Debutant Vasanth Ravi To Star In Director Ram’s Next

Ram’s long delayed Taramani starring Andrea Jeremiah & debutant Vasanth Ravi in lead roles has finally got a release date. The makers have confirmed that the film’s audio will be released on 20th Nov, 2016 while the film itself will hit the theaters on 23rd Dec, 2016 for the grand Christmas weekend.

Taramani will be the next film of director Ram after his National award winning Thangameenkal and hence the film has garnered huge expectations. There is also a great deal of pre-release buzz for the film’s music album as Ram continues his association with his hit combo Yuvan Shankar Raja in this film too.

Popular Hollywood Actor To Feature In Dhanush’s Next

Actor Dhanush & director Karthik Subbaraj are all set to team up for a new film. This film is likely to be produced by Sri Thenandal Films banner. And the makers are also trying to rope in Hollywood actor Al Pacino for an important role in the project. The team is negotiating with the actor to work out the dates and other details. Since the film will be predominantly shot in USA, it won’t be a tough deal for the makers to bring Al Pacino on board. Earlier on the makers of Superstar Rajinikanth’s 2.0 tried to rope in Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the lead villain and the Hollywood superstar was also keen to be part of the project. However issues related to international trade agreements made it impossible and now Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is acting in the film.

Tamannah Smitten By An Old Man

Silambaran is playing the role of a 60 year old man Ashwin Thatha in Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan. The team lead by director Adhik Ravichandran has started shooting the portions of this character in Chennai. The main female lead of the film Tamannah joined the film’s shooting in this schedule. This lead to rumors that Tamannah is also playing an old woman in this film.
The poster unveiling Simbu’s Ashwin Thatha getup has been released recently. This features Simbu as the macho old man lifting a car with his hands and Tamannah as a young girl hugging him from behind. This poster puts an end to rumors that Tamannah is also an oldie in the film and fans can be assured that she will be a youthful girl in the film.

Vijay Sethupathi & Ritika Singh To Pair Up Again

Vijay Sethupathi will be acting in a film to be directed by Panneerselvam of Renigunta fame. Remo girl Keerthy Suresh was initially approached to play the female lead in this film but she could not take up the offer. Now the makers are in talks with Ritika Singh for the female lead character. If the Irudhi Suttru lass accepts the offer it will be her 2nd with Vijay Sethupathi after the critically acclaimed super hit Aandavan Kattalai that too in a short span of time.

Manalo Okadu Official Release Date Fixed

After the disastrous performance of Tulasi Dalam, R P Patnaik is making an effort to bounce back with a never-say-die-spirit. His next film Manalo Okadu is all done and is gearing up for a 4th Nov, 2016 release.
Starring R P Patnaik & Anitha Reddy of Nuvvu Nenu fame in key roles, the film has Sai Kumar, Nasser, Tanikella Bharani, Jayaprakash Reddy, Srimukhi, Raghubabu, Banjerjee, Gollapudi Maruthirao, Raja Ravindra, Duvvasi Mohan and others are part of the cast.

Boyapati’s New Film Gets A Launch Date

It’s known that Boyapati Sreenu has a film lined up with Bellamkonda Srinivas. Produced by Abhishek Pictures, this is to be music-directed by Rock Star Devi Sri Prasad.

The news is that the movie will be launched in a grand ceremony on 4th Nov, 2016. The film will be shot regularly immediately. Producer Abhishek Nama avers, “This is a Boyapati-style mass & action entertainer that is apt for Bellamkonda Srinivas. The actor is undergoing a thorough make-over for his role in the movie. Both love & action have an equally important place in the story. The pre-production works have been going on for 6 months now.”

Prakash Raj’s Nakshatram 1st Look Out

Ram Charan has been on a release spree. After releasing the logo & the 1st looks of Sundeep Kishan & Pragya Jaiswal, he has released that of Prakash Raj. From the 1st look, it’s clear that Prakash Raj is playing a stellar cop’s role in the movie. Like Sundeep Kishan’s character which is more real than powerful, PR’s too seem to be of the same league. Aptly enough, the film is coming with the caption “To Protect & Serve”. Sai Dharam Tej is playing a powerful cop’s role. Kannada star Sudeep has an interesting role in the film. It’s produced by Sri Chakra Media in association with K Srinivasulu of Butta Bomma Creations, and S Venugopal & Sajju.

