurated By Shah RuKh Khan

Bollywood’s famous fashion designer Vikram Phadnis is soon becoming a film producer & director with a new Marathi film titled Hrudayantar. This film is being produced under the banners of Vikram Phadnis Productions & Young Berry Entertainment belonging to Pratap Sarnaik & his son Purvesh Sarnaik. Hridayantar stars Mukta Barve & Subodh Bhave in lead roles. Recently this film was inaugurated by none other than, Shah Rukh Khan. SRK also gave the 1st clap for the shooting of this film to commence. SRK is a long – time friend & well – wisher to Vikram. Arjun Kapoor was also present at this event. On this occasion SRK spoke about his affection for Vikram & wished him luck for this film & his future films in Marathi as well as Bollywood! The presence of such Bollywood stars made this a prestigious & memorable event. Along with SRK & Arjun Kapoor many other Bollywood celebrities attended this event. They include Abbas – Mastan, Vipul Shah, Sanjay Gupta, Sohail Khan, Athiya Shetty, Sanjay Kapoor, Ritesh Sindhwani, Baba Siddiqui, Kiara Advani, Malaika Arrora Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh et al. Vikram phadnis stressed that Mukta Barve & Subodh Bhave are the perfect actors who can pull of the characters in Hridayantar. He expressed that since he is a Maharashtrian himself, directing his 1st film in Marathi will be more convenient for him, but he would also want to direct Bollywood films in the future.

Akshay Kumar & Dimple Kapadia Launch The Music Of Kaul Manacha

The music for the film Kaul Manacha was recently launched in a star studded event in Mumbai suburbs. Akshay Kumar & Dimple Kapadia were the chief guests for this launch. Producer Rajesh Patil, Vitthal Rupnawar, Narashi Vasani, director Bheemrao Mude, actors Rajesh Shringarpure were present for this event. After showcasing the trailer of this film Akshay interacted with the journalists about his 1st love from the school. He said that the film’s trailer has reminded him of his childhood. He averred, “Marathi films are getting bigger and can earn more than Bollywood in terms of profit -cost ratio”.The music has been composed by Rohan and the songs are penned by Manoj Yadav. “Tick Tock” is a fun song sung by Prajakta Shukre, Rohan Pradhan & Rohan Gokhle. “Manmanjiri” a romantic song is sung by Armaan Malik & Shreya Ghoshal. “Kaul Niyateeshee” is sung by Adarsh Shinde.

Vivek Oberoi In An Inspiring Marathi Web Series

Vivek Oberoi is one actor who has always been socially aware. Every now & then Vivek has donated for many important social causes. Whether it’s floods or any natural disaster Vivek Oberoi has stood as an example for the film industry regarding helping the needful. Vivek has now initiated an affordable housing project, Karma
Infrastructure in remote areas of Maharashtra. While researching, he met many inspiring people from that region.
These inspiring stories shook Vivek’s heart. And now, he has decided to show those stories through a Marathi web series. The
Web series will cover 9 different true stories in 9 different episodes. All these stories belong to the common man of that region. These stories will portray their struggle for achieving their dreams. These stories can definitely prove to be inspiring to all the audiences.

Krishna Abhishek Makes His Debut In A Marathi Film

Krushna Abhishek the star of Nach Baliye, Jhalak Dikhala Jaa, Comedy Circus 1, 2, 3, Comedy Circus Ka Jadoo, Jubilee Comedy Circus, Comedy Nights Bachao is all set to start his new innings with Marathi films. The muhurat of Aniruddh Enterprises Vivek Kawade’s Bhingari was recently held in Andheri. The credits of the film are produced by Chandrakant Pawar & Nityanand Yewale, written & directed by Murali Lalwani, cinematography by Yuvraj Indoria, music by On Kumar, choreography by Sunil Thakur, costume designing by Swapnil Kamble & executive producer is Rekha Surendra Jagtap. India’s Comedy King & Versatile actor Krushna Abhishek starts his debut in Marathi film with Bhingari. He is very exited to get such a fantastic debut in Marathi film Industry. He averred, “Bhingari is like my mamu’s (Govinda) blockbuster Raja Babu. I my doing best for Bhingari. Before some years I got offers for Marathi films, but couldn’t manage dates. But now time has to come to do some versatile act. So I am starting that with Bhingari”. His co – star Kaanchan is also starting her filmy career with this Bhingari. The rest of the supporting actors are Ramesh Swami, Jayesh Chavhan et al. On this occasion many Bollywood & Marathi film stars came together in big numbers. Specially Kashmira Shah, Aarati singh, Smita Tambe, Resham Tipnis to give their best wishes to the cast & the crew.

Rohini Hattangadi Makes A Comeback On The Small Screen

Rohini Hattangadi is one of the few artiste who has worked extensively on all 3 mediums of films, theatre & television with equal success. From Marathi, Hindi to Hollywood she has done it all. For many years she had a strong bond with Colors Marathi as she starred in the superhit serial Chaar Divas Sasuche. A serial that made her a household name all over Maharashtra.
Now after 3 years she is returning to Colors Marathi with the upcoming serial Sakhya Re. The serial also stars our favorite actor
Suyash Tilak & talented debutant Dnyanada Ramtirthkar. In Sakhya Re Rohini Hattangadi essays the dashing character of Masaheb, who is an elderly, respected & powerful woman from a royal family. The audiences were waiting for Rohini Hattangadi’s comeback from a long time now. And now she is back with an exciting role in a refreshing new serial Sakhya Re.

Shreya Ghoshal’s Melodious Voice For Deva

Deva is an upcoming Marathi film that has already been highly awaited! And the reason is Ankush Chaudhari, whose unique look & hairstyle went viral on social media recently, which has created lots of buzz for Deva. Now another exciting news is out, Bollywood’s melodious queen Shreya Ghoshal is singing a song for Deva! The song is composed by Amit Raj & was recently recorded in Shreya’s voice. Every music director dreams of working with his / her favorite singers. Amit Raj is no exception here. So, because of Deva Amit Raj’s dream to work with his favorite singer Shreya Ghoshal has been fulfilled. The lyrics of this song are written by star writer Kshitij Patwardhan! Deva is jointly produced by Innovative Films & Pramod Films & will be a major attraction in Marathi cinema in 2017. The film has been shot in the beautiful backdrop of Konkan. South’s famous director Murali Nalappa has directed Deva

The Godfather Will Soon Be Marathified into Raaiba

Mario Puzzo’s gangster novel “The Godfather” is one such piece of literature as around the world there are more than 80 different interpretations & inspired works of this classic novel. In Indian context films like Dharmatma, Dayavan, Sarkar, Virasat & few others are nothing but interpretations of this novel. All these directors have come up with unique backgrounds & settings for the same plot of The Godfather. Most of these directors consider this as a huge challenge, but very few succeed. The newest addition to this list of directors is a Marathi director named Milind Kavde. The director has films like Yedyanchi Jatra, 4 Idiots, Just Gammat, Shinma & 1234 to his credit. He is now coming up with his highly ambitious project Raaiba. As said the director is inspired by the novel & is all set to add Marathi context to this tale. The story of the film is conceived & written by Kavde himself. The film will focus on the journey of a farmer’s son who ends up becoming an underworld Don. The dialogues are penned by Sachin Andhare. The casting process too has started & the makers are looking for the right actors to play the right role. Around 30 – 35 well known artistes are said to be a part of this film. The film will be shot in different cities of Maharashtra like Nagar, Sangamner, Wai, Kolhapur et al.

Girija Oak Returns On Small Screen

Girija Oak has created her own space in different fields like films, theatre, tv serials & even advertisements! Currently her play Don Special is being loved by the audiences. But now after a long interval she is finally coming back to television! Star Pravah’s brand new serial Ga Sahajani stars Girija in an important role. Ga Sahajani is a tale of 6 women working together in a bank. It’s telecast began from 10th Oct, 2016. It will be telecast from Mon to Thurs at 8.00 pm only on Star Pravah. Girija plays the character named Vidya Vispute. Vidya is the branch head of the bank & is a simple & kind by nature. She has the habit of understanding & befriending her co – workers. The serial is directed by veteran Purushottam Berde & also stars Sharvari Pillai, Niyati Rajwade, Namrata Aavte, Pournima Ahire, Surbhi Bhave & Mausami Tondvalkar. The serial is a light – hearted comedy to make people forget their day to day stress.