Kesava, The Revenge Drama

It’s known that Sudheer Varma of Swamy Ra Ra fame is directing Nikhil yet again. This Abhishek Pictures’ produced film has got a title: Kesava. Also starring Ritu Varma of Pelli Choopulu fame, the film is touted to be a revenge drama laced with a love story. Producer Abhishek Nama avers, “Who is it that the hero wants to avenge is a gripping point of our film. Why is he raging with the emotions of revenge & grudge? This is another interesting aspect. We are done with the 1st schedule. The 2nd will be started off soon. You are going to see another super hit film in the combination of Nikhil & Sudheer.”

Nayanthara To Tie The Knot!!!

South Indian actress Nayanthara is getting married if latest reports are to be believed. Hope, this time it is not the creation of rumor mills. Kollywood director Vignesh is the groom. There was news that both of them are in love for some time, and they were spotted together in many places and was even found traveling together. The marriage will take place next year. Nayanthara has acted in the film Naanum Rowdydhaan directed by Vignesh Shivan. It is said that love blossomed on the film sets of this movie.

Vivek Oberoi To Fight With Ajith

Vivek Oberoi is being chosen to play the villain’s role in Superstar Ajith’s upcoming film. Vivek Oberoi had earlier appeared in a negative role in Hrithik Roshan starrer Krish 3. This is Ajith’s 57th film and is yet to be titled, but for the time being it is known as Thala 57. The makers had earlier contacted Abhishek Bachan, Aravind Swamy & Sudeep to do the villaian’s role. Finally it is heard that Vivek Oberoi has been selected for the role. The film’s location is Austria and Ajith will essay the role of an Interpol officer. It is touted as a spy thriller and the hero is fighting a deadly international mafia led by Vivek Oberoi. Kajal Agarwal & Akshara Hassan are the heroines.

Rachita Ram Picks A remake

A profound actress of Kannada cinema and no miss in the box office for her films so far Rachita Ram is now heading for a remake film with young actor & son of V Ravichandran – Manoranjan. It is actor Dhanush’s film Velai Illai Pattadhaari – the most successful director Nandakishore of Victory, Adhyaksha, Ranna & Mukunda Miraari is directing this remake. For this remake film Rockline Venkatesh is producer.
Rachita Ram has almost finished Bharjari with Dhruva Sarja in Chetan Kumar’s direction, she is part of Pushpaka Vimana a film very close to her heart and next in the queue is this remake.

Crazy Boy Completes 75 Days

The debut film of dashing hero Dilip Prakash & Ashika, Crazy Boy in topnotch director Mahesh Babu completed 75 days screening at Sapna theatre in Bengaluru. PA Films banner producers are Chandru & Govindaraju producers of this Crazy Boy. Shekar Chandru cinematography, Jassie Gift music, Ajay Kumar story & screenplay plus K M Prakash editing are part of the technical team.

Prakash Raj, Ravishanker, Rangayana Raghu, Sadhu Kokila and others are in the supporting cast of this Crazy Boy.

Banner: Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd & J. A. Entertainment
Producers: Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Viacom Motion Pictures & John Abraham
Director: Abhinay Deo
Star Cast: John Abraham, Sonakshi Sinha, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Freddy Daruwala,
Narendra Jha, Vikram Kapadia, Patricia Mittler, Genelia D’Souza, Raj Babbar, Boman Irani & Adil Hussain
Music: Amaal Mallik, Gourov Roshin & Prasad Sashte

A cine goer always has a lot of expectations from a sequel of the original film. But 2 sequels of the earlier films releasing on the same day of the same week is a bit too much. It is but natural that the fans of the 2 franchises gets divided which certainly leaves its imprint on the results of their Box – Office turnstiles collections. The films in question are Force 2 & Tum Bin 2.