12 Films Of A Single Producer Sadanand Pappu Laad To Release On 24th Feb 2017

Producer Sadanand Pappu Laad is all set for releasing as many as 12 films simultaneously from his own banner which will be a world record as no single producer has so far achieved this feat ever since the commercialization of Cinema has begun all over the world which is watched by crores of people in the cinema halls. On 11th Dec, 2016 at the Laadacha Ganpati Temple wherein the mahurat shots of 2 films namely Saheliyaan…….Naughty Girls, being directed by Vicky Ranawat, Sshh…….Toh Aalaay being directed by Balasaheb Gore were being taken, the hugely excited producer Sadanand Pappu Laad was in his full elements and averred, “I am going to release 12 films, all new, on 24th Feb, 2017 and also 26th Feb, 2016 happens to be my birthday. I am introducing many new talents to the film industry and will continue to do so, even in my forthcoming films which I am already shooting in Pune, Nasik locales even in Mumbai. The films are already complete and are in the various stages of post -production like dubbing, sound mixing, final mixing of soundtracks, Digital intermediate(DI) and awaits censorship shortly while the publicity will be held in full swing during the mid – week of Feb, 2017. The 12 films to release simultaneously on 24th Feb, 2017 are 8 Marathi films namely Laadachi Chingi, Kumbharwade Dongri, Swami, Ek Cutting Chai One By Two, Saawli, Dhoorpi, Shhh…….Toh Aalay, (directed by Balasaheb Gore), Saheliyaan……Naughty Girls (Hindi, directed by Vicky Ranawat), Bloody Zindagi(Hindi), Dagabaaz Pandit (Bhojpuri) & 2 two more which are under production in Marathi which will be completed before 30th Dec, 2016 and are already 70% complete. Sadanand Pappu Laad is doing a yeoman service by introducing fresh talents to the film industry which is now heading for a New Bharat, New India, New Hindustaan under the leadership of our dynamic PM Shri Narendra Modi & Sadanand Pappu Laad.

Dipali & Sukhada’s Jugalbandi

Dipali Sayyed, who has charmed the fans with her acting & amazing dancing skills, will be seen for the 1st time ever dancing to a jugalbandi of Marathi – Hindi fusion song. This song appears in the forthcoming R. P. G. Production’ Presents & Rajashree Gaikwad produced movie Hero. Along with Dipali, we will see accomplished classical dancer -actress Sukhadha Khandkekar giving a scintillating performance to the tunes of this song. The picturisation of the song, from the N. N. Siddiqui directed Hero, was completed recently. “Dhinak Dhina Aag Laga Doon Main” & “Ga Bai Majha Tora Nakharel” is sung by well – known veteran singer Asha Bhosale & Sadhana Sargam in their velvety voice. This Marathi – Hindi fusion song, written by lyricists Aslam Sayani & Kaustubh Pant, has been set to music by Raja Ali & is choreographed by Phulwa Khamkar. Dipali Sayyed has been seen dancing to numerous songs, but because of this song from Hero,
the movie goers will get to see an extraordinary performance by Dipali & Sukhadha together for the 1st time ever. In this Anis Morab co – produced movie Hero, we have actors like Ramesh Deo, Vijay Patkar, Uday Tikekar, Sukhadha Khandekar, Bhushan Patil & Vaishnavi Karmaakar.

Harbour Line Love Story Announced

Writer – producer – director Babu Bhatt (of Mumbai Shooter & Lai Jhakaas) which is on the verge of release) has announced Saptshrungi Films’ Harbour Line Love Story (in Marathi) which will go on the floors in Jan, 2017 with a start – to – finish shooting stint in Aurangabad locales. H. Mukesh Bhatt (of Lai Jhakaas) plays the male lead in the film which will also star a new heroine in the female lead who is yet to be finalised.