The scripted scenario of Force 2 kick starts with a series of killings of 3 vital Indian RAW agents in China. These killings not just shock the Indian RAW wing, but also sends them into tizzy about the crime suspects and their agenda behind these killings. Amidst all this, they also discover that there is a mole (informer / leak) in the Budapest Embassy, who is leaking all the vital information to the Chinese Government, for reasons best known to him only. In order to unearth this mole, the RAW officials assign Kamaljit Kaur aka KK (Sonakshi Sinha) on the job. She is joined by the raw & brutal Yashvardhan aka Yash (John Abraham) from the Mumbai police department. The reason why Yash joins KK in the mission, is to avenge the death of his Best Friend (Freddy Daruwala), who was amongst the 3 RAW agents killed. Amidst their mission to find the mole, Yash & KK are subjected to a series of uphill tasks, which makes it extremely difficult for them to unearth the mole. Just when Yash & KK think that they have solved the case, a shocking event happens that shuts down all the possibilities to solve the mystery.

Director Abhinay Deo after directing 2 films (Dehli Belly & Game) & 1 tv series (24) once again takes his directorial skills a notch higher with Force 2. The action genre of Force 2 keeps the cine goers hooked from “The Start” till “The End”. A well deserved mention must also be made of the behind – the – scenes team like Parvez Shaikh & Jasmeet Kleen (story & screenplay), Imre Juhasz & Mohana Krishna (cinematography), Amaal Mallik, Gourov Roshin & Prasad Sashte (music), Amitabh Shukla & Sanjay Sharma (Editing) & above all Franz Spilhaus (all action / stunt director).

Performance wise believe it or not but the shining stars of Force 2 are undoubtedly John Abraham & Sonakshi Sinha, who certainly complement each other in every scene together and individually too. Their sparkling chemistry is another asset of Force 2. Also they are in their best of element especially after Dishoom & Akira respectively. Next – in – line outstanding performers are Tahir Raj Bhasin, Freddy Daruwala, Narendra Jha, Vikram Kapadia, Patricia Mittler, Genelia D’Souza, Raj Babbar, Boman Irani & Adil Hussain.

Tail Piece: Force 2 is a power packed adrenaline pumping action thriller which is just the right film for both the multiplex as well as the single theatre cine goers. Even at the Box – Office turnstiles Force 2 will definately hit the bull’s eye.

Banner: Dharma Productions, Red Chillies Entertainment & Hope Productions
Producer: Gauri Shinde, Gauri Khan & Karan Johar
Director: Gauri Shinde
Star Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kunal Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Ira Dubey, Aditya Roy Kapur & Ali Zafar
Music: Amit Trivedi

Director Gauri Shinde’s 1st directorial claim to fame was the Sridevi starrer film English Vinglish. But sadly enough her 2nd outing in Dear Zindagi really sucks. In spite of the writing prowess of Gauri Shinde Dear Zindagi literally fails to hold the viewers interest.

The scripted scenario of the film kick starts with the “on – the – sets” introduction of the extremely talented cinematographer Kaayra (Alia Bhatt), for whom work perfection towers above everything else in life. Not the one to make any kind of compromise in her work, she also harbours a heartfelt dream of directing her full – fledged feature film some day. One day, she gets a dream offer from Raghavendra (Kunal Kapoor), for co -directing a prestigious feature film on the foreign shores. Since Kaayra is in love with Raghavendra & vice versa, Kaayra becomes extremely happy thinking that she would be able to combine work with pleasure. Even before the feeling of her dream coming true sinks in, she gets a shock of her life when she gets to know that, Raghavendra has got engaged to his ex – girlfriend on the foreign shores. This news totally shatters the visibly distorted Kaayra. That’s when she happens to meet the renowned psychiatrist Dr. Jehangir Khan aka Jag (Shah Rukh Khan). Thereafter starts her therapy sessions with Jag. It is through these sessions that Jag gets to know that Kaayra has been silently suffering from many issues caused during her tender childhood. Gradually during the therapy sessions, a strong bond develops between Kaayra & Jag, so much so that she openly confides all about her past & her present day happenings to Jag. While doing so, Kaayra realises that she has actually fallen for Jag.

Director Gauri Shinde seriously errs in her 2nd outing Dear Zindagi. She has succeeded in extracting a superb performance from her entire star cast. But if only she had concentrated more on the other technical arena too. But Alas! Its too late now to rectify the mistakes she has made. No issues better luck in your hat trick outing.

Performance wise both Shah Rukh Khan & Alia Bhatt deserve a standing ovation for their intense, remarkable & sentive portrayal of their respective roles. In fact both, SRK as a psychiatrist & Alia Bhatt as a cinematographer, are so endearing that you instantly feel like giving them a warm hug. Another well – deserving act comes from SRK after Chak De! India and from Alia Bhatt after Udtaa Punjab. While Kunal Kapoor is superb, Angad Bedi is surprising, Ira Dubey is 1st rate, Aditya Roy Kapur is perfect & Ali Jafar is simply oustanding in their respective roles.

Tail Piece: Dear Zindagi maybe a multiplex audiences glass of wine, but it is certainly not a single screen audiences cup of tea. The film may win laurels & accolades in the Global Film Festival circuit. But at the Indian Box office turnstiles its chances are nil.

In the curtains down grand finale of the International Film Festival Of India (IFFI Goa 2016) it was Iranian filmmaker Reza Mirkarimi’s Daughter which bagged the prestigious “Golden Peacock” Award for the “Best Film” at the gala closing ceremony of the 47th International Film Festival of India in Goa. Mirkarimi got Rs 40 lakhs (Rs 4 mn) in cash prize for Director & Producer, the Trophy & a certificate.

Daughter was a family drama set in Southern Iran that tells the story of a young girl who leaves her hometown for a half a day trip to Tehran without the permission of her strict father to attend a close friend’s farewell party. On her way back hazy weather changes all she had planned.
Daughter had also won the “Best Film” award in the Moscow International Film Festival earlier this year.

Iranian actor Farhad Aslani bagged the “Best Actor” award for his portrayal of the strict father in the same film Daughter, picking up the Silver Peacock & Rs 10 lakhs (Rs 1 mn) in cash prize.

The “Best Director” award went to the Turkish Director Baris Kaya for his film
Rauf. The film is a unique love story of a search under the shade of war and in tough natural conditions. The film is known for its pink hue, which is also the colour of love. Director Baris Kaya & Producer Soner Caner got Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 mn) in cash award, a citation & the Silver Peacock Trophy.

Elina Vaska bagged the “Best Actress” award for her portrayal of a 17 year old lonely girl in the Latvian film Mellow Mud. She walked away with the Silver Peacock Trophy & Rs 10 lakhs (Rs 1 mn) in cash prize.

The South Korean historic drama The Throne directed by Lee Jon – ik bagged the Special Jury Award comprising of Silver Peacock & a cash prize of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 mn). The film set in 1762 during the Joseon dynasty explores the dilemma of the King in penalizing the Crown Prince and his own son for treason.

Pepa San Martin’s Spanish film from Argentina / Chile Rara bagged the Centenary Award for “Best Debut Feature Film”, carrying a Silver Peacock Trophy & a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs (Rs 1 mn). It tells the story of a 13 year old girl as she begins to grow up.

Sanskrit film Ishti, Georgian film House Of Others, Czech entry I Olga Hepnarova
According To Her, Polish film The Last Family, Spanish film The Long Night Of Francisco Sanctis, French film Nelly, Arabic film Personal Affairs, Romanian film Scarred Hearts, Russian film The Student & Bengali film Sahaj Pather Gappo were also in the International Competition Section.

The international jury for IFFI 2016 had acclaimed writer – director Ivan Passer as the chairperson with Larry Smith, Lordan Zafranovic, Nagesh Kukunoor, Leila Kilani as members.

ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal was awarded to Turkish film maker Mustafa Kara’s Cold Of Kalandar. This award, instituted by the International Council for Film & Television, Paris & UNESCO is given to a film that portrays the Gandhian values of peace & harmony. Kara’s Cold Of Kalandar, set in a mountain village in the Black Sea region is also Turkey’s official entry for “Best Foreign Language Film” category of Oscar Awards.

Canadian multi – lingual entry The Apology by Toronto based Tiffany Hsiung won the Special Mention under the ICFT -UNESCO Gandhi Medal competition.