Lai Jhakaas Dubbing Complete

The dubbing of Producer Kishore Yande & R. K. Yande Films’ Lai Jhakaas has been completed on 10th Dec, 2016. The final mixing of soundtracks of the film began from 12th Dec, 2016. The film written & directed by Babu Bhatt was shot in a 45 days shooting stint on actual locales of Aurangabad & Mumbai wherein the entire talkie portions & 5 songs of the film have been picturised on new leading romantic pair H. Mukesh Bhatt & Manisha along with Sanjay Narvekar, Nisha Parulekar, Manoj Joshi, Nishigandha Wad, Sanjay Narvekar, Uday Tikekar, Nagesh Bhosle, Sunil Tawde, Bhau Kadam, Kamlakar Satpute, Sanjay Kulkarni, Jennie(item girl), Cynthia Vimal(from Australia) & others. DoP: Dilshad, Lyrics: Rajesh Bambugade & Babu Bhatt, Music: Sanjay Raj Gauri Nandan & Singers: Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sadhna Sargam, Sudesh Bhosle. Kaushik Deshpande, Vaishali Mane, Sheila Gauri, Art: Sunil Singh Baba & Action: Akbar Sharif. The film is being readied for Jan, 2017 release.

Karar Gears Up For The Release

Karar – a film about increasing insensitivity in the society will be releasing very soon. The film stars Subodh Bhave in the lead role. The film has 2 leading ladies – Urmila Kanetkar & Kranti Redkar. The film is directed by Manoj Kotian & produced by Poonam & Neelam Sevia. The trailer & the music launch of this film was done recently. The starcast & the crew of the film was present for this event. Subodh Bhave said, “Karar is a family film and it shows the struggle of everyone’s family life & their issues. Kranti commented that Karar is a very close film to her. “I am doing the role of Radha who is very serious. I learnt so many things from Subodh during this film”. The story is written by Sanjay Jagtap & Hemant Edalabadkar has written the dialogues.
The music of this film is composed by Vijay Gavande & Paresh Shah. Guru Thakur & Mangesh Kangane have penned the lyrics. Avadhoot Gupte, Shreya Ghoshal, Bela Shende, Sonu Kakkar, Jasraj Joshi, Neha Rajpal & Vaishali Samant have given the playback for the songs.

POSTER OF FILM ‘ALIF – LADNA NAHi PADNA ZAROORI HAI’ RELEASED

Poster of award winning film ALIF – LADNA NAHi PADNA ZAROORI HAI, narrated by Jaya Bachchan, was released recently. The film is written & directed by Zaigham Imam & produced by Pawan Tiwari & Zaigham Imam. The film is slated to be released on 3rd Feb, 2017. ALIF – LADNA NAHi PADNA ZAROORI HAI is a movie about a father, his son & his ambition to make him a doctor. His fight with the orthodox seminary education and his fellow neighbors. The film stars Neelima Azeem, Danish Hussain, Bhavna Pani, Simala Prasad, Pawan Tiwari, Aditya Om & child artiste – Mohammad Saud & Ishaan Kaurav. ALIF – LADNA NAHi PADNA ZAROORI HAI was world premiered in Australia’s famous Indian International film festival of Queensland in Nov, 2016 and it has also been screened in many well – known universities of India. Recently, the film was showcased in Aligarh Muslim University where it has been greatly applauded. The film won “Best Screenplay” & “Best Child Artiste” award in Bioscope Global film festival. Music is by Aman Pant.

SRK LAUNCHES PRITAM’S MUSIC A & R VENTURE JAM8 WITH ‘RAEES’

Pritam’s dream project JAM8 will “compose & produce” 2 songs & “compose” 1 song for SRK’s film RAEES, slated for 25th Jan, 2017 release. RAEES is directed by Rahul Dholakia & produced by Excel Entertainment. Pritam said, “An initiative like JAM8 has been my dream since years, and I am overwhelmed that this dream has been finally taking baby steps since the last few months but now with SRK giving his support so whole heartedly I couldn’t have asked for a more auspicious beginning”. In a 1st of its kind talent pool for music in India, Pritam is launching JAM8. With this music A & R venture, Pritam aims to nurture & hone new talent in the music field and give them a platform to showcase their work. A concept quite popular in the West, it is for the 1st time that such a platform is being provided for musicians. Just like Dharma & YRF have launched great talent in terms of actors & directors, JAM8 is all set to become the launch vehicle of musicians with talent & potential under the mentorship & guidance from India’s biggest music composer Pritam.