In all 7 films, including T S Nagabharana’s Allama were in the fray for the ICFT -UNESCO Gandhi Medal.

The glittering closing ceremony witnessed musical performances composed by Sachin -Jigar. The maker of Telugu magnum opus Bahubali – The Beginning, S S Rajamouli was the Chief Guest of the closing ceremony.

Mridula Sinha, Governor of Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col. Rajyvardhan Rathore, Jury Chairperson Ivan Passer and other jury members, Subhah Ghai & Nana Patekar, and a number of other dignitaries were also present.

Vikranth To Replace Vishnu

Director Suseenthiran’s period flick Maveeran Kittu is all set to hit the screens this Friday (2nd Dec, 2016). Now comes the news about the sequel to his debut flick Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu which released in 2008.Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu was not only critically acclaimed & a commercial success. The film also served as a launchpad for many artistes & technicians who would go on to make huge achievements in Tamil film industry. From director Suseenthitan, lead actor Vishnu Vishal, comedians Soori & Appukutty, the list goes on. Now its sequel will also be centered around the game of Kabaddi. The film’s script & dialogues will be penned by Suseenthiran while his associate Selvasekaran will take care of direction.

Ramya Joins A Star – Studded Tamil Biggie

Ramya Krishnan who was last seen in the blockbuster Baahubali: The Beginning, has been busy shooting for its sequel and she also plays Kamal Haasan’s wife in Sabash Naiduu. Now it has been confirmed that she has bagged a prominent role in another Tamil biggie. Ramya Krishnan will be playing a pivotal role in Suriya’s Thaanaa Serndha Koottam. The film is already laden with a stellar starcast that includes Keerthy Suresh as the female lead, Suresh Menon making a comeback as the villain, veteran comedian Senthil & RJ Balaji. The film directed by youngster Vignesh Sivan has completed 1 schedule in Chennai and the next is all set to begin in Karaikudi soon. Anirudh Ravichander is taking care of the musical score.

Amala’s Next Fairy Tale Title Revealed

After a long hiatus due to her personal life, Amala Paul is back with a bang having more than half a dozen biggies in her kitty including Dhanush’s VIP2 & Vada Chennai, Thiruttu Payale 2 and 3 other films in Telugu, Kannada & Malayalam. Amala Paul is pairing up with Vishnu Vishal in the new film directed by Ram of Mundasupatti fame and the film reportedly has a fairy tale title Cinderella. An official announcement with the FL is expected to be out soon.

Meera’s Strong Suggestion For Sexual Offenders

Meera Jasmine, who is busy doing Malayalam films has come out strongly against men who sexually assault women, suggesting that extreme punishment like castration is the only way of punishing them. She is of the opinion that then the men won’t dare to touch a woman again. Meera spoke at a press conference with a dalit woman whose daughter was raped & killed near Perumbavoor. Meanwhile her latest movie 10 Kalpanakkal directed by Don Max has been released to a decent reception and the film also deals with a serial rapist who murders his victims and goes scot free because of legal loop holes.

Lakshmi Bomb Release Date Announced

Lakshmi Manchu’s next, titled as Lakshmi Bomb, comes with the caption “From Sivakasi. Directed by Gopalakrishna, it is produced by Vella Mounika Chandrasekhar & Uma Lakshmi Narasimha. The news is that the bomb will ‘explode’ on 23rd Dec, 2016, a day on which Nani’s Nenu Local, Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu & Aamir Khan’s Yuddham (dubbed version of Dangal) will hit the screens. Lakshmi Manchu is playing an upright judge’s character here. The title is because her character is as explosive as the Deepavali’s “Lakshmi Bomb”. Sunil Kashyap is composing the music.

Nayanthara Is 2 In 1

The going may not have been great in Telugu, what with Babu Bangaram coming a cropper, but the Numero uno star Nayanthara currently has an enviable line -up of women – centric films in Tamil – Dora, Aramm (where she is playing a District Collector) and others which are in the talks. She is also playing an all – important role in the Atharvaa – Raashi Khanna starrer Imaikka Nodigal. In Imaikka Nodigal, directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu, Nayan plays the mother of a 4 – year – old, which has surprised many in the industry as not many heroines of her age would be ready to play a mom, especially down South.