KUMAR BABLOO DIRECTS ‘100 CRORE’

First Break Films’ maiden venture 100 CRORE which is now 60% ready is being shot further from 10th Jan, 2017 till completion in varied bungalows of Madh Island, Future Studios & outdoor locales in & around Mumbai. The film, being readied for May, 2017 – Jun, 2017 release is being presented by Ashok Bhati & is written, produced & directed by Kumar Babloo . Cast: Rahul Roy, Mukesh Rishi, Pankaj Berry, Shakti Kapoor, Raj Khurana, Dr. Badal, Raj Khurana along with debutantes Vishaal & Menka in romantic leads. Another debutante sensational model Sonia Bansal has been signed to play the female lead. 3 songs of the film have already been picturised along with many talkie portions so far for the film at Silvassa, Filmistan Studios & Future Studios, Goregaon. Music is by Shankar – Sushaant.

SUSHILA BHATIA’S ‘BHAAGYA NA JAANE KOI’ IS AT LAST READY FOR RELEASE

The dubbing of Status Air Vision’s BHAAGYA NA JAANE KOI (in Hindi & Avadhi languages), produced by Sushila Bhatia & directed & edited by Dilip Gulati is in progress at Studio DG9 and will be completed on 15th Jan, 2017. The mixing of final sound – tracks & DI of the film is now in progress. The film will be readied for an early release. The film which was shot for 30 days in Lucknow locales is written by the late legendary author Munshi Premchand known for his largest selling novels “Kafan” & “Nirmala. The film stars Rajpal Yadav, Sadhu Meher, Netra Raghuraman, Anita Sehgal & Roopa Mishra. The other credits are screenplay & dialogues by Paras Jaiswal, camera by Debu Deodhar & Hemant, lyrics by Sushila Bhatia, music by Iqbal Darbar & Uday Mazumdar & background music by Vanraj Bhatia.

YASHWANT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – 2017 TO BE HELD FROM 20th JAN 2017 TO 26th JAN 2017

Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan (YCP), Mumbai in collaboration with Pune Film Foundation, University of Mumbai and supported by Government of Maharashtra is all set to organize the “7th Yashwant International Film Festival 2017” from 20th Jan, 2017 to 26th Jan, 2017 at Chavan Centre, Mumbai. This was announced by Festival Director Dr. Jabbar Patel at a press conference in the presence of YCP’s General Secretary Sharad Kale, Festival Chief Co -Ordinator Mahendra Teredesai & Desk Officer Sanjay Bansode. Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan’s President & MP Sharad Pawar & Vice Chancellor of University of Mumbai Dr. Sanjay Deshmukh will be present on the occasion, said YCP’s General Secretary Sharad Kale. “We are showing around 75 worldwide cinemas during the festival. We have started Smita Patil Memorial Lecture last year. Director Mahesh Bhatt delivered the lecture. This year we have invited director Ashutosh Gowarikar. Master Class is another USP of festival. Under this section Jorge Arriganda, Chile music composer will conduct the workshop on sound & music” added Dr. Jabbar Patel. “During the festival 52 world cinema, 4 retrospective, 7 Latin America, 3 Indian & 3 Marathi films will be shown. In country focus category Vietnam has been chosen this year & 5 Vietnami films will be shown in the festival. We are also showing 29 short films made by students”, said Festival Chief Co – Ordinator Mahendra Teredesai.