Naga’s Clarification Stance

There are 3 Krishnas: Kalyan Krishna, Mohankrishna & just Krishna. Forget the 3rd one, for he is not directing Naga Chaitanya’s scheduled outing with Suresh Productions. Ignore the 1st for now, for he has very much been in, filming eagerly with the Akkineni star. The 2nd Krishna, a entleman – ly director, is the one who will direct Chay’s next. Any reports contrary to this are reportedly, patently untrue. To be produced by Sai Korrapati of Vaarahi Chalana Chitram, the Indraganti film will go on the floors in Feb, 2017. Make no mistake, there is no Chandrasekhar Yeleti around. After all, why would Chay say ”Manam Cinema Cheddam” to Yeleti, whatever may be his “Premam” for “Sahasam”?

2 reasons why Mahesh Babu is shooting in Gujarat

As is known, Mahesh Babu is currently shooting for A R Murugadoss’ entertainer in Ahmedabad. This is going to be a marathon schedule that will end only in the last week of Dec, 2016. To be shot in such locations as Dharmaj (near Vadodara), Gift City (Gandhinagar), Riverfront & Ellisbridge, this Rs. 100 cr budgeted movie is in Gujarat for a reason. An English – language daily has quoted one of the producers as saying the locations have been chosen for a two – fold reason. If freshness of the locations is one reason, the other one is that it will be a hassle – free affair. An actioner to be shot outdoors for a good part, any inconvenience cause by eager crowds could entail compromising with quality.

Mammootty Flaunts A New Look

Malayalam film audiences cherishes extraordinary expectations when it comes to a Ranjith movie, but extra hullabaloo is sure to be there when Mammootty teams up with the director. Their earlier films like Pranchiyettan And The Saint, Paleri Manikyam were critically acclaimed and are considered as the best movies in the history of Malayalam Cinema. Their Puthan Panam has already stirred up curiosity, especially in the backdrop of the present scenario where 500 & 1000 notes were declared not legal tenders anymore. The films shooting has commenced in Kochi. Antony Perumbavoor has clapped the board for its 1st shot. In his new film Mammootty will appear with a handlebar moustache and moreover in a salt & pepper style, the locations stills and recent appearance of Mammootty in public functions & Dileep – Kavya wedding hint it.

Mohanlal’s New Look Revealed

Mohanlal has completed shooting in Rajasthan for the war franchise movie of Major Ravi 1971: Beyond Borders, the next 2 schedules is in Palakkad & Uganda. The makers have released through the official page of the film in facebook the new look of Mohanlal in uniform. The film is based on the 1971 Indo – Pak war. It discusses the mental agony & psychological aspects of soldiers during war. Mohanlal essays 2 characters in the film – Major Mahadevan & Major Sahadevan. Major Mahadevan has 2 getups in the film. The film will be released on 27th. Mar, 2017. Allu Sirish & Arunoday Singh are portraying prominent roles in the film.

Simha Hakida Hejje Gets U Certificate

Another Kannada film that is capturing the “Sahasa Simha” Dr. Vishnuvardhana image to sail the boat in box office Simha Hakita Hejje gets U certificate from regional censor board. A film by Pathi Films, Sri Parthasarathy & Gautham Seth produced film is waiting for right theatre set up to release in Dec this year. This is a film by hardcore fan of Dr Vishnuvardhana – Parthasarathy. He is dedicating this film to the legendary actor.The film has Parthasarathy script, Ravishanker Nag dialogue, Shivakumar cinematography, Hari Babu music, Manju Mohan lyrics, Raju dance, Vishwa editing, Babu Khan art. Vikram has written screenplay & directed this film. Preetham, Amrutha, Sharat Lohitashva, Shobaraj, Pawan, Tabala Nani, Sangeetha, Sonu and others are in the cast.