’21 THE LAST BATTLE OF SARAGARHI’ PAYS TRIBUTE TO GURU GOBIND SINGH JI ON 350TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Rajkumar Santoshi’s 21 THE LAST BATTLE OF SARAGARHI starring Randeep Hooda is an incredible story of 21 men of the 36th Sikh regiment who gave their life in devotion to their duties; they all chose to fight valiantly till their last breath and they did so with the regimental battle cry “Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal”. Rajkumar Santoshi’s 21 THE LAST BATTLE OF SARAGARHI has completed 2 days of shoot and the start to finish schedule begins from Feb, 2017. The film will release by the end of the year. Rajkumar Santoshi feels that Randeep Hooda is one of the finest actors of our times.” Randeep is a very selfless actor who merges into his character to bring the character alive and I cast him because I wanted to bring Ishwar Singh alive in my film. It was Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji who implanted fearlessness in the Sikhs to fight against all odds. He set himself against oppression & intolerance. He did not fight against any territory or worldly power, or against any religion or sect. He fought for the basic human rights. This film is a tribute to the undying spirit of valor, sacrifice & humanity embodied by Sache Pasha Dusve Guru Gobind Singh Ji on his 350th birth anniversary on 5th Jan, 2017.”

DIRECTOR VIPUL JHA’S SHORT MOVIE ON ‘TRIPAL TALAQ’

The cinema is a great place to unwind and take a break from real life, but sometimes a great movie is actually based on a true story. A great movie doesn’t always need high action scenes and over the top comedy. Sometimes, telling the truth is more interesting and fans love a good movie based on real issue. TRIPAL TALAQ has been in the news since Apr, 2016, Shayara Bano grabbed the headlines when she went to the Supreme Court seeking a ban on triple talaq (instantaneous unilateral divorce) given by her husband through a letter. The 35 – year -old from Uttarakhand also challenged the practice of polygamy & nikah halala (where a woman given triple talaq has to marry another man & consummate the marriage if she wants to get back with her divorced husband). This is such a real issue which attracts our filmmakers to make such a good & informative movie. Vipul Jha who is busy in a shooting of his upcoming short movie TRIPAL TALAQ based on the real issue of Tripal Talaq. He said, “This is a very sensitive topic and we are thinking for this film since last 1 year but this is the right time to shoot this film”.vcTalaq is produced by Lucky Mishra under the banner of Orchid Creation.

GOAN OUTREACH ASSOCIATION’S “MUSICAL FIESTA NITE 2017”

Commemorating its 55th year of existence in Mumbai, the Goan Outreach Association of Mumbai organized a Mega Event “Musical Fiesta Nite 2017’ on last Saturday 14th Jan, 2017 at Dublin Square, Phoenix Market City, Kurla. The Musical Nite took the audinces back in time to bring back the Golden Era and introduced New – Age Goan Hip Hop Melodies performed by top Goan artistes of international fame, along with the heart throbs of the Goan music industry. Also as customary, G.O.A. is launching 2 new voices. According to Sebastian A Sequeira, President of Goan Outreach Associations, “For all the lovers of Konkani music, the musical nite brought the music of Goa, which essentially is the soul of Goa.” Goa’s Nightingale Lorna performed with other popular Goan International stars like Allan Vaz, Oluv Rodrigues,Shunaina Baptista & Ancy Gonsalves. International renowned dance choreographer Tobby Fernandes & his troupe performed amazing dances. The Goan Outreach Association was established for the purpose of spreading & preserving the rich GOAN culture among the members & non -members in Mumbai. The Association now boasts of a strong membership base of over 2000 members which has now been extended to many Non – Goans too.

‘OK JAANU’ FEEDS OFF THE ENERGY OF A YOUNG TEAM

The team of Shaad Ali’s OK JAANU was highly motivated while shooting the film. The energy level on the sets was high since most members in the crew, including lead actors, Aditya Roy Kapur & Shraddha Kapoor, and the director were all young. The original OK KADHAL KANMANI starred Mammootty’s handsome son Dulqar Salman & Nithya in the lead. Given that most of them belonged to a similar age group, they fed of each other’s vibrant energy. Usually the team shot for about 14 hours a day and sometimes even ended up clocking in 19 hours on the floors. With a young, energetic & fast pace of work, the team completed the principal shooting of the film in just 36 days. Whenever the crew had a day off, the previous evening was spent partying at Shaad’s place till the following morning. The musical romance was shot in Mumbai and it was only natural to stage it in a natural, generic & beautiful manner.