Star Suvarna Jodi

The star Suvarna Super Jodi 2nd series with 10 pairs participating in it is all set for telecast. This time the pair from big & small screen is chosen for more attraction. Very good at anchoring Akul Balaji is key host.
The couple saying we are ready to face any situation, with “Dil” there should be “Dhum” says the statements doing round for this Super Jodi 2. The tasks for this season are very engaging, entertaining, educating & exhaustive too. This is sure to give “Double Dhamaka” for participants & viewers. Akshata & Vinay Gowda were winners of last season of Super Jodi. Vinay Gowda is playing the role of Lord Shiva in Mahadeva mythological TV serial.

The ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal jury, Lola Poggi Goujan and Xueyuan Hun along with the Director, DFF, Shri C. Senthil Rajan at a press conference, during the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 26, 2016.

At IFFI Goa 2016, there are 7 films competing for the International Council for Films, Television & Audio – Visual Communication ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal Prize from the International Film Section and 1 film from the Indian Panorama Section.

C. Senthil Rajan, Director DFF, said that he is thankful to ICFT – UNESCO for giving this medal. He announced the contestants for ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi medal prize. These include The Apology (Canada), Beluga (Iran), Cold of Kalandar (Turkey), Exiled (Latvia), The Family – Dementia (Spain), Harmonia
(Israel), A Real Vermeer (The Netherlands) & Allama (India).

Addressing the media today, Ms. Lola Poggi Goujan, Secretary General of ICFT & Jury Member, said that she is glad to be a part of IFFI 2016. She added that ICFT, an official partner of UNESCO established in 1956, is an NGO aiming to stimulate the production & distribution of high quality audio – visual work, especially of young artistes & media avocations at large. She further said that the criteria for the Gandhi Medal will reflect UNESCO’s fundamental mandate of Building peace in the mind of men & women, particularly human rights, intercultural dialogue, promotion & safeguard of diversity of cultural expressions.

Ms. Xueyuan Hun, Associate, ICFT, said that this year they have received a lot of good films from the 47th IFFI and therefore it has become difficult to decide upon the awardee. The award will not only be based on the film but also on the idea. She further said that the collaboration is a joint venture of ICFT & IFFI. Giving her views on Indian films she said that the message of the film & the technical aspects of the film is what she likes.

Talking about the Gandhi medal in further detail, the panel informed that in 1994, UNESCO issued commemorative medal marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the world’s advocate of peace, tolerance & non – violence. The medal bears a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre – Yves Tremois. Etched underneath is the Mahatma’s message of hope: “In the midst of darkness light prevails”. The reverse side carries the UNESCO Logo.

The Director Julieta Noemi Ledesma, Carolina Lusa, Jorge Anibal Roman of the film ‘Son of War’ at a press conference, during the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 26, 2016.

The Son of War – Being Awake, was screened at the IFFI, Goa yesterday. In an interaction with the media today, the Director, Ms. Julieta Noemi Ledesma, shared her experience on making the film as a debutant director and getting an opportunity for her film to feature in the “Cinema of the World” category at the IFFI, 2016.

The film is a story about a son who decides to leave his family in the middle of a drought. As it progresses, the story unfolds to show how human values undergo a change and how the selfish & animalistic side of humans comes to the foreground in the times of diversity.

Talking about the pre – production journey of the film, Ms. Ledesma said that making this film was an intense experience and it took around 10 years to produce it. The film is a reflection of her personal experience, she added. The Director, while answering another question, said that she likes depicting reality & true emotions through her characters and would like to continue with same genre in future.

Ms. Carolina Lusa, Production manager of the film, said that this film is an Argentina -Uruguay production and she is glad that it is being screened at the IFFI 2016.

Mr. Pablo Rios, Actor of the film, said that it was his 1st experience as an actor and was a bit difficult to portray the character according to the desire of the Director, but thanks to the talented crew he was able to do everything smoothly.

Ms. Julieta Dolinski, Art Director of the film, described how challenging was it for her to create an ambiance which was strange & silent, given the demand of the script, but she has tried her best to meet the vision of the Director.

Mr. Jorge Anibal Roman, Actor of the film, said that this is his 10th Film as an actor but working on this script was an intense experience.

The Director, DFF, Shri C. Senthil Rajan and the Digital Effect Supervisor (AMPAS) Theresa Ellis at a press conference, during the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 26, 2016.

In the “Meet With VFX Experts” series at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI Goa 2016), the Post Visual Effects & Compositing Supervisor Ms. Theresa Ellis Rygiel expressed her satisfaction at the turnout & the overwhelming response she received for her Master Class on Visual Effects in IFFI 2016. Further she narrated her experiences of working in post – production of the films.

Theresa Ellis Rygiel, VFX Supervisor said that she is thankful that she was invited for 47th IFFI. She said that Visual effects are part of pre – planning stages and she has to work on creating a dialogue between visual effects and other branches of cinema. VFX is very much part of the planning & the finalising the sequences. She emphasized that today Visual effects is everywhere especially in money making films. She further said that she enjoyed working in technical as well as artistic aspects of the films and have also enjoyed making things move in photography. Further she mentioned that most films can be shot in 2 months but it will involve a very good planning. She concluded that “Special Effects are the future way to Direct Films”.

C. Senthil Rajan, Director Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) said that, DFF is expanding its collaboration with Oscar Academy. As a part of the collaboration DFF will endeavour to increase the masterclasses with the members of Oscar Academy in the upcoming IFFI.

The Festival Director, Shri Senthil Rajan and the CEO, ESG, Shri Ameya Abhyankar at the Mid Fest Press Conference, during the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 24, 2016.

The festival director M. Senthil Rajan and CEO of ESG Ameya Abhyankar addressed the media exclusively for a midweek update, in the on-going 47th IFFI Goa 2016, about the things that happened in first week and what was in store for them in second week. The session was moderated by Manish Desai (PIB).

M. Centhil Rajan opened the session by saying, “We have all crossed the first half of IFFI Goa 2016 with a very good overall response. Our selection of the opening Polish film Andrzej Wajda’s Afterimage and the inauguration ceremony was highly appreciated. Thankfully no criticism came forth about this. The Centenary Award bestowed on the globally renowned singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was also well received including the tribute “I Am The Woman” we paid to the film industry divas from 50’s to 90’s of bygone millennium.”

M. Centhil Rajan further added, “Next in line was the opening ceremony of the Indian Panorama section by Chief Guest Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu (Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting) who really admired the package of the feature as well as the non-feature film section and commended both the section’s jury members for their highly transparent selection process.Then the Indian Panorama this year also included mainstream’s hugely successful films like Sultan, Airlift, Bahubali and Allama. Our only regret is that we could not give repeat screenings to most of the Indian Panorama films especially because of the cut on the number of days this year. Then we also had the honour of felicitating many International and Indian filmmakers and their film’s cast as well, who had come for the presentation ceremony. The Red Carpet events also went off well with many renowned celebrities walking on it. We even had many additional midnight screenings. Besides we had many “In Conversation”, “Workshops” and “Master Classes” sessions which really went off well and a huge round of applause also went to NFDC’s 4 days of Film Bazaar’s session.”

M. Centhil Rajan continued by saying, “Most of the films of International Competition and other sections including the Korean Package saw a huge turnout. Now we are looking forward for the huge response for the 2nd week as well. In which the main attraction will be the screening of midweek film Elia K. Schneider’s Tamara in presence of its entire cast and crew. Tamara is the story of a man’s struggle to become the woman that he truly is. The closing ceremony will also be held in the same dignified way as the opening ceremony, in which not only the competition section’s films will be awarded but also the Lifetime Achievement Award will be bestowed on the international persona director Im Kwon Taek. Then we also look forward to the closing film namely Kim Jee-Woon’s The Age of Shadows, which is a film based in 1920’s period, when Korea had fallen under Japanese rule. So now IFFI Goa is looking forward for the Grand Golden Jubilee Celebrations to be Held in 2019.”

On a concluding note the CEO of Entertainment Society of Goa enlightened about this year’s infrastructure and accreditation process, “We had to make a lot of changes in the ESG complex and hence a lot of facilities earlier offered to the media and the delegates had to be shifted within the venue like the media centre and the press briefing room to name just two. Even the online accreditation has come in for a lot of flak. But it will be rectified next year.”