SUNNY DEOL CHEERS THE NCR PUNJAB ROYALS TEAM FROM THE STANDS AT THE ONGOING PRO – WRESTLING LEAGUE SEASON 2

Sunny Deol was spotted during the ongoing Pro – Wrestling League Season 2 at the K. D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. The actor was seen supporting NCR Punjab Royals team with great enthusiasm. He was there to cheer & motivate the team that is co – owned by his father & veteran actor Dharmendra. NCR Punjab Royals team is one of the strongest teams of the League and has a great line – up of both National & International players.

GIONEE SIGNS ON VIRAT KOHLI AS THE BRAND AMBASSADOR

The smartphone brand, Gionee clocks 1.20 Cr customers in India and has appointed ace cricketer and the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team Virat Kohli as their new brand ambassador. Virat will soon be actively involved in a host of innovative marketing & customer experience initiatives of the brand. Gionee had roped in actor Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador a few months ago and Virat is joining her in helping the brand touch new heights. Gionee will be establishing 500 brand stores in India along with doubling their strength of retail representatives to 20,000. The association with Virat Kohli will further enable the brand to carry forward it’s high decibel visibility & connect. Virat Kohli said “I play my game with dignity & passion and apply the same rule in choosing my partnerships. I feel & believe that this association will go a long way. I am very excited to start this journey with Gionee.”

FARAH KHAN CELEBRATES HER BIRTHDAY IN AUSTRIA!

Farah Khan’s birthdays have always been a major highlight and a time for major celebration, however, this time around Farah will celebrate a quiet birthday in Austria at the Viva Mayr Detox Spa. Located in the Corinthian Alps of Austria, Farah plans to do things different this year and go on a digital & physical detox at the center. The country’s most successful female director had a busy schedule all of last year, shooting 2 popular reality shows and working on the script of her next film and decided to gift herself some much needed rest & relaxation at the popular Austrian spa. It will also be a double celebration for her this year as the Japanese musical remake of her blockbuster film OM SHANTI OM, released in Japan 2 days ago.

SAHARASRI SUBRATA ROY SAHARA’S BOOK – “THINK WITH ME” UNVEILED AT THE THINK WITH ME SUMMIT 2016

“Think With Me” – An exhaustive & thought provoking treatise by Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker & Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar, on his life – time experiences, observations as well as his insights to restore India to its past glory, was unveiled at Lucknow in the theme session of Think With Me Summit 2016. “Think With Me” happens to be the 2nd book of trilogy. The 1st book of the trilogy was “Life Mantras”, released earlier last year and was a National Bestseller after its launch in Feb, 2016. The book secured the No. 1 position twice in the non – fiction genre and also remained in the top 5 best – selling books across India for 7 continuous weeks. The Summit & the unveiling of the book was attended by eminent personalities & galaxy of stars including Akhilesh Yadav, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Bachchan, Spiritual & Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev, Ace Tennis Star Sania Mirza, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Raj Babbar – Uttar Pradesh State President of Indian National Congress, Anil Kapoor et al.

‘THE CREW’ IS THE 1ST RUSSIAN FILM TO BE RELEASED IN INDIA

THE CREW is the 1st ever Russian film to be released in India after the cultural pact signed between PM Modi & Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also commences the beginning of Bollywood film festivals to be held at Russia & Russian film festival to be held in India. There were quite a few pacts that were signed upon & cultural ties were one of them. Russia & India have always had very friendly relations and it will soon celebrate 75 years of its diplomatic ties. THE CREW is the 1st ever films in recent times to strengthen these ties. The film is slated to release in India on 20th Jan, 2017 and is brought to India by R G Studios. It is also slated to be remade in Hindi. The film is an English dubbed version of the blockbuster Russian film EKIPAZH. Irfan Siddiqui, co – founder of R G Studios further adds “The movie talks about courage & humanity. The film is an action thriller and is at par with Hollywood films. The film was shot in IMAX 3D and became the 2nd Russian film shot using this equipment. The film has been released in Russia & CIS countries in Apr, 2016, grossing Box Office turnstiles in Russia over 22 million USD. The film was released theatrically in China on 19th Aug, 2016 and it has grossed CN¥30.7 million at the Chinese Box Office turnstiles, equal to 4.6 million USD.

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) will kick 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 lineup of acclaimed international artists 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 25thedition 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).